Week 5 - Reading Scripture

What we're talking about today is one of the core elements of what it is to be a Baptist. Now, if you don't know our particular church, we love everybody if it doesn't matter if your back is Presbyterian Nazarene Catholic Orthodox, we love you, but Baptist ER Baptist for reason, one of the particular things about Baptists is that we have we focus on a Primacy of the word of God and we are going through a study right now called participating in the Divine Life a little bit below. It says God's work in you and our Pursuit Of God it it's and it's a two-way cooperation. The God doesn't work when not with us and we pursue we cooperate with God's grace that he grants to us. And this Divine Life that we live this this being like Paul says seated in the Heavenly places now currently having that fellowship with God now manifests itself in different ways. We have taken a look last 2 weeks at prayer. What is prayer when we looked at a model for prayer The Lord's Prayer is Jesus. Disciple said Jesus teach us how to pray is it right to let me show you any taught them how to pray and so we looked at that model of prayer and last week. We began our study on scripture reading on what it means to be in the word of God as we participate in the Divine Life. And so for the next two weeks we went with the idea that the theme last week when we began in second Kings chapter 22 hair to the throne when he was 8 years old, you think you're old enough to be king. My house when he became king. The the temple was in disrepair. They had neglected the worship of God. And as we find out the reading of gods were cuz they were fixing it as they were renovating the temple are they found the book of the law that the King was supposed to have each King was supposed to write his own copy and read it daily, but they discovered doesn't like what is this is this is the word of God and so we Talk about the idea in our own lies the need to recover scripture that they need to come out at a fresh. They need to ReDiscover it cuz sometimes we kind of get into just Christian mode right Sunday mornings, maybe Wednesday nights if I'm really holy when I might read my Bible once in awhile little Lionel might be a little dust on the cover. But you know, I'll get to it we started to live that that that normal Christian life. But but we need to be in God's word it is what gives us life. What what what gives us encouragement Direction and I get ahead of myself cuz that's all I'm a sermon today, but we talked about last week, but the need to recover the word of God to to renew a passion for the word of God and as we saw last week when that happened, it caused a revived as in one of the great revivals the Old Testament, if you know about some of the history the Old Testament, but the Revival began with him. He read the word of God and his heart was broken. And so that is one of the responses to the words of God. It would have got it breaks our hearts and then he cleaned house. He repaired the temple he threw out all the idols that the previous two kings had brought in and it took care of all the ideology throughout the entire land mass of Reform and Revival by returning to the word of God. And so this transformation to happen in his own life. And in the Kingdom of Israel is a picture of the transformation that happens in our life when we recover when we revisit the word of God as the last week we talk again about like we do the prayer about the flats and the Flies, you know, what is it? You know, why why should we and so then withdrew into the house with the Lord's Prayer, you know model. And so today we're going to do the same with scripture. We went with recovering scripture last week, and now we're going to talk about reading scripture. So kind of beat the house about it. Do we turn the scripture and this it is neat. And by the way, I'm not planning much of this ahead. I live like probably two weeks in the future and that's about it with the way that this is coming together is rather interesting because we talked about prayer for the previous two weeks before last week and prayer is our primary means of communicating with God and not just talking to God and I know we talked about prayer is a definition of right of talking to God no prayer is talking with God. It's a communication not not a single monologuer. It shouldn't be any way. So we talked about the house of prayer and about how prayer is God's primary are primary way of communicating with God Scripture than is God's primary way of communicating with us primary cuz he also speaks to us through others. This is why we are part of a church. This friends is why it is important that you devote yourself you commit yourself to To her new life and to walk with her in it and Kate likewise, you devote yourself to the life of the church because this is where we get together and draw strength from each other share your Facebook post from this morning. It was very good. See this in the things house always think smart things he's talking about if I just happen to have it. Don't know laughing at me up yet. There it is. She said loading loading notice you into that today. I take the next step in my religious journey. I am being baptized and then she gives out thanks. She's taking the next step. I like that because this is a step in as she said a journey when we come to Christ and we we actually did a couple months ago give our hearts to Christ and accept him