WEBVTT 00:00:03.120 --> 00:00:14.000 Ministering to the heart of Western Arkansas's River Valley for over 165 years, welcome to Chapter and First, the Bible teaching ministry at Fort Smith's First Baptist Church. 00:00:14.160 --> 00:00:19.440 You'll find sermons and teachings from Pastor Greg, our ministry staff, and guest speakers. 00:00:19.679 --> 00:00:21.039 Thank you for listening. 00:00:21.359 --> 00:00:22.640 Hey, grateful you're here. 00:00:22.960 --> 00:00:30.800 Like we said last week, we are, and Pastor's going to talk a little about tugging the triangles, the purpose of developing spiritual habits. 00:00:31.039 --> 00:00:35.520 The purpose of developing spiritual habits is so that it becomes a habit. 00:00:36.399 --> 00:00:38.000 We can't live without it. 00:00:38.240 --> 00:00:39.039 You know what I'm saying? 00:00:39.280 --> 00:00:45.359 It's one of those we want through the Christian life, the habits that we're going to talk about throughout the summer. 00:00:45.439 --> 00:00:54.000 We want it to be something of the idea of, if you don't do it today, when you go to bed, you're like, I missed something today. 00:00:54.159 --> 00:00:56.000 I need to get up, I need to go do it. 00:00:56.320 --> 00:01:01.920 Or not a guilt or anything, but the idea of meeting with the Lord. 00:01:02.159 --> 00:01:07.200 And so let me pray with you, and then we'll get started. 00:01:07.359 --> 00:01:07.840 Let's go. 00:01:07.920 --> 00:01:10.879 Dear God, thank you so much for your many blessings. 00:01:11.040 --> 00:01:11.760 Thank you for your love. 00:01:11.840 --> 00:01:14.959 Just thank you for a chance just to uh open your word. 00:01:15.280 --> 00:01:23.359 And more importantly, Lord, as as we challenge each other, as we grow together, Lord, help us be what you've called us to be, and that is to be Christ-like. 00:01:23.599 --> 00:01:25.200 And thank you for your many blessings. 00:01:25.359 --> 00:01:27.519 In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. 00:01:27.760 --> 00:01:28.640 Okay, I'm on now. 00:01:28.719 --> 00:01:29.760 You can hear, right? 00:01:30.079 --> 00:01:30.879 Fantastic. 00:01:31.040 --> 00:01:32.640 We didn't kill it last week. 00:01:32.799 --> 00:01:34.319 So thank y'all for coming back. 00:01:34.480 --> 00:01:35.599 Praise the Lord. 00:01:35.840 --> 00:01:44.879 Um, also, uh, we are doing these unique microphone things because we are going to put this available on podcast. 00:01:45.040 --> 00:01:50.719 So we've had um people ask uh choir members and different people in the church, can we hear that? 00:01:50.799 --> 00:01:56.400 So we are putting together a new podcast that's just going to be the sermons and special messages like this. 00:01:56.560 --> 00:01:58.400 So uh that will be available soon. 00:01:58.480 --> 00:02:00.000 So that's why we're doing these. 00:02:00.159 --> 00:02:11.840 So we want to get uh rolling here, and just to set up before Matt comes back and talks about quiet time ways, want to remind you that these spiritual habits are how we grow. 00:02:12.159 --> 00:02:13.120 How we grow. 00:02:13.280 --> 00:02:18.800 And so remind you of how we describe that here and how I like to teach that through the triangle, right? 00:02:19.039 --> 00:02:23.439 And so your triangle represents your spiritual life. 00:02:23.599 --> 00:02:26.639 Okay, this is the transformation process. 00:02:26.800 --> 00:02:29.919 You are growing to become like Jesus, you're walking with him. 00:02:30.159 --> 00:02:36.159 In the language of 2 Peter 1, we talked about last week, the knowledge of Him. 00:02:36.400 --> 00:02:41.120 As that grows and as you are transformed, your triangle grows. 00:02:41.280 --> 00:02:47.759 So it's just a way to illustrate the spiritual chemistry of how we grow to be like Jesus. 00:02:48.000 --> 00:02:57.599 Like any chemistry formula, there are certain elements, and then those elements work in a certain way, right? 00:02:57.840 --> 00:03:00.560 So we're using an equilateral triangle. 00:03:00.800 --> 00:03:03.680 These three elements grow equally together. 00:03:04.000 --> 00:03:08.159 Our commitment to Christ, that means we've given our lives to Him. 00:03:08.319 --> 00:03:09.520 He is our Savior. 00:03:09.680 --> 00:03:14.879 And when you have committed to Jesus, by definition, you have committed to the body of Christ. 00:03:15.199 --> 00:03:20.400 You cannot commit to Christ and say, Well, I don't really want the body part. 00:03:20.479 --> 00:03:21.680 I don't really like those people. 00:03:21.759 --> 00:03:24.000 I love Jesus, but I'm not going to work with them. 00:03:24.240 --> 00:03:25.439 It doesn't work that way. 00:03:25.599 --> 00:03:29.039 When you are committed to Christ, you are committed to the body of Christ. 00:03:29.360 --> 00:03:35.759 Then the next leg is our relationship with Him, because it is a walk with Him. 00:03:35.919 --> 00:03:40.639 Again, knowledge of Him as we grow in our knowledge of Him. 00:03:40.800 --> 00:03:46.000 So, like any relationship, you have to spend time with Him and communicate in order to grow. 00:03:46.159 --> 00:03:51.680 And so our relationship grows through prayer, Bible study, and choices of faith. 