Sunday Praise & Worship 10:00
Christian Education - 10:00 - Casual Dress - Loving Childcare
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Key verse: Isaiah 55:11 “It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.”
God longs to have a relationship with us. To deepen that relationship, God gave us the word of Scripture and the Word we call “Jesus.” God’s power resides in those words, not in an enforcing the law way, but in a way that brings life. God desires through Scripture and through Jesus Christ to bring us to new life, a transformed life, changed by the power of love into a life which bears fruit by sharing that love as fruit shares seeds. Remember that power the next time you read Scripture and allow it to resist the idea that you do not understand it.
Sometimes we give up reading the Bible because we feel like it is too hard to understand. However, I think when we feel this way, we give into the temptation to believe that there is only one right way to read the Bible. When we approach Scripture as God’s personal word to us in order to strengthen our relationship with God, we open ourselves up to the power of God’s word to speak directly into the circumstances of our lives.
We can only open ourselves up, however, through repentance (turning away from evil and turning back to God) and forgiveness, God’s miracle of grace. When we persist in following the wrong path, the path of hatred and revenge and destruction, we can block the conduit of God’s love, like a clog in a drain. But, when we begin with a recognition of our need for God’s grace and approach Scripture with that sense of humble dependence, the divine word comes alive for us and in us.
One way to experience Scripture as life-breathing involves personalizing it. Whenever you read the word “you,” add your own name after it and hear it as a direct word from God for you personally. If we were to do this at the beginning of our passage today from Isaiah, it might sound something like this: “Your name, come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, your name, and you will find life.” Then, use that phrase as a breath prayer, allowing the words to sink down deep into your soul. Breathe in and say, “Come to me and listen.” Breathe out and say, “And you will find life.”
Praying Scripture in this way combines both Scripture reading and prayer to enable us to get in touch with the very heart of God. Although we think of meditation as an Eastern religion practice, early Christians meditated on God’s word in this way. The breathing slowly in and out slows your heart rate, eases your stress, and allows God to work in your soul in ways that may be hidden to you. One of the aspects of the bearing fruit analogy from our key verse today involves waiting for the seeds to put down roots. During that time, it may seem like nothing is happening, but that may be the most important work of all. If the roots are not deep and stable, the plant cannot grow. So, do not give into the temptation to give up when you do not see any initial results from this practice. God has plans for the word to bear fruit in your life so that you can spread the seeds of that love to others.
Repeating a phrase of Scripture over and over again also results in memorizing that passage. (Isn’t it interesting that when people have memorized something, they say that they know it by heart?) Memorizing Scripture allows God to use it throughout our day as we find ourselves in various situations. I continue to be amazed at how the Scripture I read for devotions in the morning applies to an event in my life some time during the day. For me, those times serve as another reminder of the power of God’s word and the power of God’s intention to bring life through that word. Remember, God longs to speak to you as well, sending out the word and watching as it bears fruit in your life. Open your hearts to that personal word from God, laying aside your own agenda and embracing all that is God.
Questions for Reflection 1—How do you approach the Bible when you want to read it? Does it seem foreign to you? Do you look for answers? Do you seek comfort? Do you look for a word from God for you? What role does Scripture play in your relationship with God?
2—Think of a time when a passage of Scripture really spoke to your heart. What was happening in your life? How did you hear the Scripture? What made you receptive to it? How did the events of your life give meaning to the Scripture? How did Scripture give meaning to the events of your life?
3—How did the Holy Spirit speak to you in worship today? (Try not to limit this question only to the spoken word. Also, include the singing, the hugging, the praying, etc.)
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Sermon Notes for
Isaiah 55:3-13