Good morning again everyone…It is great to be here, and its great to be able to worship together as a family. Right now we have some amazing kids teachers that are welcoming your kids into a special time where they will learn about the Bible in a way that makes sense to them. I also want to welcome those of you joining us online as part of our extended spiritual family this morning. Those of you joining us online, let me ask you to comment or message us and thank the volunteers that are working in order to make the online stuff happen. For those of you here in person, please be sure to remember to thank a volunteer here this morning as we focus on the ministries of LRBC this whole month.

Last week I shared with you about a goal for this year. I told you that I was looking for 10 people to join me in reading the Bible and holding each other accountable. On Sunday there were 3 people that said they wanted to join me, and then on Tuesday another person joined in with me. So that means we still have a few spots left open in this small group. if you were waiting to join becuase you wanted to give others an opportunity, then feel free to jump in and lets have some conversations.

Now, last week when we started this series we looked at some pretty amazing and inspiring stories of what has happened through this best selling book of all time. This week I would like to share with you a few interesting things about this book and some of the ways that this book has impacted the world. So in case you don’t know this, the Bible is actually a collection of books and writings that span around 1500 years of authorship. What that means is that from Genesis being written by Moses, to Revelation being written by John, there was a span of around 1500 years. What is really cool by the way is that over all of that time with multiple authors…there are 0 contradictions and the same story is continued from start to finish. I mean that is amazing. Anyway, becuase of this span of time, the Bible was not written in English…I know, shocking. The Bible was actually written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. The Old Testament was written in Hebrew and Aramaic, and the New Testament was written in Greek. However, around 250 BC, the Old Testament was translated into Greek in a document called the Septuagint, and that resource is still available today…As a matter of fact, I have that resource on my computer and I use that occasionally. So from that we see that the Bible, or at least sections of this book was the first major book to be translated into a foreign language.

This was also the first book to be printed on a printing press…In 1440, a guy named Johann Gutenberg, who was a diamond polisher. Well, he invented this little thing called the printing press and then him and his team produced the Gutenberg Bible in 1455. How awesome is that…Of course without the printing press we would have never had the desktop printers that we have today. Ok, I have something even cooler for you…Did you know that this book was actually the first book to have ever been telegraphed? Yeah, on May 24, 1844 a guy named Samuel Morse coded Numbers 23:23,” What hath God wrought!” KJV from the chamber of the US Supreme Court to Albert Vail at the B&O Railroad depot in Baltimore. OK…I have one more for you…This book…the best selling book of all time, was the first book on the moon. On July 20, 1969, before exiting the Eagle Lunar space module, Buzz Aldrin pulled out a Bible, a silver chalice, bread and wine. He read the Bible before putting a foot on the moon.

Isn’t that amazing stuff right there…I mean to think that the Bible has been involved in all of these aspects of history is simply amazing…To think that the Bible actually caused much of these things is even more remarkable. Here’s the thing…and I know we don’t like to talk like this, but it’s true…The Bible has a way of changing people…actually that is a question I would like us to answer today in a bit of a personal way.

Can the Bible make me better?

That’s a crazy question right there isn’t it…Well, I want to ask you to bear with me as we look at some passages and see what the Bible can actually do not just for you…but to you. This morning Im going to give you a few ways that what is written in the best selling book of all time can change you…Some of these ways are a bit surface level, while some of these will be truly foundational level changes that can happen in your life. If you are interested in being better…a better husband, father, child, worker, neighbor, fill in the blank, then pay attention to what we ware going to look at today. If you are not interested in changing for the better…then maybe listen anyway and see if you change your mind by the time we are done this morning. So, this morning lets make a list of

How the Bible makes me better...

Are you ready for this list? OK, first,

The Bible inspires me!

Have you ever thought about some of the amazing stories throughout scripture. I mean, think about the reality of a guy like Daniel sitting in the lion’s den and what kind of strength he had to have to do that. I mean, that could be a pretty impressive movie…or his friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who walked into a fire! What about the story of David standing up to the oppression of Goliath when the entire army was to scared to move…David found the strength to walk out and challenge the big bad Goliath. I mean, when I start to think about these stories, I wonder why I’m so scared to have that tough conversation with my boss.

