1. There is a lot of talk today about making the bible "relevant."
a. The word Relevant means "Logically connected with and important to the matter in hand; appropriate, germane, pertinent."
b. There seems to be a precedent in verses like:
15 Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. 16 The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. 18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. Philippians 1.15-18
13 Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, 15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, 16 having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. 1 Peter 3.13-16
2. "Do not try to make the Bible relevant. Its relevance is axiomatic. Do not defend God's word, but testify to it. Trust to the Word. It is a ship loaded to the very limits of its capacity." ~Dietrich Bonhoeffer
3. God has something to say about the relevance of his word -- Isaiah 55:6-11
4. Get out of the way and turn it loose -- It IS relevant already
* Jesus is the word
* Jesus is the Lion of Judah -- we don't have to entice the lion to do what he does naturally
* Jesus is coming as a warrior with the sharp sword from his mouth -- we don't have to coax a soldier into doing what he does
o 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. Hebrews 4.12
o Acts 2.37
I. Trust -- Appropriate the Bible into Every Aspect of Life
A. How We Have Gotten Where We Are
- In the 1960s the Supreme Court ruled that prayer and Bible reading in public schools violated the Constitution.
- They prohibited the teaching of Creationism and replaced it with the theory of evolution.
- They removed God's standard of truth and instead gave children the responsibility of determining right and wrong on their own.
- To determine whether the Bible is relevant, one need only look back over the last 40 years of our nation's history.
- If people don't believe the Bible is relevant today, it isn't because we tried it and it failed, but because we have ignored it and have virtually destroyed the morality of the last generation!
B. Getting Back on Track
* Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1
* The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." John 3.8
* Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." John 20.29
Believing Is Seeing
Before the pioneering work of British surgeon Joseph Lister, it was thought that "bad (infected) air" was the cause of spreading diseases in hospitals. Surgeons operated without sterile hands or instruments. Lister discovered that carbolic acid was an effective disinfectant for hands, wounds, and surgical instruments. His work increased the understanding of the role of germs in spreading, and preventing, disease.
Germs couldn't be seen, but their effects could be. Survival of patients was "the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1). And that is what faith is. We cannot apprehend faith with our senses, but we can definitely see its evidence. We see the world that exists and believe God created it (Hebrews 11:3). We can see the changes in our lives and believe the power of God is responsible (John 9:25). We pray and believe God answers our prayers (James 1:6). Like Abraham, we trust God's words and believe we are made righteous in His sight (Genesis 15:6).
Don't let faith be a stumbling block. Faith is ultimately dependent on the object of faith--in our case, God and His words. Place your faith in the God you cannot see--believing is seeing.
At the end of the day, faith means letting God be God. John Blanchard
II. Testify -- Act According to Its Teachings
A. Lives Matter
Kindness on Aisle 5
In 2014, a Florida supermarket employee noticed an elderly customer struggling to bend over and tie his shoelaces. The employee walked over, bent down, and tied the man's laces for him. A fellow employee snapped a picture of the two, whose backs were turned, and posted it on Facebook. It quickly generated 200,000 "likes." When local news programs picked up the story, it went viral.
Why should such a simple deed generate so much attention? Perhaps it's because the world is starved for love. In the darkness, even the flicker draws attention. The Gospel gives us the opportunity and mission to reach out with acts of kindness and to show compassion to those around us. When the Lord sends us into the world, it's both to preach and to practice the Gospel.
It's wonderful to take mission trips to needy areas of the world; but every day when we leave our driveway, we're taking a mission trip into a needy world. Learn to pause as you leave home each day and say, "Here am I! Send me." Learn to embrace small tasks that you can kindly do for Him.
1. Live in Truth -- 31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." John 8.31-32
2. Live Out Truth -- Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, Philippians 2.12
B. Follow the Instructions -- In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5.16
14 Do all things without grumbling or disputing, 15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. Philippians 2.14-16
"If all else fails, read the instructions." I purchased a bottle of cleaner. A note from the manufacturer hung on the top of the bottle. It read, "You shouldn't open this bottle until you have read the instructions thoroughly." -- Then, in smaller print it continued, "Yes, yes I know you think you know everything, your uncle told me about you. But for once in your life, read the instructions, okay? All right! Well, go on!"
III. Tell -- Address Its Precepts with People
A. God Wants His Story Told
In the movie "O God" George Burns played God himself, who has come to earth to speak with a grocery manager named Jerry Landers. In one of their conversations, Jerry, without thinking, says to himself, "O God!"
And God says, "Yes, Jerry? What is it?"
And Jerry says, "Huh?? Oh, it's nothing, Lord. It's just an expression, a figure of speech, nothing more."
And then God says, "Jerry, that's why I'm here. I want people to know that I'm not just a figure of speech. I'm more than just a phrase that people blurt out when they get frustrated. I want you to tell people to take me seriously. That I am the Lord!"
1. He is LORD
2. He is Creator
3. His thoughts and ways are above ours
B. A Misplaced Priority
Too Busy to Evangelize
James Hudson Taylor in challenging English students during his time to be involved in China mission work, used to tell of the story about Peter, his Chinese convert and disciple. On one of their sea journeys, Peter (who do not know how to swim) fell from the side of the boat. Fortunately, there were fishermen nearby, just a grab away from where Peter fell. Taylor shouted at the fishermen and asked them to help his friend, "Hey, help my friend, he is drowning."
However, the fishermen did not bother to do his call for help because they were busy loading their catch from the net to their boat. Taylor continued to yell, "Stop what you are doing, and help my friend. He is just a grab away." But the fishermen continued on their work until the last fish was loaded to the boat. Then they jumped and got Peter out of water. They tried to revive him, but to no avail. Peter died of drowning. He could have been saved because he was just a grab away from the fishermen.
Then, he asked the students/church members what they thought of about the Chinese? Some said, they are bad, evil, selfish, unconcern about the salvation of a dying man. Taylor responded, "I saw differently. I think the Chinese are like most Christians today, they are unconcerned about the plight of the sinners who are now just a grab away from them. The reason is that they are so busy with their work."
1. Too Busy?
2. Afraid?
3. Unequipped -- maybe the man was not a good swimmer, either
1. Power of the Gospel (Romans 1.16)
The story was originally written by a civil war general -- General Lew Wallace, who as boy was raised in a Christian home but as a man was indifferent to religion. He was a dreamer, a romantic, and a seeker of fame and fortune. Wallace rose quickly to the military's hierarchy.
In addition to his many battlefield victories, Wallace was also a prolific writer. One of his writing projects dealt with a topic that fascinated him ever since he was a small boy: The visit of the Wise Men to Bethlehem. After he wrote his first draft, he put the manuscript in a drawer and forgot about it. Three years later, while on a train to Indianapolis, Wallace met the famed agnostic, Robert Ingersoll. After Wallace asked Ingersoll if he believed in God, Ingersoll answered "no" and then argued his convictions for two hours.
When the men arrived in Indianapolis, Wallace's thoughts were in turmoil. How strange that it took the arguments of an unbeliever to shake him out of his religious indifference. Ingersoll had challenged Wallace to prove that Jesus was the Son of God. Wallace took up the challenge. He decided to expand his earlier story about the wise men to include Christ's death and resurrection. Being a meticulous researcher, he read and re-read the Gospel accounts, and in the process of writing his book, Ben Hur, General Wallace accepted the claims of Jesus Christ and committed his life to Him as Lord! That's the power of the Gospel! (Source: Focus on the Family, April 1998)
2. Churches spend less time trying to "make the bible relevant" and just need to get out of the way.
3. Maybe we need to:
* Trust
* Testify
* Tell
