Scripture: Bibliology

My name is Daniel Swanson. I got to teach here a little bit last year.

! It was so much fun, and I really learned a lot.

So it's kind of cool to dig into Scripture, dig into what other people are saying,

and to kind of approach you guys and be like, okay, this is what I've learned.

So, what do we mean Nathan came up here and said, we're talking about bibliology tonight?

There's really like five things that goes under that when we talk about bibliology.

We say that we're talking about the authority of Scripture, the inerrancy of Scripture,

the clarity of Scripture, the sufficiency of Scripture, and the necessity of Scripture.

Don't be intimidated by those words. Those are like kind of long and lengthy,

and the reason why is because there's more than three syllables. That's why.

The two pitfalls that you could really fall into when you hear that is, okay,

it's time for me to check out I'm smarter than you because I can say words and I know what they mean or whatever.

You know, this is boring theology because words like this, like authority or sufficiency or inerrancy,

whatever these words, you know, they're just kind of lengthy, and I think that's why we get intimidated.

An example of that is, has anyone here been to like a UGA graduation or a Georgia Tech graduation?

Okay, so a couple things that happens is there's this thing that there's like this phenomenon that happens

when the whole crowd is listening as they're calling up the degrees and like,

here comes James Hood with a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and Molecular Engineering.

And like the whole crowd goes, ooh.

Ooh.

Or, here's one from Georgia Tech, a Master of Science in Quantitative and Computational Finance.

And finally, a Bachelor of Science in Nuclear and Radiological Engineering.

Which, I mean, you could sum up all those different degrees in different ways,

but they just sound really smart, and they are.

But why do we use big words so that we can understand principles of Scripture?

So these words are important.

So I'm going to explain them real quickly what we're going to be talking about tonight.

So when I say God's authority, so the authority of Scripture,

what I say and what Christ's family affirms is that we're saying,

we believe that the Bible is our highest guide and truth.

The second one, you don't have to write all these down.

I'm going to kind of come back to them.

We say the inerrancy.

We say it's completely free from error or fault.

And then clarity.

We say we believe that the Bible is able to be understood by everyone regardless of your intellect or social standing.

Fill in the rest.

The necessity of the Bible.

We believe that the Bible is necessary to know God, His salvation, and His will.

Sufficiency.

We have everything we need to know about godly living from the Bible,

and nothing is absent from it that we need to know.

So does that make sense?

Like head nods.

Like what we just said, those words, okay?

This is what we're talking about tonight.

Those are big claims when you think about it.

What other book do you know makes those claims?

Not many.

What's a bigger claim is if those claims are actually true, right?

Like it's a big deal.

Those are bold and I would say audacious claims.

But if the Bible is correct and the Bible is all those things,

then man, the Bible should be anything but mild.

It should be anything but another book that we have on our coffee table.

So what are my goals for tonight?

Where do I want to see us going?

I really hope that after tonight we walk away,

every single person here walks away swelled up with joy

because of your passion and love for the Word.

Maybe for some of us that's brand new.

Maybe for some of us that's renewed.

Maybe you've come in here and you've been to Bible studies.

You've participated in Bible studies on campus or whatever is in your own time,

reading books or reading Scripture over and over again.

But it's run dry.

I pray that tonight you really walk away renewed.

And if you've viewed the Bible as something that is just another book,

that tonight your view of it would be raised.

That we would look at the Bible as something completely unlike any other book that we have.

You know, I hope that the foundations of your faith are solidified

so that your confidence in the Word increases.

So when we're taking this Word and we're talking to people

and we're saying why it's so important for you to follow the Word

and for you to know Christ

is because our confidence in that the Bible is inerrant,

just as one example, is so true.

And we know that in our hearts.

And I'm like, yes, I know that this book,

and Clay kind of talked about that last week.

You know, what we're saying when we say that it's inerrant,

that man didn't bring in his faults

and he didn't bring in his mistakes

and all the things that we do into this book.

Like, that's a big claim.

Finally, I hope that you leave tonight with a craving to read

and to study the Word

because you realize that it's important as your daily food.

Like, I mean, like if you've ever gotten to that point

when you're so hungry that you get hangry.

Does anyone know what I mean by that?

Like, you get so, you're like,

do not talk to me right now.

I'm starving.

Like, last night we were at community group

and I did not say a word.

I was so hungry.

And I just can't, like, I don't have the energy to, like, say anything.

So some people, I get angry too,

but I mean, like, I'll just shut up.

So, but that's what I'm saying is that, you know,

that when you go through a day and you're like,

man, I have not spent good time on the Word.

I haven't meditated on the Word.

And it hasn't meant anything to me today.

And it makes all these claims to do so.

And I haven't done that.

And because of that, I feel so empty.

