The Five Fundamentals of the Faith (Part 5: Scripture)
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Announcements:
Testimony Night
I don’t have a slide for it, but I wanted to let you know that next week, I will be sharing my full testimony.
I have been praying about this for a long time, and I am really excited to share it with you.
Y’all will be hearing some stuff that I have never shared in a group before, so it will be good for that reason
And It’ll give y’all an opportunity to get to know your youth pastor even better, which I think is pretty cool
So make sure that you are here next week!
Esteban
Another month = another opportunity to support Esteban through compassion international
We were $15.00 below our goal last month; that’s okay, we won’t have to make it up
But we do need to remember that, if we want to keep doing this, we’re gonna need to meet the minimum donation for it
Plus, last week we read the letter and heard that Esteban was able to use our money to get some shoes! That’s pretty cool
Even a little bit always goes a long way
So before you come to youth group each night this month, remember to bring some cash!
Could I get a volunteer to pray for Esteban?
The Big Three are coming up!
Meta is a month and a day away
Deadline to sign up is February 21 (two weeks from today)
Don’t miss out on the best weekend of the year!
You’ve also got two weeks to invite your friends for this thing; it’s hard to beat an event like this for only $40.00
FUGE Camps
Deadline for $75 dollar deposit to guarantee spot is tomorrow
Please let me know tonight if you plan on signing up
Mission Serve
I am really excited about this trip, so I have decided to extend the deadline
Y’all are excellent student; you know a lot about the Bible
This trip will help you take your faith and application of God’s Word further by affording you the opportunity to practically serve in an area outside of our comfort zone
That is often where God does something special because it’s a stretch of your faith and dependence on Him
What are our three words for our vision at EBC|YOUTH?
Which word does this fit with? Go.
If we don’t go on this trip, we will be missing out on an opportunity to go and fulfill our calling
I know that this trip is something new, so we’re gonna watch a video about it that gives more information about what it is like
*watch video
Pray about it, and let me know if you are interested
If you go on this trip, I know that you will be thankful that you did
The Main Event is this Saturday!
At Crosslink
This is a youth group gathering of multiple youth groups (a fun opportunity to be a part of something bigger than yourself)
We will meet in the church parking lot between the two buildings at 6:30PM (event starts at 7:00PM
Raise your hand if you’re planning on coming this Saturday
Winter Jam
Saturday, February 24
Crowder, Lecrae, CAIN, Katy Nichole, Seventh Day Slumber, Newsong
Meet in parking lot at 3:30PM
Bring money for CFA (and merch if you want that)
Introduction:
Attention:
How many of y’all like to read?
I know that reading seems to be one of those things that you love or hate
Some people literally read books all of the time
I have never been one of those people
But I did get sucked into the Hunger Games during my senior year of high school for some reason
And I have to say; there is something special about being captivated by a book like that
There are certain things about the book that become really important to you; the characters and how everything is going to turn out for them, the world it takes place in, etc.
And this is true for Christians when it comes to the Bible
The Bible is obviously a big deal to us
And there are certain things about the Bible that are especially important to us
Tonight, we are concluding our series on the Five Fundamentals of the Faith by talking about the fifth fundamental: Scripture
And just like we’ve done for the rest of the fundamentals, we will be looking at the things that we believe about the Bible that are the most fundamental aspects of it.
Need:
Let’s be honest; we all know that the Bible is important.
We don’t need to be reminded of that.
But what we do need is to know what the most important things that we believe about the Bible are
It is really important to know what it is okay for Christians to agree about when it comes to the Bible, and what isn’t okay
So let’s dive in!
Body
The Big Idea: The Bible has essential elements that are fundamental to the Christian faith
The Big Question: What are the fundamental elements of a proper Christian understanding of the Bible?
It is inspired by God
2 Timothy 3:16a
16 All Scripture is inspired by God...
Explanation:
The inspiration of Scriptures is considered a fundamental part of what Christians believe about the Bible
There are many different “statements of faith” out there from different churches and denominations, and almost all of them include the idea of the inspiration of the Scriptures
So clearly, this idea and the verse it comes from, are important
But what do we mean when we say that the Bible is inspired by God?
Well, the Greek word translated here as “inspired” is litterally “God-breathed”
The Scriptures were breathed out by God
The words in the Bible are the very words of God
So the idea of Scripture being “inspired” is the idea that it comes from God’s mouth
But we also know that people wrote the various books of the Bible?
So what gives?
This verse helps us to understand how all of this works together:
2 Peter 1:20–21
20 Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding, 21 or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God.
So, people wrote the Bible, but they didn’t just write whatever they wanted to.
They wrote what God wanted them to
Q. According to this verse, how did they know what God wanted them to write?
The Holy Spirit moved in their lives!
