August 2, 2026

The Solid Ground

There's nothing worse than a floor that you can't trust. The attic of my garage is big enough for me to jump up and down in. It's huge and I've thrown a few things up there, but my garage is also old and the attic for some odd reason, the boards are at different levels. The cross beams and the boards of people have sat on top of them are flimsy boards or missing boards and I want to get up there and do more of the attic to organize it more but I just can't trust the floor so I don't get up there. I need to fix the floor before I can.

Jesus gave us an illustration of two men. One man built his house on the sand and the other builds his house on solid rock. And when the storms of life come by the person who build his life on the sand on foolish living on ideas that don't actually stand the test of time his life collapses. On the other hand, the wise man who builds his life on things that will last and serve him for a lifetime. His life lasts his house lasts.

Here's the deal what we were talking about here should be life and death stuff. We should be talking about principles that you kids can take and apply to your life that will serve you for the next 60 years. We need to be talking about principles and ideas that you can hold onto as you faced the sicknesses and struggles of life, truth that is worth dying for.

And yet far too often, we allow Church to be about rituals showing up singing, smiling, putting on a face. And then, every once in a while, we stop and think about our lives. We stopping in consider is it worth it to go to church? Is what I'm learning here truth that will help me to make the right choices for the long haul?

For those of you young people, the question you should be asking yourself is what I'm learning here. Something that I can trust for the rest of my life? That's the question that we're gonna be answering over the next couple weeks. I wanna show all of us how our faith is built on a solid ground. You don't have to worry that the floor is going to give out like my attic roof. You can trust that if you build your life on God's word, you'll be like the guy that build his house on a rock.

Today we are going to talk about the Bible. Well, no doubt we always talk about the Bible right it would be kind of odd if we didn't talk about the Bible here what I mean is we're going to answer this question.

Can We Trust The Bible

Here's the principal that I want you to get by the end of the day today… Or at least in the next 25 minutes:

The Bible we hold is a reliable record of what really happened—carefully transmitted and rooted in the testimony of people who were there.

If you get this truth and understand this, then you will realize the Bible is part of a solid ground that you can trust with the weight of your entire life.

Here's the problem. There is this challenge out there accused in the Bible of not being trustworthy.

To quote one, writer:

“We have error-ridden copies, centuries removed from the originals, different in thousands of ways”

“—and besides, maybe the Gospels are late legends rather than history.”

That's the challenge we have. Because I bet you've heard some version of this and talking to friends and family. If they're willing to honestly talk about their doubts with the Bible, they will say something like this.

OK, how do we get from wondering if the Bible is full of errors to understanding that the Bible is solid ground for us?

Ok, to answer this question let’s turn to the Gospel of Luke:

I recast the material from the shared conversation around the progression of Luke 1:1–4, making the biblical text—not the apologetic evidence—the sermon’s controlling structure.

Text: Luke 1:1–4

Luke 1:1–4 ESV

1 Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, 2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, 3 it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.

Supporting text: 2 Peter 1:16 Series: Solid Ground Subject: Why can we trust the biblical testimony about Jesus?

Big idea: Because God’s saving acts were publicly witnessed, faithfully delivered, carefully investigated, and accurately recorded, we can have well-grounded confidence in Jesus Christ.

Sermon purpose: Lead hearers beyond either blind belief or reflexive skepticism into a thoughtful, settled trust in Christ.

Is Christianity a leap in the dark?

Many people assume that Christian faith begins where evidence ends: “You cannot know whether it is true; you simply have to believe.”

Luke begins his Gospel in exactly the opposite way. Before telling us about angels, miracles, the cross, or the empty tomb, he explains why his account deserves to be taken seriously.

Luke describes a clear progression:

Events happened → eyewitnesses testified → their testimony was investigated → an orderly account was written → believers can have certainty.

Read Luke 1:1–4.

I. Our faith begins with events God accomplished

“The things that have been accomplished among us” — verse 1

Christianity is not first a philosophy, moral code, or spiritual technique. It is news about things God has done in history.

The word translated “accomplished” can also carry the sense of “fulfilled.” Luke is saying that the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus were both actual events and the fulfillment of God’s promises.

The gospel is therefore news before it is advice:

Jesus entered human history.

Jesus lived among identifiable people and places.

Jesus was crucified under a known Roman governor.

Jesus was raised, vindicating his identity and work.

Non-Christian writers such as Tacitus, Josephus, and Pliny confirm portions of this historical framework. Their testimony does not establish every Christian claim, but it challenges the idea that Jesus was a legend invented centuries later.

People will question whether the text really is what was originally written but here’s the truth:

You cannot call copies “error-ridden” if you have no

originals to compare them to. The New

Testament is faithfully transmitted.

We have thousands of copies of the manuscripts of the Bible dating back to within hundreds of years of what happened. We have more evidence for the accuracy of the Bible than any other text.

Expository truth: Biblical faith is grounded in what God has done, not in what we would like to be true.

Application: Do not evaluate Christianity merely by asking, “Does it work for me?” First ask, “Did these things happen?” If Jesus truly died and rose, Christianity is not simply one helpful option among many. It is news requiring a response.

Preaching line: “The gospel is not good advice about how to reach God; it is good news about what God has accomplished to reach us.”

II. Our faith was delivered by eyewitness servants

“Those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us” — verse 2

Luke distinguishes between the events, the eyewitnesses who saw them, and the written accounts based upon their testimony.

