Sermons

Summary: Why should we read the Bible and why should we read it regularly?

Much better if you go to God’s word to correct the misguidance of the world around us.

5. Training in righteousness

Next God’s word is useful for training us in righteousness.

As you know I’m a regular at the gym. Now I could just go and do some random exercises each day depending on what I was feeling like that day. But the gym provides instructors who give me a set of exercises to follow for a couple of months at a time that are designed to give a different set of muscles a workout each time.

Well God’s word is like that - if we read it all. It covers just about every part of our lives. Now it doesn’t mention the Internet or fast cars or mobile phone technology or computers, so it won’t answer your problems with Microsoft software or Vodafone or VWs that stop going. But it does give you the information you need to train yourself for life in God’s presence. 1 John 3 tells us: “Beloved, we are God's children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. 3And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.” God’s word shows us what it means to be pure in God’s eyes. It shows us the sort of character that we need to be working on to prepare us for life with God

6. Proficiency

The aim of all this is that we might be proficient. That is, competent or skilled, an expert even. And what is it that we’re to be proficient at? Living for God; doing the things that God wants us to do. The proficiency he’s talking about is what we’re being trained for: that is, righteousness.

And that proficiency is connected with the final outcome of studying God’s word;

7. Well equipped for every good work

We’ll be proficient because we’re well equipped for good works. Do you remember from our sermons on Ephesians that God tells us that we’re created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand for us to walk in? (Eph 2:10) Well we’ll only be able to do those good works if we’re equipped by God’s word to know how to do them properly; if we’ve trained ourselves in God’s ways through studying his word; if we’re proficient in Christian living through regular practice.

How can we do it?

In June we had a visit here by Rico Tice, an evangelist from All Souls Langham Place in London. He was here for the EFAC AGM and talked about being sharers of God’s word. As part of his talk he gave a really good model for reading God’s word that I’d like to share with you. It’s a four level model.

1. Personal Reading

The first level is personal reading. What commonly known as the quiet time. This is where Bible reading notes like the Scripture Union notes that Jack Giles takes orders for come in. There are various other systems of course but the point of them all is to provide a structure whereby Christians are helped to read God’s word systematically on a daily basis.

2. One on one

The second level is one-on-one, where you find someone to read the Bible with. This might be someone who’s older or more mature as a Christian, who can help you understand the bits that you find hard to work out, or it might be a friend who wants to have that extra bit of incentive to study God’s word regularly.

Download Sermon with PRO View on One Page with PRO
Talk about it...

Nobody has commented yet. Be the first!

Join the discussion
;