Jump Start # 2141

John 8:32 “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

This verse came to my mind yesterday. I finished reading a book that is subtitled, “Rethinking how you read the Bible.” That implies that we have not been reading the Bible correctly. A new way. New approach. New ideas. That also implies that generations have not read the Bible correctly. Are all of our spiritual forefathers lost and wrong because they did not know how to properly read the Bible?

There is a section about women in the ministry. The author really tries to find ways to “rethink” this. The Bible, he claims, was written by men and the Bible tells stories from the standpoint of men. Chapter after chapter, builds his claim for women preachers and leadership roles in the church. He claims that Jesus’ teaching and the book of James, was shaped by Mary. He finds her influence in both. He claims the opening chapters of Luke came from Mary. But, very subtly, there is this sentence: “I cannot prove that either James or Jesus got these ideas from their mother.” Words such as, “perhaps,” “could,” “we cannot be sure,” fill this section. When addressing Paul’s warning about women being silent in the church, “we are not completely sure what kind of special silence he has in mind.” When looking at women being saved in childbearing, from 1 Timothy 2, he says, “Once again, no one knows for certain what this verse means.”

What we walk away from such books like this, and they are falling off the shelves in bookstores, there are so many like this, is that the “rethinking how you read the Bible,” is nothing more than think the way I think. Inspiration and the role of the Holy Spirit has been left out. Speculation and assumptions without any proof fill the pages. And, there is the omission that no one knows what some of these verses mean. I know folks who have bought into these ideas. This is why I read this. They have left plain Biblical teachings for the land of speculation, ideas without proof and hoping to find ways to do things that they never could before.

Our verse today reminds us that Jesus understood that truth is not vague, fluid and ever changing. You can know it. You can follow it. You can understand it. The truth Jesus had in mind was His words. Now, there are certain things a person has to do to know this truth.

First, they need to try to understand the context and the intention of what is said. Each of us have our own ideas, ways of seeing things, backgrounds, issues and baggage. Yet, through all of that fog, a person can not only know the truth, but that truth will be the same for you and for me. What I see and what you see will be the same if it is the truth. Truth for me and truth for you will not be different.

The very nature of truth is that it is singular and exclusive. One and one equals two. That’s a truth in mathematics. Two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen makes water. That’s a truth in chemistry. You throw a ball up in the air and it will come down. That’s a truth in physics. When I was in grade school, a long time ago, educators came out with what was called “New math.” But that new math didn’t change the truth about one plus one equals two. That remained the same. Truth doesn’t change with time. Truth doesn’t change with location. If I throw a ball up in the air in my backyard, it will come down. If I threw a ball up in the air, while in a foreign country, the ball will still come down.

Second, we need to understand how God uses words. Using an American dictionary often hinders our pursuit of truth rather than helping it. The dictionary will show the various ways a word is used and defined. They may not all be Biblically correct. Look at how God uses those words in other places in the Bible. Use the Bible to help you understand the Bible.

Third, truth isn’t formed by our agreement or acceptance of it. God states things. These are truths that are necessary for us to stand holy and righteously before Him. These truths often compel us to change. They can be difficult and even exhausting on our part. The author of the book I finished reading wants women in the pulpit. Instead of letting the Bible guide him, he manipulated passages and made assumptions without proof to build a case for what he wanted. The same can be done for many cultural themes today. Social drinking is an example. Those that want it, find ways to support it. Homosexual authors have claimed that the sin of Sodom was a lack of hospitality, not homosexuality. They build their cases, stuffed with ideas and assumptions and feed the masses who read them, ideas that are not true. Let the Bible speak for itself.

Fourth, the freedom that comes from this truth, as Jesus spoke about, is found when we embrace it and are changed by it. Truth itself just lies there. Until it is received by faith into our hearts, it will not set us free. The freedom is from Satan, sin, and the bondage of ignorance and error. How many homes today have a Bible? Yet, how few are changed by the pages of those Bibles? Owning a Bible will not help me unless I open it, understand it, and follow it.

I wonder how people back in the 1300’s were able to walk with God and please Him, when they didn’t know about “rethinking how you read the Bible”? It sounds arrogantly, that we now have something that no one else ever had. We have found a new way and a new thought that changes every thing. Solomon’s words, “There is nothing new under the sun,” sure makes one think.

