Where is your Bible today? Is it in your hands? Is it in your heart? Do you carry it with you? Does it drive your day, guide your decisions, comfort your soul and explain your world?Or was Sarah Groves mostly correct in her song many years ago? Do we go every place emotional and do every new devotional while our Bibles sit there on our shelves with every promise that we’ll ever need? Are we truly getting ourselves fit for truth like we’re buying a new tailored suit? Does it fit across the shoulders? Will it fade when I get older? I wonder…
Years ago during a particularly dry spell of weather up in Ely, Monica and I walked across the recently sodded front lawn of the church. The grass was so brown and crunchy, I dragged out all the hoses and watered the yard. But I don’t think I made much difference. The ground was too hard and dry and my hose too small. A few days later, the rains came back and God did more for that grass in a few minutes than my little garden hose ever could.
I don’t want to give you a garden hose argument for the Bible this morning. In Psalm 119, perhaps the loveliest meditation on the Word of God in the Bible, the psalmist mourns in verse 136, “Streams of tears flow from eyes, for your law is not obeyed.” I believe that. And I believe the principle reason it is not obeyed is that it is not being read. It is not valued. We don’t need another garden hose conversation about the Bible – we need a good soaking rain.
And so I decided I would preach a great, foundational sermon here at the beginning of our year together and get us all excited about our Bibles again. I would talk about the stunning archeological evidence for the historicity and reliability of the Bible. I would talk about the truly amazing manuscript evidence for the Bible – overwhelming in comparison to almost any other historical book. I would talk about the amazing accuracy of the scribes. I would talk about the massive, internal testimonial evidence for the Bible – Jesus constantly quoted and referenced the Old Testament, never once giving any indication he considered it unreliable. The Apostle Paul and virtually all the other New Testament authors did likewise. And then I would joyously stomp through all the significant attacks on the reliability of Scripture over the last hundred years and systematically show why I am utterly unconcerned about any of them; many of them I honestly consider intellectually and academically laughable! While there are all sorts of truly puzzling things about the Bible and in the Bible that I still don’t even pretend to understand and lots of areas for serious scholarly study and legitimate disagreement, I have learned enough over the years to fully rest my life, heart and hope in what this book reveals to me about God and His plan for my life. Mm, raw truth! Let’s talk about that, huh? Let ramble for hours!
But for some reason, the more I thought about a sermon like that, the more all that very important intellectual stuff felt like garden hose talk. There are an awful lot of very smart people who have heard all the smart arguments about the Bible and still refuse to give the Bible any credence at all. And so, I find myself drawn back this morning to 1 Peter 3:15, where we are gently encouraged to “always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. And do this with gentleness and respect.”
So okay folks, here’s the thing. I love the Bible. I have a very personal relationship with the Bible. I have had countless miraculous experiences with the Bible; time and time again the LORD has spoken to me and through me by the pages of this book. I have twenty-seven beautiful, expensive leather bound copies of different translations of this book on just my study shelves here at church and yet the first place I always go in any bookstore is the Bible section. If I could somehow eat this book, I honestly would! I am uncontrollable in this area. I am no longer entirely rational in this area and I don’t even care! You may find that distracting, but it’s the truth. I believe this English translation of Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic manuscripts is the Word of God and absolutely authoritative over my life. I have been in some dark and difficult places over the course of my life and this book has never failed me, even though I almost constantly fail it. I’m not the smartest guy in the world. At best, I count myself little more than a journalist of the deep truths of God. It is my most profound desire, it is my dearest dream to be simply the very best reporter of the deep truths of God contained in this book.
So you can dismiss me and everything I’m about to say if you wish – many regularly do. But before you do, I would beg just a moment to testify to the hope that is within me.
For many years, my sweet Monica had a peculiar habit whenever I got a new book. She would pick up my book, open to the center of it and breathe in deeply the smell of its newness. She hasn’t done this much since I started teasing her about it, but if there is one thing I would beg of you this morning, it would be to pick up your Bibles, put your face in at least three key, critically important places and spiritually sniff what you find there for all its worth.
The first of those places is 2 Timothy 3:14-17, where the Apostle Paul is giving advice to his young protégé Timothy and he says:
But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the people of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
I trust the Bible because I know the people from whom I learned it. I trust the Bible because it seemed to me that all the people who knew and loved the Bible best were also the same people I most wanted to be like. For some reason, the most loving, joyous, peaceful, patient, kind and generous people I knew were people who loved and followed this Book.
I also trust the Bible because I recognize the breath of God in it. I know it is God-breathed. The same breath of the Holy Spirit that first blew into my life as a nine-year old boy at Frontier Bible Camp constantly blows back at me like a warm and happy breeze out of every page of this book. The Spirit within me testifies to the Spirit speaking in this book.
And I trust the Bible because I have learned over the years, especially as a pastor, that the Bible is a better teacher and leader than I will ever be. When I make it my goal to simply discover and get out of the way of the Bible, what I say is useful to people. People are better equipped to face the challenges of their lives when I allow the Bible to teach instead of me.
I trust the Bible because I have personally experienced the truth of 2 Timothy 3:14-17.
The second passage from which I beg you to breathe deeply this morning is 2 Peter 1:12-21. Peter, probably writing shortly before his gruesome execution under Nero, is talking to people about how to deal with false teachers and heresy. He is talking about making our situation with God certain for all eternity. And then, very tenderly and transparently, he says:
So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. [Forgive me, but I just have to say this again!] I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things.
We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.
