We value the Word of God

Our Preaching theme for 2022 is “Begin Again”

This year we are going to be revisiting and refocusing on some foundational things.

We are beginning with our values.

When we began to formulate a vision for the church, we began with values.

Vision comes from values.

What is really important to us? What are our priorities?

Our vision must reflect our values, so we begin with values.

You may be listening to this teaching sometime in the future and I hope that while our themes and perhaps even our vision statement have changed, our values are pretty much the same.

Our second value is the Word of God, or the Bible.

2. We value the Word of God, the Bible, as our authority both for teaching and for living lives that please God. We believe that the Bible, is inspired, accurate, understandable, and faithfully shows us God’s revelation of Himself. (2 Tim. 3:14-17, 2 Pet 1:20-21, Rom. 15:4, Heb 4:12-13)

Why the Bible?

Because it is the Word of God - it’s God’s self-revelation.

It records and recounts for us God’s dealings with humans culminating in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

It is not the only way that we can know God, because we also know Him by the Spirit.

But it is the way that we can know that we know God.

Because the Spirit and the Word are in agreement.

The Spirit is subjective, but the Word is objective.

The Spirit and the Word work together to communicate from God to us.

All Word and no Spirit, we dry up;

all Spirit and no Word, we blow up;

both Word and Spirit, we grow up

David Watson - Anglican Priest and pioneer in the Charismatic movement

We will talk more about the Spirit next week, but this week we will focus on the Word of God

I want to encourage us to read the Bible, to help us understand the Bible, but ultimately to live the Bible.

Read the Bible.

Let’s begin by reading a popular scripture when it comes to biblical authority, but in it’s context.

2 Timothy 3:14–17 (ESV)

14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

So Paul is writing to his Apostle-in-training Timothy

Timothy is used to having Paul around to follow.

But now Paul is anticipating possibly being martyred soon.

What is Timothy going to rely on if not Paul?

You have the scriptures and you have your experience.

You have the Word and you have the Spirit.

The Word and the Spirit compliment and confirm one another.

In fact the Word is ‘breathed’ by the Spirit.

Paul is saying to Timothy, “everything you need to know is already in writing.”

You don’t know it if you don’t read it.

I know this is profoundly simple, but it’s the place to begin.

The problem that most people have with the Bible is that they simply don’t read it.

A pastor had dinner at the home of a couple in his church. After he left, the wife said to the husband, “ I think he stole our spoon!” This bothered her for a while. A year later the couple had the pastor for dinner again. Unable to resist, the wife asked, “did you steal our spoon last year?” The pastor replied, “No, I put it inside your Bible.”

I don’t suppose anyone wants to have me for dinner after hearing that?

But let me ask, how long has it been since you read your Bible?

We’re at the beginning of the year, so if it was your New Year’s resolution your probably good.

I’l be honest, sometimes I forget too.

Sure, I read the Bible all the time when I’m preaching and teaching, but just reading the Bible to hear from God for myself - sometimes I miss doing that.

It’s best to have some kind of regular habit of bible reading.

Maybe its a reading list that you check off.

Maybe it’s a devotional bible or bible reading plan.

You can download an app on your phone.

Faithlife study bible has reading plans.

You Version is popular.

Right now we are using The Bible Project App.

Having a specific time and place is helpful.

Doing it together with someone else can make it more interesting.

It doesn’t benefit you if you don’t use it.

When Paul writes to Timothy about remembering the scripture, he specifically says that the scripture is important because it is useful.

It’s not useful unless you use it for what it is for.

Sometime we use the Bible as a “good luck charm.”

We may keep one on the shelf, the mantle or the coffee table for looks.

We put verses on plaques around the house.

On my first visit to Haiti, I notices that most of the taxis, in fact most of the cars have scripture verses or Christian slogans on them. I’m thinking to myself, most of these people are Christians! Why is this place such a mission field?

My host, Pastor Leslie replied, “Because for most of these people the Bible is nothing more than superstition. It is a good luck charm that they wear so that God will protect them. The Bible is merely substituted for their old pagan beliefs.

I’m not saying that we should put scripture in prominent places where we see it, but It might be helpful to think about how we are using the scripture?

How do we properly use the scripture?

Paul give Timothy four examples or four steps:

For teaching - are we learning from the scripture?

Come to the text with curiosity and the willingness to learn.

Sometimes I like to read in a different translation, just so I don’t skip over what I think I know because I’ve heard it before.

For reproof - are we willing to admit when we see that we are wrong?

Are you willing to be challenged?

What do you do with a passage that you don’t like?

Do you skip over it, dismiss it or embrace it?

For correction - beyond conviction of sin, we see the right way to do things.

If you actually read the scripture that you know that God is not into condemnation.

His commands are meant to be helpful and to bring life.

So we look beyond “what not to do” for “what to do.”

For training - we build on what we know and refine our understanding.

There will always be more to learn and more to know.

