"More than Another Book"       2013

Psalm 119:4-11          2 Timothy 3:10-4:5

 

Psalm 119:4-11

4You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently. 5O that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes! 6Then I shall not be put to shame, having my eyes fixed on all your commandments. 7I will praise you with an upright heart, when I learn your righteous ordinances. 8I will observe your statutes; do not utterly forsake me. 9How can young people keep their way pure? By guarding it according to your word. 10With my whole heart I seek you; do not let me stray from your commandments. 11I treasure your word in my heart, so that I may not sin against you.

 

2 Timothy 3:10-4:5

10Now you have observed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, 11my persecutions and suffering the things that happened to me in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. What persecutions I endured! Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. 12Indeed, all who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. 13But wicked people and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving others and being deceived. 14But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it, 15and how from childhood you have known the sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.

4In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I solemnly urge you: 2proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable; convince, rebuke, and encourage, with the utmost patience in teaching. 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. 5As for you, always be sober, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, carry out your ministry fully.

 

June 9, 1963  is a   ‘very happy memory-day’   of my childhood.

     It’s the Sunday I received my 3^rd grade Bible during church.

                                        Our whole Sunday school class was sitting together,

                                                and when my name was called, I came forward

                                                    for Dr. Ewing to hand me    my own   new Bible.

                 I still remember how wonderful and grown-up it felt,

                        and though I have accumulated lots of Bibles since then,

                             - that one,  still has very special meaning for me.

 

      I think when most people

            are presented with  their first Bible as a child,

                        they always remember it and treasure that Bible.

 

Soon after I arrived here, we presented Bibles to 3^rd and 6^th graders.

            The next Sunday, one of the older church members,

                        wanted to speak with  me before the worship service.

     She had brought the Bible she received as a little girl to church.

 

            Jodi wanted to show me  how old, worn, and well-used it was,

                           and then she explained about how it had been

                                her companion and guide over so many years of her life.

 

Our conversation about her Bible reminded me of Psalm 119,

            You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently... that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes!  … How can young people keep their way pure? By guarding it according to your word. … I treasure your word in my heart, so that I may not sin against you.

 

That’s about what makes receiving & reading the Bible so important.

 

The word, 'Bible' actually means library.  It is a collection that  

    represents more than 6000 years of writings from various authors.

We believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God,

          but since God chose to allow human involvement in the writing,

                  Scripture also reflects human experience & understanding.

 

            It is a written record of God's activity in our world,

                 and the story of God's interactions with ancient Israel.

                                In the words of Scripture, and through the stories,

                                      God's grace and purpose  are uniquely revealed.

 

But there is nothing  magical about the Bible in itself.

        I could sit in a room surrounded by stacks of Bibles,

                  or sleep with a different Bible under my pillow every night,

*                    and it wouldn't do a thing   to further or deepen my faith.

 

It is only when    Scripture is read or heard,  thought about & lived

                that the word of God and the Holy Spirit’s inspiration will

                        bring   life, hope, truth, healing, and transformation.

 

The power of God's word,  of the stories, poetry and other writings,

            is   that they help us   interpret and understand our world,

                      and make sense of our experiences, thoughts and feelings

                             by revealing & teaching  who we are in relation to God,

                                and how   our experience and theology  are connected.

 

Several weeks ago at the text and sermon discussion group,

            someone asked,  what specifically fosters spiritual growth,

                and how we can improve and deepen our relationship with God?

 

     Since the questioner wanted specifics,

                I told about my own experience, and how God called me from

                        the business world, to seminary and pastoral ministry…

 

…and as I spoke, I realized that

      there were lots of small steps and experiences along the way,

                       but that the process really began when I committed

                           to reading at least a few chapters of Scripture each day,

                                   and had done it for a while,  consistently…

 

            … and noticed that whatever wisdom I seemed to need that day,

                             was somehow connected

                                    to a passage that I happened to have read that day.

 

I remember noticing that something different was going on …

          … and I began to experience for myself   the power of God's word

                 to transform and influence   my life and living,

                                                and at the same time my relationship with God

                                                            was growing more real  and more personal.

 

Consistent and disciplined time spent in God's word also seemed

      to feed my prayer life, relationships, and willingness to serve.

 

     Like the pieces of a complicated puzzle slowly coming together,

          as I was guided & driven by Scripture, my life began changing…

                          … my attitude and my motivations were changing along with

                                    my behavior and ways of functioning out in the world…

*        …  as my relationship with God grew deeper and more authentic…

 

… and I began to recognize that God's grace and love

       were always being given afresh, I just hadn’t noticed before…

                       … and it all seemed to start happening when I started

                               spending more quality time with God in Scripture.

