As I reflect on my journey of becoming a Christian, my story would not be complete if I did not share a funny story which came during the initial phase of coming back into community. It was about 15 years ago. We had just come back to church and my wife decided to write on one of the connect cards, would like to meet with the pastor. I was so mad at her for this. But she set up the time after Sunday worship the next week for Pastor Scott to come over to the house. I think I was particularly angry because it would interrupt my schedule of watching stuff on TV for having to clean the house and find that Bible. I’ll never forget digging through a bunch of old boxes trying to find my catholic bible and placing it on the coffee table after dusting it off. We had to make the right impression after all? I had no idea what was in that book but I wanted him to think I did. I believe I was the typical person who called themselves a Christian. I knew the bible was important but I never picked it up. It was always to confusing.
As a result , we begin a new series for the month of June called the “The Bible, why bother?” Over the course of the next four weeks, we will be discussing what is the benefit God’s word in our lives, what we mean when we say the “word of God”, what is revealed about God in his story and finally, who wrote the Bible?
The larger question which stems from that experience for me is, Was I Christian, even if I never read the bible? The answer of course is, Yes. We only need believe in Jesus Christ and repent of our sins. However, why would you want to stop there? After all, if you learned enough to commit your life to Jesus, wouldn’t you want to know Him more? The bible helps us to do that. In fact, its use does even more than just learn about His character. It actually blesses us in some very distinct ways.
To illustrate a point about the power of scripture, we read Psalm one together. If you are not familiar with the Psalm or the Psalms, let me give you a brief background. The psalms were written in five different sections over the course of some 20 years almost 1400 years before Christ coming. Many were written by King David, sons of Korah (musicians in the temple), Asaph, King Solomon, Ethan and Moses. All of the psalms are written for use in worship. While the Hebrew title for the book is “the book of praise,” They come in varying forms, such as laments (protests against God), Messianic (prophesy pointing towards the coming of Christ), praise psalms, royal psalms, psalms of affirmation, Penitential psalms, and evens psalms which call down God’s wrath on one’s enemy. Psalm one is a wisdom psalm. It is meant to focus the reader on God’s word, God’s blessing and ultimately God’s judgment. Most wisdom psalms force the reader to wrestle with the problem of evil in the world and why God permits prosperity of the wicked that reject him.
As we dive into psalm one, we are immediately struck at the contrasts being represented between those who are following God and those who are not. We should also see the importance of God’s word (law) in verse 2 and its ability to provide blessings for the believer. God wants to bless His believers. Throughout the scriptures, we are told of God’s love. Revelation 1:3 echoes the same sentiment: Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near. God wants to bless us and the primary way to do that is through His Word. As we read it, the scriptures in the Old and New Testaments bless us in seven distinct ways.
The first is in the way it amplifies the voice of God by revealing God’s call to us to something bigger, more beautiful and much more satisfying than we normally experience. NT Wright in his book Simply Christian observes that there are four areas which God’s voice amplifies what is truly important in our hearts: our longing for justice, the quest for spirituality, the hunger for relationships and the delight in beauty.
The second is blessing of the Bible comes in the way it clarifies the voice of God. As Christians, we often have what I call “charism.” This is the unique moment in which God’s grace becomes apparent and we often find hard to describe. The bible provides us a clarifying perspective on what has happened, what God might be up to and how best to move ahead. A true charism, a God experience, is always in line with what God has already done in the past and recorded in the scriptures
The third blessing of the bible is its ability to empower us to live with confidence. In a world filled with every possible choice of life and lifestyle, the scriptures provide confidence to live with the expectation of God’s Spirit power, love and self-discipline. Let’s face it life is hard. It often doesn’t seem fair. We can get downtrodden and it can be tough to muster the strength to go on. It’s in these times I can turn to Genesis to realize God has created me and called me good. Or I can turn to a Gospel to hear Christ say He came for the least of these or to realize He died for me.
The fourth blessing of the bible is the way it directs us on what to believe in and how to behave.
