The Bible: Kindling for Christian Hedonism (part 2)
a sermon by John Piper given October 30, 1983

2) That leads us to the second step this morning, namely some examples of how the Bible has so much value for us. Why is a life of meditation on Holy Scripture a life of joy? Most of the specifics I want to give you may soon be forgotten, but I hope the total impact of the Bible's value will make you want to read it more regularly, more deeply and more joyfully. Consider these benefits.

In Deuteronomy 32:46-47 Moses says, "Lay to heart all the words which I enjoin upon you this day, that you may command them to your children, that they may be careful to do all the words of this law. For it is no trifle for you, but it is your life." The Bible is not a trifle; it is a matter of life and death. If you treat the word of God as a trifle you forfeit life. Our physical life depends on God's word because by his word we were created (Psalm 33:9; Hebrews 11:3) and "he upholds the universe by the word of his power" (Heb. 1:3). Our spiritual life begins by the word of God: James 1:18, "By his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth." "You have been born anew … through the living and abiding word of God" (1 Peter 1:23). And not only do we begin to live by God's word, we go on living by God's word: "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God" (Mt. 4:4; Deut. 8:3). Our physical life is created and upheld by the word of God, and our personal-spiritual life is born anew and lived by the word of God. Therefore the Bible is "no trifle for you, it is your life!"

The Word of Christ begets and sustains life because it begets and sustains faith. "These things are written," John says, "that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name" (John 20:31) "Faith comes by hearing," writes the apostle Paul, "and hearing by the word of Christ" (Rom. 10:17). The faith that starts our life in Christ and the faith by which we go on living come from hearing the word of God. If faith is of eternal importance for your daily life, so is the Bible.

Sometimes faith and hope are virtually synonyms in scripture. "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for" (Heb. 11:1). Without this hope for the future we get discouraged and depressed and our joy drains away. Hope is absolutely essential to Christian joy (Rom. 15:13). And how do we maintain hope? The psalmist puts it like this (78:5-7), "He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children … so that they might set their hope in God." Paul puts it so plainly: "Whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that by the steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope" (Rom. 15:4). The whole Bible has this aim and this power: to create hope in the hearts of God's people.

Another essential element of life is freedom. None of us would be happy if we were not free from what we hate and free for what we love. And where do we find true freedom? Psalm 119:45 says, "I shall walk in freedom, for I sought thy precepts." And Jesus says, "You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32). And lest we miss the point he says later in John 17:17, "Sanctify them in the truth; thy word is truth." The word of God is divine truth that frees us from deception. It breaks the power of counterfeit pleasures, and keeps us free from stumbling into the stupidity of sin. "Thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" (Psalm 119:105). "I have laid up thy word in my heart that I might not sin against thee" (Ps. 119:11 cf. v.9). The promises of God are the liberating, guiding power of godliness: "Through his precious and very great promises you escape from the corruption that is in the world … and become partakers of the divine nature" (2 Peter 1:4; cf. John 15:3). Freedom, guidance, likeness to God -- all these come to us as we meditate upon and trust the word of God, the Bible.

Of course, the Bible does not answer every question about life. Every fork in the road does not have a Biblical arrow. We have need of wisdom in ourselves. But that, too, is a gift of scripture. As the text says, "The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple … the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes" (Ps. 19:7-8; cf. 119:98). People whose minds are saturated with God's word and submissive to his thoughts have a wisdom that eternity will prove to be superior to all the secular wisdom in the world.

Nevertheless, our bent will and imperfect perceptions lead us time and again into foolish acts and harmful situations. That day is not sweeter than the day before and we need restoration and comfort. Where can we turn for comfort? We can follow the Psalmist again: "This is my comfort in my affliction, that thy promise gives me life … When I think of thy ordinances from of old, I take comfort, O Lord" (Ps. 119:50,52). And when our failures and our afflictions threaten our assurance of faith, where do we turn to rebuild our confidence? John invites us to turn to the word of God: "I write this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life" (1 John 5:13). The Bible is written to give us assurance of eternal life.

Satan's number one objective is to destroy your joy of faith. You have one offensive weapon: the sword of the Spirit, the word of God (Eph. 6:17). But what many Christians fail to realize is that you can't draw the sword from someone else's scabbard. If you don't wear it, if the word of God does not abide in you (John 15:7), you will reach for it in vain. If you don't wear it, you can't wield it. But if you do, what a mighty warrior you will be! "I write to you, young men, because you are strong and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one" (1 John 2:14).

3) So the Bible is the word of God and the word of God is no trifle. It is the source of life and faith and hope and freedom and guidance and wisdom and comfort and assurance and victory of our greatest enemy. Is it any wonder, then, that those who knew best said, "The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart" (Ps. 19:8). "I will delight in thy statutes, I will not forget thy word" (Ps. 119:16). "Oh, how I love thy law, it is my meditation all the day" (Ps. 119:97). "Thy testimonies are my heritage for ever, yea, they are the joy of my heart" (Ps. 119:111). "Thy words were found, and I ate them, and thy words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart; for I am called by thy name" (Jer. 15:16). But are we to pursue this joy like Christian Hedonists? Are we to throw the kindling of God's word on the fire of joy? Are we to pursue our holy pleasure by meditating on the word of Christ? Indeed, we are. For the Lord himself has said, "These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you and your joy may be full" (John 15:11).

On this reformation Sunday I beseech you not to let the blood of the martyrs be spilled in vain. Don't let the labors of Luther, Melancthon, Calvin and Zwingli be spent out in vain. God raised them up to free the Holy Scriptures for us. We despise God and insult his saints if we treat the Bible as a trifle in our lives. Martin Luther knew as well as any man who ever lived that every day with Jesus is not sweeter than the day before. And according to Roland Bainton, he wrote these words in the year of his deepest depression:

And though this world with devils filled
Should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God has willed
His truth to triumph through us.
The prince of darkness grim,
We tremble not for him --
His rage we can endure,
For lo, his doom is sure:
One little word shall fell him.

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