Bored Of Scripture? Let These Biblical Images Give You Renewed Joy

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Welcome to Integrated.

Where theology and life come together.

And now you're host all the way from Sharpsburg, Georgia.

This is Dr. John Kreutz.

Welcome to Integrated.

Today we're going to continue our series of theopics,

in other words, pictures of theology that are helping us to understand the truths of the Bible in picture form.

But before we get to that, let's just remind you about the podcasty things,

ratings and subscriptions and passing these episodes on to friends,

as a way to minister to us to help us get the word out about what we're trying to do at Integrated.

Well, today let's continue to consider pictures of theology.

We've said sometimes theology seems really hard,

and we need to pull out the coloring book.

And so let me give you a couple more pages to color.

And these pages are all going to be about the Bible itself.

And so how should we think about the Bible?

Let me give you a few pictures to think about the Bible from the Bible.

All right, the first picture in your coloring book is a treasure chest.

It is a treasure chest that is loaded with gold and silver.

And as I'm recording this, I know the price of gold and silver is through the roof in the United States anyway.

And so maybe it has a special meaning to some of you.

But the gold and silver was very valuable in Bible times as well.

And the Bible compares itself to gold and silver.

And let me say the Bible compares itself very favorably to gold and silver.

In Psalm 19, after David has described the Bible and the benefits of the Bible,

he concludes in verse 10 by saying more to be desired are they than gold,

even much fine gold, sweeter, sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.

Okay, keep that in mind for later.

We'll come back to that idea.

But it's more to be desired.

The commandments of the Lord are more to be desired than gold, even much fine gold.

If you think about it, he doesn't have to say even much fine gold.

Why did he include that?

Well, he is really trying to underline the point.

He wants your heart to be fired up and inspired by your Bible.

And I think that's the big takeaway for us.

For Psalm 119 is all about the scripture.

And it prays about the Bible, it describes the Bible in all kinds of ways.

And several examples where gold and silver or riches are included in its description of its value is Psalm 119 verse 14.

In the way of your testimonies, I delight as much as in all riches.

Okay, pull out the check, both pull out the bank account.

You've got all the riches.

And that's the way that the writer of Psalm 119 thought about the scripture.

In verse 72, he says, the law of the Lord, the law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces.

So imagine thousands of gold and silver pieces, the Bible is better than that, it says.

Then in verse 127, it says, therefore, I love your commandments above gold, above fine gold, above the good stuff, the Bible is better.

It's the best stuff.

I was at the beginning of the year trying to impress upon our congregation at Faith Bible Church in Sharpsburg about the importance of being Bible readers.

And one of my tactics this year, because I often talk about that at the beginning of a new year, this year I specifically wanted us to emotionally engage with the Bible.

And these pictures are a way of helping us to emotionally engage with the importance of the Bible.

I don't just want you to check a box.

I don't want you just to say mentally, yes, this is an important part of my Christian growth. I better read the Bible.

I want you to love the Bible and read it because you love it.

All right, Proverbs tells us how to think about this as he compares the word of God to wisdom in Proverbs 3 beginning with verse 13.

Notice the treasure chest, how the effect of the treasure chest as Solomon is trying to impress this truth to his son.

He says, blessed is the one who finds wisdom, the one who gets understanding for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold.

She is more precious than jewels and nothing you desire can compare with her.

That should be our attitude. That should be the way we value God's word.

So I know this is sort of skipping maybe mixing up our pages in our coloring book, but I want you to imagine a pirate map.

I'm still really thinking about the treasure chest here, but you know how the pirate map has a big X on it and the X represents where the treasure is hidden so that the pirate can come back and find the treasure.

Do you think about the Bible that way?

You know where the X is, you know not only with what the map is, you know where the X is, you know where the treasure is and you have the opportunity to feast upon this treasure as you read the word of God day by day and make it your habit.

Don't just tell me you think the Bible is important in your daily life.

Think of it like treasure. You can't wait to get to the treasure.

You will do whatever it takes to find the map to reach the big chest filled with gold and silver and jewels.

Well, God's word is better than that. If you've got the Bible in your own language, does your lifestyle, does your relationship with the Bible make it look like you see this as the treasure that it is.

All right, I blurred over into the sweeter than honey line in Psalm 19, which takes us to another picture. So turn the page in your coloring book and I'm just going to have this page represented as a loaf of fresh bread so fresh that the steam is rising and kind of curling up off of the bread.

Well, this is the word of God. It is, you know, just food, right? Sweet food, sweeter than honey. The Psalmist says in Psalm 19, Jesus as he's battling the devil.

Of course, in the temptation in Matthew chapter 4, he alludes to a reference from Deuteronomy because the devil is tempting Jesus when he's fasting for 40 days to command.

