On Reading

There are bad reasons to turn to other writers besides the Bible. And there are good ones. One of the bad reasons to turn to other writers is that we find the Bible tame and tasteless. It is anything but tame and tasteless. One of the good reasons to turn to other writers besides the Bible is that we savour the taste of God, not only in the Bible, but also in the way others savour Him. The best writers intensify our taste for the Bible, and especially for God Himself.

Taste and See, John Piper, P11

Amen and amen. If you're finding the Bible 'tame and tasteless,' then other books are not the answers. Prayer is the answer! The Bible is the answer. pray for amazement if you find the Bible dull. Keep laying down the dry wood of the Bible and pray that fire would fall from Heaven. Don't quit! The drama of the Bible is incomparable. Read the Gospels, read the prophets, read the history books, and pray for help.

And if you're thrilled with the Bible, keep reading other books to. Kevin DeYoung's 'Taking God at His Word,' is a great recent example of a book that increased my appetite for the Bible. How do i know? Because i put it down to read the Bible! Invest in Edwards, make your way through the tiny, columned print and hear your heart sing. Invest in a Bible that makes the act of reading a joy. Go get the Valley of Vision.

Find a book that will help you that will teach you to taste flavours in the Bible that you didn't know existed before, and then put it down, open your Bible, and taste and see that the Lord is good.

Bibliotheca Kickstarter

I'm in favour of anything that makes Bible reading more accessible (like the new ESV Reader's Bible for example) so i'm in favor of this!

 

Look at the Book (John Piper)

I'm really excited about this:

God Speaks Life

I think one of the signs you're growing as a Christian is that your duties become your joys. You have to read the Bible, but, hey we get to read the Bible! We have to go to church, but guess what, it's Sunday, we get to go to church today! We have to get baptised, but yes! I get to be baptized, and identify with Christ and His people.

Duties slowly become joys. I'll be honest, i'm never excited when my alarm goes off at 515 four or five days a week. But marrying a teacher means early mornings and long days, and if i don't start in the Word, i'll never get there. So i get up, stumble to the coffee machine, locate my Bible, and the Valley of Vision, and off i go. I have to get up before dawn and read the Bible, but i get to wake up before dawn and read the Bible. A Christian duty becomes a delightful joy. The back yard is dark, the house is quiet, and God is speaking.

And when God speaks; life!

God speaks in Genesis 1, and there's life. God speaks and there are trees, and fruit, and seas teeming with fish, and Adam and Eve. And it's good. try it for yourself, try speaking out and creating life. I just did, it didn't work. But God speaks, and it does! Isaiah tells us that God's Word is like rain falling to the ground. It waters the crops and they grow. Life!

In Luke 7:11-17 Jesus is walking to Nain, and He passes a funeral procession. The boy is dead, the mother is wailing, the Nain City Nuggets Major League Mourning team are turning in an all-pro performance. But God is about to speak. 'Young man, i say to you, arise.' And he does. Because God spoke, and there was life. The mother rejoiced, the Nuggets trudged off the field, last minute winner- probably offside.

(As an aside, this is another one in the eye for people who tell us that 'Jesus never claimed to be God.' Jesus hardly did any else but claim He was God.)

And onto 2 Corinthians 4:4-6. What happened when we got saved? God turned the light on and we saw Christ. We saw Him, not as a 'good teacher,' not as an irrelevance, but as God Himself. The lights came on, and we worshiped. Just like 'in the beginning.' We see the glory of God in Christ. As we read the Gospel, the letters, the prophets, the history, we see God's glory in Christ.

We have to, and we get to. It's a duty and a joy. We have to because in the cultural wasteland of post Christian America, it's the only we to survive. We get to, because we meet a loving God, who would feed us with the finest of wheat, and honey from the rock.

Judges-Ruth

If there's a book that lends itself to a quick reading it's Judges. I'll not lie, and tell you i'm pleased to read it in two days rather then three weeks. The constant refrain about there being no king, the ever downward spiral of (grosser and grosser) sin, the lack of anything beautiful. Get through it quick.

But you get through it quick, turn the page and uh-oh, 'in the days when the Judges ruled the land,' no thank you! At least it's only four chapters, we think, until we dive in and find the greatest short love story ever told. What a breath of fresh air Ruth turns out to be, and what a great companion to Judges it is.

Companion? The warm summers day of Ruth with the bitter polar vortex of Judges? Sure, like a calm sunrise for the storm tossed sailor, the sweetness of Ruth is only increased when you read it along with Judges.

In Judges everyone does what is right in his own eyes. Essentially murder, immorality, private religion and disobedience. Even the good guys aren't much good, Gideon the coward, Samson the, well, maniac. Even for the good these men do, they're clearly not the Judge and King Israel needs. Israel is a mess, the people do what is right in their own eyes.

But in Ruth, one man does what is right in the eyes of the Lord. Boaz owes Ruth nothing, and takes her, and Naomi on at great cost to himself. Why? Because God said so! And because he loves her, of course, but that doesn't explain his meeting at the gate with Mr No-name. The people sing, the hero gets the girl, Naomi is a sweet old lady nursing her grandson, because Boaz did what was right.

