WEBVTT 00:00:00.920 --> 00:00:07.379 Today we're, let me introduce myself, I'm Chris by the way, if you don't know me, I 00:00:07.379 --> 00:00:10.099 help oversee the community groups here at Watermark. 00:00:11.120 --> 00:00:17.699 And today we're going to be looking at a topic of God's Word. 00:00:18.760 --> 00:00:23.839 After New Year we're going to look at a series in the book of Romans and we're going to see 00:00:23.839 --> 00:00:26.679 that God's Word is meant to shape our lives. 00:00:26.679 --> 00:00:32.219 But our world, if you think about it, is a world of speech. 00:00:33.679 --> 00:00:37.560 Everything around us is communicating to us. 00:00:38.700 --> 00:00:47.399 Every day, experiences, advertisements, movies, people speak to us. 00:00:49.060 --> 00:00:54.840 The beginning of the passage in Psalm 19 that we read says it's not just people who speak 00:00:54.840 --> 00:00:57.980 to us, the whole of creation speaks to us. 00:00:58.100 --> 00:01:02.940 If you look outside at the sea behind you, you look at the mountains over there and they 00:01:02.940 --> 00:01:06.659 are speaking to you about the glory of God. 00:01:08.680 --> 00:01:17.180 But the thing is, with all this communication that is going on around us, our problem, our 00:01:17.180 --> 00:01:22.820 issue, our task is that we need to interpret what things are saying to us. 00:01:23.060 --> 00:01:28.960 We need a lens through which we can interpret all the messages that are coming at us day 00:01:28.960 --> 00:01:30.680 after day after day. 00:01:32.140 --> 00:01:39.060 We need an interpretation grid which enables us to make sense of life and which enables us 00:01:39.060 --> 00:01:44.540 to filter things so that in this world and where we're so often lost in our relationships, 00:01:44.740 --> 00:01:50.939 in our work, in all kinds of things, we have something which enables us to interpret life 00:01:50.939 --> 00:01:51.939 correctly. 00:01:53.299 --> 00:02:01.780 And the Christian claim is that God's Word, the Bible, is the ultimate lens through which 00:02:01.780 --> 00:02:03.620 your life should be shaped. 00:02:03.620 --> 00:02:10.659 In fact, if God's Word is not shaping your life, then somebody else's Word is. 00:02:11.159 --> 00:02:16.360 If God's Word is not shaping your life, somebody else's Word is. 00:02:19.000 --> 00:02:20.159 He agrees. 00:02:24.300 --> 00:02:25.480 I've planned that. 00:02:25.540 --> 00:02:25.980 It's okay. 00:02:26.920 --> 00:02:29.000 There'll be more noises going on through the sermon. 00:02:29.000 --> 00:02:36.819 So today we're going to look in two parts, really. 00:02:36.960 --> 00:02:44.780 The first part of what I want to talk about is really how God's Word, why should we read 00:02:44.780 --> 00:02:45.280 God's Word? 00:02:45.340 --> 00:02:49.139 Then we're going to have a testimony from David here, and then afterwards we're going 00:02:49.139 --> 00:02:54.659 to look at some ways that we maybe misuse the Bible, and then finally looking at what is 00:02:54.659 --> 00:02:59.280 the Bible trying to do so that we can really understand how it shapes our lives. 00:03:00.460 --> 00:03:01.500 But I don't know. 00:03:01.599 --> 00:03:02.599 Let's think about this. 00:03:02.659 --> 00:03:05.919 I don't know what your experience of reading the Bible is. 00:03:06.840 --> 00:03:16.219 For me, I think there are probably at least four different types of Christians who interact 00:03:16.219 --> 00:03:16.979 with God's Word. 00:03:16.979 --> 00:03:20.459 The first type, I call them the starvation cases. 00:03:21.319 --> 00:03:26.579 These are the people, they rely on handouts every Sunday through the sermon, but the rest 00:03:26.579 --> 00:03:29.719 of the week, they're not engaged at all with God's Word. 00:03:30.939 --> 00:03:35.199 Now, it can be because life is just sometimes too busy for them. 00:03:35.979 --> 00:03:41.019 It can be they've already downloaded that Bible app on their phone, but you know, there's another 00:03:41.019 --> 00:03:42.319 little icon next to it. 00:03:42.439 --> 00:03:45.120 It's got a white F on it with a blue background. 00:03:45.120 --> 00:03:50.280 And suddenly, just as you come to read the Bible, that F seems so much more attractive. 00:03:51.439 --> 00:03:53.420 If you don't know what I'm talking, I'm talking Facebook. 00:03:55.920 --> 00:04:02.259 We can chomp through hours of Facebook, but actually not get true nutrition through our 00:04:02.259 --> 00:04:04.099 week with starvation cases. 00:04:05.159 --> 00:04:08.099 There are some others who I call the snackers. 00:04:09.000 --> 00:04:14.060 These are the people who rely on the kind of one verse a day devotionals. 00:04:14.060 --> 00:04:15.699 Now, don't get me wrong. 00:04:15.819 --> 00:04:17.300 I think snacking is great. 00:04:18.660 --> 00:04:19.500 It's good for you. 00:04:19.560 --> 00:04:20.720 It can stave off hunger. 00:04:20.980 --> 00:04:22.560 It can just get you through the day. 00:04:22.780 --> 00:04:25.319 But it's not the way to live a healthy life. 00:04:25.860 --> 00:04:28.879 It's the Bible equivalent of trying to live off pretzels. 00:04:29.220 --> 00:04:31.220 That is not a balanced diet. 00:04:32.600 --> 00:04:33.740 It's the snackers. 00:04:35.379 --> 00:04:38.180 Then there are what I call the mouthwash cases. 00:04:38.180 --> 00:04:45.300 They kind of wash the Bible around their mouths, maybe pretty regularly, every day even. 00:04:46.420 --> 00:04:50.960 But they spit it out before it gets anywhere close to being digested properly. 00:04:52.000 --> 00:04:56.460 Because if it was going to really digest in them, their lives would change. 00:04:56.780 --> 00:04:57.740 They would respond. 00:04:58.180 --> 00:05:00.840 And it would radically make a difference in the way that they live. 00:05:00.839 --> 00:05:05.099 Starvation cases, snackers, mouthwashers. 00:05:05.560 --> 00:05:09.339 Then the final category are what I call the active Bible foodies. 00:05:10.259 --> 00:05:13.139 These are the people who can't get enough of God's Word. 00:05:13.459 --> 00:05:14.759 They're always eating it. 00:05:14.899 --> 00:05:18.919 But they're not couch potato Christians who just eat and just sit on the sofa. 00:05:18.920 --> 00:05:24.660 These are the Christians who God's Word makes them active because they want to put it into practice. 00:05:24.800 --> 00:05:25.759 They want to live it out. 00:05:26.080 --> 00:05:27.920 It gives them legs. 00:05:28.120 --> 00:05:31.420 It gives them energy to live out as God wants them to live. 00:05:33.100 --> 00:05:41.020 Now, the danger is that we, as you think about it, we say, well, I'm definitely the Bible foodie. 00:05:41.580 --> 00:05:43.420 Or you can say, well, I'm none of those. 00:05:43.420 --> 00:05:48.780 But I've been reading the Bible regularly for probably between 28 and 29 years. 00:05:49.620 --> 00:05:54.060 And I can tell you that at various times, I can be all of those. 00:05:56.819 --> 00:06:04.160 And so we need to think of ourselves, why should we read God's Word? 00:06:04.759 --> 00:06:05.520 Why should we? 00:06:06.340 --> 00:06:08.759 And we're going to look into this passage in Psalm 19. 00:06:12.379 --> 00:06:16.280 And this first part, I just want to look under four different sections. 00:06:16.660 --> 00:06:17.879 Why should we be in God's Word? 00:06:17.879 --> 00:06:21.279 Firstly, because it is perfect. 00:06:22.439 --> 00:06:25.019 Secondly, because it revives the soul. 00:06:25.920 --> 00:06:29.240 Thirdly, because it makes wise the simple. 00:06:29.800 --> 00:06:32.519 And fourthly, it rejoices the heart. 00:06:33.100 --> 00:06:33.279 Okay? 00:06:33.839 --> 00:06:38.439 So firstly, it is perfect. 00:06:38.439 --> 00:06:42.540 Now, you see all the way through, there are different words that it uses. 00:06:42.639 --> 00:06:43.439 It uses testimony. 00:06:43.860 --> 00:06:46.819 It uses precepts, commandment, fear, rules. 00:06:46.899 --> 00:06:48.600 They're all talking about God's Word. 00:06:48.959 --> 00:06:51.019 They're all saying the same thing. 00:06:52.000 --> 00:06:58.480 But it says, when he says, the law of the Lord is perfect, that word there means flawless. 00:06:59.240 --> 00:07:01.439 It says the testimony of the Lord is sure. 00:07:01.439 --> 00:07:01.959 Sure. 00:07:02.219 --> 00:07:04.240 That word sure means trustworthy. 00:07:04.839 --> 00:07:06.939 You can trust it. 00:07:07.480 --> 00:07:13.860 When it says the precepts of the Lord are right, that word right means straight, like a plumb line, 00:07:14.220 --> 00:07:19.339 by which you can measure all kinds of other opinions, other ideas, and attitudes. 00:07:19.339 --> 00:07:22.219 And this is the standard by which you can measure them. 00:07:23.799 --> 00:07:25.859 Now, sometimes we may have a problem with that. 00:07:25.939 --> 00:07:30.599 We think, well, there are things in the Bible that seem to be a bit out of date. 00:07:31.620 --> 00:07:35.379 Then they just don't kind of fit in with modern society. 00:07:36.379 --> 00:07:38.120 How can you say that it's flawless? 00:07:40.399 --> 00:07:41.319 Well, just think for a minute. 00:07:41.319 --> 00:07:49.279 In some cultures, they love the idea of Christian morality and ethics that comes from the Bible. 00:07:49.800 --> 00:07:54.519 Even if they're not Christians, they think it teaches you to be good moral citizens. 