April 13, 2008

God’s Big Give: the Bible

Read the Bible!

2 Timothy 3:14-17

Opening Words: On March 2 the ABC Television Network premiered a brand new show. Oprah’s Big Give. It stars America’s newest golden girl, Oprah Winfrey. The eight one hour episodes are a competition. The contestants are asked to find creative ways to help complete strangers in some of life’s most challenging situations. As the ABC website states, “lives are changed in the blink of an eye.” When I read that I knew there was a sermon series inside.

I have called my newest sermon series God’s BIG Give. Consider this with me. Just like Oprah, God has been giving away some amazing things for a long time. Just like Oprah, God’s gifts changed our lives in the blink of an eye. Just like Oprah, God expects us to improve the lives of complete strangers. In this seven part sermon series we are going to be looking at some divine gifts. This morning we are looking to look at the gift of the Bible. When was the last time you really read the Bible? Let us hear God’s word’s together from 2 Timothy 3:14-17.

2 Timothy 3:14-17 14But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

I love the story of the new minister who was asked to teach a boys' class in the absence of the regular teacher one Sunday morning. He decided to see what they knew, so he asked who knocked down the walls of Jericho. All the boys denied having done it, and the preacher was appalled by their ignorance. At the next deacons' meeting he told them about his experience in the boys’ class. "Not one of them knew who knocked down the walls of Jericho," he lamented. The group was silent until finally one seasoned veteran of disputes spoke up. "Preacher, this appears to be bothering you a lot. But I've known all those boys since they were born and they're good boys. If they said they didn't know, I believe them. Let's just take some money out of the Trustee fund, fix the walls, and forget about the whole matter."

How many people here knew the answer to that pastor’s question, who knocked down the walls of Jericho? The answer is Joshua. You can find that story in Joshua 6. You may want to read it. That question only reveals a bigger question; do you feel like you are competent in your Biblical studies? Or do you still have a few things to learn? Your Biblical competency is important because your theology should be built on divine truth that is only found within the pages of the Bible. Is your theology built on divine truth or is your theology built on your opinions and desires? Phillip Brooks said, “The Bible is like a telescope. If a man looks through his telescope he sees worlds beyond; but if he looks at his telescope, he does not see anything but that. The Bible is a thing to be looked through to see that which is beyond; but most people only look at it.” That is why we have such shocking theology in our time. Biblical competency and correct theology go hand in hand.

Consider theses George Barna facts with me.

1. 60% of Americans do not know who delivered the Sermon on the Mount.

2. 82% of Americans can not name the four Gospels.

3. 70% of American teenagers do not know why Easter is celebrated.

4. 52% of mainline Protestants do not believe in the existence of the Holy Spirit or Satan.

5. 34% of mainline Protestants have faith in astrology.

6. 49% of United Methodists believe in UFOs.

7. 20% of self proclaimed born again Christians deny the physical resurrection of Jesus and believes he was a sinner.

8. 99% of Americans believe in hell, however only 1% believe they are going to hell.

George Washington said, “It is impossible to righteously govern the world without God and the Bible.” That is the story of our time. It pains me to say it but as a nation we no longer the value the Bible. We are a nation Biblical illiterates, whose theology is built on a faulty foundation. The end result is painfully obvious in both our churches and our society. University of Wisconsin historian Thomas Reeves says, "Christianity in modern America is, in large part, innocuous. It tends to be easy, upbeat, convenient, and compatible. It does not require self-sacrifice, discipline, humility, a zeal for souls, a fear as well as love of God. There is little guilt and no punishment, and the payoff in heaven is virtually certain." Former Secretary of Education William Bennett concludes that "We have become the kind of society that civilized countries used to send missionaries to.”

So my challenge for you today is simply to read the Bible! Don’t read the Bible to understand every detail. Don’t read the Bible to become an expert. Don’t read the Bible in preparation for teaching a class. Read the Bible for your enjoyment. Read the Bible to grow comfortable with the characters and familiar with the themes. Look at the general themes. When you read the Bible and you will discover it is one of God’s BIG gives. He gave us the Bible not to make us feel guilty or weak. He gave us the Bible to help us develop an eternal prospective.

This morning I want to look at three divine truths that the Bible teaches us. They are not hidden in the back pages of the Old Testament. They are found as general themes throughout every page. However, let me warn you know. If you apply these themes to your life your perspective of life, itself, will change. So if you are ready for divine truths that the Bible teaches us say, “Amen!”

Love God

The first divine truth is to love God. The reason that we love God is that he loved us first. In the fifteenth chapter of Luke there are three wonderful parables. In parable a sheep is lost. In another parable a coin is lost. In the final parable a son is lost. Together they teach us how people get lost in this world. Sometimes people are lost by no fault of their own. Sometimes people are lost because they have wandered off accidentally. Sometimes people are lost because they choose to get lost. The point is we have all experienced being lost and just like the parables God came looking for us. Jesus came to save us when we were lost. The Bible teaches us to love God because he first loved us.

