TUESDAY BIBLE STUDY | APRIL 21, 2026

Added: 2026-05-05

[00:00:05][music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] >> We praise you. We worship you.

[00:09:44]Hallelujah. Amen. We pray together.

[00:09:47]Let's stand to our feet. Let's lift up our hands and let's worship him and praise him together as we start this service. Lord, we give to [music] you praise. We give to you thanks. we give to you adoration, [music] and we say tonight that you are worthy.

[00:10:12]Blessed [music] assurance, Jesus [music] is mine.

[00:10:21]>> [music] >> Oh, what [singing] a foretaste of glory [music] divine.

[00:10:32]Heir [music] of salvation, purchased of God.

[00:10:41]>> [music] >> Born of His spirit, washed [music] in His blood.

[00:10:52]This is my story, [music] this is my song.

[00:11:00]>> [music] >> I'm praising my Savior [singing] all [music] the day long.

[00:11:12]This [music] is my story, this is my song.

[00:11:21]I'm praising [music] my Savior all the [music] day long.

[00:11:32]Perfect submission, [singing] perfect delight.

[00:11:42]Visions of rapture [music] now burst on my sight.

[00:11:51]>> [music] >> Angels descending >> [singing] >> bring from >> [music] >> Echoes of mercy, whispers [music] of love.

[00:12:11]This [music] is my story, this is my song.

[00:12:18]>> [music] >> I'm praising my Savior all [music] the day long.

[00:12:31]This is my story, [music] this is my song.

[00:12:41]Praising [music] my Savior all the day long. [music] Perfect submission, [music] all is [singing] at rest.

[00:13:00]>> [music] >> I and my Savior am happy and blessed.

[00:13:09]>> [music] >> Watching and waiting, looking up [singing] above.

[00:13:20]>> [music] >> Filled with [singing] His goodness, lost [music] in His love.

[00:13:30]>> [music] >> This is my story, this is [music] my song.

[00:13:39]I'm [music] praising my Savior all the [music] day long.

[00:13:50]This is my story, this is my song. [music] I'm praising [music] my Savior all the day long.

[00:14:09]Perfect submission, [music] perfect delight.

[00:14:17]>> [singing and music] >> Visions of rapture now burst [music] on my sight.

[00:14:29]Angels [music] descending bring from above.

[00:14:39]Echoes [music] of mercy, whispers of love.

[00:14:49]This [music] is my story, this is my song.

[00:14:58]I'm praising my Savior [music] all the day long. [music] This is my story, this [music] is my song.

[00:15:17]I'm praising my Savior [music] all the day long.

[00:15:25]>> [music] >> This is my story, [music] this is my song.

[00:15:36]>> [music] >> I'm praising my Savior all [music and singing] the day long.

[00:15:47]This [music] is my story, this is [music] my song.

[00:15:56]I'm [music] praising my Savior all the day long.

[00:16:05]Yes, [music] this is my story, this is my song.

[00:16:15]I'm [music] praising my Savior all the day long. [music] This is my [music] story, this is my song.

[00:16:34]I'm praising my Savior [music] all the day long.

[00:16:44]>> [singing] [music] >> Praise the Lord. Amen.

[00:16:51]Thankful that I have a story today, and He is the author [music] of it. As you remain standing, our ushers are coming to the front at this time. And while they are doing that, here are the remainder of this week's announcements.

[00:17:04]The Roots group, if you're over 65, or if you're the age 65 and above, you are a member of the Roots group. There will be a Mexican food potluck at Brother Roger and Sister Betty Black's home.

[00:17:17]This is April 25th, which is this Saturday at 4:00 p.m. Please contact Sister Chris Huff, if you're a member of that group and you're attending, to let her know what you plan to bring to the potluck. May 7th is the ladies paint night, and the fee for that is $10, [music] and you may register, ladies, in the bookstore for that, and that deadline will be [music] April 28th. May 10th is Mother's Day. Don't forget, if you want to dedicate a child on that day, please see Sister Bradford, and she can get that scheduled for you. Tonight in Cafe 43, Sister Krista Davis has prepared [music] chicken taco bowls, and Sister Terry Davis has prepared a dessert. It is apple empanadas. At the conclusion of prayer, we will bring our offering to the front, and we will meet and greet each other, and our Mars and Stars classes will be dismissed. So, let's pray together. Savior, we love you. We thank you, God, for blessed assurance. We thank you for your goodness and mercy today. Lord, we pray today you would open our hearts and minds to your word. Feed us with knowledge, wisdom, and understanding.

[00:18:31]Help us to grow thereby. Lord, we ask that you would bless this offering for its intended purpose. Thank you for giving to us, as always, and we give back to you in this offering. Lord, bless it for your kingdom's sake, we pray. In Jesus' name, and everyone says, amen. God bless you as you come to the front and greet each other.

[00:21:55]>> [snorts] >> Praise God, everybody.

[00:22:00]It's good to be in the house of God.

[00:22:03]Amen. Hope you have your Bibles tonight.

[00:22:05]Everybody have your Bibles.

[00:22:07]The physical Bible. Everybody have the physical Bible, not the digital Bible. It's okay if you have the digital Bible, but physical Bible is good as well. Tonight, we're going to be talking about scripture in a modern world. Scripture in a modern world. Before we get into that, I want to just briefly talk to you about where we have where we're coming from and where we're going. So, you see here, um the last 12 weeks, is everyone Is there anybody here that has been here for all 12 weeks?

