SERMON 5 OF 5 IN A SERIES EXPLORING SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE, PREACHED 18 NOVEMBER 2012. READ Psalm 1:1-3; Psalm 119:97-105 (better read the whole psalm); 2 Timothy 3:1-17
The Bible is alive, it speaks to me; it has feet, it runs after me; it has hands, it lays hold of me.
Martin Luther, “Martin Luther–The Early Years,” Christian History, no. 34.
And I add – it challenges me, comforts me and converts me.
This book we call ‘the Bible’ is no ordinary book – it is living and active, continually challenging us to uncover fresh meaning and giving us insight into how we might live out God’s story. By savouring Scripture we are challenged to change, we are comforted with knowledge of God’s love, we are converted to Jesus likeness and thus he is seen in us, in our attitudes, and in our actions.
What is the Bible?
- A collection of stories
- A book
- Scripture – holy Words
- A Word of God
- The Word of God
Let’s stop with that thought for a moment. The Bible is the Word of God. What does that mean?
This is no ordinary book – it is not a story about God, it is not a text book about God, it is God’s Word to us.
That surely affects the way we regard it! Given that we say we LOVE God you’d expect that we would love God’s Word. Given that we say we want to follow Jesus you’d expect we would immerse ourselves in the Word to know him more.
Yet strangely we don’t. Continue reading →
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To be human is to experience temptation, and in Luke’s narrative – as the final event before his public ministry begins – Jesus is put to the test.