as our savior. That's not the end is the beginning of a longer Journey baptism is a next step and immediate and important step of a journey. It's not the endpoint. And so when we have someone come to work into our church than this way we went in anyway, we walk alongside them. We walked the journey with them and Kate or anyone else who lives in the life of the church. We need to be committed to walking with each other. And so that is I regressed because here's my point. Scriptures God's primary way of communicating with us, but not the only he speaks through people. He speaks through others eat speaks to us in prayer. But primarily we go to scripture to hear from God. Now I have a couple of passages. We're going to take a look at today. The first one is going to be Deuteronomy chapter 6 now, if you know some of your old testament you might know this is the Hebrew Shema the thing that they recite daily various kind of their Creed of Faith. Like we have your the Apostles Creed and Nicene Creed is this kind of sort of their call to Faith their Creed the command from God Hebrews or Deuteronomy 6:4. He says Hear o Israel the Lord Is Our God the Lord is one their Credo statement of faith and then their command you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might she might recognize these words, but then he says these words which I am commanding you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and daughters and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down and when you rise up you shall bind them as a sign on your And they shall be frontals on your forehead. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your Gates. I love this passage and there's an echoing one in Deuteronomy chapter 11 as well. If you want to check that out, but windshield, when should we think on these things? When shall we teach them when we sit in the house and we walked by the way when you lie down and when you rise up, so if you're sitting down do it you're standing up do it. You're at home do it. If you're away from the house do it. You get the point that he saying always be in my word for these things are life idea at home or walking along the way with it. When you lie down when you rise up, this is to be a constant way of life scriptures to be a part of our life our life in Christ the Divine Life and our other passage one. Look at today has been a little more time in the 2nd Timothy 3 14 through 16.

Thanks, buddy. So, this is Paul second letter to Timothy. This is in the New Testament Paul. The one of the greatest Apostles the Apostle to the Gentiles. He's nicknamed cuz he took the gospel out into Asia Minor into Greece into Rome off into Spain back. Again. Paul was a minister of the Gospel to the world. And this is his final letter his last letter to his Protege Timothy and in this he has something very important to tell us about scripture. He's he's committing Timothy and he says as for you continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, you know, those who taught you and you know that from childhood you've known the Sacred Scriptures which are able to give you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ. So you can manage Timothy innocence for something that had that it wasn't his own choice. He was raised in a Godly home. He was raised around scripture parents ears up. This is our job to our children. So but he says that you've known it you've known the Sacred Scriptures which are able to give you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ as he can. That's the start scriptures lead us to Christ Romans 10:17 faith comes by hearing and hearing by the what? Hearing by the word of God. That's right. So faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. So it brings us to Salvation in here are the means and information for salvation, but then he calls us deeper in and Lisa salvation. Paul has a lot more in mind than our than the sinner's prayer right pause a lot more in mind than your Jesus save me from my sins. Thank you. Amen or a more significant conversion experience. Let me put it that way. He has a lot more in mind than simple conversion to Faith. Paul has the holistic view the entire view of our Salvation the whole journey if you will that that moment of Faith but also the the the full scope of the ushering into salvation when we die, we continue our life in heaven. This is what he said. This is the wisdom for salvation. That's what he hasn't picture with the whole scope of Salvation And so finally culminating not just with communion here with him in this life before Union with him seeing him face-to-face in heaven. This is what Paul speaks of Salvation. It is an event in the past is something continuing and it is an Ultimate Reality so scripture. He says his this guidance into life into this New Life of Christ with Christ as a disciple and then he speaks of scripture and verse 16 all scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching For rebuking for correcting for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete equipped for every good work. So here he says many things about scripture which were going to spend a little time on and then we'll get to a a how a model like we talked about Jesus but here he says that it is inspired by God. We'll talk about it a moment. But he says it's profitable for four things teaching scripture is profitable for teaching. I will give her her the acronym but Bible I should