Spiritual Disciplines: Bible Reading - 2
April 25, 2021
When I was in school I used to look at every book I had and figure out what the average length of the chapters were. I actually still do that today. I look at the size, the chapters and go from there. Anyone ever do that with a book?
In my first year of seminary I had to take a year of theology and we needed a 2 volume set called Foundations of Dogmatics, written by Otto Weber. I looked at the book and the book looked at me and the book barked at me! No joke. I jumped back when I saw the title. Then I opened the book and it got worse . . . Literally it did.
The title of the first section was THE ONTOLOGICAL ORDER OF THINGS
The second section was called PREDOGMATIC PROLEGOMENA?
It was a question. Yup! I had questions. What does all of that mean!?!?! To be really honest, I didn’t know the meaning of DOGMATICS - ONTOLOGICAL - PROLEGOMENA. I was done for.
Those 2 volumes were the hardest reading I’ve ever done in my life.
Sometimes the Bible can seem that way as well. We look at this huge book and become a little intimidated, maybe a little scared. In a bible study I was in, I said something about the book of Job, and you know what I called it . . . JOB! UGH! But I survived . . . and so can you, and hopefully you’ll thrive.
Well, we’re in a series on spiritual disciplines. Again, my hope is that as we move through these disciplines or habits, we will be changed, renewed, transformed by God - - so much so, that we become new creatures, new people - - as we draw closer to God and become more and more like God. That is my deepest and greatest desire for us. And that includes me.
Last week we started looking at what it means to read the Bible and today we’re going to conclude talking about Bible reading and get really practical in a few minutes. I want to add a little that I didn’t last week, then we’ll get real practical. And again . . . if you have any questions, no question is bad, they’re all good, so ask me, email me, call me, text me. Write down your question as I’m talking so you don’t forget.
We were talking about how the Bible benefits us and I wanted to add that the Word of God Guides and Leads us. Many times when we have difficult decisions or we we’re going through difficult times, the Bible gives us the right answer or brings comfort. Think of the great Psalm 23 --
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters,
3 He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. - Psalm 23
Stop and consider who God is from this Psalm alone!! The Lord is our Shepherd, and Jesus expands on that in John 10 calling Himself the Good Shepherd.
I’m just getting started, I want to fill you, I want your heart and spirit to burst with the great news of Jesus, our Christ.
You see, there’s so much good news for us. And God reminds us even in the midst of the struggles, when we’re really tempted, we can rely on His Word. Think about after Jesus was baptized, He went into the desert. Listen to what happened - -
3 And the tempter came and said to Jesus, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.”
4 But He answered, “It is WRITTEN, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Deuteronomy 8:3)
5 Then the devil took Him to the holy city and set Him on the pinnacle of the temple
6 and said to Him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is WRITTEN,
“‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and “‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” (Psalm 91:11-12)
7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” (Deuteronomy 6:16)
8 Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.
9 And he said to Jesus, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.”
10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve.’” (Deuteronomy 6:13)
When Jesus was tempted He used the word of God. He used the power of the Word. He didn’t use His human power, He used the Word. And remember, the tempter, satan even quoted scripture at Jesus.
The word is powerful and helps us overcome those temptations and helps us to know what we should be doing, knowing right from wrong. We can trust the Bible as the word of God. As it was written, it was 100% infallible, it was without error. The Word is trustworthy for us to hold onto and be guided by God’s word.
Theologian R.C. Sproul once said we don’t read Scripture “not so much because it is difficult to understand, not so much because it is dull and boring, but because it is work. Our problem is not a lack of intelligence or a lack of passion. Our problem is that we are lazy.” That’s quite an indictment, I think partly true, but I really think another aspect is what I just mentioned, we just don’t know how to read the Bible, and when we don’t know how to do something it is kind of scary.
It was kind of like that theology class. We look at this big book and we quickly become intimidated and we believe there’s no way possible I can read it and if I do, I won’t understand it, so why set myself up for failure. I’d rather just listen on Sunday mornings and hope that God understands.
As he was battling cancer, David Watson wrote,
As I spent time chewing over the endless assurances and promises to be found in the Bible, so my faith in the living God grew stronger and held me safe in His hands. God’s word to us, especially His word spoken by His Spirit through the Bible, is the very ingredient that feeds our faith. If we feed our souls regularly on God’s word, several times each day, we should become robust spiritually just as we feed on ordinary food several times each day, and become robust physically. Nothing is more important than hearing and obeying the word of God.
Isn’t it true, as much as we eat to remain physically healthy and strong, we need to take in the Word of God, read the Bible, so we become spiritually strong.
Okay, now let’s get into the very practical section of this sermon, and I will tell you what I do, but my way isn’t the only way. It just works for me.
Which version of the Bible should you read? Do I have a preference for you?
I want you to read the Bible, to know what is in God’s Word. When my sister was alive, I gave her and my brother in law the Old Testament, because we were raised Jewish, and she remained Jewish, I wanted her to know who her God was. Simply put, open up the Bible. But the question which keeps coming back is what version. After all, there are scads of versions and which is best?