These stones to become loaves of bread, but Jesus, but he answered, that is Jesus, right? It is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.

The Bible is our sustenance, the Bible is our food, the Bible is our spiritual nutrition, just like bread and honey and other good things, fruits and vegetables, you know, build us up physically.

So the Bible builds us up spiritually and we should want it like that. I love first Peter 2, 2, like newborn infants long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it, you may grow up to salvation.

And just a few verses before it mentions this is this word is the good news that was preached to you, right? The word of God remains forever in first Peter 125.

So when he makes this comparison to spiritual milk, he is still thinking about God's word, he is still thinking about it being the nutrition, the baby's need,

but spiritual babies need and spiritual big kids need as well to keep growing.

Again, at the beginning of the year, how often we think about diet and exercise and the importance of what you put into your body, this is the fuel that makes you who you're supposed to be.

Well, Christian, the Bible is our spiritual fuel, it is our food, it is our nourishment. So on 19103, how sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth?

Absolutely. So I hope that this is reflective of your life, right?

When you're we were in college, I remember being an early Christian and you make these kind of rash vows sometimes, no Bible, no breakfast.

And that was just for us to say, the Bible is so important for us to have as a spiritual discipline that we need to get up, we need to get into the word before we are, you know, hungry young guys wanting to get to breakfast.

Get to breakfast, get to the cafeteria. Well, maybe that's a little bit legalistic. I don't I don't recommend making rules beyond the scripture, but let me tell you the Bible absolutely affirms its benefit for us spiritually.

So these pictures help us understand theology. So we're going to take a break and when we come back from the break, we are going to consider some more pictures about the scripture itself.

And we'll be back more from Dr. Krauts in just a moment. I hope you notice what he's doing today. These pictures of treasure and honey and bread, that's not just sermon illustration stuff that he's giving, no, these trying to actually get past something here.

See, I think most of us, me included, we have a way of treating scripture like a responsibility.

That's what Dr. Krauts is trying to get away from or get past today because we would all say out loud and agree that the Bible matters, but I don't think we actually live like it, not functionally at least.

This is brilliant, brilliant stuff from Dr. Krauts and why Fortis Institute matters so much right now.

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All right. Now let's get back to Dr. John Christ. This is integrated.

Welcome back to integrated. It has to go from a theory, a concept, or even a theology. It has to move our hearts.

And now back to your host, Dr. John Christ.

Welcome back. Today we're considering pictures of the Bible. So good to read the Bible, to think about the Bible. It's our food. It's a treasure.

It ought to be our main thing. Ladies, I don't know if you have checked out Libby Lawson's podcast the better way.

It's so good as she is interacting with ladies about the Bible. She's wanting ladies to have intelligent conversations about the Scripture and Fortis puts that podcast out.

She's a great lady and very wise and godly and seeking to walk with the Lord but seeking to help you to think about the Bible.

So that's that's when I would come into you in addition to diving into the Bible. It's so great to talk to people about the Bible.

Listen to podcasts or sermons about the Bible. Interact with your friends at church about the Bible.

I mean, this is the Christian life, right? Speak the truth in love is sort of the way of sanctification, the way we grow.

And so these pictures about the Bible really do make a strong impression upon us. Let's consider another one.

I want you to turn the page and see if you can color in that picture of this powerful LED flashlight.

Now, I specify that because some of those are so powerful. If you look at them too long, they hurt your eyes. I mean, they're so strong.

Well, the Bible is our light. And as it says in Psalm 119105, your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

The Bible tells us where to go. The Bible tells us how to get there. That's so important. You know, why is the Bible such a treasure?

Why is it so nourishing to our souls? Because God's Word gives you the light direction. God's Word reveals God to you.

But not only God as just a formula or something like that. No, his nature, his character is revealed by the Scripture.

And his ways. This is what God likes. This is what God doesn't. His commands. This is what he wants you to do. This is what you must not do.

All of that comes from the Bible. I've heard Sinclair Ferguson, the wonderful preacher from Scotland, who speaks at a Ligonier conferences.

And he's I've heard him at many different venues over the years. What a wonderful preacher. But I heard him say, if I knew the Bible better, I would be even more useful to the Lord.

And I love that because it's so profound. In some ways, it's very simple. But in other ways, it is the most profound thing that could be said about you.

The better you know the Bible, the more useful you will be because the Bible is what gives us light.

In fact, if we were going to make it another picture related to that, we could say a tool belt, right? Because the Bible has the tools we need for our own lives, but also to minister to others.

I'm thinking of second Timothy 316 and 17. The scriptures are inspired, profitable for teaching, reproof, you know, correction, training and righteousness. Why?

