Paul Tripp: The great story of the Bible gives you wisdom that you simply will never find anywhere else that you look. It defines the real world for you. It helps you to understand real people and why they do the things they do. It calls you to admit how great your need really is. And it calls you to look for help, the only place it can be found.

Kate Crowley: Welcome to Right Here, Right Now and today's program from Paul Tripp Ministries. Join us as Paul connects the transforming power of Jesus Christ to everyday life. Here now is Paul Tripp.

Paul Tripp: Now, is the Bible really practical? I mean, is it? You hear that it is practical, but when you go through its pages, it may not initially jump off the page as being as practical as preachers tend to say it is.

Does the Bible really address the things that you face every day? Now, isn't it a book of ancient wisdom that doesn't really speak very much to modern life? How in the world can the Bible speak to issues, for example, that weren't even conceived when the Bible was written? For example: how can the Bible say anything about the Internet, or about teenagers (that term is a fairly recent invention), or about your 401K, when those concepts didn't even exist at the time the Bible was put together.

And, isn't the opposite true as well? Doesn't the Bible address many things that were in the lives of people back then that have nothing to do with our lives? There is so much material about sacrifices, about dietary laws, about kings and slaves, I mean, c'mon - how does this stuff help me face what I face every day?

The Bible doesn't say anything about anorexia or depression or ADD. It doesn't address the politics of living in a condominium. Is the Bible really practical? Can it really be a functional wisdom guide for a person living in our time? Does it really speak to the things we face every day? Will it really help me practically live God's way in the modern technological world in which I exist? Does it address the significant questions of our day? Does it speak to our issues of concern? Is the Bible really practical?

Music: "Daylight" by Coldplay

To my surprise and my delight
I saw a sunrise, I saw sunlight
I am nothing in the dark
And clouds burst to show daylight
Ooh, and the sun will shine
Yea, on this heart of mine
Ooh, and I realize
Who cannot live without
Ooh, come apart without daylight

Kate Crowley: And you are listening to Right Here, Right Now. In just a moment, Paul shares some simple truths regarding the power of God's Word. Be sure you tell your friends to tune in or listen to Paul Tripp online.

And don't forget to check out War Of Words, Paul's book on the power of words. That's at paultrippministries.org. That's all one word, Paul Tripp spelled T-R-I-P-P, paultrippministries.org. More on, "What's So Important About the Bible Anyway?" and today's study, "Personal Commitments" on Right Here, Right Now with Paul Tripp.

Two Seemingly Contradictory Statements

Paul Tripp: Now let me offer you two seemingly contradictory statements and then unpack them. First, the Bible has nothing whatsoever to say about the issues of your modern life. Second, the Bible tells you everything you need to know about the issues of your modern life. Now there's a way in which both of these statements are true.

Let's examine the first statement. If you go to the Bible looking for topics like depression or teenagers, you will not find anything. Of course, this is true with many topics. As a result of this, many Christians unwittingly adopt a 'Bible for the religious part of my life' perspective on Scripture.

Now, the mistake is, they look, they come to the Bible topically. They tend to seek the Bible's help only where it is clearly spoken about certain topics. And if you go to the Bible topically, you will end up concluding that the Bible doesn't have much to say about your present life. So as a result, they will tend to look elsewhere for wisdom when they need it for the vast areas of life that are not directly addressed within the pages of the Bible.

Or they may fall into another subtle error. If they know that the Bible is filled with stunning wisdom revealed by God, they will be hungry to know God's mind in every area of their lives. Driven by this zeal, they may bend, twist, stretch the Bible to provide the information that they are seeking.

Now think about this. Both groups of people have made the same mistake. Here it is: both view the Bible as God's great encyclopedia, a topical index of human problems and the divine solutions. The one person is a bit sad that more topics aren't addressed, and the other person is increasingly convinced that the Bible speaks to more topics than he thought.

But get this - here's the core problem: they have both missed the true genius of the Bible, the core of what the Bible is about. And because of this, one has lost his confidence in the fact that the Bible practically addresses life; and the other has used the Bible in a way that it was never meant to be used.

Now are you in either one of those groups? Do you tend to go to the Bible topically? You're sort of uninterested in the larger themes; you're sort of uninterested in that grand story; you're only looking for your topic of interest.

Do you approach the Bible topically? What does the Bible mean to you? What kind of book do you actually think it is? How are you seeking to get help from it for your daily life? Have you lost confidence in its practicality? Have you taken the Bible as a 'religious book perspective' on the Word of God?

Or maybe, have you, in ways, you haven't really realized, twisted it to speak in ways it was never meant to speak to you about your life? Has the Bible been relegated to the spiritual dimension of your life? In your life, what's so important about the Bible anyway?

