Be Intentional
#4 – Getting the Most Out of Your Bible
2 Timothy 3:16-17
January 19, 2003
Introduction
Today we continue in our series on being intentional, living life by decision rather than by default.
This morning we are going to focus on making the Bible real in your life.
Too often the Bible is just a decoration in the bookshelf, or maybe the coffee table, and it gets dusted off once in a while, but never really read and taken seriously.
Well folks, I’m here to tell you that God takes His Word seriously. It’s how He communicates with us.
Without the Bible, we would be lost, wandering if life had any purpose, and more importantly, lost to pay the penalty for our sins, with no hope of forgiveness or eternal life.
Without the Bible we would never know the awesome love He has for His creation, and the marvelous riches He has prepared for His children.
The Bible is not just a book. It’s the living, breathing, Word of God. It works in us to bring us into conformity with the will of God. And by the way, we would never know the will of God without the Bible.
But how do we get past the idea that the Bible is more than just a good book, or even the best book ever written?
The main way to do that is to realize that the Bible has a purpose. And that purpose is more than to tell us about David and Goliath, or even about the baby Jesus.
Because you see, the purpose of Scripture is not just to inform, but to transform. The purpose of the Bible is life-change, and specifically in two areas: our character (who we are) and our conduct (what we do). (Rick Warren – Preaching for Lifechange)
And today I want to give you some very specific information that you can use to let God’s Word transform your very life.
My prayer is that you will leave here not just informed, but equipped to make the Bible a large and dynamic part of your life.
In fact, before I get started in the main portion of the message, I would like to take a moment and pray for us, okay?
(Pray)
Four ways the Bible works to transform us:
2 Timothy 3:16-17
16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
1. Teaching.
The Bible is full of information that is helpful for us to know. We can found out about God’s character, His righteous requirements, His wrath against sin and the remedy for that sin, the history of His people Israel, and His care for His people in Christ.
We find out what God says about lifestyle issues and business and family relationships. It’s incredibly helpful and relevant in all areas of life.
This type of information is called “doctrine.” This basically means learning what the Bible says about things so we can believe and act on them.
Teaching takes place in a number of contexts: church, personal and group Bible studies, Sunday School, Wednesday night activities, or whatever.
Teaching is important. We need it, and we need people who are able to teach it.
In 2 Timothy, Paul directs Timothy to find men who are able to teach others, so the teachings of Christ can go forth uninterrupted. You and I are here today because they did their job.
The second way the Bible works to transform us is…
2. Rebuking.
This word basically means to expose error and sin, and bring it to the attention of the person in error or sin.
Sometimes as we’re reading the Bible, we come across something that convicts us of a sin. We immediately feel a check in our spirit, and a sense of guilt or shame comes on you.
This is God rebuking you – He is exposing something in you that needs to be corrected.
Sometimes we need to go to someone and tell them they are in sin, based on Biblical definitions.
At those times we need to visit with them, telling them what they are doing and what the Bible says about it.
It does not need to be harsh or abusive, but sometimes it just needs to be done.
It’s not pleasant, but it needs to be done. Sin must be addressed, so we can move on to the next way the Bible works to transform us, and that is…
3. Correcting.
We need to be careful here. We often think of rebuking as correcting, but that’s not really the case here.
Once the rebuke has taken place, either at the hands of another person, or by the working of the Holy Spirit in us, then we work on getting back on track.
You see, that’s what correcting is all about: making something correct again.
If you are the one doing the rebuking, then you need to be ready to get involved in this part of the process.
It’s not enough to just point out the problem. You need to offer Biblical solutions that are effective.
And it’s more than saying, “You better get back on track, boy!”
Offer Biblical guidance that the person can implement realistically. Come beside that person and help them along, praying for them, and offering whatever help they need in a gracious manner.
The last way the Bible works to transform us is in…
4. Training in righteousness.
This is the issue of godly living.
God wants us to be a righteous people. When you took Christ as your Savior, you became righteous in God’s sight.
Godly living, or righteous living, shows the world that God has done a work in our lives. And that He’s continuing that work as we get to know Him better.
The Bible is God’s instruction manual.
I know that guys, especially have a hard time with that concept.
You hate instructions. When you bring something home that says “some assembly required,” you don’t bother to look for the instruction sheet, do you?
Not a chance! It can’t be that hard, we figure.
The problem is that sometimes we get to the end, only to find a few parts left over that are critical to the proper operating of whatever it is we’re putting together.
In life, trying to get along as a Christian without spending time reading God’s instruction book can get us in a mess of hurt.
That’s why I think we have some families where the husband thinks he can be a brutal dictator in the home because he thinks the Bible says the wife and kids are supposed to submit without question.
And when they don’t he gets all bent out of shape, or worse yet, becomes abusive.
