Why Read The Bible?
Sermon Notes
Intro:
Each year we give our church a primary goal to focus on, and we’re calling 2022 our Year Through The Bible. Our focus will be on growing in understanding the biblical narrative, by taking us through the biblical narrative in a year. So today we’re starting a new teaching series called The Story: From the very beginning, to the last amen. I’m confident if you stick it out, if you remain consistent in going through the bible with us, it’ll transform your life. I’m confident it’ll transform the lives of both skeptics and believers, because both already benefit from its influence. In the book “How Christianity Changed The World” Alvin Schmidt states, “The Bible’s moral guidance influenced the abolition of slavery, the banning of child molestation, freedom and dignity for women, the formation of hospitals and schools, the securing of liberty and justice for all, the advance of science, the development of great art and architecture, the sanctity of human life.” The bible also influenced some of the greatest educational institutions in the world, starting Ivy League schools like Harvard and Yale. Harvard’s original motto was “Truth for Christ and the Church.” Yale’s was “Light and Truth.” A Yale professor for 41 yrs named William Phelps said, “I believe a knowledge of the Bible without a college education, is more valuable than a college course without the Bible.” Even atheist Richard Dawkins said, “A native speaker of English who hasn’t read a word of the bible, is verging on the barbarian.” Famous British atheist Bertrand Russell said, “What the world needs, is Christian love.”
But what’s always been so intriguing to me, is the bible’s remained influential despite being viciously attacked for years. In a Washington Times article journalist David Keene wrote, “Tyrants, ancient and modern, have tried for centuries to burn the Bible, deny the Bible’s content, and suppress it...Christians were sentenced to Stalin’s Gulag for distributing Bibles, killed by Mao’s troops for spreading its words, and are today beheaded, tortured, and burned alive in parts of the world for doing the same. But the words of the Bible haven’t been stamped out, or its influence diminished. It’s not only the most widely published and read book in the history of the world, but the most influential.” It’s really incredible if you think about it. I mean how does a book people tried to burn, suppress, and destroy for years, survive as the world’s best selling book generation after generation? It happens by the hand of God preserving it, so people in every generation can learn and be transformed by it. It happens so we can learn and be transformed, by having a relationship with the God who inspired it. So let’s turn to Psalm 119 and get into it. You’ll find Psalm 119 in the middle of your bible, and we’ll start in vs 1-4. Title of today’s message is Why Read The Bible, and here’s the big idea. The bible gives information, that can lead to our transformation...The bible gives information, that can lead to our transformation.
Context:
Here’s your context. Some scholars say this Psalm was written by King David to teach Solomon the Hebrew alphabet, because all 22 stanzas start in sequence with the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Jews use this psalm as part of their New Year celebrations for Rosh Hashanah. The great Charles Spurgeon once said every preacher should memorize the entire thing, which Blaise Pascal and William Wilberforce did. Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the entire bible, it consists of 176 verses, and its primary focus is on delighting in God’s Word, which is why we’re starting here instead of Genesis 1. We’ll be in Genesis 1 next week, but we’re starting in Psalm 119 because it gives a solid foundation for how to view the bible. We can’t cover every verse in the psalm, but we’ll highlight a few giving us 3 reasons to read the bible. The psalmist will teach God’s word is: #1 True, #2 Good, and #3 Personal. It’s true, good, and personal. Let’s check it out.
The Word:
Psalm 119:1-4 states, “ How happy are those whose way is blameless, who walk according to the Lord’s instruction!” What the psalmist is talking about is God’s Word, God’s laws, God’s “instructions” and teachings found in the bible. Back then it was the Old Testament because the New Testament wasn’t written yet, but what the psalmist is teaching is true for the entire bible! The psalmist is saying happy are those who follow the Lord’s instructions. The reason the psalmist says this is because he believes the Lord’s instructions are true. He even says in vs 151 “all your commands are true,” and this is our 1st reason to read the bible.
#1 God’s Word Is True = The psalmist is saying God’s Word is true, God’s instructions are true, and we should follow them. We should follow the bible’s teachings because the God of the bible is a God of truth, and he inspired the biblical authors to record the truth. We believe this here at City Awakening, we believe the bible is true. One of our codes is we’ll read the bible and let the bible read us. So instead of letting our beliefs shape and change the bible, we let the bible shape and change our beliefs. But a lot of people in our culture don’t approach the bible like this, they approach it as subjective truth that’s relative to the person. In other words each person gets to decide what’s true or not true about the bible. But if you approach the bible like this you’ll only choose to follow the teachings you love! Your life won’t ever be fully transformed if you’re only following the teachings you love, because you’re avoiding the tough teachings that’ll really stretch and grow you. The only way to really grow is for your beliefs to be challenged. Our beliefs need to be challenged, because we’ve become products of our culture. The culture we’ve grown up in has molded our beliefs, our identity, how we view ourselves, how we view the world.
