The Scriptures Pt 1.

A couple months ago, I needed to do some work on one of my cars.

I love this stuff. I am by no means a mechanic, but I have learned a thing or two that I am extremely proud about.

Well, I was talking to a friend about what I was trying to do and he suggested a manual that should do the trick.

He had only heard that it had helped, he had never tried it.

So, even though I had my doubts, I ordered the manual off of amazon and had it delivered overnight.

Let me tell you, the following day I read the manual cover to cover and it was not helping.

I couldn’t get anything to work. To be honest, the manual made no sense and felt like it wasn’t even applicable to what I was trying to fix!

It wasn’t until the end of the day that I realized what was happening.

I wasn’t just reading any manual. I was reading a specific manual that had an intended purpose.

And that purpose was not mechanical work- it was cooking.

I was trying to fix my car with a cook book.

And you know what a cook book doesn’t teach you? How to fix a car.

That isn’t it’s intended purpose.

And unfortunately, what I see so often as I meet with people and counsel people as a pastor, I see them talking about their failed efforts in using the Bible to fix problems and give directions in a way it was never intended to.

Let me give you some examples…

The Bible doesn’t teach you how to potty train your kids.

It doesn’t tell you which college to go to.

There is no step by step process for dating in the scriptures.

We can’t learn parenting tips in a digital age from any of It’s books.

And it for sure doesn’t tell you how to fix your car issues.

So why is it that we often hear this phrase “The Bible is sufficient for all things?”

Why are we directed to seek the Lord through His word, to memorize, depend on it, and practice it’s teachings in every area of our life if it doesn’t speak to every area of our life?

Is it actually sufficient for all things?

I would contend that the answer is yes, but that the question is leaving out a very important detail.

The Bible is sufficient to accomplish it’s purpose.

So then the question we must ask is, what is the purpose of the Bible?

It isn’t to fix cars, give dating advice, determine next steps, or offer parental instructions…

The purpose of the Bible is this-

To be the primary agent by which we become authentic followers of Jesus.

The Bible is the primary agent by which we become authentic followers of Jesus.

The minute we change it’s intended purpose is the minute we miss the opportunity to be transformed by it.

This mornings reading comes out of the book of Psalms 119 starting in verse 97,

Would you stand in honor of the reading of God’s word this morning?

Psalm 119:97–105 ESV

97 Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day. 98 Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with me. 99 I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation. 100 I understand more than the aged, for I keep your precepts. 101 I hold back my feet from every evil way, in order to keep your word. 102 I do not turn aside from your rules, for you have taught me. 103 How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! 104 Through your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way. 105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

This is God’s word, you may be seated.

The author of this chapter in the book of Psalms shares with us early on that he was being slandered; his name is being smeared as a result of his belief in God and his love for God’s word.

Rumors and lies made about our lives have a way of placing heavy pressure on our ability to live, function, and thrive.

The Psalmist is struggling. He’s young, sensitive, and is feeling isolated.

But what sustained him during this time of persecution was not just what he believed, but what directed his beliefs- the Word of God.

It is in trying times that we have two options…

We allow our grip on God’s Word to weaken or we turn to it for the sake of being strengthened.

And what we see from him is a man who has made a choice- he has chosen to live according to God’s design, to refuse false paths, embracing his struggle, and fighting depression.

And in doing so, he is renewed and refreshed by the power of God’s Word.

Maybe some of you this morning are feeling what he felt-

You have a weight on your shoulders that you are struggling to bare-

Your loneliness is suffocating-

You’ve chosen paths that have caused harm.

You are questioning whether or not you can believe…

I want you to know this morning that God’s word can meet you right where you are at.

But in order to experience the intended purpose of God’s Word, let me first tell you God’s intended purpose for you.

I think we fight a tension in our life sometimes that feels unbeatable because we assume wrongly God’s intended purpose for our lives.

Maybe you think it is to become a better person, one who is kinder, makes better choices, manages time appropriately, and lives a life that includes setting goals and attaining them.

Or maybe you think your purpose in life is learn more about God, come to church on Sundays, join a Bible study, and take the major points of what is learned and apply it to the best of your ability while fitting it in with what your life already is.

I would probably guess that both types of people are pretty exhausted.

The first is tired of trying only to feel like they aren’t improving at all.

The second has attempted reading through the Bible in a year until they got to the book of Leviticus and it went downhill fast.

Not to mention that life continues to get in the way because of it’s demands and your guilt ways heavy because you value church and what it offers but your behavior and priorities aren’t showing that it is true… and so then you feel like you have failed.

And now your life is driven by shame.

Church family, God’s intended purpose for your life is not to just be a good purpose and enter a journey of behavior modification.

It isn’t to become a Bible scholar or a to do everything that is expected of you in order to check the box.

God’s intended purpose for you is to become like Jesus in order to help others become like Jesus.

And God’s Word is the primary agent for accomplishing this purpose.

Our experience when engaging God’s Word is heavily influenced by our concept of God.

I am sure you can tell by just looking at me but I used to work out religiously, 4-5 days a week back in the day.

I had a buddy of mine that I met at the gym every morning at 6:30am.

He was a gym rat who discipled me in the way of Jesus and the gym.

We regularly switched gyms in town just to change the scene up and meet knew people.

One morning, we decided to switch over to the local planet fitness.

This gym was very different from the other gyms I had been to before.

For one, it was looked like it was themed after Barney- all the purple was loud.

But then there was a slogan that caught my eye immediately…

On every wall there was a statement that said, “This is a judgement free zone.”

I remember the first time I read that thinking they clearly have never understood a typical environment of a gym.