Too many folks, especially younger couples, are eating up books that tell them how to think, how to see and what to believe. Rather than spending so much time reading modern authors, we’d be better off just opening up the Bible and spending a few moments reading it.

Peter could explain the Christ in his Acts 2 sermon by using the Bible. The Ethiopian could understand who was being discussed in the Isaiah passage when someone used the Bible to show him. When tempted, Jesus used the Bible. Over and over, all throughout Biblical history, the Bible was used, understood and changed lives. It worked then. Why can it not work today?

I put my stock in the inspired word of God and not the call by moderns to rethink how we ought to read the Bible. The truth be, the author of that book ought to rethink what he is thinking.

Truth—it’s there. You can find it, know it, believe it and follow it. You don’t need another book to explain the Bible. You just need to open it up and spend a few moments every day, reading slowly, looking up words, see who is speaking and why and then let it sink deeply into your heart. It will change how you think. It will cause you to do better. It will give you greater reasons to love God. It will give you hope. It will answer questions and drive away doubts. It will, open the prison doors and set you free!

Roger

Jump Start # 1978

John 8:32 “and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

We continue our look and our walk through the blessings of God. We are viewing this as a journey through the garden that God has provided for us. Eve, when tempted by the serpent, focused upon the forbidden fruit. She did not consider all the other fruit that was available. There was plenty to eat from. She was more than taken care of by God. The Lord did not leave them destitute, hungry or near death. There was one tree that was off limits. That was the one tree that became the center of her discussion with the serpent. Had Eve only counted all the other trees in her garden, she may have realized that she was well taken care of by God. Trusting God and obeying the Lord would have led her to understand that there were reasons why God did not want her to have that forbidden fruit. Satan had Eve believing that God was holding out on her. Instead, God was protecting and helping her. When Adam and Eve ate what they were not supposed to, sin entered the world and their souls. They were ashamed, guilty and afraid. That was not the experience that they anticipated. That’s not what they thought the forbidden fruit would bring them. God knew.

So, in our walk through our garden, we have seen the trees of fellowship. We noticed the tree of God’s love for us. Now, we look at another massive tree, and that is truth. Truth is found in God’s word. God’s word is truth. Jesus defined Himself as being the way, the TRUTH and the life.

Knowing what is right begins a sense of security, satisfaction and confidence. We know that in other areas. You watch a game show on TV, and a question is asked. You shout out the answer, as if they can hear you, and you are right. That makes you feel good. In school, during a test, when you saw a question that you knew the answer to, that brought a sense of confidence. You felt good about that test. You knew the answers.

Here, we are not talking about finding answers to quiz questions or even filling out answer sheets to our Bible class lessons, but walking in righteousness. To be righteous means to be right. God’s word identifies what pleases God. We don’t have to guess. God’s word warns us about things that are wrong. Right and wrong are determined by God. It’s not the church, it’s not the preacher, it’s not you or me who decides what is right or wrong, but God. The Lord told Adam about the forbidden fruit. Adam’s eating of the fruit was not in ignorance, but in rebellion. He knew. He just didn’t believe.

There are four principles about God’s word, the Bible that helps us.

First, God’s word is to be read. Everyone needs to read it. We need to read it for ourselves. We need to read it within the context, which means, picking a verse here and finding a verse there and trying to weave those verses together, isn’t always accurate nor coming to the conclusions that God taught. Read it. Think about it.

Second, God’s word is understandable. It does little good to read it if one can’t understand it. That won’t take very long for a person to just lay it down thinking what’s the use, I read it but I don’t understand it. We must consider the circumstances that passages were written in. We must look at who the passage is addressed to. We must come to understand some words. Our Bibles come to us from German and Old English, through Latin, from Greek and Hebrew. That’s a journey. Our common English definitions of words may not be the accurate definition. A Webster’s dictionary may give us the wrong impression. For instance, Webster may define the word baptism as a sprinkling, pouring or a dipping or immersion. It’s easy to believe, using Webster, that how one is baptized doesn’t really matter. Yet, allowing the Bible to define itself, we see that baptism is an immersion. We are buried with Him, the Romans were told. The Ethiopian stopped his chariot and he and Philip both went down into the water. Why stop the chariot? Water could be poured over the head as the chariot travels down the road. It’s because baptism is an immersion. Looking at the Greek word shows us that.