And then even when you talk to not, like, I mean,

you'll talk to non-believers and you say that, like,

hey, you know, Wes, how are you doing today?

Dude, I feel so weird.

I haven't gotten in the Word at all.

Like, I haven't actually spent quality time in the Word.

And that's, like, a reality of our life.

It's not Christian lingo that we just, you know,

say to other people.

But it's truth.

So that's the direction that we're going for tonight.

And I pray, I've been praying that the Holy Spirit would come

and, you know, do all those things.

Because I can't persuade you.

Clay can't persuade you.

None of us can say enough to have that joy for the Word,

to have that reverence for the Word.

Like, we need more than anything right now, right?

That the Holy Spirit would come and teach our hearts

and would open our hearts to receive this truth.

More than anything.

So, the text that we just read, 2 Timothy 3.14,

I'm going to kind of address these things that we talked about

as far as the authority and inerrancy, all those other things.

We're going to, I really believe that a lot of that is found in this passage.

And we're going to go through this passage.

We're going to find those different things.

I'm going to talk about it for a second.

And then we're going to kind of go in a little bit of a similar direction

at the end of the night.

So, picking up in verse 14.

So, he says,

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed,

knowing from whom you have learned it,

and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings,

which are able to make you wise for salvation in Christ Jesus.

Okay, let's stop right there.

Before we even go any further.

There are two things that Paul does.

The first thing is Paul kind of really addresses the clarity of Scripture, right?

Let's look at this text.

He says, okay, Timothy, like the things that you've learned from when you were younger,

from childhood that you've been acquainted with,

these things are going to make you wise for salvation.

He says childhood.

And I think there's different debates on it as far as how old Timothy is.

But regardless, we still know that he says, okay, when you were a young kid,

you were familiar with these writings.

And you were able to understand them.

Which is kind of a crazy statement.

Because when I was a child,

I was dressing up like Robin Hood

and running around the house with a blanket over my head,

chasing my brothers and going to the ER multiple, multiple times.

And Paul is saying that in the midst of all that,

in the midst of all that craziness,

and I've got my mind on a million other things,

you're still able as a child to understand this?

Like, that's a crazy statement.

You know, how often when we're reading the Word

and we come upon like a bit of hard truth,

like a bit of Scripture that's like,

whoa, that's confusing.

What in the world does he mean by that?

Has anyone encountered those verses?

Head nods.

Can I get an amen or something?

Okay.

So, we come across those hard verses, right?

And then, a question I'd really like to ask you,

because I want your wheels to start turning tonight.

And so you just start thinking critically,

not me just telling you things.

That's the most important thing,

is that you're thinking for yourself tonight.

But, my question to you is,

when you do come across those Scriptures,

there's a couple responses,

but one of the ones that are most likely

is that we read it,

we're like, oh, that's confusing,

I might read it one more time,

now I'm going to go straight to a commentary

and see what some other dude says about that text.

Instead of saying, okay,

what do I know about Scripture to be true?

What other references do I have in Scripture

to look this up?

Am I praying over Scripture?

Am I trying to understand this?

Are we just so quick to go to other commentaries

or read other books on that subject?

Like, yeah, there's confusion over Scripture.

Like, sometimes it can be a little hazy

and hard to understand.

But I would actually say that's a good thing, right?

We're talking about the complexity of Scripture.

And Jesus, you know,

oftentimes, if you've read the Gospels,

Jesus oftentimes,

whenever there's someone that comes up and they're like,

I don't understand this,

or he's correcting the Pharisees,

he says over and over again,

have you not read?

Have you not understood?

Has it not been told to you from long ago?

He says that over at least a dozen times.

So he's constantly saying,

okay, the problem with your misunderstanding of Scripture

isn't with the Scripture,

but it's with you

because you're not understanding it correctly.

I want to read to you a quote

by a guy named Brian McLaren.

This is on the complexity of Scripture.

He says,

okay,

if God wants the Bible to be a book

that interests and challenges people around the globe

for their whole lives,

that guides them into life's deep mysteries,

that trains us to see the world

from diverse points of view,

and in so doing,

stretches us not to be so limited

by our inherited point of view,

then of course,

it can't be like a phone book,

a government code,

a high school biology textbook,

easy reference,

fully indexed,

conveniently formatted

for a quick and easy use.

Nor can it be one red book

after which we say,

the Bible?

Oh yes,

I've read that years ago,

implying that we'll never need to look at it

or think about it ever again.

If God wants the book

to be an authentic medium

for spiritual enlightenment

and instruction,

then how can it be a book

that we fully grasp,

have control over,

take pride in our knowledge of,

and feel competent

in our regards to?

Mustn't it be an untamed book

that humbles us,

that entices us,

higher up and deeper in,

that renders us children

rather than experts,

that will soon master us

before we master it?