Then I think about Moses walking into the place he grew up and freeing all of the slaves that he once commanded. Esther prevented the genocide of her people, Elijah calling out all the prophets of Baal, and making fun of the fake God along the way. What about Ruth sticking by her mother in law, even when things were hard, or Stephen standing up the the entire Sanhedrin, or…maybe a bit harder…What about Paul who faced beatings and still stood up and didn’t back down. Honestly, when I think about Paul being beaten for his beliefs I kind of remember this fictional guy named Steve Rogers over the last 15 years…(show clip)...I mean Steve Rodgers inspired some people to stand up for themselves, and he was fictional…what about Paul who did it for real! You see…when I thin about this stuff, my thoughts get bigger, my determination grows stronger, and I get excited to do something amazing…So this book inspires me. Thats not all though,

The Bible encourages me!

Absolutely I get encouraged when I read Scripture. I get encouraged when I read the promises in Scripture that apply to me. For instance, when Im having a rough time I can remember

Romans 8:28 (ESV)

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

After I think of that verse I ask myself…Do I love God? Yes…Am I called according to his purposes? Yes…Ok, that means that this situation I am going through right now…will somehow be used for good. I may not understand that good, but I believe the promise so I am encouraged. Ill tell you another passage that has encouraged me when I was struggling. Year ago a friend of mine pointed me towards this passage when nothing seemed to be working for me...

Genesis 15:1 (ESV)

After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”

This passage reminds me that if I am working for the Lord, if I am seeking to live a life that is honoring to God, that God will be my shield…man, nothing can touch me if God is my shield.

Thats not all though…You see, there is another way the Bible makes me better…but if Im honest, this way is a bit uncomfortable. You see,

The Bible sees through me

Yeah, you heard me right. However, Im not saying that the Bible has Xray vision here…Im saying that Bible can reveal my junk quicker than anyone else can call me out. You see,

Hebrews 4:12 (ESV)

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Did you hear that last part…“discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart”. Ouch…I mean, there are times I would rather my heart not be discerned, right? I know Im not the only one here that would say that…am I? I mean, there are times I read Scripture, and do you know what I hear…Billy, you’re lazy…get up. Ill be honest, one of my sin patterns is the desire for things to be easy and go easy, so I have to actively work against that. So, when I reading Scripture and the Spirit is telling me that I need to stop taking shortcuts, that can be uncomfortable…but…it can also make me better, right? I mean, when the Spirit is convicting me of my own selfishness or pride as a result of me spending time reading Scripture then I am encouraged to rely on the Lord more than I rely on myself…have you experienced that? If not…can I say that maybe you haven’t been spending time tin Scripture?

There is a passage that I want us to look at briefly this morning. This single passage tell us multiple ways the Bible actually makes me a better person, and I want to share that passage with you.

2 Timothy 3:16–17 (ESV)

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Right here we see that the Bible is useful for: teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training. You see,

The Bible teaches me

When I read the Scripture I can see through the history of Israel what happens when I rely on God and what happens when I turn from God. I can learn the history of the church and what good theology is.

The Bible rebukes me

When I read passages that specifically speak out against the thing I am doing right then, or the things I did last night, then the Spirit uses the words of Scripture to rebuke me and communicate that I am wrong. Then of course

The Bible corrects me

When I am rebukes for my actions I can read in Scripture the proper response to my situation instead of the sinful response I was doing. Maybe, and aregulable one of the more important things the Bible does for me, is that

The Bible trains me in righteousness

How do I know what I should be doing and what kind of response I should have in some particular situation? How can I know which way to talk to the Lord and what to expect in my walk if I am not trained…The Bible, is our training manual for living. Theres a cute little phrase that used to be used all the time, it is that the BIBLE is the Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth… It’s a bit cheesy…just its also true, isn’t it.

