5 – What would Jesus say today about the Bible?

By Jeff Fry

Darwin Park Community Church

Matthew 24:35  “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”

I.       Intro

A.   Review of previous weeks sermons

1.     What would Jesus say today about anger?

Over 50% of counseling problems in christian counseling offices have to do with unforgiveness

Urgency to reconciling with people/brother

Talk to the person we are angry with

Forgive

Hypocrisy of worshipping a forgiving God and yet not forgiving your brother

Harbouring unforgiveness while trying to open up your heart to God in worship will not work

Integrity of heart

What would Jesus say today about purity of thought?

Today there are oh so many opportunities to set our minds on things that are impure

with the internet porn has come into the home on demand

looking at porn is  seen as betrayal by spouses esp. wives.

Drastic measures must be taken to avoid impure thoughts – do what you have to do as long as it doesn’t involve sin (gouge out your eye, cut off your right hand)

God  is holy, pure – we must be like him (imitators of God says Ephesians).

What would Jesus say today about injustice?

Don’t resist an evil person

Doesn’t mean to be a doormat which perpetrates evil or enables disfunction, but means that we should not be a scrooge, tight-fisted, stingy.

Generous God, we should be generous too.

What would Jesus say about truth-telling

Be imitators of God

Created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness

So, we must be truth-tellers to represent a God who says “I am the way, the truth, and the life …”

To be known as a fellowship who can be counted on and trusted – whose word is as good as an oath.

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B.   We must dedicate ourselves to knowing and obeying the word of God.

II.    We must dedicate ourselves to knowing and obeying the word of God.

A.   State

1.     Background on Scripture (Jewish outlook on the OT)

a)    Early Jewish education totally focused on the Old Testament and teaching children the Scripture

(1)  There was an old Jewish saying that went “the world is poised on the breath of schoolchildren” meaning the future of the world depends on how we teach our children

(2)  Rabbinic law obligated the father to teach his sons the Torah

(3)  Primary school age 5-12 where they studied just the Torah

(a)    Taught Leviticus first in order to learn how to ritually approach God and how to make acceptable sacrifice before God

(b)   Then Psalms to learn about the nature of God

(c)    Memorization of large portions of the OT texts was common

(4)  From 12 on they went to the House of Study usually near the synagogue and where they could study the Torah and its interpretation further.  Paul studied at this level.

(a)    Entering the House of Study they would say a prayer “to be saved from errors of interpreting and understanding the Torah”

(b)   Upon leaving they would give thanks in prayer for Heaven having cast his lot among those in the House of Study

(c)    Study was considered in ancient times to be one of the highest forms of worship

(d)   Study was pursued both day and night and on sabbaths and holidays

(e)   Students were permitted to eat and sleep in the House of Study

(f)     The House of Study was considered even more sacred than the synagogue

(g)   Mastery of the material was the goal.

(5)  Young children were taught the Torah at home  with honey set out on the table in order to teach them that the Word of God was a delicacy and that they should treat it as such.  Also, it taught them that it had a quality of sweetness to it

(6)  Essence of Jewish education was the knowledge and fear of the Lord (“Jewish Education in Ancient Times” by Dr Ron Moseley).

2.     Matthew 24:33 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”

a)    Jesus and therefore God’s words are eternally valid and true.

(1)  Jesus quoted God’s word by using and teaching the Old Testament (e.g. Matthew 19:5 using Genesis 2:24 cf. Mark 10:8)

b)    Isaiah 40:8 “the grass withers and the flowers fall but the word of our God stands forever”

c)     God’s word is true because it corresponds to the order with which God created the world, not because of trends of current culture of His day.

(1)  Some people say that the Bible was written for another culture and can’t be applied “literally” today. 

(2)  For example, homosexuality is not wrong today , only back then was it wrong when the Bible was written

(a)    But this truth was pronounced based on God’s created order of a man and woman coming together to live with one another due to God’s created order, not because it was culturally acceptable.

(b)   God’s created order still stands today

3.     Mark 12:24 “Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures of the power of God?

a)    Jesus would say, “Know the Scripture”. 

b)    Jesus condemns the Sadduces as they ask him a question about Scripture because they don’t know the Scripture

c)     We have trouble memorizing one verse a week while the ancients memorized whole books

d)    Newspaper article in the “Independent” on Monday:

(1)  Only 10 percent of the people surveyed understood the main characters of the Bible

(2)  Figures such as Abraham and Joseph were a puzzlement

(3)  Rare to find anyone who could name the 10 commandments

(4)  Only 15 percent were familiar with stories surrounding advent!!

e)     We are a nation of Biblical illiterates.  We are losing our Christian roots

4.     Matthew 7:24 "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

a)    We must not only know the word, but obey it and live by it too.

(1)  It’s not a matter of knowing information but of aligning our life with the instruction of the Bible.

(a)    Because we love God and want to live His way to please Him and thank Him for what He has given us and done for us.

(2)  We can say we are Christians and not do God’s will (“not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord …’ will enter the kingdom of heaven”)

b)    We don’t read the Bible like a novel – ie. for entertainment, but in a holy, reverent way as a book to which we are molding our life.

(1)  That’s why they prayed upon entering and leaving the House of Study

(2)  It was a holy endeavour reading the Bible

5.     Guard the Word in your life (guard your heart)

a)    Guard your time in the word because Satan is attacking it.

(1)  V.12 – seed on the path (trampled).  The word saves (v. 12) and Satan hates this so he will try to suppress the truth of the word.

(2)  V. 13 word falls among the rock: The word is initially received well but has no root (no depth – just a superficial, surface knowledge). (v.13).

(a)    Faith is not continually deepened through reading and studying the word so they eventually fall away from the faith due to testing and hardships or trials

(b)   We must put down deep roots in the word to deal with questions and also more difficult doctrines

(3)  V. 14 seed falls among the thorns: The person’s heart hears  the Word but things from the outside (like weeds) cause it to be distracted  by the world’s worries, pleasures and riches.

(a)    result is that the seed does not produce a mature crop but a weak one

(4)  v. 15 – due to a good and open heart the word is

(a)    heard, retained  (clings to it, holds it fast), and persevered in (not distracted)

(b)   the result is a mature, strong, crop, fruit

B.   Illustrate

C.   Apply

III.  Conclusion

A.   Jesus would certainly say that we don’t know the word of God like we should

B.   Jesus would certainly say that we don’t put effort into obeying the word and aligning our life with it like we should.

C.   How many of us could truly articulate our faith to a world that is dying for lack of it all around us. 

D.   Know the Word, Live the Word – it’s crucial.