00:07:54.959 --> 00:07:56.319 It's a good thing to have. 00:07:57.620 --> 00:08:01.019 But then those same people who love the morality, 00:08:02.279 --> 00:08:06.819 for the people, when the Bible tells you about forgiveness and grace, 00:08:06.819 --> 00:08:08.899 even to those who break the rules, 00:08:09.399 --> 00:08:11.939 that for them is a far bigger problem. 00:08:13.300 --> 00:08:16.920 But then in other cultures, and increasingly our own, 00:08:17.939 --> 00:08:21.939 we hate the idea of morality, that someone should tell me how to live, 00:08:22.659 --> 00:08:25.759 but we like the idea of a God of love and forgiveness. 00:08:28.060 --> 00:08:34.259 You see, most of our lives, actually, we live conditioned by our culture. 00:08:34.259 --> 00:08:39.580 We are defined by what cultures and circumstances tell us. 00:08:40.679 --> 00:08:45.220 And yet the Bible is there to critique and bring that plumb line, 00:08:45.340 --> 00:08:51.779 that standard against every single culture and every single experience. 00:08:52.500 --> 00:08:57.620 That is the measure by which God says there is a standard which is higher than your culture. 00:08:58.319 --> 00:09:03.840 There's a standard which will lead your culture to be critiqued in a way which will make it healthier. 00:09:04.259 --> 00:09:06.139 That's what the Bible wants to do. 00:09:06.379 --> 00:09:07.240 It is trustworthy. 00:09:07.799 --> 00:09:08.600 It is perfect. 00:09:09.840 --> 00:09:13.840 Secondly, the Bible revives the soul. 00:09:15.080 --> 00:09:22.399 Now, this word revives actually literally means it brings back or it restores the self, 00:09:22.980 --> 00:09:26.200 your inner being, who you really are, your identity. 00:09:26.200 --> 00:09:35.780 In other words, what it's saying is the Bible is there to remake you to be the person that you were always meant to be. 00:09:37.820 --> 00:09:39.259 That's an incredible claim. 00:09:39.900 --> 00:09:44.080 Because we often say things like, you know, I just need to be true to myself. 00:09:44.740 --> 00:09:47.759 Or I just want to find the real me. 00:09:47.759 --> 00:09:51.220 I don't know if any of you found the real me yet. 00:09:52.179 --> 00:09:56.960 But the claim here is that if you saturate yourself in God's word, 00:09:57.620 --> 00:10:00.639 you will not only discover the way to go in life, 00:10:00.720 --> 00:10:06.240 you will also be remade to be who you were truly meant to be. 00:10:06.700 --> 00:10:10.639 You will discover your true identity. 00:10:11.559 --> 00:10:12.860 The reverse is also true. 00:10:12.860 --> 00:10:18.680 If you don't soak yourself in God's word and walk in the light of it, 00:10:18.840 --> 00:10:24.060 you will never be who God has truly made you to be. 00:10:27.000 --> 00:10:33.080 Because if you're defined in life, you're either defined by what God says about you, 00:10:33.320 --> 00:10:35.960 or you're defined by what other people say about you, 00:10:36.159 --> 00:10:38.019 or by what you say about yourself. 00:10:38.600 --> 00:10:41.519 And neither of those last two sources is reliable. 00:10:42.860 --> 00:10:44.379 Third thing. 00:10:45.240 --> 00:10:46.440 So, you've seen it's perfect. 00:10:46.580 --> 00:10:47.539 It revives the soul. 00:10:47.820 --> 00:10:48.240 Third thing. 00:10:48.480 --> 00:10:50.419 It makes wise the simple. 00:10:51.539 --> 00:10:52.220 Now, what does that mean? 00:10:52.340 --> 00:10:56.320 Wisdom in the Bible means to, is knowing how to live well. 00:10:56.659 --> 00:10:59.419 Knowing how to make right decisions. 00:10:59.680 --> 00:11:02.440 The simple are people who don't know how to live well. 00:11:03.919 --> 00:11:06.080 Now, you may say to yourself now, Chris, 00:11:06.639 --> 00:11:08.560 thanks, but I've lived all these years. 00:11:08.779 --> 00:11:10.820 I'm doing pretty well in my life so far. 00:11:11.159 --> 00:11:11.740 Thank you. 00:11:11.740 --> 00:11:16.080 Some ancient book is not going to tell me how I'm going to live my life. 00:11:16.539 --> 00:11:18.019 Now, just bear with me with one moment, 00:11:18.259 --> 00:11:21.899 because Tim Keller puts it, the American preacher, he puts it like this. 00:11:23.399 --> 00:11:26.799 He says, think back 15 years in your life. 00:11:27.480 --> 00:11:29.600 Some of you who are in youth, that might be difficult. 00:11:30.299 --> 00:11:30.419 Okay? 00:11:30.419 --> 00:11:33.059 But as far as you can go, think back. 00:11:33.099 --> 00:11:35.419 If you're 20, think back to when you were five. 00:11:36.379 --> 00:11:38.639 How wise were you when you were five? 00:11:39.439 --> 00:11:41.759 Well, you can look back and you think, 00:11:41.919 --> 00:11:44.879 man, I can't believe that I thought like that. 00:11:45.579 --> 00:11:48.759 You know, you're five, you just learned to tie your shoelace 00:11:48.759 --> 00:11:52.139 and you think you've achieved the greatest achievement in the world. 00:11:52.139 --> 00:11:57.879 Or you look back 15 years and you look at the clothes that you used to wear 00:11:57.879 --> 00:12:01.559 and you think, man, and I thought that was cool. 00:12:01.559 --> 00:12:09.500 Because you look back 15 years and there are so many things where you can say, 00:12:09.619 --> 00:12:11.959 man, I was a complete fool then, wasn't I? 00:12:13.519 --> 00:12:16.099 Or you look back to your grandmother or your grandfather 00:12:16.099 --> 00:12:17.659 and look at what they believed. 00:12:18.119 --> 00:12:20.579 And you think, how could anybody believe that? 00:12:20.859 --> 00:12:21.639 It's crazy. 00:12:21.639 --> 00:12:29.220 You even look in what you invested 10, 15 years ago. 00:12:29.399 --> 00:12:31.340 Is that the same as what you invest in today? 00:12:31.759 --> 00:12:34.299 You look in academia and universities. 00:12:34.639 --> 00:12:37.199 Are the theories that people believed 20 years ago 00:12:37.199 --> 00:12:39.059 the same as what they believe today? 00:12:39.960 --> 00:12:44.199 No, you think, oh, it's so simplistic how they thought back then. 00:12:45.600 --> 00:12:48.419 But think about that. 00:12:48.419 --> 00:12:51.659 Because if we were actually fools back then, 00:12:52.179 --> 00:12:54.959 transport yourself 15 years in the future 00:12:54.959 --> 00:12:57.219 and look back at yourself today. 00:12:57.479 --> 00:12:59.079 What are you going to say about yourself? 00:12:59.360 --> 00:13:03.159 You're going to say, I can't believe that I was thinking that back in 2014. 00:13:04.099 --> 00:13:04.979 What a fool. 00:13:06.259 --> 00:13:08.799 Which means that actually today all of us are fools. 00:13:09.759 --> 00:13:11.000 Sorry to break it to you. 00:13:11.000 --> 00:13:16.659 But the Bible says that 00:13:16.659 --> 00:13:23.179 if you are shaped by the wisdom of the age, 00:13:24.159 --> 00:13:25.299 the wisdom of Hollywood, 00:13:26.019 --> 00:13:27.419 of Cosmopolitan magazine, 00:13:28.340 --> 00:13:30.259 of the philosophers of now, 00:13:31.740 --> 00:13:33.220 in a few years' time, 00:13:33.379 --> 00:13:36.240 what you're believing now is going to be seen as foolishness. 00:13:36.240 --> 00:13:42.320 But if you hold on to the word of God now, 00:13:43.060 --> 00:13:47.519 it said it endures throughout all generations. 00:13:48.299 --> 00:13:50.259 And so if you are putting your trust 00:13:50.259 --> 00:13:52.879 and following what the Bible says now, 00:13:53.740 --> 00:13:54.980 what that will mean is 00:13:54.980 --> 00:13:57.259 you will look back in 15 years' time 00:13:57.259 --> 00:13:59.480 and you won't have regrets. 00:13:59.480 --> 00:14:03.019 You will learn how to be wise now. 00:14:03.340 --> 00:14:05.860 How to make right decisions now. 00:14:07.500 --> 00:14:10.440 The Bible makes wise the simple. 00:14:13.399 --> 00:14:17.600 Fourthly, the Bible rejoices the heart. 00:14:18.600 --> 00:14:22.120 God's word is there to give you joy. 00:14:22.120 --> 00:14:27.820 It is there to captivate and transform your desires 00:14:27.820 --> 00:14:32.560 so that you see something is more beautiful 00:14:32.560 --> 00:14:35.980 than you have ever known before. 00:14:36.399 --> 00:14:39.080 Just look at that verse 10. 00:14:39.539 --> 00:14:39.940 It says, 00:14:40.320 --> 00:14:43.600 It is more to be desired than gold, 00:14:43.799 --> 00:14:45.539 even much fine gold, 00:14:45.899 --> 00:14:47.600 sweeter also than honey 00:14:47.600 --> 00:14:49.279 and drippings of the honeycomb. 00:14:50.000 --> 00:14:51.560 Now, I don't know about you, 00:14:52.120 --> 00:14:53.279 but if you hear that, 00:14:53.860 --> 00:14:54.860 and I was to offer you, 00:14:54.980 --> 00:14:58.299 okay, here is all the jewelry of Chao Taifouk 00:14:58.299 --> 00:14:59.060 on this side, 00:14:59.220 --> 00:15:01.259 and here is the Bible, okay? 00:15:01.740 --> 00:15:02.960 What are you going to choose? 00:15:03.500 --> 00:15:05.379 Now, I'm going to take the jewelry anytime. 00:15:06.179 --> 00:15:07.120 Or you could say, 00:15:07.340 --> 00:15:10.919 give me a flat or a million dollars 00:15:10.919 --> 00:15:11.899 or the Bible. 00:15:12.120 --> 00:15:12.960 What are you going to choose? 00:15:14.659 --> 00:15:16.360 For most of us, it's a no-brainer. 00:15:16.360 --> 00:15:18.700 We say, well, we're going to choose the money. 