bible. Read Together (sermon

Todd Spieker

Sermon • Submitted 6 years ago

0 ratings

· 5 views

Notes

Transcript

I - ?

where do i start?

Buying a new car so many choices, how do I know I’ll pick the right one.

W - We are living in a time of unprecedented freedom that leads us to unprecedented isolation, self-doubt, and fear

Trans: 100 years ago there was only one car I could have bought.

Example: What I love about Aldi

Thought: We are told we should make whatever we want our of our lives and left to figure it out. How do I know I’m on the right track! how do I make the right decision for me and my family?

The biggest change in the last 50 years. We are living in a time of UNPRECEDENTED freedom. Freedom that your parents NEVER IMAGINED HAVING about everything in your life.

Location

Occupation

Education

Information

Belief

Entertainment

Association

Spending\

Attention

Time

What you Eat

Ethics

Romantic Partner

Identity

Self Determination

Everything is all up to you, in a way that has never been seen before on this earth.

“When your parents were born...”

And this freedom is GREAT but it has consequences. And we see them all the time.

Polarization (side-taking on every issue and person under the sun)

Disconnection from one another

The downfall and crumbling of every institution.

A loss of cultural unity

A loss of “common ground” and reasonable discussion between people who disagree

What is amazing to me...

In the middle of this unprecidented, unimagineable, and never before even DREAMED of freedom I am constantly talking to people who are.

Dissatisfied with their lives

...

Paralyzed by choice

Gripped by fear about tomorrow

Anxious

Depressed

I have a close friend that has spend the

I have a

I talk to people in my generation that tell me they wish they could have an arraigned marriage.

We are left

All of this freedom is great, but it leaves us all alone wondering CONSTANTLY. Constantly second guessing our choices.

Am I making the right choice?

Am I doing the right thing?

Am I raising my kids in the right way?

Am I making the right choices for my aging parents?

Should I help my adult child with that problem or give them that kind of advice?

Am I setting myself and my family up for success or failure?

Is this the right carrier, the right kind of food, the right medical treatment, ect

<SLIDE>

IS my life on the right track?

am I making the right choices?

Our culture (all of us) are gradually dismantling every institution, every authority, and every expectation. And we are left wondering how do we build our lives?

how do I get there?

without a plan, without a foundation, without any help.

We tell each other, build whatever you want!

which is great, but its not very helpful.

How do I stay there?

How do I make sure my kids are there?

How do I help others?

<SLIDE>

Increasingly I am feeling like: Freedom to Choose is worthless, UNLESS there is something worth choosing.

G -

Trans: Where we seem to find ourselves today reminds me of one of the oldest stories in the bible.

It comes from the last book of the first section of the Bible. A book that we call Deuteronomy.

Devarim

which means “Words”

Deuteronomy 11:16–20 NIV

Be careful, or you will be enticed to turn away and worship other gods and bow down to them. Then the Lord’s anger will burn against you, and he will shut up the heavens so that it will not rain and the ground will yield no produce, and you will soon perish from the good land the Lord is giving you. Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates,

Deuteronomy

Background

God’s Promise to Abraham

God’s people Freed from slavery in Egypt - Unprecedented freedom

Lived in the Desert being cared for hand-to-mouth by God for 40 years. Describe

Now they stand at the edge of the Promised land.

Conflict ahead

Uncertainty ahead

But also unprecedented freedom, land to cultivate, Room to spread out in, to grow a family.

A group of people standing at the edge of a whole new way of life, unprecedented freedom that their parents never imagined. The children of slaves who are about to become Farmers in an abundantly fertile land.

<SLIDE> The most important word for reading the bible is… Ya’ll

Its into that that Moses writes Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy is basally a long sermon. written to “Ya’ll.” Like most of the Bible

You have unprecedented freedom and all that comes with it, Choose the right thing

Retells the story so far

Retells God’s Law

But its main function is to give God’s people something worth choosing.

You are FREE but you dont have to be alone. Free but you dont have to figure it all out on your own. You are free! Here is how you should USE your freedom. Here is how you can make sure you are on the right path.

Moses is trying to give them something GOOD to CHOOSE in their newfound freedom. so he gathers them together and tells the whole story.

