Why And How Should I Read The Bible?

Before I became a Christian my only awareness of Christianity had been the combined effects of School assemblies, Old church buildings and the Gideon’s bible given me at my primary school.

And my first contact with Christians (or people who clearly identified themselves as Christians) was when someone came into my school and played the guitar rather well and sang songs with a Christian message. The message was OK but it was the cool guitar playing that I was impressed by. I went to hear him play at a church cellar the following week. I think I dusted off that old Gideon bible and read a few pages – but soon got stuck in the genealogies

Some time later I was going out with a girl whose mother was a Christian. And I couldn’t help notice that she was always incredibly joyful and seemed to cope with every pressure with a smile. I didn’t think it possible that anyone could be that happy that much of the time – but she really was. She got me to attend a healing, praise and prayer meeting where I experienced Gods love for the first time.
That night I suddenly became aware of the Bible again – And my girlfriends mother gave me a modern translation New Testament simply entitled ‘God is Love’. I read it all from cover to cover in a week – falling asleep each night reading it… I went back to her and asked; is there another book in the series?

What struck me is that what I was reading had, as one writer puts it ‘The ring of Truth’. I knew I was faced with the truth as I read that book. Since that time the Bible has become a delight to me.
Psalm 1:1-3 ‘….His delight is in the Law of the Lord’ – I want to talk tonight a bit about how the Bible can become a delight to us.

Bible was written over period 1500 years by 50 different authors. Kings, scholars, philosophers, poets, historians, doctors… and so on.

A. It is the Most Popular book in the World
There are 44million copies of the bible sold every year. Ave American household has 6.8 bibles in home.
Article in times by Joseph Connelly subtitled; ‘Forget the modern British novelist and television tie in the bible is the biggest selling book every year’ As usual the top seller by miles is that bible – if accumulative sales of the bible were frankly reflected in best seller lists it would be a rare week when anything else will get a look in. Is it wonderful, weird or just plain baffling in this increasingly godless age, when the range of books gets wider with each increasing year that this one book should go on selling hand over fist month in, month out. It is estimated that nearly one and a quarter million bibles are sold in the UK each year. …. All versions of the bible sell well all the time. Can the bible society an explanation? ‘Well’ I am told disarmingly ‘It is such a good book’.

Shakespeare been translated into 60 different languages. There are only two books that have been translated into over 100 languages. The Koran been translated into 128 languages. The bible into 1,710 languages.

B. It is the most Powerful book in the world.
Described by one translator as ‘high explosive.’
JB Phillips who translated the New Testament said; Translating the bible was like rewiring and old house while the old wiring was still live. Like kept feeling the power as went through.
Billy Graham; ‘there is an authority when this book is quoted – the more scripture I quote, the more people come and respond to my invitation. I have found that out night after night’.

Many people are seeking power or contact, through horoscopes or ouiga boards. with a supernatural power or world outside. Often the force or power they are in contact with is not a good force at all. But with the Bible you and I can be in contact with a supernatural power – but not one of evil but one of good. It is the most powerful book in the world.

C. Its also the most Precious book in the world.
Because so readily available here we often don’t appreciate how precious the bible is. My experience is that there are people who would give everything they have for a full bible.
(Nicky Gumbles story)

So – Bible is the most popular, powerful, precious book in the world – but why?

Jesus said when devil tempted him to turn stones into bread; ‘Man shall not live by bread alone…’ In other words, material things in themselves do not satisfy – as I think now probably most people in the world realise. ‘…But by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’

Proceed = pours out. God is continually trying to communicate with his people.
And the primary way we find out what he is saying is through the bible. God’s revelation is personal. God revealed himself in the person of Jesus Christ. What the writer to Hebrew says is, in many and various ways God’ spoke to our fathers through the prophets. But now in these last days God has spoken to us through his Son Jesus Christ.’

Jesus is the word of God. And we can find out more about him through what is written about him.

God has written if you like two books

·Biblical theology is the exploration of what biblical writers wrote about Jesus Christ – that’s a form of human science if you like. Its Gods written revelation (just as if you or I might write a book to help people understand us, or our ideas.
·Science as the study of nature is the study of another way in which God has revealed himself. God has revealed himself in creation. Psalmist says; ‘the heavens declare the Glory of God.’ Paul says in Romans 1:19-20 ‘Gods invisible nature can be clearly perceived from the things that he has made.’ ‘Look out at trees and sky & stars & its obvious…’ this is what Paul is saying… ‘There is a creator behind all this’. God revealed his power & majesty in creation.
The scientist is exploring Gods revelation in the natural order. That’s why there is no conflict between Science and Theology. They are complimentary sciences. (Theology is in a sense the queen of sciences.)
There are other ways God reveals himself – God speaks to people. As we pray, through visions, dreams, all kinds of ways. We will look at these another evening, when we look at guidance.

But in the bible we have a wonderful window into the heart of God.
Some people say – Bible a lot of good stories, and it’s a helpful thing but I’m not sure its all true.

Can we trust it, rely on it? I want to argue that you can.

4 stages
1.looked at the evidence for the existence for Jesus (week one)
2. Looked at how we can know that what the Gospel writers wrote about Jesus was true
3. Looked at what the implications were if it was true. Must be who he claimed to be.
4. The fourth question is what did Jesus say about the bible?