00:15:19.600 --> 00:15:20.700 But David here, 00:15:20.700 --> 00:15:22.640 he's saying something completely different. 00:15:22.960 --> 00:15:23.400 He's saying, 00:15:23.759 --> 00:15:25.080 you could put a million dollars 00:15:25.080 --> 00:15:26.680 in my bank account, 00:15:27.200 --> 00:15:31.340 but I would trade it all 00:15:31.340 --> 00:15:34.060 just to have God's word 00:15:34.060 --> 00:15:36.660 constantly before me 00:15:36.660 --> 00:15:38.280 and in my heart. 00:15:38.279 --> 00:15:40.679 How can he say that? 00:15:41.279 --> 00:15:42.819 Because he's saying something here 00:15:42.819 --> 00:15:43.559 is so precious, 00:15:43.779 --> 00:15:44.620 so valuable, 00:15:45.679 --> 00:15:46.439 that actually, 00:15:46.579 --> 00:15:48.299 if you understand its value, 00:15:48.379 --> 00:15:50.759 you understand that it makes you wise for life, 00:15:50.919 --> 00:15:52.000 it can give you joy 00:15:52.000 --> 00:15:53.199 that nothing else can give, 00:15:53.439 --> 00:15:54.839 you're going to go after it 00:15:54.839 --> 00:15:55.819 like nothing else. 00:15:57.500 --> 00:15:59.220 And it may surprise you, 00:15:59.220 --> 00:16:03.339 but what David is reading here, 00:16:03.439 --> 00:16:04.899 he doesn't have the whole of the Bible. 00:16:04.899 --> 00:16:07.939 He's actually probably got the first five books of the Bible 00:16:07.939 --> 00:16:10.319 in the Old Testament. 00:16:11.159 --> 00:16:14.579 Now, if you've read some of the first five books in the Bible, 00:16:14.840 --> 00:16:16.799 you go to Leviticus, for example. 00:16:17.019 --> 00:16:19.399 I don't know the last time you went to Leviticus 00:16:19.399 --> 00:16:20.319 and you thought, 00:16:20.740 --> 00:16:23.639 wow, this is better than the best dessert I could ever have. 00:16:24.000 --> 00:16:27.360 Give me just one more helping of a chapter of Leviticus. 00:16:27.360 --> 00:16:30.120 I don't know. 00:16:31.460 --> 00:16:32.620 But for David, 00:16:33.460 --> 00:16:35.480 the Word of God 00:16:35.480 --> 00:16:38.240 is not just some rules or instructions. 00:16:39.519 --> 00:16:42.340 It's delightful because it reveals to him 00:16:42.340 --> 00:16:45.019 the desirable and delightful God. 00:16:46.039 --> 00:16:48.300 That's why he wants it more than anything else, 00:16:48.560 --> 00:16:50.480 because he's captivated by God, 00:16:51.039 --> 00:16:52.580 and if you're captivated by God, 00:16:52.820 --> 00:16:55.019 you'll be captivated by His Word. 00:16:55.019 --> 00:16:59.159 I'm going to invite David just to come up 00:16:59.159 --> 00:17:05.000 and to share with us 00:17:05.000 --> 00:17:09.920 how God's Word has been at work in his life. 00:17:11.460 --> 00:17:15.079 So, David, if you could just introduce yourself to Watermark, 00:17:15.160 --> 00:17:15.879 tell us who you are. 00:17:16.759 --> 00:17:18.859 My name is David, David Liu, 00:17:18.859 --> 00:17:23.159 and I'm a seminary student, 00:17:23.899 --> 00:17:25.639 married, fortunately, 00:17:26.639 --> 00:17:28.079 and good for the sisters 00:17:28.079 --> 00:17:29.740 and good for the brothers as well. 00:17:30.659 --> 00:17:34.139 And married, that's my wife, Amanda, 00:17:34.899 --> 00:17:35.819 and a teacher. 00:17:36.019 --> 00:17:36.519 She's a teacher. 00:17:36.639 --> 00:17:37.099 I'm a student. 00:17:40.519 --> 00:17:41.339 And that's me. 00:17:41.779 --> 00:17:42.579 Great. Thank you, David. 00:17:42.579 --> 00:17:44.919 So, could you tell us just briefly, 00:17:45.119 --> 00:17:48.759 how has God's Word impacted your life in the past? 00:17:50.720 --> 00:17:55.960 Impact my life is how I see things differently 00:17:55.960 --> 00:17:59.039 from before I believed 00:17:59.039 --> 00:18:01.899 and after I believed in our Lord Jesus. 00:18:03.199 --> 00:18:05.859 And in the past, I see things as like 00:18:05.859 --> 00:18:08.039 all the down part. 00:18:08.039 --> 00:18:12.319 and I see only the tragedies. 00:18:12.859 --> 00:18:16.119 But now I see all the good parts, 00:18:16.220 --> 00:18:17.819 all the hope of this world 00:18:17.819 --> 00:18:20.059 that Jesus has given us. 00:18:20.480 --> 00:18:21.579 I think that's the difference. 00:18:21.720 --> 00:18:23.019 Another thing is like in the past, 00:18:23.859 --> 00:18:26.779 I don't want to communicate with people. 00:18:26.920 --> 00:18:28.180 I think it's kind of useless. 00:18:28.960 --> 00:18:30.799 It's meaningless to communicate. 00:18:30.940 --> 00:18:31.960 There's nothing to communicate 00:18:31.960 --> 00:18:34.519 because everything just goes to zero, 00:18:34.879 --> 00:18:35.420 to nothing. 00:18:35.960 --> 00:18:37.899 But now I see things differently. 00:18:38.039 --> 00:18:39.339 Now I see things, 00:18:39.420 --> 00:18:39.779 oh, wow, 00:18:40.119 --> 00:18:43.240 I have this precious good news 00:18:43.240 --> 00:18:44.259 to share with people. 00:18:45.059 --> 00:18:47.339 And that's the difference. 00:18:47.700 --> 00:18:49.139 So maybe you could tell us something 00:18:49.139 --> 00:18:51.700 about how you became a Christian 00:18:51.700 --> 00:18:53.759 and how God's Word was involved in you 00:18:53.759 --> 00:18:56.000 coming to faith in Christ. 00:18:57.879 --> 00:19:00.159 My faith starts from, 00:19:00.279 --> 00:19:02.960 I would say it's the valley 00:19:02.960 --> 00:19:05.119 of the shadow of life. 00:19:05.339 --> 00:19:06.379 Start from there. 00:19:06.380 --> 00:19:08.880 Because when I was 13 years old, 00:19:09.000 --> 00:19:10.720 my mom passed away. 00:19:11.740 --> 00:19:13.380 And that was a very tough time. 00:19:13.900 --> 00:19:16.920 And you have your beloved mother there. 00:19:17.680 --> 00:19:21.740 And every day you go back home, 00:19:21.840 --> 00:19:22.960 you can have food, 00:19:23.100 --> 00:19:24.160 you have family time. 00:19:24.760 --> 00:19:25.680 And then one day, 00:19:26.680 --> 00:19:28.040 everything is gone. 00:19:28.039 --> 00:19:32.480 And you can see her there 00:19:32.480 --> 00:19:33.960 and lifeless, 00:19:34.159 --> 00:19:34.819 breathless, 00:19:35.379 --> 00:19:36.119 and cold. 00:19:37.159 --> 00:19:37.539 And it was, 00:19:38.659 --> 00:19:40.339 it's time to stop there. 00:19:41.339 --> 00:19:42.500 And you don't know 00:19:42.500 --> 00:19:44.799 where your future is like. 00:19:45.099 --> 00:19:46.279 And you lost hope. 00:19:46.279 --> 00:19:49.119 It took me 10 years 00:19:49.119 --> 00:19:51.899 to walk out of the valley 00:19:51.899 --> 00:19:53.039 of the shadow of life. 00:19:53.920 --> 00:19:55.200 And I was thinking about 00:19:55.200 --> 00:19:56.399 the meaning of life. 00:19:56.599 --> 00:19:57.859 What does it mean 00:19:57.859 --> 00:19:59.180 for us? 00:19:59.539 --> 00:20:00.779 What is life? 00:20:01.720 --> 00:20:03.200 And when I was in college, 00:20:03.279 --> 00:20:04.379 I majored in English. 00:20:04.500 --> 00:20:06.279 I just love literature. 00:20:06.720 --> 00:20:07.200 Literature, 00:20:08.000 --> 00:20:08.480 in them, 00:20:08.559 --> 00:20:10.759 I just like reading the tragedies. 00:20:10.819 --> 00:20:11.720 All the tragedies. 00:20:11.819 --> 00:20:12.339 In the tragedies, 00:20:12.460 --> 00:20:15.059 I found the happiness of life. 00:20:15.059 --> 00:20:16.779 I still remember 00:20:16.779 --> 00:20:18.500 William Faulkner, 00:20:18.839 --> 00:20:19.740 his book, 00:20:20.119 --> 00:20:20.879 Sound and Fury. 00:20:21.159 --> 00:20:21.679 Sound and Fury. 00:20:22.299 --> 00:20:23.779 And then I just think about 00:20:23.779 --> 00:20:25.740 what does Sound and Fury mean? 00:20:26.659 --> 00:20:28.879 And then I just check 00:20:28.879 --> 00:20:29.639 the food and everything. 00:20:29.740 --> 00:20:29.940 Okay, 00:20:30.039 --> 00:20:31.159 it goes back to Macbeth 00:20:31.159 --> 00:20:33.240 and William Shakespeare 00:20:33.240 --> 00:20:34.299 wrote the book. 00:20:34.659 --> 00:20:36.639 And I just check there 00:20:36.639 --> 00:20:37.179 and it's like, 00:20:37.899 --> 00:20:39.159 he said, 00:20:39.720 --> 00:20:41.879 life is but a walking shadow. 00:20:42.559 --> 00:20:43.839 A poor player 00:20:43.839 --> 00:20:45.879 that struts and frets 00:20:45.879 --> 00:20:47.759 his hour upon the stage. 00:20:48.759 --> 00:20:50.139 And he's heard no more. 00:20:51.439 --> 00:20:53.220 It is tale told by an idiot, 00:20:53.720 --> 00:20:55.119 full of sound and fury, 00:20:55.939 --> 00:20:57.359 signifying nothing. 00:20:58.039 --> 00:20:58.720 I think to me, 00:20:58.839 --> 00:21:00.099 it's life just like that. 00:21:00.779 --> 00:21:02.500 It's just like a walking shadow. 00:21:02.500 --> 00:21:05.000 So how did the Bible 00:21:05.000 --> 00:21:06.880 then change your perspective? 00:21:06.880 --> 00:21:07.039 Yeah, 00:21:07.099 --> 00:21:07.559 from there, 00:21:07.720 --> 00:21:09.380 just from literature, 00:21:09.559 --> 00:21:09.700 I saw, 00:21:09.799 --> 00:21:10.119 oh wow, 00:21:10.180 --> 00:21:11.619 so many people, 00:21:11.880 --> 00:21:14.160 famous poets, 00:21:14.720 --> 00:21:15.180 writers, 00:21:15.599 --> 00:21:16.480 and they just quote it 00:21:16.480 --> 00:21:17.180 from the Bible. 00:21:17.339 --> 00:21:18.720 I just got interested 00:21:18.720 --> 00:21:19.819 in the Bible. 00:21:19.920 --> 00:21:20.039 I think, 00:21:20.200 --> 00:21:20.559 wow, 00:21:20.700 --> 00:21:21.740 it's so powerful. 