I wonder how many of you are old enough to remember a TV show called the Greatest American Hero. It was about an ordinary guy who encounters aliens, who’ve decided that earth’s in such a bad way it needs saving. So they give him a belt that gives him super powers. They also give him a set of instructions for using the belt but somehow he manages to lose them; and so he blunders from one adventure to another, never really working out how to control these new super powers. I mention that because it’s something of a parable of many Christians who’ve received the gift of the Holy Spirit, have been brought into the people of God, but they don’t really know how to live from then on, because they’ve forgotten to read the instruction manual. It’s not that they’ve lost the instructions but they’ve never stopped to read the details. In some cases they’ve never had their own copy of the instructions or the one they have isn’t readable because it’s in such old fashioned language. So, let me ask you,
Does it matter if I read my Bible regularly?
Would you be any worse off if you only read the Bible here on a Sunday?
It’s almost as if Paul knew we’d ask that sort of question when he wrote to Timothy. He certainly seemed to have a good idea what life would be like in the 21st century. Listen to what we just read in 2 Tim 4:3-4: “3For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires, 4and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander away to myths.” That’s not a bad description of the times we live in, is it?: people not wanting to hear the truth of the gospel but instead turning to myths and forms of spirituality that seem more palatable and that put less demand on their moral life? People wanting to set their own standards of behaviour rather than following those that God’s prescribed. So they turn to new age gurus or perhaps Christian ministers who’ve shaped their theology to meet current cultural norms. Or more likely these days they’ll simply listen to popular media commentators, or talk back radio that’ll tell them basically what they want to hear.
But the problem is, truth matters. As much as people might suggest that all truth is relative there are some things that don’t change just because we don’t like them. One of the reasons we need to know our Bibles well is so that we’ll understand the world from the point of view of the one who created it, so we can follow the maker’s instructions. If we want to follow the truth then we need to know the one who is the Truth. And the way we get to know him is to read what he’s revealed to us.
The letter to the Hebrews begins with these words: “1Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, 2but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son.” Do you realise how amazing that is? Most people think of God as remote, as unapproachable, as sitting up in heaven watching us perhaps, but not speaking to us. Yet we’ve discovered that God has spoken to us, first through the prophets of the Old Testament and most clearly through Jesus Christ. And he’s given us a record of what he’s said.
A few weeks ago Chris Ward spoke to us about being ready to share the gospel with people. Well how do you do that? Well, you first need to understand it for yourself, don’t you?
Paul actually mentions this, in 2 Tim 3:15 that we just read, where he points out how the Scriptures that Timothy has known from childhood are able to instruct us for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
Just think how valuable it is to know God’s word well, when you’re answering people’s questions about your faith. I don’t mean remembering memory verses, though that probably doesn’t hurt, but simply knowing God’s word well enough that you can think through the issues that people present or tell them some of the things that Jesus did and said. We have some friends who are working in Siberia and they’ve worked out that the best way of introducing the gospel to people who are not readers but are used to hearing stories is to simply tell Bible stories. But what about us? If someone asks you why being a member of a church is important what would you tell them? Well, you could tell them what Ephesians 3 tells us: that God’s put us in Churches so we can support one another and so we can show other people what a difference it makes when we’re all following Christ. That’s just a minor example where knowing God’s word well can help us in everyday conversations with non-Christians.
So yes, it does matter whether I read my Bible because I need to know what’s in it if I’m to know the truth about God and us.
But let’s think for a bit about the question:
What do we get from reading the Bible?
Let’s look some more at 2 Tim 3. No doubt many of you have read this before so there may not be anything new in it, but it never hurts to be reminded of the truth of God’s word does it?
1. It’s useful
He says that God’s word is useful for a whole range of things. I was looking in our kitchen drawer the other day and I realised that there are all sorts of utensils that have different uses. Some we don’t use much at all because they’re for a particular purpose. Some we use every now and then. But some are used all the time. The same goes for the books on the bookshelf in my study. There are some that I use on occasion when I need them: a Greek Lexicon, an interlinear Hebrew Bible, Bible commentaries for sermon preparation. There are some that I’ve hardly. But there’s one book that I use all the time because it’s useful at all sorts of levels. In fact it’s not only on my bookshelf, it’s on my computer and my mobile phone and my iPad as well.
2. Teaching
It’s useful for teaching: both teaching myself and teaching others. If truth matters then I need a reliable source of truth. It’s no use being taught by someone who doesn’t know what they’re talking about. I remember when I was at Ridley there was a Chinese student there who got a job as a tour guide for Chinese speaking tourists. She did very well until the time she was taking people around Philip Island and someone wanted to know what the island was in the distance and she calmly told them that that was Tasmania. Well, as you can imagine, that was the end of her job as a tour guide. If you’re a tour guide you need to know the truth about the places you’re taking people to. And here Paul’s saying that if you want to learn the truth about God and life in his world the Scriptures are where you’ll find it.
