Reading the Bible for personal application. (3)

We are currently learning about the personal application of what we read in the Bible. We already concluded that:
The Bible was written to others—but speaks to you too.
And, the Bible is about God—but draws you in. Your challenge is always to apply Scripture afresh, because God’s purpose is always to rescript your life through reading and contemplating his Word.
We already saw that we must be willing to listen and to fuse the passage with our own life situations. We also have to look for what the passage says about God and recognise why it is straightforward to you that this passage has relevance for you personally, today.

Before we tackle the difficult part of this process, where we read a passage that does not NOT seem to be so straightforward for personal application, let’s ask ourselves, how do we read a passage that is not known to you, but you still recognise as a straightforward passage? Typically these passages generalize or summarize in a way that they invite personal application and relevance.

Think, for example, about promises of God for all believers, especially those that we came to know as the Gospel promises – about salvation, redemption, forgiveness and reconciliation with God in Jesus. Also recognise joys and sorrows, moral principles and commandments in the Bible that present themselves as of everlasting and universal importance. Apply these universal promises of God for all believers to yourself. Or test your own life situations against the universal expectations of God for all believers.

Pay attention to how various scriptures specifically reapply the same promises and standards and that the whole Bible relates to these universal assurances and decrees. Then, look for the place in such a passage where these words come to you as a Christian, as a follower of Jesus, and are therefore applied differently by you, than by a non-Christian, such as a Jew or a Muslim. In simple terms, how do I apply this for and in my relationship with my Saviour, Jesus.

In matters of obedience, the Bible often proclaims a general truth without mentioning any of the multitudes of possible practical applications. When Jesus says, “You cannot serve God and money” – Luke 16:13, you are left to decide for yourself what “love for money” means in your life and in your culture. There are multitudes of similar generalised expectations of God addressed in Scripture.

These generalised cases, where the Bible speaks in large categories, addressing many different experiences, circumstances, and actions by only stating the principle, the universal truth must be applied to me – to my challenge, my concern and my sin!

Understanding what it specifically means in your life asks for self examination, prayer pondering and guidance of the Holy Spirit as to what you should take from those words in order to rescript your life in obedience to God’s Word.

God's promise of grace is my birthright.

Sometimes we call ourselves children of Abraham. Jesus was a descendant of Abraham and in Christ we too received all the grace promises God made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

It is God’s firm grace promises to be our God, our Saviour, our Protector, and our Lord. It is the promise that, through the death and resurrection of Christ, we are saved and received the Holy Spirit.

This is a precious birthright that our parents and grandparents, our church, and our Lord have entrusted to our keep. To lead a Christian home is both a wonderful privilege and a huge responsibility to hand the gospel to the next generation.

Our birthright is to own this precious faith of the martyrs who during the first centuries died for the Lord and still do until this day. It is the faith of the fathers and mothers of the Reformation during the 16th century till now, and it is the faith of our fathers who kept it, preserved it and carried it faithfully upto our generation.

It is, by God’s grace, our birthright and our inheritance to know that although I am a sinner in need of salvation, I am redeemed in and through Jesus, my Lord. It is the faith that says Jesus alone, by grace, can save me and help me. It is the faith that says the proper response to God's grace in Christ, is to lead a life of holiness, commitment to God and of gratefulness.

We have a duty to defend this faith, to keep this faith, to guard this faith that has been entrusted to us. We have a holy responsibility to carry the Good News far and wide, but most importantly, to hand it, safe and sound, to the next generation. And it is our duty, our privilege and our calling to keep it for our children’s and grand children’s sake. And for the sake of God and his Kingdom. And for the sake of the true church and those who will carry the light of God as the next generation of the followers of Jesus.

May we be blessed as we put God first in our lives and serve our Saviour Jesus with humble and devoted hearts. Let’s keep and defend our birthright with everything we do and are!

Psalm 130

Oppressed and lost, I’m calling,
in darkest night to God.
Downhearted, hopeless, ailing:
to die remains my lot.
O Lord, now hear my wailing.
I plead, I beg, depraved.
Remember me, Redeemer,
for only you can save.

My sin disgraced me, shamed me.
I cannot, Lord, face you.
Your holiness, LORD, broke me,
defeated, shattered me too!
Lord, will you still forgive me,
as you have always done?
I thirst for rest, for knowing:
a new day has begun.

As soldiers guarding a fortress,
wait for the sun to rise,
for countless, endless hours,
through nights with darkest skies.
So I wait on the Lord God,
I’m waiting long, its hard!
But God in grace and mercy,
will not my plea discard.

Have hope, have faith, God’s people,
and trust in God who saves.
With sunrise comes his mercy!
God rescues from the grave.
His love, his grace, his pity
bring light, create the day.
Absolve my sins, forgive me,
LORD, while I wait, and pray.

(Copy Right: AJ Combrink.)

Tell of God's awesome works of redemption!

In Ps. 145 David praises God for his greatness in the area of redemption. It is redemption that David has in mind in verses 4-7:
(Ps 145:4-7) One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts. (5) They will speak of the glorious splendour of your majesty, and I will meditate on your wonderful works. (6) They will tell of the power of your awesome works, and I will proclaim your great deeds. (7) They will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.

What kind of awesome works of redemption was David thinking about that revealed God’s greatness? Was David thinking of the day God sent a great and mighty flood, yet he saved and protected believing Noah and his family? Or when God gave an elderly Abraham and Sarah a child even though it was humanly impossible for Sarah to bear a child anymore?
Did David remember that God sent the ten plagues upon Egypt in order to force Pharaoh to let his people go. Or when God led his people Israel through the Red Sea on dry ground while in the same sea Pharaoh and his whole army drowned.
Did David consider that God made the walls of Jericho fall down. Or that God gave victory to Gideon and 300 men against a Midianite and Amalekite army of 140,000.

We look at the revelation of God's greatness in all of these acts of redemption and we have to say the same thing God said when Sarah laughed about bearing a child: "Is anything too hard for the Lord?" (Gen 18:14). Our God is so great, so strong and so mighty!
Tell of the power of God’s awesome works of redemption.

Since the days of David God has continued to show his greatness in the area of redemption. He let a virgin conceive and bear a son. On Good Friday he let three hours of darkness come upon the land at midday. He split the temple curtain from top to bottom. And, three days after Jesus died on the cross, God raised his Son from the grave.

We look at God's greatness in all of these acts of redemption and we have to say the same thing the angel said to Mary: "Nothing is impossible with God" (Luke 1:37).
Our God is so great, so strong and so mighty!
Tell of the power of God’s awesome works of redemption.

And today God has continued to show his greatness through his awesome works of redemption. He takes men and women who are dead in sin, and makes them alive in Christ Jesus.
Our God is so great, so strong and so mighty!
Tell of the power of God’s awesome works of redemption.