00:21:22.180 --> 00:21:23.319 And so many famous people, 00:21:23.400 --> 00:21:24.980 they just go back to the Bible 00:21:24.980 --> 00:21:25.359 and think, 00:21:25.480 --> 00:21:25.779 why? 00:21:26.180 --> 00:21:27.119 I got so interested 00:21:27.119 --> 00:21:27.700 into the Bible. 00:21:27.819 --> 00:21:27.980 I think, 00:21:28.099 --> 00:21:28.519 oh wow, 00:21:28.839 --> 00:21:29.680 I must have one. 00:21:29.680 --> 00:21:30.420 I read it 00:21:30.420 --> 00:21:32.160 to see what difference 00:21:32.160 --> 00:21:32.960 it is like. 00:21:33.460 --> 00:21:33.700 And then, 00:21:34.100 --> 00:21:35.100 there was one, 00:21:36.140 --> 00:21:37.840 one day I was in this class, 00:21:37.920 --> 00:21:39.160 it's Bible class, 00:21:39.340 --> 00:21:40.980 it's as literature. 00:21:42.019 --> 00:21:43.700 And this teacher 00:21:43.700 --> 00:21:44.340 asked me, 00:21:44.440 --> 00:21:45.279 do you have Bible? 00:21:45.420 --> 00:21:45.759 I said, 00:21:45.840 --> 00:21:46.019 oh, 00:21:46.080 --> 00:21:47.360 I only have a New Testament. 00:21:47.539 --> 00:21:48.299 And she said, 00:21:48.380 --> 00:21:50.680 we study the full Bible, 00:21:50.880 --> 00:21:51.060 you know, 00:21:51.120 --> 00:21:51.940 Old Testament and New. 00:21:52.039 --> 00:21:52.420 And she, 00:21:52.960 --> 00:21:53.620 the second class, 00:21:53.680 --> 00:21:54.700 she just handed me a Bible 00:21:54.700 --> 00:21:57.000 in a very small NIV version 00:21:57.000 --> 00:21:58.019 with brown color. 00:21:58.019 --> 00:21:59.920 I started to read. 00:22:00.339 --> 00:22:00.700 And read, 00:22:00.879 --> 00:22:01.379 and the teacher 00:22:01.379 --> 00:22:02.700 just in class, 00:22:02.779 --> 00:22:03.559 she said, 00:22:04.440 --> 00:22:05.940 in Genesis, 00:22:06.299 --> 00:22:06.900 chapter 3, 00:22:06.980 --> 00:22:07.500 verse 15, 00:22:08.279 --> 00:22:09.359 about the judgment, 00:22:09.539 --> 00:22:10.639 God judged the serpent 00:22:10.639 --> 00:22:11.160 and said, 00:22:12.400 --> 00:22:12.680 you, 00:22:13.039 --> 00:22:15.359 your head will be crushed 00:22:15.359 --> 00:22:17.700 by the woman's offspring. 00:22:18.779 --> 00:22:22.240 And you will strike his heel. 00:22:23.019 --> 00:22:24.420 And the teacher just reminded us, 00:22:24.740 --> 00:22:26.059 when we went through the Bible 00:22:26.059 --> 00:22:27.160 and see different characters, 00:22:27.160 --> 00:22:28.940 and she just asked us, 00:22:29.680 --> 00:22:30.640 is he the one? 00:22:31.100 --> 00:22:31.460 And he said, 00:22:31.519 --> 00:22:31.800 no, 00:22:31.920 --> 00:22:32.480 he's not. 00:22:33.400 --> 00:22:34.480 And I was, 00:22:34.540 --> 00:22:35.180 I keep reading, 00:22:35.620 --> 00:22:37.040 looking forward to this one, 00:22:37.180 --> 00:22:38.240 the promised seed, 00:22:38.340 --> 00:22:39.400 the conquered serpent. 00:22:39.960 --> 00:22:43.279 And only when I went to the office 00:22:43.279 --> 00:22:43.920 and asked, 00:22:44.279 --> 00:22:44.500 teacher, 00:22:44.600 --> 00:22:45.920 who is the promised one? 00:22:46.600 --> 00:22:48.000 And she just answered me, 00:22:48.640 --> 00:22:49.320 keep on reading, 00:22:49.500 --> 00:22:50.200 you'll find out. 00:22:50.200 --> 00:22:52.680 And then, 00:22:52.819 --> 00:22:55.059 when finally I got to the New Testament, 00:22:55.600 --> 00:22:56.059 and I, 00:22:56.059 --> 00:22:56.460 I, 00:22:56.460 --> 00:22:56.660 I, 00:22:56.660 --> 00:22:58.080 I, 00:22:58.080 --> 00:22:59.640 I met Jesus there. 00:23:00.100 --> 00:23:01.200 And in his life, 00:23:01.240 --> 00:23:02.259 I just found that 00:23:02.259 --> 00:23:04.500 he's so different from us. 00:23:04.600 --> 00:23:06.759 All of us just seek for money, 00:23:07.500 --> 00:23:09.240 and we seek for power, 00:23:09.620 --> 00:23:11.140 and we seek for longevity. 00:23:12.140 --> 00:23:15.560 And he didn't seek for anything of this, 00:23:16.180 --> 00:23:16.320 for, 00:23:16.380 --> 00:23:17.240 for money. 00:23:18.000 --> 00:23:20.200 He didn't even have money to pay the tax. 00:23:20.340 --> 00:23:20.460 He, 00:23:20.520 --> 00:23:21.540 he told Peter, 00:23:21.620 --> 00:23:22.140 go to the water, 00:23:22.360 --> 00:23:22.880 find fish, 00:23:23.200 --> 00:23:24.500 God come from there. 00:23:24.980 --> 00:23:25.660 He didn't have, 00:23:25.759 --> 00:23:26.880 and all these ministries, 00:23:27.020 --> 00:23:28.120 supported by the, 00:23:28.120 --> 00:23:29.120 are faithful women. 00:23:29.860 --> 00:23:30.900 And for the power, 00:23:31.100 --> 00:23:31.400 he didn't, 00:23:31.820 --> 00:23:32.940 give us, 00:23:33.180 --> 00:23:34.120 give up all the power. 00:23:34.620 --> 00:23:34.940 He just, 00:23:35.180 --> 00:23:36.520 people said, 00:23:36.519 --> 00:23:36.700 you, 00:23:36.759 --> 00:23:37.539 you will be a king, 00:23:37.700 --> 00:23:39.460 Hosanna to the highest. 00:23:39.900 --> 00:23:40.480 But he, 00:23:41.480 --> 00:23:43.379 chose the way of the cross, 00:23:43.559 --> 00:23:43.660 and, 00:23:43.660 --> 00:23:45.339 could be crucified. 00:23:46.920 --> 00:23:47.480 And for, 00:23:47.980 --> 00:23:49.400 many other things we saw for, 00:23:50.099 --> 00:23:51.160 he didn't seek for. 00:23:51.339 --> 00:23:51.559 And, 00:23:52.579 --> 00:23:52.839 I just, 00:23:53.559 --> 00:23:53.940 in him, 00:23:54.059 --> 00:23:55.740 I see the meaning of life. 00:23:55.819 --> 00:23:56.539 And I read the Bible, 00:23:56.960 --> 00:23:57.480 it says, 00:23:57.759 --> 00:23:58.180 meaningless, 00:23:58.500 --> 00:23:58.879 meaningless. 00:23:59.079 --> 00:23:59.720 Says the teacher, 00:24:00.160 --> 00:24:01.099 utterly meaningless. 00:24:01.519 --> 00:24:02.559 Everything is meaningless. 00:24:03.139 --> 00:24:03.539 And think, 00:24:03.680 --> 00:24:03.879 wow, 00:24:03.960 --> 00:24:05.579 that's so true about life. 00:24:05.680 --> 00:24:06.460 Everything is meaningless. 00:24:06.980 --> 00:24:07.539 But in Jesus, 00:24:07.740 --> 00:24:08.279 found meaning. 00:24:09.059 --> 00:24:09.539 He said, 00:24:10.279 --> 00:24:10.980 you have, 00:24:11.900 --> 00:24:12.740 eternal life. 00:24:13.299 --> 00:24:13.579 But, 00:24:13.680 --> 00:24:14.900 you just don't want to come to me. 00:24:15.879 --> 00:24:16.920 And for a whole year, 00:24:17.000 --> 00:24:18.180 I just kind of want to escape, 00:24:18.279 --> 00:24:18.500 because, 00:24:18.859 --> 00:24:20.019 he's so pure, 00:24:20.200 --> 00:24:20.460 he's, 00:24:21.460 --> 00:24:21.879 holy. 00:24:22.240 --> 00:24:22.700 And to me, 00:24:22.759 --> 00:24:23.819 I'm just a sinner. 00:24:24.200 --> 00:24:24.779 I have the reading, 00:24:24.900 --> 00:24:25.400 by my notes, 00:24:25.500 --> 00:24:26.299 I see people, 00:24:26.379 --> 00:24:27.400 everyone around me, 00:24:28.400 --> 00:24:28.799 president, 00:24:29.460 --> 00:24:30.339 or parents, 00:24:30.680 --> 00:24:31.079 neighbors, 00:24:31.879 --> 00:24:32.579 famous people, 00:24:32.700 --> 00:24:33.319 everyone is a sinner. 00:24:34.539 --> 00:24:34.799 And, 00:24:34.980 --> 00:24:36.119 there's no hope, 00:24:36.119 --> 00:24:37.019 in this world. 00:24:37.799 --> 00:24:38.039 And, 00:24:38.119 --> 00:24:38.919 in Jesus, 00:24:39.239 --> 00:24:39.899 I found different. 00:24:40.639 --> 00:24:41.419 For one year, 00:24:41.579 --> 00:24:42.779 I just think about life, 00:24:42.919 --> 00:24:44.459 and try to escape. 00:24:45.299 --> 00:24:45.759 And then, 00:24:46.339 --> 00:24:47.939 in 2003, 00:24:48.219 --> 00:24:49.000 there was something happen. 00:24:50.000 --> 00:24:51.079 It was SARS time. 00:24:51.779 --> 00:24:52.000 And, 00:24:52.059 --> 00:24:53.219 when you walk on the street, 00:24:53.339 --> 00:24:55.339 you see so many people wearing masks, 00:24:55.379 --> 00:24:56.399 it's so horrible, 00:24:56.659 --> 00:24:57.059 spooky. 00:24:57.059 --> 00:24:58.379 And, 00:24:58.379 --> 00:25:00.000 I really think about life, 00:25:00.119 --> 00:25:00.639 and what, 00:25:00.639 --> 00:25:02.399 what came to me if I die? 00:25:03.240 --> 00:25:04.240 I read the Bible, 00:25:04.359 --> 00:25:05.460 and know for sure, 00:25:05.599 --> 00:25:06.659 that I will go to hell, 00:25:07.079 --> 00:25:08.099 because I'm a sinner. 00:25:09.279 --> 00:25:09.500 And, 00:25:09.579 --> 00:25:10.240 I think about life, 00:25:10.500 --> 00:25:10.519 and, 00:25:10.519 --> 00:25:13.179 the Bible is telling me, 00:25:13.639 --> 00:25:14.819 and Jesus told us, 00:25:15.059 --> 00:25:15.839 I am the way, 00:25:16.259 --> 00:25:16.879 the truth, 00:25:17.179 --> 00:25:17.679 the life. 00:25:18.179 --> 00:25:18.899 Without me, 00:25:19.700 --> 00:25:20.819 no one goes to the Father. 00:25:21.700 --> 00:25:22.079 I think, 00:25:22.179 --> 00:25:22.299 oh, 00:25:22.980 --> 00:25:24.379 for me, 00:25:24.500 --> 00:25:25.139 it's hopeless. 00:25:26.899 --> 00:25:27.980 From heaven on earth, 00:25:28.159 --> 00:25:29.460 no one I can rely on. 00:25:29.819 --> 00:25:29.960 And, 00:25:30.000 --> 00:25:30.200 he said, 00:25:30.259 --> 00:25:30.919 he's the only way. 00:25:31.939 --> 00:25:32.099 And, 00:25:32.179 --> 00:25:32.379 there was, 00:25:32.720 --> 00:25:33.059 one day, 00:25:33.119 --> 00:25:34.399 I just asked a teacher, 00:25:34.740 --> 00:25:35.599 to share about this, 00:25:36.059 --> 00:25:36.839 all my journey. 00:25:37.579 --> 00:25:37.779 And, 00:25:37.839 --> 00:25:38.279 she just said, 00:25:38.319 --> 00:25:39.059 you have to leave. 