https://www.bible.com/events/49429822
Church of the Nazarene – East Rockingham Campus
Everyday Faith Part 2
Study every day.
Everyday Faith
Our goal over the next few weeks will be to understand and grow in the practices that help us live out our faith.
Just like we brush our teeth, comb our hair, we change our clothes, we take a shower. Our faith life has those same daily things we need to be doing to be healthy and growing to be like Jesus.
Things like reading the bible, serving, fellowship and community, and humility. Each week we are going to focus on one of those daily practices for our faith life.
Today we are going to look at the everyday faith practice of studying the bible everyday. The bible is God’s inspired word, through the hands of human authors.
It reveals to us who he his, his nature, his character, and his plan of redemption throughout history.
1 Timothy 3:16-17 Says “All Scripture is God-breathed (Gr. theh-o’-pneu-stos – some translations read “inspired by God” but the precise meaning is breathed out by God) and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
As you flip through the New Testament looking at Jesus’ life, it wont take you long to see that he quotes scripture, a lot.
It’s estimated that over 300 times Jesus directly quotes or alludes to the Old Testament scriptures.
Matthew 22:37-39
Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
Now, for us that may sound familiar and we just read it as scripture. And it is. But what’s interesting here is that Jesus pulls these two separate commands from two different books of the bible. Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18.
Jesus passes this test, and in doing so reveals to us that He knew the scriptures by heart. They come out all over the place in his life.
Another interesting thing you will see looking at the life of Jesus is that He saw himself within the story of the bible.
Luke 4:18-21
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
Not only does Jesus know the scriptures, he sees his very life as integrally connected and involved in the story they are telling.
The scriptures tell of God’s redemptive plan, his plan of salvation, and it’s this story that set’s the course for Jesus’ life. It defined his identity, it set his purpose. Jesus understood he was a part of the story that the Old Testament word of God had been telling.
So, Jesus knew the word, he saw himself in it, and it was his weapon in warfare.
Matthew 4:1-4
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
When the devil came around to wage war against Jesus, to temp him into giving up, to taking matters into his own hands, Jesus uses the word of God as his weapon and his defense.
Jesus himself used scripture to win the battles of his life, and he will use it to win battles in your life today.
Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
So, drawing from the life of Jesus, what are some practical steps we can take to bring God’s word into our everyday faith?
This first step will sound too simple, but it’s absolutely critical: We have to make time to read it.
In study after study, the number one reason why people didn’t read their bible, is that they didn’t have time. Friends, make the time to read the bible.
Start small, start by setting aside 5 minutes a day to read. If you already have a set time, extend it by 5 minutes.
Start with something that is realistic and doable for where you are right now, and do it.
You will never regret the time you invest in reading the bible.
Next, use the tools that are available to you.
In our digital age, there are tons of ways you can engage with the bible.
You can download the Bible App on your phone
Through this app, you can also listen to the bible.
Another great tool is a study bible like a “Life Application study bible”
Another great tool to help, is a friend.
Having someone to read with you is great for accountability and it’s someone you can process with.
Make time, use tools available, and start small.
If you aren’t sure where to start, pick a small book of the bible like the book of James and read that.
James is the half-brother of Jesus and his book is SUPER practical for living out our faith. Read the whole thing through, then study it chapter by chapter.
Remember, bible reading is not about how many pages or chapters you can get done- it’s about really connecting with what is written.
Read slow. Think about what it’s saying. Pray about it.
If you would rather start reading something that Jesus said, go and read Matthew 5-6-7, that’s a sermon that Jesus preached.
Finally, ask the Lord to help you.
It’s ok to ask the Lord to give you the desire to read the bible. “Lord, give me a hunger to read the bible”
Ask him to teach you what it means “Lord, you inspired these writers to record these words, will you inspire me to know what they mean”
Ask him to apply what you read to your life- “Lord, how do I need to live differently because of what I just read?”