have put it up there but Bible Bible basic instructions before leaving Earth. It's profitable for teaching for these instructions in life basis basic instructions before leaving Earth. And so we have information but it's fundamental. It's foundational but we have here it's our basic instructions it is this teaching and new good teaching if you don't have scripture, if you don't have this good teaching it results in errant belief see scripture is God's revelation to us. He says hey, here's my thoughts. Let me give you what you need to know and of course the mind of God goes far beyond what we could ever experience but he's given us everything that we know 2nd Peter chapter 1 he has given us all things pertaining to life and godliness. If we want to know the mind of God, he is giving us an owner's manual on how to navigate this life. Now we use on Emmanuel's. Well, maybe maybe you men don't but the smart ladies Among Us use manuals to put things together when things break, they don't hit it with a hammer or with their fists like some of you guys do I won't mention a myself names but they were the owners manual because they're smart and they want to know how to fix it without breaking with a hammer with a fist. God has given us an owner's manual how to operate this life newsflash. God smarter than us. God designed us you have the owner's manual to your car because the engineers know how it best works. We have a Bible because the engineer the Creator the designer of our lives and our soul knows how they best work. Why does he say things in here? Like, you know, let the marriage bed be undefiled for the adulterer in the fornicator. God will judge. Why does he say that because he's smart cuz he designed you he knows you're so he knows what is detrimental to it? And he knows what is necessary for its good. Hell he is given this for teaching. And so without this we go astray we have this going astray hair is called heresy is going apart from the teaching of God. And so therefore he gives us the second one for teaching and for rebuke now, there's a two-fold aspect of this one is a refutation of false teaching. So so we have good teaching but it's also for rebuke and hearing us up here in case you wanted to write it down. Titus 1:9 and 13 Titus another disciple of Paul and I'm in the wrong spot.

Titus 1:9, he says holding fast the faithful word, which is in accordance with the teaching so that he will be able to both exhort in sound Doctrine and refute those who contradict. How do you how do you speak in someone else's an errand to view of God view of God that God says this is me and somebody says why I think my God is like this and it's like what he says so you that's one form of rebuke that same where the Paul uses here Titus uses. I'm in 913. Also, he says this testimony is true for this reason would approve them or rebuke them severely so that they may be what sound in the Fate rebuke them. So they might be found in the face, but it's also a rebuke of send Titus Chapter 2 verse 15. He says these things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one disregard you. So this is the Authority for living the Chris. Life as well. And sorry there is there so we have teaching we have rebuked and we have correction. No, I give you guys Greek words time to time because they're they're cool at the nerd in me. If they're cool. Trust me. They're cool knowing you guys know a lot of Greek Orthopedics it well Ethan doesn't but that comes from Ortho a corrector it right direction and ped your foot. It's setting feet setting bones in the right order. Okay, so, you know Greek I bring up Orthopedics because that's the word he uses right here for correction. Sorry at the North Addison. So correction like Orthopedics is the correction of something that is bent or broken correction. So teaching rebuking correction to act rightly to set something right to correct to strengthen to rebuild. These are all part of this word. And so innocent in this context of teaching and rebuking but then you rebuked but then you correct. You said someone on the right path You Mend what is broken in their belief or log in there? I expect in there. I log in your own correctly something of your own belief that is bent or broken scripture. Does its work it fixes it correct like Orthopedics, and he also says training in righteousness. And so we're back to this idea of training we talked about this a lot. This idea of the Greek word. The Greek word here is used. It is a different one. It's is actually a pie day on which is like training up a child, you know a pie. Oz's is it is a child or youth I supposed but so this is training like that but there's another word we talked about a lot that is also training and that is the word excuse this where we get asceticism from like, you know monks. They train Paul himself. He talks about I train myself. I I beat my body to bring another submission Paul trained himself as so here. We have training in righteousness. So that the man or woman of God may be complete equipped for every good work as well. These are for the benefit of the word of God is for the benefit the training in an active Christian Life. I didn't I'm not going to read this if you want to write that down that little bit before Titus 2:15. Did it talks about his training in it in an active Christian life? So this is what the word of God is for teaching rebuking correction and training in righteousness naso is training