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When the Word Gets in You: Scripture That Transforms · Fostering Faith

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  So welcome back to episode 2 for September and
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  welcome back to fostering faith. My name is Tracy
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  I will be your host today and so in this episode
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  the Bible was never meant to be skimmed over
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  for inspirational lines or just used for an Argument
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  it was God's Word given to reveal his character
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  tell a story of redemption For his people and
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  today we're going to be reading and looking at
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  scripture context move from information to transformation
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  and develop what is the sustaining practice of
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  receiving and reflecting on it and responding
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  to the Word. And so if you're new here, welcome
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  to Fostering Faith. If you are a return guest,
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  thank you so much for tuning in. I am your host
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  Tracy and we're going to be in week two in our
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  series Rooted. A faith that holds. Last week
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  we talked about abiding in Christ and we said
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  that fruit cannot do the job of roots and spiritual
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  maturity grows through connection and not performance.
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  And today we're going to be talking about the
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  primary ways that God roots us. And I want to
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  begin with a question that may be a little uncomfortable.
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  Do you read the Bible to hear God or do you read
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  it to confirm what you already believe? And so
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  the question is that matters because it is possible
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  to open up scripture and never truly submit to
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  it. We can search for a verse that supports our
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  opinion, skim over something that makes us feel
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  better, avoid passages that challenge us. But
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  scripture is not a mirror designed to reflect
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  our preferences. It is a window that reveals
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  God. And by His Spirit and light, it exposes
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  us truthfully. And so a lot of times we just,
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  again, we want itchy ears. We want to have pastors.
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  We want to have sermons that make us feel better
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  about what we're doing. And so we got to go to
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  what truth says. We got to go with what the context
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  says. We have to go by what scripture says, not
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  how we feel or want to feel. Are we want to be
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  okay with the sin that we're doing? And oh, Jesus
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  will like all the things that we can pull out
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  of context. And so it's so important. And so
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  Hebrews 412 that says the word of God is living
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  and effective, sharper than any two double -edged
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  sword, able to judge the thoughts and intentions
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  of our heart. The Bible is not simply just sitting
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  here waiting for us to evaluate it. Under the
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  work of the Holy Spirit, it's there to evaluate
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  us. And so let's pray before we get into this
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  message. And so Heavenly Father, thank you for
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  speaking. Thank you. that you are not just leaving
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  us out. Thank you that you have not left us to
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  invent who you are or to guess what is true.
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  Give us a humble heart today, correct what is
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  crooked, comfort what is wounded, and awaken
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  what is growing sleepily. Holy Spirit, help us
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  understand to obey the word that you've inspired.
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  We may pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. And so
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  scripture is a story before it is a slogan. And
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  so I just did a big report for school with my
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  dad and we had to walk through scripture front
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  to end from Genesis to Revelation. We had to
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  have it done within 45 minutes. And it was harder
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  than what you would imagine. And so we had to
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  do take after take because I would get through
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  the Old Testament, it would be 40 minutes long.
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  And so we had to trim it down and we had to revise
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  it. And so what is the Bible? And so the Bible
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  is a library, a collection of 66 books. written
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  across centuries by different genres, historical
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  settings. And yet it tells one unified story
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  that God creates, humanity rebels, God punishes
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  and promises redemption, Jesus's fills that promise
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  and the spirit forms a people and Christ will
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  return to make all things new. And so the big
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  story projects us, protects us from turning from
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  isolating verses into slogans. And so Jeremiah
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  20, line 11 was first spoken. to the exiles facing
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  a long season in Babylon, not someone deciding
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  whether every personal plan will succeed immediately.
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  Philippians 4 .13 is not a promise that we can
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  accomplish any dream we imagine. Paul is explaining
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  that Christ strengthens him to remain faithful
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  in plenty and in hunger and obedience and in
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  need. Context does not weaken a verse. Context
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  reveals its actual strength. When we remove a
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  verse from its setting, We can make the Bible
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  say something pumperning that God is not promising.
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  And when life does not follow that promise, we
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  think that God failed, but God did not fail.
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  We asked his word to carry a meaning and we place
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  it in there. And so whenever we read and ask,
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  who wrote this? To whom? What's happening? What
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  kind of writing is this? Is it history? Is it
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  poetry? Is it prophecy? Is it wisdom? Is it gospel?
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  Is it a leather? And what comes before it after?
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  How does this passage fit the whole story that
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  finds its center in Jesus? And so we do not need
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  a seminary degree to read faithfully. We need
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  humility, patience, good questions, and willingness
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  to let the text lead. And so information is not
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  yet transformation. And so James 1 compares a
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  person who hears a word but does not. who does
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  not do someone who looks in a mirror and immediately
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  forgets what they saw. The problem is not the
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  lack of exposure. The problem is a lack of response.
