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Introduction:
One of my favorite fictional characters is Tevye from Fiddler On The Roof. He was a poor Jewish milkman, trying
to raise five daughters and keep his family fed. Tevye constantly
made reference to “the good book”. “As the good book says,
‘A bird may love a fish, but where will they build a home
together.’” When his wife is jumping on him, he says, “As
the good book says, ‘Heal us, O Lord, and we shall be healed.’
In other words, give us the cure, we have the sickness already.”
One time he is even directing his words toward God and says, “As
the good book says … Why do I need to tell you what the good
book says?” Tevye’s Bible was so important to him that it was
a part of his daily thought and daily conversation. To him, his
Bible offered guidance and advice for everyday situations. So, it
was natural to recommend that people listen to it. My question is
for us, are we this confident in our Bible? Can we recommend the
Bible to folks today, making it a part of our conversations? If
the Franklin Church of Christ is going to be evangelistic, we have
to recommend the Bible and its teachings to people. Discussion: I.
Why some people do not recommend the Bible? A.
We have become convinced that we should not talk about the
Bible in public. Some of us are afraid to mention the Bible and
some of us just don’t think about it. But why? B.
No doubt different people have different reasons. Consider
some of the following reasons. 1.
“I do not want to be old-fashioned.” The Bible
is an old book with unpopular teachings that do not mesh well with
modern thought. Therefore some of us, wanting to fit in, do not
want to bring the Bible into our conversations because people may
think we are out of touch. 2.
“The Bible is for little children.” After 9-11,
I heard a song by Alan Jackson called “Where Were You.” On the
one hand it is good because it recommends a Biblical principle to
deal with that tragedy; show love to one another. But I am
disappointed that the song says, “But I know Jesus, and I talk
to God/ And I remember this
from when I was young/ Faith, hope, and love are some good
things He gave us/ And the greatest is love.” Why did he have to
stretch back to his childhood to remember what the Bible said?
Because the Bible has great stories for kids but most people
believe it has nothing to offer adults. 3.
“I don’t want people to think I am a Bible-beater.”
Some of us have been duped into thinking that only Bible-beaters
and Jesus-freaks talk about the Bible. If we mention the Bible at
all, we are certain our friends will accidentally mistake us for
being really devoted to God and His Word and they may think that
we want to persuade them to believe it too. 4.
“The Bible is great for church, but it has no place in
public life.” Some of us have compartmentalized our lives.
We do not mind reading the Bible at church and hearing about how
helpful it is. But from Monday through Friday, we are at work,
what possible good could our Bible’s provide us there. So we
simply do not think about it. 5.
“Intelligent people do not believe the Bible.”
Atheists in our society have been on a campaign. They want folks
to think that if you believe in the Bible you probably also
believe in fairies and leprechauns. So, many of us are embarrassed
to bring up the Bible. 6.
“The Bible does not have any real help to offer people.”
Some view the Bible as a philosophical book for theologians and
preachers. But for everyday common people who are trying to make a
living, raise a family and keep their grass cut every week, the
Bible doesn’t have much to say. So why bring it up? It can’t
help anyone. 7.
“I do not know the Bible well enough.” Some
people do not recommend the Bible, because they do not know what
it says. They have never turned to the Bible themselves for help
or real guidance, so, they do not know what to say about it to
other people. II.
What is the Bible and what is it good for? A.
The answer to this question is summed up in II
Timothy 3:14-17 and II Peter 1:20-21. The Bible is
the word of God. It is good for teaching, for reproof, for
correction and for training in righteousness. Ultimately it
explains to us everything that is good and right. As such, it
ought to be commonly brought into our conversations and
interactions with other people. Recognizing this leads us to
several conclusions about the Bible which should drive us to
recommend it. B.
Regarding
history:
The Bible was given by the only one who has seen all of history.
Additionally, the Bible was ordered by the one who has been
sovereign over all history (Acts
17:26). As a reference for history, what other work could
be more trustworthy? C.
Regarding
science:
Of course, the Bible is not a scientific book. It has not been
given to us to teach chemistry, biology or any field of science.
However, there are teachings that relate to science. The Bible has
been given to us by the One who ordered our universe. The Bible
was given to us by the One who established natural law. When we
read Genesis
1, we can trust it. When Genesis
10:25 says that the earth was divided, we can believe it. D.
Regarding
serving God:
People today want to be told they can serve God however they want
to. But, if God has communicated to us this word, then it stands
to reason that we can and must use it as a guide for serving Him. John
4:24 says we must worship God in spirit and truth. How can
we know the truth about worshipping God apart from His own
teachings? E.
Regarding
wisdom and daily life:
We often struggle with the myriad choices that present themselves
throughout our lives. We wonder about jobs, marriage, finances,
family, etc. What are the best choices? How can we add value to
our family and our community? How can we live a life that is
satisfying and worthwhile? We read self-help books galore to
answer the questions of life. But this book has been given to us
by the one who made us! He knows what we need. What He says about
life is relevant and will work. When He says we should seek first
His kingdom and His righteousness and all other things will be
added to us (Matthew
6:33), we can trust that. When He says that we should
always speak the truth (Ephesians
4:25), we should regard honesty as the best policy. When
He says that it is better to give than to receive (Acts
20:35), then we should live by that. F.
Regarding
relationships:
Many of our biggest struggles come from dealing with other people.
We have family relationships, church relationships, work
relationships, friendships, etc. How do we get along with all
those people? How can those relationships be most successful?
Clashes and personality conflicts will inevitably come. How do we
work through them? If God knows what makes us tick, He knows the
same about others. We do not really need to know Dale Carnegie’s
advice for “how to win friends and influence people”. We need
to know God’s advice. When He says we should not let the sun go
down on our anger (Ephesians
4:26), then we should not. When He says that we should do
unto others as we want them to do for us (Matthew
7:12), we should. The Bible is our greatest
“self-help” book for relationships. G.
Regarding
eternity and salvation:
The Bible is the only book in the world that will help you beyond
this life. According to Hebrews
11:6, it is impossible to please God without faith. But
notice Romans
10:17. “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word
of God.” Pleasing God only comes from hearing His word.
Salvation only comes through the word of God. H.
Do we really believe in God and do we really believe God?
God says we must not be ashamed of Him or His gospel. We must
confess Him before men (Matthew
10:32-33). Using the Bible, talking about the Bible and
recommending its teaching are all a part of confessing God. I know
many people will think we are foolish (I
Corinthians 1:18-25). But if we really believe God, then
we will see His message as His power for salvation and we will
want to share it. III.
Recommending the Bible in practice (a few illustrations of
recommendation opportunities). A.
A co-worker says, “My wife and I got into an argument
last night. We seem to be doing that a lot lately. I am really
getting worried about my marriage.” Let your friend know how the
Bible has helped your marriage. Then offer to show him what it
says. B.
A friend asks, “So, what have you done today?” You can
respond, “Well, I started off my day with prayer and Bible
study. You know I learned today that …” C.
Someone tells you, “So-and-so just really makes me angry.
They are always doing such-and-such.” You can let them know what
the Bible says about dealing with anger. Deal with problems
quickly before they fester, but speak to people with love. D.
Listen carefully, you will find there are numerous
opportunities to recommend the Bible. Conclusion: In Fiddler on the Roof, mentioning “the good book” was played for laughs. In real life, it is serious and important for our souls. Can we recommend the Bible? Are we recommending the Bible?
Glory
to God in the church by Christ Jesus
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