Many years ago a ship captain anchored his boat in the harbor of a lovely South Pacific island. He had heard that the people, who were formerly cannibals, were now very friendly and interested in trade.
As the captain talked with the island chief, he noticed a large Bible in the chief’s hands. The captain laughed a little and said to the chief, “Surely you don’t believe in that old book. It’s out of date and no good to anyone.”
The chief glanced at the strong warriors who stood around him and then turned to the captain. “Captain,” he replied slowly, “you may think this Book is of little benefit. What you don’t know is that it is benefiting you. If it were not for this Book that has changed our lives, you would be in our cooking pot right now!”
When you study the Bible, it will affect your life and the lives of others. The captain of this story benefited because someone else had read the Bible and applied its principles.
PEOPLE’S PROBLEMS TO STUDYING THE BIBLE:
1. The Problem of RELEVANCE – “It’s archaic, out of date!”
2. The Problem of TECHNIQUE/TRAINING – “I don’t know how!”
3. The Problem of TIME – “I just don’t have the time!”
4. The Problem of RELIABILITY/AUTHORITY – “I have my doubts about
the Bible.”
5. The Problem of ENJOYABILITY – “It’s so boring!”
“The great tragedy among Christians today is that many of us are under the Word of God, but not in it for ourselves.” (HOWARD HENDRICKS)
A RESPONSE TO PEOPLE’S PROBLEMS:
1. God’s revelation is as ALIVE today as when it was first delivered.
“I can’t make the Bible come alive … The Bible is alive. It makes me
come alive.” (R. C. Sproul)
2. We simply need to recover the skills of READING – You don’t need
professional training to be able to understand the Bible!
3. The problem is not time, the problem is really PRIORITIES.
4. The Bible is completely RELIABLE, CONSISTENT, and REASONABLE.
5. There is a JOY that comes with first-hand acquaintance with the Word.
“We fail in our duty to study God’s Word not so much because it is difficult to understand, not so much because it is dull and boring, but because it is work…Our problem is that we are lazy.” (R. C. SPROUL).