00:03:52.000 --> 00:03:54.159 Prayer, Bible study, and choices of faith. 00:03:54.319 --> 00:04:08.159 So if you will look again at 2 Peter chapter 1, what we talked about last week, he talks about scripture that he's given us in verse 3 and 4 that has everything required for life and godliness. 00:04:08.400 --> 00:04:24.639 Then he says, when we rely on those, we are we share in his divine nature, and we are escaping those worldly, earthly desires, that person that we were before we got saved. 00:04:24.800 --> 00:04:26.560 So we're being transformed. 00:04:26.800 --> 00:04:32.879 So we have the word of God, Bible study, prayer is simply how we talk back and forth to him. 00:04:33.199 --> 00:04:41.920 And if you are reading Scripture and you're talking to the Lord, then He's gonna say, While I've got your attention, Greg, I want you to work on this. 00:04:42.560 --> 00:04:43.439 Isn't that right? 00:04:43.600 --> 00:04:44.879 Is that how that works? 00:04:45.120 --> 00:05:00.000 And so he tells us in chapter one that we are to, because of those promises, add to or supplement our faith with goodness, kindness, self-control, knowledge, and all that, right? 00:05:00.160 --> 00:05:02.000 So what that how do you supplement that? 00:05:02.160 --> 00:05:08.079 That means the Lord tells you, hey Greg, while I got your attention, we're gonna work on your patience some more, son. 00:05:08.319 --> 00:05:11.279 And so I'm gonna give you this verse and I want you to study this. 00:05:11.360 --> 00:05:16.319 And oh, by the way, you're about to have to deal with this and you're gonna have to be patient, right? 00:05:16.720 --> 00:05:18.399 And we're gonna work on that patience. 00:05:18.480 --> 00:05:23.120 And so, prayer, Bible study, choices of faith, those things that he puts in front of us. 00:05:23.360 --> 00:05:24.959 Hey, son, we're working on this. 00:05:25.120 --> 00:05:28.639 Hey, I'm giving you this verse because you're gonna face this later today. 00:05:28.800 --> 00:05:33.680 And so I'm making that obedient choice of faith to grow in my relationship with him. 00:05:34.000 --> 00:05:35.040 Does that make sense? 00:05:35.279 --> 00:05:38.319 And then ministry, that is serving. 00:05:38.560 --> 00:05:40.480 That is serving other people. 00:05:40.959 --> 00:05:46.240 And so if you're going to be a part of Christ, then you're gonna be a part of the body of Christ. 00:05:46.319 --> 00:05:54.399 And if you're gonna be a part of the body of Christ and be transformed to be like Jesus, then you're gonna have to serve others the way Jesus served. 00:05:54.639 --> 00:06:08.480 In other words, you think about this moment when Jesus is teaching his disciples and he says, A new commandment I give you, that you love one another as I have loved you. 00:06:08.959 --> 00:06:15.120 In other words, we are commanded, we got to serve the body the way Jesus serves the body. 00:06:15.279 --> 00:06:16.079 Does that make sense? 00:06:16.240 --> 00:06:23.759 And so what happens is we grow spiritually by all three legs growing at the same time. 00:06:24.560 --> 00:06:32.720 Most of us in our lives, as we go through the trajectory of life, we're growing, and then all of a sudden, one of those legs gets stuck. 00:06:33.199 --> 00:06:36.000 I didn't want to be that committed to church. 00:06:37.360 --> 00:06:39.279 I don't know that I want to do that. 00:06:39.439 --> 00:06:48.879 And then what happens is in this growth process, he exerts pressure on that stuck leg to unstick it, and then we grow. 00:06:49.120 --> 00:06:53.040 You think about a new Christian, man, they're excited. 00:06:53.199 --> 00:07:05.759 Jesus loved them, they've gotten saved, they'll witness to a mailbox, they'll do anything in the church you ask them to do, they can't get enough of it, but they don't know anything about what's going on in scripture, right? 00:07:06.000 --> 00:07:17.040 And so their leg that is difficult is this relationship leg because we got to feed them as much scripture as we can possibly feed them to catch up their knowledge base, right? 00:07:17.199 --> 00:07:22.000 And then all of a sudden they find out they're not supposed to go out drinking with their buddies anymore. 00:07:22.160 --> 00:07:24.800 And they're like, whoa, nobody told me that. 00:07:25.040 --> 00:07:26.720 Nobody told me I had to give that up. 00:07:26.879 --> 00:07:29.600 Now we have a commitment issue, right? 00:07:29.920 --> 00:07:32.639 And so that's what happens in our lives, we're growing. 00:07:32.800 --> 00:07:38.319 So the key driver most often is this relationship driver. 00:07:38.560 --> 00:07:55.839 If we are spending time in the Word, if we are communicating with the Word, with the Lord through the scripture and prayer, and then we are responding when He puts a choice and faith in front of us, if we're doing that, then that leg right there will drive these others. 00:07:56.079 --> 00:07:57.439 Does that make sense? 