How God Uses the Bible

How God Uses the Bible

I wonder how many of us struggle with daily reading the bible and daily quiet time with the Lord?

If you think about the reason God created us it was for his pleasure and the chief end of man is to glorify the Lord and enjoy his presence forever

And you are not supposed to wait to get to heaven to enjoy his presence you are supposed to enjoy it now.

; 23But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

You see part of this daily quiet time is what God gets out of it. Not whats in it for me Christianity is in such a sad shape now because everything we do is now about us. We go to church to experience God. We sing to experience this moment of worship. We look at our Bible reading and devotions for how it can benefit us.

We can forget if we are not careful that this is about what God wants and not about what we want. We forget about him being in the room when we are reading and we read with this attitude I did not get anything out of my bible reading and prayer it was dry

Did god enjoy it ?

There are many times around the table I enjoy my children much more than they enjoy me they just want to go play but i sit them there because I enjoy them. What if God is looking for someone to worship him ? to spend time with Him to talk with him?

What if it became about God ? And not about you?

What if when you missed it you were late and missed your meeting with Jesus and you left him sitting there and never showed up and he prepared something with Love to give you and you were not there to receive it?

The most important thing on earth is your relationship with Jesus and how you develop that relationship is by spending time with him getting to know him. Hearing his voice.

These are his words this tells you about him his character his ways of doing things his heart his thoughts his attitude about things how he things about everything how he relates to you.

So we are going to look at an old testament king Named Josiah and see a man that lived his life without reading the bible and what happened to him when he started reading it.

Many Christians live their christian lives out as josiah did without a relationship with the Lord without seeking out of the book of the Lord and reading in it all the days of their life.

But when he started reading it a change came over him and the country that was unmistakable

So what will bible reading do for you in your life

It Advances your relationship with God 2 chronicles 34:1-8

Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem one and thirty years.

And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the ways of David his father, and declined neither to the right hand, nor to the left.

For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young, he began to seek after the God of David his father: and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, and the groves, and the carved images, and the molten images.

Josiah 16 years old he began to do right

Without reading the book of the law he did not know what was in it.

Many christians are like that they do right they really want to do right when they are not in rebellion against God.

They do the best they can they do the obvious things.

He began to seek after the Lord but at this point it was not very deep it was what he assumed God wanted and we have a certain amount of that naturally in us put there by God

But he was doing right he was growing and advancing

He was seeking and purging

He was not getting off on the right or the left

He was staying in the middle of the road and not declining

You can decline on either side

Look what he was doing

And they brake down the altars of Baalim in his presence; and the images, that were on high above them, he cut down; and the groves, and the carved images, and the molten images, he brake in pieces, and made dust of them, and strowed it upon the graves of them that had sacrificed unto them.

And he burnt the bones of the priests upon their altars, and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem.

And so did he in the cities of Manasseh, and Ephraim, and Simeon, even unto Naphtali, with their mattocks round about.

And when he had broken down the altars and the groves, and had beaten the graven images into powder, and cut down all the idols throughout all the land of Israel, he returned to Jerusalem.

Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged the land, and the house, he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, and Maaseiah the governor of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz the recorder, to repair the house of the LORD his God.

Wow look at all he did with no bible?

Just from seeking the Lord.

There is a lot you can do right now you know what to do you do not need a bible verse you already know the problem is you do not want to do it.

You would have thought man this is a great man look at this I have never seen someone so fired up for the Lord

And if you would have come say he is awesome but something is lacking you would have said you are crazy

But he knew it was not enough to take away the bad he must replace it with the Good

He saw the temple was in ill repair it had been about 350 years since it was built and not maintained and the gold was gone it was all wearing down and rotting and in disrepair

That great temple and all its glory was now a place where Manasseh had put idols and it housed things dedicated to baal they made God a god among other Gods man it was bad

So he sent shaphan the head of his cabinet the secretary of state to talk to Hilkiah and say look take the money and get this work done

And while they were repairing that temple hilkiah the priest found something that would change that nation send a great revival and change Josiah's life they found the book of the Lord it had been lost in the temple

Now that he had gotten the obvious stuff taken care of he had gotten the iniquity out of his heart God said I have something special for you

And Hilkiah answered and said to Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the LORD. And Hilkiah delivered the book to Shaphan.

