Why Do We Read the Bible? Jesus’ Surprising Answer in John 5
Every great spy thriller and murder mystery has the same thing in common: a twist. Somewhere near the end, the story reveals who the bad guy really was — and they were part of the story all along. And the twist almost always turns on one thing: the motivation. Why did they do it? What did they actually want?
Pastor Keith Roberson opened this message at New River with that observation, and then pushed it further: every story comes down to motive. At the center of every story is the why. And almost everything you and I do has a motive behind it too — something propelling us, something we’re looking for, something we’re hoping to get.
Which is exactly where Jesus liked to aim. He was famous for going right past what was living on the surface and drilling down to the heart level, asking the question underneath the question: what’s the reason — the motive, the why — behind all of this?
In John 5, Jesus does that very thing to a group of people who knew the Bible better than anyone alive. And what he says to them rearranges the answer to a question most of us have never thought to ask: why do we read the Bible at all?
What this sermon is about
This message from the WORDS series — “Experience Life” — makes one claim and stands on it: the Bible does not exist primarily to give you rules, directions, or religious knowledge. It exists so you can meet with a person. Jesus said the Scriptures testify about him, and that life — real fullness — is found by coming to him, not by mastering the book about him. If your Bible reading has ever felt like homework, or if you’ve ever felt ashamed for not knowing enough, this message is for you.
The Bible experts who missed the point
The religious leaders Jesus confronts in John 5 were not slackers. They had dedicated their entire lives to studying the Scriptures — parsing every letter, obeying down to the most minute detail, making sure no word went unexamined. These were the students of the word.
And Jesus, drilling down to the heart level as he always does, says something staggering to them.
John 5:39-40 — “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.”
Their motive was the problem. They came to the word to gain knowledge, and they wanted knowledge so they could lead with authority and live with control — control over their own lives and control over the people under them. They wanted to know about God so they could do the works of God in their own ability. Keith named it plainly: self-righteousness. The word had become their everything, and they had missed the entire reason it exists.
“The point of the word — the reason you have a Bible in your hands — is so you and I can meet with God.” — Pastor Keith Roberson
Notice that Jesus isn’t disqualifying them. He isn’t saying, “Sorry, you’re out of the game.” He’s saying: you can actually have what you’ve been searching for. It’s with me. I’m the answer to the cry of your heart.
The Father who is longing for you to look at him
To get at what this kind of meeting is like, Keith told a story about the day his first son was born — a massive, ten-pound baby. (“He was already a fully formed human,” Keith said. “He had a mustache and was ready to order a ham sandwich.”) That boy is named Luke, and throughout the pregnancy Keith would lean down to his wife’s stomach and say, on the regular, “Luke, I am your father.”
In the hospital, the newborn was propped up on his mom’s lap, and Keith was off to the side, talking to him. And then — something newborns don’t do — Luke craned his neck and looked at his dad. Keith was done. Melted. Dads spend those nine months as outside observers, and in one look the distance collapsed.
And then the turn: that moment, as powerful as it was, is just a tiny shadow of an incredible Father who is longing for his children to look at him.
This has been God’s posture from the very beginning. In Genesis 3:9, after sin separated humanity from God, the first recorded words of God to fallen people are a question: “Where are you?” He wasn’t asking for GPS coordinates — he knew exactly where Adam was. He’s looking for the one who’s looking for him. And John 1:1-3 tells us the Word didn’t stay distant: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Jesus is the Word in the flesh — the perfect expression of the Father. If you’ve ever wondered what God is really like, you can see him, find him, and meet with him.
And think about who is extending the invitation. Keith lingered here: this is the one who fashioned you and made you, who crafted you from eternity past. You were in his heart and mind before you existed, and he knit you together even as you were formed in your mother’s womb — and he brought you forward so that you could find him, meet with him, see him, and know him. Let that blow your mind a little.
That’s what the Scriptures are for. As Keith put it, the Bible was always meant to be an exploration of the One who is always looking for us.
Bible study won’t transform you — without this
Here’s where Keith got disarmingly honest. Most of us assume the path to a better spiritual life is more information: if I learn more, I’ll do better. If I study more, I’ll sin less. Show up, listen to the preacher, accumulate enough knowledge, and eventually I’ll be a good person.
“You can be a scholar of the word and not be transformed.” — Pastor Keith Roberson
He pointed to Paul writing to a church full of people fussing over who knew what: 1 Corinthians 8:1 — “Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.” You can have all the knowledge and it isn’t transformative. What changes you is a heart for him at the center of who you are.