00:25:39.500 --> 00:25:39.679 And, 00:25:39.679 --> 00:25:41.339 she led me into this prayer, 00:25:41.720 --> 00:25:42.000 and this, 00:25:42.240 --> 00:25:43.200 and became a Christian. 00:25:43.819 --> 00:25:43.980 And, 00:25:44.079 --> 00:25:44.259 now, 00:25:44.339 --> 00:25:45.659 I see things differently, 00:25:46.000 --> 00:25:46.559 see people, 00:25:46.740 --> 00:25:47.419 see life. 00:25:48.059 --> 00:25:48.379 How, 00:25:48.379 --> 00:25:49.559 how does it change you now? 00:25:49.700 --> 00:25:49.879 So, 00:25:49.960 --> 00:25:50.200 finally, 00:25:50.319 --> 00:25:50.740 how does it, 00:25:50.819 --> 00:25:52.019 how does it change you now? 00:25:52.099 --> 00:25:53.480 What do you see differently now? 00:25:53.939 --> 00:25:54.379 It's like, 00:25:54.460 --> 00:25:54.899 in the past, 00:25:55.000 --> 00:25:56.639 even from simple things, 00:25:56.960 --> 00:25:58.220 for, 00:25:58.879 --> 00:25:59.299 let's say, 00:25:59.399 --> 00:25:59.859 marriage. 00:26:00.179 --> 00:26:00.980 In the past, 00:26:01.079 --> 00:26:03.059 I didn't see any hope, 00:26:03.220 --> 00:26:04.039 in marriage. 00:26:04.200 --> 00:26:04.399 Because, 00:26:04.559 --> 00:26:05.599 two people get gathered, 00:26:05.740 --> 00:26:06.480 and start to fight. 00:26:09.619 --> 00:26:10.059 And, 00:26:10.059 --> 00:26:11.539 some of them, 00:26:11.639 --> 00:26:12.079 sometimes, 00:26:12.200 --> 00:26:13.259 we can see the health, 00:26:13.500 --> 00:26:13.679 you know, 00:26:13.740 --> 00:26:14.179 the marriage, 00:26:14.379 --> 00:26:16.139 just say goodbye to each other, 00:26:16.139 --> 00:26:16.379 and, 00:26:16.500 --> 00:26:16.980 God, 00:26:17.099 --> 00:26:18.339 deep wounded, 00:26:18.639 --> 00:26:19.119 and hurt. 00:26:19.319 --> 00:26:19.579 I see, 00:26:19.960 --> 00:26:20.639 there's no hope. 00:26:20.640 --> 00:26:21.000 Why? 00:26:21.400 --> 00:26:21.840 Why bother? 00:26:22.520 --> 00:26:23.180 Don't get married. 00:26:23.340 --> 00:26:23.880 It's hopeless. 00:26:24.820 --> 00:26:25.020 But, 00:26:25.220 --> 00:26:25.420 after, 00:26:26.100 --> 00:26:27.020 believe, 00:26:27.220 --> 00:26:29.259 I see the witness of brothers, 00:26:29.440 --> 00:26:29.960 and sisters, 00:26:30.340 --> 00:26:31.100 and see the lives, 00:26:31.340 --> 00:26:32.200 so different. 00:26:32.620 --> 00:26:32.800 And, 00:26:32.880 --> 00:26:33.600 I see marriage, 00:26:33.680 --> 00:26:34.880 just gift from God, 00:26:34.980 --> 00:26:35.660 from our Lord. 00:26:36.420 --> 00:26:36.660 And, 00:26:36.720 --> 00:26:38.020 I started to hope for, 00:26:38.020 --> 00:26:39.140 for marriage. 00:26:39.259 --> 00:26:39.340 And, 00:26:39.420 --> 00:26:40.140 I just pray, 00:26:40.840 --> 00:26:41.340 Lord, 00:26:41.500 --> 00:26:41.980 give me, 00:26:42.640 --> 00:26:43.460 a perfect wife. 00:26:44.680 --> 00:26:45.140 Like, 00:26:45.140 --> 00:26:45.900 many people. 00:26:46.100 --> 00:26:46.200 And, 00:26:46.200 --> 00:26:46.600 I found, 00:26:46.680 --> 00:26:47.040 it's different. 00:26:47.200 --> 00:26:47.520 It's like, 00:26:47.980 --> 00:26:48.840 it's not your wife, 00:26:48.900 --> 00:26:49.800 it's also you. 00:26:50.300 --> 00:26:51.259 You must be, 00:26:51.259 --> 00:26:51.900 reborn. 00:26:52.940 --> 00:26:53.100 And, 00:26:53.280 --> 00:26:53.300 then, 00:26:53.380 --> 00:26:53.740 I have, 00:26:53.820 --> 00:26:55.020 prayed for a long time. 00:26:55.740 --> 00:26:55.880 Then, 00:26:55.940 --> 00:26:56.640 there was one day, 00:26:56.800 --> 00:26:57.600 I met this, 00:26:57.640 --> 00:26:58.160 this girl. 00:26:58.600 --> 00:26:59.340 I see this girl, 00:26:59.480 --> 00:26:59.580 and, 00:26:59.740 --> 00:27:00.220 I said, 00:27:00.300 --> 00:27:00.520 oh, 00:27:00.580 --> 00:27:00.840 wow, 00:27:00.920 --> 00:27:02.160 who is the lucky guy, 00:27:02.220 --> 00:27:03.540 that gets married to this girl? 00:27:04.540 --> 00:27:04.780 And, 00:27:05.180 --> 00:27:05.460 ultimately, 00:27:05.780 --> 00:27:06.000 I'm, 00:27:06.460 --> 00:27:07.700 the guy, 00:27:07.940 --> 00:27:08.620 the lucky guy. 00:27:08.940 --> 00:27:09.140 So, 00:27:09.140 --> 00:27:09.500 it's like, 00:27:09.560 --> 00:27:10.660 one part of me, 00:27:10.740 --> 00:27:10.900 that's, 00:27:10.900 --> 00:27:11.900 sitting differently. 00:27:12.620 --> 00:27:12.860 Great. 00:27:13.080 --> 00:27:13.900 Let me stop you there. 00:27:13.980 --> 00:27:14.980 Let me just pray for you. 00:27:15.280 --> 00:27:15.720 Thank you. 00:27:17.060 --> 00:27:17.420 Father, 00:27:17.540 --> 00:27:18.100 thank you for, 00:27:18.220 --> 00:27:18.400 David, 00:27:18.519 --> 00:27:19.240 thank you for the way, 00:27:19.300 --> 00:27:20.320 that you've used your word, 00:27:20.440 --> 00:27:21.180 to change him, 00:27:21.280 --> 00:27:22.340 to work in his life. 00:27:22.440 --> 00:27:22.600 And, 00:27:22.660 --> 00:27:24.180 I pray that you continue to do that. 00:27:24.860 --> 00:27:25.680 Even as he, 00:27:25.920 --> 00:27:27.519 goes back to the seminary now, 00:27:27.580 --> 00:27:29.080 I pray that you just continue, 00:27:29.300 --> 00:27:30.759 to show him more of you, 00:27:30.860 --> 00:27:32.500 give him your lenses on life, 00:27:32.600 --> 00:27:32.759 Lord. 00:27:33.220 --> 00:27:34.220 Thank you for the hope, 00:27:34.220 --> 00:27:35.040 that you've given him. 00:27:35.440 --> 00:27:35.660 Amen. 00:27:36.300 --> 00:27:36.519 Amen. 00:27:36.519 --> 00:27:42.039 Great. 00:27:43.879 --> 00:27:44.259 So, 00:27:44.299 --> 00:27:44.480 you see, 00:27:44.740 --> 00:27:46.960 the Bible does change, 00:27:46.980 --> 00:27:48.220 the way we view, 00:27:48.500 --> 00:27:49.160 life. 00:27:50.839 --> 00:27:51.359 But, 00:27:51.700 --> 00:27:53.099 I think, 00:27:53.660 --> 00:27:54.980 one of our problems, 00:27:55.359 --> 00:27:55.400 with, 00:27:56.220 --> 00:27:56.940 when we kind of, 00:27:57.019 --> 00:27:58.119 come to think about the Bible, 00:27:58.160 --> 00:28:00.259 is we often misinterpret, 00:28:00.960 --> 00:28:01.740 what the Bible, 00:28:02.200 --> 00:28:02.839 is actually, 00:28:03.639 --> 00:28:04.119 doing, 00:28:04.460 --> 00:28:05.240 and is supposed, 00:28:05.500 --> 00:28:06.180 to work. 00:28:06.519 --> 00:28:07.359 I'm going to just give you, 00:28:07.660 --> 00:28:08.680 three quick ways, 00:28:08.759 --> 00:28:09.160 in how, 00:28:09.500 --> 00:28:11.379 we can misinterpret the Bible, 00:28:12.000 --> 00:28:12.299 and, 00:28:13.019 --> 00:28:14.480 and then come to see, 00:28:14.559 --> 00:28:14.660 well, 00:28:14.740 --> 00:28:15.559 how does the Bible, 00:28:16.019 --> 00:28:16.400 really, 00:28:16.500 --> 00:28:17.420 what is it trying to do, 00:28:17.460 --> 00:28:18.139 in our lives? 00:28:18.960 --> 00:28:19.180 So, 00:28:19.279 --> 00:28:19.400 let's, 00:28:19.519 --> 00:28:19.900 let's go, 00:28:20.139 --> 00:28:21.039 the first way, 00:28:21.099 --> 00:28:21.839 we can misinterpret, 00:28:22.000 --> 00:28:23.240 we can treat the Bible, 00:28:23.639 --> 00:28:24.740 as just a set, 00:28:24.859 --> 00:28:26.059 of directions. 00:28:27.099 --> 00:28:27.700 For in life, 00:28:27.700 --> 00:28:28.759 we're often lost, 00:28:29.160 --> 00:28:29.759 like David, 00:28:29.839 --> 00:28:30.259 we don't know, 00:28:30.440 --> 00:28:31.119 which way to go. 00:28:31.480 --> 00:28:31.819 We're like, 00:28:31.940 --> 00:28:32.819 we're in a city, 00:28:33.000 --> 00:28:33.579 we're not sure, 00:28:33.700 --> 00:28:35.099 how to get to our destination. 00:28:35.819 --> 00:28:36.200 And so, 00:28:36.200 --> 00:28:38.240 in our relationships, 00:28:38.460 --> 00:28:39.160 in our finances, 00:28:39.360 --> 00:28:39.920 in our work, 00:28:39.960 --> 00:28:40.720 in our education, 00:28:41.080 --> 00:28:41.799 and so what we do, 00:28:41.860 --> 00:28:42.640 we come to the Bible, 00:28:42.720 --> 00:28:43.019 and say, 00:28:43.580 --> 00:28:43.860 okay, 00:28:43.980 --> 00:28:44.600 I need the Bible, 00:28:44.640 --> 00:28:45.319 to tell me, 00:28:45.819 --> 00:28:46.640 when to turn left, 00:28:46.740 --> 00:28:47.600 when to turn right, 00:28:47.960 --> 00:28:48.220 okay, 00:28:48.279 --> 00:28:49.460 and when to go straight ahead. 00:28:50.620 --> 00:28:51.140 And so, 00:28:51.220 --> 00:28:51.900 sometimes we do, 00:28:51.960 --> 00:28:52.240 what I call, 00:28:52.299 --> 00:28:53.400 the flip and dip approach, 00:28:53.960 --> 00:28:54.279 is, 00:28:54.940 --> 00:28:55.140 you know, 00:28:55.180 --> 00:28:56.559 you've got your appraisal tomorrow, 00:28:56.759 --> 00:28:57.580 your job appraisal, 00:28:57.660 --> 00:28:58.819 or your exam tomorrow, 00:28:59.240 --> 00:28:59.580 and so you think, 00:28:59.660 --> 00:28:59.860 okay, 00:28:59.980 --> 00:29:00.240 I need, 00:29:00.340 --> 00:29:01.480 I need some encouragement, 00:29:01.600 --> 00:29:02.680 I need God to speak to me, 00:29:02.700 --> 00:29:03.059 in some way. 00:29:03.059 --> 00:29:04.240 So you open the Bible, 00:29:04.599 --> 00:29:06.099 and then you kind of put your finger in, 00:29:06.319 --> 00:29:07.000 and it says, 00:29:07.399 --> 00:29:08.279 stand still, 00:29:08.519 --> 00:29:09.960 and the Lord will deliver you. 00:29:10.099 --> 00:29:10.679 And you think, 00:29:10.759 --> 00:29:11.259 hallelujah, 00:29:11.599 --> 00:29:13.159 the Lord has spoken to me. 00:29:13.279 --> 00:29:14.279 And then you read it again, 00:29:14.339 --> 00:29:14.700 and it says, 00:29:14.819 --> 00:29:15.480 stand still. 