00:07:57.759 --> 00:08:02.319 So this is a key part of the Christian life. 00:08:02.399 --> 00:08:12.160 And it's the first spiritual discipline that we have to have on a regular basis in order to walk with him and grow to be like him. 00:08:12.399 --> 00:08:25.360 And so, what we wanted to do is give you different perspectives from both of us about how we approach having a quiet time, spending time in the Word, how we listen to God through the Word, how we apply it in our lives. 00:08:25.519 --> 00:08:27.920 Prayer, Bible study, choices of faith. 00:08:28.639 --> 00:08:32.720 So last week we had the question: what is the difference between information and knowledge? 00:08:32.960 --> 00:08:35.919 The other day I had a lady come into my office and she was wanting to talk to me. 00:08:36.000 --> 00:08:39.039 She was struggling, finances, life was a disaster. 00:08:39.200 --> 00:08:41.279 She came in, all right, this has been a while back. 00:08:41.360 --> 00:08:44.240 She came in, we were talking, and obviously she needed something. 00:08:44.399 --> 00:08:46.240 She needed more than I could offer her. 00:08:46.399 --> 00:08:49.679 So all I could say was, you need to read the Bible. 00:08:49.919 --> 00:08:51.919 And she says, I read the Bible. 00:08:52.159 --> 00:09:04.399 And I'm sitting there, and then I said, I did not have, at that point, it just caught me, I did not have an answer for because what the easiest answer is to say, I knew she needed to get into God's word, but the words on the page were doing what? 00:09:04.559 --> 00:09:05.840 It was just a what? 00:09:06.080 --> 00:09:08.080 Just information or it was just words. 00:09:08.159 --> 00:09:13.039 She was getting bogged down by the black and white, and it was not what? 00:09:13.279 --> 00:09:15.200 Becoming knowledge to her. 00:09:15.279 --> 00:09:21.919 So we talking with Greg as we were looking through this, we wanted to go more into just telling you you need to have a quiet time too. 00:09:22.080 --> 00:09:23.840 What do quiet times look like? 00:09:24.080 --> 00:09:26.159 You know, here's what now I'll say this. 00:09:26.320 --> 00:09:31.120 There could be some of you in this room when we get done that could come up and say, This is the way I do it, and the Lord speaks to me every day. 00:09:31.200 --> 00:09:32.720 We keep doing it. 00:09:32.879 --> 00:09:36.399 We're not telling you to do it like me, we're not saying to do it like Greg, but we are. 00:09:36.480 --> 00:09:50.320 If you're struggling in your quiet time, and when you open your Bible, all you're seeing is black and white and some red as you get into the New Testament, then we are looking to maybe try, we're trying to help you make this Bible come alive and be practical. 00:09:50.559 --> 00:09:50.879 Okay? 00:09:51.279 --> 00:10:00.240 Um if we if we look in 2 Peter 3, 16, we know by looking in the Bible, even Peter says this. 00:10:00.399 --> 00:10:02.080 If you look up here, Peter looks. 00:10:02.240 --> 00:10:04.159 When he says he, he's talking about Paul. 00:10:04.799 --> 00:10:10.639 Paul speaks about these things in all these letters in which there are some matters that are what? 00:10:11.279 --> 00:10:11.919 Hard. 00:10:12.240 --> 00:10:17.360 There are some matters that we read in here that we might, it might be hard for us to understand. 00:10:19.519 --> 00:10:21.440 But let's think about this just for a second. 00:10:21.679 --> 00:10:36.480 I don't think, or we can get wrapped up in hard topics, but I don't I don't think necessarily that's what we're called. 00:10:36.960 --> 00:11:01.759 Let me be careful with that, because that's not understanding the Bible is not the main desire, the main purpose of what we have to be careful with that because we can spend a lot of time getting deep into deep theology when we miss the practical of what the Bible's trying to make us daily. 00:11:02.320 --> 00:11:08.559 I've heard I've had people come in, listen to my whole statement, come in and they want to talk about the second coming. 00:11:09.440 --> 00:11:10.399 It's a great thing. 00:11:10.559 --> 00:11:11.679 The Lord is gonna come back. 00:11:11.840 --> 00:11:16.080 Mark has a shirt that said, I've got the Bible, and we know that the Lord wins in the end, right? 00:11:16.159 --> 00:11:26.799 So second coming is a but this guy was struggling with his daily walk with Christ, and he was trying to do theology on the end times. 00:11:27.039 --> 00:11:35.200 So, really, through our quiet time, listen to me, through our quiet time, we are walking through a journey of what does it look like to follow Christ daily? 00:11:35.360 --> 00:11:40.960 So I want to give you a few, here, here, here's some here's some thoughts, applying understanding God's word. 00:11:41.200 --> 00:11:47.279 Here, and this is on the page, here, and this isn't all of it, this is thoughts to why we do have quiet times. 00:11:48.000 --> 00:11:51.039 What does the Bible say about raising children? 00:11:51.679 --> 00:11:58.080 What does scripture uh how did how should scripture influence my decisions, my relationship at work? 00:11:58.639 --> 00:12:02.799 What is the biblical perspective on the upcoming choices that I must make? 00:12:02.960 --> 00:12:04.720 What does the Bible say about finances? 