Music: "When I Look At The World" by U2

When you look at the world
What is it that you see?
People find all kinds of things
That bring them to their knees
I see an expression
So clear and so true
That changes the atmosphere
When you walk into the room
So I try to be like you
Try to feel it like you do
But without you it's no use
I can't see what you see
When I look at the world

The Bible Is Not an Encyclopedia

Paul Tripp: Now if you're ever going to understand and use the Bible properly, here's what you need to understand: the Bible is not an encyclopedia, and because of this, there is a way in which it is right to say that the Bible has nothing whatsoever to say about the modern issues of life.

I mean, you can't cull through the pages of your Bible looking for material on the proper use of the Internet because the Bible isn't a dictionary, and it is not arranged by topics. And when you approach the Bible topically, you will end up in one of these two places: you will lose confidence in its teaching because it will seem like it doesn't address your life, or, you will bend the Bible to meet your topical demands, making the Scriptures say things that they weren't meant to say. The sad thing is both people will miss the glory of its core message.

Now, let's talk about what the Bible is about. The Bible is a narrative, and because it is a narrative, it tells us everything we need to know about real-life concerns. The Bible is the great story of redemption that encompasses the story of every human life. It is the overarching, everything story. It's comprehensive in its scope without being exhaustive in its content, so it gives us practical wisdom for everything without directly discussing every particular thing.

The great story of the Bible gives me everything I need to know about God, about myself, about the purpose and meaning of life, about what is true, good, and beautiful. The Bible is a lens through which I look at all of life. In it, I find truths, values, goals, and hopes that are meant to give shape and direction to everything I do. All of these things are cords woven into the fabric of one grand and amazing story.

Now hear this, your Bible is not a collection of stories: it's one, big, grand story. It's God's story. He's the principal actor and the big hero. Without His story, the doctrines, principles, commands, and promises make no sense whatsoever.

In light of this story, every passage reveals things about God, about people, about life in this fallen world, about sin and redemption, about the coming eternity. And all of these story-brown perspectives help me understand whatever I am dealing with at this moment.

Think about this, most of what the Bible has to say about marriage is not found in the marriage passages. Psalm 73 is a passage about marriage because it explains one kind of struggle that every person living in the fallen world will experience. 1 Peter 1 is a passage on marriage because it lays out what God is doing in this period of time between our salvation and His coming, the period of time in which our marriages always exist. Revelation 5 is a passage about marriage because it allows me to eavesdrop on eternity and, thus, clarify the values that must structure every Christian marriage.

So even though the Bible doesn't discuss every topic of living that makes up your life, it is a rich source for understanding and responding to the things you face every day. The story of Scripture tells you things about God, about people, about life, about why we have the problems that we do and about how they get solved. This body of wisdom helps me deal with all the things I face every day.

So what's so important about the Bible anyway? Well here it is: the great story, the Bible, gives you wisdom that you simply will never find anywhere else that you look. It defines the real world for you. It helps you to understand real people and why they do the things they do. It introduces you to the real God, His character, His plan, His activity on earth. It welcomes you to experience real redemption. It calls you to admit how great your need really is, and it calls you to look for help in the only place it can be found. Because this is true, because the Bible is God's gift of practical wisdom to you, because of the Bible, you will find material that you will not find anywhere else.

There are five commitments you and I must make if we're ever going to benefit from the Bible's content. Here's commitment one: I will carefully examine and unpack what is going on in my life right now. This is commitment to stop, look, and listen, to slow down, to peer into your own life, to question your own life.

Second: I will work to understand all that I see as I unpack my life from the vantage point of Scripture. That's a commitment for the Bible to be your lens, be the mirror through which you look to examine yourself to see yourself as you actually are.

Third commitment: I will carefully look at myself in the always-accurate mirror of the Word of God. What's this a call to? What is this a commitment to? A lifestyle of honest, Biblical self-examination.

Fourth: I will personally identify and admit to areas in which the Bible shows me change is needed. This is a commitment to do something about what you have seen about you and what I have seen about me as I've looked in the mirror of the Word of God.

And then there's a fifth commitment: I'll resolve to act on the basis of the hope and help that is found in the Lord Jesus Christ. This is a commitment to refuse to give way to panic, to refuse to give way to doubt, to refuse to give way to quitting and running and hiding. It's a commitment to hope and courage and perseverance.

Now, here are the five commitments:

1. I will carefully examine and unpack what is going on in my life right now.

2. I will work to understand all that I see as I unpack my life from the vantage point of Scripture.

3. I will carefully look at myself in the always-accurate mirror of the Word of God.

4. I will personally identify and admit to areas in which the Bible shows me change is needed.

5. And, I will resolve to act on the basis of the hope and help that is found in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now, I would ask you this question as you're listening to this program, "Will you make these commitments today? Will you be committed to respond in personal ways to the Word of God?"