[00:22:45]All right, let's give them a hand. Great job. Appreciate your faithfulness and your consistency in the house of God. In the last 12 weeks, this is what we have discussed: the authority of scripture, the oneness of God, the deity and humanity of Christ, the gospel message, repentance, baptism in Jesus' name, holiness of heart and life, the church as the body of Christ, miracles and spiritual gifts, Christian ethics and culture, and the return of Christ and eternal hope. So, we spent 12 weeks, and we would describe that systematically as core doctrine and foundational apologetics. So, that's been 12 weeks. We started that at the beginning of the year. There've been a few Tuesdays that we've missed, but um we've been able to accomplish that. Now, where we going? If that is the foundation, then where we going? We're going to worldview, spiritual formation, and cultural engagement. So, that's the next block. So, we're just going a little deeper, and uh I'm excited about this.

[00:23:56]And so, tonight is a discussion around scripture in a modern world. So, this is our topic tonight, and we have a few core text that we'll be discussing, and those will be Psalm 119 and Hebrews 4. But, we'll also be looking at some more scripture. And tonight, I did something different than I've done in past weeks. I've just put the reference.

[00:24:25]I haven't put the verse. So, that means we have to go into the scripture to read it. So, the word of God is living. It's not locked in the past. And that is what is so amazing about the scripture. You know, the scripture can do the heavy lifting. And certainly in teaching and in preaching, the the the scripture should do the heavy lifting. All by itself, the word of God has power in it.

[00:24:56]And so, yes, we try to embellish some things, maybe with history, maybe with illustrations, maybe with personal experience, but the word of God is absolutely important. And if you insert that in, just the fact that you are reading it, puts power into whatever you're doing. So, the word of God is living. It is not locked in to the past.

[00:25:21]And the challenge that we're going to confront here tonight is this one, and that is scripture is outdated. I've heard this one before. It's ancient.

[00:25:33]It's old-fashioned. It's not up to the times, the culture, the world that we presently live in. So, why would we follow a document that is old? But, I want to tell you something tonight in this Bible study. The word of God is a living thing. It is not something that is going to be directed, nor is it going to be dictated by history or time. So, scripture in a modern world. Is the scripture outdated? This is a modern assumption.

[00:26:09]And they will say, "The Bible is ancient, therefore it is irrelevant."

[00:26:15]And that sounds reasonable until you test it. I want us to look at our first scripture tonight. This is a very powerful passage found in Hebrews chapter 4 and verse number 12. So, let's turn there, and we'll take a minute.

[00:26:34]I'll give you just a minute to get there because we want to read this together if you have your Bible in whatever form that it is in. Praise God. Hebrews chapter 4 and verse number 12.

[00:26:51]There's some interesting words in here, and there's one that is is very specific to where we're going, but it says the word of God is quick. Everyone say quick.

[00:27:01]And powerful, and sharper than any two-edged Some translations say double-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. So, the word that we want to pluck out here is this one. The word of God is quick. It doesn't It's not meaning that it's fast. That's not what it's referring to. When we look at it from just an English perspective, that is might be what we think because quick usually has to do with how agile and how quick you can do something. And that's not what's going on here because the Greek word is zone.

[00:27:50]Zone, which means it is living. It [clears throat] is active. It possesses life in itself. It's an iteration of this word, zoe.

[00:28:08]And zoe means life.

[00:28:12]So, this word zone here is living. So, if you take that and you reword that passage of scripture, what you get is the word of God is living. The word of God is active. The word of God possesses power within itself. So, quick means the word of God is alive.

[00:28:40]And if you're looking uh for another verse in which you can see how this translation plays, look at 1 Peter chapter 4 and verse number 5 that I have listed. Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick the quick and the dead. So, it's obvious here that the one that is judging is judging the living and the dead. So, in the English, it's quick, but when you look at the Greek, it is alive and living. Now, so- some may say, "Well, is it necessary? Can't you just read the English translation and not try to get into uh the Greek and the Hebrew?" You can, but here's examples of where the clarity comes out when you see what the Greek word means and the way it's translated. Why is it get lost in translation somewhat? Well, the King James version was translated in 1611.

[00:29:39]So, that's a long period of time from then until now. Uh it's one of the greatest gifts that's given to us, but if you look at the original, you get some things like this that's highlighted. And for the sake of this lesson, this is very, very important because when someone says that's just an ancient document, the word internally itself says it's not just an old document, it's a living document. It's a document that is alive. It is a document that within itself there is life. Not that is fast, but something that is powerful. So, scripture doesn't just fit in history somewhere. It actively engages the present. And I'm grateful and thankful for that. Let me just take a moment right here to do a little exhortation.

[00:30:34]There have been moments in my life that have been very, very difficult and I didn't have anything to hang on to, but what I could hang on to is the word of God. This is one of the reasons why Bible quizzing is so very important.

[00:30:47]What are we putting in our minds and in our hearts? The word of God that is alive and it's living. So, when I get in situations that are difficult and I don't know where to turn, sometimes I can go back and hang on to a word that is powerful. Hang on to a word that is alive. Hang on to a word that gives me strength.

[00:31:09]Let's clap our hands and thank the Lord for the word of God. Can you testify to that?

[00:31:13]>> [applause] >> Hallelujah. God's word became a strength to me.

[00:31:19]And some of the scriptures that I've learned in Bible quizzing way back when I was 19 years of age has stuck with me.

[00:31:26]I even quote them when I'm praying. They get They give you They give you terminology to approach situations in life. So, this is not just an ancient document that sits in history, it engages the present. We know that outdated things lose power over time.

[00:31:46]We know that. But the word of God is not something that loses power over time.

[00:31:53]It's It's alive within itself. And so, the word exposes some things in my life.