00:12:04.879 --> 00:12:05.679 You see what I mean? 00:12:05.840 --> 00:12:09.120 What does it, what is going on in your life that the Bible can speak into? 00:12:09.279 --> 00:12:11.039 That's why we're having the quiet time. 00:12:11.360 --> 00:12:14.080 The Bible is a practical deal to do what? 00:12:14.320 --> 00:12:16.480 To make us like Christ. 00:12:16.799 --> 00:12:18.000 I say it all the time. 00:12:18.240 --> 00:12:23.519 We should, through our Bible and through what we do today, we should be more like Christ today than we were yesterday. 00:12:23.679 --> 00:12:31.600 Not because Matt Passmore is good, not because I go to First Baptist Church, not because I sit on the second row during church. 00:12:31.759 --> 00:12:33.200 All those should help, right? 00:12:33.360 --> 00:12:34.720 But that's not what makes me good. 00:12:34.799 --> 00:12:35.279 It's what? 00:12:35.440 --> 00:12:38.000 My daily walk with Christ that makes me what? 00:12:38.240 --> 00:12:42.159 Better like him today than I was yesterday. 00:12:42.399 --> 00:12:48.960 Now, if we so so look with me, so that it tells us the importance of why do we have time with the Lord? 00:12:49.120 --> 00:12:52.159 Why do we spend time reading the Bible? 00:12:52.559 --> 00:12:54.159 Why is it so important? 00:12:56.159 --> 00:12:57.679 James 1.22. 00:12:57.919 --> 00:13:00.799 This was one of my hardest verses when I got into ministry. 00:13:00.960 --> 00:13:04.240 Now it's one of my favorite, because it holds me accountable. 00:13:04.399 --> 00:13:06.879 So James 1.22, it says this. 00:13:08.879 --> 00:13:14.000 He but be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 00:13:14.159 --> 00:13:21.120 Because if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man looking at his own face in the mirror. 00:13:21.279 --> 00:13:27.279 For he looks at himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 00:13:27.519 --> 00:13:44.639 But the one who looks intently into the per the perfect law of freedom and perseveres in it, and is not a forgetful hearer, but one who does good works, this person will be blessed in what he does. 00:13:45.759 --> 00:13:47.200 I'll be honest. 00:13:47.759 --> 00:13:55.679 For a long time, I was like the man that looked in the mirror, walked away, and forgot what I look like. 00:13:56.000 --> 00:13:57.519 Now I'll tell you this. 00:13:58.080 --> 00:14:03.440 I was trained at a young age, I had a quiet time every day. 00:14:05.039 --> 00:14:08.960 I'd be the first to tell you, I had a quiet time six to seven days a week. 00:14:09.679 --> 00:14:24.080 There were many days, and I hate to tell you this, there were many days that soon as I finished reading, that I shut my Bible and I'd go get breakfast or I would go do whatever, and by the time I got to the next event, I could not even have told you what I read. 00:14:24.480 --> 00:14:28.080 That is why that is not why we have a quiet time. 00:14:28.320 --> 00:14:35.919 That takes us back to the first question is we are wanting knowledge, not information. 00:14:36.720 --> 00:14:41.200 And so the question today is don't be like I was for all those years. 00:14:41.440 --> 00:14:46.720 The idea I was I was ready for someone to come up to me and say, Did you have a quiet time today? 00:14:47.600 --> 00:14:49.039 Of course. 00:14:49.600 --> 00:14:51.840 But I was a nervous wreck that they would say, What? 00:14:52.000 --> 00:14:52.960 Did you get something out of it? 00:14:53.200 --> 00:14:55.200 That's a better question, right? 00:14:56.879 --> 00:14:59.360 So I've tweaked my quiet time. 00:14:59.519 --> 00:15:01.440 And I know a lot of people do it different ways. 00:15:01.600 --> 00:15:03.440 Right now, I'll just tell you what I'm doing. 00:15:03.600 --> 00:15:05.360 I've done it or read through the Bible. 00:15:05.440 --> 00:15:06.399 I've done different Bible. 00:15:06.639 --> 00:15:09.600 I mean, I've I spent a little bit of time looking at last year. 00:15:09.840 --> 00:15:11.279 I tried to do people studies. 00:15:11.360 --> 00:15:14.240 So I was studying people in scripture and different things. 00:15:14.320 --> 00:15:18.320 Right now, what I'm doing is I'm reading through his utmost for his highest. 00:15:18.480 --> 00:15:20.320 Okay, it's just a simple read. 00:15:20.559 --> 00:15:30.000 But what I've done, if you if you if you know what the utmost force highest is, it just has a verse of scripture, and sometimes it's not even the whole verse of scripture. 00:15:30.159 --> 00:15:52.000 It has a point that they're wanting to make, and then you read just kind of an application of it, and then what I do then is I take, and like today, uh today was in um 1 Peter, um, 1 Peter, then I went and read the whole chapter or the whole chapter of 1 Peter. 