Is that quote

kind of registering with you guys?

Thinking about,

okay, yeah,

scripture is really complex,

definitely.

But,

I think that's a good thing

because we serve a complex God.

You probably don't live

a nice, neat life.

You probably live a very messy life

like I do

where you have,

you know,

heartbreaks here,

failures here,

successes there,

confusing times there.

And the Bible,

like,

kind of goes along

with that same pattern.

Like,

it's not this easily

formatted book

that we can fully grasp

just upon reading it once.

And I would say that the word

is remarkable

because it's simple enough

to be understood

by a child

yet complex enough

to be studied by a scholar

and has the ability

to make that scholar

feel like a child.

Paul also kind of says

in this text,

like,

going on,

so he says,

you know,

you were acquainted with it

from childhood.

And then he says

that it's sacred writings.

So,

so Paul is

immediately doing something

and he's taking it

off the list

of the New York Times

bestseller list

and he's putting it

in this completely

different category,

right?

Like,

this isn't,

this isn't,

you know,

up there with

how to win friends

and influence people.

Like,

this is a completely

different book of its own.

The second thing

that Paul does

in this text

is he points out

the sufficiency

of scripture.

So,

he says,

but as for you,

continue on what you have

learned and have firmly

believed,

knowing from whom

you learned it

and how from childhood

you have been acquainted

with the sacred writings,

which are able to make you

wise for salvation

through faith in Christ Jesus.

You know,

like,

the big question

that comes behind

sufficiency

of scripture being

sufficient for us

is the question of

is scripture enough

for us to know

what God wants us

to think or do?

I'm actually going to have

a little bit of participation.

Can I have someone

turn to Proverbs 30

and read verses 5 and 6?

Yeah.

There we go.

That's it.

Yeah,

that'd be great.

Okay.

That's such

such a big claim.

He says,

every word of God

proves true.

He says,

he's a shield

to those who take

refuge in him.

Such big claims there.

I guess my question is,

you know,

scripture telling us,

okay,

don't add anything

to this.

You don't need

anything else.

Okay,

scripture is enough.

You know,

it's kind of,

there's kind of

some bad signals

that get sent.

Sometimes that we think

that in order to be

a scholar of the word,

to completely,

fully understand the word,

you need to go

where?

After college?

Yes.

Okay.

I'm not saying it's bad,

but I'm just saying

that we kind of get

in this mindset

that the only way

you can be a scholar,

that if you have

a real question,

the person you go to

is Nathan.

And the thing is,

is that,

man,

if you know anything

about history

and how the church

kind of fell into

this time of

the pre-reformation,

so we were becoming

illiterate,

or we were illiterate,

and we were asking

for other people

to interpret scripture

for ourselves.

When the Bible

is so bold enough

to say,

you read me

and you interpret me

for yourself,

see if what I'm saying

is true.

And then,

I mean,

what other books

can say that?

You know,

we have books

like the Book of Mormon

that has added

on to scripture,

or we have books

like the Watchtower Bible,

and it's adding on

to that,

taking away.

You know,

books that claim

that the Bible,

what they're really saying

is that the Bible

isn't enough to know

what you need to know

about salvation.

That can go down

to a million other things,

too.

Like,

okay,

what are those gray areas

where God,

you know,

hasn't specifically

told us about.

But God's Word

is saying,

no,

I've given you enough.

I've told you

exactly what you need

to know.

Do we approach it

in that way?

Moving right along

to the second verse

in 2 Timothy.

So,

picking up in

verse 16,

Paul says,

all scripture

is breathed out

by God

and profitable

for teaching,

for reproof,

for correction,

and for training

in righteousness.

righteousness.

So,

in right there,

he's kind of saying,

okay,

scripture is breathed out

by God.

So,

the word that we're

using there

is inerrant.

We're saying that the word

is free from error.

That man hasn't

added his own

twist to scripture.

That for his own

advancement,

he's added things.

We say that

this book is literally,

it's the word of God.

a really cool passage

that I want to turn to

because I don't have

a ton of time

to really go over

all these things.

But,

I want you all

to turn to

numbers 23

really quickly.

Really quickly.

Okay, so the situation while you guys are turning there,

this is the Old Testament, so God's people, the nation of Israel,

they're wandering through the wilderness.

They haven't yet come into the Promised Land,

and they're going through certain countries on their way to the Promised Land.

And so they go through this certain area,

and they ask this king named Balak if they can go through.

And Balak says no, because he wants to wage war against them.

So what Balak does is he consults this guy named Balaam,

who's kind of a mystic of sorts.

Balak is saying, okay, what I need you to do for me, Balaam,

is curse the people of God.