[00:32:00]The word convicts some things in my life. And the word transforms some things in my life. How is a person going to be saved if they don't have a preacher that's preaching the word?

[00:32:13]There's power in the gospel. Where does the gospel come from? It comes from the word of God.

[00:32:19]Amen. It has life in itself. So, on that note, is scripture outdated? Not according to the internal evidence of the scripture itself. It's a living document. It is a quick It's a quick The word of God is quick and powerful.

[00:32:39]It's alive and powerful. Can anybody attest to that in your life that the word of God has been a strength to you?

[00:32:46]So, what is the nature of God? And what is the nature of his word? Let's look at Psalm 119 verse number 89. Let's turn there. Psalm 119 is while we're turning there just some information about it.

[00:33:01]It's the longest chapter in the Bible and every single verse in Psalm 119 has to do with talking about the statutes of the Lord, the testimony of the Lord. And it is also an acrostic. Oh, this is a fun one.

[00:33:18]Let me put this up here. You can't really see this again in English, but in Hebrew, it's an acrostic.

[00:33:26]An acrostic is a a form of literature in which it follows the alphabet.

[00:33:37]So, the first line would follow the first letter of the alphabet and the second line and third line and all the way through. So, you would have If we were to do that in English, you would start from A and you would you would start your first line, your second line would start with B. Blessed is the man and you keep going all the way to Z. A to Z. So, that that would be what is called an acrostic. And in Psalm 119 Is anybody there yet? Are you Are you there in your Bible? Say amen. Okay. I can I can stop talking when you're there.

[00:34:07]Okay. So, but this is good information.

[00:34:10]So, 119 is the longest chapter and it's an it's an acrostic, which means it's alphabetical in its nature and you can see it because the the Hebrew alphabet is in it. If you If your Bible is like mine, at the beginning aleph, there's the symbol for the aleph, beth, gimel, daleth, he, waw, zayin, cheth, teth, yod, kaph, lamed, mem, nun.

[00:34:41]We're at lamed and that's where we are in verse number 89. That's That's part of the Hebrew. This is all the Hebrew alphabet. Does that make sense?

[00:34:50]That's pretty cool. And so, here we are in Psalm 119 verse 89 and it says, "Forever, oh Lord, thy word is settled in heaven." So, the word of God is saying this, it's not anchored to culture.

[00:35:07]And it's not anchored even to history.

[00:35:10]It is God-driven.

[00:35:12]The culture we know shifts and it shifts often.

[00:35:18]And And then it then it recirculates.

[00:35:21]>> [laughter] >> All right? There There's some things that you wore back in the day and [laughter] and it shifted out of that.

[00:35:29]Some Some of your hairdos I was going through some old photos back in the the history of the church, man, hair standing up like this. They tell me that the ladies actually put oatmeal boxes to make it tall.

[00:35:47]That shifts. Culture shifts. There was a period of time in which I thought bell-bottom jeans were cool.

[00:35:59]Huh?

[00:36:00]You will never catch me wearing bell-bottom jeans ever again.

[00:36:04]But man, I thought it was cool. And you know what? I had a moment of difficulty growing up when that trend faded and my mother bought me some jeans that were just straight-leg jeans.

[00:36:19]I had a crisis moment because I could actually see my feet and it looked funny.

[00:36:27]The bigger the bell bottoms, the better, you know? This was late '70s, right? So, uh I I know you probably never got into that, but I I can definitely remember that. Culture shifts and change rapidly.

[00:36:39]And truth is not something that changes with just the the trends of culture.

[00:36:47]There's a big difference between the question that culture asks and how the scripture responds in terms of asking. Culture will say, "What feels right now?"

[00:37:03]And the scripture will say, "What is true always?"

[00:37:07]And And there's a big difference there because if what feels right right now is going to You're going to give allegiance or you're going to give authority to whatever is happening right now. That could be a bad thing. But the scripture said, "What is true is always true, no matter what age, no matter what decade, no matter what the trends may be, there is something that is stable. Truth is constant over time." So, we can take the principles of the scripture and we can apply them because that is truth, we can apply that over the course of time. Now, I'm going to use that that example that I just said, a principle in scripture that we can use across time and it's going to change and deviate. Technology is going to come in different ways and different formats. Things are going to happen, but the scripture is going to give us something that is solid over the course of time because it's constant over time. And the way that we deal with some of those things may differ. And so, I'm going to point this out to you and use the example on media use that is in the trifle that stages of development that are out there.

[00:38:29]Uh for some people they they may be coming to our church, they may not know all of our values. That gives you an opportunity to kind of look at some of the values and the principles that we stand on and it's written in a way that is not confrontational, but hopefully uplifting. And this This is one of them.

[00:38:49]And so, I'm going to use this example here uh tonight that comes right out of that. Truth is constant over time. So, here is a cultural example, media use and holiness. All right? The principle that is constant over time is Psalm 101 verse number three that says, "I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes."

[00:39:14]That's a principle. And that is a principle and a truth that is constant over time. Now, in some periods of history, the approach to it has been different. For example, I am in my 50s, but when I was growing up, we did not have television in the home. I was raised without a television. And some people are confused. Man, what in the world? How How did you function? Well, I read a lot.

[00:39:38]I read books. That's a thing. And you be can become very educated just by reading books. I went outside and played. I There's a lot of stuff that I did. But, back in that era, and back in that day, in 1954, our elders took a principled stand against the influence of television, recognizing how visual entertainment could affect spiritual life and the atmosphere of the home.

[00:40:04]Today, traditional television has merged with smartphones, computers, streaming services, social media. While technology has changed, the need for discernment remains the same. So, back in that day, we didn't have television because it was the only medium, and actually, their decision was very, very wise.

