“Unfailing for truth and practice”  Lk 16:27-31; 2 Tim 3:16-17

When I was in Orlando I had about a half day between the youth conference and another conference I was going to, so I toured a museum there called “The Scriptorum.”  It took about an hour.  One of the people who owned a bunch of hotels in Orlando and around the world sponsored this museum.  It was a museum about scripture- the only one I have ever seen.  In it are some very, very old copies of the Hebrew and Greek texts- probably some of the oldest in America.  There were copies of some very old scrolls.

The tour would take you to remember and think about the writing of the text in the Old Testament times- on stone, clay and papyrus;  to the writing of scrolls in New Testament times;  It took you through the centuries- letting us remember the price many paid so that we would have the scriptures in our own tongue.  The Romans tried to destroy the scriptures under Diocletian.  When Wycliffe tried to translate the Bible into English, he was excommunicated and killed.  When Tyndale tried to translate the Bible into English he too was killed.  His last words were, “Lord, open the eyes of the king of England.”  Three years later, God did answer that prayer-- and King Henry VIII declared that every church should have a copy of the English Bible in it.  He could have added more to the museum too.  For to the north of us- in Waxhaw, NC just across the SC line is Wycliffe Bible Translator’s Jungle Aviation museum, founded by Presbyterian USA elder Cam Townsend,- that records how thousands gave their careers and lives to go into areas where people never had the Bible- learn their language- figure out how to write it down- in order to give them the Bible in their own tongue.  He also could have included some of the amazing work of the Gideon Bible Society- putting Bibles in hotels.  I’ll be honest- I left my Bible on the bus at the youth conference- and was glad to find a Bible in my hotel drawer.  The Gideons have preserved thousands of stories of how finding the scripture has helped save lives, families, and turned people around to a more productive life. 
In reality, the Bible has had an amazing career and the good news is that it is not retired yet.  Why, just this week I was reading the scripture and it inspired me!

1. UNFAILING TRUTH- All scripture is inspired of God and is profitable for doctrine- that is- it is unfailing in truth.  Not just inspiring- but inspired. In our postmodern era, people wonder what is truth- or believe there is no such thing as universal truth.  Marilyn Monroe was once asked, “What do you believe in?”  She answered, “A little bit of everything.”  Some call that the new Monroe Doctrine.  Ironically, and thankfully, we don’t live that way.  We live as if truth is important and agreement on it matters. When the traffic light is green- I trust that the person going the other way-whose light is red- will stop and not hit me arguing that “red means go”.   When we build things- we don’t say- “I don’t care what the tape measure says, That may be 12 inches to you, but it seems like 16 inches to me.”  Most of us believe that water is wet.  Most of us believe that when the weather channel says a hurricane is coming we don’t argue with them about the possibilities, but we evacuate or seek shelter.  This doesn’t mean that there are not different perspectives on a variety of things.  But it does mean that to say that we can never agree on any truth just doesn’t fit reality.  Perhaps the most important truth in life- is about the One who gave us life- God. 

    But more than that- the Bible is our dream book.  It is our book of dreams.  In it the outline and history of our faith is contained.  But it is more than just a Guideposts testimony book or more than just a record of the history of people had faith.  It is our book of faith.  Marcus Borg said it is sacramental.  I agree with that.  It is the place where the ordinary turns into extraordinary. 
    Anatoli Shcharansky- was a Soviet dissident who was expecting to leave the country to go to Israel.  But instead of meeting his wife, he was arrested and put in a Gulag prison in Russia.  He was stripped of everything he owned, but he managed to hide a miniature copy of the Psalms.  When they found it, he stayed in solitary confinement for four months rather than give it up.  Finally, right before the fall of the Soviet Union he was to be released.  As he was leaving, a guard snatched the book from his hand.  Anatoli fell into the snow and refused to move until he got his book back.  For the Psalms had been his real and unswerving source of hope. 
     We are so busy emailing today many are good at sending out emails but not responding to them.  We are so busy taking our kids to sports events that they don’t have time to read the Bible.  So when they are 17 and graduating from high school how much of it do they know?  I want to pledge to you that we will do a better job at teaching our children about the scriptures, but we also need your help in communicating the faith to your children.  The Bible is a strength to those who know it- more than tennis or basketball or soccer or football.  I love sports, but when I asked the local ministerial association when they met with the local youth directors, what is the biggest spiritual problem with our youth- they said that sports has taken the priority in life for our children.  I know of at least two families who dropped out of our church to send their kids to sports.  The unfailing truth is not found in sports.  It is found in God- who has given us a gift in the Bible.
    

II. UNFAILING PRACTICE- All scripture is profitable that the person of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.  The Holy Spirit has given us here more than enough.  Problem is we do not know enough about it.  It is a treasure box sitting there unwrapped. 

     The shorter catechism says that we are called to do this important duty for God.  It is a valid question- if there is a God- then what does God want me to do?  Should we simply asks the experts?  Should we simply go by our feelings?  Experts differ- sometimes coffee is great for you, other studies say it is bad.  One expert said that a chemical in red wine helped your heart.  But then it was found that he falsified his results so that people would read his work.  Perhaps you heard about the scientist who falsified his results in a study that showed that vaccines were related to autism- he raked in millions because of his false results.  Feelings also come and go.  One minute I may be energetic but after a full day of energy I don’t want to deal with it.  One minute I feel I want to go out and conquer the world and help everyone, but then I get tired.  The good news is that scriptures call us beyond our tiredness- to love people and be kind even when we don’t feel like it.  For those who have to live with us- that is good news. 

     Now, if you take all the Bible out of context you will be easily confused about the scriptures as a guide.  For example, the Bible says some things meant only for the nation of Israel back in Moses’ day.  But we are not a theocracy.  That doesn’t mean we can discard what it says.  For example, it says to not allow a witch to live.  That doesn’t give us authority today to go around shooting witches.  But what we can learn is that to please God- we should avoid witchcraft.  I would hope you can hear that.  The dietary laws the sacrificial laws were meant for Old Testament ritual.  That doesn’t mean they have no value for us today- they point to the need to listen to God and to be cleansed in order to be made holy.  To just chunk them as irrelevant is not really struggling with the text.  I invite you to struggle with the text, thoughtfully, honestly, personally. 

     When you are making a decision, how do you make it.  It is interesting how people make decisions.  Some just ask a friend and do whatever they say.  Some basically toss a coin even about careers or where they are going to live, or their life style.  Some make a long list of pros and cons. 

Let me encourage you to have when you make a decision- as a part of your check list something that the world does not have.  Ask yourself- what does the scripture say?  This is a challenge, but it is how people of faith have answered the question- “What shall I do” for a long, long time.  Asking this question is a way to put God into your decision making and into your life.  Many have described the Bible as a compass or a map.  The Bible itself says, “your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.”  The Bible is truly shallow enough for the child to wade in and deep enough to swim in. 

Last week the youth went to Disneyworld and we rode a Tower of Terror in which the bottom was just taken out of a multi-story elevator.  You free fell- then you went back up- and free fell again.  It was like being on a bungee cord without the cord.  I felt the same way yesterday when I was flying back to Columbia from Atlanta- along a huge line of thunderstorms- we would drop- and my stomach would be somewhere in the clouds back there.  In both cases- I was so glad to be back on solid ground.  The Bible is solid ground amidst the continued changes in life around us.  The Bible teaches us solidly about God and also about how we should live.