[This sermon is contributed by Hal Seed of New Song Church in Oceanside, California and of www.PastorMentor.com. Hal is the author of numerous books including The God Questions and The Bible Questions. If you are interested in The Bible Questions Church-wide Campaign, please visit and watch Hal’s video at www.PastorMentor.com.]
How Do I Live What I’ve Learned?
The Bible Questions, Part 6
Ps. 119:97-104
Good morning everybody!
We are winding down our series on The Bible Questions today. At the end of this service, you’ll be part of the first wave of Bible Questions alumnae. Right now there are churches in Minnesota, Pennsylvania and California doing the series with us. In January, there will be more churches from those states, along with Washington, Florida and hopefully others as well.
By the end of this service, you will know enough to be Bible-dangerous. Because today I’m going to tell you the secret to mastering the Bible.
• So far in our series, we’ve learned that the Bible is God’s gift to us. Lincoln said that.
• We’ve learned that it’s a book like no other. God said that.
• We’ve learned that the Bible can make us better. Psalm 119 said that.
• And last week we learned that one great way to get the Bible into you is to practice a three step process called, Inductive Bible Study.
Do you remember what the three steps are?
Observation
Interpretation
Application
Observation: What does it say?
Interpretation: What does it mean?
Application: What am I going to do about it?
To give you a chance to practice these learnings, we are going to dive into the simple, four-chapter book of Malachi next weekend, so we’ve included a booklet in your Program called, “Understanding the Prophets is as Easy as Tying Your Shoe.” I hope you’ll read this today and then this evening or tomorrow morning, go to our website and access the simple guides that are there for helping you study Malachi. I’ve prepared one study per day so you can master the O/I/A method over the next four weeks.
If you’re just joining us today, you can catch up with us by picking up a copy of
The Bible Questions
And joining a small group this week. Just go to the small groups table in the lobby and they’ll sign you up. We have groups that meet every night of the week.
Alright, if you’re ready for one more set of learnings today, make like Sponge Bob and turn to a neighbor and say, “I am ready!”
Great! Now pray this prayer after me:
Lord Jesus
Speak to me.
Amen!
Throughout this series, we’ve dipped our toes into Psalm 119. I want to get ankle deep in it this morning, so…
Find a Bible and open it to Psalm 119:97. It’s on p. 438 in the black Bibles under your chairs. If you have your own copy of the Scriptures, the middle chapter of the entire Bible is Psalm 118, so open close to the middle and you’ll find Psalm 119.
While you’re turning there, listen to these words from the Apostle Paul written to his best friend, a man named Timothy:
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. 2 Timothy 2:5
As far as we know, 2 Timothy is the last letter the Apostle Paul ever wrote. Paul, who knew the benefits of the Bible as well as anyone short of Jesus, told Timothy that if he wanted to maximize his life, he should do his best to study the Bible.
Why?
Well that’s what Psalm 119 will tell us.
Before we read it together, let me tell you a little about Psalm 119.
Psalm 119 is an alphabetic psalm. (Say, “alphabetic psalm.”)
What that means is, it’s a psalm that’s laid out alphabetically, so that in the first stanza, every sentence starts with the letter “A.” In the second stanza every sentence starts with the letter “B.” The third, “C,” etc. – Except that Psalm 119 was written in Hebrew, so instead of ABCD, it goes Aleph, Beth, Gimel, Daleth. If you want to learn the Hebrew alphabet, all you have to do is look at the stanza headings for Psalm 119.
There are 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet, and whoever wrote this psalm decided to include eight verses in under every letter. 8 x 22 = 176. So Psalm 119 has 176 verses to it. It’s the longest chapter in the Bible.
Every one of the 176 verses mentions God, and 173 of the verses mention “the law,” or “the commands” or the “statues,” or some synonym for the Bible. Psalm 119 is a song, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to tell us how incredible the Bible is.
Obviously this psalm is a little long for us to read in its entirety, so we’re just going to focus on the “Mem” section today. (Say “mem.”) Mem is the Hebrew word for “m.” When Israelis eat little chocolate candies, they pull out a package of Mem N Mems!
You won’t be able to see this in English, but in Hebrew, every verse of this section begins, with “mem.”