I don’t know about you, but when I first starting going to the gym, I didn’t feel anything but judgement!

It felt like I was under a spotlight as I navigated my workout.

I knew why people were watching me. It wasn’t because I was ripped out of my mind- it was because I was a guy in my mid 20’s who looked like I was still 15 who was 160 lbs soaking wet.

I mean they were probably concerned when I just walked up to the dumbbells.

And listen, I have a confession to make. I didn’t just feel judged, I also judged other people too.

If I saw a dude in shorts with 2’’ inseams and a string tank that looked like it was three times too small for you, my mind was made up about you.

So you’re telling me that planet fitness, in this world of health and fitness, had created a judgement free zone?

Well… The more I went, the more I began to see that it was probably true.

Where in my other gym there was primarily athletes and body builders, in this gym I began to see normal people, all shapes and sizes, coming in and putting work in.

I’d see a body builder taking selfies of himself in the mirror next to the 8- year old lifting his 5 lb weights.

I’d see the teenage athlete running next to the middle aged mom enjoying her leisurely walk.

Planet fitness had recognized a common problem surrounding the health and fitness community: the hardest part of exercising for many beginners isn’t the exercise itself but the social experience around it.

They knew people feared being judged and there was such thing as gymtimidation.

And this could change the way you experience the gym.

Instead of thinking about your workout, you are thinking about how you look doing the work out…

They knew that people’s level of consistency was directly tied to their level of confidence.

And what the slogan was actually saying wasn’t “don’t judge people.”

It was, “You belong here.”

This shaped what they believed this gym to be and because of that, their belief positively affected their behavior.

Sometimes the biggest barrier to reading God’s Word isn’t because of what it is but what you believe it’s purpose is and how you view your own.

So if you think that your purpose in life is to read it because it is supposed to be what you do, you are missing out on experiencing your purpose and the intended purpose of the Bible for you!

We read God’s Word because by it, we come to know Jesus, become like Jesus, and are instructed on how to live like Jesus.

God’s Word is a light in the midst of a dark world.

According to this passage, the word of God provides two things-

It provides wisdom.

It provides the way.

The Bible provides wisdom for discernment.

Psalm 119:98–99 ESV

98 Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with me. 99 I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation.

In our world, we are taught that we are to…

Follow your heart.

Trust your gut.

Do you and live your truth.

But the Bible sheds light on these words of wisdom by exposing it’s true realities.

Real wisdom can only come from our all knowing God.

God, the creator of wisdom itself, has given us His word, teaching, and reason for all things according to His purpose and plan in this very book.

A statement you might hear regularly or may have even said is this-

“Experience is the best teacher.”

But here lies that author of this passage who has seen it all, done many things, and tells us that God’s Word provides wisdom and understanding far better than ANY TEACHER.

But what I love about God’s word is that when I sit with it, study it, memorize it, and meditate on it, it’s transformational power provides it’s own experience!

This wisdom is gifted to us through His word, not that we may build the library of knowledge in our minds, but that we might navigate our life called to live in faith.

And our life of faith, when clinging tightly to His Word, contains a light to guide the way.

The Bible provides a way for the righteous.

Psalm 119:101 ESV

101 I hold back my feet from every evil way, in order to keep your word.

“But Seth, I wouldn’t consider myself righteous. I have done some things in my past that are horrible. I still don’t have this thing figured out and when I try, I mess it up time and time again!”

You and me both.

Let’s see what the Bible has to say to us in response-

2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV

21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

To those who are believers and followers of Jesus…

Don’t discount the work of God, through the indwelling of the Spirit, by the agent of the Word in your life.

We are but a work in progress simply becoming who we were created to be.

The comfort lies in this reality, that as He works in us, His work was completed for us on the cross.

Through the eyes of our Savior, we are counted as righteous.

This is the revelation of God’s Word to a dark world- although redemption is in motion, the eternal promise of complete restoration has been solidified through Jesus.

So we aren’t just becoming who we were created to be, we are becoming who we already are…

And in that journey, this passage paints a perfect picture of what the experience looks like..

Psalm 119:105 ESV

105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

During the time of this passage, the idea of lighting a room wasn’t what we have today.

They carried little clay dishes filled with oil that held a flame.

This lamp would give enough light to see the next step clearly.

When we are walking with God according to His Word, His Word functions as a light to illuminate our next step.

You ever think about how we walk differently in different seasons?

Some of you are walking like you’re in a park- just strolling..

Some of you are walking in the form of a hike… You are pushing through some pain but for the most part, you are enjoying the scenary.

Others of you are trudging. Life is incredibly difficult. You feel like you can’t catch up. You’re questioning past decisions. You are intimidated by self-set expectations. But you’re still depending upon the Lord.

For each of you in one of those forms- hear this truth-

The best ability in the Christian walk is dependability. (Warren Wiersbe)

Continue to allow the word of God to be a lamp unto your path.

It’s all about the next step-

Of course the entire path is not illuminated- this is about faithful obedience and dependency.

Trust the Lord by depending upon His word.

When you do, you will understand what the Psalmist meant when he said,

Psalm 119:103 ESV

103 How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

I want to leave you with a couple next steps depending on where you are in your journey….

Make a plan.

SOAP

Bible Recap

Sing Podcasts

Join a group.

Community strengthens, accountability encourages

Strive for diligence

Perfection isn’t what we are aiming for.

Trust God’s Word.

But some of you aren’t walking in stride, you aren’t hiking, you aren’t even trudging…

Some of you are walking but you are walking in the loneliest form- you are wondering…