Judges shows us who we are. We hate authority don't we? That's why we're always cheering for the bad guys in movies. We don't want to be told what to do. A hundred times a day, when we sin, we despise God's Word. Our hearts run rampant as they pursue every idol of their fancy. Just like in Judges. Sure, there are bright spots, but we trend down, and things end up worse than we could ever imagine.

But in Ruth, we see who we could be. Whose the new girl in my field? Oh really? Well make sure she's looked after, and guys. don't touch her. You're an old man, but it's your wings i want to be under. He loves you, he'll do what's right, he won't let the matter rest. I mean come on! This is the best story ever. Boaz, Ruth and Naomi shows us how to live in the Spirit, how to live with God as our King, a life that says 'the Lord be with you.'

Judges leaves us in Gibeah. Benjamin is not supposed to be the front runner, the leader among God's people. See what happened's in Gibeah Israel? Why will you choose Saul? A King from Gibeah is no King, don't choose him because he's tall and looks like the nations' Kings, says Samuel. And we're faced with that same dilemma every day. Does the church want leadership like the nations? Do i want to worship what they worship?

But Ruth takes us to Bethlehem, to David and to Jesus. Israel, David is your King, and we must unite around him. Look what the men of Bethlehem are like, and compare them to the men of Gibeah. Judah has the scepter between his feet, Judah goes up first. Judah is where Kings comes from. And Judges and Ruth remind us that our king must be from Judah. Our King must be in Davd's line, our King must be from Bethlehem.

Look at what happens when he isn't.

Look at Leviticus

Leviticus has been called the 'widow maker' of Bible reading plans. You get through Genesis and Exodus with excitement and determination, and then, Leviticus. A huge chapter on skin diseases, old ceremonies that we don't perform any more, men being stoned to death. Can't we just skip it? I get much more out of James.

I think part of the answer is the read it quickly. I don't think it lends itself to twenty seven separate sittings, anything familiar seems a long way off after nearly a month. If you have thirty five to forty minutes each day you can read it in three chunks, which helps the flow, and helps you keep the big picture in view.

But whether we read Leviticus a chapter at a time, or ten chapters at a time, i think there are three things to look for that will help us as we make our way through.

Look for Separation

One of the main themes of this book is that man and God can't live side by side. It's not entirely safe for Israel to have the Tabernacle in their midst. It's not even safe for Aaron and the rest of the Levites. Something has to be done for man and God to have a relationship. Something has to happen for The LORD to stay amongst His people without wiping them out. And we have the same problem. You and I can't just stroll up to God and thump Him on the back. Our sins have separated us from Him.

Look for Substitution

Leviticus is the story of God making a way for sinful man. It's the story of blood, but not man's blood. Goats blood, sheep's blood, turtledoves blood, and failing all that, cups of flour. Sin has to be paid for either by us, or by a substitute. For unintentional sins, there is a way, God has made a way to cover His people in blood. And substitution is all of grace. You couldn't have made your way to worship holding a dove in your hand without realising how gracious God is. You and I can't, shouldn't go to worship, eat at the table, or read our Bibles without realising how gracious God is.

Look for Satisfaction

When blood is shed, God is pleased. When blood is shed men are safe. Leviticus then, holds our the heart of the Gospel. Men are separated from God, but can come near because of the blood shed by a substitute. God stays, men live in relationship with Him, they can feast and celebrate, and once a lifetime have the year of jubilee. Because God is satisfied with the blood that has been shed. He's satisfied not because a goat can pay for a man, but because that blood paints a picture of the blood His Son would shed, blood that faithful hebrews were looking towards.

So far from being irrelevant to we sophisticates living in 2014, Leviticus is as relevant as we can get. We, in 2014 are far from God, and we can only be brought back by a graciously provided substitute shedding His blood.

The End of the Bible at the End of the Year

If you do such a thing, you're probably coming near the end of your Bible reading plan for this year. Bible reading plans are great, until they make you proud or discouraged, when you throw them away and read Galatians.

It's helpful to think about the end of time at the end of the year. What happens at the end of time? We are glorified and satisfied. We see Jesus face, which is eternal life, and our joy receptors have to be re-routed before they blow up. What happens at the end of the year tho? We wake up, and it's January, back to the beginning, back to Genesis, back to school, back to church. It's not Christmas songs anymore, but the slightly dull realisation that summer is still months away, and the only think to look forward to before then is your writer's birthday, (February 21st).

2013, for various reasons already documented on these pages, will not be a year i'll remember fondly. I hope it does let the door hit it on the way out. But how did we love Jesus in 2013? Did we continue? Is that what we'll look back on fondly as we voyage off into 2014? Our great acts of faith and service? Did we love Jesus well in 2013?

Probably not, and that's ok.

Will we love Jesus well in 2014?

Probably not, and that's ok.