in righteousness. This is what we've been talked about talking about this whole time this spiritual disciplines. We talked about the missing. My next flight is I will go get there. You can take a look at that. But if you remember the title, it is participating in the Divine Life and a large part of this is engaging in the spiritual disciplines, but I talked about the beginning prayer reading scripture worship. These sorts of things are Christian disciplines meant for our training for our benefit and so was scripture which is our subject today and next week. We're going we talkin about worship. And and what's it be talked about this thread that will see throughout everything is well and then later we'll probably talk about fasting and a number of other things but these spiritual disciplines that is the word s keesus training and so I can't give you for today for the how to part. I can't give you everything I could tell, you know how to read scripture how to do it exegetically in or how to do it to your corporately and then all of these things but as I said before I can't cover ever Sitting here on Sunday mornings. I hope to whet the appetite so that you might engage it further. One thing I want to do. We didn't do our conversation nights this month, but we did we did polycarp last time the next phone number to do the end of of August the last Sunday night in August where did talk about interpreting scripture how to read scripture. So we're to talk about that then as well, but what I want to focus on because it's the most important and because it fits within our purpose of participating in the Divine life, I want to give you a perspective that fits within our study and this is the idea of a spiritual reading who we can come to the text for an informational purposes, but that's not what we need. Is this book I I'm Consulting is one of the best books I've ever had on on the spiritual disciplines celebration of discipline by Richard Foster. But his chapter on study it begins very well. I'm going to redo the first point first one because it brings out an important point. Page 62 his first line in the discipline of study is the purpose of the spiritual disciplines is the total transformation of the person. So this is true of our time in scripture. The purpose is to be a total transformation of the person. But we must understand that there is a vast difference between studying God's word for information and a devotional reading of scripture. And this is why this is the one that I'm going to talk to you about today, cuz it's the most important we can spend our time talking about the Bible about what's in a semi say I like this Bible. I've had this one. I got this Rocky Mountain Calvary probably 14 years ago. I like it. Imagine I gave this point this book. Is this Bible to somebody somebody who was wondering about God as I take a look in here and tell me what you think and they said some red letters s n e I like to pay them papers nice as rice paper sneak. Smells fantastic. I love the leather. That's a really good Bible. Thank you friend for sharing with me your Bible. You think maybe he would miss the point you think maybe he'd miss the point of why I gave him the Bible. It went when he's just giving me information about it will guys the same thing happens. We get into scripture Just for information example as fascinating sennacherib and his army died in and I like the way they arranged this the the meter of this is that detective is a very nice and very good. I've studied my Bible people can study their Bibles that way I step study the Bible that way and for good reason but if that's the only way you study the Bible you miss again you missed the point just like somebody who described the leather on your Bible misses the point of its contents. So we miss The point of scripture we just study it for its contents. And so the Bible is not meant for us just to learn things. But for us to be what to be transformed that's where this comes in for the word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword scripture as it goes on to say here cuts to the division of Soul and Spirit of bone and Marrow it will cut deep it will do its surgical work surgery where it cuts out that which is harmful cuts out the cancer cells cuts out. You know, what comes in a Min to the broken bones or whatever else surgeons cut out of bodies for its Health scripture. Does that for the spirit? So yes, it is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword sharper than any scalpel policy in our day. Because that is its purpose Not Just for information and here going back to 2nd Timothy. He says they're all scripture is inspired by God will that were there inspired is stale to stop us now, then you could probably figure this word out you take the fat off the beginning. That's the word for God and then new stocks. Does anybody here have any dramatic pneumatic tools any air air tools? That's what they are. Nomadic wrenches are wrenches that use air compressed air. And so, you know the word pneumatic it means are Spirit orbs and fails to do stuff means god breathed. Literally. It says all scripture is god-breathed. God breathed his scripture into men who recorded it for us. And so do don't you think that if God breathed scripture out that we should just could we should come to a more than just for informational purposes that we should come to scripture to breathe. In if God breathed it out. So we're