The Good Book
2 Timothy 3:14-4:5
Psalm 119: 105
A few trivia questions to start this morning;
When Samuel was born to Hannah, she took him see her husband, Nazareth, Eli the Priest, or an Amy Grant concert? Eli the priest
Who was chosen to replace Judas as the twelfth apostle? Bartholomew, Paul, Matthias, or Andrew? Matthias
When Adam disobeyed God in the book of Genesis, who did he blame? Eve
Mohammed, the founder of Islam, was from the line of Ishmael whose father was Abraham. Is that true or false? It is true.
The name of God is not mentioned in one book of the Bible, which one? The Book of Esther.
When Paul was traveling to Rome, his boat was shipwrecked on the island of Malta. Paul and the ship’s crew survived the wreck and were setting up a camp on the island when Paul was bitten by which one of these vicious animals? A hamster, mosquito, snake or a lion? A snake
At the time of the census which was conducted by Moses in the first chapter of Numbers, which of the twelve tribes of Israel was the largest? Judah, Gad, Asher, or Reuben? Judah was the largest tribe with 74,600 members.
Biblical trivia questions can be fun - but they are also trivial. They are not essential for the growth of our faith. When we are confused, feeling overwhelmed or alone, knowing that Judah had 74,600 members is not going to help us. Memorizing random trivia in the Bible for no reason has little value for our life. On the other hand it is a blessing to know the Bible as the living word of God and a place we can turn to for guidance, direction and hope. The biblical stories shine light on our world, our lives and how we live as disciples.
Psalm 119:5 says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” The Scriptures are a lamp and a light that guides the steps of those who are on a faith journey. They tell the story of a living God and a savior, who is alive, loves us and shows us the way.
When Jesus was asked to sum up the most important of all the commandments in the Scriptures, he responded by saying:
“'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and the second is like it, to love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." (Matthew 22: 34-40, Luke 10:29-31, Mark 12:28-34) In Luke Jesus illustrates who our neighbor is by telling the story of the Good Samaritan.
Last week in New York, a homeless man was stabbed while he tried to help a woman who was being robbed. The man tried to chase the robber who stabbed him. He fell to the sidewalk and lay there for over an hour. A surveillance camera shows that at least twenty-five people walked by him, before the police found him as they were responding to another call. The camera also showed that some people stopped, some stared, some walked around him, and one even took a cell phone picture of him. But no one called for help and the man, whose name was Hugo Alfredo Tale-Yax, died because no one showed mercy on him and no one even called for help.
That story really saddened me. Could no one have called 911 to help? I don’t know about you, but as the story was being told, I was thinking about the story of the Good Samaritan. The two stories ran parallel in my mind, and hearing it convicted me to stop, evaluate my own fast paced life and busyness. And in honestly trying to apply both the news story and the Biblcial story to my life today – I had to refrain from pointing my fingers at others and look at myself. I knew that I needed to ask God for forgiveness for times that I was just too busy and passed people by who needed my time.
This is what the Scriptures are here to teach us. They teach us the work of God in the past, but they also bring to light characteristics, qualities and practices that God desires for us to live by today. The Scriptures show us Christian principles we are to live by and they shine a light on our path. The Bible is a living, breathing account of a faith that is still alive. The Bible reveals a Creator God who is still creating and working in the world today. We are called to be to a part of that ongoing task of loving with heart, mind, soul and strength, and loving our neighbor as ourselves.
The text today from 2 Timothy 3 & 4 speaks to that: Paul writing to Timothy reminds him of the importance of Scripture:
2 Timothy 3:14-4:5
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 person of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for the activities of our life and being. Genesis 2:7 speaks about God breathing life into a human being, “7 the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”
We must breathe to live. Breath and life go together and they are part of the same vital package. The scriptures are God-breathed or inspired and they breathe life into those who have faith.
Paul continues in 2 Timothy 4
1In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 3For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.
We are to preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.
We are to be loving and encouraging in our teaching -even as we correct, discuss and grow. But always with great patience and careful instruction. We are asked to be civil, patient, kind, gentle, peaceful and joyful. We are to model a faith that is alive and inviting.
However the Bible has been misused over the years. It has been used as a weapon, rather than a tool. It has been used to hurt, to wound and to condemn rather than being used as a source of hope for people.
You may have heard this week about another survey showing the younger generation leaving churches behind in their quest for spirituality. The survey, which polled 1,200 millennials or 18-29 year-olds, found that 72% of them described themselves as more spiritual than religious. Thom Rainer president of Lifeway Research believes that if the trend continues, “the millennial generation will see churches closing as quickly as GM dealerships."
Key findings were:
•65% rarely or never pray with others, and 38% almost never pray by themselves either.
•65% rarely or never attend worship services.
•67% don't read the Bible or sacred texts.[1]
It shows that prayer, worship and reading the Bible are not as inviting as being on Facebook. Why is that? It is too easy to blame the younger generation. Have we who are Christians talked about our life of faith in a way that is inviting and welcoming? If it is only a set of random trivia or rules to be followed – why bother?
The Bible is a book that is very personal and also very universal. It speaks personally to me and to you, and it also speaks to us collectively as it has done for millions of people throughout the years. It is the recorded story of how God interacted with a certain people at a certain time and it tells how God sent his Son Jesus Christ to give us words of hope, encouragement, and instruction and provide for us the path to redemption and transformation. That sounds very encouraging and inviting and hopeful. It is a collection of books and stories that point to what God has done in the past and it helps us as our own story unfolds as we journey toward the future.
It is a book of memory and hope. It is a guide and one of the tools that grounds us and sends us forward. It is a living book – a story that engages and interacts with those who seek to live faithfully today. It is a story of relationships with God and it is the story of our relationship with God as well.
I encourage you to continue to read the Bible a little bit day by day. Maybe find a daily devotional and read one small section a day. Think and pray how that scripture becomes a part of your very life and breathe, because those scriptures can carry you through hard times, good times, times of death and of life.
Recently I visited one of our seniors confined to a nursing home and who now spends most of her time in bed. We chatted for awhile and somehow she began to recite her favorite scripture. She actually couldn’t remember which book it was from. She tried to recall the actual book and chapter from somewhere in her memory - but she couldn’t do it. But she could say the scripture. From her very breath and from a place in her soul came these words, which we then said together.
1 I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The LORD watches over you—
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
6 the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
7 The LORD will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
8 the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.
They were strong, comforting words for this 93-year-old woman who is wondering how much longer she will live. This Psalm was a part of her very being. It was in her heart and her faith was alive and God was with her.
This is what the good book is all about.
Does anyone know the last word in the Bible?
Amen
Words of encouragement and hope.
The one who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon."
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people.
Amen
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