00:15:52.159 --> 00:15:54.320 Because here's why I want to do that. 00:15:54.720 --> 00:16:04.320 Because so many times you can read that one verse, and you don't get what was before it, what was after it, and what does it. 00:16:04.799 --> 00:16:10.559 And then I had a pastor tell me about, or I was listening to a deal about four years ago, and this really hit me. 00:16:11.519 --> 00:16:19.840 He said, When I read my Bible, I've got to a point, and he was a his story was a lot like mine. 00:16:20.080 --> 00:16:22.639 He was reading it a lot just to say he read it. 00:16:23.440 --> 00:16:27.840 And he said, I I've changed how I read my scripture. 00:16:28.159 --> 00:16:41.519 He says, When I open my Bible to read the chapter, read whatever I'm gonna read, he says, I cry out to the Lord and I say, Lord, I'm not gonna shut my Bible today until you show me something. 00:16:42.720 --> 00:16:43.759 And he said, You know what? 00:16:43.840 --> 00:16:48.320 The first couple times it was hard because I was not what trained to do that. 00:16:48.639 --> 00:16:52.639 It was like I was opening my Bible to just get it done, I'd set it aside. 00:16:52.960 --> 00:16:54.159 I had to what? 00:16:55.120 --> 00:16:56.879 Okay, I'm serious, God. 00:16:57.360 --> 00:16:58.879 And he said, you know what? 00:16:59.120 --> 00:17:09.119 The more I've challenged the Lord to do that, he said, it doesn't take me as much because I know that the Lord has something for me each day. 00:17:09.519 --> 00:17:13.359 And so today I was reading, it was talking about in 1 Peter. 00:17:14.319 --> 00:17:18.799 And here, and here's kind of what also what where else in my life that I've started to do. 00:17:19.039 --> 00:17:23.759 Not I spend a lot of time eating with people, uh, people come into my office. 00:17:23.920 --> 00:17:30.319 I've made a commitment through my quiet time that I am going to try to use what I read in my quiet time throughout the day. 00:17:30.559 --> 00:17:36.480 I do my best every time that I'm counseling with someone, to to, and it's amazing how the Lord makes it fit. 00:17:36.640 --> 00:17:38.960 I don't get it, but it's amazing how the Lord makes it fit. 00:17:39.039 --> 00:17:44.799 But a lot of times, as they are sharing with me their problems, I can say, hey, this morning, and this isn't about how great I am. 00:17:45.039 --> 00:17:49.119 Okay, I'm not telling them to say, oh, look, I had a quiet time, look, the Lord spoke to me. 00:17:49.200 --> 00:17:54.559 That's it is if they only knew why I'm doing it, they'd be, it's to hold me accountable. 00:17:54.799 --> 00:17:58.559 I want the Lord to say something to me, and then I don't want to just hold it. 00:17:58.720 --> 00:18:00.559 What's he calling me to be like him? 00:18:00.799 --> 00:18:02.000 I want to share it. 00:18:02.400 --> 00:18:06.559 And so today, I knew this was coming, so I read my Bible today. 00:18:06.640 --> 00:18:22.240 And in 1 Peter, um, it was talking about um the uh that in the Old Testament there was a priest, but in the New Testament we don't have a priest, that we can go directly to the Lord. 00:18:22.480 --> 00:18:30.559 And I know when I finished my quiet time today, it was thank you, Lord, for what you have given me that I can cry out. 00:18:31.039 --> 00:18:32.240 Think about this. 00:18:32.480 --> 00:18:38.000 They couldn't even go in the temple, they couldn't, they couldn't even do it at certain times, and only a certain person could go do it. 00:18:38.240 --> 00:18:40.799 I can cry out to the Lord anytime I want. 00:18:41.039 --> 00:18:45.119 I have that kind of relationship with him because of what Jesus did for me. 00:18:45.359 --> 00:18:50.079 And so today that was a lady came in today, and I was able to share, look, this. 00:18:50.319 --> 00:18:55.359 So, so as I'm gonna finish it, and Pastor's gonna share, share with his. 00:18:55.839 --> 00:19:08.000 Here are some, here, here are some examples of application-oriented questions that might help you say, okay, my question right now for me is Lord, what do you want to show me today? 00:19:08.240 --> 00:19:10.240 I don't want to quit until you show me something. 00:19:10.640 --> 00:19:20.960 It's kind of broad, but here are some that you might want to have, it's on your paper here that you can take through before you start your quiet time and just you have your personal question. 00:19:21.039 --> 00:19:21.920 But here are some. 00:19:22.079 --> 00:19:27.119 Does this text reveal something that I should believe about God? 00:19:27.359 --> 00:19:32.160 Does this text reveal something I should praise or thank God for? 00:19:32.319 --> 00:19:37.599 Does this text reveal something I should pray for myself or others? 00:19:37.839 --> 00:19:42.240 Does this text reveal something that I should have a new attitude about? 00:19:42.480 --> 00:19:45.680 Does this text reveal something I should change? 00:19:45.920 --> 00:19:47.920 And then you know where you're at? 00:19:48.240 --> 00:19:52.240 Does this text reveal something that I should you fill in the blank? 00:19:55.119 --> 00:19:59.519 Again, going back to the first question, we want to be careful. 00:20:01.119 --> 00:20:10.400 The Bible is a ton of information, but we're reading it for a knowledge, we're reading it for an application, we're reading it for a life change. 00:20:10.720 --> 00:20:12.480 And so that's my part of the challenge. 