This is a Plagiarized Sermon: Using material from Steve May’s Sermon, other books, God, and have even stolen some material from my own life.
Dusty Bible illustration (blow dust off of my “most important book”)
• The word Bible never appears in the Bible. It comes from the Latin word biblia, which means book.
• The first book Gutenberg printed on his newly invented printing press was a Latin Bible.
• John Wycliffe translated the first English Bible in 1382.
• According to a 1996 survey by the Barna Group, more than 90 percent of American households own a Bible. Only 31 percent of Americans read their Bible regularly.
• There are 30,442 verses—about 845,000 words—in the English Bible.
• The shortest verse is John 11:35 "Jesus wept."
• The longest chapter in the Bible is Psalm 119, a celebration of God’s Word.
• The Bible has been published, sold and translated more than any other book in history.
Bible Reading Increases –a better outcome than I would have thought
One outcome described is the small but noteworthy increase in Bible reading. Currently, 45% of adults read the Bible during a typical week, not including when they are at church. That figure represents a minimal increase over the past few years, but a significant rise from the 31% measured in 1995, the lowest level of Bible reading recorded by Barna in the past 15 years. The current statistic is still below the levels achieved in 1980s and early 1990s, but the report shows that the trend is upward.
The rise in Bible reading is largely attributable to increases in this behavior among Baby Busters and residents of the western states. In the early Nineties, about three out of ten Busters read the Bible in a given week; today that ratio stands at four out ten. Meanwhile, just one-third of people in the West read the Bible in the early and mid-Nineties, whereas close to half of them do so these days (47%). Not surprisingly, born again adults have led the return to God’s Word since 1990. After hitting a low of just 54% in 1997, the percentage of born again individuals who have read from the Bible in the past seven days has returned to a full two-thirds of that group (67%).
The group whose people are most likely to read the Bible during the week are evangelicals. Nearly nine out of ten (88%) explore God’s Word during a typical week. (George Barna Statistics, www.barna.org )
Why is that? Why DO people turn to the Bible? Is it even affecting US?
I don’t have data for that, I can only guess
I imagine it has to do with the fact that the Bible gives us information and answers we can’t find anywhere else
Ortberg’s thoughts on “what I want to do differently” in the “Life You’ve Always Wanted”
“Imagine having a mind cleansed of all the debris that blocks our best intentions.
Imagine if each time you saw another person your first thought was to pray for him or bless her.
Imagine what it would be like if, any time you were challenged or anxious, your reflexive response would be to turn to God for strength.
Imagine if you’re a married man, that whenever you looked at any woman other than your wife you would see her as if she were your sister or your daughter.
Imagine genuinely wishing your “enemies” well.”
He says: that’s what it would be to have the mind “washed with the Word.” To be transformed in our thinking as we combine God’s word with faith and action on a regular basis.
• Big Idea: If you take the Bible seriously, it has the power to change your life.
1. The Bible shows us how to be saved.
Background: Paul is writing to a young preacher protégé, Timothy.
Timothy became a kind of “junior associate” (GW Hawthorne) on Paul’s 2nd Missionary tour.
Timothy was like a brother, and even referred to as a “son” by Paul (who was single and celibate to his death).
He was trusted by Paul and was vital to his ministry: we have read in Wed nite bible study that he was sent 200 miles to check out a church Paul had started, but was forced to leave.
Was charged with setting order to the house of Ephesus
Philippians 2:19-23
Paul Thought of Timothy that way, but Timothy was not BORN a believer. His life was changed. Changed by the Word of God
2 Timothy 3:15
At least in pious Palestinian Jewish homes, boys were normally taught the “sacred writings” from around the age of five; teaching Scriptures to the children was commanded in the Old Testament (Deut 6:7; cf., e.g., Ps 71:17; 78:5–7). Other peoples were often amazed at how well instructed Jewish children were in their ancestral traditions. (Craig Keener, IVP Backround Commentary)
So we find in 2 Tim 1:5:
Deuteronomy 6 parents
Veggie Tales Family Devotional is a way we can put our role as parents into practice.
refer to Christian Standard on “Teaching your family the Word.”
Illustration: May tells the story of a young woman who testifies today how a Gideon’s Bible (that she stole) changed her life and saved both her soul and her daughter.
A lady named Dee grew up in an affluent home in east Tennessee, having all she wanted but not what she needed: her parents never took her to church, or taught her anything about Christianity. When Dee went to college she began to abuse alcohol and drugs, and soon her life became a never-ending search for a party. One thing she and her friends liked to do on weekends was to rent out some rooms at a local motel and spend the weekend partying. On one such weekend the group devised a contest to see who could steal the most from the room. One of the things Dee stole was the Gideon Bible. They all thought it was funny; Dee won the contest. Several weeks later, Dee’s life began to fall apart. She discovered that she was pregnant. Abortion seemed the only solution; it was the solution she had used in the past. Her boyfriend left her, and Dee found herself all alone. One night, in the midst of her fear and uncertainty, she picked up the Bible she had stolen from the motel room and began to read. She flipped the book open to 1 Samuel, and as Dee read the words of Scripture for the first time in her life, God suddenly became real to her. She accepted Christ and joined a church. That was 14 years ago. Today, Dee and her 14-year-old daughter share their powerful testimony whenever there is opportunity. (from www.preachingtoday.com I believe)
Not only does the Bible show us “how to be saved” which we sometimes (mistakenly) think is a one time event—it may be once for all but it is MORE than a one time “thing” Because we find that
2. The Bible shows us how to live.
2 Timothy 2:16-17
Inspired and WHAT it is useful for: LIFE (doesn’t claim to be a math book, or a science book—though it is certainly not against those, and does contain some of those elements IN it!)
v. 16 profitable: Donald Guthrie, says that the scriptures are profitable because they are inspired by God.