Follow me:
97 Oh, how I love your law!
I meditate on it all day long.
98 Your commands are always with me
and make me wiser than my enemies.
99 I have more insight than all my teachers,
for I meditate on your statutes.
100 I have more understanding than the elders,
for I obey your precepts.
101 I have kept my feet from every evil path
so that I might obey your word.
102 I have not departed from your laws,
for you yourself have taught me.
103 How sweet are your words to my taste,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!
104 I gain understanding from your precepts;
therefore I hate every wrong path.
Here’s a guy who has experienced benefit from the Bible.
v. 97, he meditates on it all day long.
v. 98, God’s commands are always with him.
v. 99, again, he meditates on God’s statutes.
v. 100, he does his best to obey God’s precepts.
As a result, v. 98, he says he’s wiser than his enemies.
v. 99, he has more insight than his teachers. – Students, wouldn’t that be a great position to be in?
v. 100, he even has more understanding than his elders.
From v. 101, we learn that as a result of spending so much time with the Bible, his feet have been kept from every evil path. – That would be a worthwhile exchange of time, wouldn’t it? Read the Bible and it will keep you off evil paths?
Apparently, the guy is a genius, who’s blessed with more on the ball than just about anybody he knows. His teachers respect him, his elders look up to him, and his feet are able to avoid bad paths.
How did he do this?
When we started this series six weeks ago, we read about Joshua, who was given a promise by God. God said to him:
Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Joshua 1:8
That’s what God told Joshua to do: meditate on and obey God’s book.
Now read the promise:
Then you will be prosperous and successful. Joshua 1:8b
This is why God’s book is a gift. It teaches us how to live and promises that if we live this way, we’ll be prosperous and successful.
This is why it’s like no other book. It’s the book that makes you better.
So, why wouldn’t we want to read it?
Well, as a matter of fact, there are several reasons. Let me give you a few of them. Some people say…
A. Why Not Read the Bible?
1. I don’t read the Bible because I’m too busy. Isn’t this the number one reason most of us don’t read the Bible? Or at least why we don’t read the Bible as much as we’d like to? We’re too busy.
And what are we busy at? For most of us, it’s raising kids and making a living.
Let’s look at that for a second.
I don’t have time to read the Bible because I’m spending time with my kids so they’ll turn out well.
But wouldn’t my kids turn out better if I read the Bible more, or better yet, if I read the Bible with them?
Men, this is especially important for us. Because as we go, so goes our families. You know the expression, “You da man?”
Well, you ARE da man! It’s not enough for your wife to read the Bible and your wife to teach your children. Every study ever done on the family says that the most important influence in the family is the father. How you go and what you do is how the family will go and what the family will do.
“I’d rather teach my kids to hunt and fish and drive a truck.” – Does it have to be one or the other?
Or how about this:
2. I don’t read the Bible because I don’t like to read.
That’s a good reason not to read the Bible…. except… the reason you don’t like to read is because you don’t read very much. If I don’t run for two or three weeks, I won’t feel like running because I won’t feel good running. But if I start running today, 3-4 weeks from now, my muscles will adapt and I’ll look forward to my run every day.
I have a friend who used to say he was dyslexic and therefore couldn’t read the Bible. That was 20 years ago. When we launched the church, he got into a small group with a group of other men where they read and reported on what they read every week. He still meets with that group, but he also leads his own small group. And today, he not only reads the Bible, he memorizes a verse from it every week!
Here’s a third reason not to read the Bible:
3. I don’t read the Bible because it’s boring or hard to understand.
Friends, the Bible is the most engaging book in the world. Charles Dickens, who wrote some of the best books ever said, It is the best book that ever… – Charles Dickens
The only people who say the Bible is boring are people who haven’t read it enough to understand it, or aren’t in a small group where others can help them understand it.
How about this one:
4. I don’t read the Bible because the devil doesn’t want me to.
Now that’s getting closer to the truth. Of all the books in the world, this is the one that Satan would most like to keep you from. Why? Because he wants nothing good for you, and he knows that only good can come to you if you read the Bible.
One more:
5. I don’t read the Bible because I don’t want to change.
Of all the excuses, this is probably the most accurate one.
