Many of you are familiar with my 1995 Geo Metro [show picture]. Oh, yeah. I can see the envy in some of your eyes! This bad boy has a 1.0-liter, 3-cylinder engine that generates a whopping 49-horse power and weighs 175 pounds! The thing that’s great about it is that if something goes really wrong, I can loosen a few bolts, grab the engine and lift it out of the car with my bear hands!

Now let me show you the repair manual for this car from Chilton’s that I picked up at the Library – it weighs almost as much as the engine! This book tells me everything I need to know about that car. It tells me how to do simple jobs like change the break plugs and adjust the spare tire fluid…Seriously, it’s got everything from body work to transmission, it even has step by step instructions to help you tear apart and completely rebuild the engine! It’s all there. In fact, over the last couple of years, armed with a Chilton’s manual and advice from a friend or two, I’ve replaced head gaskets, timing belts, brakes, exhaust and lots of other stuff on several cars – some of yours! I actually enjoy it – and believe it or not, they actually ran when we were finished… (most of the time)! 

Now, as simple as my Geo engine is - just three cylinders - I would be a fool to just start ripping it apart with no instruction, no training, no experience and no guidance. The first thing I do when I’m going to work on a car is go to the Library and check out one of these manuals, and read up on the procedure. With the right information, and the right tools, and some helpful guidance from friends who have done this kind of work before, I feel pretty confident when I dive in. 

But the real value of a manual is not only in the repair of something that has broken down. The best part of a manual is that it will give me the information I need to prevent a breakdown. It has all the intervals for regular maintenance, it tells me how often to change the oil, and the spark plugs. It tells me how much air pressure to keep in the tires, how often to grease the wheel bearings and how to keep the hinges on the doors lubricated. 

Now, a lot of people might pick up a book like this Chilton’s manual, flip through a few pages, and see the diagrams and instructions and immediately decide that it’s of no use to them. They never look at it again, and they never follow any of the guidelines that it contains. They put gas in the car, turn the key to start it, put it in drive, and it goes – period. It’s not going to take very long before their vehicle is going to fall apart. It might look good on the outside – in fact, it will still look like new – but without routine maintenance, the engine will be ruined within a year. None of us would think about buying a car and never changing the oil, or occasionally getting the brakes done, or buying tires after 6 years or 60,000 miles, whichever comes first.

So why is it that when it comes to something like a car, we understand that instructions, manuals and advice are good and helpful, but when dealing with LIFE we tend to try to “wing it?” We are reluctant to seek help or advice from others, and we totally ignore the manual that has been provided for us.

Did you know that there is an operating manual for life? A guide to help with the sluggish performance, breakdowns, bumps and squeals that we encounter. It’s a source of information and instruction that was put together by the manufacturer, and as a result it is the best source for dealing with the regular maintenance and occasional repairs that our lives need. There is such a guide, and here it is – the manual for human life – the Bible.

In these days at Gateway Community Church we are conducting a series entitled “Study the Playbook.” Most of us own a Bible; some even carry it around with us on Sundays and occasionally may open it to read from it. But far too few of us study it. Seventy-two percent of Americans claim they have made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is important to their life. But a survey by the Barna Research Group shows that their commitment is inconsistent and lacking.

Barna summarizes his survey by saying:

Americans are willing to expand some energy in religious activities such as attending church and reading the Bible and are willing to throw some money in the offering basket. Because of such activities, they convince themselves that they are people of genuine faith. But when it comes to truly establishing their priorities and making a tangible commitment to knowing and loving God, and to allowing Him to change their character and lifestyle, most people stop short. We want to be ‘spiritual’ and we want to have God’s favor, but we’re not sure we want Him taking control of our lives and messing with the image and outcomes we’ve worked so hard to produce.[i]

“We want God’s favor, but we’re not sure we want Him taking control of our lives and messing with the image and outcomes we’ve worked so hard to produce.” I am amazed by Barna’s research because it is such an accurate reflection of what I see every day. People come to me frustrated because they are certain that God has not kept up His end of the bargain – but they have no interest in keeping up their end. They want God’s blessing, but they want to live a life that God can’t bless! They want God to “meet their’ needs,” while they refuse to live according to the guidelines God has presented. Far too many of us have bought into a lie that since God’s love is unconditional, I can live any way I choose and He is obligated to get me out of every problem and situation I get myself into. Such thinking comes from ignorance of the Word of God.

It’s the equivalent of purchasing a brand new car, which comes with a nice, concise manual that tells me how to get the best performance out of that vehicle, but I choose to ignore it, I never change the oil, and when the engine is ruined in the first 12,000 miles, I blame the manufacturer! You can try that if you want, but all the griping and complaining about it does not change your responsibility for making bad choices. Toyota is not going to replace your engine if you choose to ignore their maintenance schedule, and God isn’t going to bless your life when you refuse to live according to His principles!

The life God blesses is a life that is lived in harmony with the principles of His Word

The thing that makes a Chilton’s manual so useful is that it is very practical. A team of people actually take the car apart, does the work, writes step by step instructions, takes pictures along the way, then puts it all together in the manual. It’s not just some guy at computer terminal tapping out instructions from engineering diagrams – it’s written by people who are getting their hands dirty – who will tell you that a certain bolt can be reached better from the top than the bottom. They tell you their story about doing the job.

Within the operating manual for life that is the Bible, there are real life stories that are amazingly detailed and instructional. They are not whitewashed, biographical “makeovers,” covering blemishes and omitting errors. These are the stories of real people – in real-life situations that couldn’t be any more practical. People facing relocation, loss of income, illness, marital struggles, rebellious children, corrupt governments, economic collapse, moral failure, unfair treatment, workplace strife and death. 