All of this to say, God’s word can be understood. You can’t read it like a newspaper or an internet article, just hitting the highlights. Every word matters. Every word has a purpose. Slow, careful, thoughtful is the way the Bible needs to be read. Some reading programs takes a person through the Bible in a year. That’s great. You need to read the entire Bible. However, if you are reading so fast and so much that you don’t remember much of what you read, then what did that accomplish? The value is not in reading the words, but in those words, reaching my heart and changing my life. The Ephesians were told, ‘Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you.” Let it stay with you. Let it become you.

Third, God’s word is to be believed. This is the foundation of faith. What we believe is formed from the word of God. Our faith is not in how we feel about things. It’s not about our own experiences. We tend to only see things from our little spot in the world. We don’t see the whole picture. God’s word gives us that big picture. Rather than faith coming from me, it comes from the word of God. This is why those early apostles were sent everywhere preaching. Their message was heard, understood and then believed. It changed lives. People turned to Christ. God’s way became their way. They developed a heart and character like God. This is why the Bible must be the forefront of all that a church does. But it’s missing in too many places today. Drama has replaced doctrine. Partying has replaced Biblical principles. People gather for a good time, but they don’t know the word of God. When the storms of life come, and they will, their house of cards collapses because there is no substance and no foundation. The word of God is what we stand upon. It defines us, shapes us and motivates us. It comforts us in hard times. It reassures us. It is the bridge to God. Through the Scriptures we know God. We know what pleases God through the word of God. Wear that Bible out. Use it. Follow it. Obey it.

Finally, God’s word is to be taught. This is how disciples are made. Preach the word is what Paul told Timothy. Get the business models out of the church. Drop all the marketing lingo that is being used. Stop emphasizing sports, coffee and good times. Get back to teaching that Bible. The modern church today is suffering from an identity crisis. Folks do not know if the church is a school, a business, a club, a gym, a coffee shop, a bookstore, or a house of worship. So confusing. I heard of a preacher who put a barrel beside the pulpit and encourage the congregation to put any item they wanted in that barrel. He would randomly pick something out and on a whim, talk about it. A fishing pole led him to talk about Peter, the fisherman. A basketball led him to talk about being a good sportsman. When I heard this, I suggested that someone ought to put a Bible in that barrel. Maybe he would pick that up and actually preach God’s word. A church that is built upon sports will have to keep new programs to keep the people. A church that is built upon food will have to come up with new combinations of food to keep the people. A church that is built upon comedy, will have to keep the jokes coming to keep the people. But a church that is built upon the word of God will have people devoted and committed to Christ. It’s the word that brings the people. It’s the word that keeps the people. They become a people of faith.

One of the great trees in our garden is truth. We need to go to that tree. It will chase away fear and worry. It will answer our questions. It will build our faith and confidence in the Lord. Doubts flee when truth is known.

Give me the Bible—more than a great hymn, but a way of life for the child of God.

Roger

Jump Start # 1884

John 8:32 “and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

NOTE TO OUR READERS: With tomorrow being a holiday, there will not be a Jump Start. We will be back on Wednesday, Lord willing.

Tomorrow is the fourth. It’s not just any fourth. Every month has a fourth. But the fourth of July remains special. People are off from work. Some are on vacations. It’s time for patriotic songs, fireworks and cookouts. This fourth, the fourth of July, remains the hallmark of our countries freedom. Independence. No more taxation without representation. No more control by a government across the seas. Generations later, we who have grown up here, just expect the rights and freedoms that are the foundation of this country. The freedom of speech and religion, flowing together in simple things like these Jump Starts. These Jump Starts do not have to pass the eyes of the government or even be approved by the government. Freedom— it is a great experience.

Our verse today, written a long time before there was an American democracy, speaks of another type of freedom. It is the freedom from the tyranny of Satan. It is the freedom from the bondage of sin. It is freedom to not only know the truth of God, but to follow that truth and to please God. Moses led Israel to freedom from Egyptian slavery. Christ led all mankind to freedom from eternity in Hell.

