The Man of the Message

You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me,
(John 5:39 – ESV)

To study the Bible and not have a living relationship with Christ will ultimately do you no good. You are either changing, which means movement, or you are just reading about Him like you would any other ancient person. You can read about a famous or noble person and be inspired and go do those things you want to do, but Christ leads you to do what He wants you to do. His is not primarily the power of inspiration but of transformation. If you are truly learning from Him you will become more like Him. You will not only be moved, you will move.

Yes, we should come to know the things of God revealed in the Bible, we should study it, intensely and continuously. However, some are so fixed on looking at the trees they miss the fact that they are in the forest. The Jews of the day were so fixed on letters and words they missed the bigger picture of Divine intent and meaning (John 5:39-40). In all our studies in the Word of God we must remember that the God of the Word is whom we seek.

Of course, to the current reader, the application of the message may be in a slightly different direction that that of the original hearers. We may not be facing the same situations, but we can apply the message to our current dilemma by using the same principles and instruction. For example, we will probably not be facing a giant such as David did, but we do face giant problems that faith can help overcome. A good sermon will apply the fact that Christ has overcome the giants of sin, hell, and death, and point us to Him. Jesus is the whole summation of the Bible, and all our needs ultimately point to Him as our fulfillment and reason to worship.

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©