Be Intentional #4

Getting the Most Out of Your Bible

2 Timothy 3:16-3:17

      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.

     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). And today I want to give you some very specific information that you can use to let God’s Word transform your very life.

     There are basically four ways the Bible works to transform us:

1. Teaching.

     The Bible is full of information that is helpful for us to know. We can find 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.

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.

The third way 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 then we work on getting back on track. You see, that’s what correcting is all about: making something correct again.

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. 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.

     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.

     I think there are 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.

     Second, if you are not in the habit of reading the Bible on a regular or daily basis, just start with a few minutes. 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.

    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 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.

     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.

     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.

     Hear, read, study, memorize, and meditate to get the Bible into your life.

     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.