Previous Sermons
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!”
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
 |
|