The problem is that he didn’t read the rest of the passage. The rest of that passage says that the husband is to love his wife like Christ loved the church, giving His life for the church.
A dominating and domineering husband can’t see that, even though it’s in the same Bible he claims to get his so-called authority from.
Without reading the Bible, we get caught up into society’s definitions of wrong and right, rather than God’s. And we don’t see that it’s ultimately God who will be our judge.
Right now Franklin Graham is in some hot water because he refuses to back down on some statements he made about how Islam is a harsh and evil religion, bent on destruction of everything that goes against it.
But his response to the criticism is that he is not accountable to society. Society is not the final judge. Almighty God is, and He is the one to whom Franklin Graham is accountable.
A Christian life spent away from the Bible as the instruction manual for life is a life set up for failure. If you want to be a failure in the Christian life, just ignore the Bible. The result is guaranteed.
Harsh? Maybe. But true. And I would not be doing my job by telling you otherwise.
To live a godly life, you must be in the Bible.
I am amazed about something. Maybe you share this amazement.
I am amazed at how many people would call themselves Christians but refuse to acknowledge what Christ says about a given subject.
Most people would say that God really doesn’t call something a sin, because He wants us to be happy, and if doing this makes me happy, than it’s okay.
They love the friendly Jesus.
Folks, many people have a false impression of Jesus that is not Biblical. They listen to society and to those who would call themselves scholars who tell us that Jesus is just loving and tolerant.
The problem is that while Jesus is very loving – so loving that He gave His life to pay the penalty for your sins, but He also will judge sin. And He spelled out what sin is. It is not friendly.
But it is truthful.
If you call yourself a Christian, you need to be in the Bible; the primary source of information about Jesus and His teachings. Anything else is bargain-basement theology that will come short when the ultimate questions come.
So what is the result of letting the Word of God transform you?
Result: spiritual maturity which functions in and impacts the culture.
And isn’t that the goal as people who are to be salt and light, shining the light of Jesus into the world?
I think you get the idea that it’s important that you let the Word of God transform your life.
But for that to happen, it has to get into your life in the first place, so let’s look at…
Five ways to intake the Bible into your life:
1. Hear.
Coming to church or listening on the radio are the most common ways to do this. You might also have the Bible on tape or CD.
2. Read.
You can read the Bible if you have one. Let me give you a couple suggestions here:
First, use a translation you can understand. God is not limited to communicating with man using 17th century English, which is no longer in use anywhere in the world as a common language.
God chose to communicate in the languages of man. And if Scripture is to fulfill its goal of transforming a person, it has to be communicated in a way that’s understood by the person.
I generally use the New International Version in my personal study and preaching. That’s the version we use as our pew Bibles.
By the way, if you do not own a Bible in easy-to-understand English, please take one of these. We want you to have one, and it’s a blessing to us to give them away.
Second, if you are not in the habit of reading the Bible on a regular or daily basis, just start with a few minutes. Don’t set yourself up for failure by determining to read for an hour everyday and then getting down on yourself when you don’t do it, and then give up altogether.
Yesterday at the “Success That Matters” seminar, Dr. Rod Cooper said that any job worth doing is worth doing poorly. In this case, it’s much better to be in the Word for just a few minutes than not to be in it at all.
But read it.
Now the problem is that a lot of people’s hearing of the Bible and their Bible reading is limited to the church service.
And you can do both in the service. But that’s a pretty skimpy diet. In fact, I would compare that to eating air.
You get something, but it’s not enough to sustain you. That’s why spending just a few minutes on a daily basis is so important. You start getting real sustenance that can bring you to spiritual well-being and health.
The third way to intake the Bible into your life is to…
3. Study.
When I say study, I am not saying you should cloister yourself away in some ivory tower somewhere to unravel the depths of Scripture regarding the end-times or anything like that.
Generally the easiest way to study the Bible is to have a pen with you when you’re reading the Bible. This can spark questions that you can research in the Scriptures. Then you can use the concordance or index or computer to help you find answers in the Bible.
There are many ways to study the Bible that go from the simple to the very complex and in-depth. I would be happy to help anyone who would like to take the next step from just reading the Bible to studying it for your personal benefit.
When you study the Bible, you begin to see just how awesome the Bible really is and how relevant it really is to everyday living.
The next intake method is to…
4. Memorize.
That’s right. Memorize the Bible.
You know, I would like to think that I’m just dynamic enough of a preacher that you will remember everything you will hear from me today.
Thankfully, I know better. I also know that no matter who was up here today, the best you will remember is about 10% of what is said, because that’s just the way our brains work.
But you remember 100% of everything you memorize, especially if you review it.
Memorize those verses that God lays on your heart while you are reading and praying. Memorize verses you come across in your reading of other books or your Bible Study.
