Hi everyone. If you don't know me, I'm Pastor
Jen. I've been here since the beginning of the
church. Since the very start. Oh, right, yes.
Since the very beginning of the church. Like,
since the era of Peter and Jesus. I aged very
well. We are in a series of how -to. Marissa
led us through how to pray last week. You're
going to hear me say the words nuts and bolts
a lot this week, today, because that, I think,
is a good descriptor of what it is that we're
getting into. We're getting into the nuts and
bolts of how we grow in our faith, how it's constructed,
how it's formed, so that it is, as we talk about
here at the house, it is forming a foundation
for us and building a house for us to live in,
and a structure in which... We live our lives
with the embodiment of Christ and his message
in us. So this week is another how -to. My first
semester, I went to Indiana Wesleyan University,
and my first semester at that school was really
hard. I had actually transferred in from another
school in upstate New York where I grew up, and
I left behind a lot of friends and what felt
like a very safe... version of myself. I did
not gracefully swim into that first semester.
We could say I floundered. But the end of my
first semester, I got a reckoning because much
of it was of my own doing. I received my letter
on Christmas Eve that uninvited me to participate
as a student in the school. I was kicked out.
And that was a tough moment. I had failed two
classes and done poorly in the rest. And so one
of those classes was methods of Bible study,
everyone. It was to teach inductive methods of
studying scriptures. And through the petition
of a really, really gracious professor, I was
readmitted with... very distinct and serious
academic restraints. But because methods of Bible
study was a required class for those seeking
to become pastors, I found myself back in my
seat for the second semester learning the topic
once again. I will say on the second round, I
actually did turn in the final paper, which had
previously been my downfall. So today I come
to you, a two -time student of Methods of Bible
Study with Steve Lennox. Is Dave Hodge here?
He's not. Dave also had Steve Lennox as a professor.
So with Steve Lennox with this week's how -to
message, which is how to study the scriptures.
So may your confidence be bolstered, everyone.
I joke, but I even have messaged Steve now, you
know, in my future self, in my current ministry
life, I've even messaged Steve to say, thank
you for failing me. I needed the wake -up call,
for one, but also I was honestly so fortunate
in the long run to have been taught by him and
to have had a couple go -rounds in his class.
It gave me such an incredible perspective on
the variety of writing found in the Bible, the
tone of authorship, the importance of language
and grammar and syntax, the importance of when
something was written and the history of its
translation over time. But with Steve, it wasn't
all academic. Steve loves the scriptures and
is propelled by their teachings. And he also
taught of the power they hold to transform us
because of the message that they hold. The scriptures
are rich and they are deep. They are mysterious
and clear. They are ancient and contemporary.
And they have been passed through generations
to get to us today. And we... owe a debt of gratitude
for those that preserved them throughout the
ages. The scribes and historians that recorded
them, those that rewrote them so that they could
be passed on, those that kept them safe when
invading entities would have stolen them away,
those that wrote them small so that they could
be tucked into secret places when it was illegal
to have possession of them. I am obliged to express
deep Deep respect to those who protected these
words through history. Because the Bible as we
now know it has not always been. The original
pieces, and I mean pieces, are many. And they
have been lost and they have been found. They
have been fought for and over. They have been
transcribed and translated. They have been carried
away so as not to be lost. And they have been
carried with in order to be preserved. When the
scriptures were read by Ezra, after the return
of those from exile, the people wept to hear
them. The words were precious to the hearers,
and they still are. I read a book a handful of
years ago called Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony
Doerr. Do you know it? Some of you have probably
actually read All the Light We Cannot See. That's
also his. That's a pretty popular book. But a
handful of years ago, I read this book, and it
takes place in multiple timelines. And in each
timeline, these characters are trying to protect
an ancient piece of writing that has made its
way to them in one way or another. One character
escapes the attack of the Ottomans of Constantinople
in 1453, taking the writing with her as she fled
the city. Another acquires a copy during a war.