talking about here the scriptural this a spiritual reading this devotional reading talking not just reading scripture with the mind. Just getting into it with the mind but getting into scripture with your heart. We need more than just an intern intellectual reading. And so scripture then if God has breathed it out. We coming to breathe it in spiritual reading is is the encountering of God through the reading of the text. Now what I have done for many years. I've devoted the better part of my life to understanding scripture properly. That's why I've studied languages if I started exegetical and hermeneutical and Bobby Bobby blah principles understand it as fully as possible in this human life so I can interpret it properly so I can teach it properly. Okay, so I have devoted my life to informational reading but of that and that's not a bad thing. But if that's all it stays at then we've again we've missed the point and we are a bit a bit of a disadvantage in our culture today in a lot of the way we do things we have been trained. To come at things for information. We've been trained to read the newspaper for information to reblogs for information. There's also an entertainment value often times as well, but we read things for informational purposes. But when you do that you become Master over the text you control it and I'll put the scripture that way as well. We're coming for a purpose. We're coming to get out what I want to extract we have our agenda in place. And so we extract from the text but we want that is an informational writing that that exerts control. The spiritual reading is submission to the Bible submission to scripture to come under it and to learn from it rather than analytical you take a contemplatively where you contemplate scripture. And so the model like we talked about with Jesus getting us the model. This is one great model. This is an ancient Model D Ambrose that if you know Augustine in the fourth Century his mentor Ambrose mentions this idea of Lexi. Oh and that's not lectio is going to pronounce it with write Latin lexio Divina Augustine Ambrose Bernhard, but it was put together this this book and I have a copy of it here is very small. One of the best works is the ladder of monks by Guido the second he was a car Fusion Monk and he took these ideas that people have been practicing for almost almost a millennium and he wrote this in the 1100. So 800 years and seven hundred years and he gives us this way to perform to go through the reading of scripture and you see it's four months, but guys months all they are we talked about their ascetics. They are practicing as keesus. They're practicing what training In righteousness this thing that Paul says scriptures for all of us for so this is a gift to us as well. And this is a wonderful way to read scripture. Now, you can see the little words up there lex-co meditacija oracion con te partio. Well as it happens with Latin, you just put it in on the end of it. You got a good English word, but we'll go through these so that way hopefully this is a way to bring scripture to life for you. This is one model of many. Yes, but we don't want to talk about spiritual reading Divine reading lexio Divina Divine reading. This is an excellent model. So the first part when you come to scripture the first part first part of Lexia is simply reading it, but when you come to scripture what we've been talking about you want to come to the text with new eyes. You don't want to come as Master over scripture. So you come to text looking for God to speak to you not for you to come in. If your own agenda, so you come in expectantly expecting God to speak with you expecting God to meet with you and you read scripture humbly. Kind of forgetting all of the ins and outs all the stuff, you know about it just come do it with new fresh eyes expecting God to come that should be exciting the we can enter into the presence of God. Like we talked about with prayer and meditation not Eastern meditation. I'll get that in a second but meeting with God and being silent being receptive to what the Holy Spirit would say and what you're reading take it slowly let God speak to you as you go through the text slowly and he will he will if you come to him expectantly, I should have pulled out some songs on this cuz it's all over the place. But if you come to him expecting him to meet with you, he will meet you there. So you go through scripture and he will bring out to your mind a phrase of verse a word even For you to carry throughout the day. If you come with expecting to meet with him and he will give you something to think on and that goes into the next part meditacija, which is just adding into on the end of it. That's your meditation. But again, we're not talking to Eastern mysticism. We're not talking and emptying of the mind but a feeling of the mind with scripture placing yourself in the presence of God as we talked about to be aware of the presence of God. Some meditation in lexio Divina in your reading is letting the word of God speak to you. You read it and then you think on it. I don't share this with you have another another good picture. Another word for meditation is rumination, which is the same word. We talked about cows chewing their cud right beautiful picture, especially before lunchtime, right? But this is exactly what a cow. A cow meditates all day long how you asked me to tell you it takes something in I choose it. Right and