How to Read the Bible Part 4

When the Lord speaks to us through scripture, our hearts burst with the anticipation of seeing Him do what He has promised

This is week 4 of a 5 part series I named the Bible Revolution.

You know it came about because I received a book at the Unite Conference entitled: “Before You Open Your Bible: Nine Heart Postures for Approaching God’s Word” by Matt Smethurst.

And I told you it changed the way I hear the scriptures in my quiet time.

Smethurst tells us 9 things to do when we read our Bibles.

First we should approach our Bible reading prayerfully and humbly

Asking the Lord to show us who He is and what He does.

We are coached to approach our reading desperately and studious

Truly wanting to hear from the Lord and willing to let what we read live in our minds until we see it.

Last week we said to approach scripture obediently and joyfully.

What good is it if you read it, understand it, but then refuse to do it.

This isn’t like studying for a test - standing before God on judgement day won’t be multiple choice, true/false, fill in the blank - it will be an essay test.

In my systematic theology class in seminary, our final exam consisted of two questions - the first of which was “Discuss the Doctrine of God - Give examples.”

I don’t remember the second question because I didn’t get to it - no one did.

We all wrote for 2 hours - talking about God and giving examples to back us up from scripture.

Our final exam will be similar - only much shorter.

“Why should I let you in to heaven?” will be the question.

The correct answer will sound like: “Because Jesus lived a sinless life, yet He died on a cross for my sin.

“He was buried but was resurrected to new life on the third day to free me from sin and death.

“He said if I trusted him and followed Him, He would take me to where He is.

But here is part two of the question: “Where is the evidence that you trusted and followed Jesus?

“Please make sure your answer includes more than just church attendance.”

Obediently and joyfully - What good is it to know it if you don’t want to do it?

Today we learn to approach scripture expectantly and communally.

We’re going to bounce around in the Bible just a little bit but we’ll land on Isaiah 42:5-9.

So go ahead and look up Isaiah 42.

Kids, our three words today are Lord, family, and glory.

Listen as carefully as you can and maybe you can talk about those words with your mom and dad on your way home today.

So number one is:

Expectantly

Expectantly means that we are expecting to hear something meaningful from God when we read the Bible.

It’s as simple as that.

So when I landed on Isaiah 42 and read it just like we’ve been talking about - I understood that Isaiah 42 was talking about me too.

It’s a Messianic text - it’s a prophecy about Jesus.

But it’s talking about us too.

Remember, we read studiously.

So as Isaiah 42 sat in my mind, I remembered John 17:22

John 17:22 ESV

The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one,

Jesus gave us His glory.

We think glory we think halos and bright lights.

Or crowds cheering.

But no - glory means power, might, and honor - and the approval of God the Father.

Remember, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased?” - that’s honor.

And Jesus said he was sharing that with us.

The power Jesus had, His might, and the approval of God the Father - He’s sharing that with us.

Noodle that for a second - Jesus’ ability to change people’s lives in a way that meets the approval of God the Father.

That belongs to us now.

The apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 3:18 that that glory grows in us as we God’s glory in someone else.

When I see God’s glory in you and it causes God’s glory to grow in me.

That’s

Communally

As a group - we read scripture together, we study together, we sing God’s word together - and we grow in glory together.

Some of you have heard this before:

Laura Wright was our Children’s Minister for over 12 years.

She met her husband Daniel after she got here - you know he was a teacher in the Jones County School System and a ball coach.

As Daniel sat here week after week, his heart was stirred as I preached and he began to feel a call to be a pastor himself.

One week as he watched me preach, he told me he thought, “If he can do this, I can too.”

Now that struck me funny - you know - if HE can do it, I certainly can - but that’s not how Daniel meant it.

Daniel knew my story - He saw how the Lord worked in my life to get me here.

And he knew if God would do that for me, He would do that for him too.

The Lord’s glory grew in Daniel because he saw the glory of the Lord growing in me.

That’s why you cannot be the Christian the Lord wants you to be running solo.

This is not an individual sport - this is a team sport.

It’s not that we need each other - it’s that we were designed for each other and any other design is flawed

They are destined to fail.

Jesus also said this: John 14:12-14

John 14:12–14 ESV

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

Now we all - myself included - have prayed for some pretty ridiculous stuff in Jesus’ name

And the Lord was merciful to not deliver it.

But you hear - “that the Father may be glorified in the Son” - knowing what we just learned about glory

The things - the greater works that we will do - these works are things that will make the Father pleased that we’ve done them.

And for those things, whatever we ask will be given.

Whoever believes - whoever trusts and follows - we’ll do the works Jesus did and bigger things than He did.

Turn with me now to Isaiah 42:5-9.

This is an advent scripture and we’re into the advent season, but I didn’t go here on that account.

I came here because it teaches us to read the scripture expectantly and communally.

Hear the Word of the Lord from Isaiah 42:5-9

Isaiah 42:5–9 ESV

Thus says God, the Lord, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it: “I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols. Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them.”

This is the Word of the Lord.

Praise be to God.

Isaiah 42:5 “Thus says God, the Lord, who created the heavens - this is where God resides.

He stretched them out, “who spread out the earth” - that’s where we live.

What this is saying is that Yahweh God who created everything, everywhere

“and what comes from it” - He created everything, everywhere for every time.

who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it:”

In Isaiah 42, Isaiah uses a word that is translated people and we take people to mean all humanity - and we would be wrong.