These witnesses did not present themselves as creators of a new spiritual philosophy. They were “servants of the word.” Their responsibility was to hand down what they had received.

Peter makes the same point:

2 Peter 1:16 ESV

16 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.

The Gospel accounts contain the fingerprints of people familiar with first-century Jewish life:

They accurately reflect local geography, travel routes, customs, occupations, and political conditions.

The personal names used in the Gospels fit the naming patterns of first-century Palestine.

Common names are distinguished naturally—Simon Peter, Simon the Zealot, Judas Iscariot—the way local people would need to distinguish them.

The writers preserve embarrassing details: Peter’s denial, the disciples’ failures, women discovering the empty tomb, and a crucified Messiah.

The accounts also contain “undesigned coincidences”—small details that interlock without appearing artificially coordinated. John 6 says Jesus asked Philip where bread could be purchased. John does not explain why Philip was asked. Luke 9 places the feeding near Bethsaida, while John 1 tells us Philip was from Bethsaida. One account quietly explains a detail in another.

These observations do not replace faith, but they are consistent with authentic testimony rather than carefully polished legend.

The hometown test

Do you recognize these schools?

Honey Creek

Otter creek

woodrow wilson

Garfield High school

Wiley High School

A genuine local knows details that an outsider would struggle to reproduce. The Gospel writers repeatedly pass that kind of “hometown test.”

When you read the Bible, sometimes people are worried by different accounts in the different gospels. You get disturbed by differences and how people tell about events that happened. And you think to yourself OK if the Bible is 100% accurate and true why are their differenceshere's the reality the differences are the marks of a true story.

Investigators know that if a bunch of eye witnesses, tell the exact same story then someone is coordinating things and making up a story behind the scenes. On the other hand if they all tell about the same event that happened, but they all have different perspectives then that's a sign that four individuals or more so the same thing but they all came out of it with a different perspective.

Application: We do not stand above Scripture as its authors, editing it until it agrees with us. We receive the testimony of those who were there.

Preaching line: “Local knowledge is the fingerprint of an eyewitness—and the fingerprints are all over the Gospels.”

III. Our faith welcomes careful investigation

“It seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account” — verse 3

Luke does not say, “I felt inspired, so I ignored the evidence.” He followed the events carefully, traced them from the beginning, and arranged an orderly account.

Biblical faith is not hostile to investigation. Luke models careful inquiry in the service of faith.

This also helps us understand how the biblical text reached us. Scripture was not passed down as one long, whispered game of telephone. It was copied through numerous manuscript streams. Because those copies can be compared, copying differences become visible rather than remaining hidden.

There are textual variants, and Christians should acknowledge them honestly. Most are minor, and comparing the manuscripts allows scholars to identify the original wording with strong confidence in nearly every place. No central Christian doctrine depends upon a disputed reading.

Telephone versus parallel copies

Before the service, give five volunteers the same short paragraph and ask each to copy it independently.

During the sermon:

Play one quick round of whispered telephone.

Show how the message becomes distorted when each person depends solely on the previous person.

Place the five written copies side by side.

Note that a mistake in one copy is exposed by the agreement of the others.

Explain that this is only a simplified picture, but it demonstrates why multiple manuscript streams help preserve rather than undermine the text.

Application: The church should be a safe place for honest questions. Careful investigation is not the enemy of faith; Luke presents it as one of the roads leading to confidence.

Preaching line: “Christian faith does not ask you to check your mind at the door. It asks you to examine testimony that can bear the weight.”

IV. Our faith leads to settled confidence

“That you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught” — verse 4

Luke’s purpose was not merely to win an argument. Theophilus had already received Christian instruction. Luke wrote so that his faith would rest on solid ground.

“Certainty” does not mean possessing an answer to every possible question. It means having reliable footing—knowing that the message you have received is worthy of your trust.

The cumulative movement is important:

Real events were accomplished.

Eyewitnesses observed them.

Faithful servants delivered their testimony.

Luke carefully investigated the testimony.

An orderly account was written.

The reader can therefore possess grounded confidence.

But the goal is not merely confidence in a document. Scripture points beyond itself to Jesus Christ. The evidence gives us good reasons to listen; the gospel calls us to entrust ourselves to the One revealed in that testimony.

Application:

To the skeptic: investigate the Gospel accounts rather than dismissing them from a distance.

To the doubter: your questions do not frighten God or disqualify you from seeking him.

To the believer: let the reliability of God’s Word steady you when emotions fluctuate.

To the church: faithfully deliver what we have received instead of reshaping it to fit the moment.

Trust the One to whom the testimony points

Christianity is not a blind leap into darkness. It is trust placed in the light of testimony.

The historical evidence cannot repent for us, believe for us, or save us. But it can clear away the claim that following Jesus requires intellectual dishonesty.

Luke ultimately brings us to a personal question:

Not merely, “Can I trust this Book?” but, “Will I entrust myself to the Christ this Book reliably reveals?”

The testimony has been delivered. The account has been written. The invitation is to examine it, receive it, and build your life upon Jesus Christ.

Closing line: “You do not have to choose between thinking and believing. Look carefully at the testimony—and then trust the Savior to whom it points.”

Closing Community Prayer

Matthew 6:9–13 ESV

9 Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread, 12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.