00:29:15.619 --> 00:29:15.980 And you think, 00:29:16.019 --> 00:29:16.240 ooh, 00:29:17.079 --> 00:29:18.700 does that mean I don't have to prepare? 00:29:18.700 --> 00:29:21.319 And you get confused, 00:29:21.420 --> 00:29:22.319 because you're not sure, 00:29:22.440 --> 00:29:24.059 what the Bible is meant to be telling you, 00:29:24.080 --> 00:29:24.720 in that direction. 00:29:25.420 --> 00:29:27.160 Or you go to it with questions like, 00:29:27.299 --> 00:29:28.779 what does the Bible say about dating? 00:29:29.100 --> 00:29:31.200 And you flick through the Bible about dating, 00:29:31.380 --> 00:29:33.279 and the word dating doesn't appear anywhere. 00:29:33.799 --> 00:29:34.660 And so you think, 00:29:34.840 --> 00:29:37.340 it doesn't have anything to say about dating, 00:29:37.519 --> 00:29:39.160 so I've got to go to Lady Gaga, 00:29:39.420 --> 00:29:40.240 because obviously, 00:29:40.360 --> 00:29:42.360 she's a far more reliable dating guide. 00:29:43.200 --> 00:29:43.980 That's a joke. 00:29:46.080 --> 00:29:47.039 Or your kids, 00:29:47.039 --> 00:29:48.600 where do I send my kids to school? 00:29:49.460 --> 00:29:50.380 And you look in the Bible and say, 00:29:50.519 --> 00:29:50.900 obviously, 00:29:51.019 --> 00:29:52.980 it doesn't have anything to say to me about that. 00:29:54.340 --> 00:29:55.640 But the problem is, 00:29:56.059 --> 00:29:57.019 we're treating the Bible 00:29:57.019 --> 00:29:58.140 as just a kind of set of, 00:29:58.319 --> 00:29:58.759 go left, 00:29:58.880 --> 00:30:00.660 go right directions. 00:30:01.039 --> 00:30:02.299 And we're actually making the Bible 00:30:02.299 --> 00:30:04.140 fundamentally about me. 00:30:04.819 --> 00:30:07.640 It's about fixing my problems now. 00:30:08.460 --> 00:30:11.100 But the Bible is not fundamentally about you. 00:30:11.660 --> 00:30:13.220 It's fundamentally about God. 00:30:13.819 --> 00:30:15.559 And about what God's plans, 00:30:15.559 --> 00:30:16.779 and God's purposes, 00:30:16.779 --> 00:30:20.420 and God's design for the world is. 00:30:21.839 --> 00:30:22.519 And what it does, 00:30:22.579 --> 00:30:23.220 it lays out, 00:30:23.319 --> 00:30:24.660 it defines your identity, 00:30:25.180 --> 00:30:26.480 it defines your meaning, 00:30:26.639 --> 00:30:27.740 it defines purpose, 00:30:27.980 --> 00:30:29.220 and it's like a scanner, 00:30:29.339 --> 00:30:30.660 which scans your life, 00:30:30.839 --> 00:30:33.319 and shows you the areas where you're not healthy, 00:30:33.660 --> 00:30:34.460 and tells you, 00:30:34.660 --> 00:30:36.940 here is where the cure is to be found. 00:30:36.940 --> 00:30:41.720 It's more like the helicopter vision of the city. 00:30:42.019 --> 00:30:43.900 It takes you up and beyond 00:30:43.900 --> 00:30:46.580 when you're stuck down just asking for directions. 00:30:46.900 --> 00:30:48.980 And it will show you all the dead ends, 00:30:49.120 --> 00:30:51.460 all the places where you need to avoid 00:30:51.460 --> 00:30:53.420 on the journey that God is taking you on. 00:30:53.580 --> 00:30:55.340 You will see so much more, 00:30:55.580 --> 00:30:56.600 a bigger vision, 00:30:56.900 --> 00:30:59.200 a bigger lens through which you see life, 00:30:59.200 --> 00:31:02.840 if you begin to see it's not just directions for you, 00:31:03.180 --> 00:31:05.819 for the minutiae of life. 00:31:07.200 --> 00:31:07.960 And if you're like me, 00:31:08.039 --> 00:31:09.180 and somebody gives you directions, 00:31:09.580 --> 00:31:11.840 I've forgotten them after I've taken the first turning. 00:31:12.220 --> 00:31:13.519 So it's hopeless for me. 00:31:13.700 --> 00:31:15.500 But that's not the way the Bible is working. 00:31:16.180 --> 00:31:17.880 So we can treat it just as directions. 00:31:18.340 --> 00:31:18.740 Second way, 00:31:18.840 --> 00:31:20.840 we can treat it just as information, 00:31:21.259 --> 00:31:23.279 rather than a call to relationship. 00:31:25.160 --> 00:31:26.759 Relationship with a personal God. 00:31:26.759 --> 00:31:28.700 If you notice in the text, 00:31:29.579 --> 00:31:32.900 it actually keeps saying the word Lord. 00:31:33.500 --> 00:31:34.900 The word of the Lord. 00:31:35.400 --> 00:31:35.859 And actually, 00:31:36.299 --> 00:31:38.879 that word Lord is the word in the Old Testament, 00:31:39.119 --> 00:31:39.619 Yahweh, 00:31:39.799 --> 00:31:42.740 which is the word that God revealed himself to. 00:31:42.799 --> 00:31:44.119 It's his personal name. 00:31:44.480 --> 00:31:46.500 That when he came into a covenant 00:31:46.500 --> 00:31:48.140 with the people of Israel, 00:31:48.359 --> 00:31:49.720 a relational agreement, 00:31:49.839 --> 00:31:50.379 he was saying, 00:31:50.759 --> 00:31:52.500 I am your personal God. 00:31:52.819 --> 00:31:54.720 You are my personal people. 00:31:54.720 --> 00:31:57.880 And I want to speak to you personally. 00:31:58.200 --> 00:32:00.720 I want relationship with you. 00:32:02.160 --> 00:32:03.900 So when I speak to you, 00:32:04.019 --> 00:32:05.220 I want a response, 00:32:05.319 --> 00:32:06.960 because I want relationship with you. 00:32:07.880 --> 00:32:08.700 Now imagine, 00:32:09.039 --> 00:32:10.519 my wife says to me, 00:32:11.079 --> 00:32:12.059 how are you doing? 00:32:12.799 --> 00:32:14.039 How was your day today? 00:32:14.420 --> 00:32:15.079 And I say, 00:32:15.579 --> 00:32:17.759 I'm sorry we've had this conversation before. 00:32:18.480 --> 00:32:20.319 Could you say something a little bit more profound? 00:32:20.319 --> 00:32:23.379 Or imagine, 00:32:24.139 --> 00:32:24.899 my wife says, 00:32:24.960 --> 00:32:25.879 could you go to the shops 00:32:25.879 --> 00:32:27.819 and just get some food, 00:32:27.960 --> 00:32:28.299 some meat, 00:32:28.379 --> 00:32:28.899 some vegetables, 00:32:29.079 --> 00:32:29.759 something like that. 00:32:29.859 --> 00:32:30.359 And I say, 00:32:30.439 --> 00:32:31.939 thank you for speaking to me today. 00:32:32.740 --> 00:32:34.919 I think I've already heard that sentence before. 00:32:35.779 --> 00:32:37.579 Or you even go to your friends 00:32:37.579 --> 00:32:37.899 and you say, 00:32:37.980 --> 00:32:38.419 do you know, 00:32:38.679 --> 00:32:41.379 my wife asked me to pick up some things from the shops. 00:32:41.480 --> 00:32:42.519 It's an interesting request. 00:32:42.619 --> 00:32:43.599 What do you think about that? 00:32:43.599 --> 00:32:45.859 And then someone said, 00:32:45.919 --> 00:32:46.079 well, 00:32:46.139 --> 00:32:47.879 I imagine in the original Chinese, 00:32:48.279 --> 00:32:49.599 that what she was really saying 00:32:49.599 --> 00:32:50.240 was a reference 00:32:50.240 --> 00:32:52.179 to the increasing supermarket prices 00:32:52.179 --> 00:32:53.980 at the beginning of the 21st century. 00:32:54.639 --> 00:32:57.179 But I don't go and pick up the vegetables. 00:32:59.099 --> 00:33:01.079 I've treated it as information, 00:33:01.519 --> 00:33:02.659 not as relationship. 00:33:03.279 --> 00:33:05.879 Because relationship calls you to respond. 00:33:06.500 --> 00:33:09.099 And people can go from Bible study to Bible study, 00:33:09.459 --> 00:33:10.619 sermon to sermon, 00:33:10.839 --> 00:33:12.000 and you hear it and you say, 00:33:12.079 --> 00:33:13.299 that was a nice talk. 00:33:14.000 --> 00:33:15.379 But you don't respond. 00:33:16.139 --> 00:33:17.059 You don't change. 00:33:17.159 --> 00:33:18.439 And you've missed the point. 00:33:18.740 --> 00:33:20.899 The Bible is to call you into relationship. 00:33:21.339 --> 00:33:23.839 It is God speaking to you personally, 00:33:24.000 --> 00:33:24.279 saying, 00:33:24.719 --> 00:33:26.459 I want relationship with you. 00:33:26.740 --> 00:33:27.639 Now respond. 00:33:28.299 --> 00:33:29.159 Come to me. 00:33:29.519 --> 00:33:30.719 I want to change you. 00:33:31.679 --> 00:33:32.480 It's dynamic. 00:33:33.000 --> 00:33:33.819 If we don't, 00:33:33.819 --> 00:33:36.619 we're just doing mouthwash Bible reading. 00:33:38.359 --> 00:33:40.059 So we can treat it as just directions. 00:33:40.199 --> 00:33:41.579 We can treat it just as information. 00:33:41.579 --> 00:33:42.000 Thirdly, 00:33:42.000 --> 00:33:45.319 we can treat it just as an individual exercise. 00:33:46.919 --> 00:33:49.019 The Psalms were actually originally written 00:33:49.019 --> 00:33:51.439 as part of the common life of the community of Israel. 00:33:52.439 --> 00:33:55.359 But I also put in here the passage from Colossians. 00:33:55.359 --> 00:33:56.319 It says, 00:33:56.819 --> 00:34:10.219 You see, 00:34:10.219 --> 00:34:16.419 God's word is not just meant to be for you individually. 00:34:18.679 --> 00:34:20.659 Yes, it is meant to be for you, 00:34:20.739 --> 00:34:23.599 but it's also to be shared in community. 00:34:23.599 --> 00:34:27.819 Do you realize most of the early Christians actually couldn't read? 00:34:28.980 --> 00:34:31.339 So they listened to the Bible being read. 00:34:31.799 --> 00:34:33.339 They memorized it. 00:34:33.699 --> 00:34:35.460 They learned songs about it. 00:34:35.619 --> 00:34:37.480 They shared the stories with each other. 00:34:37.719 --> 00:34:39.519 It was a communal experience. 