[00:40:30]They When they made the decision in 1954, it wasn't bad. The content that was coming out was not a negative thing, and Hollywood, ironically, even, um, disciplined itself. They had a list of things on what would be acceptable, not be acceptable. Okay, that faded very, very, very, very fast because the human appetite for entertainment it is going it goes on a downward scale, not an upward scale. And so, when you produce something that is titillating, when you produce something that is entertainment-driven, at some point, it's not as entertaining, so you got to do something that that captures the curiosity and the attention. So, you got to do something a little different, and then eventually, you're you're you're going the wrong way. And so, when they made that stand, that that was a stand that at the time people will say, "I don't I don't understand what you're doing. There's There's no problem. They discipline and they correct themselves."

[00:41:31]And that rapidly, uh, dissipated.

[00:41:35]So, now, as you moved into a a a era of smartphones, and Does Does anybody remember?

[00:41:45]Does anybody remember pagers? People used to carry pagers around. Like, you had a phone, and then you had a pager, and then at some point, you also had a Palm Pilot. You had all these gadgets on you. And And so, the technology was expanding and growing, and then the smartphone came, and then on the smartphone was everything. You didn't need a pager, you didn't need a phone, you didn't need a Palm Pilot. It captured everything. So, the technology has increased and has changed. But, based on that principle that is timeless, "I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes." So, guiding the next generation, we are committed to helping believers navigate the digital world with spiritual clarity. Our devotion to God should shape not only what we do, but also what we watch and allow into our homes. The church does not attempt to create rules for every situation, but it must teach biblical principles that guide wise decisions. Scripture reminds us that holiness remains central to Christian living. There's some verses there that you can look up if you want to write them down. Accordingly, we encourage believers to avoid entertainment entertainment that promotes sin or ungodly values, evaluate media carefully and prayerfully, use technology in ways that strengthen spiritual life. As technology evolves, Christians are called to walk circumspectly, redeeming the time. Let us continue the legacy of godly living in a way that remains faithful to scripture and meaningful to this generation. So, in a lot of ways, Brother Booker, I think he worded it like this, "Technology has done an end-around against every stand that we tried to take." And so, now, you got technology that comes at you in a wide varieties of ways. And And And so, we have to walk circumspectly, which we've got to recognize what we're dealing with, what we're using it for, and if it's strictly just for entertainment, that's going to lower our focus, we need to be very, very conscious of that.

[00:44:08]Amen. We need to take the same stand on the principle that they took in 1954, and that was, "I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes." Whether it comes at any from any one of these particular angles, right? And so, that is a principle that is valued. We need the word of God in our life, and, uh, we we have technology, we live in a modern world, and that's why we're talking tonight about scripture in a modern world. I think it's important. Um, I have my Bible on my iPad.

[00:44:49]I have my Bible on my phone.

[00:44:51]But, there's something about the physical Bible.

[00:44:55]And so, I think the more that technology goes one way, it's good to dive back into something that might be considered old-fashioned, be just the the feel of it.

[00:45:10]The smell of the leather, the notes in it, right? What it It's a relationship here. I've I've started in this Bible. I've got some pens that are really, really good that don't bleed through the page, and I've started just making notes in this.

[00:45:27]And when I look back over that, you know, the more open my Bible and I flip through it, it becomes almost like it becomes almost like a teacher to me in terms of what what How much time are you putting in this?

[00:45:43]So, at some point, I want this I want there to be marks all over it. I've got highlighted areas in it that that if somebody that didn't know me picked my Bible up and started flipping through it, what they would see is I'm interacting with it.

[00:46:01]And I've got a lot of Bibles, but I I've And this one now I'm I'm getting to where I can't see it because the font's so small. So, I have to keep getting better reading glasses, take out a magnifying glass, but I'm sticking with this one because I I I I I want something to be physically represented by the interaction with the word of God.

[00:46:23]Does that make sense? Now, I'm I'm not saying that the new technology on the phone I'm I'm using technology here tonight. And there's scriptures on that, but sometimes that's There There's got to be a balance there. And the more that we go into more technology, I think the more we need to press back into I mean, even, uh, this is on a completely side note, not having to do anything to do with this, but but people have gotten so used to the Kindle and all the readers, and that's what they're using, uh, that the the actual physical form i- is i- is less. Well, people say, "I can take notes." And you can do a lot of that kind of stuff, but sometimes it's good just to take the physical book and and read it. So, scripture in a This all has is connected to the subject, scripture in a what? Modern world. So, All right, let's keep going.

[00:47:16]Uh, we're at block three. Why the scripture still speaks. Psalm 119, we're going back to Psalm 119. So, and we're staying in, um, Oh, we're moving out of Lamed.

[00:47:31]Mem.

[00:47:32]Now, we're in Nun. 105.

[00:47:36]Psalm 119, 105.

[00:47:43]Are you there?

[00:47:45]All right.

[00:47:46]Um, "Thy word is a what?

[00:47:52]Lamp unto my feet and a what? Light unto my path." We're talking about why the scripture still speaks to us today. From what the scripture internally says to us, why is it that it still speaks to us?

[00:48:07]Notice the language. It's talking about a lamp, and it's talking about a light.

[00:48:13]It's a lamp unto my feet, which means my immediate steps, the word of God speaks to my immediate steps. But, it also speaks to my long-term direction. It's a light unto my path. It's a lamp unto my feet, right in front of me, and it's a light unto my path. So, it does two things at the same time. It speaks to today's decisions, and it also speaks to life's trajectory.

