Life: If It Only Came With Instructions

Morning Worship Service - 1/1/06

“Do We Have An Instructional Book?”

I. Introduction

- Surveys and studies tell us that we live in one of the fastest paced countries in the world. Not only that, if you get a chance to talk to different people from different parts of the country, many of them will say that we live in one of the fastest paced states in this country.

            Whatever the case, life just seems to move at an incredible speed some times.

            Prime example of that - where did the Christmas and Holiday Season go to?     

We were looking forward to it for so long and now its gone.

            Life today is just constantly on the go - every minute, of every day, of every year

Now hopefully I won’t offend anyone for asking this question, but how many of you have played the card game, Dutch Blitz?

(Illustration: I love playing this game, but I stink at it! And the main reason I am so horrible at this game is because it is far too fast paced me. I can’t keep up, I can’t keep my concentration, and therefore I always find myself on the losing end.)

- Well unfortunately, the problem that I have with Dutch Blitz is the same problem that many people have with life. Because life is so fast paced, we easily become distracted, we become overwhelmed with everything going on around us, we don’t know how to keep up or even how to handle things, and as a result we can become defeated by so many things in life.

( There are a lot of people who become defeated in the area of finances - more and more people find themselves in more and more debt every day and don’t know how they are ever going to get out from underneath it.

( There are a lot of people who become defeated in the area of marriage - the latest statistics tell us that close to 68% of marriages are ending in divorce, which not only tells us that marriages are failing, but it also tells us that a lot of people who aren’t very happy in the relationship that they are in right now.

( There are a lot of people who become defeated in the area of raising kids - in the 8 years that I have been working with youth I have come to realize that kids are becoming more and more rebellious and less and less respectful - it’s not easy raising kids.

- This faced paced world, and all that is in it, is not the easiest of places to live. I’ll admit that there are times where I wish someone could come along and just slow down my life and give me some instructions for how to handle a particular area in my life and how to handle it correctly.

- So it is in light of my own personal struggles with life and the struggles that I see other people going through and being overwhelmed with all the time, that I have chosen to begin a new series of messages entitled “LIFE: IF ONLY IT CAME WITH INSTRUCTIONS”

- You see folks, I hope that over the next several weeks and months we will come to realize that life really does come with an instructional manual. And this manual not only guarantees the correct handling of life issues, but it also guarantees a slowing down of life so that we have one clear vision and purpose.

- This morning, my goal for our time together is simply to introduce you to our instructional manual and then, if we have time, point our attention to exactly what part of the instructional manual we will be focusing on.

- And in order to help accomplish this goal this morning, I would ask that we would start by taking our Bibles and turning over to Psalm 119.

II. The Instructional Manual

A. Its Purpose

(READ Psalm 119:105)

- Folks, this morning we are going to make no apologies for the fact that we are going to take a solid stance by making a clear statement that life’s instructional book is the book that many of us are holding in our hands this morning - THE WORD OF GOD/THE BIBLE!!

- Found within the pages of this book are all the instructions that we need in order to gain a clear purpose for living and to guarantee the correct handling of life issues.

- In the verse we just read, we real find the mission statement for the Bible - we are told why this book exists and why it was given to us:

“TO BE A LAMP TO OUR FEET AND A LIGHT TO OUR PATH”

- Now, I am sure that we all know that there is a difference between a lamp and light

(Illustration: There is a  difference in the amount of light that a lamp would give compared to a light and therefore different functions for each of the sources of light)

Ø Lamp to our Feet

- Because the word of God acts as a lamp, it serves as a very good source to illuminate our feet. In other words it shows us where to take our next step and how to take it.

- Basically, this means that this book is great for direction and instruction on every day issues that we face. It illuminates our feet so that we know how to handle the day to day issues of life.

Ù Light to our Path

- However, we are also told that the Word of God acts as a light to our path. In other words it serves as a greater light source in order to guide us and instruct us for things much farther on down the road.

- Which basically means that this book gives us a clear purpose and direction that will in turn prepare us for things we will face later on in life.

- Again folks, as we try, through this series, to give some instruction for the different issues that arise in this life, I want you to know up front that the instruction we will be giving will not be from any particular counselor, or some self-help guru; it won’t be coming from any book that you might find at Barnes and Noble.

- Instead, I want us to be perfectly clear on the fact that the instructions that we are going to discuss will come directly from this instructional book right here - the Word of God!!