For example, when the bible talks about sex being reserved for 1 man and 1 woman in marriage, many Eastern cultures view that teaching as common sense instead of offensive. But in our sexually free Western American culture it’s often viewed as offensive and primitive. Why? Why do people in one culture view it as common sense and current, but people in another culture view it as offensive and primitive? It’s because we’re being molded into products of our cultural environments. We’ve all been molded into believing and following things our culture has taught us, both good and bad. So it’s a good thing when God’s Word challenges you, because it’s God’s way of liberating you from the cultural mold you’ve become. It’s God’s way of chipping away at the cultural mold you’ve become, to transform you into the true person you were created to be. Author Kelly Monroe Kullberg states, “Truth yields life. If we are sailors lost at sea, we need true north…Truth tells us where we are, who we are, to whom we belong, and the real story in which we can fully live. It seems to me that our American culture in its present condition, is politics, marketing schemes, politically correct slogans of professors, politicians, and media, that often lead to the death of the soul and the body. Lies lead to death and a culture of death, but the truth sets people free for life.” We’re either being molded by our culture or our Creator, but either way we’re being molded. If you want God to mold and transform you, then let the truth of God’s Word challenge you, and then follow it. The psalmist says happy are those who do.
Again vs. 1, “How happy are those whose way is blameless, who walk according to the Lord’s instruction! 2 Happy are those who keep his decrees and seek him with all their heart. 3 They do nothing wrong; they walk in his ways. 4 You have commanded that your precepts be diligently kept.” Notice the psalmist uses the word “precepts” to describe God’s Word, and the implication is God’s Word is full of so much wisdom, it becomes like a prescription for our lives. In fact Hebrew scholar Eugene Peterson translates the text as “You God, prescribed the right way to live.” The psalmist is saying God commands us to live out his prescripts, to live out his prescription for life because it’s good for us, which leads to our 2nd reason to read the bible.
#2 God’s Word Is Good For Us = God’s Word is true, and God’s Word is good for us. Sometimes when God commands something we think he’s robbing our joy. But he isn’t robbing our joy, he’s protecting our joy, which is why the psalmist repeatedly says in vs 1-2 happy are those who follow God’s Word. It isn’t God’s Word robbing our joy, it’s sin that’s robbing our joy. Like little children we’re too easily duped into thinking we know what’s best, we know what will bring us the greatest joy. As you get older and look back on your life you realize there’s things you thought would bring you joy, but it brought you misery. So how do you prevent yourself from being duped by something that appears joyful, but will only bring you misery? The only way is to glean from the wisdom of somebody more experienced at life than you, somebody who understands the consequences of the thing you’re flirting with. It’s what parents do with their child when their child’s about to make a foolish decision. “Don’t do that, don’t go there. Trust me I’ve seen it done before, and it doesn’t end well.” This is what God does with us. Like a loving parent his Word isn’t there to rob our joy, it’s there to protect our joy and take us further into joy. The psalmist says in Vs. 105, “Your word is a lamp for my feet, and a light on my path.” It’s because God’s Word gives you wisdom for things you don’t even see or realize yet.
Look if you believe God created you, then you should also believe that God knows what’s best for you. He designed our lives and this world with such precision and detail, that all the greatest scientists in human history still haven’t figured out how it all works. He’s the one who created you, designed you, and knows what’s best for you. The psalmist is saying God’s Word is true and good for us, so we should follow his instructions. Let’s go to vs 135.
Vs. 135, “Make your face shine on your servant, and teach me your statutes.” That’s personal. The psalmist is viewing God as a personal “face to face” God, who’s willing to “teach” him the way to live like a parent teaches their child. It’s our 3rd reason to read the bible.
#3 God’s Word Is Personal = God’s Word is true, good, and personal. The God of the bible is a speaking God, and his Word is a personal word to us. The bible isn’t meant to simply give us information on how to live, it’s meant to draw us into a deeper relationship with God. We go to the Word of God, to have a relationship with the God of the Word. We go to the Word of God, to converse with the God of the Word. If we read the bible with an open mind it converses with our soul. It encourages us, challenges us, transforms us as it chips away at the things hurting our soul. Hebrews 4:12,“For the word of God is living, effective, sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It’s able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” When you read God’s word it's meant to be a personal conversation between God and your soul. But that’ll never happen if you approach the bible impersonally, with a subjective mindset, only believing and following the things you love.