Then Keith put himself squarely under his own point. He’s been studying the Bible for a long time — twenty-four years in full-time ministry, the book read cover to cover many times over.
“There’s not enough Bible study to fix you. Listen to me — there’s not enough Bible study to fix me.” — Pastor Keith Roberson
He was quick to add that he’s not anti-Bible-study. Study and theology are beautiful, powerful gifts. But they don’t exist as ends in themselves. The point of studying the word of God is to meet with a person. The point of our theology is to know him and be transformed by him.
And transformation, he reminded us, usually doesn’t run on movie time. We all want the Cinderella version — fairy godmother, click of the wand, peasant to princess in ninety minutes. (For the guys: Bruce Banner to Hulk.) But Jesus talks about transformation in garden language: a seed goes into the ground and dies, then water, sun, word, life, growth, fruit. Real change comes from meeting with him day after day — not from self-effort to make yourself a really good Christian, which Keith called a surefire way to burn out.
He’s ready to be found
So how does the meeting happen? Keith took us to a promise God made through the prophet Jeremiah, spoken to people in exile — people who were stuck, struggling, and unable to see a way forward.
Jeremiah 29:13-14 — “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord.”
Notice what the condition is not. Not “when you know all the stuff.” Not “when your theology is perfect.” Not “when you’ve figured out all the mysteries.” You’ll find him when you bring your heart to the equation.
Jesus says it with his own words in Luke 11:9-13 — ask, and it will be given; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened. What father, when his son asks for good things, turns him away? How much more will your heavenly Father give — even the Holy Spirit himself — to those who ask?
So if you’ve been carrying shame because you don’t know enough Bible, haven’t read it enough, or don’t feel “Christian enough,” hear the actual invitation: come to this book and find him here. This is not a God hiding in the shadows. He’s present, and all he’s looking for is a full heart.
The whole message funneled down to one closing question, and it’s worth sitting with: what’s holding you back from getting everything you long for with God? What is keeping you from him?
What this means for your week in Franklin
- Check your motive before you open the book. For one week, start your Bible reading with a single sentence: “I’m here to meet with you.” Not to finish a plan, not to gather ammunition, not to feel less guilty. To meet a person.
- Bring your heart, not just your eyes. Jeremiah 29:13 puts the condition on the heart, not the head. Name what you’re actually carrying — hurt, fear, anger, loneliness — and hand it over before you read a word.
- Make the exchange. Keith ended the morning by inviting the room to ask, “Lord Jesus, what do you want to give me in exchange?” If you need forgiveness, get it. If you need rest, get it. If you need a safe place, get it.
- Let transformation take garden time. Don’t grade your growth on a ninety-minute movie clock. Seeds, water, sun, word, fruit. Showing up to meet with him today is the win.
Watch the full message
The full sermon — “Experience Life” from the WORDS series — is in the video above. We post a new message every Sunday from New River Church in Franklin, TN. Browse our message library for more from the WORDS series and other recent teaching.
Coming Sunday at New River Church in Franklin, TN
If this message resonated and you’d like to experience worship and community in person, we’d love to have you with us. New River Church meets Sundays at 9:00 AM and 10:45 AM at 1153 Lewisburg Pike in Franklin, TN 37064 — just minutes from downtown Franklin and easy to reach from across Williamson County, Brentwood, and Spring Hill.
You don’t need to dress up. You don’t need a good voice. You don’t need to know much about church or the Bible to come. We’re a community of ordinary people walking through ordinary life, trying to do it together with Jesus at the center. Whether you’ve been a Christian for forty years or you’ve never set foot in a church, you are welcome here.
If you’re new to the area or new to faith, our First Time Guest page walks through everything you need to know before your first visit: parking, what to expect on Sunday morning, what your kids will experience in River Kids, and how to find us when you arrive.
If you’re looking for deeper community beyond Sunday morning, our Community Groups meet across Franklin and the surrounding area throughout the week. Groups are where Sunday morning faith becomes Tuesday afternoon real life.
Whatever you’re carrying right now, you don’t have to carry it alone. There’s a place for you at New River Church in Franklin, Tennessee. Come as you are.
Watch more sermons: newriverfranklin.com/messages Plan your visit: newriverfranklin.com/firsttimeguest Find a group: newriverfranklin.com/groups
📍 New River Church | 1153 Lewisburg Pike, Franklin, TN 37064 | Sundays 9:00 AM & 10:45 AM