Matthew 7:24 says “a man who hears the word of God and puts them into practice is like a wise man who builds his house upon a rock.” The reading and listening to the scriptures provides a solid foundation from which to move through life. It is this obedience to God’s word which in turn gives opportunity for God’s love to flow. The psalmist uses the idea of tree planted by streams of living water to refer to a person, a church or a nation who is able to witness to the world which surround it because their roots go very deep. The nutrients underneath the surface are what feed the branches which will eventually bear fruit. Now by the using the word fruit, I am not talking just results in the here and now. I am talking about a fruit which has seeds and may fall to the ground where the next generation can be born. The bible gives us fruit not just for our lives but for the generations to come.
The fifth blessing of the Bible is its ability to assure us that we are on the path that leads to life. I don’t know about you but on occasion, I have read a set of passages that I have read 50 times before and now, a certain word or phrase seems new. It’s like I‘ve never read it before. I wonder who put that there. It speaks to me just the way you and I converse every day. It convicts, guides and encourages me in my situation. I become overwhelmed with the thought that God loves me so much He created the text which changed my life some 2000 years ago. God blesses us through His Word by giving us solutions we may never had considered
The sixth blessing of the bible is its ability to enliven both prayer and meditation to grasp the entirety of God’s will in the world and our call to action. I still amazed at some folks, including Christians, who roll their eyes when I say let’s take this or that situation to the Lord in prayer. Now, I know some use the phrase, “I’ll pray about it and get back to you” as a stall tactic to not make a decision, but when I say I will take the matter to the Lord in prayer I am referring to approaching the Lord with passionate desperation. In Genesis 32:26, there is a story of Jacob wrestling with the Lord one night. In the story, Jacob has a hold of the stranger (God) and will not go until He blesses him. This scene is a reminder that the Lord hears our prayers when they come from the heart of desperation. Luke 18:6-7 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? or read Hebrews 5:7, “During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.”
The seventh blessing of the bible is its ability to connect us with God’s Holy Spirit. Scripture can act as a soothing balm on our souls as a reminder of God’s presence in the world. How often have we read a part of the bible and wondered why or how or when would God do that? Now some may take their lack of understanding as proof He doesn’t exist or that the book was written by men. However, I look upon the words of scripture which sometimes cause me wonderment as proof that I believe in a God bigger than my own ideas or worldview. The Bible connects us to God in very unique way. John 16 states: “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth.”
In 1740, there was a missionary to the American Indian by the name of David Brainerd. He wrote some of the most telling accounts of what it meant to be on the mission field and in the wilderness of the US trying to reach those he encountered. The following is an excerpt:
“Monday, April 19th. I set apart this day for fasting and prayer to God for his grace and for him to prepare me for the work of ministry. I asked him to give me divine help and direct me in preparing for the great work and to send me into his harvest in his own time. In the afternoon, God was with me in a special way. Oh, how I enjoyed blessed communion with him! God enabled me to agonize in prayer until I was quire wet with perspiration although I was in a cool place. My soul was greatly burdened for the world for the multitudes of souls needing salvation. I think I interceded more for sinners than for the children of God although I felt as if I could spend the rest of my life praying for both. I enjoyed a great sweetness in this communion with my savior. I think I….never felt more totally surrendered to God.” – Breakthrough Prayer. Jim Cymbala. P.23
Now I must be honest with you. With the way I am extolling the benefits of scripture, you would think I always be in the word, Get up – Word, Shower – Word, Breakfast – Word, Drive to the church – Word, And so on and so on. But that would be a lie. I don’t. I often get distracted with what’s going on in my life. I get too busy with this life. A good friend once said to me, “If the devil can’t make you bad, he will make you busy.” I believe that. The evil one doesn’t want you to see the truth. He doesn’t want you to receive the blessings God has for you. When we read scripture, we must recognize that we are involved in a form of spiritual warfare. Satan does not want you to hear God’s word and process it because it changes us for the better.
The reality is the blessings that come from knowing the scriptures are for those who long with all their souls to walk in the light and the holiness of the Lord. On this morning, I would like to encourage you to re-engage in the scriptures or engage them for the first time to receive the blessings promised. The bible is God’s self –revelation that invites us to know who God is, who we are, and the purpose of our lives and the destiny of the world.
Remember Matthew 5:6 says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. God is waiting to bless us with a new Spirit filling. So let’s begin today by taking a small step in our devotional life by trying to memorize Psalm one over the next month. In fact, we will work on it together each week as a way to begin to create a delight in you about the scriptures.(read PS1 together)
1 Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.
4 Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6 For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.
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