Last week I told you a few stories, and this week I want to tell you another story. This is a story about a young Norwegian man named Hans Hauge. 200 years ago, Norway was not very economically stable. Actually they were one of the poorest countries in Europe. Norway was ruled by Denmark , and most of Norway were fisherman or farmers. If there was a famine, then people would starve to death. However, today, Norway is one of the more wealthy countries. It had one of the lowest literacy rates…today, the literacy rate is near 100%. How did that happen? Well, this guy named Hans started reading the Bible, and then Hans brought the Bible to Norway…and then Norway changed.

In 1796, Hans Hauge became a Christian and started to read the Bible for himself. The Bible taught Hans that God wanted him to love his neighbor as himself. So…he started distributing Bibles in every village and is credited for starting over 1,000 Bible study groups. Hans was censured by the government for preaching without a license, but…Hans read in the Bible that believers should build each other up so he just kept doing what the Bible told him to do.

Author Loren Cunningham wrote about Hans, and he wrote,

As Hauge delved into the Bible…he found the Bible packed with principles for everything that humanity faces…He preached that all we own and all that we are, comes from God. The Lord expects us to be good stewards of what he has given to us.”

In order to live this out and help the poor to find jobs, Hauge built a paper mill and a stamping mill, a bone mill, a flour mill, a tannery, and a foundry. He learned how to print books and started a publishing business. As people learned to read…they read the Bible, and the Bible made them better. Over the following decades Norway rose to prosperity. Hauge was arrested 11 times in 7 years. Finally in 1804, he was imprisoned. However, Hauge’s work continued with his followers called the Haugeans. The Haugeans sought independence for Norway and helped draft the new constitution in 1814, making Norway free.

So…Can the Bible make me better? Can the Bible make you better? The Holy Spirit using the Bible made an entire nation better! But how does that happen?

How does the Bible change me?

It’s actually pretty easy…Paul tells us exactly how that is done in

Romans 12:2 (ESV)

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

The Bible transforms your mind…You see, who we are, what you do largely comes from our mind. What we think about we do. Have you every noticed that when you try really really hard not to do something you have the urge more and more to do it…It’s like the old pink elephant illustration. If someone tells you not to think about a pink elephant, most people immediately think of a pink elephant…becuase that is what is in your mind.

Now, apply that same truth to the Scripture…When you are regularly reading Scripture, then Scripture is in your mind, therefor your mind is constantly being renewed into Godliness…So, how does the Bible change me?

The Bible renews my mind

What does it mean to renew my mind? Well, when you have a mind that has been, or is being renewed by Scripture then you are no longer influenced as heavily by the outside forces that surround you. When you have a mind that is being renewed by Scripture then you seem to dwell more and more on things that are pleasing to the Lord and that are more encouraging. When you have a mind that is renewed or is being renewed then we will realize that real and lasting change, comes from within…not from the outside being pressed in.

We also see that,

The Bible transforms me

Yeah, the way the Bible transforms me is by renewing my mind…as my mind is continuing to be renewed then I am in the process of being transformed. Now, I want to clarify something real quick. When I was a kid…or even as an adult if Im honest, I loved Transformers. I remember watching that show and playing with those toys and simply saying something like, “Autobots…transform”, then I would make this noise (make transforming noise) and the toy, or myself would immediately be transformed and I would be something else. Thats not the way this works here though. You see, Greek is a bit different from English. Greek has more tenses than English has. In English, we have, past, present, future, it’s simple…However, in Greek there are seven tenses, and. The tense that is used here, is called the present tense. However, in the Greek, the present tense is an active present, meaning that this is an ongoing action that is continually happening. When we read the word “transformed” in our minds it is in the past, but in the authors language, this is an action that has not, and will not be completed until some other time that is not mentioned. In other words, what Paul is saying is, “Be transformed and continue being transformed…keep thinking about the right things…keep listening to the words of Jesus…keep reading the Scritpure…keep feeding your mind with healthy concepts so that you will reflect Jesus instead of the culture around you…That is how the Bible transforms us…by literally changing the way our minds function.