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  And so you can know Bible facts and still be
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  harsh. You can memorize verses and refuse to
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  forgive. You can win a theological argument and
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  lose the heart of Christ in the way that you
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  treat people that you come across. Truth that
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  never reaches obedience can inflate pride. instead
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  of forming love. That is why biblical knowledge
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  must always move through the heart and into the
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  life. And so when Jesus tells the story of the
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  wise, foolish builders in Matthew 7, both hear
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  his words. And so the difference is that one
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  puts it into practice. The storm reveals that
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  hearing alone could not weather the words that
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  become foundation. And so the goal was not to
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  finish the reading plan or to check mark the
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  box. The goal is to let that word sit in you
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  and finish the work in you. And so just like
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  these podcasts, this is not meant to change you.
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  I'm never going to change your heart. That's
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  God's job. We're out here just planting seeds.
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  And so this is, again, what we said before, is
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  that these are just like little supplements.
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  And so the majority of your time with Him, it
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  needs to be you, Him, and the Bible, just sitting
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  with Him. And so we have to read slow enough
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  to be seen. Whenever we're used to consuming
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  everything quickly, we scroll, we scan, we move
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  on, we hold the side button, and so it's all
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  double time. But scripture often requires a different
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  pace. Take a short passage and read it more than
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  once. On the first reading, notice what it says.
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  On the second, notice what it shows you about
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  God. And third, notice where it confronts and
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  conforms you or calls you. And then sit with
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  that one sentence. And so we talked about that
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  in the beginning. And so we had to sit with one
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  verse. And whenever I started school, we'd just
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  sit with that one verse, nothing else, no commentaries,
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  no looking it up. And I believe it was Acts 1
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  -8 that we had to sit with for three weeks. Just
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  sit with that one sentence. Not because the rest
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  doesn't matter, because the intention is part
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  of the love. And Psalm 1 uses language meditating
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  on a day and night. Biblical meditation is not
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  emptying my mind. And it's dealing with our intention
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  of God's truth until it begins to shape you and
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  to shape your reflexes. And so think about worry.
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  If you are intellectually know that God cares
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  about you, but then anxiety rises and your reflex
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  may still say, everything depends on me. Meditation
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  takes the truths of first Peter five, seven,
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  cast all your cares on him because he cares about
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  you and rehearse it until your heart begins to
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  respond differently. The word gets in you whenever
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  you no longer say, only a sentence and you can
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  quote it, but the truth that you can stand on.
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  And so you can sit there with 1 Peter 1 5 7 for
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  a full year. There is no need to move on to the
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  next thing if you've not like really got that
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  in there. And so you just practice that obedience
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  daily and daily until that reflex of fear and
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  anxiety go away. And so the word will get into
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  you and it will shape you. It will transform
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  you. And the Holy Spirit does the hard work,
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  and so the Holy Spirit and the Word work together.
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  We do not have the choice between the Spirit
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  and Scripture. Spirit inspired the Word, and
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  it illuminates the Word. It uses the Word to
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  form Christ in us. The Holy Spirit will not lead
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  us in a direction that contradicts the character
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  and commands that are revealed in Scripture.
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  Sometimes people say, God told me. What they
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  mean is, I strongly want this. Desire can be
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  loud. Fear can be loud. Impulse can be loud.
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  That is why impressions must stay tested. Does
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  this align with Scripture? Does it look like
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  character of Jesus? Does this produce a fruit
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  of the Spirit? Can I withstand wise counsel?
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  Does this invite humble obedience? Or does this
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  flatter my ego and excuse my sin? And that is
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  so huge. You don't have to pray, hey, God, can
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  I lie about this? Or hey, God, can I do this?
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  If it is not in Scripture, the answer is no.
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  The Word gives boundaries to discernment, and
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  the Spirit makes the Word living in your present
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  obedience. And so you know how I like to have
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  just steps and practical tips. And I hope that
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  these messages are inspiring and allowing you
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  just to sit with His Word. And so here are some
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  four steps about practicing. And so receive,
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  reflect, respond, and remember. And so, four
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  R's. And so here are some simple practices for
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  this week. Receive. Read a short passage without
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  rushing. Begin with the gospel paragraph or work
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  from one New Testament letter. Ask God for understanding.
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  And maybe not a whole letter, maybe just a verse.
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  And write it down. Reflect. Write the passage
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  with what it reveals about God. Humanity, sin,
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  grace, a faithful life, and your observations
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  tied to what the passage actually says. Go verse
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  by verse, word by word, and just sit with it
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  and reflect. And it's okay to sit in silence.