- As a church, and hopefully as followers of Christ we believe that this instructional manual should be our only lamp to our feet and light to our path - THAT’S THE PURPOSE OF THIS BOOK & THAT IS WHY IT HAS BEEN GIVEN TO US!!

- However, before we just move on in looking at where it is that we will be focusing our attention on in this rather large instructional manual, I first want us to consider some evidence as to why we can have such confidence and boldness to say that this instructional manual should be our only lamp to our feet and light to our path.

            þ Why is it that we can say that?

            þ Or should I say, what is it about this book that gives it such authority in so     many   areas?

(Illustration: One of my favorite commercials on TV today are the commercials for Holiday Inn Express. How many of you have seen one of these commercials? The whole idea behind the commercials is that some individual participates in some highly skilled or trained activity and event, and the only basis and authority that he has for participating is the fact that he had slept in a Holiday Inn Express the night before.)

- Well, the Word of God, has a little more basis and authority for being our instructional manual for life, and we really need to know what that basis is, in order that we might be convinced concerning the authority that this book should have in our lives.

B.) Its Basis for Authority

- So to begin to lay the groundwork for this authority, I would have you turn over in your Bibles to a passage that we just finished studying at the end of our last series. Because we just finished studying this passage, we are not going to spend a lot of time here, but I just would like for to start here in order that we might lay the proper foundation for the authority of this instructional manual.

- So if you would, turn over to II Timothy chapter 3

(READ II Timothy 3:16-17)

- You see folks, the starting point as to why this instructional book should have such a place of authority in our lives is the fact that this book was given to us by the inspiration of God.

( And this simply means that God, using the Holy Spirit, revealed His person and plan to certain believers, who wrote down His message for all human beings to have.

( Now even though these guys used their own minds, talents, language and style, the fact of the matter is that they still wrote what God wanted them to write.

( Therefore, God was always in control of the writing of this book

- Which is the evidence that we need to start with, and with that fact laid out we can build on that evidence - that foundation - with some other evidence found in the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy chapter 32.

- God is the author of this book. He was in control of everything that went into this instructional manual. Now here in Deuteronomy 32 we gain a little insight into this author, which gives us more evidence as to why this book should be so authoritative in our lives.

(READ Deuteronomy 32:1-4)

- Folks, within these few verses we are given a great little biographical sketch of the author of this book - God!

- And it is based on this biographical sketch, and the evidence that it presents us with that really gives us the great confidence in the authoritativeness of this instructional book.

Ø First of all, within this biographical sketch we are told that God is a ROCK

- Now by the term rock, please get out of your mind a good sized stone of some kind that you can pick up and move from place to place. This term rock is referring to a giant boulder that can’t be moved. In other words it is solid and grounded right where it is.

- When this term is used in reference to a person, it really is used to describe that individual as totally reliable, stable and trustworthy.

- Because God is a rock that can’t be moved and is very solid and firm, he is completely reliable and trustworthy. Therefore we can have great confidence standing on his words and instructions to us because they are reliable and trustworthy just like he is.

Ù The second term that we find in the biographical sketch of God, the author of our instructional book, is the fact that he is described as PERFECT

- Now the root meaning of this Hebrew word for perfect here literally means COMPLETE (Illustration: working on a large puzzle and at the end finding out that it was incomplete - it was missing a piece.)

- Well, as used in the context, the word perfect is referring to being complete or entirely in accord with truth and fact.

            ( Never in the history of God’s existence has a piece been missing when it          comes to the truth that he shares and the facts that he gives.

- Therefore we can have great confidence in the truthfulness and accuracy of God and the instructional book he has authored for us.

- So based on this biographical sketch we know that God is a ROCK and that he is also PERFECT.

Ú But these verses go on to describe God as JUSTICE

- Now the term justice was a legal term in the Jewish culture of that time, and it  referred to what we might call the judge or basically the ultimate authority in a particular case.

- And here we are told that God is justice.

            ( Therefore he is the ultimate authority

            ( And therefore he is the one who sets the standards for what everything,           especially that which is right and wrong.

- So, because God is justice, or the ultimate authority, we can have great confidence that the instructions he has written for us in his word have that same authority.            

Û The next term found in this biographical sketch of God is a term that kind of takes the ideas of the terms rock and perfect and combines them into one and that one idea is that of  TRUTH- Now let me first point out that some of your Bible may translate this Hebrew word as FAITHFULNESS, which I think is really a better English word to use in order to communicate the true meaning behind this Hebrew word.