Another is tasked with its care sometime in the
future. And I remember thinking of all the various
ways in history that people have done this with
the pieces, the scrolls, the scraps of scripture
that they have had possession of throughout the
last multiple millennia. I have visited the town
of Ancient Corinth in Greece a couple times.
Kelsey Campbell and I got to go together last
summer. The first time I was there, I walked
around thinking about Paul meeting Priscilla
and sitting in the marketplace, having conversations
with people, starting the young church that was
going to be there and his time that he spent
there. I then sat in my car with the city ruins
directly in front of me, the Temple of Apollo
making a shadow on my car, and I read the opening
passages of 1 Corinthians, and I was so moved.
Paul wrote letters to this community, to his
friends, to those that were wanting to grow in
their dedication to Jesus. Those letters got
circulated around. They were rewritten so that
they could travel with people and go to other
communities. They got rewritten again when the
materials wore out, and that happened over and
over and over again. They held on to these words.
And as I sat there 2 ,000 years later in my modern
chariot, as it were, next to a town that is now
no longer. It is simply in ruins. I still get
to read Paul's words on my iPhone. How wild is
that, right? But the words, because the words
were so precious and people took them so seriously
and kept them so cared for, they were life for
those people and the people kept them safe. The
early church did not have the Bible as we know
it. That wouldn't appear for a long time later.
They had pieces of what we call the Old Testament,
the Hebrew writings, that they viewed as scripture
during their own time. In their world, it was
known as the Septuagint because that was a Greek
translation of the Hebrew scriptures that was
now available because the Hebrew scriptures were
now ancient to them. in the New Testament, in
the New Testament times, in the early church.
And so it had to be updated for a Greek Hellenized
world to be able to have access to them. So that's
what the early church, when you hear in what
we call New Testament writings, scripture, they
are referring to the Septuagint. Or if they are
Hebrew people, they would have read also some
of it in Hebrew and in Aramaic. So this is what
they had. These scriptures were old and from
a long lost era to even the New Testament people.
But the books of what we call the New Testament
were generally letters and accounts just being
passed around at that time. And the Bible that
we know is not self -aware in that everything
that became scripture did not know in its own
time that it was going to eventually be considered
sacred. Now, the early church did consider things
like apostolic letters from like Paul and others
that were considered apostolic in their connection
to Jesus. They took those very seriously as items
of great importance. They were to be held onto
and shared and even read in gatherings in partnership
with The ancient scriptures. Because they held
great practical information about now how to
live as Christ followers in this new world that
they were in. When there was no template. There
was no instructions other than what Jesus left
them with. And so they had to just rewrite it
and share it and share it and share it over and
over. But Paul... when he was writing his letters,
was not writing to all of Christendom for the
next two millennia when he wrote to the church
in Corinth to talk about lawsuits and his upcoming
travel schedule. He didn't know that these writings
were going to have the longevity that they had.
It, in its time, did not know its sacred value.
And so, to have all of this bound neatly in our
lifetime in a book you can get with a pretty
cover, And shiny stuff on the ends is extraordinary
and is a miracle. It is a miracle we have it.
So in order to study the scriptures, we have
to understand their value and how extraordinary
it is that we even have them at all. We're so
fortunate. God has cared for us in such an extraordinary
way. that the story has held, the story has continued,
and it has come to us. And I get to be a believer
in Jesus and know about his salvation in my life
because of these faithful people who cared so
much, not in only their time, their own time,
but to keep and care for these scraps and scrolls
and bits and pieces. It's amazing. So to get
into the nuts and bolts of it. I want to start
with the Pauline and pastoral book of Timothy.
And this book, these two books, these two letters,
were written as sort of a final word to Timothy,
who had become a trusted ministry partner. It's
these final thoughts on the nuts and bolts of
ministry. And what sounds like, at this time,
a church that has become more established. So
there are things like, keep in mind these things.
Don't forget. Watch out for. Be alert. And devote
yourself to the scriptures which point you to
Jesus, our salvation. So let's read from 2 Timothy.