Now, does that mean we will never let our minds slip? No, not at all…especially when you start the process of allowing Scripture to renew your mind you find ways of getting distracted, right? Maybe some of you experienced this thought this week, “Wow, Ive done really good so far, Ill go ahead and skip a day..Ill reword myself.” Ouch…Or maybe you thought, “Wow, I can’t do this at all, I might as well give up. I don’t know how these other people are doing so well.” You see…we absolutely will slip back into our old way of thinking, which is why Paul says this has to be a continuous action…Does that make sense...

So why do some of us fight against this idea to begin with? I mean, why do some of us, and maybe Im talking about you…why do some of us push away and come up with excuses as to why there is no way that we can possibly read the Bible every day? Well…I believe its becuase instinctively we know that change starts with our minds. We will realize that if I am spending time reading Scripture then eventually I will realize that I am sinning in some particular way, then I will be faced with the decision that I have to change…and well…I don’t want to change. You see…we know that change starts with our minds and if i am filling my mind with things of the Lord then I will be forced to change in ways that I may not be ready for.

When you read the Bible, it will change your thinking, which will change your patterns of behavior…and that is a good thing. However, we resist change, and so you wake up in the morning to that little alarm on your phone reminding you to read the Bible and you know that if you read that…change will follow. The question that I have for you to answer this morning is...

Am I ready for change?

You don’t get to pick and choose what will change and what won’t…as you fill your mind with things of the Lord then the things of this world are pushed out and you will change. Ill give you an example. When I was like 20 years old maybe a year or so after giving my life to Christ, I had changed much of my lifestyle. I was attending church, I was not drinking, I was not swearing, I was not being an all around deadbeat…I had changed drastically. A friend of mine came up to me one day and made an off hand remark to me. Do you wanna know what he said. Some of you aren’t gonna like me very much…This guy, by the name of Mark, simply asked if I felt the Lord would want me to continue smoking cigarettes? Do you know what my response was…Well, honestly I ignored him, but I knew the answer. I knew the answer not becuase there is some scripture that says, “thou shalt not smoke”…I knew the answer becuase I had been filling my head with Scripture. Here’s the deal though…and I remember having this very conversation with God…I was not very happy with God to be honest. You see, I remember speaking, well we will say sternly towards God as I revealed that smoking was all I had left of me…of who I was. However, God was revealing to me that who I was…was worthless, who I am is a child of God and he doesn’t want any of the old me left behind…he wanted me to surrender everything, and stop holding onto the things of my past. Stop holding onto the things that I was and allow him to continue to change me into who he has made me to be.

Some of you are here this morning and you are about ready to have that same conversation with God aren’t you…Not necessarily about smoking, but about being who God has designed you to be…and that scares you to death. That scares you becuase it means loosing control of your life, it means losing control of your future, it means losing control of everything you have worked for…The thing is…if your honest, you know that what you have worked for is nothing compared to what God is working towards. This morning I want to ask you to let go of that fear and simply trust that as your mind is renewed that God will transform you into the person that he has amazing plans for. This morning Im asking you to let go of your own pride and just rest in the hands of the Lord.

Last week I asked everyone to read the Bible at least 1 day more than you normally do. I would love to hear how that has been going. However, this week I am going to keep that challenge going…Whatever you read last week, let me ask you to read 1 more day this week than last week. If you didn’t read as much as you wanted to…thats ok, just jump back in today. Listen, I still have a few spots available for people to join me in reading the Bible this year in our private group, so if you are even a little bit interested, message me and lets get you involved. Hey, even if you are unable to commit to reading the whole plan, if you would like to be encouraged, message me and lets get connected.

For everyone else…those of you here, or those online, if you are curious what would make a person want to read a book that is over 2000 years old, and some parts are over 5000 years old, then shoot me a message and lets talk about it. If you are here this morning, or if you are joining us online and you are ready to be better, and your thinking that maybe you should go ahead and give this Jesus stuff a try…send me a message and let’s connect and talk about what God has for you and how you can work through whatever it is you are going through using the best selling book of all time...

Lets pray