So that the man of God may be adequate or equipped for every good work. If speaking the truth and love is what it's all about and helping the body build itself up and grow.

The more tools you've got in your tool belt, right? The brighter your light is for yourself, the more light you can give to your brothers and sisters in need.

So don't just read the Bible for yourself. Read the Bible for your spouse. Read the Bible for your kids, right? That sounds a little funny to say it like that. But it makes a good point, I think.

Because I know the better my wife Lynn knows the Bible, the more helps she'll be to me, right? And the more of a blessing she'll be to our kids and to our church.

And let me tell you, my wife does know the Bible and she is very happy to share it with me for all kinds of things, not just a fuss at me or something like that.

But to encourage me from Scripture to challenge me sometimes when I need to be challenged, absolutely. But what is support it is to have a spouse that knows the Bible? Well, you need to be that spouse, right?

And so get to know your Bible because it is your flashlight. It is your tool belt. Here's another picture. Let's go to a familiar one in the believer's armor, right?

The armor of God in Ephesians chapter six, the Bible is called a sword, isn't it? Yes. In Ephesians chapter six, verse 17, take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God.

So the Bible is called a sword there. It's also called a sword in Hebrews chapter four. And when you think of the Roman soldiers, you know, they had a couple of different swords, like you could have the big sword that's going to take care of business, the two-edged, big blade, but you can also kind of have the dagger kind of sword as well.

And I think Ephesians chapter six is more of the dagger, the close combat, you know, the right thing for the right purpose. It's going to be, as it's been said, our only offensive weapon in our fight against sin.

But yes, it's also the big broad sword as well. Hebrews chapter four, verse 12, for the word of God is living an active sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing the division of soul and spirit of joints and of marrow and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

So the sword, it's our offensive weapon. Obviously Jesus used the Bible as he was fighting against the devil and the wilderness there in Matthew chapter four and Luke chapter four tells the story of him in the wilderness and he's quoting the scriptures as the way of fighting the devil.

Obviously, we're fighting our temptations using the scripture, reminding ourselves, we strike against the devil and our flesh and the world by using the Bible, thinking about the Bible.

So it's a very helpful thing, I think, if you're struggling with a specific sin to find what does the Bible say about that sin?

And then to have notes, you can write yourself index cards, if you'd like. Have them in your car, have them taped to the bathroom mirror.

Great story. I remember a pastor when I was serving under him, his wife, he and his wife, they had lots of children right away in their marriage.

And so consequently, they were bunched together as well. And so his wife, I remember being kind of overwhelmed with the parenting. And I she she called her husband and I was in a meeting with her husband.

And so this pastor, I was kind of getting to learn from him. He was like, now I want you to go and go to the bathroom to his wife. And I want you to look at the verses that we that we quoted that we wrote down to think about and to help us in this season of our parenting.

And he was using the sword of the spirit, the word of God to help his wife, right? So he wasn't trying to chop up his wife or anything, but definitely fighting against the challenges of her flesh and the devil using the word of God.

You could also, I guess, say that was also a good example of the illustration of the tool belt, right? The man of God was equipped to help his wife using the tools of the scripture.

All right, one more picture for us as we consider the word of God, let's think about the picture of a pair of glasses. In other words, lenses.

The Bible is it tells us it sort of shapes the way we look at all of life, right? Hebrews told us that the scripture was like a sharp sword that discerns even between the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

But the Bible so sharp, it helps us to discern what's right and what's wrong. But listen to this in Psalm 36 verse nine, which says, for with you is the fountain of life and in your light, do we see light?

We've already said that the Bible is our LED flashlight, but the Bible is what gives us discernment. The Bible helps us to interpret the world around us. And in Psalm 19, where he describes the scriptures, I'm all over the Bible today, aren't I?

It says that the law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul, the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple, the precepts of the Lord are right rejoicing the heart, the commandment of the Lord is pure enlightening the eyes.

That's what I was thinking about enlightening the eyes. If you want to become sharper, if you want to know how to think about the world, well, the Bible is like looking at the world and the light instead of in the darkness.

You don't have to grow around and feel your way to it. The Bible is our interpretive lenses through which we see and judge right and wrong, good and bad, true, beautiful, lovely, the scriptures help us with that.

Well, thank you for listening to this coloring book of theology over these past episodes of Integrated. We're glad that you're here. We want you to go and do God's word, put this into practice.

Don't just say, okay, good, the Bible is a treasure. No, put it into practice. Treat it like the treasure that it is. Learn it, devour it, eat it, use it like your tools.

As you grow to be more like Jesus and to minister to your brothers and sisters in Christ.

This has been integrated from Dr. John Cross, a production of Fortis Institute. Our website is fortisinstitute.org and it is your central hub for all things fortis.

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