At the house, we give the scriptures our full
attention, and so you may stand for their reading
if you would like to. If you don't have a Bible,
you can look the passage up on your phone. Again,
how amazing. We just have it on our phones. You
can download a Bible app, and there are some
Bibles on the table, I think. Yeah, there's some
Bibles on the table and out in the hall. If you
need one, you may take one. But I'm going to
read from 2 Timothy 3. 14 through 17, and I'm
reading from the New Revised Standard Version,
updated edition, lots of letters, NRSVUE. 2 Timothy
3, 14 through 17. But as for you, continue in
what you have learned and firmly believe, he
says to Timothy. knowing from who you've learned
it and how from childhood you have known the
sacred writings that are able to instruct you
for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.
All scripture is inspired by God and is useful
for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for
training in righteousness, so that the person
of God may be proficient and equipped for every
good work. Let's pray. God, we are so grateful
that here we stand in the time that we are in
and these ancient words are still alive to us
today and that they have made their way to us.
They have made their way to people throughout
history and have transformed us and have inspired
us. They have taught us. They have corrected
us. They have led us to you. And may they endure.
May we be people that bear the word and bear
your truth so that these things do not die but
continue, at least as much as we can help it
along. May we be preservers of the good word
in which you have revealed yourself. We pray
this in your name. Amen. As I said, what we consider
scripture today looks different than what...
This letter was calling scripture. The early
church was born out of Judaism, but with the
twist that the long waited for Messiah had in
fact come. And now the new church was doing its
best to follow him and keep the message before
them. So the church needed teaching. It needed
redirection on the things that were old that
are now coming true. The old is gone. The new
has come. What does that mean for us? They still
needed redirection and words that brought them
back to center. And we need that too. It needed
to understand, the early church needed to understand
how the kingdom of God that Jesus talked about
so much, how it worked so that everyone could
be fully informed and fully informed and equipped,
that no one would have secret information that
only a few people were allowed to know. The message
was for everyone. And so this was the concern
of this and the previous letter to Timothy, how
to care for yourself and others in this life
of being a pastor, preach the word, like root
yourself in the scriptures and make sure people
know. And so here we are today. We still need
this, don't we? We are still needing this. And
even I would go so far to say, it's not a stretch.
This passage also doesn't let us off the hook
either. Because we as a congregation, as believers,
are also in need of the guidance of how to be
pastoral in our world. Being called a kingdom
of priests, meaning we have been given the call
to serve God, represent him in the world, and
live in a way that draws others to him. And so
let's talk a bit about how to approach scripture
with these things in mind. I'm going to go through
three concepts. Big and broad. And very, very
sort of like, again, nuts and bolts, it's the
best term to use. It's very easy. Secondarily,
how do we listen to the scriptures? And thirdly,
what does it mean once we've embodied it and
move from there? So there's a caveat I'd like
to make, too, because how many people, when the
question was asked, what do you like to read,
said, I don't like to read? Anybody? That's a
real thing. So sometimes when we get into conversations
about reading scripture or studying scripture,
that's like, I don't like to read. What am I
to do? And on a very real level, there are some
very real restrictions that prevent people from
reading and enjoying the written word. And so
I do want to say, listening to scripture. audiobooks
you can get them through the library you can
get them as apps please know that that is also
valid because even in the early in the early
in the early testamental years mostly people
were listening to the scriptures they weren't
they weren't pulling out their home scrolls and
going through and reading them. So be encouraged
that listening to the word, listening to it is
another way of getting it in you. If you don't
like to read, and that is okay. Be clear on that
point. So, and if you need help finding some
good resources along those lines, talk to Greg
and myself. Andy's a big reader. There's plenty
of other people. Scott has also expressed some
of the ways he's listened to scripture. So ask
questions. But yes, this big book can feel overwhelming
to some degree, even for those that have known
Jesus a long time, can have a sense of where
do I begin? How can it be made new again? How
do I approach it? And if you're not somebody
who enjoys reading, what do you do? So let's
talk through a couple of ways that I think actually
work for multiple different learning styles and
different intelligence styles. So I want to talk
about the Bible as an anthology. It is not one
book. It is a compilation of books, which I think
is fascinating. And maybe that helps. I'm not
just referring to the Bible in two parts, the
Old Testament and New Testament. The breakdown
is that there are, in the Protestant Bible, 66
different books. And they're very unique, depending
on the variety of your tradition. Catholicism,
Orthodoxy, Protestantism has even more books
in it. And so we have... All these different
kinds of books in here covering a large span
of time. And so when the Bible feels a little
like singular to you. Take a moment to realize
the diversity that is set up in it, not just
the diversity of books, but people it represents
and the moments in history it represents. It
is an incredible anthology, a collection of books
over time and history in which we get so many
different voices that come through to us. And
I love to talk about how the Bible was formed,
like how we actually got it to this form. So
if anybody's interested in that, I will go deep.