Not ok because we're all antinomians and it doesn't matter how we live. We must kick that idea in the teeth. It's ok because Jesus is our champion, Jesus goes out and fights Goliath while we cower behind Him, Jesus loves the Father perfectly and is not afraid to call us brother as He represents us. Jesus loved, and served, and delighted the Father perfectly in 2013, and He will in 2014, and you know what, because He did, you did.

At the end of time, like at the end of the Bible, we'll see Jesus' face, we'll have eternal life. Why? Because we worked hard and paid our tithes? No! Because Jesus did, because He was perfect, because He paid what was needed. That was our lode star this year, and it must be next year. In triumph and tragedy, there is nothing else.

If You Will Not Listen

How do we know we're listening to God? How do we know we're hearing His voice? How do we know it's not just our thoughts, or desires, or something worse. If you listen to the local Christian radio station, you'll end up thinking that God speaks through waterfalls and sunsets, through this song and that song, and maybe He does. But wouldn't it be good to know for sure.

You know where we're going.

In Malachi 2, The Lord has a serious problem with the priests. So serious that He wants to rub dung into their faces. he them to stink physically because they stink spiritually. He wants people near them to be as disgusted with them as He is. Why? Because they refuse to listen to listen. They're not taking His Word seriously. They're not reading, meditation and applying the scriptures. And even though God talks to the priests, and we don't have a priestly class any more, the point for us is clear. What you think about the Bible is (ultimately) what you think about God.

There are four consequences in our lives when we don't listen to the Bible that we see in this passage. The first, in verse 2, is simply that we will not have a heart for God if we don't listen to Him. I can't know what my wife wants, what she likes, what she needs if i never listen to her. I can't please her, i don't know her if i never hear her voice. And the same is true with God. What a shame if we feel more connected to our favourite tv characters than we do to the living God.

Secondly, in verses 8a and 9b, when we don't listen, our lives will fall short of the standard that God sets us. Narrow is the way that leads to salvation. Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees you will never see the Kingdom of God. Not in quantity, but in quality. Our righteousness must be of a different sort, it must be faith produced and joy filled. But those flames won't burn if they're not stoked by the Bible.

The end of verse 9 gives us our third warning, relevant not just to preachers. If we don't listen to the Bible then we will show partiality. Preachers will start preaching for a pay cheque not the glory of God, Christians will become yes men, rather than prophetic challengers of their friends. Because that makes sense, unless our categories of success and failure, of what matters and what is inconsequential are shattered and rebuilt by the Bible.

And lastly, when we don't listen you'll lead other people astray. if i don't listen i'll lead my wife astray. I'm like a child, not knowing how to go in and out, how can Fox Sports Live be more important than what God has to say. How can you best serve your friends, and family and co-workers and students and employers and employees? Listen to God!

Verses 5-7 gives the rewards of listening. Life and peace. Fear and awe. True instruction. Fight for time in your day to listen to God, neglect something else. Listen to the Bible.

Luther, Justification, and me

The is a repost from over three years ago, and although the details have changed, the principles remain the same. It seemed appropriate for Reformation Day.

Yesterday i read a prayer letter from some dear friends. It mentioned that part of their new year routine was to get up earlier in the morning to spend more time reading the Bible before going to work. Amen, i'm there with you.

The only 'resolution' i made this year was to get up at 6am, so i could have a longer quiet time before heading off to work. Edwards probably wasn't joking when he said Christ recommended getting up early by rising early on the third day. Now 6am isn't very early by Pitt County standards, but it is only shortly after the time i'd go to bed in my student days, so it still presents a challenge to my motivation and discipline.

So far all's been going well. I have my coffee, a chapter of 'What Jesus demands from the world' some prayer, my Bible schedule (leviticus and matthew at the moment) and then some of whatever book is next in Teen Church (Colossians at the moment). After this i go to work happy, satisfied, ready.

This morning, my time was unavoidably interrupted. Interrupted is the wrong word, cut short perhaps would be better. But anyway, i was out of routine. And here's the challenge that represents to me, how much is my standing with God based on what i do between 6-730 each morning.

I'm told that on his desk Luther had written something like 'Ex baptisma' meaning, 'i am baptised'. This was to remind him that his salvation was out side of himself. That his justification depended on something that he had not done. Not 'being baptised', that was his way of remembering the life, death and ressurection of Christ on his behalf. Luther knew that whatever he was doing, telling Melanchthon he hadn't sinned enough, building his bowling alley, or throwing an ink well at the Devil, he was safe, he was secure, his justification was outside of him.

I'd love to say that my quiet times leave happy, satisfied and ready because because my heart is filled by the glory of the Gospel of the happy God each morning. But more often than not, i'm happy because i can tick a box, i can file away 'devotions' for another morning. Justification by quiet time is the great evangelicalism of my generation.

So on a flustered, irregular morning, what does Luther remind me? That i am a son of God through faith in Christ (Gal 3:26). And that is enough.

On Bible Reading

Halfway through 2013, i guess that those of us who like to read the Bible according to a set-out plan currently fall into three categories. Maybe four.