They've got all these victories, and I've seen them do a lot of things,

but I need you to curse them so that there's some type of spiritual force that's applied here.

And so Balaam gets a word from God where God says,

no, the people of Israel that you think that you're about to curse,

those are my people.

And so Balaam tells Balak, the king,

I can't curse God's people.

God has revealed this to me that these are his people.

He's revealed that to me through his words.

And so Balak gets frustrated at that,

and he says, no, I need you to curse them.

You don't understand.

And this is what he says, which is super interesting.

18.

So remember, Balaam is not what we would classify as a believer,

or in that time, he's not a part of the actual people of Israel.

He's not a Jew.

So Balaam, in verse 18.

And Balaam took up his discourse and said,

rise, Balak, and hear.

Give ear to me, O son of Zippor.

God is not man that he should lie,

or a son of man that he should change his mind.

Has he said and will he not do it?

Or has he spoken and will not fulfill it?

That's a super cool passage, right?

You have this guy who's not,

wouldn't call himself a Christian,

or, you know, at the time, a believer,

in the one true God.

And yet he says,

don't you know, Balak, that God doesn't lie?

His words are true.

We can trust them.

That comes out of a mouth that doesn't worship the same God

as Israel did at the time.

That's remarkable.

So we're saying that it's completely free from error,

and the word is attesting to itself and saying,

you can search me, but you won't find errors.

You can think you have contradictions,

but I'll prove you wrong.

History has yet to disprove the Bible.

How many other books do you know of

that can do the same thing,

that can say the same thing,

that can say, you know,

we're consistent with history,

with archaeological finds,

with reason, with logic,

with all these things.

You can search me all you want.

You can exhaust yourself,

and I promise you, you will come up short.

That's so huge.

What other book do you know that does that?

Right?

And this is the Bible that you have in your lap right now.

The fourth thing that Paul does,

he attests to the authority of Scripture.

So, he says,

all Scripture is breathed out by God,

and it's profitable for what?

For teaching,

for reproof,

for correction,

and for training in righteousness.

Again, I'm kind of asking the same question,

but what book do you submit your life to,

other than the Bible that says that?

You know, what book says,

I'm good for teaching,

I'm good for you to reprove your friends,

to correct your friends,

for training in righteousness.

Like, why should you,

tell me why you should submit your life to this Bible,

to this book.

Why should you allow your life,

your decisions,

your direction in life,

why should you let all that be influenced by this book?

Right?

Why?

Why?

I mean, so what we're saying is that,

okay, if this is not God's Word,

then you all are wasting your time right now.

If you are basing your life direction off of the Word,

and it's not God's Word,

then you're wasting your time.

But,

if this book is God's Word,

then you're not wasting anything,

but you're gaining everything, right?

Like, you're gaining everything.

If someone can turn to John 17,

John 17:17

verse 17,

and read that.

That's going to be my text on this point.

I'll do it.

Verse 17?

Verse 17.

Give everyone one second.

So this is Jesus' context.

Jesus is praying to His Father

right before He's about to be crucified.

And this is what people would call

the high priestly prayer.

Let's pick it up, Lauren.

Sanctify them in the truth.

Your word is truth.

Okay.

Whoa.

That could,

you could be reading Scripture

and then completely miss that.

Because it sounds so nice.

But it's,

it's an insane claim.

When you think about that.

Okay.

So,

Jesus says,

sanctify them in your truth.

Your word is true.

No.

He says truth.

So,

true is an adjective,

and truth is a noun.

So,

He's saying that your word

isn't described by truth.

It's not,

it's not an attribute of true.

It is truth.

It is our ultimate,

highest authority

that we submit to everything to this

because this book is truth.

Does that make sense?

It's not an attribute,

but it's the actual definition.

And Jesus is claiming that.

He's saying that,

Father God,

your word is truth.

That's such a big claim.

And it's outrageous

that we accept that

so mildly.

Like,

we should have a couple reactions to it

other than like,

because if,

because if I said that,

I was like,

my word isn't true.

I'm not saying true things,

but I promise you

it's the definition of truth.

You guys,

hopefully,

would run me out of this building.

Right?

I mean,

like,

that's such a big claim.

And that's why

Christ gets crucified,

because He's saying

these crazy things like this.

But if He's true,

then He's worthy

of all our worship and praise.

Lastly,

He says,

okay,

that same text

in 2 Timothy 3,

17,

He says,

that the man of God

may be complete,

equipped for every good work.

That it's necessary.

That's kind of one

that we need to stress too,

is that we're saying

that the word of God

is necessary.

You know,

how do you come about

knowing God's will

for your life?

That actually is a question.

How do you know

God's will for your life?

Yes,

that's a question.

Okay.

So,

the word of God.

No,

that's gone.

I'm getting rid of,

I'm doing it with a hand motion.