[00:48:46]Praise God. I've I've memorized that scripture. I've used that scripture before, but I never thought to look at the the lamp unto my feet, light unto my path in that way. It is right in front of me, directing every step that I take, but it also maps out the trajectory of my life. It's long-term. Modern problems are not new problems.

[00:49:10]They're just old problems that get repackaged.

[00:49:14]So, many times, you can go in the word, and you can see the same problem is addressed, and though it may be in the first century, it still pertains to us.

[00:49:23]For example, in Matthew chapter 6, there's a lot of anxiety because the disciples are asking Jesus, "What are we going to drink? What are we going to eat? What are we going to" And they're all anxious.

[00:49:33]And Jesus responds to them, and he says, "If your heavenly father knows" and he talks about birds, the hair on your head, then he knows exactly what you're going through. So, don't try to control everything because God's going to provide for you."

[00:49:49]So, in the first century, the problem of anxiety is the same problem in 2026, and it's the same answer because the word is responding to us and telling us if we get so anxious about everything that is outside of our control, we're going to be miserable.

[00:50:07]But, God's going to speak to that.

[00:50:08]Genesis chapter 1, identity issues, God reveals to us identity issues, power in Mark chapter number 10 and leadership, and and Jesus is talking about how someone becomes great is by serving.

[00:50:24]The chiefest of you is one that's going to get there by servitude.

[00:50:30]So, whether that is Jesus in the first century or whether that's to us as a church, same principle.

[00:50:37]Same principle. Modern problems are not new problems. Morality, Romans chapter 1 and verse number 10 speaks to that.

[00:50:46]So, there are problems that just get repackaged.

[00:50:53]And the word of God still speaks to those things. The word will always address what we are facing even though the issues may be renamed.

[00:51:04]The word is also always going to direct us and guide us. It's a light. It's a lamp unto my feet. It is a light unto my path. This is why the scripture still speaks. I I need direction daily.

[00:51:23]And interacting with the word daily is going to bring me that. But, my long-term goals, the trajectory of my life needs to be directed by the word of God, not by something that shifts and changes.

[00:51:39]Jesus said, "A man that builds his house is like a man that either builds it on a rock where there's a foundation or sand that is shifting." And when you build your life on shifting sand, it does exactly what is in the terminology. It shifts.

[00:52:00]But, if your life is built on a rock, it stands.

[00:52:05]And that's how the word of God still speaks to us today.

[00:52:09]Amen.

[00:52:10]All right? Everybody okay?

[00:52:13]Fantastic. Let's go to block four. So, what is the real issue with the challenge? "Oh, that's just old-fashioned. That's an ancient document." Right? The debate is really not about relevance.

[00:52:26]The debate's really about authority.

[00:52:30]It's about authority. It's about whether or not you're going to let the word speak to you.

[00:52:36]This is the real issue. Let's turn to John chapter 17 and verse number 17. We may read just a few verses beyond just that one chapter. Jesus is speaking to the disciples. He's praying for them.

[00:52:50]This comes out of a prayer. The whole chapter, John chapter 17, is a prayer.

[00:52:56]Uh verse 17 is the specific verse, but let's go to verse 14.

[00:53:03]Jesus praying, "I have given them thy word, and the world hath hated them because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world." Verse 17, "Sanctify them through thy truth.

[00:53:27]Thy word is truth." So, the scripture has authority. The scripture brings truth, and the scripture is going to confront us, and that's typically where the resistance begins.

[00:53:41]People do not reject the scripture because it's unclear.

[00:53:46]They reject the scripture because it's clear enough.

[00:53:49]And they recognize that is that is going against my opinion or my thinking or my emotions.

[00:53:57]And and and therefore, they reject the authority that it has because it's clear enough. That becomes what is the real issue. Now, tonight, how does scripture engage us today?

[00:54:15]It's not meant to be I've already kind of mentioned this about the Bible and using one Bible. I've got a bunch of Bibles.

[00:54:24]You know, Bibles that people collect Bibles, and there's different uh people do all kinds of stuff with Bibles.

[00:54:31]There's old Bibles, there's new Bibles, there's uh there's Bible with wide margins, and so they they come at the the scripture and the actual distribution and production of a Bible in a lot of different ways. So, I've got a stack of them, but the Bible is not something that's supposed to be admired.

[00:54:49]The Bible is something that's supposed to be applied.

[00:54:55]It's not supposed to just sit on a shelf. I'm supposed to interact with it.

[00:55:00]I'm supposed to apply it if I wanted to have authority in my life. I've got to I've I've got to apply it to my life.

[00:55:09]I've got to spend time in it. I've got to interpret it correctly. And and all of these things go into this discussion, which is it's not supposed to just sit on a shelf.

[00:55:24]It's supposed to be something that I act with. James chapter 1 verse 22.

[00:55:33]Again, let's turn there, and we may uh read a few more scriptures in James chapter 1 verse 22. James is after Hebrews, before 1 Peter, short book, five chapters.

[00:56:04]Just making sure you're there.

[00:56:11]They did some sword drills.

[00:56:14]Anybody remember the sword drill days?

[00:56:16]Yeah? Close your Bibles. Okay. James chapter 1 verse 22. Fastest one get there, jump up and start saying it.

[00:56:23]That was a sword drill.

[00:56:25]It'd be kind of fun to do a sword drill in here, wouldn't it?

[00:56:28]Just for kicks.

[00:56:31]All right. James chapter 1 verse 22 is our main passage, but let's let's go verse 19 down to 22, okay?

[00:56:40]Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.

[00:56:48]I mean, right there. That right there.

[00:56:51]What? Lamp unto my feet, light unto my path.

[00:56:54]It is wise to be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to wrath.