Up to date (or near as makes no difference) It's June 19th, and you've just read the set passages for that day, or maybe you're just a couple of days behind. Within striking distance at least. Your boxes are all ticked.

Behind but chasing You may only be halfway through May, but you know you're going to catch up. You've got a week's vacation coming up, or you've decided to double up until you catch up. Maybe you're going to blitz December, but either way, you're still going.

Given up You grabbed your reading plan with great excitement around Christmas, this was going to be the year. And then, reality hit. Or Leviticus hit. Either one. And now you've stopped and you're not quite sure how to start again. You want to read the Bible, but you feel bad for just jumping in halfway though now.

So there were only three, but my point is this. If your Bible reading plan makes you feel proud or guilty, throw it away. If you've started to live for the moment in the morning when you tick the box on your plan, if you're glazing or rushing through the sweetest of treasure given to man, throw your plan away. Burn it. Have a ceremony. Just get rid of it. And go read Galatians.

And if your Bible reading plan makes you feel guilty, if you feel like a third rate Christian because it seems like the rest of the church is rejoicing in the fall of Sennacherib,  and you're still marching around Jericho, throw it away. With great joy and faith, throw it in the trash. And go read Galatians.

Bible reading plans are great because they stop you just reading your favourite book six times a year, they give us all of the Bible, in manageable chunks, but, because you and I are deeply sinful people, they're also so dangerous. We shouldn't read the Bible, in fact we mustn't read the Bible to water the seeds of pride on our hearts. We read to meet Jesus, to have our hearts enlarged, to fall further for our Beloved. We read to be humbled, to be excited.

And if your (lack of) Bible reading makes you feel guilty, can i encourage you to just pick up the book and read? Start with your favourite book, aim at 10 minutes a day, then 15, then 20, you'll soon find that you can't do without it. Ask for help, and keep going.

However you read, do it to beholds the glory of God in the face of Christ, and nothing else.

This is not the Son you're Looking For

The Bible is a book of promises. Or, perhaps better, the Bible is  a book that fulfills a promise. The promise is that there would be a son, born to a woman, who would defeat the serpent. The Bible is the story of a search for this offspring who will crush the serpent's head.

Everyone we meet in the Bible is either a type of this hero (the good Kings, Noah, Moses, Joshua, Nehemiah, the bridegroom) or an antitype of this hero (the bad kings, Eli and Phineas, Cain). The story of Absalom is a particularly good and particularly painful example of this.

David wanted to build a house for God. This was a reasonable and Godly thought. Why should I live in a palace of cedar when God lives in a tent. God turns this desire around and tells David that He's the house-builder, and that someone from David's house will sit on the throne forever. If David was a good student of Moses, his mind would have gone to the promise to Eve of the serpent crusher, and then to the promise to Judah of a son with the scepter always beneath his feet.

Along comes Absalom. Is he the son? The early signs are not good, and frankly they only get worse. Absalom is actually an anti-type of the Son of David, and as the antitype not only does he look a bit like us, he also teaches us, by contrast, a little bit more about who to look for in the real Son of David.

Absalom fells the city following the incident with his sister and half brother. David graciously brings him home, and what does Absalom do? Immediately sets up shop by the city gate to undermine the authority of his father. David holds out his hand in forgiveness, but as soon as this forgiveness is enjoyed, Absalom takes advantage of it.

Is this not how we operate so often? We blaspheme grace by treating it as license. We come to God in contrition, and then turn from God in sin. We enjoy forgiveness, and then we sin again. And when I say 'we', understand that I mostly mean 'i.' Absalom shines alight into our hearts like the law, and we don't like what we find there.

Then, a few chapters later, we find the Son of David hanging in a tree. All sort so flashing lights should be going off here. Absalom is killed, against the commands of his father, and his father mourns, and division is wrought. Centuries later, the real Son of David will hang on a tree, and die at His Father's command. This death will not bring division between the Father and His people, but peace.

Absalom teaches us about Christ though contrast, he shows us what we are, and what we need. In the words of Nathan, 'we are the man' who defies and spoils the good King's offer of forgiveness. But Absalom is not the son we're looking for. He adds to the picture with darker shades that make the light shine brighter. As we turn the page on Absalom, we turn our hearts to Jesus, who gives us hope with His grace, and peace in His death.

Lead me through the City

How do you pray before you read the Bible?

I guess it depends on what you think the Bible is. If we approach the Bible as a list of rules, as if it really were, 'basic instructions before leaving earth,' we'll pray that we understand God's instruction. If we think of it as a how-to manual, we'll pray that we learn the rules and follow them. But if we view the Bible as an invitation to meet the living Christ, we might pray a bit differently.

We might pray, Father, lead me through the city and help me find my beloved, as in Song 5:2-10, because we need the Father's help to see the Son, and we don't believe that the Bible contains 65 books about Jesus, and one about us.

We might pray, Father, open  my eyes that i might see your glory in the face of Christ, as in 2 Corinthians 4:4-6, because we need help to see Jesus as the glorious Son of God, rather than a distraction or an inconvenience.