There are some common principles that follow freedom. This is true as we think about our national independence and this is especially true as we think about our spiritual independence.

Freedom comes with a cost. To break free, takes enormous courage and a huge price to pay. For our nation, there was a war, the Revolutionary War. But even before that war started, there were little skirmishes and battles which took place. Blood was shed. Many died. Many have continued to die to preserve this freedom. Spiritually, the ultimate bloodshed was Jesus on the cross. It took more than one drop. Had that been enough, He could have pricked His finger. He was the divine sacrifice. Lambs were slaughtered under the O.T. system. Christ was slaughtered. His death was bloody. It was gruesome. It was necessary to bring our freedom. John said that Jesus is the “propitiation for our sins” (1 Jn 2:2). Propitiation means satisfaction. The price was paid. What we owed God was paid off. We were bought or redeemed with a price, the blood of Jesus.

Freedom always has heroes. This is true in war and this is true spiritually. In my area, after the Revolutionary War, a broke country could not pay the soldiers money, so land was given to them. Hundreds and thousands of acres in Ohio and Indiana were given to the vets who provided freedom. The Clark brothers, William and George, settled here in Southern Indiana. Many may have heard of the famous explorers, Lewis and Clark. That Clark was on of these brothers. They were war heroes. So around here we have Clark county and Clarksville and a lot of Clark things. They were heroes long ago.

Spiritually, Jesus tops the list of our spiritual heroes. He did everything perfectly. That’s why we call ourselves “Christians.” We belong to Christ. Our congregations honor Him in name, place and in worship. When a bride gets married, she doesn’t keep her maiden name. She takes the last name of her husband. It is one of the great ways that she honors him. Likewise, we carry the name of Christ, whom we honor, in all things.

There has been other heroes spiritually. The apostles, brave as they were, spread that message about Jesus Christ throughout the known world. Others, some we read in our Bibles, such as Titus, Apollos, Timothy, endured much to build congregations and keep things going. Even in our times, there has been men and women, brethren, who have sacrificed and held things together for another generation. Just about every congregation as a hero or two in it’s history. Those that taught, preached and built a faith in the community they lived in. Today, we stand upon the shoulders of those heroes. Our lives are made easier because of them. Our spiritual freedom flows onward because of their work.

   Freedom comes with responsibility. There is a price to maintain freedom. Freedom can be abused. Freedom can be lost. We are seeing some of that in our times now. Some feel that their voice is the only voice that should be heard. They feel that their way is the only way. If you do not agree with them, they will ridicule you and destroy you, one way or another. Those that act that way, certainly would not like to be on the receiving end of what they are doing to others. They certainly are not practicing the golden rule. They do what they want, however they want, even if it offends, wounds or takes the freedoms of others away.

We have a responsibility to defend our freedoms, sometimes from our fellow countrymen. Sometimes it’s hard to know who is on the enemies side.

Spiritually, our freedom comes with responsibility. Free from Satan means that we ought to worship God often and in the way that God wants to be worshipped. It means we have the responsibility of defending the Gospel and honorably carrying out the message of God. Like our national freedom, too often, fellow brethren act like the enemy. They stand in the way of God’s word. They act irresponsibly. They believe that they can teach any wild idea that crosses their brain. They feel that they are in the position to change what God has established. They do not understand the authority of God nor their position in the kingdom.

Freedom—enjoy it. Preserve it. Honor it. Respect it. Be willing to pay the price to maintain it. Spiritually, Satan will do everything that he can to get you back. He will mess with your marriage. He will cause strife in the church. He will use family and friends to confuse you and lead you back into his arms. Our eyes must be open. We must be careful. We must always be diligent. We don’t ever want to go back to where we were before Christ saved us.

Where would you be today, had Christ not pulled you out of sin? How many marriages would you have trashed by now? What addictions would you have now? How many years left on a prison sentence would you have? What selfish and ugly attitudes would you have? Would you even be alive today, had it not been for Jesus?

Freedom—what a beautiful word. Enjoy it as a nation, thank the Lord for it spiritually.

Roger