Deut 11:18

Deuteronomy 11:13–31 NIV

So if you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today—to love the Lord your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul—then I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and olive oil. I will provide grass in the fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied. Be careful, or you will be enticed to turn away and worship other gods and bow down to them. Then the Lord’s anger will burn against you, and he will shut up the heavens so that it will not rain and the ground will yield no produce, and you will soon perish from the good land the Lord is giving you. Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth. If you carefully observe all these commands I am giving you to follow—to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him and to hold fast to him—then the Lord will drive out all these nations before you, and you will dispossess nations larger and stronger than you. Every place where you set your foot will be yours: Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the Euphrates River to the Mediterranean Sea. No one will be able to stand against you. The Lord your God, as he promised you, will put the terror and fear of you on the whole land, wherever you go. See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse—the blessing if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today; the curse if you disobey the commands of the Lord your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods, which you have not known. When the Lord your God has brought you into the land you are entering to possess, you are to proclaim on Mount Gerizim the blessings, and on Mount Ebal the curses. As you know, these mountains are across the Jordan, westward, toward the setting sun, near the great trees of Moreh, in the territory of those Canaanites living in the Arabah in the vicinity of Gilgal. You are about to cross the Jordan to enter and take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you. When you have taken it over and are living there,

Deuteronomy 11:18–21 NIV

Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth.

Deut 11:13-

In the middle of their unprecedented and un-imaginable freedom.

God give them a place to come together.

God gives them a place to come back to together to make sure they are on the right track.

A place to USE their newfound freedom to BUILD something GREAT, TOGETHER.

That place is this book

God told them and every generation like them, “To come back to these words” to read them together, to talk about them together, and to live them out TOGETEHR.

And that PLACE is this book. God’s words.

Written by 40 authors, in 3 languages, over 3,000 years. A Devine human book written by a Diverse Group of people breathed out by God’s HOly spirit.

Its intended for meditation. And its written not just to me or you, but to Ya’ll.

Because freedom to choose is worthless unless there is something WORTH CHOOSING.

Moses gives them,

These words, this story, we have it in this book.

Moses says, “Choose to read this book together.”

Choose to come back to this story together. Tell and retell the stories. Read it with your friends, your kids, and your parents. Don’t act like you understand everything, instead ask questions, wonder, and wrestle with it together.

Use it as a conversation starter together. Ask each other questions like what do you think this means? What would it look like to live that out? Where do you see yourself in that story? How can I be more faithful?

Choose to come back to this way of life together.

And your days will be long in the land God promised you.

AS they prepared to receive unprecedented freedom and Choice. As they got ready to build for themselves a NEW life as GOD’s free and chosen people.

Y

This story, now preserved in this book retold together became a way they could CHOOSE to be who they were meant to be. A way they could CHOOSE to follow God together.

He knows that his death and Resurrection will change everything. The Religious law that defined the lives of the people of his time was about to be fulfilled and transformed.

The people that followed Jesus have watched him shake the foundations of the old system they grew up with. They find themselves set free by the GRACE of Jesus and his sacrifice and his Resurrection

Jesus implores them. Use your freedom to REMAIN IN ME.

John 15:7 NIV

If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

and the way to do this is the same as Deut. By Allowing his words to REMAIN in US. By reading his words together.

So for us In a time of unprecedented FREEDOM, but also unprecedented uncertainty we have the chance to Choose to come to this story togehter

<SLIDE>

The call is the same for those of us who believe in Jesus.

To Choose to come to this story, TOGETHER.

something we CHOOSE TOGETHER. READING scripture together is about Choosing to belong to build our lives on something bigger than my thoughts, my prefrences, my ideas

READING scripture together and talking about it is about Choosing to belong to build our lives on something bigger than my thoughts, my preferences, my feelings, and my ideas today

God’s people from the very beginning CHOOSE to remain in his WORDs TOGETEHR

for the first 1600 years after Jesus christians did this. Just like the first Christians they came together to Hear the words and build their lives on it. They read, heard, and lived out God’s Word together.

for the first 1600 years after Jesus we did this. Just like the first Christians we came together to Hear the words and build our lives on it.

Only recently have we personalized, privatized, and individualized bible reading.

the bible was meant to be read by YA’ll

Increasingly when we come to scripture we read “Ya’ll” as me.