It's had its run.

So,

the word of God.

Matt,

you're saying

it's the word of God.

That tells us

God's will for our life.

What about salvation?

How do you know,

how do you know

that you know

that you know

that you know

that you know

that you're saved?

Question.

You know what it is.

You know what the steps are

because of the word.

Okay.

Yeah.

And I'm not going to,

I'm not going to ask this

for an actual response,

but,

do you know passages

that tell you that?

That you know

that you're saved?

What passages,

what promises of God

are in scripture

that you're like,

hey,

when you're around,

I mean,

I'm just going to use

Jay Whetstone

as a good example of this,

but when he's around Muslims

and,

you know,

he says,

you know,

well,

hey,

do you know

where you're going to,

you're going to spend

eternal life,

where you're going to be

in the afterlife?

And,

I'm trying to correct me

if I'm wrong,

but your dad says

that they always say,

ah,

no one knows but Allah,

right?

And then Jay says,

but I know.

I can tell you

where I'm going to go.

Like,

I mean,

we're surrounded by

that kind of terminology

all the time,

but it kind of loses

its punch.

That you can say,

I know that I know

that I know

that Christ is the way,

the truth,

and the life,

and that if I believe in him,

if I'm trusting him,

if I'm walking,

I'm in faith in him,

that I get to spend

eternal life with Christ.

Muslims cannot say that.

And a lot of people,

if you press them hard enough,

can't.

But,

you can say,

I know scripture,

but I have a question for you,

redundant,

but do you know that scripture?

If someone said,

what promises of God

are you clinging to

for eternal life?

And,

you know,

would you be like,

oh man,

I know it's in there somewhere,

like,

if you'll just give me

like five minutes,

I'll find it.

But is it like,

no,

like,

I'm clinging to these promises,

and these promises

are giving me joy

and confidence.

So,

just be thinking about that

tonight and right now

as far as,

you know,

do I know

these passages

that God gives me promises

for that I can cling to

and say,

man,

I know I'm saved

like what you're saying.

And I know what God's will

is for my life.

Those are such big claims

and no one else can say that.

But you have the word of God

which allows you to say that.

Okay.

So,

this is what scripture

says about itself.

Right?

That's what bibliology is.

That's bot.

So,

what the word says

about itself,

we know what the word

says about itself.

We're saying that

it's authoritative.

It's clear,

it's necessary,

it's sufficient,

and it's authoritative.

What are,

what do other men say

about the Bible?

I'm going to start

with personal words

from the Bible

and I'm going to

kind of move outward.

If y'all would return

to Psalm 42,

can someone read that for me?

Not the whole thing,

I promise.

Verse 1 through 3,

please.

Yeah, go for that.

Matt Chandler constantly

give people grief

for putting this,

these words on like

nice paintings

or coffee cups.

So,

I kind of have to do

the same thing.

But,

this is such,

when you're really

reading this,

like,

what is the psalmist,

what is the guy

who's writing this saying?

He's saying,

like a deer that is

so dehydrated

that it feels like

it's about to die.

He's saying,

my soul pants

for you,

God.

So,

there's this deep thirst

for the word of God

that David has.

He's so thirsty

for the word.

He's like,

like,

you don't understand,

like,

I'm going to die.

Like,

that's how far away

I feel from you.

Man,

isn't it kind of scary

when you,

like,

realize that

you don't feel

anything anymore?

Like,

things that should

convict you

don't convict you.

Words in scripture

that one time

had a huge punch

now are like,

you read it

and you're like,

ah,

yeah,

like,

as a deer pants

for flowing stream,

so my soul pants

for you,

oh God.

Like,

that is so sad,

man.

It happens to me

all the time.

I feel like,

man,

Lord,

like,

I know your word

is supposed to have

more of a punch to it,

but it's just been

so domesticated by me.

Another one is

Matthew 4,

4,

you guys can just

write that one down.

But,

so,

in the scene,

Jesus,

who is about to start

his ministry,

is in the desert.

And then Satan

comes along,

he's been fasting

for 40 days,

I've never done that,

could not do that,

I would never say a word

for 40 years,

I'd be so hungry.

And,

Satan comes along,

and so he starts

tempting Jesus.

He says,

if you're really God,

turn these stones

into loaves of bread.

He said,

do you not know

that God's word

says that man

does not live off

of bread alone,

but off of every word

that comes from God's mouth.

So,

Jesus,

like,

I like,

I can't even,

it's hard for me

to really put it

in a sermon

because it's just like,

it makes it kind of plastic,

right?

But,

I mean,

like,

this dude,

Jesus,

has been

without food

for 40 days.

I can't do that,

man.

It's so,

that's insane for me

to even wrap my mind around.