00:34:40.400 --> 00:34:42.579 The Bible was not what we often do, 00:34:42.659 --> 00:34:44.819 which is we just read it by ourselves, 00:34:45.099 --> 00:34:47.539 and then everything we learn just stays in the room. 00:34:48.539 --> 00:34:50.599 That's not how the Bible is meant to work. 00:34:50.940 --> 00:34:52.880 Yes, you are meant to read it by yourself. 00:34:53.000 --> 00:34:54.900 You are meant to engage it by yourself. 00:34:55.619 --> 00:34:58.279 But it's also meant to be shared with others. 00:34:59.259 --> 00:35:00.599 So actually, as a community, 00:35:00.800 --> 00:35:02.579 you are growing in the Bible together. 00:35:03.539 --> 00:35:04.420 We have WhatsApp. 00:35:04.840 --> 00:35:06.460 We have communication channels. 00:35:07.320 --> 00:35:10.260 We have so many ways that we can talk about God's word. 00:35:10.340 --> 00:35:12.420 And if we really believe what the Bible says, 00:35:12.519 --> 00:35:13.760 that it's the source of all wisdom, 00:35:14.240 --> 00:35:15.380 it's the source of joy, 00:35:15.599 --> 00:35:17.599 it is so precious and valuable, 00:35:17.980 --> 00:35:20.619 then surely the conversation of the community 00:35:20.619 --> 00:35:25.380 should be just flowing abundantly filled with God's word. 00:35:27.679 --> 00:35:28.960 When you leave a sermon, 00:35:29.940 --> 00:35:31.960 do you realize you're not meant to just go home 00:35:31.960 --> 00:35:32.659 and just say, 00:35:32.760 --> 00:35:33.519 that was a nice sermon? 00:35:34.440 --> 00:35:36.579 Do you realize you're actually supposed to talk about it 00:35:36.579 --> 00:35:37.300 with other people? 00:35:38.980 --> 00:35:39.860 Do you realize that 00:35:39.860 --> 00:35:43.940 I sometimes start talking about it in this way. 00:35:44.019 --> 00:35:44.420 I start saying, 00:35:44.659 --> 00:35:46.420 so what did you think of the sermon today? 00:35:47.159 --> 00:35:48.739 Never ask that question. 00:35:49.300 --> 00:35:50.880 That is the wrong question to do. 00:35:50.980 --> 00:35:52.579 Because what you're inviting people to do 00:35:52.579 --> 00:35:53.860 is just to be critiquers. 00:35:54.340 --> 00:35:56.880 You're inviting them just to be mouthwash Christians. 00:35:57.800 --> 00:35:59.480 Rather, it's far better to say, 00:35:59.480 --> 00:36:01.420 what did you learn about God today? 00:36:02.180 --> 00:36:04.139 How did God speak to you this morning? 00:36:04.460 --> 00:36:06.420 What do you need to change in your life 00:36:06.420 --> 00:36:07.920 in the light of what you heard today? 00:36:08.059 --> 00:36:10.180 Or in the light of what you read this week? 00:36:11.059 --> 00:36:12.619 Because that's going to get you 00:36:12.619 --> 00:36:14.740 away from being a mouthwash Christian 00:36:14.740 --> 00:36:18.000 into being someone who is an active Bible foodie. 00:36:21.639 --> 00:36:23.559 So there's three different ways 00:36:23.559 --> 00:36:24.780 that we can misuse it. 00:36:24.880 --> 00:36:25.599 We can treat it as directions, 00:36:25.780 --> 00:36:26.780 we can treat it as information, 00:36:26.780 --> 00:36:29.320 we can treat it just as individual experience. 00:36:30.560 --> 00:36:31.200 But finally, 00:36:31.560 --> 00:36:34.340 what is the Bible trying to do with us? 00:36:35.360 --> 00:36:37.280 Let's just go back to the psalm very quickly. 00:36:38.500 --> 00:36:39.260 Verse 12. 00:36:40.280 --> 00:36:40.840 It says, 00:36:40.840 --> 00:36:43.460 Who can discern his errors? 00:36:44.660 --> 00:36:47.460 Declare me innocent from hidden faults. 00:36:48.240 --> 00:36:51.440 Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins. 00:36:51.880 --> 00:36:53.600 Let them not have dominion over me. 00:36:53.880 --> 00:36:55.240 Then I shall be blameless 00:36:55.240 --> 00:36:57.860 and innocent of great transgression. 00:36:58.600 --> 00:37:00.100 Let the words of my mouth 00:37:00.100 --> 00:37:01.820 and the meditation of my heart 00:37:01.820 --> 00:37:03.740 be acceptable in your sight, 00:37:04.140 --> 00:37:07.160 O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. 00:37:07.159 --> 00:37:10.980 There's one thing that's worst 00:37:10.980 --> 00:37:12.599 of being lost in a city, 00:37:13.079 --> 00:37:14.279 lost in your relationships, 00:37:14.539 --> 00:37:15.859 lost in all these other things, 00:37:16.239 --> 00:37:17.940 and not knowing where the way is. 00:37:18.619 --> 00:37:19.679 It's being lost 00:37:19.679 --> 00:37:21.059 and not knowing that you're lost. 00:37:22.219 --> 00:37:24.799 It's thinking that you're healthy 00:37:24.799 --> 00:37:27.139 when in fact you're riddled with disease. 00:37:28.920 --> 00:37:30.839 Who can discern his errors? 00:37:31.500 --> 00:37:33.079 There are areas of my life 00:37:33.079 --> 00:37:35.000 that I don't even know 00:37:35.000 --> 00:37:38.039 are a problem in my life. 00:37:38.360 --> 00:37:40.679 There are places in this community 00:37:40.679 --> 00:37:42.820 where we don't even realize 00:37:42.820 --> 00:37:44.719 that we're sometimes not being 00:37:44.719 --> 00:37:45.980 what God wants us to be. 00:37:47.480 --> 00:37:49.360 What the Bible is trying to do, 00:37:50.019 --> 00:37:51.760 it's trying to reveal to you 00:37:51.760 --> 00:37:53.599 a God who is so much greater, 00:37:54.159 --> 00:37:55.739 who is so much more beautiful, 00:37:56.260 --> 00:37:57.780 who is so much more glorious 00:37:57.780 --> 00:37:59.880 than our own existence. 00:38:00.559 --> 00:38:03.159 And as you see how amazing he is, 00:38:03.320 --> 00:38:04.679 you look through the Old Testament, 00:38:04.679 --> 00:38:06.259 you see that people messed up 00:38:06.259 --> 00:38:07.359 time and time again, 00:38:07.460 --> 00:38:09.599 and yet God was just so faithful to them. 00:38:10.179 --> 00:38:11.559 When you see that actually 00:38:11.559 --> 00:38:13.699 the God who hates injustice 00:38:13.699 --> 00:38:15.179 and reaches out to the poor, 00:38:15.399 --> 00:38:17.000 and then you look at your own life 00:38:17.000 --> 00:38:18.859 in the mirror of God himself, 00:38:19.219 --> 00:38:21.480 and you see how far short you fall, 00:38:23.279 --> 00:38:27.299 the Bible exposes you. 00:38:30.199 --> 00:38:31.819 And some of us don't like that 00:38:31.820 --> 00:38:33.140 because that's not very pleasant. 00:38:34.800 --> 00:38:35.780 But the thing is, 00:38:36.559 --> 00:38:38.820 the Bible is not exposing you 00:38:38.820 --> 00:38:41.580 like a nagging teacher 00:38:41.580 --> 00:38:43.880 or a headmaster who's constantly 00:38:43.880 --> 00:38:45.380 picking out your faults 00:38:45.380 --> 00:38:46.760 and condemning you. 00:38:47.280 --> 00:38:48.580 That's not what he's doing. 00:38:49.860 --> 00:38:52.039 He's revealing God to you 00:38:52.039 --> 00:38:55.039 because as you see 00:38:55.039 --> 00:38:57.920 your own need of God, 00:38:57.920 --> 00:39:00.240 you will run back to him 00:39:00.240 --> 00:39:02.139 and realize that the one 00:39:02.139 --> 00:39:03.940 who wants to speak to you 00:39:03.940 --> 00:39:06.079 is the one who was nailed 00:39:06.079 --> 00:39:07.240 on a cross for you. 00:39:07.480 --> 00:39:09.360 He's the one who was the redeemer. 00:39:10.360 --> 00:39:13.680 He's the one who declares you 00:39:13.680 --> 00:39:16.079 innocent of your hidden faults. 00:39:16.940 --> 00:39:18.579 He's the one who's dealt with it all. 00:39:19.300 --> 00:39:21.079 He's the one who wants to speak to you 00:39:21.079 --> 00:39:22.960 because he wants to restore you 00:39:22.960 --> 00:39:26.599 to the way that you were meant to be with him. 00:39:27.659 --> 00:39:29.659 We have a God who speaks 00:39:29.659 --> 00:39:32.019 and he wants to speak to you 00:39:32.019 --> 00:39:32.980 through his word. 00:39:34.679 --> 00:39:35.519 Just finally, 00:39:36.119 --> 00:39:38.400 as we think about it, 00:39:38.780 --> 00:39:40.159 God's word is meant to be wisdom. 00:39:40.340 --> 00:39:41.500 It's meant to be your joy. 00:39:41.800 --> 00:39:42.820 It's meant to be your life. 00:39:42.880 --> 00:39:43.679 It's desirable. 00:39:44.699 --> 00:39:45.720 It's meant to change 00:39:45.720 --> 00:39:47.500 and be a lens through which you see life. 00:39:47.500 --> 00:39:52.079 It's to bring you in a relationship with God. 00:39:52.940 --> 00:39:53.360 But finally, 00:39:53.480 --> 00:39:54.460 some of you may be thinking, 00:39:54.840 --> 00:39:55.019 okay, 00:39:55.460 --> 00:39:57.219 I've read the Bible before 00:39:57.219 --> 00:39:58.980 and I find it difficult. 00:40:00.679 --> 00:40:01.840 Sometimes so do I. 00:40:04.519 --> 00:40:07.159 Sometimes it's not always easy. 00:40:07.820 --> 00:40:09.699 But here's just a few practical things 00:40:09.699 --> 00:40:10.659 that you can think about 00:40:10.659 --> 00:40:11.880 to help you 00:40:11.880 --> 00:40:13.380 to get into your word 00:40:13.380 --> 00:40:15.079 because if it is what it says it is, 00:40:15.079 --> 00:40:18.299 it's the most important thing 00:40:18.299 --> 00:40:21.480 that you should be shaping your life around. 00:40:22.159 --> 00:40:23.340 So here's just a few things. 00:40:23.840 --> 00:40:24.199 One, 00:40:24.679 --> 00:40:25.319 get a Bible. 00:40:27.360 --> 00:40:28.340 That's a no-brainer. 00:40:29.400 --> 00:40:30.579 If you haven't got a Bible, 00:40:30.639 --> 00:40:32.159 we've got some Bibles over the back. 00:40:32.599 --> 00:40:34.960 Download an app. 00:40:35.079 --> 00:40:35.860 There's YouVersion. 