(Music Interlude)

Paul Tripp: Sam was a believer, but there were signs that not all was well with him. Sam was constantly in debt. He had already filed bankruptcy once, and he had now maxed out all his credit cards once again. He ignored his phone at home and found it very hard to look at his mail. He hated the threats that came over the phone every day. Sam also had a spotty job experience. He was clearly a gifted guy and knowledgeable in his field, but he seemed to careen from firm to firm, never lasting more than three or four years at the most.

Sam had been engaged twice only to have the engagements broken weeks before the wedding; and in both situations, the breakup was pretty nasty. In friendships, Sam was known for being the life of the party although he was also known for being argumentative and controlling. Sam always had a circle of friends, but it tended to be a different group every few years.

Sam was quick to volunteer for ministries at his church, but he had gotten a reputation for being unreliable when push came to shove. If you were in a situation where Sam would talk about his life, you would get the impression that behind his life of the party persona was a guy who was pretty bitter.

But Sam got tired of the life he was living. He realized that although he called himself a Christian, he spent much of his life running from God. He realized that his Christianity was something that only affected his life on Sunday. He faced the fact that even though he said the Bible was the world's wisest book, he never read it.

Not all at once, but over a period of time, Sam made the commitments that we have been talking about. He decided that he would carefully examine and unpack what was going on in his life. He decided that he would work to understand all that he saw from the vantage point of Scripture. He decided he would carefully look at himself in the always-accurate mirror of the Word of God. He decided he would personally identify and admit to areas in which the Bible showed him change was needed. And he decided he would resolve to act on the basis of the hope and help that it can only be found in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.

And as radical change took place in Sam's heart as a result of these commitments, radical change began to take place in his life. Sam moved out of his expensive condo and began to get himself out of debt, not just by paying his bills, but by changing his lifestyle. Sam began to understand that he had been lazy and unfaithful in the way he approached his work life. His commitment to personal responsibility then actually led to promotions and greater joy at work.

Sam began to develop a heart for ministry, wishing he could carve out more time to invest in things of significance. Sam began to be a friend who would listen, love, and serve. Sam grew in his affection for the Lord and carried around with him a deep appreciation that he was in God's family. Sam's life radically changed when it was humbly exposed to the life-transforming wisdom of the Word of God.

Music: "Arise, My Soul, Arise" by Glad; Words: Charles Wesley; Music: Lenox, Lewis Edson

Arise, my soul, arise: shake off thy guilty fears:
The bleeding sacrifice in my behalf appears
Before the throne He stands
Before the throne He stands
My name is written on His hands

Paul Tripp: Let's just take a moment to hear from Sam.

Sam: Yes, I guess I was a believer, but I surely didn't live like it. I had the Bible in my hands, but it made no difference in my life. I guess you could say that I was lost in the middle of my own life. My finances were a mess. I spent most of my time running from creditors. My relationships were a mess, and I didn't even know it. My work life was a mess, but I always blamed my boss or the firm. I had blown relationships with two wonderful women, but I blamed them too.

Then one day, God caused me to take a hard look at myself, and I didn't like what I saw. The more I looked in the mirror of God's Word, the more shocked I was that I had become what I had become. I cannot express in words how thankful I am for God's grace, and I cannot express how deeply grateful for the amazing practical wisdom of the Bible.

And here's what I want to say to you, "You do not have to be stuck. You really can live in a new and better way. Change really is possible." And I would challenge you to do one thing: begin to take an honest look in the mirror of God's Word. Ask God to show you yourself as you actually are, and then be committed to do something about what God shows to you. There really is wisdom available to you. There really is practical help for what you are facing right now. Change is possible, I know it, because by God's grace, it has happened to me.

Paul Tripp: Thanks Sam. What you've said is really true. There is stunning wisdom waiting for each of us in God's amazing story: the Bible. I would say to you listening, how about seeking its help, right here, right now?

Kate Crowley: Paul Tripp and the hope found in God's Word from the current series, "What's So Important About the Bible Anyway?" on today's edition of Right Here, Right Now.

By the way, your words can also be used to bring hope and help to others. That is, once you understand how to use the right words, and Paul discusses this in his book, War Of Words, an important resource that will help you in your daily communication with others. That's War Of Words, available at our website paultrippministries.org, all one word, Paul Tripp, spelled T-R-I-P-P, paultrippministries.org.

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Be sure and tune in tomorrow for more grace found in the Word of God. This is Kate Crowley. And for all of us at Paul Tripp Ministries, we want to remind you that, in Jesus Christ, there really is help, right here, right now.