If we read, We read alone, and we read as individuals.

But the bible was meant to be read by YA’ll

the people standing by the Jordan river

the people sitting around Jesus in the upper room

the people huddled in house churches supporting and encouraging each other.

the people coming together to use their freedom to Love God and Others together.

The people gathering around the book and encouraging, challenging, and spurring each other on. Encouraging each other to use our freedom to make something beautiful together. Refusing to let the people we love go down destructive paths without a fight. Talking about our faith together.

Because we are meant to come to these words together. We are meant to practice faith together. Because the Bible was meant for YALL.

Lets CHOOSE to read Together.

Only recently have we started to read the “Ya’ll” as me.

But the bible was meant to be read by YA’ll

the people standing by the Jordan river

the people sitting around Jesus in the upper room

the people huddled in house churches supporting and encouraging each other.

READING scripture together and talking about it is about Choosing to belong to build our lives on something bigger than my thoughts, my preferences, my feelings, and my ideas today.

Y

Trans: For many of us this is new. Those of us who read the bible generally do it in private, think about it in private, and only occasionally share what we have read. So here is my challenge, what we can do to begin to build a practice of reading together.

Here are three things you can do

It is HARD to talk about faith with others.

Even for people who grew up in the church.

1. Last week I challenged you to find a partner and start reading. Try reading with them rather than reading by yourself. Invite someone to join you.

So if you have a hard time imagining doing this you are not alone! If you have a hard time talking about Jesus or your faith to others you are not alone.

In your home, in your workplace, with your family, or with a friend.

Its hard especially in our culture where we have been raised to think of faith as a PRIVATE and PERSONAL choice. Nice for you, but perhaps not for me or them.

That is why I think it is so important that we start simply by READING TOGETHER.

the more we come to the story together, he more comfortable we become talking about it, asking questions, and wondering about God's story together.

the more w become comfortable talking about our story together.

Because this book was meant to be read together. We will find when we do we learn things, are comforted in ways, and are challenged in ways we never would have noticed on our own. When we read together we will find others

HELPING us get it in ways we would never have understood.

ENCOURAGING us to stay on the path.

CHALLENGING US to walk through our lives not aimlessly based on whims of the moment, but purposely building something beautiful.

Because freedom is only as good as what you do with it.

2. Join us for Good Friday service (we are reading a large chunk of scripture together.) And take time leading up to Easter talking about what you heard as a family or with your friends.

<SLIDE>

3. Keep your eyes open for times our church does this together.

4. ask God if there is a group of people in your life that might be interested in trying to read together.

At Bethel we do this in a few ways

Small Groups bible study like “Immerse:kindoms”

Come together on SUndays

This Good Friday

Future Opportunities to Read Together

1. Who could I start reading reading and talking about the bible with?

2. Plan to join us when we come together.

W

Trans: When we find ourselves in uncertain times, like today, with more freedom than we know what to do with. How do we make sure we are choosing whats best?

God’s people from the very begining CHOOSE to remain in his WORDs TOGETEHR

for the first 1600 years after Jesus we did this. Just like the first Christians we came together to Hear the words and build our lives on it.

Only recently have we personalized, privatized, and individualized bible reading.

Increasingly when we come to scripture we read “Ya’ll” as me.

If we read, We read alone, and we read as individuals.

But the bible was meant to be read by YA’ll

the people standing by the Jordan river

the people sitting around Jesus in the upper room

the people huddled in house churches supporting and encouraging each other.

the people coming together to use their freedom to Love God and Others together.

Because we are meant to come to these words together. We are meant to practice faith together. Because the Bible was meant for YALL.

Lets pray together

W

When we read together.

When we talk about it together.

At home

at work

with our family

with our friends

with our church

with people we might not normally associate with

its NOT always easy

but we will find ourselves no longer isolated and alone in our struggles.

we will discover we have the same problems, the same fears, and wrestle with the same choices.

We will find that we are not alone in our struggles.

We have people to help us make tough choices.

To challenge us when we dont treat others right

to help us stay on the right path

to give us help

and even people we can pass faith on to

We will find Paul’s prayer for followers of Jesus like us coming true,

The New International Version Chapter 3

A Prayer for the Ephesians

14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.