Think about it like this. Your laptop never challenges you. If it’s operating well, if it’s doing what it’s been programmed to do, it’ll never challenge or argue with you. It’ll do what it’s been programmed to do which is to follow your commands. But a person isn’t a laptop, so they’ll sometimes disagree with you and challenge your beliefs. If you’re in a relationship with a person who never disagree with you, you’ve turned them into a laptop. City Awakening have you turned God into a laptop?...Have you turned God into a laptop, not allowing him to challenge you, your lifestyle, your cultural mold?...Have you turned reading your bible into an impersonal laptop, instead of personal conversation with God?...A God who’s programmed to be whatever you want him to be, is no God at all. Instead you’ve created a laptop God who’s programmed to be like you. Instead of being created in the image of God, you’ve created God in the image of you. An impersonal, subjective approach to reading the bible can transform you partially, but not fully, since the deepest parts of your soul aren’t challenged. You need to approach and read the bible as true, good, and personal for it to converse, challenge, and transform your soul. You need to approach it like the psalmist seeking God’s face, seeking God to personally teach you. But believing God’s Word is true, good, and personal means nothing if we don’t do something with this information. The psalmist tells us we’re to do 2 things with God’s Words.
#1 You have to unfold it = If you want God’s Word to transform your life you have to actually unfold it and read it. Vs. 130, “The revelation of your words brings light.” The ESV captures the original Hebrew better. “It’s the unfoldingof your words that gives light.” He’s saying God’s Word must be “unfolded,” it must be read to illuminate your mind and transform your life. You can’t understand any book if it’s closed. You have to open it, unfold it, actually read it to gain from its content and have it transform your life.
#2 You have to treasure it in your heart = If you want God’s Word to transform your life you have to unfold it, but also treasure it in your heart. Vs. 11, “I have treasured your word in my heart, so that I may not sin against you.”Treasuring it in your heart means to reflect on it, to apply it, to bury it deep in your heart. It’s to remember what you read and apply it to your life as you go throughout your day. Jesus is the greatest example of this. He saturated his entire life with God’s Word. John 1 says he’s our visible God, he’s God’s Word lived in the flesh. When he faced temptation from Satan in the desert, he quoted scripture to protect his heart and mind. When he faced hardship, carried his cross through the public streets, saw his followers weeping, he quoted scripture. When he was dying on the cross, He quoted scripture. Jesus continually lived and breathed scripture as he went through everyday life. Jesus treasured scripture in his heart, and if you believe the bible’s true, good, and personal, then you should treasure it too.
But I get it, you and your family are busy and struggle with finding time to read your bible. My family and I struggle with that too. In fact the psalmist expresses his own struggles with this. Vs. 5, “If only my ways were committed to keeping your statutes!” Every believer struggles with giving God’s Word the priority it deserves, but we need to prioritize it more than our extracurricular activities. We need to prioritize God’s word, so Satan and sin don’t devour our lives. Our children learning fantasy football stats or how to juke somebody on the field, is secondary to them learning how to juke Satan and sin with God’s Word. Tom Brady can’t help transform your life, because he doesn’t even know your life exists! But God knows your life exists, he knows what’s best for your life, since he created your life! If you want him to transform your life, then unfold and treasure his Word in your everyday life. Make 2022 your year through the bible, and be consistent in your attendance as we study The Story. At our next steps table we have a bible reading plan to fill the gaps we won’t cover in a 52 Sunday year. If you aren’t a reader download an app that has it on audio. We also have The Jesus Storybook Bible which is a great read for both children and adults. It does a great job teaching the biblical narrative and showing how all of scripture points to Jesus. You can also sign up for our small groups, which will be going through weekly study guides based on the texts we’re preaching on. You can get all this information and more resources at our next steps table after the service.
The Big Idea:
The big idea of the message is the bible gives information, that can lead to our transformation...The bible’s been transforming the lives of both skeptics and believers for years, and if you commit to reading and applying it this year, it’ll transform your life too. It’ll lead you into a deeper relationship with the God who came to save and transform your life, which is Jesus. Sally Lloyd-Jones captured it well in The Jesus Storybook Bible. She writes...
“God wrote I love you. He wrote it in the sky, and on the earth, and under the sea. He wrote his message everywhere! Because God created everything in his world to reflect him like a mirror, to show us what he is like, to help us know him, to make our hearts sing...And God put it into words too, and wrote it in a book called the Bible.
Now some people think the Bible is a book of rules, telling you what you should and shouldn’t do. The Bible certainly has rules in it. They show how life works best. But the Bible isn’t mainly about you and what you should be doing. It’s about God and what He has done.
Other people think the Bible is a book of heroes, showing you people you should copy. The Bible does have some heroes in it, but (as you’ll soon find out) most of the people in the Bible aren’t heroes at all. They make some big mistakes...
No, the Bible isn’t a book of rules, or a book of heroes. The bible is most of all a Story. It’s an adventure story about a young Hero, who comes from a far country to win back his lost treasure. It’s a love story about a brave Prince, who leaves his palace, his throne...he leaves everything to rescue the one he loves. It’s like the most wonderful of fairy tales that has come true in real life! You see, the best thing about this Story...is it’s true!”
This story is true, it’s good, it’s personal, and it all points to Jesus being our great hero who came to rescue us. He came to die for our sins on the cross to save and transform us. Every story in the bible whispers his name, because it’s really all about him. So let’s pray for his story to transform our stories, and next week we’ll study Genesis 1, where the Story begins. Let’s pray.