So we have a book of books. That is valuable
to know when you are approaching the Bible and
digging into it. Also, the books are not one
kind of book. They are multiple different genres.
So who reads fiction? I heard Africa earlier
say fiction. Who loves fantasy in particular?
Who loves history? Andy. Who loves, like, really
just, like, you love reading the news. Like,
that's such a delight for you to get, like, the
Sunday paper and read the news. Listen, you laugh,
but I'm like, give me the news. I want it. Adventure.
Choose your own adventure. Do you remember those
books? Genres matter. We're not going to read
a history book the same way we're going to read
fantasy. Reading about the history of the Constitution
is much different than reading about dragons.
Genres matter, and the collected scriptures we
have is an incredible anthology of diverse books
that represent a long stretch of people's relationship
with God and God's relationship with us over
time. Some of the styles or the genres that the
Bible includes are wisdom, law, history, letters,
allegory, prophecy, apocalyptic literature, which
I would like to say the book of John is not the
only one of. Lament. Songs, parable, poetry,
narrative, sermon, genealogy. Knowing what genre
a biblical book is and how to read that genre
is valuable. I just finished reading Jurassic
Park last week. I loved it. But I cannot expect
to find elves where there are dinosaurs. Reading
the Constitution with Gandalf the Grey's voice.
yelling at the Balrog is not going to, I mean,
that's going to be a weird constitution. And
though I won't stop you from trying, it will
be weird. If you read Greek mythology with the
same approach as one might read a newspaper,
you might find yourself trying to unearth fact
where there is meant to be fiction. That's important.
So knowing the intended style of a book will
help you with your expectations of what the book
is meant to be. You will not find Frankenstein's
monster piloting the Millennium Falcon. Or maybe
you would. I think I would probably watch that.
But we can't read Jesus' parables with the same
understanding or application as we read Paul's
letters to the Corinthians. Genres matter. Style
matters. So knowing what kind of book you are
reading informs what the book is saying. Context.
You know how much I love context. The Bible's
collection of books spans this incredible range
of time in the world that we know now as the
Mediterranean West Asia. Culturally, here as
Americans, we will. This is going to happen.
We will read our Americanism. and 21st century
norms onto the scriptures. It is inevitable.
We will, if not alert, read with the eyes of
the world we know, but we need to recognize that
this is unhelpful. Taking time to understand
some context, some surrounding information is
worth it. And listen, we live in an amazing time
of information. You can do a simple search on
Book of 2 Timothy, Book of Revelation. Simple
searches will help bring up the authorship, the
time frame it was written in, who the book was
written to, major themes, locations, what was
going on at the time. That is accessible to all
of us. So I encourage you, do a little bit of
research. And finally, translations matter. Knowing
a little bit about your translation can be helpful
because translation does have bias in it. Some
translations are fairly literal. The attempt
is to try to get as word for word as possible.
One -to -one translation. But some translate
in the spirit of the phrase or the word. And
even in one translation. NIV, New Living Translation,
NRSV, King James Version. Even in one translation,
you're going to find a mix of that stuff that
maybe the book of Revelation was really well
translated for the language, but the book of
John, probably another translation is going to
give you better insight. So I'd like to offer
that even with a translation, use a few. Read
a few. It's going to give you, if anything, a
broader approach and understanding of a passage.