And then,

Satan comes and he's like,

you could,

like,

if you know those,

like,

cartoons when it's like a mirage

and it's like,

they're looking at,

like,

a palm tree

and it turns into,

like,

a big slice of pizza

and they're like,

ah!

And,

like,

start freaking out.

You guys know

what I'm talking about there,

that imagery making sense?

Like,

Satan able to do

the same thing to Jesus

and he's like,

these stones right here,

these giant boulders,

like,

this could be,

like,

some wonderful French bread.

And then God,

and then Jesus,

like,

responds with,

like,

what in the world?

Responds with,

don't you know,

like,

man does not live off

of bread alone,

but he lives off

of every word

that proceeds

from God's mouth.

So he's relating

physical necessity

for food

and spiritual necessity

for God's word

almost on the same level.

And,

again,

just a question

I'm trying to get you

to think about is,

can you say the same thing

for yourself

as far as what David's saying,

as far as what Christ is saying?

Can you say the same thing?

Do we feel that?

I think,

something that I find myself

so guilty of

is what happens

is that

Scripture affects me

on an intellectual level

and a theological level,

but rarely an emotional level.

Like,

I know God's truth.

Like,

maybe just as a guy

it's harder,

and maybe some of you guys

can relate to me in that.

But it's like,

I mean,

don't you ever feel that

when you're like,

yeah,

I know this is true,

but there's not,

like one of the biggest things

that you struggle with

is joy in your life

or happiness.

And like,

man,

I mean,

God's word says that

the man who knows

his word

is happy.

It should make us joyful.

But,

I promise you guys,

like,

man,

like,

I have the hardest time

with that.

I have the hardest time

kind of crossing that

theological and intellectual

bridge onto the emotional

where it's like,

it's something that grips me

and like,

keeps me awake at night

to where like,

I have friends

that aren't saved

and I'm like,

totally unemotional about that.

Like,

there should be this sense

of like,

grieving and like,

man,

you don't know God.

Like,

there should be this.

I remember at one point,

like,

my friend,

my roommate

throughout college,

like,

wasn't a believer

and man,

I just remember,

I remember being here

on a Thursday night

and I just went home

and I was just like,

bawling in his room.

I went into his room,

like,

shut the door

and I just started crying

in front of him

and I was like,

man,

like,

I'm so sorry.

Like,

I haven't done a good job

like,

sharing Christ with you.

These things are true

that I see that

apart from Christ,

man,

like,

we're going to spend

eternity away from him.

And that was just something

that's like,

man,

I broke in and cried

in front of my roommate

and I don't,

the same thing doesn't

happen to me anymore.

Like,

that's,

and that's not okay.

At least,

it doesn't happen to me

as often.

So,

what,

another guy,

I kind of want to go

a little bit out of

scripture here.

What are other guys

that have longed

after God's,

what else are they saying?

So,

St. Augustine

or Augustine,

however you want to say,

they're the same.

Okay,

so,

St. Augustine,

he says this quote,

he says,

how sweet all at once

it was for me

to be rid of those

fruitless joys

which I once feared

to lose

and was now glad

to reject.

You drove them

from me,

you who are the true,

the sovereign joy.

You drove them

from me

and took their place,

you who are sweeter

than all pleasure.

They're not to flesh

and blood,

you who outshine

all light

yet are hidden

deeper than any secret

in our hearts.

You who surpass

all honor

through not in the eyes

of men

who see all honor

in themselves.

Oh,

Lord,

my God,

my light,

my wealth,

and my salvation.

If you know anything

about Augustine,

he was basically

what we would classify

today as like

a sex addict.

Like,

man,

like the dude

just had struggles.

And it's like,

and then you hear,

you hear this coming

from a guy

who is addicted

to sex,

he's addicted

to a million other things

and yet he says this,

he says you,

so what are those,

those are the things

that we're talking about

when he says

you drove those

fruitless joys.

Like,

Augustine had everything

he wanted to.

He had everything

he wanted

and he's like,

those are fruitless joys,

I don't even want them.

Like,

what makes people

like Paul say,

like,

all those things

that I had,

like,

all the intellect,

all the prestige,

all those things

I just counted

as a complete loss

for the sake

of knowing Christ.

Like,

oh,

man,

that's like,

it makes my mouth dry

because it's like,

like,

I've walked down

these halls

where there's great

men of scripture

and great men

of faith

who are saying like,

pay attention

to this book.

saying like,

like,

don't you read this book?

Like,

do not pass this.

Don't get caught

going to conferences

and reading

Christian pop books

and being in small groups

yet all the while

missing the word

and not valuing it

and not treasuring it

and not knowing me.

Like,

don't miss that.

That's what they're saying.

It's like,

I can't get past it.