And Shaphan carried the book to the king, and brought the king word back again, saying, All that was committed to thy servants, they do it.

And they have gathered together the money that was found in the house of the LORD, and have delivered it into the hand of the overseers, and to the hand of the workmen.

Then Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath given me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king.

And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the law, that he rent his clothes.

When first find it it is a book of the law

But later he called it the word of the Lord

Go, enquire of the LORD for me, and for them that are left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book that is found: for great is the wrath of the LORD that is poured out upon us, because our fathers have not kept the word of the LORD, to do after all that is written in this book.

What a thing man they lost the bible at church a lot of churches today have lost that book and it has become a place for everything else except for worshipping God

They lost the bible in the very place that was meant to promote it and protect it and prompt each other to obey it they lost it in the very place that without it the place would be pointless

Churches have done that they have lost the Bible. They do not know what God said. They have not found the book they have something in their hands they consider inferior to the word of God and unreliable and pretty close but you can't know what God said.

I do not know if you remember when you found the book ?

Perfect i could trust it I did not need to know all this complicated greek and hebrew I had something God promised me that was preserved and could be trusted and never had to be doubted and when i believed i had found the Book it changed my life.

Shipman the scribe brought that book to king Josiah and began to read it to him and that book changed his life

If he would not have found that your bible would have started with Joshua they had lost the books of moses Gen Ex Lev Num Deut no creation no law no commandments so they lost touch with what they were supposed to be doing

It was if Moses had never even written it.

It advances your relationship with God

See the bible says before Josiah found this book he did that which was right

He looked around saw temple in disrepair needed fixing so set about to fix it

Hired masons workers put people in charge

Like you sometimes you will look at life see some things need to change some things in life need some repairs so you will start doing right and working on it start repairing temple like going to church but that will only get you so far

Some you have been at a standstill for years and I do mean years

southerners go to revival get right but most you already backslidden after revival

Your entire life has been get right get backslidden get fired up get backslidden be faithful for awhile than unfaithful for a while be under conviction for a while and not feel nothing for a while

Your whole christian life is up and down like this instead of like this up like song says everyday with Jesus sweeter than the day before

You know what you are missing ? That book

no hope for a christian to be a success for God without reading that bible

If you ignore his word and your whole life all you will be is a nominal christian

It says Josiah did that which is right but when he read that book he still rent his clothes

You see reading that bible it takes you to the next level

You ready to go to the next level

Do you yearn for the deeper life

Do you want to know God in a personal way ?

Than get rid of the idols and iniquity in your heart do the obvious and get ahold of this book.

You can hear a lot of things in church to help you grow but the only way growth is sustained is through that book

You want to go to next level with Jesus put nose in the book

There was once a man named charles finney and he was considered to be a hardened case by the preachers at 29 he was an unconverted rising lawyer and he never owned a bible but he added one to his library for a reference and gradually that bible replaced his interest for blackstone and the statutes of new york and he got saved and bid farewell to his clients and said he had a retainer form jesus christ to plead his cause and plead it he did he preached to more people than any other man in his generation because the bible made its way from the shelf into the heart of charles finney

It took him to the next level it did for him what a preacher could not

Church only get you so far you want your relationship with god to go to next level got to read your bible

You will never grow and go to the next level until you learn how to open that book and get something from God himself

And if you do not all you will ever know about God is what other people tell you but you will never know him yourself stop only living on the regurgitated

You want to grow past the doubt?

You want to grow past the questions ? what if I just grew up in it?

what if the pastor is wrong what if my church is wrong ?

all good questions you want answers you want to grow past it ?

Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of the Lord.

It reveals what needs to change 22:13

Go ye, enquire of the LORD for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that is found: for great is the wrath of the LORD that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according unto all that which is written concerning us.