[00:57:03]That's amazing stuff.

[00:57:06]For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. Wherefore, lay apart all filthiness and superfluity.

[00:57:13]That's amazing word.

[00:57:15]of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.

[00:57:25]Verse 22.

[00:57:26]But, be you doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

[00:57:34]Amazing passage of scripture in James.

[00:57:37]This begs the question.

[00:57:40]Is the Bible the best-selling book?

[00:57:47]It is by wide margin.

[00:57:51]It's estimated that 5 plus billion copies are distributed over time. No other book even comes close. Most bestsellers are in the tens or hundreds of millions, not billions.

[00:58:04]It's also the most translated book. 3,500 plus languages in full or part. So, it's the most distributed, it's the most translated, and in terms of it being the most distributed book, many copies are given away, churches, hotels, missions, and it's not always tracked like commercial book sales, so it's even beyond what is tracked.

[00:58:29]By any serious measure, nothing rivals the distribution of the scripture.

[00:58:38]That amazing?

[00:58:39]Right? Now, based on that question, let us ask another question.

[00:58:46]Are people actually reading it?

[00:58:51]So, let's go out and see if we can find some research to help us with that, and we can. The American Bible Study, the State of the Bible report gives us some data. You ready for this? This This was amazing to me.

[00:59:04]50 to 55% of Americans engage with a Bible at least a few times per year.

[00:59:13]50 to 55% at least a few times per year.

[00:59:18]Only about 20 to 25% read it weekly or more. Only 20 to 25%.

[00:59:24]Roughly 10 to 15% read it daily.

[00:59:30]If you read your Bible daily, you're in the top 10% of everybody that's got a Bible.

[00:59:38]That's pretty convicting, isn't it?

[00:59:41]Because I guarantee you all of us have Bibles that we admire.

[00:59:45]And yet, how how much are we engaging? Many own a Bible, but few engage it consistently.

[00:59:53]So, on a global insight, here's what we see. Christianity remains the largest religion globally.

[01:00:01]The Bible has never been higher. Now, you've got apps, translations, free distribution, you got it physically, you got it digitally, and yet disciplined reading is still a minority practice, even among believers.

[01:00:17]The Bible's the most owned.

[01:00:20]It's the most distributed, it's the most quoted, but it's not the most applied.

[01:00:27]The word scripture in a modern world.

[01:00:29]The word of God works when it is read, when it's understood, and when it's applied. This is the power of the scripture. Not selectively, not occasionally.

[01:00:44]But when the word of God corrects my thinking, when it reorders my priorities, when it reshapes some identity traps that I can get into because I'm listening to the wrong voices, the word of God can reshape the way that I'm thinking versus the voices that I hear around me because the scripture acts.

[01:01:05]All right? The scripture acts. Who am I going to allow authority in my life? Am I going to allow the scripture to have authority or not?

[01:01:18]That's typically where the resistance and the struggle comes from. And then, if I'm going to allow the scripture to have authority, then I've got to actively engage in the scripture. I've got to spend time in it.

[01:01:37]All right.

[01:01:39]Coming to a conclusion. Block six, bridging the ancient text to modern life. It's not that we need to rewrite scripture. There's a lot of translations.

[01:01:50]The King James version is a very bulky translation, but it provides to us some of the greatest language. It's the most poetic. So, in terms of memorizing it, it's I mean, the Bible quizzers memorizing the King James has a cadence to it.

[01:02:10]And you take, you know, the New Living Message Bible something and try to memorize that and use that for Bible quizzing, that would be a laugh.

[01:02:19]And so, people are always trying to do translations and what have you, and that that's good because you can see how they're translating words differently, and for some cases in just casual reading, you might you might want to use another translation just for daily reading, but it's not that we need to rewrite the scripture.

[01:02:39]The relevance of the scripture is applying it. That's that's where the challenge comes in, right? How am I applying the word of God? And so, you can apply things like I've already mentioned this, but we'll look at it as an example, anxiety. Let's look at Matthew chapter number 6 verse 25. We referenced it, but now let's actually go back and read it where the disciples are very, very concerned. In verse number 25, they're they're concerned about what they're going to eat, what they're going to put on. And in verse 25, Jesus tells them, "Therefore I say unto you, take no thought of your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor yet for your body, what shall you put on? Is not the life more than meat and the body more than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air, for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are you not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit to his stature?" Did you know, this is fascinating. I'm sorry for just going off here, but it will keep you interested. Did you know that people are actually adding surgically inches to their height?

[01:03:52]Did you know that's a thing?

[01:03:53]Like, I don't want to be this short. I'm 5'8", I want to be 6'0". They'll have surgery, cut the legs off, graft something into it so that they can be 6'0" tall.

[01:04:09]Now, don't wave your hand over there, brother Jordan Johnson. You are not doing it. This is my pastoral advice to you. It would be a huge mistake. It would That would be a huge mistake. You don't need to do that. Uh but there are people that do that. Can you imagine that? To go through They lit They have to cut your legs off to do that, and then they graft something, whatever the segment is that you're looking for, and then they put it all back together. I just don't think I'm just I'm sorry, I'm skeptical. I don't think you're going to have the mobility and flexibility. I mean, what is it going to matter, right, if you add 2 in and now you're 6'2", but you're walking funny?

[01:04:56]I don't know. To me, I think you lose what you gain. Well, how did I What did I I got off on that. But look, here the word is speaking to us, scripture in a modern context.

[01:05:06]"Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take you thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, for they grow, toil not, neither do they spin. This all comes down to verse 33. Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for tomorrow, shh uh for tomorrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." So, the point Jesus is making in terms of this principle of anxiety, focus on the kingdom of God, seek his kingdom and his righteousness, and everything is going to be added unto you. So, how do I apply this principle, which is trusting in God over trying to control everything?