And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
I trust the Bible because I believe, based on this passage and so many others like it, that the folks who wrote all these words down were just common folks like you and I who truly experienced something inescapable – so inescapable they were willing to suffer and die clinging to the facts they were teaching. Who dies for a lie? At one point in this man’s life, he ran away from a servant girl. Then just a short while later, something happened that changed him into a raging, powerfully preaching firebrand. What causes behavior to change like that?
Read and study this stuff! These aren’t the words of some ancient languages scholar trying to make a sophisticated, intellectual argument and win himself a research grant at some snotty university or get a book tour. This is Peter the rough, impulsive and feisty fisherman just talking about what he saw. This is Peter who, along with almost all his best friends, died for these words. This is Peter the wonderfully flawed fisherman, who goes to great lengths throughout Scripture to ensure that history remembers him as the guy who regularly goofed up in the presence of Jesus. Peter will never forget the moment he references in this passage, the great, earth-shattering transfiguration of Jesus on the mountain, at least partially because Peter mostly made an idiot of himself on the mountain that day! Jesus was transfigured before their very eyes on the mountain and Peter suggested a campout! The Bible says Peter didn’t know what to say at that moment – but he sure does now. Now, in the twilight of his life, he looks back on that moment as the glorious proof of everything he wants all of us to believe.
These are not cleverly invented stories. This thing is not man’s doing. This is Bible. This is Word of God stuff. And I believe it! This is a reason for the hope I have within me.
The third and final passage from which I hope we’ll breathe deeply is different from the first two. It isn’t the Apostle Paul making an argument to a young disciple or Peter defending his stories one last time before he dies. This third passage is just a young guy in love…
In Psalm 119 we simply find the heartfelt meditations of a man who just loves the Book.
This is one of the strangest chapters in all the Bible. It is the longest chapter of the Bible. It is a strangely acrostic poem based on the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Each of the twenty two sections have eight sort of clumsy verses and each verse begins with that particular letter of the Hebrew alphabet; eight verses beginning with the letter “A,” eight verses with the “B,” and so on. In the German Bible, the inscription over this chapter reads: “The Christian’s golden A B C of the praise, love, power and use of the Word of God.” I know that’s a long and clumsy caption, but it’s a perfect description of the chapter!
But some scholars don’t understand why anyone would write this way. Frankly, I don’t think they understand the psalm at all. One popular commentary shamefully devotes only three paragraphs to the entire psalm. And just listen to that commentator’s terrible introduction to the passage: “Psalm 119 is twenty-two eight-line sonnets, each line beginning with the same letter and mentioning God’s “word,” the sonnets strictly following the Hebrew alphabet, scarcely allowing any freedom for feeling, poetic fancy, or congregational fervor. One can hardly imagine any worshiping assembly chanting doggedly through so many pedestrian, repetitious, and often borrowed lines, so mechanically arranged.” That guy just doesn’t get it! I couldn’t disagree with him more – I think this is one of the most beautiful psalms in the whole book!
I say that because, if we read this psalm carefully, we discover that the psalm was probably written by a young man, according to verses 9, 99, 100. Scholars say this young man, a young Daniel sort of fellow, found himself in a situation where he was derided, oppressed and persecuted by those who did not respect God’s Word and, specifically, by a government hostile to the people of God, according to verses 23, 46, 161. He was imprisoned (v61) and possibly even expecting death (v83). Many good scholars speculate this psalm was written by a young man perhaps living in the exile, imprisoned and about to die for his faith. And as he waited, he used the Hebrew alphabet as a clumsy memory tool to pray and to meditatively reflect on God’s Word. He didn’t mind writing and reciting 176 verses. He had no football game to watch or very much else to do; nothing but time on his hands. These words may be very simple and common, they may not be as sophisticated, concise or poetic as other psalms, they may indeed be filled with all sorts of repetition, but they are not ugly or unfeeling. I believe these words got him through just as they can get us through.
There is so much beauty, wisdom and power in this psalm, when I preached on this text four years ago up in Ely, I simply read all 176 verses of it. How’s that for a sermon? I’m not going to do that today. As a matter of fact, I’m not going to comment on it much at all. I just want to invite you to set aside some time, over the next several days to breathe deeply of it.
One of my favorite writers, Donald Miller, once made the comment that “sometimes you just have to watch somebody love something before you can ever love it yourself.” This Psalm 119 passage is just a guy totally in love with God’s Word. And so I believe it might be more profitable for us all to go away from here today and read it for ourselves than it would be for me to talk about it. So please do that before you go to bed today…I beg you to read it slow.
Breathe deeply of this beautiful Book so that it might breathe deeply into you.
I know there are a lot of people in the world today who think guys like me make too much of this Book. They don’t understand why we would cling so fervently to its teachings even when its words are unpopular, harsh, confusing, controversial or politically incorrect. They find it strange I would argue for biblical truths that fully expose me as a sinner! They think me small-minded, quaint or silly for using the pages of this book to make day to day decisions.
Sorry. But I can’t help it. This Book contains the reason for the hope that is within me.
This isn’t really a sermon today, but just a testimony. I don’t come to you as a paid salesman for God and His Word. I know it’s my job to constantly say nice things about God, Jesus, the Church and the Bible, but please believe me when I tell you that isn’t why I’m saying all these things. I’m not ever a salesman; I am just a very satisfied consumer. I am just giving you all an accounting of the reasons for the hope I have within me.
May God help us all to breathe deeply of His beautiful Word! May we bury our faces so deeply into His Word that His Words will become our words – His ways our ways!
Go read this good Book! Go home and love this beautiful Book!
Amen.