We might pray, Father help me to love Jesus the way you love Jesus, as in John 17:26. Because sanctification is loving Jesus more than anything else, and because the Father loves the reflection of His own glory in Jesus more than anything else, and because we join in our Lord when we pray this.

We might pray, satisfy my heart with your steadfast love, as in Psalm 90:14, because our sinful hearts wander away from the beautiful fruit we can enjoy, and desire what is bad for us, just like our first parents did.

We might pray, Father, would i eat the flesh of your Son and drink His blood, as in John 6:53, because this dependence and digestion of the Word of God leads to life.

We might pray, Father, would i be astonished at your love for me today, and would i marvel at Jesus, as in 2 Thessalonians 1:10, because there is no division between the Father's love for us, and His desire for the glory of His Son, and this is good news.

We might pray, Father, make me a green olive tree in your house, as in Psalm 52:8, so that we would offer nourishment and protection to those around us.

And after we have read, we might pray, Father, would my heart overflow with the pleasing theme of your Son, the King, as in Psalm 45:1, so that our good works would shine for your glory.

We have a God who loves and relates and speaks. We have a God who is there and not silent. The Bible is proof of that. Let's read our Bibles like that.

How will I love Jesus in 2013?

First and Second Timothy might be two of the most emotive books of the Bible. Paul, moved with love, compassion and care writes two last times to his son in the faith, to encourage him after he has gone. The question on Paul's mind would have been, 'how will Timothy love Jesus when i'm gone?' The question on our lips this morning should be something like, 'how will i love Jesus in 2013?' With the distractions of the world, with the constant buffeting of sin, the discouragements  and strife, how will we love Jesus in 2013?

Paul sums it up for Timothy, and for us in just one word in 2 Timothy 3:14, 'continue.' 2013 will be about continuing for Christians. There will be new fads, new controversies, new 'follow this programme to grow your church into the 1000s', but the only Biblical answer? Continue.

Christians must continue in Bible reading. No matter how you read the Bible this year, make sure you're reading. The Bible will help us continue in our faith. It reminds us of the constancy and ancient relevance of our faith. Once again we'll start with 'in the beginning' and end with 'amen.' Adam will sin, Abraham will lie, David will go for an ill advised walk, Israel will fall, and Jesus will rise again. We'll sing Psalms and lament sins. If God has spoken in the Bible, may our prayer be that we would hear Him clearer in 2013 than ever before.

We must continue to pray as well. I was challenged towards the end of the year by a tweet from John Piper. The idea was that if you're not praying for influence over people, you must not think that what you believe, or can input is very important. We are nothing more than who we are in secret with Jesus. Pray to glorify God with your life, pray for forgiveness and sanctification, pray for those around you, pray for the lost, across the street and across the globe. Talk to Jesus each day like He is a real person. Continue in prayer.

And continue in church attendance. I am more and more convinced that your view of Jesus is reflected in your view of the Church. If church isn't a priority, then Jesus probably isn't. If signing, giving, and listening to good preaching bores you, guess what? Jesus probably bores you as well. If you struggle to pay Jesus attention at the one time where you know a lot of other people are, what makes you think you're ever paying attention to Jesus. If you think you're 'too cool' for church, then you need to repent, if you don't understand why church attendance is important, the you need to read the Bible, and ask the Lord to fill your heart with love for His Bride.

2013 will bring us many opportunities to indulge in that which Christians should be most wary of, novelty. Don't spend 2013 chasing what's new, continue in the Bible, continue in prayer and continue in church. And by so doing, you'll continue with Jesus.

Reading the Bible in 2013

How will you read the Bible in 2013? I'm assuming, since you found your way here, the pressing question os 'how; not 'why' or 'if.' How can we read the Bible well in the new year? We know we must. We know one of the marks of a flourishing relationship with Christ is a regular relationship with His Word. We know the way God speaks to us today is in His Word, so how will we best expose our hearts and minds to the written word?

For quite a long time, i was opposed to Bible reading plans. For the first four years of being a Christian i didn't use one (i've been a Christian for eleven years next Easter, for four years constitutes 'quite a long time!'). I thought they were guilt producing and unnecessary thank you very much, i'll read the Bible in my own way. But, i've pretty much done a one eighty in the last couple of years, and now, i think, i see a good Bible reading plan as almost indispensable.

I've used the following three of four over the years, and, as you plan your Bible reading in the new year, i commend one of these to you;

The Ron Frost Bible Reading Plan.

This takes you through the Bible three of four times in a year, and is the plan i've most recently been following. It's really simple, you start in Genesis, read ten chapters a day, and you get to Revelation a few short months laster. It's really wonderful to get a birds eye view of Scripture. To arrive at Sinai the week after you left Eden. To see the themes of the prophets unfold, and the sun rise from the dark as you land in Matthew. And when you get done in Revelation, turn round and start again. Ten chapters a day seems like a lot, but it'll take 30-40 minutes a day. Think of it, forty minutes a day gets you through the whole Bible several times a year!

Grant Horner's Bible Reading System.