- The basic root meaning of this word carried with it the idea of being firm or certain. And as used in this context, in reference to God, it is used to communicate total dependability.

(Illustration: How many of you know of people in your life, who when they tell you something you can basically take what they have to say, divide it by two and then you might have the truth? In other words, what they have to say isn’t necessarily false, but because they add some things and exaggerate other things, it’s not necessarily completely true either.)

- Well, never can that ever be said about God. He is faithful; he is dependable. Which should give us great confidence in that all that he has to say will always be dependable.

Ü Therefore, because he is dependable, this biographical sketch goes on to tell us that he is also WITHOUT INJUSTICE

- Which refers to the fact that God does not deviate from truth or the right standard, whether in his actions or his words. God is simply incapable of injustice.

- Therefore because we know that he will never deviate from the truth and the right standard in both actions and words, we can have great confidence that his instructions won’t lead us to deviate from these things either.

- By now I hope that you are beginning to pick up on the fact that each of these characteristics in this biographical sketch kind of build off each other.

Ý So because God is a rock, and perfect, and justice, and faithful, and without injustice, it can also be said that he is RIGHTEOUS

(Illustration: Now for you kids who are with us this morning and have seen the movie “Finding Nemo” a hundred times like my kids have, the term righteous here is a little bit different than the term righteous used in the movie in the turtle scene where they are riding the currents like surfers yelling, “RIGHTEOUS, RIGHTEOUS!”)

- By including this term in this biographical sketch we know that God not only is the ultimate authority and sets the standard for what is right, he also always stays in conformity to those standards.

- Which should give us such great confidence in the fact that the instructions God gives us aren’t just philosophical concepts that have never been tested or accomplished, but instead they are proven

- Now while these first 6 words described who God, the author of our instructional book, is; the final word of this biographical sketch tells us what he does in light of who he is.

Þ The final word that we have in these verses used to describe God is that of UPRIGHT

- Once again, to understand the full meaning of this term it is helpful to understand how this word was used in this culture.

            ( Originally this Hebrew word was used when referring to the preparation process of a   road for a royal visitor.

            ( Individuals would go before the royal processional in order to make the way or           path straight - which means they would make sure that the path that the processional was     traveling on was level and free of any obstacles

- So here, God is really being described as one of those individuals. And he is being described as one of those individuals who does that on our behalf.

- And one of the major ways in which he does that is with the instructions that he gives us for life within this book.

III. Conclusion

- Now folks, with this biographical sketch in mind, let’s go back to II Timothy chapter 3, where we are told that...

            þ All Scripture is given to us by the inspiration of who? >>> GOD!!

- Folks, the reason I can have such great confidence and boldness to stand here this morning and proclaim that this book should be our only lamp to our feet and light to our path is because of the great authority upon which this book is based.

( This book, and all the instructions for life that this book gives us, has been given to us by God - who we know is... 

                        T a rock - totally reliable

                        T perfect - completely in accord with fact and truth

                        T justice - the ultimate authority

                        T faithful - totally dependable

                        T without injustice - no deviation from that which is right

                        T righteous - in complete conformity to that which is right

                        T upright - he wants to make our way as clear and as straight as possible

- Therefore, it is based on all this evidence that this book, and this book only, can make the claim that it is:

Ø INERRANT - which means that it is without error in everything it says, wether it be doctrine, instruction, history or science - WHATEVER, IT IS WITHOUT ERROR

Ù INFALLIBLE - and the reason it is without error is because it was never really capable of error to begin with because of it’s author - WHICH MEANS THAT IT IS INFALLIBLE

- Therefore folks, based on all this evidence and facts concerning this instructional manual, I hope that this truly is the only instructional manual that you would desire for your life.

( You see folks, before we just jump right into looking at the instructions found within this book, that have been written to help us live out our lives here on this earth, I first felt like I needed to give you a good reason to listen to and obey the instructions in the first place.

( There are a lot of people, books, magazines, programs, internet sites and so much more that are in the world today that exist to give you instruction for different areas of life. However, none of them have the same authority or can be described in the same way as this book right here.

- As a result of starting this series by looking at all the evidence for the authority of this instructional book, I hope that we can all begin by saying with great conviction and resolve: “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” - NOTHING ELSE!!