But the deeper understanding comes as we practice what we already know.

I have read through the Bible multiple times and I am still learning.

I am still learning because I am still growing.

There are somethings I see now that I didn’t see before because I understand more now than I did the last time I read it.

We simply don’t see what we don’t comprehend.

If you really want to understand the bible, try doing what it says!

It won’t change you if you don’t act on it.

I like studying the Bible, but if reading or studying the Bible is only an intellectual exercise, then it misses the point entirely.

It was around this time last year that I was challenged by a book that I was reading on discipleship. It was about a model of discipleship that was being used in Asia and the Middle East where people are coming to Christ by reading and studying the Bible together in small groups. But the emphasis is not on reading to acquire knowledge, but reading to obey what the scriptures are teaching. Participants are asked to identify what the text is saying that they should do and then when they come back to the group they are asked to report on what they have done with what they learned.

What do you think would happen if we were more focused on obedience than on knowledge?

This is why our value statement talks about the Bible being our authority, not just for teaching but for living!

We value the Word of God, the Bible, as our authority both for teaching and for living lives that please God...

In the places in the world where the church is growing and transforming society, they know comparatively little to what we know of the Bible, but they obey the little that they know.

We have so much knowledge!

Most of us have Bibles sitting around that we don’t even read.

We have books, study guides and whole libraries of Christian resources.

We have unlimited access to information via Christian media, but we don’t appreciate or utilize half of what we have.

How does that happen?

How do we become complacent?

If Christian knowledge were analogous to food, then we suffer from an epidemic of obesity!

Probably because we have an abundance of nourishment but we lack exercise!

James 1:22–25 NLT

22 But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. 23 For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. 24 You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. 25 But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.

Maybe we have stopped reading the Word for the same reason many of us have stopped looking in the mirror - because we don’t like what we see?

Let’s do something about that!

Understand the Bible.

Let’s talk about what most of us find to be the problem, whether or not we will admit it.

We don’t understand what we are reading.

It’s not that we don’t have enough knowledge or resources, but that our knowledge actually works against us.

The more you know, the more possibilities you can think of and the more complicated things seem to be.

Actually, simpler is better when is comes to reading and understanding the scripture.

We get so focused on the details that we miss the big picture.

2 Peter 1:20–21 NLT

20 Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding, 21 or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God.

So what is the bigger picture? That this is not just the words of men, but the Word of God!

Understand the context of Scripture.

Actually it does help to know a little about the people who wrote the Bible to know why they wrote what they wrote.

That is part of getting the bigger picture.

We often read the Bible a verse or a few verses at a time.

But to understand what those verses mean we need context.

Another aspect of context is understanding, not just the books and the chapters of the Bible, but the whole story or narrative of Scripture.

Have you ever been to an Opera? Or maybe a Broadway musical? They give you a program or a playbill with a short summary of what you are about to see and hear. Even better, go with someone who has seen it before and who knows the story and they can clue you in.

The scenes and the music are powerful enough to be appreciated on their own, but when you know the storyline, it all comes together.

The Bible is like that too.

The Bible is the story of God’s self-revelation culminating in the redemption of mankind through Jesus Christ.

The movements are creation, the fall, God raising up a people for Himself, out of which comes Jesus, who redeems mankind, reversing the fall and sending the Spirit so the the people of God begin to fill the whole earth.

Sure, there are passages of scripture that can be comforting or compelling without knowing anything of the context.

But when you know where they fit in the larger story, they become even more powerful.

And when you see how that story extends to today and you see yourself in the story - wow!

Learn to interpret Scripture.

If the Bible is God’s Word to us, then how to I get from what the text is saying to hearing what God is saying to me?

That is the task of interpretation.

Interpretation is the process of getting the writers meaning and then applying it to our own context.

What is being said to the original readers? How would they understand it?

To understand the Bible, it helps to know something about the time and the people to which it is written.

That’s one reason why we like to recognize and celebrate Jewish holidays - because Jesus and most of the Bible authors were Jewish.

But its also why we have Bible Studies and Study Bibles - to give us some context for what is written.

Without context, you might think that Jesus is really trying to thread a needle using a camel, or that The Apostle Paul really hates dogs.

I also try to bring some background into my sermons so that we can put ourselves in the place of the original audience of the Bible to help us better understand what is being said.

What is the plain meaning of what is being said? What is the point or the central message?

While it’s true that things were very different in Bible times than today - there is also much that is the same.

When we are reading and studying the scripture we are also looking for the meaning or messages that are timeless.

We identify with the characters in the story.

We see God’s actions and they tell us about God’s character.

God’s commands are still the same - love your neighbor still means love your neighbor.

But we also see God’s plan unfolding, culminating in Jesus Christ and then released into the world through the church.

This is where we really need to see ourselves as part of the unfolding story today.

The story of God redemption is still unfolding.

God is still working by His Spirit and you and I are part of that.

