TEACHING POINT: The Bible is vital for our Christian lives and growth: “The Word of God does the work of God by the Spirit of God in the people of God” (Mark Ashton)

APPLICATION POINT: We need to not only read/hear the Bible but believe/love/obey the Bible in our everyday lives

INTRODUCTION

There was once a time when there was a book deemed so dangerous, so subversive that it was banned in the British Isles.  Any one who was found with a copy of it, or caught smuggling it into the country would be arrested, tortured and executed.  This book had to be produced, printed on the Continent and smuggled into Britain in bags of flour.  This banned book was none other than The English Bible!  For centuries the only Bible available to people was a copy of the inaccurate Latin translation of the Bible, a language inaccessible to all but the elite, which would be kept in the local Catholic church.  However, with the invention of the printing press in the 15^th century, things began to change.  Challenging the decadence and corruption – both morally and theologically – within the church, William Tyndale was a brilliant young English man who set about translating the Bible into an accurate English version.  His dream was that “If God spare my life, before very long I shall cause a plough boy to know the scriptures better than the priests do!"  Tyndale went into hiding to complete his work, but was hunted down and brought back to England.  He was tortured and refused to denounce his work.  So he was burnt at the stake in 1536, with copies of his English Bible used to kindle the fire.  And his last words were: “Lord, open the king of England’s eyes”.  Within 100 years, the Authorised King James Version of the Bible was being printed in England in 1611.  No longer is the Bible the Banned Book.  Instead, when the Queen was crowned at Westminster Abbey in 1953 at the height of the ceremony she was presented with a Bible accompanied with these words: 'Our Gracious Queen, we present you with this Book, the most valuable thing that this world affords.” 

Today in a country where there are dozens of different Bible translations, we probably own more than one copy of the Bible that lies unused on a shelf, we have access to endless resources and apps online – we easily take for granted the incredible privilege that we have in having access to the Word of God in our own language.  There are 180 million people around the world, from 1800 language groups, who have no access to any Bible in their own language – and 1.65 billion without access to the full Bible.

And yet it is VITAL for our Christian lives because it reveals the gospel: it births our faith, it grows our faith, it guides our faith, it encourages our faith, it helps our faith persevere to the end.  As someone has said: “The Word of God does the work of God by the Spirit of God in the people of God” (Mark Ashton).  Tonight we’ll be thinking about getting the most from the Bible.

BIBLE STUDY (v.19-25)

Hearing God’s Word (v.19-21)

• Following the gardening metaphors in this passage, draw a simple diagram showing: How do we make progress in the Christian life?
  • What is the seed?
    • “The implanted word” – which is itself referring to the Bible, especially the Bible’s key theme: the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Old Testament is Promise; the New Testament is Fulfillment!  Probably a reference to the gospel promise of the law written on our hearts under the new covenant: Jeremiah 31:33)
  • What needs to be done to the soil of our hearts? Why?
    • It needs to be cleared of “filthiness and rampant wickedness” that will hinder the growth and fruitfulness of the Word in our lives
  • What is the fruit?
    • “Produce the righteousness of God” (v.20) … “which is able to save your souls” (v21: future salvation: wholeness and restoration of our lives to God’s image in Christ)
  • How will the fruit get there?
    • It will grow naturally – the word “implanted” suggests this is a natural process of how the new life of God will be produced in us by His Word and Spirit, once we have “received” it into our lives. Sam Alberry comments: “we start to change as God’s Word is allowed to take root in every corner of our lives” Cross-reference John 15: “I am the vine you are the branches … if any branch abides in me, it will bear much fruit”

• How does Jesus’ parable in Matthew 13:18-23 help us understand James’ message?
• There are things in our lives that oppose and suppress the work that God wants to do within us: spiritual opponents that steal away the Word, adverse circumstances that cause us to give up on the Word as unworkable, internal evil desires that drain the interest out of the Word.

Obeying God’s Word (v.22-27)

• What are the contrasts between the person with the mirror and the person with the Word? How does Jesus’ parable in Matthew 7:24-27 help us understand James’ warning about deception?
  • One “looks”, “walks away”, “forgets – the other “looks” [literally ‘bends over’], “perseveres”, “obeys” – draw out the ridiculous picture of seeing your hair and face is a mess, but not doing anything about it before going out in public!
  • We need to be those who hear God’s Words and “put them into practice”

• Some non-Christians say: “True freedom is being able to do anything I like!” How can God’s Word bring “liberty” when it is a “law” (v.25) that sets limits/boundaries on our lives?  Can you think of any examples of where boundaries enhance, rather than diminish, our lives?
• We were created for a specific purpose and in fulfilling that we would work best – to be people in God’s image. God’s Word tells us what He is truly like, and so in following it, we are also discovering what it truly looks like to be a human in His likeness.
• “when you think about what Jesus has come to do, don’t think of rules and regulations and rituals. Think of a beached whale being restored to the ocean.  Think of it swimming free again… the ocean doesn’t oppress the whale.  The deeper it goes into the water, the freer it is to enjoy all that it means to be a whale.  God doesn’t compromise our humanity.  The deeper our relationship with Him, the freer we are to enjoy all that it means to be human” (Mike Cain)

APPLICATION (v.26-27)

I wonder how many times have you been like me: heard a sermon, been struck by something in it, but then gone away having forgotten about it within an hour or two?  How many times have you had a quiet time that you read the words but don’t really get more than some new trivia or interesting facts, that you forget about as you get on with the rest of your busy day?

Have you ever heard a sermon on God’s sovereignty and control, but found yourself freaking out over something unexpected that has gone wrong?  Have you ever heard a sermon on God’s justice and judgement against sin, but found yourself again knee deep in sin and shame hours later?

The Bible was not just given for mental information but life transformation!  It is meant to make a difference!

Transformation occurs as we pray for wisdom, asking God’s Spirit to show us and help us APPLY what we’ve read into our lives.

It’s not enough simply to read your Bible plan each day of the year, as this easily turns into a tick-box exercise or simply moving forward the bookmark:

“Every part of it, whatever its genre and form, demands a response of repentance and faith.  We can never read it and just say: Huh, that doesn’t really speak into my life right now.  All of it is intended to change us, today.  We need think and pray carefully about how any section of Scripture applies to us.  It is good to ask of any passage: How should this affect my thinking, my attitude, my behaviour?” (Alberry)

 Always be on the look out for:

• A command to obey
• A warning to heed
• A promise to trust
• A truth to believe
• A reason to love
• A comfort to encourage
• A self-examination to conduct
• An example to imitate

• Have a go drawing out applications from v.19-27 for your life?

• Think about what you’ve read or heard preached from the Bible recently: How is God’s Word affecting how you speak? (v.26), how you care for others? (v.27a), or your purity as you live in this world (v.27b)?

CONCLUSION:

Think of getting the most from the Bible, like getting the most from food:

• Reading - tasting, putting into mouth
• Thinking and praying over it – chewing
• Applying - swallowing and digesting

The Bible has stood the test of time and innumerable attempts to destroy it physically and discredit it (intellectually, historically, scientifically, etc.) – all have failed.  God’s Word endures forever!  But these things can unsettle us and undermine our confidence in hearing and obeying it. So please don’t be afraid to ask questions and explore things more – there are good answers.  If want to think more: Bethinking.org or “Why Trust the Bible?"

If want to learn more about getting more out of the Bible’s treasures, check out: “Dig Deeper” or “How To Read The Bible For All Its Worth” or take the video "Ten Day Bible Training Course" for free online