[01:05:58]Because the disciples are worried about what they're going to eat, what they're going to drink. They're just They're just all in a flutter, and Jesus says, "Look, be anchored deeper than that.

[01:06:07]Seek the kingdom of God first and his righteousness, and those things will be added unto you." The principle is trust God.

[01:06:16]And how do you apply that now in a modern context? Scripture in a modern context. Well, look, maybe we should limit obsessive consumption of news and social media.

[01:06:32]Maybe we should replace worry with prayer, and maybe we should re-anchor our identity in God's care. The context, 1st century, 2026, same. Maybe a different context, but it is absolutely the same truth. And people people, this is a I mean, digital natives, young people that are growing up today, they're getting bombarded with all this, and it's not just young people. It's It's It's everybody because everybody has access to technology, and this this is a great principle. If If If you're focusing so much on media that it's affecting the way that you're thinking, then maybe this scriptural principle about anxiety comes into play. I need to put that stuff away and focus on the kingdom of God and pursue his righteousness, and all the other things will come into play.

[01:07:28]Scripture in a modern context. I um I was thinking about this and I and I went just and did a little bit of research here. I thought this was just a good little blurb here.

[01:07:41]The psychological effect caused by being always on.

[01:07:46]Our phones are designed to keep us hooked.

[01:07:50]They're always ready with something new to see, whether it's funny video or breaking news, but this constant stream of information can take a toll on our mental health. And what do we exactly benefit from this?

[01:08:03]Information overload. Too much news and social media can make us feel overwhelmed and stressed. It's like drinking from a fire hose of information, and it can be hard to keep up.

[01:08:18]Echo chambers.

[01:08:20]Social media also creates echo chambers.

[01:08:23]You're more likely to see posts and articles that agree with your views, which can make it hard to understand people who think differently, and it can lead to extreme opinions, leaving us feeling frustrated or upset.

[01:08:37]The comparison trap. Seeing other people's perfect-looking lives online can make us feel bad about ourselves.

[01:08:44]It's easy to compare our own lives to others, and it can make us feel like we're falling short. So, I mean, those are things that with this principle, what was the principle? The principle was trust God over control. So, if I am being controlled by this, and it's affecting my mental health, I'm I may need I may need to limit the consumption of those things because I'm not in a good place.

[01:09:11]And I need to go back to the scripture to anchor me and to help me. Not only does it give us all of those things, but it can damage our bodies, and our bodies sometimes need a break.

[01:09:22]It's not just our mental health.

[01:09:25]It's eye strain, it's headaches, it's blurry vision, it's blue light from screens that make it harder to sleep.

[01:09:30]And let's not forget about our posture.

[01:09:32]Spending hours hunched over a phone can lead to neck, shoulder, and back pain.

[01:09:39]Wow, so how do I take the scripture in a modern context? 1st century, the disciples didn't have phones. They didn't have technology, they didn't have media, they didn't have algorithms that would punch stuff to us no matter what we do, what we say. Go online, you look at a pair of shoes, you go over here to Instagram, now all of a sudden you got a bunch of shoes, and you you look at this news site with somebody that's got an opinion, and then all of a sudden you got all these opinions, and then pretty soon you got so many opinions, your feed is full of all that. Sometimes it's good to limit that. And say, I'm going to take a break from that because my body can't handle this. My mind can't handle this. My emotions can't handle this.

[01:10:20]So, I'm going to bring myself back into balance by interacting with the word in a modern world.

[01:10:27]To bring stability and strength to me.

[01:10:29]Amen. That's good stuff, right? All of us need to hear that, right? I'm not condemning anybody, I'm just pointing out some things that need to be specific in our lives.

[01:10:39]We might be in a different context, but it's the same truth. All right, coming to a conclusion here tonight.

[01:10:47]The Bible is not outdated.

[01:10:51]It's just under applied.

[01:10:58]Isaiah chapter 40 and verse number eight. Now, we're going into the Old Testament again.

[01:11:02]Isaiah 40 and verse number eight.

[01:11:08]The grass withereth, the flower fadeth. Does anybody know this?

[01:11:14]This is a good verse, right?

[01:11:16]The grass withereth, the flower fadeth, but the word of our God shall stand forever.

[01:11:27]Everything that is modern is going to age, and it's going to shift fast.

[01:11:34]The word is not something that does that.

[01:11:37]So, the question is not is the scripture relevant?

[01:11:42]It The real question is will I let it speak to me?

[01:11:49]Will I let it speak to me?

[01:11:52]Amen.

[01:11:54]So, the assignment is this. I think this is a really good assignment. We all need to do this.

[01:12:01]Read the book of James. Five, it's only five chapters.

[01:12:07]As you read, identify what you receive, see, and allow and shapes how you live.

[01:12:15]Read it with an understanding of what I'm reading, how does this shape the way I think?

[01:12:22]How do I How does this shape the way I allow some things? Focus on receiving versus rejecting influence, the mirror principle. What you look at reveals and forms you, the power of small inputs, the influence of the world on the heart, what a life of true holiness looks like.

[01:12:41]Five chapters. So, everybody commit with me this next week we're going to read James, five chapters.

[01:12:48]And we're not just going to five chapters is not just to read it so that we can say, we're through it. No, we we want to do deeper reading than that.

[01:12:56]We want to look at these things that are listed here in the reading of that.

[01:13:04]Really, really absorb that. Sometimes it's not the quantity of reading, it's the quality of reading.

