2008-May-28 16:19

Note: You can download the free MP3 audio of this message here: New Attitude | Liveblog

Bored with Reading the Bible?

Good books (Josh Harris)

• A Gospel Primer for Christians
• Models for you how to preach the gospel to yourself on a daily basis.
• Also justs walks through the gospel.
• A rich resource to use in your devotions
• Pierced For Our Transgressions
• In many quarters, the idea of Christ's death on the cross is under attack.

• I'm thankful for Mark Dever
• I'm thankful he came and has participated in the whole conference. He didn't just come, speak, and leave. Thank you Mark (loud clapping).
• 100 people can sign up to talk to Mark Dever, specifically if you are a skeptic.
• Or if you are having serious struggles and doubts as a Christian
• Mark is going to, today, 5-6pm. 100 people. First come, first serve.
• Don't fake being an agnostic.
• We want people who would really benefit to come.

• Say: "I AM NOT TIRED. I HAVE NOT YET BEGUN TO LISTEN TO TEACHING!"
• STand up. say: I stayed up too late, but that doesn't matter! The Word Will be Preached

• Eric Simmons is a good man
• The man has style, he drives a jeep ;)
• I was reading my journal and read where I visited a care group led by Eric Simmons, written 11 or 12 years ago: Eric is a good teacher. And it's still true today.
• I have done so little for NA.
• The only reason we were able to start again we Eric Simmons is a great leader.
• All the planning, messages...
• All led by Eric and the NA Creative Team
• Thank God for these folks.
• His love you for you, you've been encountering this in the conference.
• I've seen him live what he preaches, walk through trials, practice what he preaches in private.

ERIC SIMMONS:

• It is a joy to be with you all this week.
• My jeep has a broken gas gage so I run out of gas about 2 times a month. ;)
• I love to be with you, I love to worship with you.
• I am a sinner saved by grace.
• I really can't believe that I get to do this.
• I can't believe that I get to live my Christian walk with people like you who love the gospel and take seriously the Word of God.

• 2 Timothy 3:14-17
• My son and I usually go down to my little office and take our Bibles (my ESV, his big picture story Bible) and we begin to read (in morning).
• I'll never forget when he was getting to the end.
• He was within a few chapters of the end.
• He was so excited.
• I'll never forget that day that he was done.
• He shut it, looked up at my and said: "Dad, I'm done"
• Then he looked up at me and said: "What's next?"
• In that moment, I realized that my son had vision to read his Bible the first time, but needed his dad to give him fresh vision to continue in the study.
• When he said that I was like: "I can relate to that"
• I'd been a Christian for 17 years.
• I can easily come to the end of it and say like my son: "What's next"
• We can easily lose vision for the passion for reading and studying this Word day in and day out.
• Maybe the only vision you have for reading the Bible is that it is a Christian rule to keep.
• Maybe it's more of a duty or a delight.
• I guarantee you in the days ahead, this battle will occur: The Battle for vision to diligently study the Word of God.
• Timothy seemed to have a battle for vision to read and study the Word of God.
• 2 Timothy 3:14-17
• ...
• All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching....
• It seems as though in this passage that Timothy is battling for vision to continue to study the Scriptures.
• There were many external reasons for Timonthy to battle continuing to study.
• He was a pastor in one of the most pagan, sexually perverse cities...
• We're not sure why he needed to reminded.
• Maybe it was persecution against his teaching
• Maybe false teachers were beginning to entice Him.
• Paul, Timothy's friend in the faith, was aware of struggle.
• Paul practiced what he preached.
• He was the man that Timothy learned it from.
• Paul is penning this letter from a Roman prison, about to die, and he knows it.
• This older man, sitting in a prison, what does he say about the Scriptures?
• To give up on them? NO!
• He says, continue to study!
• Timothy's battle is our battle, we are all susceptible.
• The command of God for us today is the same it was to Timothy:
• Keep studying, keep believing the Scriptures.
• Paul gives truths that he knows in faith that will give Timothy new vision.
• 3 Reasons God gives this in this passage:
1. The Scriptures reveal Jesus Christ
• The unifying principle and purpose for this book is in v.15 "You have been acquanted with the Scriptures which are able to make you wise unto salvation."
• Wise for what? Wise for salvation.
• What does wise mean? It teaches you and instructs you for Salvation.
• Salvation means: Deliverance from bondage to sin
• What do the Scriptures do?
• They make you wise .... unto Salvation
• Central purpose of Bible: Reveal and teach salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
• Jesus said: These Scriptures testify about me.
• They testify by telling an amazing story of Salvation
• Christ was our substitute.
• We are raised to life in His resurrection.
• The Father was satisfied with Jesus' sacrifice
• And We are raised to Life...
• John Stott: "The Bible is a book of salvation. And since salvation is through Christ, the Bible focuses its attention on Christ..."
• Paul knew that he and Timothy needed a Saviour.
• And that Saviour was Jesus Christ.
• ...
  