00:20:12.720 --> 00:20:17.039 A pastor's gonna come and share some more about how he breaks down scripture. 00:20:18.240 --> 00:20:20.319 Okay, I had to turn my mic back on. 00:20:20.480 --> 00:20:21.839 Uh, thank you, Matt. 00:20:22.160 --> 00:20:29.440 It is fun to talk about these things with Matt, and we spend some time working through them together, and so it's been a joy to do that. 00:20:29.680 --> 00:20:32.720 You have two pieces of paper there that's part of your handouts. 00:20:33.039 --> 00:20:34.960 Charlene created for you. 00:20:35.119 --> 00:20:37.920 The first one is this importance of spiritual habits. 00:20:38.000 --> 00:20:39.599 That was the outline from last week. 00:20:39.759 --> 00:20:40.079 Okay? 00:20:40.319 --> 00:20:41.039 Y'all got that? 00:20:41.119 --> 00:20:41.839 Everybody got that? 00:20:42.000 --> 00:20:42.799 You good? 00:20:44.160 --> 00:20:53.359 Then you have another stack of paper stapled together, which is 1 Peter chapter 1, and it looks like this. 00:20:53.519 --> 00:21:01.920 It is the text of the chapter, chapter 1, and it's got big margins on the sides and uh and and big lines in between. 00:21:02.160 --> 00:21:02.960 Everybody got that? 00:21:03.119 --> 00:21:03.759 You with me? 00:21:04.000 --> 00:21:09.039 So, what I want to do is walk you through the two methods that I use in my life. 00:21:09.200 --> 00:21:15.599 Some of these I've taught before, uh, and so I'm just gonna remind you some of them, but we're gonna go through the exercise together, okay? 00:21:15.759 --> 00:21:19.039 These are the two things that I love to do in my life. 00:21:19.279 --> 00:21:22.319 And Janet and I have learned these and designed these together. 00:21:22.480 --> 00:21:26.880 The first is uh what is a lot of times called inductive Bible study. 00:21:27.200 --> 00:21:32.720 And when Janet and I discovered this way to do this, which I'm gonna teach you in a minute, it's incredible. 00:21:32.799 --> 00:21:34.799 It opens up scripture, it's unbelievable. 00:21:34.880 --> 00:21:40.319 It is so easy to do, it takes you no time at all, and it just breaks open scripture. 00:21:40.400 --> 00:21:42.720 It has been so life changing for us. 00:21:42.799 --> 00:21:45.359 It's how I preach, it's how I got to this. 00:21:45.599 --> 00:21:50.720 Janet uses it to teach other women how to do Bible study when she disciples them. 00:21:50.960 --> 00:21:55.039 In fact, every time we love to go to flea markets and we, you know, go and do all that. 00:21:55.119 --> 00:21:55.839 It's really fun. 00:21:55.920 --> 00:21:59.759 And so every flea market we go into, she is looking in the book section. 00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:05.759 For people who have discarded inductive Bible study Bibles, right? 00:22:05.839 --> 00:22:07.920 You know, you got all kinds of study Bibles, right? 00:22:08.079 --> 00:22:12.640 So she's collecting them all from any flea market that we ever run into. 00:22:12.720 --> 00:22:20.240 So if you find one, like get the$2, buy it, bring it to me, and I'll give you$3 for it. 00:22:20.319 --> 00:22:21.200 How's that? 00:22:21.440 --> 00:22:24.400 And because she just gives them out and teaches women how to do that. 00:22:24.480 --> 00:22:27.519 She's got them and she's marked them all up, and it's all kinds of stuff. 00:22:27.599 --> 00:22:28.319 They're incredible. 00:22:28.480 --> 00:22:29.680 And so that's how we do that. 00:22:29.839 --> 00:22:36.720 The second thing is something that I developed looking for a way to teach people how to meditate on scripture and how to take it with them. 00:22:36.799 --> 00:22:37.599 And this is brew. 00:22:37.759 --> 00:22:41.359 We've talked about this before, and I'll just continue to talk to you about it. 00:22:41.440 --> 00:22:53.920 If it's frustrating to you that I'm teaching you something that you've already taught, in 1 Peter chapter 1, we looked last week where Peter said, I'm going to keep telling you these same things so that when I'm dead and gone, you'll hear my voice in your head. 00:22:54.559 --> 00:22:54.960 Right? 00:22:55.200 --> 00:23:00.640 And so I want you to hear brew in your head from me all the time. 00:23:00.880 --> 00:23:12.480 And so what we're going to do in that is believe that God has something to tell us, be, and so when you approach it, just like Matt said, the guys, you know, you're praying, God, I'm not going to leave here until you got something for me. 00:23:12.559 --> 00:23:15.279 I believe that your word has something for me. 00:23:15.759 --> 00:23:28.240 Again, 2 Peter chapter 1 says, He has given us everything required for life and godliness through these great and precious promises, so that we may share in his divine nature. 00:23:28.400 --> 00:23:41.759 And so if he has given us these promises in his word for the purpose of helping us experience his divine nature, be transformed in his image, then I have to believe he's got something to say to me, right? 