In light of what I am understanding, what does this mean for me today?

If God is really the one writing scripture and the Bible is God’s Word, then what is God saying through the scripture to us?

The process of interpretation is designed to find continuity from the original meaning to the plain meaning or message of the scripture and culminates in some application to our lives.

What this means is that interpretation isn’t finished until we ask the application question : so what?

What am I going to do with what I have learned?

Is there a command here that must be obeyed?

Is there a principle that requires change?

How do I become more like what I see in the scriptures that God created me to be?

Interpretation leads on a journey from discovering God to being conformed to His image.

It’s not just an intellectual journey - it’s a supernatural one.

You will comprehend what you read when you begin to do what you are hearing.

Peter says that the Biblical writers did not interpret (at least not for us, perhaps for themselves), but they wrote as they were inspired to write.

Interpretation is the job of the reader, but it also requires some inspiration.

Invite the Spirit to illuminate Scripture.

This is also a very simple point, but so important!

We say that we get revelation from the scripture, but that’s not quite right.

What we need is not revelation, but illumination.

It’s all there - it’s already been revealed.

We just need the light (illumination) to see it.

When you get up in the morning, assuming that you read your Bible as one of the first things that you do, what do you do before you read your Bible? You turn on a light.

Why? Because without light, you can’t see to read. We also need the Holy Spirit to understand the scripture.

I say this just to remind us that we want to be aware of the Holy Spirit’s presence as we read the scripture.

Read prayerfully, the Holy Spirit knows the Bible because He wrote the Bible!

And when the Holy Spirit was inspiring the Bible writers to write, and the translators to translate, He also knew that you and I would someday read it.

God has been working all through history and we need His help to see it and to know our part.

Live the Bible.

Romans 15:4 ESV

4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

Paul is saying what I just said, that when God was writing the Bible, He had us in mind.

Our value statement says that: “We believe that the Bible, is inspired, accurate, understandable, and faithfully shows us God’s revelation of Himself.”

We can make that claim because we see God’s hand in the process from the writing of scripture to the reading of it.

So what is our part in that process?

How do we live it?

Much of this has been said already - but let’s just go with what’s in the text.

Let the Bible teach you about God.

Paul says that the scripture is for our instruction.

Isn’t is good to know that God left us with instructions?

Or maybe you are one of those people who only reads the instructions when all else has failed?

If you are looking for instructions for how to have a happy life, or for how to be successful at your job, or for how to have meaningful relationships - you can find it in the Bible.

But that is not really what the Bible is for.

The instructions in the Bible are for how to live in such a way that reflects God’s image, that participates in His redemption of the world and ultimately seeks to bring Him glory!

If you do this, then in the process you are likely to live happier, be more successful and get along better with others, but that just a side benefit and not always guaranteed.

I think that’s why some people have given up on the Bible, because they have been mislead as to what the Bible is really trying to teach them.

The Bible teaches us how to be what God originally created us to be.

God is at the center of the biblical story.

By God, I mean God the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit all working in unison.

When we put ourselves at the center of the story, we misunderstand and misinterpret the Bible.

We are part of the story, just not the main characters.

So let the Bible teach you about God, and through learning about God, you will also learn about yourself.

Because you were originally made in His image.

Let the Word of God strengthen you.

Here’s the other part of living the Bible - it can give you strength.

The Bible strengthens you by reminding you of the bigger picture.

The Bile encourages you because even though you don’t know what is going to happen tomorrow, you know where all of history is headed.

The Bible gives you inspiration when you read the stories of those who have endured similar struggles or even far more than you will ever know and you consider their legacy of faith.

The Bible comforts you by reminding you that the struggle is real; that life in a fallen world is hard and that you are not alone.

The Bible empowers you by giving you a vision that is beyond yourself, that you are God’s and that he is working through your life and circumstances.

The Bible compels you to live beyond what is normal or human in the worldly sense, toward what is possible when the divine nature recreates humanity and infuses it with the life that God intended from the beginning.

This book has the power to transform; but in order for it to do that you need to read it, study it and apply it.

Hebrews 4:12–13 ESV

12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Let the Scripture read you.

People who treat the Bible as if it were something magical get it right in that they know that there is power in the scripture.

The part that they miss is that in order for that power to be effective in the world, it needs to flow through people.

God wants you and me to be conduits of His life and of His love.

The world doesn’t understand the scripture - you can paint verses all over your car and it won’t mean anything unless the Spirit is also working in them to interpret it.

You can quote scripture to people and you might as well be hitting them over the head with your Bible, because they feel the impact of your words but they don’t understand them.

People around will be transformed by the Word of God as you are changed - they will see the story of scripture - God’s redemption,-demonstrated through you and they will know that it is real.

Don’t just read your Bible; let the scripture read you!

Let the light of God’s Word penetrate to the very core of your being.

Let it show you who you really are and let it show you who God created you to be.