The Key of The Keys

Bottomline: Scripture speaks to us by reminding us of His will, His way, and His faithfulness.

Intro- Talk about Gideon listen and responding to my voice

something about cracking a code or finding the key to a lock?

Scripture doesn’t reveal whether we should go here or there. It doesn’t nuance whether we should do this, that, or the other thing. And although its truth is timeless, it doesn’t reveal now or later. Scripture gives us guidelines, but the Holy Spirit is our Guide.

-Mark Batterson

Scripture is the primary way that God speaks to us.

If you want to spend time with God, spend time in His word.

2 Timothy 3:14-16

The New International Version Chapter 3

14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God p may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Every bit of scripture is useful and can be learned from

Scripture give us a guide to understand how God speaks to us in other ways and it gives us a way to better understand if we are really hearing from God or not.

2 Timothy

The New International Version Chapter 2

14 Keep reminding God’s people of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen. 15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. 16

Hebrews

The New International Version Chapter 4

12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

From Dan Kimball’s book “How (not) to read the bible

1. The Bible is a library, not a book.

The library of books in the Bible was written by human authors who each had God’s Spirit inspiring and guiding them.* The library of books in the Bible was and still is a primary way God communicates with us, giving us guidance. God wants us to know him, to know our origins and future, and to have guidance for life.

-Dan Kimball

Although the Bible often comes in print form as a single bound book, it is actually a collection of sixty-six books printed in one volume, a library of books. This library is diverse, containing writings of history, poetry, prophecy, and law. This library of diverse books was written in three different languages over a 1,500-year period by a whole bunch of different people from different cultures.

2. The Bible is written for us, but not to us.

But the Bible wasn’t originally written to us. It wasn’t written in any modern language, and it wasn’t written with our contemporary culture and its assumptions and values in mind. To get the most benefit from what God was communicating when he inspired the authors of the Bible to write, we need to enter their world to hear the words as the original audience would have heard them and as the author would have meant them to be understood. We must read the words on those terms.

-John Walton

prescriptive vs descriptive

Prescriptive is about whether something is written in a manner than is always true…whether about God or about a promise that is for all people

descriptive is about describing an event/specific moment in scripture that was for those people then but not true for all people now...

3. Never read a Bible verse.

But not every promise or blessing is something we can directly apply to our lives today. We might take Bible verses and promises that are not meant for us and then be disappointed in God when they don’t happen.

4. All of the Bible points to Jesus.

Jesus affirms and fulfills scripture

Matthew

New Living Translation Chapter 5

“Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose. 18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved. 19 So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.

If you want to know Jesus read the scriptures. Scripture speaks to us by reminding us of His will, His way, and His faithfulness.