This also takes you through ten chapters a day, the difference from the Ron Frost plan being that you read from ten different places a day. I can't recommend enough reading large chunks of the Bible every day, think of the pay-off you'll receive over the years. I found this slightly less satisfying than going from Genesis to Revelation because it was hard to hold ten parts of the story together at once, but, you see more of the Bible at once. It's a personal thing. If you're already reading the Bible through in a year, why not try and read it though three of four times in 2013? You won't, you can't regret it!

The McCheyne Plan.

This is probably the most popular 'Bible in a year' system. Used by men like Spurgeon, Hudson Taylor and Lloyd-Jones, it takes you through the New Testament and Psalms twice a year, and the rest of the Old Testament once. This is the plan i used for years, and, if it's good enough for the men mentioned above, who are we to disagree! Four chapters a day gives more time for reflection and prayer, more time for a journal, but if you miss a day, you'll have to catch up to keep with the schedule, something that's not true of the other two, because there is no schedule. But this served me well in the past, and no doubt will in the future. You can't go wrong with McCheyne.

Finally, remember, we read the Bible to commune with Jesus, not to tick a box. Don't read the Bible for the sake of a schedule, if you fall into that trap, spend a month in Galatians. Read the Bible to eat in the morning, read the Bible to feast! Read it because you need it.

Whatever else you do in 2013, take and read!

The Bible Question is 'Who?'

We've been studying Revelation together for the past few weeks in Teen Sunday school. Last weekend we covered chapter 4, sort of leaving port and pushing off into the great unknown of the main body of the book. The stuff that i think my teens were thinking of when they asked to study this book, the many headed beasts, the woman clothed with the sun, the dead prophets in the street.

Something in us, and i think it's a good thing, wants to spend time puzzling these things out doesn't it? Something wants to tie down once and for all who the 144,000 are and whether the millennium is a literal thousand years, and what exactly happens during that time anyway. I'm no different. I was reading A Fire Kindled From Heaven again this weekend, and found myself wondering why i think the Puritan's have the Song right but Revelation wrong. It's ok to mix and match from history though isn't it. I don't even agree with Piper on everything (that's what i tell people anyway!)

I guess there are two equal and opposite errors we can make reading Revelation. We can either take it too literally, or not literally enough. If we make the first error we end up reading Revelation like Acts, trying to ascribe meaning to every detail, and missing the big picture. If we make the second, we forget that John really did see these things, and they really do have something concrete to tell us, and we end up missing the big picture.

And what's the big picture? Wrong question, who is the big picture? Jesus. Who is always the Bible question. Who does Abel tell us about? Or Joseph? Or Ahasuerus? It is the Revelation of Jesus Christ. It's not a text book for the end of the world.

This is clear in chapter 4. When you read it, the word throne stands out above anything else. So you can get caught up in the colours of His appearance, or who four things the living creatures signify. Or you can get your eyes on the throne, and bask, and join in with the worship of the creatures and elders. We can look around us and be discouraged whether in the first century or the twenty first, or we can look to the throne and see Jesus. See Jesus who holds everything in the palm of His hand. See Jesus who rules for His people.

This is the big picture isn't it? Not only of Revelation, but of the whole Bible. The question is who, not what. Who sits on the throne? Who is worthy of worship? Who is your beloved? Who is this man who commands the wind and the sea.

Jesus. He is the big picture, He is the answer to the puzzle, He is the key to the lock, He is the highest point of any superlative you care to name. And He is the point of Revelation. Let's get our eyes on Him.

But Grow

2 Peter 3:18 tells us to 'grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ.' That's a command. Peter tells us that Paul's letters are hard to understand and some people twist them for their own means, but we, Christians, are to grow as we read them.

So whats your plan for growth?

Jesus has graciously given us means for growth. We have the Bible. if you're reading this from an English speaking country then you are incredibly privileged to have the Bible in a multitude of translations and readily available. We need to pay attention, we need to grow, we need to obey this command to have more of Jesus. What's your Bible reading plan? What's your Bible reading time? I need to read in the morning when i first get up or i really struggle to get it done! Do you read a chapter or day, or four, or ten? It's not important how much you read, but how you read, with our eyes on Christ, and that you read. As Cat Caird puts in two wonderful posts, we need to feast on the Bible.

But we grow in community. Jesus came to earth and started the church. It was His idea, so we really should get on board! It's wonderfully true to say that we have a 'personal relationship' with Jesus, but that's not all that's wonderfully true. We need community, we need to live out our relationship with Jesus in community. That was the idea from the start. In fact, that's one of the reasons that Robert McCheyne came up with the first Bible reading plan, so that his church would all read together and he would know what his people were reading. Church helps us to grow by exposing us to gospel preaching, wiser saints and the ordinances which present the Gospel to our senses.

Hebrews 2:3 asks us 'how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation.' Neglect, not oppose. Drift away from, not walk away from. The tide of our natural affections take us away from Jesus. if we neglect the course of this tide, we'll drown. So we have to swim against this tide. Drifting from Christ doesn't happen mainly by opposing the great doctrines of the faith, but simply by slowly being carried away.