So, even though these books were written by ordinary people, they are not ordinary books, because God extraordinarily spoke through the ordinary people.
The words in the Bible aren’t just normal words on a page;
They are God’s word written to us so that we might know Him and have a relationship with Him
Application:
Ever have moments where you feel scared and alone?
Sometimes, we just feel like we are by ourselves and that there is no one who is able to understand us and help us get through life.
Whenever you are lonely, you can remember that God loves you and has spoken to you through the Bible
The inspiration of Scripture reminds us that we have a God that speaks to us
You don’t have to go through your life alone!
Next time you’re feeling lonely, spend some time in the Bible and remember that God is with you.
The Big Question: What are the fundamental elements of a proper Christian understanding of the Bible?
It is inspired by God
It is completely true
John 17:17
17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.
Explanation:
Here, Jesus is praying for his disciples shortly before being arrested.
Jesus prays that God would set apart (AKA “sanctify”) his disciples from the evilness of the world.
And how is it that Jesus wants to set apart His disciples?
Through his completely true Word
In fact, the Word of God is so true that it is the very definition of truth itself
The Bible sets the standard for what is true and what isn’t
This is what we call in church world “inerrancy”
This is the idea that, because the Bible is the very definition of truth (like this verse says), it is completely without error.
For example, check out the way that this idea is worded in the Baptist Faith and Message 2000:
"It [the Holy Bible] has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter. Therefore, all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy.”
-Baptist Faith & Message 2000
You especially want to pay attention to the phrases “without any mixture of error” and “totally true and trustworthy.”
We don’t believe that the Bible is just a collection of mythological fairy tales; we believe that it describes events that actually happened.
God really did create the entire world;
Adam and Eve really did exist
Abraham, Issac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, and David are all real people
All of the prophets in the Old Testament really did exist, and all of the weird stuff that they did was legit
And most importantly, Jesus really did live, and He really was God
He really did die on the cross for our sins,
And most importantly, He really did raise from the grave; that is something that ACTUALLY happened, and it changes everything!
The Bible gives us an accurate history of the people of God
And obviously there is an element of faith here; we believe in God even though we can’t physically see him with our eyes, and we believe that He has worked in miraculous ways as they are described in the Bible
But we also have good evidence to believe in the Bible as well
There have been tons of archeological discoveries that have proven the reality of locations and events described in the Bible
There are indisputable facts about the resurrection of Jesus that lend point heavily towards the reality of the resurrection
The Bible really is true; this is something that you can bank on
Application:
Have you ever felt like an outcast because of your faith?
Many of us find ourselves there from time to time
Be encouraged; the Bible that you believe really is the truth!
Don’t allow the pressures of the world to make you doubt the truthfulness of Scripture; you can be confident in what you believe!
Don’t just believe what you believe; bank on what you believe.
The Big Question: What are the fundamental elements of a proper Christian understanding of the Bible?
It is inspired by God
It is completely true
It sets the standard for Christian living
2 Timothy 3:16–17
16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.
Explanation:
So we already looked at the first part of this verse to see that the Bible is inspired by God.
But that’s not the only thing that this passage says;
We also see the different ways that Scripture is “useful”
Not only is the Bible inspired by God , it is practical as well
In fact, do you know why God inspired the Bible?
So that it would be useful to us!
So this point helps us to see what the purpose of inspiration was after all.
And this point also adds to the idea of the Bible cmpletely true, because what we see is that, not only is the Bible true in a historical/factual sense, it is true in a moral sense as well.
The way that Tony Merida puts this is that “The Bible shapes our beliefs as well as our lifestyle.”
It sets the standard for discerning right from wrong.
This means that, if you want to know the difference between right and wrong so that you can make good moral decisions in your life, the Bible is how you are going to get there.
And there is another verse that it will be good for us to look at as well;
Hebrews 4:12
12 For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.
The Bible is alive, powerful, and it is sharp like a sword
Q. What specifically is it that makes the Bible sharp?
It cuts deep and shows our inmost thoughts and desires
What this means is that the Bible, as the ultimate source of moral truth, shows us the sin in our lives
As the very definition of moral truth itself, the Bible cuts into us and exposes the parts of us that are not in alignment with His word
For example, if there is a particular sin that you are struggling with, and then you read about it in the Bible, it convicts us and shows us that we need correcting
The Holy Spirit uses the Bible to set Christians on the right path.
And thankfully, while the Scripture is convicting in this way, we also see the grace of God in the Scriptures, realizing that, whatever that thing is that we are struggling with, Jesus already died for it.
That’s the beauty of the Bible
Without it, we would have no true source for knowing right and wrong
But thankfully, God has given us clarity in this way
Application:
Do you ever worry about whether or not you are making the right decisions?