When I read the Bible it tells me that I should be a more loving person. – I don’t want to be a more loving person! Well, actually, I do want to be a more loving person. I just don’t want to do the work necessary to become a more loving person.
But the great thing is, when I read the Bible, I read stories about others-centered people, which makes my mind think more like an others-centered person. So over time, I become more loving naturally.
Now, let’s go the other direction for a minute.
What are some reasons you might want to read the Bible?
B. Why Read the Bible?
1. I want to read the Bible because it will make me smarter.
How many of you want to be smarter?
We learned last week that as an ethnic group, the Jews are the smartest people in the world. With .02% of the population, they have won 22% of the Nobel Prizes – 110 times more than they should have if they were average.
Read this out loud with me:
98 Your commands are always with me
and make me wiser than my enemies.
And this:
99 I have more insight than all my teachers,
for I meditate on your statutes.
And this:
100 I have more understanding than the elders,
for I obey your precepts.
Here’s a second reason:
2. I want to read the Bible because it will make me better.
According to Romans 12:2, it transforms me by renewing, or “making new” my mind.
How many of you want to get better?
A third reason:
3. I want to read the Bible because it will make me successful.
That’s the promise of Joshua 1:8. -
8 Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips;
meditate on it day and night…
Then you will be prosperous and successful. Joshua 1:7-8
Your shortest path to success is through the Bible.
Fourth:
4. I want to read the Bible because it will keep me from doing stupid things.
For some of us “stupid” is a bad word.
Psalm 119:104 says,
104 I gain understanding from your precepts;
therefore I hate every wrong path. Psalm 119:104
Isn’t that a pretty accurate description of “stupid”?
Or how about this:
Psalm 119:11 says,
I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you. Psalm 119:11
One of the reasons I want to read the Bible because the more I read it, the easier it is to say no to things that I know are hurtful to me and to others.
One more:
5. I want to read the Bible because it will help everyone around me.
When Joshua read the Bible, he prospered, and the whole nation prospered with him.
When David meditated on Scripture, he became the most powerful king in the region, and the whole nation prospered with him.
When dad reads the Bible, dad becomes better, and the whole family becomes better with him.
So, I want to read the Bible! But, how should I read the Bible?
C. How Should I Read the Bible?
1. Worshipfully - By that I mean, in the midst of worship.
• In the midst of worship.
The most important spiritual habit you will ever practice is the habit of assembling at church every weekend. Because if you assemble here, you will be reminded of everything else that is important. Like Bible reading. And loving your family. And doing right, etc.
Come to church every week to learn the Bible in the midst of worship.
2. Thoughtfully - During last week’s sermon and last week’s reading, we learned how to observe, interpret, and apply Scripture. All of that takes thought.
• Using observation, interpretation, application.
Starting next week, we’re going to practice the habits of observation, interpretation and application using the book of Malachi. Its four short chapters, all easy to read. I encourage you to read and practice with a section a day in Malachi all this week. I will post a guide for each day on our website so you can practice O/I/A with training wheels on.
3. Devotionally - Sometimes you won’t feel like digging in and asking all the OIA questions. For a change of pace, on some days, you’ll just want to sit quietly with your Bible and ask one simple, devotional question. – Which is,
• Asking one simple question: “God, what is it you’re saying to me from this passage right now?”
4. Slowly - Sometimes you’ll just want to sit and read the words of Scripture slowly, asking,
• “What should I do with this?” and
• “Should I pray these words?” or make a prayer of this?
When reading slowly, you might only get through one paragraph, but find a lot to chew on in that paragraph.
On other days you might want to read Scripture
5. Quickly - Covering lots of ground.
Sometimes I’ll get in a mood to read a book of the Bible per day. I’ll just read it like a novel, not stopping to analyze.
• Reading large portions quickly, like a novel.
However you choose to read, I hope you’ll choose to read…
6. Daily - Setting a time either in the morning if you’re a morning person, or the evening if you’re an evening person. – Or both morning and evening if you’re like the guy in Psalm 119. But the best way to get healthy is to exercise and eat right every day. And the best way to grow in character and spirit is to ingest spiritual truth from God’s Word every day.