*          Beginning with more commitment and consistency in Scripture,

                 on a daily basis,   I listened and heard God speaking to me,

                                    and that changed me,  and called me to live for Christ.

 

I experienced what Paul describes to Timothy,  vs. 16-17

            All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient.

 

     Our spiritual growth and development really comes down to

            two things that are the most important and necessary forà

                 for faith to grow & expand, to be more vibrant & meaningful.

 

First, I became more open to God, which happens through God’s word…

          … there is no substitute for regular Scripture meditation.

 

Second, my time spend in prayer and studying Scripture called me

          to connect with a faithful community of fellow Christians,

                    which is the Church – the body and family of Christ;

 

-  where other Christians can support and  share in our journey,

            - where we can come together before God for worship and praise,

- where we  can commit and serve, and where we are loved and needed,

            and can be   in authentic relationships with other Christians.

 

It is by our participation within the community of faith

            that we can see and experience  the word of God alive & moving.

I've learned,  that when I make faithfulness in the word a priority,

            wonderful & spiritual things start to happen around me  & to me,

                  but if I am not diligent,  I will gradually cool & slip away.

 

The tough question is really about making a faith commitment.

            Where does regular prayer time and Scripture meditation,

                        faithful participation in worship, service & fellowship,

                                    fall on our hierarchy of  personal priorities?

 

We can speak whatever wonderful, impressive & pious words we want,

            but really the measure of the truth and our authenticity

                        is, what does it take the throw me off our game?,

 

                                    and what pressures, distractions and busyness,

                                     can cause me to rush  or blow off my quiet time,

                                                or Bible reading, devotions and regular worship?

 

And here is another challenge -- other folks are always watching-

            - our kids, grandchildren, roommates, coworkers, teammates…

                 … yes, they are observing all the time and trying to decide

                        to see if our faith makes a difference, and if it’s real.

 

So what are the priorities in life  that we are demonstrating

          and teaching    that matter more than    our walk with God,

                that matters more than nurturing our relationship with God?

           

One of the ways that we come to faith is through   the osmosis effect;

            as faith is revealed and nurtured by what is observed from

                   the examples of faith we see lived by others of influence…

          … their example puts flesh on the Scripture lessons we read.

 

That is the point that the Apostle Paul is making to Timothy.

            Since Timothy had grown up knowing Paul, he'd seen for himself

                        the truth and veracity of Paul's own life and faith.

2 Timothy 3:10, 14-15

            Now you have observed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, … But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it, and how from childhood you have known the sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

           

It's not always easy to live as a faithful Christian in this world.

 

            Not really, not if we truly let God's Word and way guide us.

                 Not if we allow Jesus to influence every aspect of our life

                        Not if we seek to glorify God in all that we do and say.

 

So our call today is to carefully and honestly consider

          the faithfulness and authenticity of our walk with God

                   of our life within this fellowship of faith and the word…

 

… and ask,  especially as parents and grandparents,  

            is my faith is making an observable difference in my living,

                    and what am I putting out for  my children to observe?

 

                        If we tell our kids it's important to pray,

                                    but they have never heard or seen us pray…

                                      … what have we really  taught them about prayer?

 

            We may tell our kids that the Bible is truth and significant,

                                    but if they never see or hear us read from the Bible…

                                      … why would they care about what it contains?

 

                        If we tell our kids that the church is important,

                                    but they don’t see our faithful participation…

                                        … why would they believe that church matters?

 

Too often, others can’t hear what we say, over the roar of our deeds

             True faith is not a set of facts or the knowledge we learn,

                   but it’s primarily relational,   as by spiritual osmosisà

                             we tend to absorb   the faith that we have observed.

 

By grace and purpose    God has put people into each of our lives

            who lived out the truth, compassion, and hope of Scripture,

                            and whose lives thereby proclaimed and interpreted

                                    the gracious love and life-healing purpose of God …

 

… people whose faithfully Christian ways of living

          helped interpret the meaning of Scripture for us,

                              à just as we are now called to interpret for others…

 

… so through the living of our own lives and our spiritual habits,

          we each become, living Bibles – words of Scripture alive in us,

                    so that our lives bear witness of God’s love toward others,

                                    so that the fountain of God’s gracious mercy fills us,                                       and overflows,  splashing out to a thirsty world.

 

As we read in           Psalm 1

            Blessed are those… whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law they meditate day and night. They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither.