The Vineyard Church of North Grand Rapids, MI

Following up Father's Day, we're teaching a series we're calling Adventures in Missing the Point-for cowboys and cowgirls everywhere. The cowboy theme is just for fun. Missing the point is never fun. Men and women who do all the right things for all the wrong reasons rarely get what they hope for. They pay their dues, put in their time, and never get the pay off. ILLUS: Camping can be an adventure in missing the point. In a few weeks, the whole Befus clan will go camping together. We start reserving campsites in January or February, assessing equipment needs in March, gathering supplies in April, watching the GR Press' Bargain Corner in May, and organizing equipment in June. Camping is fun, to be sure, but it's not like staying at an all-inclusive resort. It's a lot of work. Just the getting ready and getting set up will wear you out and put you in need of a vacation. We've been doing this for so many years that we've developed a tradition of hosting a big fight on the first day as we stress out over getting to the state park on time and setting up all of the equipment before dark. Why do we have to bring all the kitchen appliances? Talk about missing the point of a vacation! Aren't vacations supposed to be relaxing . . . all about slowing down and simplifying? Please pray for us!

3. The focus of this Sunday study has been a conflict between Jesus and the best-known group of religious conservatives of his day-the Pharisees. The are the bad guys in the Gospels. They were ancient Jewish fundamentalists-good neighbors: passionate about their faith, deeply committed to Bible, highly disciplined in their religious routines, extremely clean living in their lifestyles, committed to responsible parenting and private schools for their children. Many of us would have felt very comfortable in their company, their homes, and their worship services . . . that is, until Jesus came along. Jesus accused them of missing the point in almost every category of their faith and religious activity.

They focused on outward behavior and reputation: Jesus taught that God always looks inside and begins with our heart
They focused on clean living and separation from sinners; Jesus focused on including sinners and extending grace.
They shouted out the letter of the law; Jesus bent the letter to emphasize the spirit of law
They focused on the glory of their temple; Jesus zeroed in on the beauty of simple, poor people finding health and hope
They put their confidence in their spiritual disciplines; Jesus put his confidence in the Father's love and faithfulness.
They found safety in their ancient religious traditions; Jesus turned water into wine and poured it into new wineskins.

They did just about everything God had ever asked his OT people to do-and they did it more scrupulously than anyone else ever had-but they consistently started in the wrong place, missed the spirit of the instructions, were motivated by the wrong reasons, put their greatest emphasis on the least of God's concerns (majoring on minors), and ended up misrepresenting God and hurting the very people he was trying to help. Jesus went right after the Pharisees and called them on it; they eventually had him killed him for it. This wasn't a conflict between Jewish people and Christians; this was a conflict between people blinded by their religion and Jesus. It's a conflict still being fought today among religious folks in West Michigan.

My interest today is in the Bible-using it and studying it and applying it and absorbing it in completely non-religious ways-ways that touch hearts and change lives. God didn't give us the Bible just to add to our religious information or just to box us in with religious instructions and commandments or just to show us our failures and guilt. God gave us the Bible to warn us about real dangers, to point out the path to life, to reveal his heart, and to transform our lives and relationships from the inside out. Of all people, cowboys need to know the truth about the Bible and load their lives with the life-changing revelations found there.

I. CAREFUL . . . THIS BIBLE IS YOUR SIDEARM.

Every real cowboy knows that there's no point in carrying around an empty gun-a gun that won't help you fix a thing with trouble brews. For the Bible to be any help at all, you've got to know your way around it, understand how to use it, and load your life with the meaningful truths it contains. There's no good luck in just owning a Bible or bringing it to church. You've got to know where to start reading, how to apply it to your life, and how to communicate it to the people around you.

A good place to start is just bringing a Bible to church, opening it up to the place the pastor is preaching from, underlining statements that seem to speak to you, and taking some personal notes as the pastor preaches. Starting in a couple weeks, we're going to be starting a summer-long, verse-by-verse study of Philippians. This would be a great time to purchase a TNIV Study Bible and invest your summer Sundays in learning about the Bible. A next step could be to take some time each morning to read a chapter a day from one of the NT Gospels or one of the very practical NT letters like James. You could always check out one of our midweek Bible studies for men or women.
In the hands of real cowboy, the Bible is alive and powerful. If it was a sword is would be dangerously sharp. If it was a gun, it would be a weapon that could conquer the wild west. You've got to respect it. You just don't want to shoot yourself in the foot by treating the Bible like it's an ancient list of instructions on how to put people in their place, or how to earn God's forgiveness, or how buy some good luck from the Man Upstairs. This morning I want to share three ways that religious conservatives-fundamentalists everywhere, in every generation- shoot themselves in the foot when they read or study the Bible.

II. DON'T SHOOT YOURSELF IN THE FOOT, KID!

A. Don't read the words without listening for the voice (John 10:16; Hebrews 3:7)

The author of the book called Hebrews wrote that the Bible is alive; he meant not only that these words have timeless value and influence, but that a living person-God-is still speaking through this book to the people who read it and listen with their hearts. Three times in Hebrews the authors makes a statement: Today, if you hear God's voice, say "Yes" to him; don't harden your heart and keep doing what you've always been doing.

Here's what men and women with soft hearts do: they sit down in a quiet spot and say a simple prayer, "God speak to me about my life, my decisions and my values, my money and my attitudes, my relationships and my job. Speak to me about your love and your kingdom and your Holy Spirit. Give me your guidance; I'm ready to follow your leading. As I read this ancient book, speak to me about my life today. Then they read and reflect and even listen for God to speak his thoughts into their minds. Sometimes they write these thoughts in a personal journal and meditate on them as they leave for work. Some people pick up the Bible and, they read black and white words; other people say a short prayer, start reading and listening for the voice. How about you, cowboy? What's God been saying to you lately through the Bible?

John 10:14, 27-"I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and m y sheep know me" . . . "May sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me". Every time you listen to a pastor speak from the Bible, just say a little prayer: "Jesus speak to me. Is there something you want me to do, something you want me to change, some where you want me to go? What are you saying to me? Don't ever be content with reading the Bible like it's ancient history. The Bible is alive because God is alive.

ILLUS: Let's do it right now. Our techs are going to flash a statement from the Bible on the screen. You're going to ready the words on the screen. But first you're going to pray, asking God to speak to you personally about your life, your relationships, your attitudes, your heart. You're going to ask him if there is anything he wants you to reconsider, anything he wants you to stop blaming others for and take up personal responsibility. We'll put on a song, and you'll just listen for the thoughts that come into your mind. And write them in the box at the top of your program's inside page. Ready. Let's pray . . .

Timothy . . . fan into flame the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline". II Timothy 1:6

Song:

B. Don't miss the spirit of the story (Matthew 6:31; Mark 2:27).

Our Creator gave us this book, not to keep us from pleasure, but protect us from self-destruction . . . not to block the path to real life, but to reveal it . . . not to steal our dreams but to fulfill them. In one of his better known statements, Jesus said, (Matthew 6:33) "Seek first his [God's] kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well". Jesus didn't say, "Make God's business your personal priority because God is sick and tired of having to do everything himself . . . or . . . start following God's instructions or you're going to regret the day you were born . . . or . . . you better get serious about your religion or you're going to run out of time and Judgment Day is coming. No, Jesus said, "Take all your worries, put them in a brown paper bag, and bury them in the back yard. God is inviting you to trust and follow and serve him because he generously meets the needs of everyone does so. Trusting and serving God is the surest way to make sure that your life needs will be met. This isn't about lending God a hand with his to-do list; this is about you discovering a life that works.

If Jesus and the Pharisees fought over one thing more than any other it was the Sabbath-what was lawful or unlawful on the day of worship and rest-the Sabbath. Way back at the beginning of the OT God had said that he wanted his people to take a break from their work one day in seven: the Sabbath. One day in seven was to be a day of rest, relaxation, reconnecting with God, family, and the community. The Pharisees turned what was to be a fun day-a day of kicking back, special meals, good times with family and friends, worship and gratitude-into a serious dawn-to-dusk, tightly controlled, community-wide curfew on doing anything but going to church and sitting around and taking naps. Work was defined as anything that might raise your heart rate or your fun quotient or cause some perspiration. No kidding. So what did Jesus do, he intentionally and persistently broke their Sabbath regulations and even encouraged his followers do join in. Mark 2:23-28. The point is that God has given us warnings and instructions, standards and promises to enrich our lives, protect us from harm, and guide onto the shortest path to blessing. If you read the Bible like a book of restrictions or limitations or guidelines for a religious lifestyle, you'll miss the point. God has given us the book to enrich our lives. You can do marriage your way. You can do money your way. You can do spirituality your way-religiously or defiantly. There's a better way, and it's the shortest way, to see your dreams come true. THIS BOOK'S FOR YOU!

C. Don't confuse the menu with the meal-No hungry cowboy would do that (Matthew 7:26; James 1:22)

Some religious folks think that its what you know, the creeds you believe, the denomination you join, the translation you favor, the doctrines you stand for that are most important to God and your spiritual life. Jesus challenged that common religious belief, "Its what you do with what you know . . . its how you live the truths you know . . . it's following and loving, serving and forgiving, trusting and taking risks, stretching and growing that is most valuable in God's eyes. It's not how much you know. It's not what people think of you. It's the baby steps you take when you learn something new from the Bible.

ILLUS: When you sit down with your Bible, you're sitting down with a menu of life's possibilities (just like at a restaurant). You're sitting down with a list of options and choices-like wine list. Nothing happens until you make your selection. Menus are nice, to be sure. They can be creative and colorful and even contain mouth-watering pictures of things to come. But no one goes to a restaurant just to look at a menu and memorize it. The whole point of looking through a menu is to make a choice to order a meal. The meal is the real thing, not the menu. Its all about eating and enjoying the meal. The menu doesn't compare at all to the meal itself.

What are you saying, Ray? All these stories of different people making good decisions and bad decisions, trusting God and ignoring God, loving family and friends or living in isolation and bitterness, trusting Jesus and following him, worshipping God and healing the sick-these stories and letters and historical records are all invitations to step into God's story, make personal decisions and do the stuff that these people did. It's not what you know that draws you close to God; it's what you decide and what you do after you've seen the menu. Jesus said, "Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them in practice is like a foolish man who has built his house on sand" (Matthew 7:26). Jesus' half brother James wrote, "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says" (James 1:22).

TRANS: Three ways religious people often shoot themselves in the foot: (1) they read the ancient words but don't listen for Jesus' voice; they read the stories but miss the spirit God intended; they study the menu, but don't order the meal-that is, they don't live the life.

Friends, this is a real gun (unloaded, but real). This here rifle will kill a squirrel dead at 50 yards. It's not a toy. If you're going to pick it up, you better know how to aim it. When you pick up your Bible, you need to look down the barrel. When you line up the sights, your going to see Jesus.

III. FOCUS IN ON JESUS (John 5:39-40)

A. This book is all about Jesus

1. The OT points to Jesus' mission. He is the One whom God told Eve would someday crush Satan's head. The manna the Israelite's ate in the wilderness was only a picture of Jesus, the bread of life. Jesus is the Rock David longed to climb up on when he was stuck in the psalms. Jesus is the Suffering Servant God told Isaiah he would send to his people. Jesus the King Daniel saw coming on the clouds of heaven.

2. The Gospels reveal Jesus' words and works. They tell us the mysteries of God's kingdom and the tenderness of his heart and the gentle manner he blesses children, and touches outcasts, and heals the sick, and treats sinners like friends. The gospels reveal the wonder of the cross and the glory of Jesus' resurrection.

3. The NT letters highlight the challenges of living Jesus' life together. Trusting and following Jesus in a community of faith requires humility and tenacity, love and forgiveness, a never-ending commitment to unity, and life-long courage and faithfulness.

Who is your life all about? This book is your friend, but don't make your life about this book. Take your Bible firmly in hand, look down the barrel, and sight in Jesus. Make your life about him.

Questions for Small Group Discussion

What thoughts or feelings from Ray's talk have stayed with you this week?

Many of us have come from backgrounds that were conservative. How would you describe your religious back ground? Did you come from a family, church, or denomination that put more emphasis on outward appearance and reputation than inner life change . . . that focused more on the letter of the law, rather than it's spirit . . . that withdrew and separated from people on the outside who aren't yet Christians, rather than spend time with them and embrace them with God's grace? How much of that back ground is still with you?

We're not all at the same place in our journeys. Has personal Bible reading and reflection become a meaningful part of your daily life? Why or why not?

Can you tell me about a time when you believe that you ‘heard God's voice', in reading the Bible or in worshipping, or simply being quiet? Did anyone hear God speaking to them Sunday morning during Ray's talk?

Ray compared the Bible to a menu. The Bible describes the opportunities we have to trust and follow Jesus in his lifestyle and ministry-believing what he believed, teaching what he taught, carrying on his works-communicating the gospel, healing the sick, casting out demons, caring for the poor, and so on. For all your years in church, are there meals on this ‘menu' that you have never ordered?

Ray concluded by turning our attention to John 5:39-40: The Bible is all about Jesus. As time goes by and you continue your spiritual journey, in your daily walk, in small groups, and in Sunday worship services, are you getting to know Jesus better? Is he becoming the main focus of your spiritual life? Are you growing to trust him more? Are you following him more closely than a year ago? Are there any challenges to living a Jesus-centered life that you're experiencing right now. We'd like to pray for you.

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