january
28, 2004
I gave this as a message (albeit shorter) for
Calvary Youth Group one Friday night in September of 2003. I
was given the broad topic of "The Bible" which explains
why this is so long and yet so inadequate. I briefly cover what
the Word of God is, then go over why we ought to read the Word,
and end with how we ought to read the Word.
The Word of God
All Scripture is breathed out by God
and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction,
and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may
be competent, equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 (ESV)
The Bible is the inerrant Word of God. The
authors were inspired by God the Spirit, and is without error.
The Word is the only infallible source of truth on this earth.
Though the spiritual leaders of the church are valuable sources
of instruction, the Word of God is the final authority in
all things in the Christian's life and walk. The Bible is
not a series of stories but a recording of events which actually
happened. The virgin birth, sinless life, horrible death,
and resurrection of Jesus Christ recorded in Scripture are
facts. While some portions of Scripture are interpreted in
different and perhaps contradictory ways, this does not mean
the Word is imperfect. Can it be difficult to understand?
Yes. Confusing? Perhaps. But it is never wrong. One cannot
understand the meaning of Scripture as God intended it to
be interpreted apart from an understanding that the Bible
is without error and a willingness to submit to that which
it says.
Loving God
While one might agree that the Bible is the
Word of God, this does not immediately translate to an avid
reading of it. We must consider why we need to read the Bible.
Most importantly, apart from the Word of God,
we cannot genuinely love God. The book of Romans explains
that we must hear the Gospel, the Word, to have faith. "So
faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of
Christ" (Romans 10:17).
And as Hebrews explains, "without
faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw
near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards
those who seek him" (Hebrews 11:6).
The Word produces faith and apart from faith
we cannot please nor love God. One of the acts in which we
express our love to God quite often is in worship. As Christ
told the Samaritan women at the well, we are to worship God
in spirit and in truth (John 4:23-24). True worship is that
which is based on the truth of who God is and what He has
done. Only the Word reveals these things to us. Loving God
is not having certain feelings towards a being we call God,
but it is a response to who God really is and what he really
stands for. While much contemporary worship may imply that
worship is about what we will do for God and how he makes
us feel, the focus of worship ought to be on who God is and
what He has done.
Pierced by the Word
Faith is not only birthed out of the Word,
but faith is sustained by it as well.
When tempted by the devil, Christ answered,
"It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God"
(Matthew 4:4).
The Word sustains faith in two important ways.
The first is described in Hebrews.
11 Let us therefore strive to enter that
rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.
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.
Hebrews 4:11-13
Verse 11 speaks of rest, which refers to peace
or reconciliation with God. We are at rest when we are united
to our Heavenly Father. Disobedience makes us fall from this
rest. According to John Piper, the root of any disobedience
is the belief in the lies of the devil. "The only reason
anybody sins is because at some level they are deceived. They
start believing the lies of sin instead of the promises of
God" - John Piper. Sin and our sinful nature tell us
that if we don't cheat in school, we put our grades and thus
our futures in jeopardy; it tells us that a relationship now
that God does not approve is worth the emotional and spiritual
damage; it tells us that if we don't dress or act a certain
way then no one will like us; sin tells us that only a weakling
will turn the other cheek instead of getting revenge. And
we believe these and other lies to such an extent that our
hearts become hardened.
But the word of God is living and active,
sharper than any two-edged sword (v. 12). It will pierce our
hardened hearts and show our thoughts and our actions for
what they truly are. And it is when we are naked and exposed,
no longer able to convince others and ourselves that we only
have a few things to fix, that we will see the lies of sin
for what they are. We see the destructive and hollow nature
of sin.
Perhaps we avoid the Word because we fear
losing the petty trinkets this world has to offer. We don't
like to be reminded of our sinfulness and are skeptical of
the promises of God when we say we feel like we are unworthy
of reading the bible after sinning. But this is a false humility.
Really, we don't want to be reminded of how depraved we really
are and how much we really need God. Like Peter we may say
"Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord"
(Luke 5:8). But Christ came not for the righteous, but
for the sinners.
The warnings of his judgment and the good
news of his promises are sharp enough and living enough and
active enough to penetrate to the bottom of my heart and show
me that the lies of sin are indeed lies. The Word brings us
to repentance and back into the rest that is found only in
Christ.
part 2
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