Today we are looking at our second method of Bible study – Biographies. Last week we talked about studying the Bible by a method that we called God’s Book Club – studying a book at a time – immersing ourselves in that book and learning all we can about that book, and applying it’s lessons to our lives. This week we narrow our focus to specific characters from the pages of the Bible, and set our sights on learning all we can about and from their lives. 

For a lot of us, the only thing more boring than history is theology. But we as human beings generally like biographies. Our favorite movies are not documentaries – dry facts and figures – we like films and books that focus on people – that tell a story. Whether it’s William Wallace in Braveheart or The Story of Anne Frank, or the true story of Philadelphia Eagle’s Vince Papale in Invincible, we are drawn to stories of people.

In the Bible, much of what is taught about theology and history is done through biography. Is there a better story of betrayal, intrigue, and struggle, mixed with integrity and strength and ultimate vindication than the story of Joseph in Genesis chapters 37 to 50? I don’t think so. Today men like John Maxwelll, Colin Powell, Zig Ziglar and others fly around the country giving lectures and writing books on leadership – but are there better examples of leadership’s struggles, pitfalls, victories and principles than Moses, Joshua, David, or Nehemiah that are found in these pages? Can you find a more compelling story of personal achievement, popularity, religious zeal, moral failure and emotional extremes than David? The neglected shepherd boy who became the beloved king; the “man after God’s own heart” who failed when he became “a man after another man’s wife?” 

It’s all here, and you can literally spend the rest of your life learning life lessons from the lives of people as recorded in this book. In fact, I believe biography is God’s primary way of instructing us! Most people think the Bible is a book about “do’s and don’ts” – but the truth is that there is actually only five books out of 66 that are called “The Law,” and more than half of those 5 books are actually biographies of the people of God. That means that out of the 66 books of the Bible, only about 2 and one half are what you might call “rules.” Did you know that? Did you ever think about it in those terms? It’s surprising isn’t it? The rest of this book is about people. It’s about real life issues. God chooses to teach us about Himself – His patience, faithfulness, wrath, judgment, love, mercy and all the rest of his character – through His interaction with people. 

Here’s another reason why I believe that God’s primary way of teaching us about Himself is through biography. 

If we were gathered today at Trinity Evangelical Seminary down in Chicago, and you were sitting in a class entitled “The Definition and Implications of Faith Upon World Culture,” you might expect some dry theological lecture with all sorts of quotes from philosophers and thinkers (and that’s probably what you’d get!). But when God wanted to present the meaning and importance of faith to our lives, He pointed us to the biographies of His people! It’s found in Hebrews, chapter 11. 

In verse 1, God gives us the definition, and then for the rest of the chapter, He gives us biographical examples:

Ø By faith Abel

Ø By faith Enoch

Ø By faith Noah

Ø By faith Abraham

Ø By faith Isaac

Ø By faith Joseph

Ø By faith Moses

Ø And on it goes…

You want to study your Bible? You want to know more about God’s character? You want to know how to react to life’s changing landscape – study the biographies of the Bible!

So how do we do that?

1. Pray. Hmm. This was the first step last week, too. That’s right – if you are going to study the Word of God, then the first step is to always ask the Spirit of God to guide you. Jesus promised His followers that the Holy Spirit would “Guide you into all truth.” He also described the Bible when He said, “Your word is truth.” The Holy Spirit of God will guide us as we study the Holy Word of God. Ask Him and allow Him to do it.
2. Select a character to study. After prayer, keep your eyes and ears open to the Holy Spirit’s leading. It may be that as you are reading your Bible, some character intrigues you. It may be that a pastor’s message or a friend or some other person will mention a character from the Bible, and it will gain your attention. Or, be deliberate - ask a friend or spiritual leader what they think. Explain what you are looking for, and see where they direct you.
3. Get in the Bible. Read the story of that person’s life. Read it from the Bible. I know there are lots of books by authors that outline the life of Paul, or Moses, or David – and those are OK – but they should never take the place of the Bible. Go to the Bible first, do your own study – then, if you want, you can compare your insights to others – but go to the Bible first!
4. Take notes. Get a spiral notebook and write your own biography of this person.
1. Write down and background material – parents, schooling, geographic information, and occupation. 
2. Use a concordance to see if their name comes up in other parts of the Bible. For example, Gideon is talked about in Judges chapters 6-8, but he is also mentioned here in Hebrews 11. The story of Elijah is found in I Kings, but he also appears in the Gospels and in Revelation!
3. Note the major themes of the person’s life;

 i. Character strengths or flaws

 ii. Challenges/victories

 iii. Prayers or statements that stand out to you

 iv. Lessons learned or ignored

5. Application. 
1. What are the broad principles that are evident?

 i. Universal truths for anyone

2. Are there parallels to your own experience? 

 i. How did this person react?

1. Positively/negatively?

2. Victory or loss?

3. Reward or punishment?

3. How can you apply the lessons of this person’s life to your own?

Oscar Wilde wrote, “Biography lends to death a new terror.” If that is true, then the biographies found in Scripture deal death its deathblow – for the biographies of God’s people take the incomprehensible truths of God and make them sensible to us. They show us the incredible love, unending mercy and amazing grace of God in a way that words alone could not convey. They take the lofty theological truths or righteousness, atonement, and justification and make them so practical that a child in Sunday School can understand them.

If you’re convinced that studying the Bible is as dry as day old burnt toast, then I’ve got a great secret for you – crack open your Bible and read a great true story of real life – that will change your life!

Prayer