We need more of Christ. Our champion, our standard bearer, our king and husband. What's our plan to grow, to get more of Him?

Richard Sibbes, via Dave Bish, sums it up well:

It should be the study and care of every Christian to study the excellencies of Christ, not only in general, as in the Creed, 'he was born for us of the virgin Mary, was crucified, buried died etc.' which every child can say but to be able to speak particularly of the high perfections and excellencies of Christ.

What is the ability to speak particularly of the high perfections and excellencies of Christ if not Christian growth? And how shall we grow if we neglect the means God has given us?

Lessons from Isaiah

Evangelical Bible teachers (like me) are keen to remind their hearers that the Bible is living and active. That, the God breathed Word has as much to say to us, as it did to Isaiah  thousands of years ago. I've been reading Isaiah in the morning for the past few months, here's are some of the things i'm learning.

Isaiah's course was set by encounters with God. The well known vision of Isaiah 6, and the perhaps less well known comfort song in chapter 40. Both phases of Isaiah's ministry were set by God. The encounter with the LORD in chapter six gave him the energy, the bravery, to oppose evil and to encourage good. To stand in the street when no listened and to be faithful as Sennacherib's men stood at the gate. His encounter with the LORD in chapter 40 gave him the strength to continue when his public ministry was over. When we see God in His holiness we are fired up to fight sin wherever we see it, when we see God as the God of comfort and condescension, we are given the vision and the energy to comfort God's people in their depths. I need to meet with God every morning. Every morning in the wilderness God gave His people fresh manna, and every day, i need something new. I can't give the people i'm supposed to teach yesterday's meal, they need a man in the pulpit, in teen church, in parent meetings, teaching Sunday School and Children's Church, who has been ruined by God. I need to get my heart and my mind before God daily, and ask that He would do a fraction for me that He did for Isaiah.

Jesus stands and knocks. In Sunday School yesterday we looked at the letter to Laodicea together. Jesus' grace is remarkable in this letter. He tells them that they make Him sick, and then says that if only they'll have Him He'll come and eat with them. That dovetails well with a lot of how the LORD speaks through Isaiah. His covenant people have forgotten Him, but He has not forgotten them. They have turned to idols, but He has not turned to another people. He disciplines them, but as a Father disciplines the one He loves. Through judgement in Isaiah, there is always grace. Sins are always red as scarlet before they are made white like snow. The King is always betraying His God, before God sends the true King. God's grace in Isaiah is extraordinary. Super-abundant. He stands and knocks, He waits at the end of the road for a glimpse of His prodigal, He makes the mountains valley to bring rebels home. Rebels who are now truly sons. Jesus is sovereign, showing His power not just over Uzziah, Ahaz and Hezekiah, but also over Sennacherib, Babylon and Cyrus. But it is Jesus who is sovereign, not some generic, brutal wooden idol. Isaiah leads us to rejoice in both those truths.

Ministry isn't always what you expect. Isaiah's public ministry probably ended in chapter 39, or shortly thereafter. When Hezekiah died and evil King Manasseh took the throne, the days of public preaching for God's man where probably done. Biblical 'legend' has it that it is Isaiah the writer of the Hebrews talks about, who was killed by being sawn in two. I don't think they do that to popular people! But Isaiah wasn't finished when they took his church away from him. He kept going, loving God, His Word and His people. Teaching His disciples and making sure that the exiles knew that the LORD had neither been overpowered, nor forgotten about them. Isaiah loved the work more than the position. I'm sure there were hard days, days when he missed the freedom, days when he thought about preaching in the kings court. But i'm sure they were few and far between. I'm sure that the God He knew, and the plans He knew kept Him going. It was this that kept Isaiah steadfastly abounding in the work of the Lord. And so it must be for us.

In The Bible It's Always Spring

As the shining of the sun enlargeth the spirit of poor creatures, the birds in springtime to sing, so proportionately, the apprehension of the sweet love of God in Christ enlargeth the spirit of a man, and makes him full of joy and thanksgiving. He breaks forth into joy, so that his whole life is a matter of joy and thanksgiving.

Richard Sibbes, from The Matchless Love and Inbeing, quoted in Delighting in the Trinity, Mike Reeves, P107.

I've been sharing reasons to read the Bible over the last few days. Sibbes, of course, says it better. Why read the Bible? Because it draws our hearts to God, and produces the overflowing fruit of joy and thanksgiving. In the Bible it's always Spring, life is always blooming, the darkness is always been chased away...

Why Read The Bible (IV)

So far in this series we've seen reasons not to read the Bible, we've seen that reading the Bible brings us to meet with God, and that reading the Bible stimulates our appetite for, and growth in, holiness. Today, we'll look at Proverbs 1:2-6, and see that we should read the Bible to get guidance from God.

Guidance is a sticky issue in the Bible though isn't it? The Bible doesn't tell us who we should marry, or where we should go to college, neither does God anywhere promise any mystical, extra nugget of revelation to help us find these things out. So how does the Bible guide us? Well, just like an Olympic athlete isn't going to train for the 100 metres by just thinking about it, but by putting in the effort, we'll see from these verses that we are supposed to work at finding Gods will for different situations in our life.