In the early 16th century, a young monk named Martin Luther was at a cathedral in Rome, climbing steps on his knees while saying his prayers in an effort to earn God’s forgiveness, when suddenly the words of a Bible verse hit him like a thunderbolt from heaven. The verse is found in Romans...
For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written, "The righteous will live by faith." (Romans 1:17)
This event set into motion a chain of events that altered the course of human history. Martin Luther realized that much of what he had been taught simply wasn’t consistent with Scripture. He began to challenge the authority of the church, claiming that the authority of Scripture was greater. Eventually Luther was kicked out of the church and the Protestant Reformation took place. The Reformation was not just a religious event; the political, sociological, and economic repercussions were felt worldwide. All of this happened because one monk decided to take the Bible seriously. This is why the enemies of the Bible consider it to be such a dangerous book. It is not a book that people merely read; it is a book that people live. When people begin taking the Bible seriously, they have the power to change the course of history. (from www.preachingtoday.com Steve May’s Sermon, “The Power of the Bible”)
Some people will not recognize the Bible’s authority, and will do everything in their power to ignore, destroy, or distort its message. Paul warns Timothy as much later in the 4th chapter. But we must do all we can to hold our ground, to stay true no matter what influences come our way.
A minute ago I talked about the Protestant reformation; now I’ll say something about the Catholic church. As you probably know, the Catholic church is under a great deal of pressure from forces within and without to change some of its practices and beliefs. There are many who want to see the ban on birth-control lifted, and many who want to see women ordained as priests, and many who want the church to soften its positions on abortion and pre-marital sex. During the pope’s last visit to America, he was confronted with these issues, and this is how he responded: He said, "It is not the church’s mission to change with the times; it is the church’s mission to change the ethos of the times." What a great answer! How desperately the people of God need to stand in the midst of the relativism of modern culture and echo these words. (Steve May, Preachingtoday.com, The Power of the Bible)
This is what Paul is saying to us in 1 Timothy. He is saying that we can’t let the world change us; it is our job to change the world. The Bible is a powerful book; if we faithfully present its message, we can change the world.
Chuck Colson, founder of Prison Fellowship, used an ingenious method to try and influence one man who would have nothing to do with the Bible.
He was in a meeting with the chairman of a giant publishing company who boasted, "Our newspaper chain was instrumental in the removal of the Ten Commandments from the walls of our public schools." Colson asked him why he thought they should be removed, and the CEO answered, "They offend people of other religions. Besides, we must separate church and state." Later in the meeting, this same executive brought up the subject of juvenile crime. He asked, "What are we going to do about the rising rate of teen delinquency? Occurrences of theft on the school campus have increased at an alarming rate over the past decade. What can we do to teach kids that stealing is wrong?"
Chuck Colson said, "Maybe we should put a sign on the wall that says, ’You Shall Not Steal.’" The newspaper man said, "That’s a good idea!" (www.preachingtoday.com)
Conclusion
I can hardly do justice to the wealth of the Bible in just a few minutes. It is a timeless book—no, a timeless WORD of God, spanning the history of time, but still relevant and penetrating today.
Many of you have told me even this week how reading the scriptures has altered your way of thinking and acting and feeling. That is great, keep it up!
I hope we open ourselves up more revealingly to the word—kind of like the “sunshine law” as applied to our hearts. God sees our hearts anyway—Hebrews says God’s word is a double edged sword, able to penetrate all. Why not willingly open ourselves up to it to live by it?
Different ways to read God’s word: Large chunks, meditate on small portions, memorize, do an indepth study like our Wednesday night group is,
Most importantly: let it penetrate your heart and affect your actions.
So many things clamoring for our focus and time
Family, Work, Money, Video Games, Arguments, Work, Movies, Free time, Business, Work, Family, Kids, Money, Spouses, Work, Money, and more work. Even the Super Bowl!
WHY NOT let God—the one who designed us, and provides for us, and strengthens us, and gives us wisdom—be the one who shapes how you
Think
Act
React
Plan
Prioritize
In ALL of those areas of your life. Instead of the Bible being the negotiable part of your day, make it the INDISPENSABLE, the NON-negotiable. If you believe that it IS God’s word, and that it has power to change your life—and you believe Jesus’ words, that if we seek God’s kingdom first—and everything else will be taken care of—and not the other way around . . . what could possibly keep you from being captured and guided by it on a daily basis?
Handout from Kevin Greer’s book, Life to Life Discipleship, on Bible study plan
