Scripture Points to Christ: Come and Receive Life

But the bible isn't given so that that we could possess it. It's given to us so that it would lead us to Christ. I wanna be very clear. This is not a message or a comment that that lowers the authority of scripture. In fact, I believe that it clarifies the authority of scripture because the authority of scripture is bound up in that which it testifies to. It is God's word precisely because through it, God speaks and through it, God reveals Jesus. [00:50:27] (47 seconds)  #ScriptureLeadsToChrist

The scriptures are open before you, church. The testimony is clear by the spirit. Christ is not hidden from you, church. And the question is not whether you can find him, but whether or not you will come to him. This book that you hold in your hands is given to you so that you might come to Christ. This is not something that we work up in ourselves. You know, left to ourselves, we will do exactly what this text exposed and and I've been there before also. [01:01:01] (40 seconds)  #OpenScripturesFindChrist

In many ways, this is the heart of the whole issue. He's already explained and we've already talked about the misunderstanding. And now what he's gonna do is name the deeper issue. Right? Not not simply that you that you misunderstand the scriptures, but that you won't come to me, he says. I don't think necessarily he's talking about ability here. He says, you refuse to come to me. The problem isn't lack of access. The problem isn't lack of info. And the problem certainly isn't that Christ has been hidden. The problem the problem is resistance. [00:53:20] (62 seconds)  #ResistanceNotAccess

They they treated the bible not only as God's word, but also as the place where life itself resided. Jesus corrects that piece of it. Because scriptures the end of the line of scripture is not scripture itself. The scriptures are not the end point. The scriptures are not life in and of themselves in isolation. The scriptures are a witness. They testify. They speak. And in that, they point beyond themselves, beyond the book to someone. They point to Jesus Christ. [00:48:46] (53 seconds)  #ScripturesPointToJesus

He says, and you think that in the scriptures you have eternal life, but it is they that testify about me. He's exposing a misunderstanding to this group. And the misunderstanding is not their value of the scriptures. Right? They were they were not wrong to value the word of God. They were wrong about how the scriptures give life. You see, they believe that the life is found in the possession of the text, in the mastery of of the text, in how careful they handle it, and how they preserve it. [00:48:07] (39 seconds)  #LifeNotInPossession

The command remains. The desire to honor God remains, but the focus shifted. The focus shifted. Instead of receiving the gift of the Lord's Day rest, the concern became more fixated on maintaining the boundaries. And when that shift happens, a church can be holding tightly to the scripture and still miss the one who gave it. And that's the tension of this text. Right? The man healed on the Sabbath becomes a a big controversy. The tension begins not with ignorance of what the scriptures say, but the tension begins with a kind of knowledge that has gone wrong. [00:46:58] (54 seconds)  #SabbathRulesOverLifeWarning

You and I can be near to that book that you hold in your hands. We can be raised reading it. We can be very precise about what it says, and I love precision, and I know a number of you do too. You can hear teachings about this book that you have in your hands. You can study it. You can discuss it with Christian friends. You can come to the point where you teach it yourself. You can also hold that word of God that you have in your hands right now and never fully entrust yourselves to the one whom it points to. [00:58:58] (56 seconds)  #KnowBibleNotEntrust

When you open that book... when you open that book, ask the spirit to show you Jesus Christ. When you hear the word preached, ask the spirit to draw you to Christ. And ask that if we have any response to this living word, that it would not be in our own strength, but that it would be in dependence on the spirit who leads us and guides us and fills us, draws us. When you open the spirit, the scriptures, Heavenly father, show me Christ. [01:02:58] (64 seconds)  #AskSpiritShowJesus