And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, and the priests of the second order, and the keepers of the door, to bring forth out of the temple of the LORD all the vessels that were made for Baal, and for the grove, and for all the host of heaven: and he burned them without Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron, and carried the ashes of them unto Bethel.

He did that which was right but when he read that book

It revealed a whole host of things that needed changing

And specifically what it was and that is what chapter 23 is about taking accountability and bringing his life and the nation in line with what God required in the book.

You know a lot of us sit in the pew this morning and we think we right with God

Yet when was the Last time you felt his presence in prayer ?

When is the last time you prayed ?

When is the Last time you sat down with the Lord and listened to him fellowship with him

Suped with him?

When was the last time you prayed and repented of something the Lord showed you in the book

When is the last time you told someone about how good God is and how he wants to save them and fellowship with them and he made all the provisions?

Many have not done that anytime in the recent past

Yet they have Watch r rated movies and their favorite shows are filthy sitcoms, they have time for social media and the news

But no time for Jesus king of Glory

And if some one said how are you? Good are you right with God ? as far as I know but you do not know what is in the book.

Until you read you will not even know what needs to change

A lot of christians find things in the church that need to change but they can’t find things in their heart that need to change

You are trying to sweep in the dark you ever tried to sweep a room with real bad light turn on the light and see all dirt you missed this bible is like a flashlight

It lightens up the cobwebs and shows you the dirt in your heart

It is a supernatural book in that every time you read it the author is present

Men read books but the bible reads men

It is like a mirror in james it is a mirror that reflects the soul

Like a hammer like a sword thought intents of the heart no one else can know that heart deceitful tricky

It exposes pride and bitterness and jealousy and covetousness

When we first Got saved we thought that was it but we had no idea how much wrong was in this wicked heart of mine and the Lord used the bible to expose it and teach us how to root it out

Josiah thought it was alright he read that bible and started to tear his clothes because he was so far away from where he needed to be

The whole country started to change because of the book

The sin was destroyed

The bible is the best sin destroyer in your life

Made clean by washing of water by the word

Most people are like pharisees nice on outside like a coffin but within were full of dead men's bones and they did not even know it

Go ye, enquire of the LORD for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that is found: for great is the wrath of the LORD that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according unto all that which is written concerning us.

he discovered he needed to change some things

Chapter 23 the phrase and he

You see that phrase this book book mentioned 7 times in this passage

In green's short history of the bible he said no greater moral change ever passed over a nation then passed of England in the later part of the reign of queen elizabeth England became a people of the book and that book was the bible it was read by every class of people and the effect was amazing the whole moral tone of the nation changed

It Enriches This Life- 2 kings 22:19-20

Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the LORD, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard thee, saith the LORD.

Behold therefore, I will gather thee unto thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered into thy grave in peace; and thine eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place. And they brought the king word again.

Pretty good promise isn’t it because of the Bible

Listen that book will keep you from evel or evil will keep you from that book

But all of the heart ache sin brings all of the problems sin brings you will avoid so much of them and you can live your life in peace if you read and abide by the book.

George muler that great preacher who ran those orphanages in England by prayer and trust attributed his success on the human side to his love for the bible he said I believe that the one chief reason that I have been kept happy in useful service for the Lord is that I have been a lover of the holy scriptures It has been my habit to read the Bible through four times a year in prayerful spirit to apply it to my heart and practice what I find there I have been for sixty nine years a happy man happy happy happy

I mean that is what we want to be happy and joyful and triumphant

Our constitution even guarantees it life liberty and the pursuit of happiness

You know what I want for you to be ful of Joy

To be happy

That is what I want for my sons my brothers sisters everybody I know

It is not found in money or possessions it is found in the book of the Lord

In thy law shall I meditate day and night and I shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water

You want life to be Good get in the bible you will have joy

Life is tough at times but the thing that makes it better in times of tragedy is God and his word

It was Hard but God got me through and his words made it a lot better

The more you submit to the Lord and to his word the better life gets the more you resist it the worse it gets

Makes this life better

Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.