And the books of the Bible were not written in
vacuums, and neither were their translations.
The King James Bible was translated and made
available in its time because of its time. So
useful things to know. So taking time to understand
these things will enrich your form of reading.
So, okay, those are very practical. What did
I say they were? Nuts and bolts. Thank you, Chris.
So those are some very practical shop talk pieces
that I want to just put on the table. It feels
very academic. I understand that. And it kind
of is. But they're tools that give you both broad
approaches and scalpels. And both of that is
valuable. However, and I would also dare to say,
in an era of information like we have, it's almost
non -negotiable. for you to add some of that
to your study of scripture. Just do a little
bit more. So these things I just mentioned are
only a part of it. And like I said, they are
seemingly academic and even almost detached way
of considering the scriptures. Objective and
informative. They are meant to get us though
to another layer. They are not the end goal.
Knowledge is not the end goal and it is not useful
if it doesn't lead us to wisdom. So we need to
go further. What I just went through are technicalities
of our approach, practical tools. They are enriching
and useful, but do they get us to the layers
of what God is saying to us? Because if we do
not read scripture to understand God and hear
from God, we have missed the point. So like I
said, the nuts and bolts. That is what we have
done. Paul has affirmed, Romans 15, 4, whatever
was written in former days was written for our
instruction. But, John 5, 39, Jesus has taught
us that the scriptures bear witness about me.
And the apostles preach Christ as the fulfillment
of the law and the prophets. So the authority
of the Bible was not abstract, but was Christ
-centered. It was all going in one direction.
This conviction shaped the church's early mission.
The Old Testament was read in light of Christ,
and the apostolic writings proclaimed his death
and his resurrection. So as Paul summarized,
1 Corinthians 15, 3 and 4, Christ died for our
sins in accordance with the scriptures. He was
raised on the third day in accordance with the
scriptures. They looked back at the scriptures
and then built the story from there in the new
apostolic era. And as a collective, we get that
full picture that even they didn't have in their
own time. The authority of scripture was tied
to its power to reveal Christ and to call sinners
to faith. And so scripture is not only practical,
it is spiritual. Greg even said literally that
a couple weeks ago. I have a different approach
to it, but that's exactly right. It is practical,
but it is also spiritual. And they're hand in
hand. They're not exclusive of each other. The
early Christians understood that the Bible's
authority was not merely to instruct, but to
redeem. And so the practical things help get
us to the core. When I was in my methods of Bible
study class, both times, I was introduced to
the idea of asking, what was the scripture saying
to its original audience? And what is it saying
to now? Unsurprisingly, if you've been around
for a minute, you know I can get caught in the
weeds on word studies and context and, of course,
history. I love history. While writing this message,
even, I went down a whole rabbit hole on the
word graph and went through about 20 scriptures
and where it was featured because I wanted to
know more about that word. None of that made
it into this message. But I love... I love the
knowledge that comes with it. But I can easily
focus on gaining knowledge, and then I can also
easily overlook the wisdom and the voice of the
Spirit if I'm not staying in tune and paying
attention. So I need to invite the Spirit into
it. We all do. That's the thing we all do. But
I'm being mindful here. I need to remember, invite
the spirit into the reading and to the experience
here. When I read scripture, there is knowledge
to be had and knowledge to be applied. That is
good, but it is not the end. If I am not inviting
the spirit to speak to me, to guide me in wisdom,
I am missing out on the whole thing. I am missing
out on the hope. I am missing out on the transformation.
I am missing out on the story of redemption.
So I need to further ask, what is the Spirit
saying? What does this passage tell me about
God? Because the Bible is the authoritative source
on the Christian God. There are no other sources
that have the range or the depth of the story
of Yahweh in the world. And ultimately, I need
to ask, what from this do I need to carry with
me and respond to? And I need to let the scripture
through the enlightenment of the spirit speak.