Proverbs 1:2-6 promises us seven ways that the Bible will guide us. Solomon's aim for this book is that we would grow in wisdom. In Verse 7 he describes wisdom as beginning with the fear of the Lord. Knowledge and acknowledgement of the Lord is a vital part of the guidance that God would give us though His Word. If we want wisdom, then we have to search it out in the Bible.

And wisdom, verse 2 promises us, leads to discernment. We'll be able to choose the good from the bad, the right from the wrong. We'll have the skills to analyze a situation, not just emote over one. To look around the Church today is to see people needing to grow in discernment. Bible reading will help us to do that.

Thirdly, regular Bible reading will give us instruction. What for? For wise dealing, or good living. Instruction that teaches us to pay the bills before we go to the mall, to turn the tv off after 10pm. Through diligent application of what we see in the Bible, we will be instructed for life.

Next, verse 4 promises us the ability to make a plan. So often we can be caught between two good options, we need to train ourselves how to choose. This verse promises to help people who struggle with direction in life, it gives them knowledge, discretion and prudence. Where do we learn the ability to make a plan that pleases God? In the Bible!

Verse 5 tells us that we will listen and learn if we are wise. The wise man is always listening and always learning. To keep listening to God's Word and to keep learning it's story is vitally important if we're going to survive a winter of our souls. To do this is to store up grain for a bad winter, to have somewhere to feed when our world crashes around us.

Verse 6 tells us that reading the Bible will give us understanding. As we read we'll grow in our understanding of the Bible, how it fits together, and how it relates to all of our life. We'll have a chance to understand proverbs and sayings.

Put all this together and what do you get? Leadership. As we work to read the Bible. As we set aside time, as we puzzle out the difficulties and apply wherever we can, we'll grow as Christians. We'll grow into leaders of whatever sphere we are in.

We have to see how all three reasons to read the Bible are linked. We meet with God in the Bible, as we meet with God and behold His face we grow in holiness. As we grow in holiness, loving what is right, then we will find the guidance we need to live faithfully in the Bible. None of this will happen apart from regular Bible reading. This is our Father's chosen means to grow His children. We ignore it at our cost...

Why Read The Bible (III)

So far we've seen bad reasons to read the Bible, and we've seen that when we read the Bible we can meet with God. Today, from one of my favourite passages of scripture, we're going to see that reading the Bible helps us to grow in holiness.

What comes to mind when you think about holiness? A boring set of rules to follow? Or an unobtainable idea? Or something designed to stop you having fun? None of these ideas come anywhere near what the Bible teaches us holiness is. Holiness is inward change, brought about by exposure to God in Christ, that impacts the way we live. Holiness is a heart issue, because our problems are heart issues. Our problem is not that we do wrong, our problem is that we love wrong. 2 Corinthians 3:7-4:6 helps us to see why reading the Bible changes our hearts, and produces holiness.

Lets look at it slowly. In verses 7-11 we see that Moses was changed on the outside by what Paul calls the 'ministry of death.' He was physically changed so that the Israelites could not look at his face, it had to covered with a veil. You can understand Paul's question in verse 8. If that which is passing away, that which bought death contained so much glory that it changed Moses like this, how much life-changing glory will be in the ministry that brings life? It will be like holding a candle up to the sun at midday, it will be like there was no glory in the old ministry at all. We should expect exposure to this ministry, exposure to the Bible to change us.

In verses 12-18 we're told that just as Moses was hidden behind a veil, so Jesus is hidden behind a veil for some when they read the Bible. Hard minds and veiled eyes are a result of refusing to turn to Jesus as Lord, because only then is the veil removed. And when the veil is removed...what freedom! Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. When the Lord is working in hearts and minds, in affections and understanding, there is freedom! Freedom from sin, from pride, lust, envy and the million paper cuts that threaten to kill us.

This freedom becomes ours as we are transformed by looking at the Lord. As we behold the Lord in the Scriptures we will be changed. I'm encouraged by the way Paul says our change is 'by degree.' Sometimes it won't feel like much heart change is going on, sometimes it will, but it always is. We can't help but be changed as we behold the glory of the Lord!

But why does this change us? A quick jump to 4:4-6 helps us begin to understand. These were some foundational verses to me as a young Christian, in fact, they still are. What is the fundamental problem that unbelievers have when they read the Bible? They've been blinded so that they can't see, or to use language from 3:17-18, behold, the light that shines from the Gospel. They can't see that which will change them. What is this holiness producing light? The same light that shone into darkness as God spoke creation into being. The light that we behold, the light of the glory of the Gospel of Christ, the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ is the light we behold as we see Jesus in scripture. This is the light that changes us.This is the light that produces holiness.

Meeting with God through reading the Bible produces holiness. As we see more light, we begin to love aright, and as we love aright, we live aright. We still do what we want to do, but what we want to do has been changed by the glory we've seen in the Bible.