It is said that during the Second World War some soldiers serving in France wanted to bury a friend and fellow soldier who had been killed. Being in a foreign country they wanted to ensure their fallen comrade had a proper burial. They found a well-kept cemetery with a low stone wall around it, a picturesque little Catholic church and a peaceful outlook. This was just the place to bury their friend. But when they approached the priest he answered that unless their friend was a baptized Catholic he could not be buried in the cemetery. He wasn't. The priest showed them a spot outside the walls where they could bury their friend. Reluctantly they did so. The next day the soldiers returned to pay their final respects to their fallen friend but could not find the grave. "Surely we can't be mistaken. It was right here!" they said. Confused, they approached the priest who took them to a spot inside the cemetery walls. "Last night I couldn't sleep" said the priest. "I was troubled that your friend had to be buried outside the cemetery walls, so I got up and moved the fence." When God sent Jesus into the world he moved the wall to include us. He didn’t just want a relationship with the Jews. He wanted a relationship with everyone. The God of the universe wants a relationship with you. And all of God’s people said, “Amen!” The first divine truth the Bible teaches us is that we should love God because he first loved us.

Love Others

The second divine truth the Bible teaches us is to love others. John Adams is a popular name in history. John Adams was the second president of the United States. John Adams was also one of the mutineers on the “Bounty.” You know part of the story. You have seen the movie. Following their rebellion against the notorious Captain Bligh, nine mutineers, including Adams, along with some Tahitian men and women who accompanied them, found their way to Pitcairn Island. It is just a tiny dot in the South Pacific, only two miles long and a mile wide. It looked like paradise but the former mutineers lived in a state of constant violence. Ten years after their arrival only one of the mutineers remained alive--John Adams. Eleven women and 23 children made up the rest of the Island's population. It was about that time Adams came across the "Bounty's" Bible in the bottom of an old chest. He began to read it, and the divine power of God's Word reached into the heart of that hardened murderer on that tiny volcanic speck in the vast Pacific Ocean--and changed his life forever. The peace and love that Adams found in the Bible entirely completely transformed his life. He began to teach the children from the Bible until every person on the island was transformed. Today, with a population of slightly less than 100, nearly every person on Pitcairn Island is a Christian. The Bible teaches us to love other people. How would your relationships change if you loved everyone? Read the Bible and improve the relationships in your life! And all of God’s people said, “Amen!” The first divine truth the Bible teaches us is to love God. The second divine truth is to love others.

Love Life

The third divine truth the Bible teaches us is to love life. Psalm 118:24 says, “This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. I read a sign recently that said: Today is a gift from God; that is why we call it present. Are you getting the most out of everyday?

This has been a different kind of year in my home. It has been a time a transition and change. Sarah graduated from Youngstown State and is on staff at Hudson United Methodist Church. Anna is getting ready to graduate from Canfield High School and begin at Mount Union in the fall. Kathy decided to take a part-time church and is serving at Niles Fairview. She hasn’t really served in the church for fourteen years. There are things she has missed about the local church and things she has forgotten.

She called home the other day. She was upset. She had visited a series of people in nursing homes. Nursing homes visit are emotionally exhausting. The one that broke her heart that day was an older gentleman. No one visits him. His wife is dead. His children live out of the area and don’t have the means to move him near. His health is failing. He is deaf and forgetful. He sits in the hallway everyday thinking everyone is a doctor and asking for glass of water. The staff at the nursing home does their best but he is a sad picture. Do you know the most disturbing thing about him? The most disturbing thing about him is someday that may be me. Someday I maybe the one in the hallway sitting in the wheel chair thinking everyone is a doctor, asking for a glass of water. I don’t believe I am the only one with that fear. Maybe that is your fear too? Only God knows what the future holds.

Richard Evans says, “The tragedy of life is not that it ends so soon, but that we wait so long to begin it.” What are you waiting for? Starting living! And all of God’s people said, “Amen!” The first divine truth the Bible teaches us is to love God. The second divine truth the Bible teaches us is to love others. The third divine truth the Bible teaches us is to love life.

Let me end this morning not by telling you a story. Let me end this morning by giving you a little test. There is only one question to this test. This is the question. Which of the following statements aren't in the Bible?

Cleanliness is next to godliness
God helps those who help themselves
Confession is good for the soul
We are as prone to sin as sparks fly upward
Money is the root of all evil
Honesty is the best policy

What is your answer? The answer is zero. None of these saying are found in the Bible. They have a fair amount of common sense and they sound like they should be in the Bible. However, none of them are actually in the Bible. Don’t feel bad about your Biblical ignorance you are not alone. You are really part of a great crowd.

My challenge for you today is to read the Bible. Don’t read it to become an expert. Read it for your own enjoyment. Read it to develop an eternal perspective. Read it and discover that you should love God because he first loved you. Read and discover that you should love others. Read and discover that you should love life. And all of God people said, “Amen!”