Reading John MacArthur’s sermon on the miraculous birth of John the Baptist, and wanted to share his admonition concerning right perspective when we read stories in Scripture. The actors in the dramas that unfold are not primary. God is. In other words, the Bible is God’s disclosure of Himself, not man’s. That’s what we should be looking for.  We should be looking for God when we read the Bible.  Keeping this  in view will make our study of Scripture far more rewarding than we could imagine.  But, beyond Bible study, don’t you think this principle applies to our own lives? We love to put ourselves at the center. To some degree, it’s understandable.  Whose experience should I see things from, but my own?  But the truth is that none of this is really about us.  It’s about God and His purposes. Listen as John MacArthur explains the importance of keeping right perspective. The Bible is not our story, it’s God’s story!

“As much as the story appears to be about Zacharias and the miracle that loosed his tongue, as much as the story might appear to be about Elizabeth, giving birth in her old age, as much as the story might appear to be a story about the child John, the great significance of his life and ministry, the story is really a story about God. God is the main player in this drama. God is the main actor. It is the hand of the Lord that Luke wants us to see here. And this is not just true of this story, it’s true of everything in Scripture. Psalm 19:7 calls the Bible the testimony of the Lord. Scripture is God’s only self-disclosure.

First and foremost the Bible is the revelation of God. It is His own word on Himself. More than anything else it is His story. Behind Zacharias and behind Elizabeth and behind Mary and behind John and even behind the coming of Jesus is the great and mighty revelation of God. His nature, His character, His works, His purpose, His will, He is being revealed. In fact, at all points in the Bible, God is teaching the truth about Himself. He is the one dominating figure in biblical revelation. The Bible simply is a book about God. It starts with God and it ends with God and everything in between is about Him.

I have learned long ago no matter what passage I’m studying to be looking for the revelation of God in that given passage. Every passage reveals something about God. Pursuing the knowledge of God in every portion of Scripture is a rich and rewarding enterprise. And how could it be avoided here when Luke makes a comment at the end of the passage in verse 66 and says, “For the hand of the Lord was certainly with him.” Everything in the story of John the Baptist evidenced the mighty intervention of God.”

Source:  John MacArthur Sermon at Grace to You:  The Miraculous Birth of John the Baptist