Like,

I keep running into dudes

like this who keep

saying these things

and I keep finding myself

on the other end

of the spectrum

where it's like,

God,

I'm not treasuring

your word like that.

Like,

I need to.

And it's like,

it's haunting.

It's haunting

to have guys like that.

And it's so rough

because I feel like

we're a generation

that's characterized

by 15 minute devotions.

Like,

does anyone else feel that?

Like,

man,

like,

how do we get there?

There's so many

different reasons

that I would say why.

I mean,

you could analyze that all day.

But,

I would say that

a big part of it

is that,

man,

like,

that deep introspection.

I was talking to

John Overton

about this today

and I was asking him,

like,

man,

why do you think that is?

And he was like,

man,

and I agree with him

is that,

you guys know

what introspection means?

Like,

the act of,

like,

looking into yourself

and looking at your soul

and looking at the things

that you care about,

the things that you spend

your money on,

the things that you spend

your time in,

all those things.

And we don't examine ourselves.

We don't spend

the necessary time

trying to understand

those things better

and see where,

like,

God is with all those things.

And it's like,

man,

we just,

isn't it so,

aren't we so characterized

by,

like,

reading the Word

like it's a textbook?

Like,

you have your devotion

and I say that

the poor man's,

the poor man's devotion

is always Psalms.

Like,

if you have five minutes,

it's like,

go to Psalms

and get what you can out of it

because the day is gone.

And it's like,

man,

we spend like 15 minutes

in Psalms

and we read it like a textbook

and we read these words

and like,

okay,

this is what it means,

this is what it says,

I understand that.

But we're not saying,

we're not meditating on the Word

as I think is a big thing there.

Because we're saying

that the Word

is so applicable

for your life.

And I mean every single individual.

I mean,

like,

as a group,

I mean,

like,

you who's come here,

like,

this book is so applicable

for your life,

but it was written

so many years ago.

And that's insane.

That's insanity.

And like,

no other book can claim that,

but yet we spend 15 minutes

in a devotion

and we don't meditate on the Word.

We're not saying like,

okay,

I read the Scripture

and I understand what it says.

Now God,

I'm not going to leave

until you tell me

what it means for my life right now.

What does this mean?

What does this mean?

What does this mean to me?

What does this mean to me?

Like,

we don't do that.

It's like,

alright God,

I've got this time

and you're going to have to

make this work in this.

Does anyone here run?

Like,

distances for exercise?

What mile,

who raised their hand?

Okay.

Lauren,

what mile,

everyone else is feeling terrible

since I didn't raise their hand.

I promise I'm healthy.

Lauren,

what mile is it for you

when you get that runner's high?

When you can,

as soon as you get past this mile,

you can just run

like another six miles.

Okay,

three.

Anyone else?

What else?

Just quick shout outs.

Which mile is it

that's like the worst

that you hate?

But you're like,

if I just get over mile three,

what mile is it?

Two?

Okay.

Seven.

Some people are like,

the whole thing!

All of it!

Like,

why am I doing this?

I should be running from something

and I'm not.

And,

um,

but it's like that.

Okay,

so we,

um,

we have that mile

that's like,

man,

what mile is it that

as soon as I get past this mile,

I'm good

and I can just run

and that's when I can start

thinking about things

and that's when it doesn't hurt as bad

and that's when

really the dopamine

starts kicking into your body

and your body starts releasing

these hormones

that makes it okay.

Um,

and,

and really from my own life,

I've found that scripture

is so much like that.

Um,

that as long as I'm approaching

scripture and I'm saying,

Lord,

I need you to teach me something

in 15 minutes,

there's like,

for me at least,

there's very little

that I get out of it.

There's very little

that I,

that I walk away

and I'm like,

man,

like the Lord just spoke to me

so much in that time.

But it's,

for me,

it's like that,

a lot of times

it's like that 30 minute range,

like,

okay,

like as soon as I can get over

that 30 minutes,

like,

man,

it's just,

it's so great after that.

But so little of us

are wanting to put in that time

to really get over that,

um,

apex,

it's so difficult.

I think Nathan even talked about,

like,

when climbing,

like,

getting to that point

where it's the hardest point

in the climb,

but if you can nail that point,

you can get past the whole climb.

Um,

and I would just say that,

man,

like,

I,

for me,

um,

I've found that I've had to be

so patient in the word,

um,

and just approaching scripture

and saying,

Lord,

I'm not going to try to fit you

in my schedule,

but my schedule is fitting around you.

So because of that,

I'm going to go to bed

at 11 o'clock

and I'm going to wake up

at 7 a.m. every day

so that I can spend,

like,

a solid hour

just praying and reading.

Um,

what is that for you?

Um,

so many times we approach scripture

like,

there's this formulaic method

to how you are

to get something out of it.