And finally, whatever you do, I’ve found that the only people who read Scripture for the long haul are those who read it…
7. Corporately – By being part of a small group that encourages them every week.
What if you did this?
What if you let the Bible become a part of your life by reading it daily, talking it through corporately in a small group, and worshiping here weekly? What might you become?
Author Malcolm Gladwell, in his book Outliers found that the one thing that made people better at whatever it was they were working on was the time they spent with that thing or activity or pursuit. In a study of college music majors, he found that those who had put in a 4 to 6 thousand hours on their instrument were likely to become music teachers, while those who had put in 6 to 8 thousand hours were likely to became music performers, and those who reached the 10,000 hour mark were likely to become world-class at their trade.
Gladwell found that this 10,000 hour plateau applied not only to musicians, but also to chess players, hockey players, golfers, writers, computer programmers – to everyone in every field from academics to arts to athletics.
What if you could reach that kind of level in your Bible exposure? It seems ridiculous at first, but maybe it’s not so far-fetched. After all, if you just show up for church an hour a week, in a year, you’ll have logged 52 hours and in 20 years, you’ll have logged 1,000. Sit in church from age 20 to 60, you’ve got 2,000 hours.
At a small group where you meet around Bible content and you’ve got another 2 to 3,000 hours.
Suppose you were to commit yourself to reading the Bible – either by yourself, or with your wife or kids, for ½ hour a day, five days a week? That’s far less than the time most of us spend in front of the television or Facebook.
Friends, here’s a formula for you:
Church – 1 hour
Small Group - 1 ½ hours
Personal/Family - 2 ½ hours
20 years 5,000 hours
At 30 years, you’ll be at 7,500 hours.
30 years = 7,500 hours
As you grow, you’re going to find yourself wanting to help others with this, so if after 10 years – you become a small group leader, that will add an hour and a half of personal preparation time to the mix. Which means you’ll accumulate another
1 1/2 hrs. prep x 20 yrs. = 1,500
That puts you at 9,000 hours – dangerously close to what it takes not just to be good or even great at something, but to be world-class.
Add anything to this: some extra Bible-contented classes here at the church, or listening to biblical preaching on podcasts or the radio while you’re driving, and within a reasonable 30 year time period, you will be marked by the Bible. God’s teaching, God’s thinking, God’s way of seeing and doing things will be coursing through your veins!
So how ‘bout it friends? How many of you are up for the challenge of becoming world class Christians and Bible students?
To get there, you’ll need a plan. So in your Program today, we included a Bible-Mastery Plan that you can fill out and customize to fit the kind of lifestyle with God you’d like to cultivate. Fill it out before you leave here today or I can almost guarantee you won’t fill it out at all.
Here’s what it might look like:
20 years in church = 1,000 hours
+ 20 in small group = 3,000 hours
+ 20 in personal reading = 5,000 hours do that for…
40 years = 10,000 hours
How many of you would like to become a 10,000 Bible person? Some of you who are long-time Christians are already well on your way there. If you’d like to commit yourself to the 10,000 hour plan, (or you think you’ve already done that), would you stand so I can pray for you?
If you’re willing to commit yourself to a 5,000 hour plan, would you stand too?
And if you’re willing to commit yourself to a 3,000 hour plan, would you stand.
Now, 1,000 hours of anything is fairly significant. So if you’re willing to commit yourself to 1,000 hours, you stand as well.
Father, we believe that the Bible is your Word to us. We believe it changes lives, and we want our lives to be changed. We want to be better, more like you and Jesus, so we’re committing ourselves to these plans. Help us with them. Teach us your Word, and to think like you do, and love like you do, and live like you do. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Have a seat.
Before we close, I want to encourage you to do one thing to help some other people become Bible students. This week, I’m asking you to call five friends and tell them what you’ve experience from The Bible Questions experience. Offer to buy them a copy of the book if they’ll read it. If they’ll do that, some of them will decide to start Bible Questions small groups, and what we’ve started here will continue and hopefully snowball into a Bible-Reading revolution.
Will you do that?
Let’s pray.
Hal Seed
The Bible Questions Campaign Kit is available at www.pastormentor.com