A Song of degrees. Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD; that walketh in his ways.

For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.

Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table.

Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the LORD.

The LORD shall bless thee out of Zion: and thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life.

Yea, thou shalt see thy children's children, and peace upon Israel.

many times it is not that we are not blessed it is that we cannot see that we are blessed because we are blinded and the book opens our eyes

It Lets God have all of you 23:3

And the king stood by a pillar, and made a covenant before the LORD, to walk after the LORD, and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all their heart and all their soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people stood to the covenant.

Most christians the Lord only has part of us

You know what he wants in some areas of your life but you do not have the courage or the character to do it and if you do not read the bible you will never learn how to give him more of those hold outs.

Other times you do not really know what he wants.

Have you ever have someone give you a gift and they give you what they want and you think if you would have asked I would have told you what I wanted.

You read this you will know what he wants from you

Got some of statues idols out but when read bible got them all out

Most of you the Lord has some of you but he does not have all of you

Never ever will he get you all without you getting into that book

That book is what Caused God to have all of Josiah there was to have

That book will have the resident become the president

You are bought with a price you a purchased possession but you live like God has you on layaway

Don’t you want to let God have it all you will not even know what he wants till get in that book

Josiah did not even know all he had to do till read the book

Come to the Bible and prayer willing to obey and to put into practice all he shows you, instantaneously and unquestioningly

If you want to go deeper to giv e God that

What does this text show me about God for which I should praise or thank him?

What does the text show me about my sin that I should confess and repent of?

What false attitudes, behavior, emotions, or idols come alive in me whenever I forget this truth? What does the text show me about a need that I have?

What do I need to do or become in light of this?

How would this change my life if I took it seriously if this truth were fully alive and effective in my inward being?

Also, why might God be showing this to me now?

What is going on in my life that he would be bringing this to my attention today?

It Protects your children 23:10

Was an alter were children were destroyed

A place where the child's blood was spilt for the devil and they would burn little boys and girls for an idol

And because of the book he destroyed that which destroyed their children

He had lost uncles and aunts to that idiot because of that thing he had less cousins the royal family was smaller

You get in that book you will start finding out what destroys your children and you will start watching out for them

And you will begin to purge your home and life from that which is damaging to the children.

It sets you apart from everyone else 23:25

But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour.

If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.

You will be set apart for the masters use

You will begin to become useful to God in a special way

People will seek you out for help in spiritual matters

You will be able to see people saved connected to God

You will have people start coming up to you asking you questions because they know you can show it to them in the bible

Your life will begin to look different from others and it will bring glory to God it will give people hope

It will help them understand God

God will be magnified in your life

What set him apart from all the other kings was his relationship and willingness to follow this book

when someone goes through something hard you have something to give them ?

Don’t you want to be able to help family get saved ?

You will have a very fruitful life a very happy life and a life that is more useful to God.

You will be the man or woman the Lord points to like he told satan hast thou considered my servant Job

It was a source of pride and pleasure for the Lord.

And the king commanded all the people, saying, Keep the passover unto the LORD your God, as it is written in the book of this covenant.

Surely there was not holden such a passover from the days of the judges that judged Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel, nor of the kings of Judah;

But in the eighteenth year of king Josiah, wherein this passover was holden to the LORD in Jerusalem.

What a great moment for the nation the people

And all started with one man reading the bible

If we start doing this what a difference will it make

And if we do not do it than nothing we do will make a difference.

If we want to say that in a hundred years no honest history of san antonio could be written without discussing the impact of this church than we must become a people of the book.

There must be a purpose fellowship with God and pleasing him

There must be a time we schedule everything else if you can make your meals happen you can make this happen

There must be a place alone and quiet

There must be and expectation

And if this is not working there must be accountability.

You must make it a priority

Don’t turn on the tv again till have bible reading done

Don’t read newspaper again till have bible reading done

And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites:

19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them:

20 That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel.

This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

Seek ye out of book of the Lord and read