then swallows it and it brings it back up again later and it chews it and then it swallows it for stomach. So yeah four times and I'll bring it back up again chew on it. And take it back down girls picture maybe but it is a perfect picture for our reading of scripture for what medication is you bring it in to chew on it a little bit right? Then you internalize it then later in the day. You bring it back up again. She want that a little bit so that that moment at beginning of Alexia where you read the passage and it could be as short as long as you want you but when God speaks to you you hold onto that you chew on it you internalize it and then you bring it back up again and this friends is the devotional part of the reason we talked about devotional reading this is what devotion is how does blazing through scripture but allowing it to penetrate you allowing it to go deep. Rather than going through scripture you lost scripture to go through you. This is meditation. This is the devotional part of it. But then this leads very naturally to the third part or Roxio, which is prayer is very naturally leads to prayer because it's the outflow both of scripture in the meditation and it it comes out in communion with God. And so like we said learning learning to listen to what the Holy Spirit would say and being receptive. So here when your heart is touched by the word of God, he gives you something to meditate on the natural response is communion with God fellowship with God and prayers to God he still it till the spontaneous prayer of Praise of request a prayer asking for forgiveness. Whatever it is that he's giving you to think about through your reading you think on it and then you spend time in prayer about it. Very natural you take just like the word that he gives you in scripture. You take it throughout your day this prayer you take throughout the day and you learn that Arts eventually. I'm not there yet. But you learn is Paul says to pray without ceasing to throughout the day you're on this prayer you're thinking of the scripture. And so when you begin scripture reading in the morning it changes your day if you take it with you. And then if you're sitting there reading your the meditation near the end of prayer that comes apart while you're sitting there you take it with you, but also take a moment. I put the in there rather put the definition on the end of it was too long pants and Latios contemplation where you sit there resting in God, this is the Deep meeting with God alexios the reading then you have the meditation on the word. Then you have the prayer to God and then you have the sitting with God you have the Deep communication and fellowship with God being aware of it in the reading of scriptures what challenges God has brought to you and you sit and you think on those things and you meet God this is the meeting of God in the text thinking about what has changed. How is scripture changed you through the reading through the thinking on of it through the prayer and as you meet with God, what is it that he wants to do in you through you? So do you believe that God can really meet with you and scripture cuz that's what contemplation is its meeting with God and he will do this with you. He is like a father who wants to hear from his son or his daughter. He just wants to meet with you. And so you read scripture meditate on it pray on it and then sit with him like a child crawl up on his lap and just sit with your father and he can do this for you with you every time you sit with scripture if we're intentional, right if we choose to enter in and so do you realize it you can do this every single one of you from the youngest prisoner does a baby back here earlier a baby can't read yet. But every one of us can meet with God daily crawling into his lap and so We looked at today is how we can do this through this devotional this intentional reading this Divine reading and he meets us there in that. So we'll take the time to do this to set ourselves in his presence. He is more than happy to meet us there scripture is not just meant to give us information on another Rich Mullins. Kick lately. I love Rich Mullins. He says, I don't believe that God gave us scripture so much is for us to show how right we are but for us to be showing how wrong we are and how right God is in the rest of us are just guessing. Scripture is meant for more than just informational purposes. But for us to meet with God and so among all the different formats all the different ways that you can study scripture when you're in your reading when you're in your daily reading. Go there too. Just to meet with God not as an obligation. I got to read my scripture. Did I got to read the Bible today? But you go there intentionally and God will meet you in the midst of it. And this friend. This is why I'm talking about this one above anything else because this is the most important. This is the formation of aspect. We talked about so much God transforming us into the very image of Christ. And this is one of the ways we've been talkin about the disciplines. This is one of the most important ways that he can do it. So I hope that this is of some benefit of anybody wants this work by Grillo here. You can have it. I have it on PDF so I can make copies but let me just encourage you above all get into his word and walk with him and he'll meet you there. Let us pray. Lord we thank you so much for your willingness to meet with us.