• Timothy, don't sway to the left or right, grab hold of the gospel tightly.
• And that is the command for us today.
• Study:
• So you might behold the glorious Saviour, Jesus Christ.
• Does that excite you?
• ...
• Does it create a love...
• John Piper: I love the Bible because it gives the wisdom onto salvation....It gives me ways to see and know and love Jesus Christ
• Do you love the Bible because it provides you with inexustible way of seeing, knowing, and loving Jesus Christ.
• If you love Christ, you will love this Word.
• If don't have a vision for studying this Word, perhaps it is because you don't value Christ as much as you once did, or he's become boring.
• I've realized:
• My love for the Bible is in direct relation to my love for Jesus.
• What I love, I love to read about.
• If you love sports, I love to read about it
• Jane Austin, Politics
• WE LOVE TO READ ABOUT WHAT WE LOVE
• I love reading about me.
• I was excited about a book that came about that was about me.
• I have never devoured, retained and read, a book like that one.
• Unbelievable.
• I was excited about me and my glory, and it fed a passion to read and study diligently.
• That's called idolatry, isn't it.
• I was worshipping something, and it wasn't Jesus Christ.
• I can get very frustrated in my idolotry that these pages say and have very little worship for me.
• It's all about Jesus.
• At times because of my idolotrous heart, I can lose vision for this, because I've found value in something else.
• This Word will not submit to my idolotry.
• I've tried to make it and it won't
• But by the Lord's grace it will reveal my idolatry
• My daughter cried about reading something, cried and said: "It's so boring!"
• I said: "Daddy has said the very same thing."
• And when I say that I realize at that moment I need to repent.
• There is probably something in that moment that is clouding my vision....
• Perhaps you are valuing something other than Jesus Christ.
• And you come to His Word is boring.
• We come to this Word as sinners saved by grace.
• When we confess our idolotry, He forgives and restores us.
• The Word will become more and more precious.

2nd Reason for why we keep studying the Scriptures: The Scriptures Give Life

• v.15 "All Scripture is breathed out by God"
• It is exhaled by God himself.
• Mark Dever did good job explaining
• OT AND NT
• Paul is creating a word picture of God speaking.
• When we exhale, we speak.
• Paul is saying we serve a speaking God.
• It's it wonderful that our God is not silent.
• He communicates with words.
• God's breath is live-giving.
• My friends, when God breathes: Life Happens.
• Ps.  33:6 He breathed creation into existance.
  
• The Author of these Words is God himself.
• The Word is living, and the Word is active and it breathes life into the believer by the power of the Holy Spirit.
• Matt Lough (sp?) (served as NA Ninjas (helper crew) here last hear)
• He was so provoking in the way he love Jesus, the Word...
• A year ago Matt has tremendous, debilitating, and utterly painful seizures.
• He could feel them coming on, he would get tunnel vision.
• To brace for the pain by laying on the floor.
• I asked him about it.
• He told me and my eyes filled with tears.
• I asked how I could pray for him.
• He said: "You know what Jesus taught me the other day through His Word? He taught me that He is with me."
• He grabbed me and said:
• When I go the ground, with that debilitating, crushing seazure, this is what I know:
• JESUS IS WITH ME.
• I can [endure].... because JESUS IS WITH ME.
• When I looked at that man, I knew, THIS WORD IS TRUE!
• He breathes it in to the life of a believer when they read it.
• Matt Lough knows the Word of God is breathed out.
• When you come to this Word, is that how you read it?
• If it is, you will have abundant vision for the creator is giving vision...

THIRD REASON: Why are we called to keep studying and believing the Scriptures?

• The Scriptures equip us for God's mission.
• God has a call for all of us no matter our age, status, or career.
• He is still gathering people who are a people of His own possession...for good works.
• "By grace you have been saved through faith....For we are God's workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works."
• We have been created in Christ Jesus to Do Good Works.
• ALL OF US!
• All of us are called to do good works.
• And we live in communities that think very little of Christ.
• ...
  
