Revision as of 00:51, 16 April 2023

Theological Proposition/Focus: Scripture contains the most important and significant words we possess.

Homiletical Proposition/Application: We need to not just value Scripture in word but in deed as well.

Introduction:

Image: Use setting the stage for the opening image

Need:

Subject:

Preview:

Text: John 6:68

Setting the Stage:

Read John 6:60-69

One of the hardest teachings of Jesus is not that you need to follow certain rules to get to heaven but that there is nothing you can do yourself to get to heaven.

The Father must enable someone to come to Jesus.

The simple fact is that you can do nothing to earn your way into heaven. Rather Jesus demands personal faith

What Christ offers is not a promise of political freedom from evil overlords. Christ promises atonement for personal sin and freedom from personal sin.

In John 6:66 we see that many of Jesus's follows got the message and realizing it was not what they wanted, they left.

Jesus asks the disciples who did not leave if they will also leave

Peter responds in verse 68, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life."

For all the problems Peter has, right here he is the all-star, he get's it. In Christ is everything we could possibly hope for or need.

Body

Today we are going to take a slightly different approach to the outline. The first thing I am going to do is to be to tell you what it looks like to make Scripture a spiritual discipline. To do so I will tell you four different stories of places in the Bible where Scripture was used. Then I will tell you why you should make Scripture a spiritual disciple. To do this I am going to take you to four different passages and use those passages to explain the theology of the use of Scripture. After talking about the why, we will dig into the how. To do this I am going to tell you four stories of modern Christians who I know and what they have done to make Scripture a spiritual discipline. Finally, I will give you a few pro-tips for maximizing your routine. So, with that in mind, let's start with the question:

What does it look like to make Scripture a spiritual discipline?

Spend significant time memorizing Scripture.

There have been a lot of people throughout history who have memorized significant portions of Scripture.

One individual claims that the Apostle Paul had the Old Testament memorized in Hebrew.

Some claim that in the early church Tertullian had memorized the entire Bible.

Martin Luther claimed to have nearly all of the Bible memorized.

Noah Webster is said to have memorized the entire Bible.

In modern times there are a number of individuals who have memorized well over 75% of the Bible.

That is all good and wonderful but let me give you a biblical example.

In Matthew 4:1-11 we encounter Jesus being tempted by Satan in the wilderness.

Satan brings temptation to Jesus and each time Jesus responds with with Scripture presumably quoted from memory.

Satan tempts Jesus with food, Jesus responds by quoting Deuteronomy 8:3 stating "man shall not live by bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God."

Satan tempts Jesus with popularity and Jesus responded by quoting Deuteronomy 6:16, stating "Do not put the Lord your God to the test."

Satan tempts Jesus with power and Jesus responded by quoting Deuteronomy. 6:13 stating "Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only."

You may never be able to be famous for memorizing the entire Bible but what I do know is that Jesus had Scripture memorized and used the Scripture he knew.

Spend significant time studying Scripture.

There are all sorts of examples of people who study Scripture

I have a bookshelf full of books written by academics who have spent significant time studying to write a single book on one book of the Bible.

My favorite commentary on the book of Acts is 1162 pages long.

My favorite book on systematic theology is 1663 pages long.

But you don't have to be an academic to study Scripture!

In Acts 17:10-12 we learn of the Berean Christians who studied the Bible daily seeking to see if what Paul preached was accurate.

10 As soon as it was night, the believers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. 11 Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. 12 As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.

These individuals benefitted greatly from daily study of God's Word!

I think that to make studying Scripture a Spiritual discipline you need to be setting aside time daily to truly look at what a passage states.

Spend significant time consuming Scripture.

We need to be in the Bible regularly and significantly and I think it is appropriate to at times simply read the Bible and consume the words of Scripture.

Actually I see this sort of consumption of Scripture play out during many of the most significant reforms in Israel's history.

In Exodus 24:7 at the base of Sinai Moses read the book of the covenant before the people.

In Deuteronomy 31:9-13 God commanded the people to have a public reading of the Law every seven years.

In 2 Kings 23:1-2 Josiah's reforms included a reading of the book of the covenant.

In Nehemiah 8:3-4 the priest Ezra read aloud from the Bible from daybreak until noon.

In a literate society I think we all should consume more Scripture.

Spend significant time meditating on Scripture.

There are a number of passages which command us to meditate on God's Word but what I want to show you is an example.

In Genesis 24:63 we read "He went out to the field one evening to meditate,[a] and as he looked up, he saw camels approaching."

The Hebrew word שׂוח that we translate as meditate is a Happax Legonema, which means it is hard to define. In Psalms and other passages other words for meditation are used.

So what do we know of meditating on God's Word?

The text suggests that Isaac probably did this regularly.

The text suggests that Isaac did it in private.

At the time, none of the Bible had been written, but later texts will tell us that the object of our meditation should be God's Words!

Why should I make Scripture a spiritual discipline?

Committing Scripture to memory is a reasonable defense (Psalm 119:11).

There are several facts we need to realize. First, we live in a world that is fundamentally opposed to God. Second we live in a world that wants to destroy those who follow God. Third, we live in a world where temptations are significant. What we need is a defense against these temptations that the world and Satan use to try to destroy those who follow God.