[01:13:12]And and if we're not careful, what happens is we control the quantity of what we read.

[01:13:17]We're in control. So, I would challenge you this next week when you read James, don't I you've got a week, so it's not like you got to read it all in one day, all just just take some time and read it with quality, not necessarily just for the sake of quantity.

[01:13:35]Amen. So, that is our assignment here this week. Praise God. Let the word of God as we stand together, and we come to the front for a brief period of prayer, um let the word of God a the scripture in a modern world, let it be that.

[01:13:55]Man, there's amazing things that can come out of the scripture. You can read a passage of scripture and think, I understand that, and later you'll read the same scripture and God will illuminate something into your think.

[01:14:09]Just like I read the lamp unto my feet, light unto my path. I read that and just just brushed over that, never even thought right here, it's a lamp.

[01:14:21]But, it's also a light unto my path. It goes beyond just right now, but it also orders my steps.

[01:14:28]Amen. Praise God. I'm going to switch.

[01:14:32]Amen. So, let the word of God be something amazing in your life that you interact. I would challenge you, find a Bible that you you make a decision on this this is what I'm going to spend the majority of my time in. It's not just something I'm admiring, but it's something I'm interacting with.

[01:14:51]Praise God. You know what's funny? I gave to you the example of television, and here's what's so am- here's what's so funny to me. When I was growing up, and people were preaching against television and Hollywood, which we still do, right? We still do in all its forms because entertainment you you can entertain yourself right out of the will of God.

[01:15:13]And so, we need to be very, very careful with that. But, in that day, people [clears throat] were preaching and teaching, and here's what they were saying, and it was amazing. I mean, people were like, yeah, I can't believe that. They would use the average amount of time that somebody watched television in a day.

[01:15:30]And they would see things like, there are people that spend 4 hours a day watching television.

[01:15:38]And at the time, that was a good argument.

[01:15:41]Right? Woah.

[01:15:43]We We were apostolic that made a stand against that. We weren't doing that, so the 4 hours we were spending on family time and everything else that went with it. So, we thought, man, we that's that's right. But, guess what? Now, with phones, you ever get a notification on your phone that tells you how long you spend on it?

[01:16:03]Man, that's convicting sometimes, right?

[01:16:05]Your average time on your phone uh last week was and it rolls out the number.

[01:16:15]Doo doo >> [snorts] >> I'm not really sure right now. If we were to ask, we could probably ask.

[01:16:26]Hey Siri, how long does the average person spend on their phone daily?

[01:16:41]Many adults spend up to 11 hours a day looking at at a screen.

[01:16:47]Adults many times work jobs that require viewing screens, which leads to the high screen time usage.

[01:16:57]So, we're like in front of a screen all the time. I know there's jobs, I know there's school, I know there's education, I know there's a lot of stuff, but when we're looking at that, and then we go over here and we look at social media, and then you compile all of that. I'm just saying here tonight, amen, maybe it would be a good idea to let the scripture speak to us and push away some of that in order to have a better balance in our life. You may feel a whole lot better.

[01:17:24]Amen. Praise God. Let's Let's pray and ask God to help us together. Lord, we love you. We thank you for your word. It is something that illuminates and guides us and strengthens us. It is quick, quick being that it is alive. It is living. It is powerful. Hallelujah. I pray that you would bring conviction to us, not condemnation. We're not condemning anybody, but we are asking God that you would convict each and every one of us to go back into your word and spend some time and interact with it on a daily basis. Help us to be in the top 10% of everybody that has a Bible. Only 10 to 15% spend time daily in it. I pray that you would strengthen us. The more we're in your word, the more that we are anchored. When you strengthen us with your word, the more that we have better counsel. When you strengthen us with your word, the better that we can withstand everything that comes our way. And so, we ask tonight by your ability, by your power, and by your strength, help us to engage with your scripture. We ask these things in your great and wonderful name. Hallelujah.

[01:18:34]Let's thank the Lord together. I thank you for the word of God. I thank you for your ability and strength. I thank you for the authority that it has in my life. We give to you thanks and we praise you.

[01:18:48]Amen in Jesus' name. We need to pray tonight for sister Linda Wilson, um was visiting with her today in the hospital.

[01:18:58]She's in the hospital, need to pray for her.

[01:19:00]Um I believe I did get a notification from Bishop Dearing our lesson tonight, and um that was that the doctor came in and said everything looked good. Nerves and hardware's in place.

[01:19:16]Um but that ended up being a 12-hour surgery. 12 12 hours.

[01:19:26]Praise God. So, we want to pray for her.

[01:19:31]Amen. So, Sister Linda, Sister Lois, uh need to pray for Sister Phyllis, need to pray for uh Jolene Talent, need to pray for my mother who's really, really struggling. Um Amen.

[01:19:50]These names, what don't we and the names that you see projected here uh tonight. Let's agree together. Lord, we love you and praise you. We ask that you would rebuke sickness, those that are struggling with sickness. I pray that your healing and virtue would flow to people recovering from surgery. I pray that you touch people that are struggling with chemotherapy and cancer.

[01:20:11]You're a God that elevates and strengthens us.

[01:20:16]Praise God. We know that healing is not just physical, but it includes spiritual. It includes emotional. It includes the totality of who we are.

[01:20:24]Pray that your virtue and your ability would flow into individuals' lives tonight. We thank you. We praise you. We worship you. We agree together and we speak your name. We say in Jesus' name, we give to you thanks and we worship you. Amen. Amen. Praise God. Praise God.

[01:20:42]Say, bring the house lights up. Turn around to somebody that's close by you >> [clears throat] >> and tell them I was very, very glad to see you in the house of God tonight. God bless