My Bible And I

Dear Christian Brother or Sister,

I know often times it is said by some that they do not get fed by their pastor when they go to church services.  This is indeed a great problem.  We are told that a time such as this would come.

Amos 8:11-12
Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord:

12 And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it.
KJV

This is a great sin on the part of those who claim to be God’s men.  God’s men should indeed be faithful in preaching the Word of God.

On the other hand, there is a measure of sin on the part of the believer who sits in service and complains about not being fed.  You see, our text tells us that those who are truly hungry for the Word of God will seek for it.  Oh, sure, they will find  it harder and harder to get.  After a while it will be almost impossible to get a good, godly, expository sermon.

Even then there is an issue that the Christian must face.  He is responsible for the feeding of his own soul.  He cannot depend on someone to spoon feed him (though I suspect that there are many who should only be fed from a sling shot).  The Christian must feed himself.  He must, of his own accord, go to the Bible and feast upon God’s Word.

God gave us His Word for this very reason.

Deut 8:3
he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live.
KJV

 

My Bible And I

Isa 8:20
To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.
KJV

Spurgeon used this text to preach a sermon entitled “Search The Scriptures.”

Surely this is what we should do.

Regardless of what we read or hear, let us always search the Scriptures to determine the validity of what is presented to us.

Scripture is the only authoritative rule of faith and order for the Christian.
Let us therefor search the Scriptures.

 

My Bible And I

Luke 24:13-32
Behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs.
14 And they talked together of all these things which had happened.
15 And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them.
16 But their eyes were holden that they should not know him.
17 And he said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad?
18 And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass therein these days?
19 And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people:
20 And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him.
21 But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done.
22 Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre;
23 And when they found not his body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive.
24 And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre, and found it even so as the women had said: but him they saw not.
25 Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:
26 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?
27 And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.
28 And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and he made as though he would have gone further.
29 But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them.
30 And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them.
31 And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight.
32 And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?
KJV

Let us notice what happened here:

There was confusion and need in the hearts and lives of these people who were on the road to Emmaus.

Jesus met that need by expounding the Scriptures.

In expounding the Scriptures, Jesus spoke of Himself and His glory.

Upon hearing of the glories of Christ their hearts burned within them and they were comforted.

Application:

We must always hold to the fact that God reveals Himself to us in His Word.  As God’s Word is faithfully presented to our understanding our need are met and our hearts are gloriously warmed by His grace and truth.

There is no other way for man to be blessed apart from God revealing Himself to us by His Word.

With this in mind:
Preachers should be zealous to read Scripture, explain the passage that they have read to the people, show the people God in the passage, and demonstrate how this truth is to be applied to their lives.

Saints should seek to study the Scriptures more diligently so as to see the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ and to be transformed into His likeness (See 2Cor 3:18-4:7).

Sinners should listen to God’s truth knowing that truth alone will lead them to saving faith (See Rom 10:17).

Just musing….

 

My Bible And I

“As the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:   So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.    For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.    Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”  (Isa 55:10-13) KJV

We often think of this as meaning that any time the Word of God is presented it will bring forth results, even if they are not immediate results.

The truth is, however, the passage is telling us that God will keep the promises that He has made to His people.

His Word will not come back to Him without having brought to pass that which God purposed to do when He made promise to His people.

For this reason we should trust God deeply, intensely, and eternally.

Just musing…

 

My Bible And I

Ps 119:142
Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the truth.
KJV
Ps 119:160
Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.
KJV

When we consider the above statements we are met with two realities:

1.  God’s Word is absolute.  It is not one truth among many truths, but it is the singular Truth.  Anything that is not in agreement with God’s Word is not true.

2.  God’s Word is eternal in nature.  Never will there be a time that God’s Truth does not exist.

With this in mind, let us humble ourselves to submit to this Truth.  Let’s pray for grace to apply ourselves to learning God’s Word so that we might live by it.  After all, God’s Word is the sole standard of right and wrong.  God’s Word is also the sole standard for our worship.

Let us honor God by embracing His Word.

Just musing…

 

My Bible And I

Scripture The Only Authority

“The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?   And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,  And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?   Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.”  (Matt 19:3-6) KJV

What is our final authority?  Who has the final say concerning all issues?

Scripture.

While Jesus, being God, could have given new law concerning marriage He simply referred to the Scriptures as the final authority.

Many times we look to tradition, experts, “how we’ve always done it”, and other places for answers.  In the end, the only true answer is Scripture.

While Scripture does not always give us a definite “thou shalt”, or “thou shalt not” we find that God’s Word gives us ample direction by giving us morals, ethics, and direction to right attitudes so that we can make the right decisions.

Let us never think that we should appeal to our experiences, our feelings, or anything other than God’s Word for our guidance.  In His WordGod has given us all that we need for life and godliness.

Scripture is the final authority.

 

My Bible And I

“Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,   This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.    But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.”  (Matt 15:7-9) KJV

One thing that is absolutely necessary for us as we read the Scriptures is to be willing to let go of old traditions that do not fit the Scripture.

Often one who is raised in church has certain preconceived notions of how things ought to be.  Sometimes these things are more issues of culture or preference than they are issues of Scriptural importance.  One can choose to make these preferences into rules and demand that all people live by them,  one can accept that they are preferences only and allow others to have their freedom, or one can discard these preferences and live in the fullness of Christian liberty.

What will you do?

Just musing…

 

My Bible And I

2 Cor 3:18
We all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
KJV

Scripture is a revelation of God.  Theologians speak of it as a special revelation.  We are given a general revelation of God in nature.  Even within ourselves the knowledge of the existence and power of God are inherent (Rom 1:18-21).  This revelation is not enough to save us, however.  Neither is it enough to sanctify us.  We need a special revelation of God that will show us more of His character and His ways.  This is provided in His Word.

God has revealed Himself to us in His Word.  We are told that God appeared to Samuel by the Word of the LORD (1Sam 3:21), and revealed Himself to Samuel by His Word.  By coming to the Scriptures, studying, and meditating on them, we can be changed to be like Jesus.  Not only so, but it is the only pathway of true happiness.  We are told that by abiding in the Scriptures we shall be blessed (made happy) thereby (Jas 1:21-25).

Let us seek to come to the Scriptures more and more that we might learn more of the Lord and be changed into His glorious likeness.

 

My Bible And I

Deut 8:3
He humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live.
(KJV)

I am on vacation and have this post scheduled for Monday.

Lord willing, I will be away until Friday.

I wonder how many people take their Bibles on vacation.

I wonder how many people read and study their Bibles daily while at home.

We live in a time when Christians are anemic and very weak.  Perhaps we should remember wherein our life truly rests.  It is not in wealth or material things.  Neither is it in power, position, or prestige.

We must live by the Word of the Lord.  We must daily seek His face in His Word (2Cor 3:18).  We should crave it as a babe does milk (1Pet 2:1,2).

Let us recover a hunger, thirst, passion for God’s Word.  We’re dying without it.

The Pastor