Psychologists use Rorschach tests to reflect what is inside a person. How we see the world and even how we read Scripture works in a similar way.
Focus Scripture – John 5:39-42HIDESHOW
39 You study [a] the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you possess eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me to have life. 41 "I do not accept glory from human beings, 42 but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts.
Extended SummaryHIDESHOW
Greg introduced a tool (the Rorschach test) that psychologists use to reflect what is inside a person. What it does is present an ambiguous image which gives the viewer the responsibility to make something of it. What we see is partly a function of what we tend to see and focus on in general. So, if we are generally upbeat, optimistic and hopeful, the chances are good that we’ll see something pleasant in the image. The opposite is also true. The principle here is that we reflect what is inside of us onto what is outside of us.
The reason Greg introduced this tool is because the principle applies to how we make our way through complex/ambiguous things like life in general and the Bible in particular. An example of this is found in today’s text. Jesus acknowledged that the Pharisees studied the Scriptures diligently, but because they didn’t have the love of God in their hearts, they were not able to see the love of God and the fulfillment of that love in the Old Testament.
In a similar way, when we have the love of God in us, life will be seen through that lens. Greg challenged us to let the love of God overpower the other things that may reside in our hearts. Some of those things might be hurt from our past, consumerism, violence, sexual issues, selfishness, nationalism or legalism. When we allow the love of God to live in our heart that love comes into conflict with these things and it is up to us to choose love rather than these dangerous ways of viewing the world.
(Greg used a video clip in this sermon. View the original video on YouTube.)
The reason Greg introduced this tool is because the principle applies to how we make our way through complex/ambiguous things like life in general and the Bible in particular. An example of this is found in today’s text. Jesus acknowledged that the Pharisees studied the Scriptures diligently, but because they didn’t have the love of God in their hearts, they were not able to see the love of God and the fulfillment of that love in the Old Testament.
In a similar way, when we have the love of God in us, life will be seen through that lens. Greg challenged us to let the love of God overpower the other things that may reside in our hearts. Some of those things might be hurt from our past, consumerism, violence, sexual issues, selfishness, nationalism or legalism. When we allow the love of God to live in our heart that love comes into conflict with these things and it is up to us to choose love rather than these dangerous ways of viewing the world.
(Greg used a video clip in this sermon. View the original video on YouTube.)
Practical Applications (homework)HIDESHOW
July 3-4, 2010
What we get out of scripture has as much to do with how we see things as with what they actually say. We tend to filter out what we don’t expect (or like) and instead find what we are looking for. This can be illustrated by examples from church history that, even though we now see as obviously false, at the time seemed commonplace. This helps us understand why the message of “God is love” is so misconstrued or even downplayed in the culture at large and even in the church. Choose one of these for your homework this week:
- If you grew up in the church, reflect on some of the ways that your church may have seen things in the Bible that reinforced their expectations of an unloving God. Write some of these down. Envision them as passing away and being replaced by the truth of “God is Love.” If you have any anger toward previous church leaders who failed to explain God’s love to you, spend some time forgiving them and try to imagine how their own history in the church and in life had led them to see God as less than loving. Get together with a friend and share what you have discovered.
- If you don’t have much church background, reflect on some of the assumptions you may have had about God before the teachings you have heard at Woodland Hills. Write some of these down. Reflect on some of the ways that the culture at large has shaped what you look for when reading scripture. In what ways does this fail to line up with “God is love.” Get together with a friend and share what you have discovered.
Reflection QuestionsHIDESHOW
- Read each of the supporting texts. What stood out to you most from this message and the supporting texts?
- Read John 5:39-42, 46-47. Where did the Pharisee’s go wrong in reading the Bible? What was needed to change this?
- Has anyone in this group ever taken a Rorschach test? What was it like? What sorts of factors affect what we see in a Rorschach test? How is life like a Rorschach test? How is reading Scripture like a Rorschach test?
- Read 1 Cor. 13:1-3. Clearly we can do all sorts of amazing things but if it is not rooted in the love of God in our hearts it is of no benefit to us. How is this passage related to the rest of our discussion today?