Laying the Groundwork
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Due to the holiday this is a 7 week series.
September and October.
There will be a lot of review but not exactly the same as Bible study 101 but this has been the most requested reteach.
1. What is so special about the Bible?
1. What is so special about the Bible?
We need to understand what’s special before we start studying.
A. The Bible reads as one book from Genesis to Revelation.
A. The Bible reads as one book from Genesis to Revelation.
Why is this so special? Don’t all books read this way.
Not only should this give us an awe of the book, but it is important information when studying.
i. The Bible is made up of 66 different books.
i. The Bible is made up of 66 different books.
Old T - 39 books
New T - 27 books
This is why NT Survey was so important.
Its why you need to do some study about the book before studying the book.
Where does it fit in the big picture?
ii. These books were written over a period of 1500 years.
ii. These books were written over a period of 1500 years.
iii. The books were written by 40 different authors.
iii. The books were written by 40 different authors.
Prophets
Priests
Shepherds
Kings
Tax collectors
Doctors
Fishermen
Ex-Pharisees
Again we need to know who the author is to better understand the meaning.
iv. The books were written in 13 different countries on 3 different continents.
iv. The books were written in 13 different countries on 3 different continents.
Where was it written from but probably more important, who was it written to?
v. These 66 books tell 1 story.
v. These 66 books tell 1 story.
B. The Bible is an inspired book.
B. The Bible is an inspired book.
We mean something very specific - God breathed.
Let’s look at the power of God’s breath.
(Inspiration means: God breathed)
Let’s see what God’s breath has accomplished:
Genesis 1:1-3 | Creation
Mark 1:21-27 | Cast out demons
Mark 2:9-12 | Heal the sick
Mark 4:35-39 | Calm the storm
John 11:39-43 | Raise from the dead
God spoke the world into existence it was…
GOOD!
Then sin got in the way.
For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope
that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
God cursed the world because of sin.
Because of sin we have.
Demons
Life long sickness
Uncontrollable and deadly storms
Death
God placed this curse on the universe.
He is not bound by it.
His Words are above the curse.
His Words bring a redeeming power.
With this in mind, let’s read 2 timothy 3
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
God’s Words are still doing the same thing.
According to 2 Timothy 3:16…
How much of the Bible was given to us by God’s breath? All of it
How much of the Bible is profitable to us? All of it
2. Understanding inspiration.
2. Understanding inspiration.
It is important to understand how inspiration happened and how it applies to us.
This is key to studying the Bible.
knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
The authors wrote exactly what God directed them to write.
Every word of the original manuscripts was inspired.
The authors wrote with their own personalities.
This will be important when we get to interpretation.
A. We believe in the Verbal Plenary inspiration of scripture.
A. We believe in the Verbal Plenary inspiration of scripture.
i. Verbal
i. Verbal
Meaning that God chose to communicate with words.
Let’s look at what the Bible says about this.
And Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. He rose early in the morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel.
And now, go, write it before them on a tablet and inscribe it in a book, that it may be for the time to come as a witness forever.
“The Spirit of the Lord speaks by me; his word is on my tongue.
“Thus says the Lord: Stand in the court of the Lord’s house, and speak to all the cities of Judah that come to worship in the house of the Lord all the words that I command you to speak to them; do not hold back a word.
And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.
And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.
We understand that God communicated with us through words.
The words we read are God breathed.
Not simply good ideas.
It is amazing that God chose to clearly communicate with us using language.
ii. Plenary
ii. Plenary
Each word written, not simply thoughts and ideas were inspired.
We use the word “plenary” because it means ALL or EVERY
For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
2 Timothy 3:16 (ESV)
All (plenary) Scripture (Verbal) is breathed out by God (Inspiration)
“This Bible is the writing of the living God: each letter was penned with an Almighty finger; each word in it dropped from the everlasting lips; each sentence was dictated by the Holy Spirit.” – Charles Haddon Spurgeon
3. The Bible has many important characteristics.
3. The Bible has many important characteristics.
A. The Bible is infallible.
A. The Bible is infallible.
The Bible in its entirety makes no mistakes.
It was authored by a God who cannot make mistakes.
Psalm 19:7a “The law of the Lord is perfect”
Psalm 19:7a “The law of the Lord is perfect”
B. The Bible is inerrant.
B. The Bible is inerrant.
Some will argue that the Bible can contain error while still accomplishing its purpose.
This is why our position on Verbal Plenary Inspiration is important.
The Bible doesn’t have any facts or statements that contradict each other.
Will we find them that SEEM to contradict?
What do we do?
Proverbs 30:5 “Every word of God proves true”
Proverbs 30:5 “Every word of God proves true”
C. The Bible is complete.
C. The Bible is complete.
There is nothing more that needs to be or ever will be added to the Bible.
We already have everything we need to make it through this life.
A warning about anyone who says: “God told me…” and it is contrary to scripture.
Revelation 22:18 “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book.”
Revelation 22:18 “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book.”
D. The Bible is authoritative.
D. The Bible is authoritative.
If the Bible is infallible, inerrant, and complete, then it is our final authority on earth.
Thus it demand obedience.
All through scripture we see a that God demands a response to His Words.
Isaiah 1:2 “Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; for the Lord has spoken.”
Isaiah 1:2 “Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; for the Lord has spoken.”
E. The Bible is sufficient.
E. The Bible is sufficient.
It is important to note that the Bible is not Exhaustive, but it is sufficient.
The Bible does not specifically talk about every area of life.
It does give us everything we need to make the right choice in every area of life.
The idea of sufficiency also flows over into Bible study.
If the Bible was the only book you ever had, it would be enough to study and understand it.
2 Timothy 3:16–17 “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
2 Timothy 3:16–17 “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
F. The Bible is effective.
F. The Bible is effective.
Every time your read the Bible, study the Bible, sing the Bible, or hear a sermon you should expect it to work in your life.
Isaiah 55:11 “So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
Isaiah 55:11 “So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
4. Who can study the Bible?
4. Who can study the Bible?
“Too often in their church life people adopt an attitude of the theater, imagining the preacher is an actor and they his critics, praising and blaming the performances. Actually, the people are the actors on the stage of life. The preacher is merely a prompter, reminding the people of their lost lines.” – John MacArthur (How To Study The Bible)
A. Those who are believers.
A. Those who are believers.
The bible is clear that the only way a person can understand scripture is through the Holy Spirit.
Any believer can study and understand the Bible.
But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”— these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.
B. Those who are diligent.
B. Those who are diligent.
It takes work to study the Bible.
If you aren’t willing to put effort into it, you will get little out of it.
What does the Bible say about diligence?
Proverbs 13:4 | The soul of the diligent is richly supplied.
1 Corinthians 15:58 | Diligent work is worth it.
Galatians 6:9 | Diligent work brings a harvest.
C. Those who are prayerful.
C. Those who are prayerful.
This is easy to miss.
It is vitally important to spend time in prayer before time in the Word.
For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,
You need to be the right who, or the how won’t matter!
You need to be the right who, or the how won’t matter!
Next week: tools to help you!
But better ones than last time!