00:40:35.980 --> 00:40:36.639 If you know that, 00:40:36.699 --> 00:40:37.519 it's a Bible app 00:40:37.519 --> 00:40:38.880 you can put on your phone. 00:40:39.179 --> 00:40:39.699 Get a Bible. 00:40:40.360 --> 00:40:40.719 Secondly, 00:40:41.159 --> 00:40:42.739 give yourself some structure. 00:40:43.639 --> 00:40:44.940 Set a regular time 00:40:44.940 --> 00:40:45.740 every day. 00:40:46.480 --> 00:40:48.059 If you don't set a regular time 00:40:48.059 --> 00:40:49.039 and a regular place 00:40:49.039 --> 00:40:49.840 that you're going to do it, 00:40:50.079 --> 00:40:50.840 let me tell you, 00:40:50.920 --> 00:40:52.059 you'll have great intentions 00:40:52.059 --> 00:40:53.740 but within about one day 00:40:53.740 --> 00:40:54.659 you will have stopped. 00:40:56.099 --> 00:40:57.740 Give yourself a structure. 00:40:57.860 --> 00:40:59.440 Give yourself just 10 minutes a day 00:40:59.440 --> 00:41:00.539 even to start with, 00:41:00.679 --> 00:41:02.099 to be engaging with it. 00:41:02.840 --> 00:41:04.440 And don't just sit down and think, 00:41:04.480 --> 00:41:05.480 oh, what am I going to read today? 00:41:05.659 --> 00:41:06.740 Plan what you're going to read. 00:41:07.380 --> 00:41:08.280 We have at the back, 00:41:08.360 --> 00:41:10.000 there are some Bible reading journals. 00:41:10.679 --> 00:41:11.800 There's only a few left. 00:41:12.080 --> 00:41:13.580 But they're there to help you, 00:41:13.760 --> 00:41:14.420 to give you an idea 00:41:14.420 --> 00:41:15.039 of what to read 00:41:15.039 --> 00:41:16.060 and they've got some questions 00:41:16.060 --> 00:41:17.400 to help you to respond 00:41:17.400 --> 00:41:18.240 to what you read. 00:41:20.440 --> 00:41:20.760 Thirdly, 00:41:20.860 --> 00:41:21.800 don't just read it 00:41:21.800 --> 00:41:23.220 but reflect on it. 00:41:23.680 --> 00:41:24.380 I know so many people 00:41:24.380 --> 00:41:25.019 who just read it, 00:41:25.060 --> 00:41:25.860 they do their Bible reading 00:41:25.860 --> 00:41:26.400 and then they say, 00:41:26.519 --> 00:41:26.940 oh, great, 00:41:27.039 --> 00:41:27.940 I've done my Bible reading. 00:41:28.760 --> 00:41:29.460 That's not the way 00:41:29.460 --> 00:41:30.680 the Bible's meant to be read. 00:41:31.080 --> 00:41:32.440 You're meant to think about it. 00:41:32.600 --> 00:41:33.880 You're meant to memorize it. 00:41:34.060 --> 00:41:35.000 You're meant to chew it 00:41:35.000 --> 00:41:35.460 through the day 00:41:35.460 --> 00:41:35.640 and think, 00:41:35.760 --> 00:41:37.039 what is that talking about? 00:41:37.300 --> 00:41:38.160 Lord, show me. 00:41:38.239 --> 00:41:39.440 What are you saying to me? 00:41:41.039 --> 00:41:41.579 And you're meant 00:41:41.579 --> 00:41:42.619 to ask yourself questions. 00:41:42.719 --> 00:41:44.039 What does this show me about God? 00:41:44.359 --> 00:41:45.899 What does this show me about myself? 00:41:46.420 --> 00:41:50.000 If this was explosively true 00:41:50.000 --> 00:41:51.219 in my life today, 00:41:51.420 --> 00:41:53.739 how would I live differently today? 00:41:56.480 --> 00:41:57.599 Give yourself structure. 00:41:58.219 --> 00:41:59.319 Don't just read, reflect 00:41:59.319 --> 00:42:01.539 and then talk about it with others. 00:42:01.920 --> 00:42:02.859 If you don't understand, 00:42:03.039 --> 00:42:03.319 ask. 00:42:03.399 --> 00:42:04.559 There's plenty of people around. 00:42:04.679 --> 00:42:05.500 You can ask. 00:42:06.019 --> 00:42:07.500 Ask in your community groups. 00:42:08.440 --> 00:42:09.940 When you've read something, 00:42:10.440 --> 00:42:11.500 share it with the people 00:42:11.500 --> 00:42:12.239 in your groups. 00:42:12.739 --> 00:42:14.019 Get a conversation going. 00:42:14.480 --> 00:42:15.219 And if you're not sure, 00:42:15.320 --> 00:42:16.900 we have some classes coming up. 00:42:17.559 --> 00:42:18.519 There's a class starting 00:42:18.519 --> 00:42:19.619 in the middle of February. 00:42:19.760 --> 00:42:20.539 We're going to look at 00:42:20.539 --> 00:42:22.119 how to read the Bible 00:42:22.119 --> 00:42:22.539 looking through 00:42:22.539 --> 00:42:23.480 the book of Ephesians. 00:42:24.500 --> 00:42:25.679 It's another great way 00:42:25.679 --> 00:42:26.420 to get a handle 00:42:26.420 --> 00:42:27.340 on what the Bible is saying. 00:42:27.400 --> 00:42:28.400 So when you go and read it 00:42:28.400 --> 00:42:29.000 by yourself, 00:42:29.599 --> 00:42:30.380 you can get, 00:42:30.559 --> 00:42:31.360 oh, this is what 00:42:31.360 --> 00:42:32.159 it's talking about. 00:42:33.039 --> 00:42:33.920 And then finally, 00:42:34.659 --> 00:42:35.059 pray. 00:42:35.059 --> 00:42:36.940 Start by asking God 00:42:36.940 --> 00:42:37.599 to speak to you 00:42:37.599 --> 00:42:38.440 because he wants to. 00:42:39.920 --> 00:42:40.799 And finish. 00:42:41.320 --> 00:42:43.019 Respond to your reading 00:42:43.019 --> 00:42:43.980 the Bible with prayer. 00:42:44.480 --> 00:42:46.219 Don't read without responding. 00:42:46.880 --> 00:42:47.980 Respond with prayer 00:42:47.980 --> 00:42:48.940 every day. 00:42:51.000 --> 00:42:51.779 So are you 00:42:51.779 --> 00:42:53.079 a starvation case? 00:42:54.079 --> 00:42:55.239 Are you a snacker? 00:42:56.000 --> 00:42:57.259 Are you a mouthwash 00:42:57.259 --> 00:42:58.159 Christian? 00:42:58.159 --> 00:43:00.799 Because God wants to make you 00:43:00.799 --> 00:43:02.239 an active Bible foodie. 00:43:03.099 --> 00:43:03.659 Reading the Bible 00:43:03.659 --> 00:43:04.539 requires effort. 00:43:05.039 --> 00:43:05.980 It requires perseverance. 00:43:06.879 --> 00:43:08.159 But so does any relationship. 00:43:09.659 --> 00:43:11.359 But God wants to remake you 00:43:11.359 --> 00:43:14.099 the way he's always 00:43:14.099 --> 00:43:15.379 intended you to be 00:43:15.379 --> 00:43:16.480 through his word. 00:43:17.000 --> 00:43:17.539 Let's pray. 00:43:17.539 --> 00:43:26.039 Maybe you just think about 00:43:26.039 --> 00:43:28.820 in my heart of hearts, 00:43:28.940 --> 00:43:30.079 which of those things 00:43:30.079 --> 00:43:31.420 do I tend to be more? 00:43:34.360 --> 00:43:36.380 Which of those people 00:43:36.380 --> 00:43:39.699 do I tend to be? 00:43:41.539 --> 00:43:42.699 Am I like David 00:43:42.699 --> 00:43:43.599 who says 00:43:43.599 --> 00:43:45.739 this is more desirable 00:43:45.739 --> 00:43:47.559 than gold? 00:43:48.199 --> 00:43:49.299 Even fine gold? 00:43:52.339 --> 00:43:53.000 And maybe now 00:43:53.000 --> 00:43:53.419 is the time 00:43:53.419 --> 00:43:54.099 you've got to think about 00:43:54.099 --> 00:43:55.139 how am I going to respond 00:43:55.139 --> 00:43:56.099 to what God has said 00:43:56.099 --> 00:43:56.719 actively 00:43:56.719 --> 00:43:58.059 with action 00:43:58.059 --> 00:44:01.299 so that I don't just 00:44:01.299 --> 00:44:02.159 walk out of the door 00:44:02.159 --> 00:44:03.919 and become a mouthwash Christian. 00:44:05.339 --> 00:44:06.199 But I'm someone 00:44:06.199 --> 00:44:07.179 who responds 00:44:07.179 --> 00:44:07.859 to the call 00:44:07.859 --> 00:44:08.679 that God is speaking 00:44:08.679 --> 00:44:09.279 to me now. 00:44:13.079 --> 00:44:14.839 Father, forgive us, 00:44:15.019 --> 00:44:15.439 forgive me 00:44:15.440 --> 00:44:16.380 where we sometimes 00:44:16.380 --> 00:44:17.240 treat your word 00:44:17.240 --> 00:44:18.960 as if it's an optional extra. 00:44:20.740 --> 00:44:21.360 When in fact 00:44:21.360 --> 00:44:23.000 you want to speak 00:44:23.000 --> 00:44:23.900 to us through it 00:44:23.900 --> 00:44:25.380 because you want 00:44:25.380 --> 00:44:26.500 to change us through it. 00:44:27.079 --> 00:44:27.880 You want to change 00:44:27.880 --> 00:44:29.119 this church through it. 00:44:29.880 --> 00:44:30.619 Lord, our church 00:44:30.619 --> 00:44:31.159 is going to be 00:44:31.159 --> 00:44:32.340 only as strong 00:44:32.340 --> 00:44:35.440 as each of us 00:44:35.440 --> 00:44:36.420 are in your word, 00:44:36.740 --> 00:44:37.420 being shaped 00:44:37.420 --> 00:44:38.159 through the lens 00:44:38.159 --> 00:44:38.659 of your word. 00:44:38.800 --> 00:44:39.119 Please 00:44:39.119 --> 00:44:40.980 help us to be 00:44:40.980 --> 00:44:41.539 a community 00:44:41.539 --> 00:44:42.059 which 00:44:42.059 --> 00:44:43.760 desires 00:44:43.760 --> 00:44:44.780 desires to know you, 00:44:45.700 --> 00:44:47.080 desires to know your word. 00:44:48.940 --> 00:44:49.380 Please 00:44:49.380 --> 00:44:50.540 would you transform us? 00:44:51.880 --> 00:44:52.240 Please 00:44:52.240 --> 00:44:52.980 would you start us 00:44:52.980 --> 00:44:53.780 into new habits 00:44:53.780 --> 00:44:54.660 even as we start 00:44:54.660 --> 00:44:55.480 in the new year? 00:44:56.900 --> 00:44:57.980 Would this be something 00:44:57.980 --> 00:44:58.460 which 00:44:58.460 --> 00:44:59.980 we chase after 00:44:59.980 --> 00:45:00.860 with all our hearts? 00:45:01.520 --> 00:45:01.820 And Father, 00:45:01.940 --> 00:45:02.260 please, 00:45:02.360 --> 00:45:03.160 would we know you 00:45:03.160 --> 00:45:03.840 so much better? 00:45:03.840 --> 00:45:05.800 not just as a set 00:45:05.800 --> 00:45:06.519 of information 00:45:06.519 --> 00:45:08.240 but as a God 00:45:08.240 --> 00:45:09.200 who has laid down 00:45:09.200 --> 00:45:10.079 his life for us 00:45:10.079 --> 00:45:11.200 that we might know him. 00:45:12.280 --> 00:45:12.539 Amen.