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  And as society, we don't do that often. And just
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  sit with it. Hey, God, what does this mean? What
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  does this mean to me? What are you teaching me
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  about this verse? And that's why this book is
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  alive. You could read the same sentence and depending
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  on what season that you're in, it could just
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  speak volumes to you. and then respond. Name
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  one concrete act of obedience. If the text calls
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  you to forgive, identify whom you need to release
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  it to. If it calls you to be generous, decide
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  what you want to give. If it confronts gossip,
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  choose a conversation that you will not join
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  in. And so the scripture is there to refine us
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  and correct us. And it's not always going to
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  be comfortable. And that's the great thing. is
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  that he can use words that were written over
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  1 ,500 years on three different continents in
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  three different languages to correct his 2 ,000
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  years later. That's why this book is so relevant.
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  And four, remember, carry one sentence into the
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  day, put it to where you see it, repeat it when
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  the pressure comes, and let it interrupt the
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  old script in your mind. And so you're replacing
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  that truth. that lie with the truth. And so whatever
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  negative thought that you're thinking, whatever
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  reminiscing and whatever God has just wiggled
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  his way in there, we have to replace that lie
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  with a truth. And so please hear me. Consistency
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  matters more than volume. Reading three chapters
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  while distracted and not automatically is gonna
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  make anything better. And so just sitting with
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  one verse, six verses, the attention and obedience
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  that it takes just to let that simmer. And so,
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  yeah, that's great that you checkmarked your
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  boxes on your plans, but if you've not set with
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  that verse and it's not transforming you, so
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  what's it longer? Who cares? Who cares that it
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  took you a year to get through John? Who cares
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  that it took you three years to get through Matthew?
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  Who cares? No one. No one. Except for we're in
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  a society where it's busy and rush and I've heard
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  the babble in a year. Okay, great. You're the
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  same that you were three years ago. I can do
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  a lot of things, but it not change me. And so
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  it's time under tension. It's time that's just
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  sitting with the Word. And so even just working
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  out, so it's time under tension. It's those small
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  little reps every day that that tension that
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  just weighs on you. And so it's just that time
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  and obedience just sitting with Him. And so if
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  you're not reading, if you're reading scripture
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  in chishtuck marking boxes, and no one can see
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  the fruits of the root that was spent with your
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  time with God, then it's not changing you. And
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  so once scripture feels dry or difficult, that's
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  okay. And so there's going to be days that the
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  Bible feels alive and the days that feel just
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  so quiet. That does not measure its authority
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  by your emotional response. A meal still nourishes
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  you, whatever it is, still is not the most exciting
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  meal that you have ever eaten. And Derek and
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  I talk about this all the time because I eat
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  almost the same thing every day. And he's just,
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  and my labs are great and it's fine. And it's
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  just, it's not the most exciting meal. It's hamburger,
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  a sweet potato, and some blueberries. Every day.
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  It's the same thing. It's not exciting, but it's
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  delicious, and I like it, and it gives me what
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  I need. And just like that. So some patches are
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  difficult. Some raises questions. Faithful reading
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  does not pretend those questions are not there.
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  Write them down. Study them. Ask a trusted pastor
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  or a teacher. Use a reliable source. Let difficulty
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  make you a deeper student, not a quicker skeptic
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  or careless interpreter. And if you use scripture
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  to shame yourself, remember that the Bible is
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  not merely a list of demands. It is a story of
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  grace. God commands exposure to our needs and
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  shows us what love looks like and drives us towards
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  independence on Christ. We do not read to earn
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  God's welcome. In Christ, we read from the inside
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  of His welcome. And so I hope that this encouraged
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  you. And so this week, ask, where have I been
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  reading selectively. What truth do I resist obeying?
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  What passage do I need to receive slowly? And
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  what is my next response? And so I would like
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  to close out in prayer. And so, Father, give
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  us a hunger for your word. Protect us from twisting
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  it, skimming it, and using it against others
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  while refusing it work in us. Help us read in
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  context. Jesus sees clearly and respond with
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  obedience. When our minds are confused, bring
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  us light. When our hearts are hardened, make
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  them tender. When our lives are unsustainable,
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  establish us in truth and let your word dwell
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  richly in us. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.
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  And if this episode helped you, share with a
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  friend or a small group. Choose a passage to
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  practice together this week. Follow us, Fostering
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  Faith, and visit Fostering Faith Media for our
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  companion resources. And next week, we're going
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  to be talking about prayer beyond polished words
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  and what it means to meet Jesus honestly when
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  we are grateful, angry, disappointed, confused,
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  and simply tired. Have a great week. We love
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  you.