Question 2 – should also ask how do we know what they wrote about wasn’t just legends or fairy tales? Jesus may have existed but maybe the stories were made up about him?
Not time deal with all of that, but look at Luke Ch 3:1.
Legend & fairy stories generally start off ‘Once upon a time’ That’s the formula of them. .. Read Luke Ch1:3 – then Ch3:1 Details in scripture are often proven to be accurate. The text is putting it into the context of history.
John5: describes the ‘Pool of Bethesda’. For a long time people suggested it didn’t exist, until dug it up exactly where John describes. Scholars have written that John has ‘guide book accuracy’.

CS Lewis says ‘As a literary historian I am perfectly convinced that whatever else the gospels are, they are not legends.’
CFD Mole. Biblical scholar said ‘…it is intellectually dishonest to try and avoid his claims by saying that the documents are fake, warped or a hoax, and that the events there never happened.’

SO if the documents have historical integrity, as it seems an overwhelming majority of scholars agree, what is the next question?

Next step is to ask what did Jesus say about the bible?

Jesus said that the bible was Gods word. When He quoted it he quotes it as Gods word (not just Moses words) Often Jesus said God said this.. not Moses said this…
All scholars agree that Jesus viewed the bible as the inspired authoritative word of God.
Indeed Jesus had that same view as Paul –

1) GOD HAS SPOKEN
2 Tim 3:16-17 All scripture is God breathed (1197) and is useful for teaching rebuking correcting and training in righteousness so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.’ This is Paul’s view of the scriptures that he had.
This is the view of Jesus, Paul, early church theologians, Reformers, Roman catholic church, etc.. all of Christian church except for a tiny few hold to the divine origin and authority of scripture.
Not to say there are not difficulties with it. People have historical difficulties, moral difficulties etc, but if we reach this same conclusion on the authority of scripture based on the evidence – then we need to work on how we reconcile the difficulties that seem to be there. And there are ways – God and his universe are both understandable but incredibly complex. This book is the way to understand God. Coming to terms with Gods love and the realities off suffering – by getting deeper into the truth as revealed in this book.
The bible is for ‘Training in righteousness’ – tells about marriage, family life, work, money, sex. Our attitudes to all these things can be based on what God has revealed in the bible.

Some people say – doesn’t that make life very restricting. – Bible has all these rules – if live like that then won’t it restrict my freedom to enjoy life?

(Example of a boys football match – no whistle, no understanding of rules, boys knew more than the ref. Fouls began – play on – injured boys all over Clapham common. Were they freer with no ref? Or when boundaries made clear?)

Gods didn’t say ‘thou shall not murder’ because saw we were all have such fun murdering each other – though put stop to our fun. He never thought; ‘thou shall not steal, because having such fun’. Didn’t say ‘don’t commit adultery’ to be a spoilsport – knew people get hurt – children, wives. Etc.

So In scripture God has spoken

2) GOD SPEAKS
When the bible quotes itself it say that ‘Gods says,…’ He said it and he is still saying it. Because he is still alive and seeking relationship.
And when we take the scriptures as a whole we discover something extraordinary happens – that the author of the book starts to come alive through his words – the relationship it points to become the reality of our experience.

God speaks to those who are not Christians. (Romans 10:17; John20:31)
Many who pick up the bible discover that God is speaking to them. That is why it has such power to comfort. It brings people a step closer to that relationship with God that is consummated when we encounter Jesus Christ.
To Christians we find that it has numerous effects as we read it and talk to Christ
a) become more like Jesus (2Cor3:18)
b) Joy and peace in the storms (Psalm 23:5) Table in mist of enemies
c) Guidance (psalm 119:105) light to our feet, lamp to our path
d) Healing/ health (proverbs4:20-22) word of God health… strength to our bones
e) Defence against Spiritual attack. (Matth 4:1-11) Jesus when tempted
f) Power (Hebrews4:12) ‘…Alive and active, sharper than any… piercing the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Example of when God spoken to me about something by his word – Look not only to your own interests but also to the interests of others.

Exciting when he speaks. Julie – when didn’t know what God doing with her life.
Me – season when God spoke about my calling every time entered a meeting. – little faith.

SO how read bible?
1) Time – not just a week – maybe a year
· Plan ahead – (7 minutes a day)
· Develop a regular pattern – (owl or fowl?)

2) Place. ‘Jesus went off to a solitary place & there he prayed’ (Mark 1:35)
· Outside/ or quiet place (Bible, diary, notebook, coffee)

3) Method.
· Ask God to speak (Develop your own daily prayer – ‘Lord bless me and make me a blessing’)
· Read a passage – maybe use notes)
· Ask three questions
What does it say
What does it mean (to person who wrote it)
How does it apply to me – my family – my church, my community
Pray & put it into practice. (anyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house upon a rock.)

Having knowledge of bible without putting it into practice is of no use.

CONCLUSION
If we make the bible our delight we will produce fruit – our lives will become fruitful.
Christian character will develop
Society around us will be blessed
Like a tree planted by stream we will be green in drought.
We will prosper in the things that really matter
Encourage you tonight to make it your determination to make the bible your delight.

Lets pray