There are two types of translations - there’s a literal translation and dynamic equivalence.
Here’s a slide of the most literal translation Bibles. These Bibles will be a little more difficult to read and understand, but they give you the most accurate reading of the Word.
There’s the NASB / KJV / NKJV / NET / ESV
Then there’s the dynamic equivalent Bibles. They aren’t worries as much with word for word accuracy as they are with helping the reader get the message. The main ones are - NIV / NLT / Holman Christian Bible / Good news
Then there’s a paraphrase called The Message which is one writers paraphrase of the Bible.
Which one is best for you? What is your reading level? What is your understanding of the Bible?
I started out reading the KJV in a hotel and quickly realized I was in trouble.
I have my preferences. I like the ESV. That’s the Bible I read. But it may not be for you. You can go online and read the Bible and we’ll get to that in a bit.
Find a Bible or ask me about a Bible to read. I actually have every one of those Bibles I mentioned, except the NET. I’d be happy to let you look at them.
Depending on where you’re at on your journey, that determines which version you should read. If you’ve never read the Bible before, start with something that’s not going to be self-defeating. What’s most important is to open the Bible and read God’s word.
Who’s Bible should I buy? There’s the John Maxwell or Charles Stanley, John MacArthur, Joyce Meyer or any other person’s study Bible?
These Bibles simply have notes by these authors. Look at the packaging and you will find the proper version.
Do I buy a less expensive Bible, or spend more money? I would say to look for a study Bible, or a Bible with notes which may help with understanding passages you’re reading. Again, ask if you’re uncertain. There are lots of different types of Bibles out there. You should be able to purchase a good study Bible for under $30
Where do I begin and how do I continue?
This is one of the big questions. Where to start. Because if we aren’t sure, we just don’t. There are lots answers to this question.
If you’re searching to find more about who Jesus is and what the church is supposed to be about, I would start with the gospel of Mark. Mark is the most action oriented of the 4 gospels. He skips the birth story, genealogies, there’s no shepherds or wise men . . . and he gets right into the action. Also, 95 % of what’s in Mark is found in Matthew.
Matthew is longer, but Mark will give you much of the same understanding. After Mark, I would jump to John. John will give you a different perspective of Jesus and tell different stories from His life. John also speaks much more about the role of the Holy Spirit.
Then I would read the book of Acts, which comes immediately after John, and is the story of the beginning of the church. Next I would read James, since it is one of the more practical and application oriented books in the Bible.
If you’re wanting to read the Bible from start to finish, there are various plans to do that. Some people like to read different sections of the Bible. They will read a chapter from the OT, a Psalm, a passage from the minor prophets, then a passage from the New Testament.
I’ve always struggled with that system. I prefer to read straight through from Genesis to Revelation. But that is because of my personality and preference; if your preference is different that is fine.
The point is to read the Bible for understanding. As John Ortberg said, “the goal is not for us to get through the Scriptures. The goal is to get the Scriptures through us.”
There are also a number APPS online that we can use. There is the one from life church which is the best out there. It has tons of versions. It’s at bible.com. I have it on my phone and can read it from my phone and follow reading plans and more. And it’s free.
You can read or listen to the Bible online from sites like biblegateway.com. There are so many resources available in our world, that reading or even listening to the Bible is more convenient than ever.
The last thing I’ll say about Bible reading is to try to set up a plan to memorize scripture. Do it slowly, write the scripture on an index card and work at it all week and then do it the next week as you start to look at another scripture.
Don’t say, ‘I’m going to start reading the Bible tomorrow and try to read 10 chapters a day.’ Most likely you’re setting yourself up for failure. Make it realistic and attainable. Read 1-3 chapters a day. If you get into a chapter, then read more, and that’s great. But set yourself up for success.
I believe it’s beneficial to say a prayer before reading scripture. Not a long prayer, but one that simply calms us down and focuses us on God and not on what’s going on all around us. Just a simple prayer such as “Lord, settle my heart and spirit, help me to be open to your word, that it would change me.” That’s it.
When you read scripture you can also ask yourself questions about what you’re reading - -
What is the subject or topic?
Is there something unusual in that passage?
Is the passage a poem, a dialogue, a parable, historical, biographical or autobiographical, a lament, a confession, instruction, etc.
Who is the author and who is the audience?
What is the setting? Where does the passage take place?
What is the mood? Happy or sad; grief or joy; peace or anxiety, etc.
What just occurred prior to this passage?
Ask yourself the “SO WHAT” question. Ask so what, what does God want me to take from this passage? This is the application point of Scripture.
Does God want you to - - -
STOP something
START something
BELIEVE something
CONFESS
PRAY
GIVE THANKS
COMMUNICATE TO SOMEONE.
What is the point?
We’ve covered so much ground, and yet there’s more to do, but for now, I want you to really consider if you can go on without reading God’s word. I know that’s kind of an in your face question at the end of the message, but it’s just too important not to ask.
If you need help, I would be thrilled to help you. If you have questions about what you read, please ask, there are only good questions.