Um,

and I think a lot of us

have probably been run dry

by that,

right?

Like,

you've been to a lot of conferences

and you've read a lot of terrible books

that have told you,

you know,

as long as you do it in this method,

read Psalms,

meditate on that,

pray that,

now go into Old Testament,

and I'll go into Old Testament.

And like,

some of those things are,

like,

can be helpful and good.

But I'm just saying,

you know,

what is it when you're approaching scripture

and you're saying,

like,

Lord,

I want to know your word more

and I'll do anything to do that.

So if that's five minutes,

if that's ten minutes,

if that's thirty minutes,

if that's an hour,

I'm going to do that.

Um,

there's,

I know there's a time in my life

um,

when,

like,

especially this past year,

um,

I had so many questions about

what's my direction?

Um,

I feel like a lot of us

are asking that,

you know,

like,

God,

I have no idea what my major is,

or,

you know,

God,

like,

I have no idea what I'm going to do

after college.

Like,

we're asking those questions,

and,

um,

like,

that's,

it's,

especially it's terrible

when it's your senior year

and you're like,

oh man,

what am I doing here?

Um,

our lives.

But,

I got to that point

this whole past year,

um,

and especially over the summer,

I was just like wrestling,

like,

Lord,

what,

what is it that you want me to do?

Um,

and what's my answer?

Like,

yeah,

like,

I read a book,

um,

and it was good,

but it wasn't on the subject of it,

but,

man,

I spent time,

I spent the whole summer

just going through,

um,

the Old Testament,

just being like,

all right,

Lord,

like,

I know that you have something

to teach me here,

and the thing that kept popping up

over and over again

was Israel's reliance on God,

how God is kind of the God

that leads them by,

you know,

fire by night

and smoke by day.

It's like,

man,

that's the God who's like,

all right,

I'm just going to provide

enough for you

so that you trust me today.

I'm going to provide

that manna for you today,

but don't try to hoard it over

because it'll spoil overnight

and you won't have any

for tomorrow,

so you've got to trust me

that I'm going to have

enough manna for you

in the morning.

Um,

that is,

and I just spent time on that

and, like,

meditating on that all the time.

So,

what I'm just trying to say

is that,

like,

man,

when we're approaching Scripture,

I don't want you to let me tell you

how you need to read Scripture

or,

you know,

what you need to move to

because it could be for you

that you're in a time in your life

when you need to spend

the entire,

you know,

next three months

in songs,

repeating the same thing

over and over again

because it hasn't sunk down

deep enough.

Um,

so,

the text that I'm going to

leave us with

is Hebrews 4.

Hebrews 4 says,

For the Word of God

is living and active,

sharper than any

two-edged sword,

piercing to the division

of the soul

and of spirit,

of joints

and of marrow,

and discerning the thoughts

and intentions

of the heart.

Um,

it's,

this passage is saying

that God's Word

is something that's applicable

for you and your situation

right now.

And I don't know

what that is.

Um,

I can't know

all of your situations.

I can't know,

like,

man,

what is so hard

for you right now

whether that's

making decisions

about careers

or,

you know,

majors

or,

you know,

am I going to get

into this program

or that program

or do I need to continue

in this relationship

or whatever it is.

Um,

but the thing is

is that God's Word

is saying right now

that His Word

is living and active.

Um,

He says it's,

so He says

the soul,

the spirit,

He says the thoughts

which are your heart

and then,

I mean your mind

and then the intentions

of the heart.

So,

He's really saying

that the Word

addresses all these things.

Every thought that you have,

like your emotions,

your deepest concerns,

your deepest struggles

and the things

that you,

you know,

desire most.

There is a God

who knows all those things

and I can't know

all these things

and that's what makes

God's Word

so incredible,

um,

so powerful.

Um,

and so I think

more than anything

we need to be

people that are

characterized by

loving the Word

for,

for revisiting

truths like this.

Like,

man,

what does the Bible

say about itself

that no other book

can claim?

That's in,

that's totally insane

to me.

Um,

so I hope

this increases

your joy,

that it gives you

confidence in the Word

that,

that even tomorrow

morning we're fighting

for that time

of like,

Lord,

I will do anything

to know you more.

I don't care

what the sacrifice

is,

I'll put it down

like,

because I know

that you're the

reason why I get

in the Word,

you're the reason

why I want to

know you more.

Um,

let me just pray

for us real quickly

and Alex,

if you want to

come back up.

Let me just pray

if you want to

if you want to

let me just pray

if you want to

if you want to

let me just pray

if you want to

let me just pray

if you want to

if you want to

let me just pray

if I need to

let me just pray

if I need to

let me just pray

if I need to

let me just pray

if I need to

if I need to

let me just pray

if I need to

let me just pray

if I need to

let me just pray

!