In Psalm 119:9-16 we see the cleansing effect of God's word.

Specifically,

The psalmist declared that a person cleanses his way (conduct) by obeying God’s Word (v. 9). The psalmist testified that he had internalized and rejoiced in God’s Word so that he might be morally pure (vv. 10–14). He continually meditated in the Law (vv. 15–16). ^[1]

In particular, Psalm 119:11 states "I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

Have you ever been in the midst of temptation and a passage of Scripture comes to mind? God uses Scripture to speak to us and the act of memorizing Scripture gives us the very Words of God upon which we can depend.

Studying Scripture prepares you to discern truth (Acts 17:11).

We already talked about the Berean Christians earlier but I want us to dig a little deeper now. Notice how the Bereans received the message.

μετὰ πάσης προθυμίας (with all eagerness)

The word προθυμίας is used of showing "exceptional interest in being of service, willingness, readiness, goodwill ^[2]" The idea here is that they treated this message as the "words of life." They eagerly listened to the message. Moreover, the idea of "goodwill" in the definition tells us that they listened to the message without prejudice. They were not out to destroy the message, they were out to confirm and enhance the message. But it didn't end there. We see that they also used Scripture to test the message.

καθʼ ἡμέραν ἀνακρίνοντες τὰς γραφὰς (examined the Scriptures every day)

The term can be used in a judicial manner such as trying to prove wrong, or it can be to study. "to engage in careful study of a question, question, examine ^[3]" Here, based on the goodwill we saw earlier it must mean careful study. The Bereans used Scripture to evaluate the message that they were receiving. The idea here really is that these Christians engaged in deep meaningful study.

But I have not yet told you why you should study Scripture!

The reason to study Scripture is that we might know truth!

We live in a world that hardly recognizes truth. I know that I have been fooled and you probably have as well.

Consuming Scripture provides vital sustenance (Deuteronomy 8:3)

In context, Israel had to depend completely on God for their food.

In the desert, Israel was at the mercy of God. They could not grow their own food, hunting would have been useless, and they could not bring enough with them. They were completely at the mercy of God to provide for them and God did provide but more than their physical provision God reminded the people that real sustenance does not come from bread alone but by the words of God.

In our physical bodies it does not make sense, but the reality is that we need God's Word to live!

It is not by bread alone that we live, but by everything that comes forth from the mouth of the Lord—that is, anything and everything that God chooses to give us. God alone is the real source of life and everything in that life for His people (John 15:1–5; John 14:6). He is our all in all. God’s Word, the Scriptures, is life-giving and life-sustaining. ^[4]

In John 6:63 Jesus said "The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life."

Meditating on Scripture brings great wisdom (Psalm 119:97-99, Joshua 1:8, Philippians 4:8)

We spend a lot of time in our life trying to learn but Psalm 119:97-99 teaches us that meditating on Scripture gives us the ability to surpass even our teachers.

Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long. 98 Your commands are always with me and make me wiser than my enemies. 99 I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes.

One of my favorite parts of teaching Ph.D. students at UNL was when they surpassed me. It was a beautiful thing. Meditating on God's Word can give us true wisdom and insight and that is even better.

One of the ways to grow in our obedience to God is to spend time meditating on His Word as indicated by Joshua 1:8.

Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

True wisdom focuses on things that are beneficial and by meditating on Scripture we ensure that we are filling our minds with such things as suggested by Philippians 4:8

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

How can I make Scripture a spiritual discipline?

At this point you might be convinced about the importance of Scripture as a spiritual discipline but you might not know exactly how to engage Scripture. I want to share four examples.

Utilize tools to memorize Scripture (e.g. Bible Memory in the App Store).

I know someone who faithfully uses the App Bible Memory to memorize passages on a daily basis. The app quizzes the user and then provides periodic reminders to review verses that you have not worked with in a while. After years of use this individual is both learning new verses and is also reviewing old verses to keep them fresh in memory.

Set aside time each day/week for dedicated Bible study in groups (e.g. Bible Studies and Homegroups).

I know someone who struggled to regularly engage with Bible Study and reading until they engaged in a Homegroup. The accountability, that came from the homegroup and motivation to study together with others has led this person into not just weekly time dedicated to study but also more regular Bible reading.

Start a Bible reading plan and faithfully keep the plan (You Version has some good plans).

I was first convicted to start reading my Bible regularly in 2006. Since that date I have been able to read through the Bible many times. Often when I am in need of a Biblical idea I am able to recall something from my Bible reading.

Use good tools to slow down, understand, and apply a passage (e.g. The Bible Knowledge Commentary)

I have a friend who purchased an electronic commentary of a simple such commentary and put the commentary on his phone. While at work, when not busy he is able to pull out his phone read a verse and then use the commentary to focus on what it exactly means.

Pro tips for maximizing your routine.

Make a plan.

Set some goals.

Make yourself accountable.

1. ↑ Allen P. Ross, “Psalms,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 880.
2. ↑ William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 870.
3. ↑ William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 66.
4. ↑ Got Questions Ministries, Got Questions? Bible Questions Answered, vol. 2 (Bellingham, WA: Faithlife, 2014–2021).