3. Reproof
Secondly it’s useful for reproof. While I was at Regent College in Vancouver a couple of years ago I read a fairly long article by St Augustine on Rebuke and Grace, where he thinks about the question whether the grace of God means that we shouldn’t worry about rebuking wrongdoers. Does God’s freely given forgiveness mean that sin is no longer relevant to our lives? If someone rebukes me can I say that God has forgiven me so why are you bothering me? Well no, he says, because God’s standards still apply to me even if God has overlooked my past failings. And how do I know that? Because his word tells me so. For example, he says, God’s word prescribes that love must be maintained so God rebukes us when love is not maintained. Paul tells us that the law is given so we’ll know where we’re falling short of what God requires of us. In fact all of God’s word helps us to know where we fall short and is useful in pulling us up, to rethink our attitudes and behaviour.
4. Correction
Next God’s word is useful for correction. It’s easy to get the wrong idea about things isn’t it? Particularly if you listen to the wrong teachers. So much of what we think we know comes from third or fourth hand sources. If you’re like me, when there’s something you don’t know these days the first thing you do is Google it; or go to Wikipedia. The Internet’s a great tool isn’t it? But whenever I find something online I remind myself that it could be wrong, depending on how reliable the source is. When it comes to the moral & ethical standards of our world where do you go for guidance? Is it to the popular press? Is it to your favourite monthly magazine? Is it to the TV shows that we find on our screens each day of the week? Is it to the people at work or school who tell you their weekend adventures on a Monday morning? 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.
I’m a regular at the gym. Now I could just go and do some random exercises each time depending on what I was feeling like that day. But the gym provides instructors who give me a set of exercises to follow that are designed to give a range 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 Telstra or your Banks’ financial advice. But it does give you the information you need to train yourself for life in God’s presence. So in 1 Peter 1 we read: 14Like obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires that you formerly had in ignorance. 15Instead, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct; 16for it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy." God’s word shows us how to live lives that reflect God’s way of being. It shows us the sort of character that we need to be working on to prepare us for life with God in the future.
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. And 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 when I talked about living on the margins two weeks ago we saw that one of our responses to suffering was simply to keep on doing good? Well we’ll only be able to do good works if we’re equipped by God’s word to know what they are and 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?
A few years ago Rico Tice, an evangelist from All Souls Langham Place in London came to Melbourne for an EFAC gathering and he talked about how to share God’s word with your friends. 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 regular personal reading that takes you systematically through the Bible. That might mean using something like Scripture Union notes. I use the Bible app on my phone that includes a range of reading plans. It doesn’t actually matter what method you use as long as it helps you 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; it might be a friend who wants to have that extra bit of incentive to study God’s word regularly; or it might be a non-Christian friend that you’ve offered to help think through what Christians believe.
3. Small groups
The next level is small groups, who meet maybe weekly to study a book of the Bible over a period of weeks. This allows a range of experiences and levels of knowledge to be applied to understanding what God’s word might mean in each of our situations. I know there are already a number of these at St Michael’s but there’s always room for more if you’d like to join one or start a new one.
4. Large gatherings
Finally there’s the large gatherings like our Sunday services, CMS Summer Under The Son, Belgrave Heights Conventions, Ridley College lectures like the one this Wednesday evening, where God’s word is proclaimed and explained and applied to the whole congregation. It’s interesting that a number of the letters we have from Paul to individuals include the instruction to have them read to the whole Church. There are some things that the whole Church needs to hear together so that together we can be instructed - or rebuked or corrected. This is one reason we need to be present every week at our corporate worship services: in case we miss something important that God has to say to us.
Which brings me to my final point:
Its Source
I jumped over that little phrase in v 16 earlier: “16All scripture is inspired by God.” The word is “God-breathed”. What we’re reading here isn’t just a collection of musings by various human beings. It’s not just a collection of useful philosophy that will help us live useful lives. No, this is God-breathed. Sure it’s written by human beings, but they’re people who have been led by God’s Spirit to write things down for our learning, for our instruction. And when we hear it preached, God’s Spirit continues to breathe through that word into our hearts, to change us, to rebuke us, to train us in righteousness, to equip us for doing good works.
Before I finish let me just say that we should be thankful to God that he’s put us in a Church where his word is taken seriously; where the preachers believe the Bible to be the authoritative word of God.
If we’re to practise being an everyday Church as we’ve been talking about lately, if we’re to join together during the week in ordinary activities with our Christian and non-Christian friends and neighbours together, we need to be equipped and proficient so that when opportunities arise we’re ready to share something of the love and grace of God with those people.