00:23:42.960 --> 00:23:48.720 Then I take that verse or that passage and I read it over and over and over and over and over and over. 00:23:48.799 --> 00:23:52.000 I'm telling you, throughout my entire ministry, I've done this with people. 00:23:52.079 --> 00:23:53.200 It's unbelievable. 00:23:53.359 --> 00:23:57.279 If they've never had a quiet time, they don't know how to do it, they read, here's what I'll do. 00:23:57.359 --> 00:24:03.519 I'll tell them I want you to take a week, and I want you to read the first seven verses of Philippians chapter one. 00:24:03.759 --> 00:24:06.000 I want you to read those every day. 00:24:06.319 --> 00:24:10.079 Make notes on what you don't understand, make notes that get your attention. 00:24:10.240 --> 00:24:12.799 Read the same verses over and over and over and over again. 00:24:12.960 --> 00:24:15.279 Seven days, one through seven. 00:24:15.440 --> 00:24:24.799 Then the next week, I want you to read one through seven on the first day, eight through fourteen on the second day, and go through that seven verses for seven days. 00:24:24.880 --> 00:24:29.680 And then in two weeks, you're going to sit down and tell me how which one you learned more from. 00:24:30.400 --> 00:24:41.279 Every person has always told me they learned a whole lot more from the first week when they read the same verses over and over and over and over and over and over. 00:24:42.000 --> 00:24:42.319 Okay? 00:24:42.799 --> 00:24:45.680 So there is a depth and an understanding. 00:24:45.839 --> 00:24:46.720 We pay attention. 00:24:46.960 --> 00:24:48.000 God gets our attention. 00:24:48.079 --> 00:24:50.880 We get through layers when we read them over and over and over and over. 00:24:51.119 --> 00:24:56.640 Each word, you slow down and you pay attention to what each word means. 00:24:57.519 --> 00:24:59.119 Define each word. 00:24:59.599 --> 00:25:00.880 Think about what it means. 00:25:01.039 --> 00:25:04.640 Think about what happens, and then it begins to crack open for us. 00:25:04.799 --> 00:25:06.799 And then you write down what God tells you. 00:25:06.960 --> 00:25:08.400 You write down what he tells you. 00:25:08.480 --> 00:25:16.319 If the God, Creator God of the universe, stopped and spoke to you from His Word, it ought to be important enough for us to write it down. 00:25:16.880 --> 00:25:17.279 Make sense? 00:25:17.440 --> 00:25:19.119 So let me show you how it works. 00:25:19.359 --> 00:25:27.200 You're reading through a verse, and we go to 2 Peter chapter 1, verse 4. 00:25:27.440 --> 00:25:29.920 Let's just take that one as an example. 00:25:30.240 --> 00:25:41.279 By these, he has given us very great and precious promises, so that through them you may share in the divine nature, especially the corruption that is in the world because of evil desire. 00:25:53.200 --> 00:25:54.240 Let's read it again. 00:25:54.480 --> 00:25:57.359 By these, and then you begin to think, by what? 00:25:58.559 --> 00:25:59.440 By what? 00:26:00.960 --> 00:26:03.440 Verse before, great and precious promises, right? 00:26:03.680 --> 00:26:04.319 By these. 00:26:05.359 --> 00:26:06.000 By what? 00:26:06.240 --> 00:26:08.400 By his own glory and goodness. 00:26:08.640 --> 00:26:12.240 His divine power in verse 3 has given us everything we need. 00:26:12.400 --> 00:26:15.200 He called us by his own glory and goodness, by these. 00:26:15.440 --> 00:26:19.680 So scripture was written from the glory and goodness of God. 00:26:21.759 --> 00:26:27.680 Literally, the scripture that we have, God's glory is reflected in it. 00:26:27.920 --> 00:26:34.160 And by his glorious nature, he created and authored scripture for us. 00:26:34.799 --> 00:26:43.440 How can we not spend time in God's Word if it was written to us out of the glory of who he is as the creator God? 00:26:44.000 --> 00:26:46.240 How powerful do we think it is? 00:26:46.960 --> 00:26:51.279 If it was written by His the glory of who he is by the Creator God. 00:26:51.440 --> 00:27:01.279 And then it says by His glory and goodness, God's righteousness, his innate character of righteousness and holiness, and everything is right. 00:27:01.680 --> 00:27:17.920 And so you have right here promises written by the magnificent and majestic glory of God that are created through his inherent righteousness and goodness and holiness. 00:27:19.359 --> 00:27:22.640 How in the world is this not something that we take with us every day? 00:27:22.960 --> 00:27:24.799 How in the world can we take it for granted? 00:27:24.880 --> 00:27:35.279 How in the world can we not let it be the thing that defines our view of everything that we do, think, say, look at, evaluate, and all of that? 00:27:35.440 --> 00:27:36.960 Look at what it says. 00:27:37.440 --> 00:27:51.039 By these, by the majestic, incredible glory of God as the creator God and his inherent righteousness and goodness, he has given us very great and precious promises. 00:27:51.599 --> 00:27:57.680 Okay, we're doing this series on ten verses that are the favorite verses of the church. 00:27:57.839 --> 00:28:00.079 And these verses are incredible, are they not? 00:28:00.400 --> 00:28:03.839 It's a shame that I can't preach them any better because they're unbelievable. 