Memorize verses that tell a person how they can know forgiveness of sins and a home in heaven.
God has a way of using those verses at the most opportune time.
Once there was a young fellow named Porky who worked in the shipyards of San Diego.
One day he got invited to a Sunday School class, taught by two little old ladies. In that class the teachers assigned a set of Bible verses to memorize, and a prize would be given to the team that had the most memorized.
Next week, it turned out that Porky had memorized all the verses, and the rest of the class had memorized none.
The teachers gave the same assignment, with different verses, and of course the rest of the team was excited to have Porky on their team.
That following week, again Porky was the only one who had memorized the verses.
Well, one day as he was walking along, God brought to mind one of those verses, John 1:12, which in the New International Version says, “Yet to all who received Him, to all who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.”
Right then, Porky said to God, “I don’t know what it means to receive You, but in faith, as best as I know how, I receive You.”
That moment, Dawson Trotman, Porky, became a child of God. And it was the beginning of a movement called The Navigators that today spreads the good news of Jesus Christ all across the country and around the world in 105 countries.
It is also active in college campuses all over the world, including SDSU in Brookings.
I mention this because I came to Christ through the ministry of the Navigators at SDSU.
I am here today because Dawson Trotman memorized Bible verses, and he wasn’t even a Christian when he started!
How much more should we memorize the Word of God!
The last method of intake of the Bible in our lives to…
5. Meditate.
Before I tell you what I mean by this, let me tell you what I don’t mean.
Biblical meditation is not what the new age media portrays it, some type of mindless humming and thinking of nothing in particular.
In fact, meditation in those terms is the emptying of your mind. They want you to empty your mind so you can be free.
Well, it’s just a fact that if you empty your mind, something or something is waiting to fill it. And it’s not to your best interest.
On the other hand, Biblical meditation is the filling of your mind with the Word of God.
The Bible commands us to meditate on His Word in many places, including Joshua 1:8, where God tells Joshua that meditating on His Word would bring him success in his job of taking the Promised Land for Israel.
How do we meditate? You basically take a passage of Scripture and ask questions about it.
You think over it. Chew on it. Ruminate over it. Ponder it. Think over what that passage is saying to you and how you should apply it to your life.
It’s not overly complicated. You basically ask God to help you take the passage from just being a reading, to being a part of your life.
In just a moment I will show you a tool you can use to get started in that.
Hear, read, study, memorize, and meditate to get the Bible into your life.
Be intentional about this, with reverence and submission.
Most, if not all of you received in your bulletin a little booklet called 7 Minutes with God. This is a little tool for you to use, in developing a regular devotional life.
A devotional life in which you take regular time in the Word and prayer is so important. It’s important for a couple of reasons:
First, we need it. We need to get into the presence of God, to hear from Him, and to stay focused on Him.
Second, He wants it. He wants to spend time with you more than you know. He’s waiting for you. Don’t disappoint Him. He desires your fellowship.
When you love someone, you want to spend time with that person, right? Well, it’s no different with Jesus. He loves you and wants to spend time with you, listening to your heart, encouraging you, rebuking you when necessary, correcting, and training you in righteousness.
A devotional life is also important because it helps us to avoid something I want to caution you about.
Caution: Knowledge is not the goal – a changed life is!!
1 Corinthians 8:1 tells us that knowledge puffs up. Knowledge alone does nothing of lasting impact. In fact, knowledge alone can get you into trouble if you’re not careful.
If you say you know the Bible, and yet are not submissive to it, you are in sin.
James 4:17 says that…
17 Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.
A devotional life helps us get past just knowledge of information to transformation. And…
The key to moving from information to transformation is application.
It’s not enough to know. You must do.
Listen to James 1:22-25 –
JAS 1:22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it--he will be blessed in what he does
So…apply the Word – do it. And expect the blessings to come!
Conclusion
Pastors and others who claim to be Christians, who claim an allegiance to Jesus, but refuse to live by the very words they claim to love.
Be SMART!! And watch God transform your life in ways you never thought possible!
I have included an insert in your bulletin that you can use to help you apply the Bible to your life. So you can become a DO-er of the Word, rather than just a hearer. Plenty of people hear it. The need is for people who do the Word.
Take that out and look at it for a moment. This is just the right size to keep in your Bible so you can have it with you all the time you’re in the Word.
In closing, let me read the words of a very wise man.
MT 7:24 "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."
Obviously, these are the words of Jesus. They come at the end of the Sermon on the Mount. He had just spent a huge amount of time telling the people how to live fruitful and godly lives. It was all incredibly practical and do-able with the help of God.
Then He said – Now DO it! If you do it like I say, then things will be fine, even when the storms come. Ignore what I say, and pay the price when things start happening in your life.
Sounds like good advice, wouldn’t you say?
Let’s pray.