Eugene Peterson, you would know him from his
paraphrased translation of The Message. He loved,
loved scripture. In his book called Eat This
Book, I always bring books with me, Eat This
Book, he talks about whether we read the Bible
for information. about God and salvation for
principles and truths that we can use to live
better? Or do we read it in order to listen to
God and respond in prayer and obedience? So lastly,
as we move from knowledge into wisdom, ultimately,
we need to read and study scripture so that we
ultimately embody its message. It doesn't stay
on our skin. It comes into our hearts. It comes
into our minds. So Deuteronomy 6, 1 through 9.
These are the commands, decrees, and laws the
Lord your God directed me to teach you to observe
in the land that you are crossing the Jordan
to possess so that you, your children, and their
children after them may fear the Lord your God
as long as you live by keeping all his decrees
and commands that I give you. so that you may
enjoy long life. Hear, Israel, and be careful
to obey, so that it may go well with you, and
that you may increase greatly in the land flowing
with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God
of your ancestors, promised you. Hear, O Israel,
the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord
your God with all your heart, and with all your
soul, and with all your strength. These commandments,
these were their scriptures. the law and the
prophets. These commandments that I give you
today are to be on your hearts. Impress them
on your children. Talk about them when you sit
at home, when you walk along the road, when you
lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols
on your hands and bind them to your forehead.
Write them on the door frames of your houses
and on your gates. Get them into your life. Get
them into your whole being. May these words,
may the message permeate your life in every way.
May they inform you. May they lead you. May they
be in you so that when the Lord needs to call
them to mind, they are in place. They are in
you. When you need to speak encouragement, the
words are close to the surface. When you need
to teach or correct, may it be done with the
message of life that comes from these pages because
they are living in you. May they live in you
like the breath you breathe so that when you
speak, you speak the message that is encapsulated
in it. May not just the words, but the heart
of the spirit -inspired witness to God's saving
plan from Genesis to Revelation be embedded in
you in such a way that the message of God comes
through you, not as a weapon to hurt others,
not as a way for proving a point or a tool for
an argument, but as a message of life and of
creation and of salvation and of hope. Now, I
did go to school to learn a number of these things.
I went to pastor school to learn these things.
You don't have to go to pastor school to study
scripture well. You don't have to go to school
to love this book and to love the words of life
in it. You have tools at your hands. You have
tools at the ready that are available to you,
and I encourage you to dive in. Dive into words
of life, dive into words of hope, dive into words
of salvation, not just for your own sake, but
again, once they are in you, then they move with
you through the world. They go with you. And
when we are talking about dark places that we
are seeing and we know about, the light lives
in you and you can take it with you. We don't
read these words because we have to discipline
ourselves to spend time reading three chapters
for my Bible study plan. I mean, that's useful
as a method if that is helpful to you. But we
don't do it to check off boxes. We do it because
these are words of life that we need and others
around us need. incredibly runs throughout the
whole thing. And then we need to get it in us
so that we embody this message too and are transformed
by it. So if you hope to see transformation in
the world, I think this is where it begins. It's
not the sole place because Marissa talked about
prayer last week and I'm like, that's good too.
You should also do that. It is a full picture.
It is a full picture of these things that we
do to place ourselves in the way, following the
rabbi, being in the way of Christ. But I said
a lot of things, as I normally do, but I'm trusting
God to bring to the surface what you need. If
it's some of the practical nuts and bolts stuff
of, oh, I've never thought about the translations.
I've never thought about just doing a quick Google
search on what was the context and the setting
of this particular book. If that's new to you,
awesome. That's so great. If you want to rededicate
yourself to the questions you ask of the scripture,
Christ, speak to me. God, what can I learn about
you through this passage? Amazing. Moving from
words to full embodiment of the message is a
new idea to you as well. Amazing. Let that go,
let that be with you as a hopeful thing, that
the Spirit will help you with that and will make
that possible for you. But as we move into communion,
we often have a moment just for reflection, and
I encourage you to use that reflection time to
just simply ask God, what from? These bits will
be your next step or the thing that you want
to think about this week.