00:28:04.000 --> 00:28:10.160 I mean, they deserve, you know, Adrian Rogers' Billy Graham level of teaching, because they're that great. 00:28:10.319 --> 00:28:11.519 Are they not that great? 00:28:11.759 --> 00:28:13.440 And what makes them great? 00:28:13.599 --> 00:28:18.720 That God has activated them in the lives of our people and they stand on them. 00:28:18.799 --> 00:28:23.599 And they have turned them in and they're excited about them because of what? 00:28:23.920 --> 00:28:26.000 They are great. 00:28:27.200 --> 00:28:28.000 What does that mean? 00:28:28.160 --> 00:28:30.000 What does the word great mean? 00:28:30.240 --> 00:28:32.000 What does great mean? 00:28:34.880 --> 00:28:36.799 It's better than good, right? 00:28:40.160 --> 00:28:47.680 My wife makes good desserts, but my mama's lemon icebox pie, cookie pie, is great. 00:28:49.839 --> 00:28:51.279 Great, right? 00:28:52.799 --> 00:29:00.079 We have a pit out in our Chaffee property, but the Grand Canyon is grand. 00:29:00.880 --> 00:29:02.079 It is great. 00:29:02.319 --> 00:29:02.720 Right? 00:29:03.119 --> 00:29:03.759 Great. 00:29:04.160 --> 00:29:06.880 His promises are great. 00:29:08.000 --> 00:29:10.880 The advice of your friends, it may be good. 00:29:12.960 --> 00:29:14.240 This is great. 00:29:14.720 --> 00:29:15.680 This is great. 00:29:15.920 --> 00:29:26.079 I may come up with good stories or illustrations, but let me tell you what, that pales in comparison to the time that we spend reading God's word because it's great. 00:29:28.480 --> 00:29:30.400 Great and precious. 00:29:31.039 --> 00:29:33.039 It is precious to us. 00:29:33.680 --> 00:29:37.680 When you have clung to God's word and it has carried you through a moment, it is precious. 00:29:37.839 --> 00:29:39.279 I was talking to my mom. 00:29:39.680 --> 00:29:43.440 My mom's got health issues, real significant health issues. 00:29:43.599 --> 00:29:47.200 She's got vertigo, has to walk with a walker. 00:29:48.000 --> 00:29:57.039 About eight or nine years ago, she had carpal tunnel surgery, and the doctor cut all the nerves in her hand, left hand, and so her hand does not do anything. 00:29:57.200 --> 00:29:59.599 My brother refers to it as the paw. 00:30:00.000 --> 00:30:02.160 I mean, it's literally, that's all it does. 00:30:02.400 --> 00:30:03.440 I mean, she can't do anything. 00:30:05.519 --> 00:30:12.319 So she has to carry a walker by strap on a wrist with a strap that goes like that, and you velcro it. 00:30:12.400 --> 00:30:19.200 So you tie this strap around the walker, and she carries a walker with one hand, and she has to drag it like that. 00:30:19.359 --> 00:30:21.839 And she has congestive heart failure. 00:30:22.240 --> 00:30:26.000 And so she is slowly deteriorating through life, and a lot of people go through that. 00:30:26.079 --> 00:30:28.960 It's she's, you know, it's kind of how we all get there, right? 00:30:29.119 --> 00:30:29.759 So you're going through. 00:30:29.920 --> 00:30:37.759 So I'm talking to my mom, and she's a great person who loves the word, and she has been talking to me about enjoying these series. 00:30:37.920 --> 00:30:43.039 And um, and here's what she said she has a verse. 00:30:43.519 --> 00:30:56.240 When I was in college, she had breast cancer, which back then in the mid-80s, I mean, it's always scary, but it was really difficult back then, right? 00:30:56.480 --> 00:30:59.200 You know people, or some of you have been through that, right? 00:30:59.440 --> 00:31:08.160 And she has a verse in scripture that she shared with me the other day, that is her favorite verse. 00:31:08.319 --> 00:31:16.079 And it's out of the book of Isaiah, and the verse says, You will go through great trouble, and through that trouble, your life will be saved. 00:31:16.400 --> 00:31:23.839 And she said, In my quiet time, God told me, This will be difficult, you will have great trouble, but you will live. 00:31:24.160 --> 00:31:25.440 And I lived. 00:31:25.759 --> 00:31:38.880 It was hard, but I had the promise of God, and now here I am through life, and she says, I go through this, I go back to my precious promise of God. 00:31:41.519 --> 00:31:50.400 Even as I go through this trouble, if I don't wake up tomorrow, I'm gonna be in heaven with John, my dad, and Jesus, my Savior. 00:31:52.240 --> 00:31:54.079 They are precious, are they not? 00:31:55.200 --> 00:31:56.559 They are precious. 00:31:56.799 --> 00:32:08.960 And you think about what you're feeling right now, and it took five minutes for us to slow down, pay attention to each word, and define a word like precious and what it means to us. 00:32:09.440 --> 00:32:11.200 That's what a quiet time is. 00:32:12.000 --> 00:32:13.519 That's the difference. 00:32:13.759 --> 00:32:25.759 You've got a word from God, and when you slow down and you repeat the verse, and then you go with each word, every single word drips with the blood of Jesus. 00:32:25.920 --> 00:32:27.680 Every word was inspired by God. 00:32:27.839 --> 00:32:29.759 Every word is profitable for our life. 00:32:29.920 --> 00:32:35.839