So many different people have so many ideas about what is okay to do and what isn’t
Thankfully, we have a source!
We don’t have to waste our time philosophizing and trying to figure out how everything works together
We can know how to live our lives; and there can be great comfort from knowing this.
Now, with knowing that,m it is your job to allow the Bible to be the number #1 influence on your behavior
Commit to this, and live the abundant Christian life.
The Big Question: What are the fundamental elements of a proper Christian understanding of the Bible?
It is inspired by God
It is completely true
It sets the standard for Christian living
It all points to Jesus
John 5:39
39 “You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me!
Usually, when we think about Jesus, we are thinking about the New Testament
But what Jesus was so good at pointing out to the religious leaders in His day is that the Old Testament points to Him
And most of us know this to a certain extent; we have probably all heard passages before that predict the Messiah’s birth, and stuff like that from Isaiah and what not
But, in reality, all Scripture; the entire Bible, points to Jesus
Our Sunday School Curriculum, The Gospel Project, is specifically designed with this in mind:
There’s a section at the end called the “Christ Connection,” specifically explaining how the Scriptures point to Jesus
And it doesn’t matter which book of the Bible is covered that day; they ALWAYS find a way to point it to Jesus!
This is an indisputable fact about the Bible.
But let’s put this to a test.
Can we take some random stories from the Bible and try to figure out how they connect to Jesus?
Let’s go with some famous ones
And first, we’ll do an easier one
Q. How does the story of Adam and Eve point to Jesus?
Jesus is the second Adam
Where Adam failed and made things wrong for humanity, Jesus succeeded and made things right between his people and God
Q. How does the story of Moses setting the Israelites free from Egypt point to Jesus?
Moses provided physical Freedom
Jesus is an even greater Moses in that He provides spiritual freedom through His death and resurrection
Q. How does the story of David and Goliath point to Jesus?
David, a soon-to-be king, defeated a great threat to the people of God
Jesus, the greater David, King of the Kingdom of God, defeated death itself on the cross
This are all famous Bible stories, and they are easy to see
But what if we took a more obscure and random example?
Let’s take a look at this and see if we can figure out how it points to Jesus:
23 Elisha left Jericho and went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, a group of boys from the town began mocking and making fun of him. “Go away, baldy!” they chanted. “Go away, baldy!” 24 Elisha turned around and looked at them, and he cursed them in the name of the Lord. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of them.
What even is this story?!?
Obviously, in hindsight, this one is pretty funny to read
But it’s also pretty disturbing and raises a lot of questions!
Like sure, the children are being mean, but do they really deserve to be MAULED BY BEARS?!?
I read an article from Answers in Genesis that I found to be pretty helpful on this
For one thing, the Hebrew words used for “little children” could be used to describe younger adults.
Also, there is a chance that not all 42 of these people were killed by the bears, but there is no way to know for sure
Well, that might help us work through some of the trobling thoughts that spring up because of this passage
But still… how in the world does this point to Jesus?!?
Let’s ask some clarifying questions and see if that points us in the right direction.
Q. How does this passage serve as a warning for us?
These people were mocking Elisha as Elijah’s replacement
And, in effect, they were questioning God
This verse serves as a strong reminder to not question God, in a similar way a that stories like Job also point towards.
The main point here is that God is in control, and we should trust Him
The ultimate way that God showed that He is in control of Human history is by turning the worst things that ever happened into the best thing that ever happened
Q. Does anybody have any idea what I am referring to?
The crucifixion of Jesus
These children questioned Elisha as being the one that God chose
Likewise, many people doubted that Jesus was truly the Messiah
Heck, even His disciples doubted after He was crucified
How could God have been working in that?
But He was, in a way that was beyond their comprehension, but that they began to get a taste of after the encountered the resurrected Jesus
So, does this passage point to Jesus?
Yes!
All of Scripture points to Jesus; this is a fundamental aspect about the Bible that Christians believe
Illustration:
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Application:
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Conclusion:
Christians believe a lot of different things about the Bible
Its okay to disagree about some things in the Bible
But these four things that we have looked at today are central to what it means to be a Christian who prioritizes God’s Word in their lives
I pray that these things make you excited about the Bible and that you take great comfort in the fact that we get to know God through His written word
I am going to pray, and then we will split for small groups.
PRAY
The Big Question: What are the fundamental elements of a proper Christian understanding of the Bible?
It is inspired by God
It is completely true
It sets the standard for Christian living
It all points to Jesus
Small Group Questions
How does the concept of inspiration help you to better understand the way that Christians view Scripture?
Question #2: What about inerrancy?
What is something about the Bible that it is okay for Christians to disagree about? What’s something that isn’t debatable about the Bible?
How do these things about the Bible encourage the Christian in their faith?
How can you take something from tonight and apply it to your life?