• We are all called to proclaim Jesus Christ as the only way to a relationship with God, the creator.
• He calls us all to good works.
• By:
• Sharing
• ....
• ...
• Building communities called local churches.
• This call is:
• Sobering
• Humbling
• Demands equipping
• God has made sure that we will be equipped for this call.
• He equips us for .... by His Word.
• "That the man of God may be competent, equipped for ever good work."
• As it
• Reproves
• Teaches
• Corrects
• As we
• Read
• Study
• Submit
• The Word:
• comes into our mind and
• teaches right thinking
• ... [rebukes wrong thinking?]
  
• reproves and corrects...
• trains us in righteous living.
• Paul was reminding Timothy, you need the
• teaching
• correcting
• reprooving
• and training of Scriptures
• to equip yourself and others.
• Not all of us (Josh Harris heard "none" here, so did Anna, but I guess I interpreted/heard "Not all of us" ;) ) are called to plant churches in pagan city like Ephesus.
• But I think the temptations are not unlike Timothy.
• Clarification by Josh Harris:
  
• We are not in Timothy's shoes in sense that we don't have same call.
• But it's important to remember, we shouldn't be discouraged.
• We should identify with people who
  
• None of us
• What this world needs is not some fresh spin on Christianity.
• What will change people is the Word of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ.
• We're called to live the Gospel
• It's not about our comfort, it's about God's glory.
• Only thing that will reach this culture (in any genaration) is the GOSPEL.
• Don't look for it anywhere else.
• Study the Word
• Give yourself to the Word
• Know the Word
• Many of you've grown up in Christian families.
• You've may have never labored yourself to really know God's word.
• Have you labored, continued?
• Does everyone thing you're good just cause:
• You're not:
• Smoking
• Drinking
• And Going with Girls who do.
• Don't settle for that!!!!!
• Brothers and Sisters, do you realize how you can transform your local church?
• I speak as a pastor of a church of godly singles.
• They have a passion for God
• They drive the outreach
• We thank God for the Singles in our Church.
• Have vision of .... live that out.
• Don't just be along for the ride,
• showing up
• No!
• You are needed!
• That will help your church reach the world around it!
• I can't wait to see what God does if you take this truth that you've heard, and go home and live it
• We are a part of the most incredible thing happening in this world
• We know God.
• We have the Holy Spirit in us.
• We're a part of outposts of the kingdom of God.
• We get to represent the living Saviour
• We're not going to die until God chooses, and until that time we're unstoppable.
• Let's live radically!
• Let's take this word, and live it out!
• TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE LEARNING!
• Tell your story to people
  

• At times we can lose vision for studying Word of God because we have lost sight of ... [vision] for God's mission here on earth.
• I tend to get caught up in stuff I have to do next and define my life by it.
  
• Brush teeth
• Work
• ...
  
• I can forget I have a part to in proclaiming Gospel and doing good works by the power of that gospel.
• When I tune into that vision.
• It is unbelievable to me, how much I need the equipping of this Word.
• When I get into the mess of people's lives in my community.
• Man, do I need to teaching, correcting, reprove, and training in rightousness!
• I feel a desparate need for the Words of Scripture.
• I NEED THIS WORD when:
• Sitting across from man struggling with homosexuality and addiction to Crystal meth.
• Talking to my [grandmother] who has breast cancer.
• ........
• When I'm trying to lovingly train my children.
• This word equips me
• When I focus life on me and my selfish ambitions...
• I don't need this word at all.
• Note to self: Personal Application: (I've been to focussed on website and computer stuff and have been sacrificing time in the Word and prayer for my selfish ambition. - Elijah)
• You will be the pillars of churches
• The health of the church we are receiving today is in many ways dependent on us.
• Don't you want to give the generation that is follow, a healthy church?
• One built on preaching and diligent study of this Word?
• Don't you want to hand them a church that is precious?
• A church that proclaims the glory of the Gospel of Jesus Christ?
• Then You need this: (Holding up Bible)
• These words, they breath life.
• They equip me, for the mission of God here on earth.
• Our generation seems to be the most Biblically ignorant in History.
• Let's change the for the Glory of GOD! Let's change that shall we! (clapping erupts).
• Closing prayer.
  

Comments? Questions? What do you think?

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