“Who gives breath to people,” - people here is family - God’s family.

He gives breath to His people - He gives the spirit - the Holy Spirit to His people.

This has to be His people - and let me tell you why.

If you don’t belong to Jesus - you are dead.

Ephesians 2:1 ESV

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins

Dead people don’t breathe

“But I’m breathing pastor - see me - (take two big breaths)

Yes, you are - you are the walking dead - a Zombie so to speak

A body without a spirit that can’t recognize what is real and what is not.

Am I wrong?

Look around yourself in the world.

People who can’t decide what they are - who treat themselves like pin cushions

Who use all kinds of stimulants to get through the day - to get through life.

Who wrestle with every deviancy they can in the hope that one of them fulfils them

Makes them feel whole.

Surely you see that when you watch the news - or walk down the streets of Atlanta

Or when you look around at the schools in Jones County and at some of the parents.

They aren’t bad people - they’re dead people.

But - they have hope - and the hope is us.

Isaiah 42:6 ““I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness;

Righteousness means we were called to a right standard of behavior.

Not to make our focus to live right - but to make our focus following Jesus

Jesus showed us the right standard of behavior - follow Him and you live right - it can’t be any other way.

But now listen, the Lord called Jesus to that standard and Jesus had the ability to follow it perfectly.

And again, the best way to do that is communally - so we can help each other see each other following Jesus so it inspires us to follow Him better.

“I will take you by the hand and keep you; “

We sing - He will hold me fast - Here’s a place that comes from.

“I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations,”

Alright - listen closely and follow me here - people is us - we are God’s family

Remember Jesus’ words at the last supper - Mark 14:24

Mark 14:24 ESV

And he said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.

His blood is the covenant - the promise of God to all who will believe.

The Father gave Jesus as a promise to all who will believe - and a light - a beacon calling to the nations - to whoever else might believe.

And since Jesus gave us His glory - now the Church is a sign of that covenant.

As long as the church is on this earth, there is hope for the nations.

There is hope that those who wear masks to protests can be saved.

There is hope that those who support terrorists who killed innocent men, women, children and babies

As long as the church is on the earth, there is hope they can be saved and become a part of the family.

As long as the church is here - do you hear that?

As long as we are here, there is hope that the people of Jones County can be saved

You realize right, the Lord has ordained a number of folks that will be saved because of the ministry of this church.

I pray the number is large and I pray that we remain faithful to Make Jesus Known to as many people as we possibly can.

That the T-Shirt I’ve seen some of you wear that says, “Make Heaven Crowded,” becomes our motto

And we see the glory of the Lord shine as new brothers and sisters are born again into the kingdom.

We’ve always preached that “this is what we ought to do” but there’s more

This is what we were born to do - it’s in our DNA - it is who we are now - Jesus gave it to us.

Listen to verse 7

Isaiah 42:7 “to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.”

We are here - we have the power, the might, we have the approval of God the Father to show those who are blind - spiritual things

We have the power Jesus gave us to show them truth - to show them they are valued so much by God that Jesus’ bled, died and was raised for them.

We DO have the power to release people we thought could never be released from their dungeon of sin

People who’s lives seem so dark and hopeless

Jesus has called some of them to be saved and some of them will be saved because of the glory of God that rests in you.

Isaiah 42:8 “I am the LORD; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols.”

Do you want an absolute truth?

There is one God and one God alone - His name is Yahweh

He comes to us as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

He created all that is.

He alone made a way for the nations to become His family.

There is no other way.

Isaiah 42:9 “Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them.””

All of the prophesies made in scripture have come true.

Now the Lord declares a new thing - 750 years before it happened.

Jesus has come - the process has started - the covenant has been revealed.

The method has been put in place.

It has been announced in our Holy Scriptures.

We - the family of God - communally approach God’s word expectantly.

Listen - I can’t guarantee that anyone in your family will be saved - but I promise everyone in your family can be saved.

I don’t think I would be wrong if I said that every family in here has someone who is so far from grace, you wonder

And yet your heart breaks for them - you love them so - and you’d do anything to see them saved.

Listen, it might be you your family is praying for and begging Jesus to save.

Friends, listen, don’t give up.

He is holding your hand.

He is keeping your heart until He brings you home.

But until He does, your very presence is a testimony to the fact that there is still time.

There will come a time when the chance is past

If you are wrestling with Jesus - you are stubbornly refusing to follow Him - you are playing with fire.

One day your chance will be gone and there will be nothing left for you except to experience God as a consuming fire.

But as long as you are here - and we are here - there is hope.

One of my favorite verses, Revelation 21:5

Revelation 21:5 ESV

And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

Jesus is making all things new.

He has made us new.

If you are not his follower, He will make you new.

You can take that to the bank - “these words are trustworthy and true.

Let me implore you, let me beg you to follow the one who will make all things new

And all means you.

The hurt in your heart, the anger, the pain, the emptiness, the longing, the addiction, the abuse, the memories

He will deal with them all

Your guilt, your shame, even your arrogance and pride - all washed away by Jesus’ obedience to the cross.

You can be saved.

And Church, you have the glory to lead someone to salvation.

While there is still time - adult - student - don’t wait.

Let us pray.

Communion