More Than Words - #1 The Bible Can Be Trusted
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· 10 viewsThe Bible is so much more than a book of stories and rules from the past. It is rich with a relevant message God has for us today. Join us as we discover how to engage with the Bible and it's life-giving revelation and power like never before, and learn how to apply it to our lives each and every day.
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Intro: Me -
Intro: Me -
What’s the best book you’ve ever read? (Summer reading list) I loved the Hunger Games (almost 3 M sold) I heard Harry Potter was good but I’ve never read it. It has sold over 450 M! Pretty impressive. And then, there is the Bible (6 Billion SOLD)!!!
The bible is the most read book, best selling and most translated book in history.
We - Why is the bible so popular? Lot’s of reasons!
- It claims to contain the actual words of God…given to us to live by!
- Obviously, it’s controversial…a book is GOD’S Words????
- If you are a Christian…part of the world’s biggest religion…the bible contains everything we base our beliefs on!
Where did the Bible come from? Can we trust it? How do we really know if it is true?
Where did the Bible come from? Can we trust it? How do we really know if it is true?
If you have a low view of scripture you will not pursue it. High view = pursue. Good book v/s God’s book.
The desire is that the bible will become your ultimate authority and that your decisions will be filtered through the bible.
God -
2 Tim
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.
How many of you do right everytime? Feel equipped? You become fimilar with the bible and it will equip you for every area of your life… marriage, finances, death, parenting etc...
Lifeway Research shows (10 year study) that the number one indicator of spiritual maturity is BIBLE ENGAGEMENT
Do not be deceived! If you are not in the Word you are NOT spiritually healthy or mature!
That is why it is one of our core values.
Where Did The Bible Come From?
It’s an amazing story in history that I believe you need to be aware of… Let’s watch the screen together - (Play Video)
Over a period of over 1500 years, God INSPIRED about 40 authors to write down and record what he wanted them to.
Inspired means: GOD-BREATHED. In other words, God gave direction, guidance and protection to the words the authors wrote!
Can The Bible Be Trusted?
Yes! There is tons of evidence that points to the trustworthiness of the Bible.
86 All your commands are trustworthy.
Protect me from those who hunt me down without cause.
Psalms
I want to give you four examples BUT build those off the accuracy of the bible. One argument would be that with 24,000 copies floating around that there had to be a lot of error in translating language and just human mistakes.
Copied with complete accuracy - translators would count every word. (during this time we have 24,000 copies / Homers Illiade 500 copies) If we had two copies PROBLEM we have 24,000 copies ACCURACY.
Copied with complete accuracy - translators would count every word. Ill - Telephone game. Jesus loves you / Jesus loves tacos (during this time we have 24,000 copies / Homers Illiade 500 copies) If we had two copies PROBLEM we have 24,000 copies ACCURACY - Modern translations Lord’s Prayer (footnotes)
Ill - Audience Participation / Telephone game. Jesus loves you / Jesus loves tacos | So our of 7 groups 1 didn’t get the message right which confirms the right message.
Modern translations Lord’s Prayer (footnotes)
The Bible was also affirmed by Jesus.
18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved.
Matthew
I can trust the Bible because… (4 examples)
I can trust the Bible because… (4 examples)
1. The UNITY of the Bible
40 authors… 1,500 years… but it has unity in the message and teaching.
Everything points to Jesus!
39 “You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me!
John 5:
Ill - What if I asked 40 people to take the next 5 weeks to write down what they thought God was telling them to write. Words of wisdom, some rule to live by, observations about what’s happening in the world, etc. There would probably be some similarities… BUT tons of things would be different… IT WOULD BE A MESS.
These authors lived in different time periods, most never meet each other… but wrote a UNIFIED book we call the Bible!
2. The HISTORY of the Bible
The Bible is not a history book but were it speaks to history is it true. True people, true places.
The Bible is not a history book but were it speaks to history is it true. True people, true places.
God is true. He cannot lie.
Psalms
4 For the word of the Lord holds true,
and we can trust everything he does.
Eyewitnesses and their account. Not legend.
Copied with complete accuracy - translators would count every word. Ill - Telephone game. Jesus loves you / Jesus loves tacos (during this time we have 24,000 copies / Homers Illiade 500 copies) If we had two copies PROBLEM we have 24,000 copies ACCURACY - Modern translations Lord’s Prayer (footnotes)
Every time they dig something up, TRUE! Hittites - didn’t live. They discovered their city. Archeology doesn’t contradict the Bible.
3. The SCIENCE of the Bible
The bible is not a science book but were it speaks to science it doesn’t contradict.
The bible is not a science book but were it speaks to science it doesn’t contradict.
Ill - world is flat. limited amount of stars. bleed. Bible speaks to round, stars, blood
It was only a few hundred years ago that people thought the earth was flat - over 2,500 years ago...
22 God sits above the circle of the earth.
The people below seem like grasshoppers to him!
He spreads out the heavens like a curtain
and makes his tent from them.
Prior to the invention of the telescope in the 1600s, stargazers could only count a few hundred stars. 6000 yrs ago God has a conversation with Abram
17 I will certainly bless you. I will multiply your descendants beyond number, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will conquer the cities of their enemies.
Isa
A team led by an Australian astronomer calculated the number of stars in the known universe to be 70 sextillion. One scientist made the statement that this unfathomable number is "more than 10 times the grains of sand in every beach and desert on earth!"
5 Then the Lord took Abram outside and said to him, “Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!”
In early American medicine doctors would “bleed” people out. Most would die…
14 The life of every creature is in its blood. That is why I have said to the people of Israel, ‘You must never eat or drink blood, for the life of any creature is in its blood.’ So whoever consumes blood will be cut off from the community.
Ill - My bone marrow transplant
4. The PROPHECY of the Bible
56 But this is all happening to fulfill the words of the prophets as recorded in the Scriptures.” At that point, all the disciples deserted him and fled.
Over and over, parts of the bible predicted stuff to come true, that later actually did! Details about Jesus’ birth, life and death are an example.
Ill - Guess what the odds are of predicting 8 things about an unborn baby?
1 in 100 trillion! That is the same as covering the state of texas 2 feet deep in quarters, putting an “X” on one, and picking the one with the “X” on it!
Yet, hundreds and hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus, over 300 prophecies about his birth, life, death were written down…and he fulfilled ALL OF THEM!
5. The IMPACT of the Bible
35 Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.
Matt 24:
24 As the Scriptures say,
“People are like grass;
their beauty is like a flower in the field.
The grass withers and the flower fades.
25 But the word of the Lord remains forever.”
And that word is the Good News that was preached to you.
1 Peter
The Bible is trustworthy because of the impact it has made.
The Bible is trustworthy because of the impact it has made.
It’s the best selling book of ALL time. No other book has been translated into as many languages. Many of the authors were killed because they knew it was true. It has been proven true time and time again. Countries and dictators have banned and burned the bible. The message of the Bible, JESUS, has impacted people for centuries and continues to do so today.
Here is a recent video of
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16RWK936Re8
We’ve seen this reaction in America but it wasn’t to receive a Bible. Remember Black Friday?
Conc:
The Bible is a trustworthy document that points to Jesus. It is more than a good book it is God’s book. It is accurate and examples of unity, history, science, prophecy and impact give us confidence that God inspired his instructions to us.
John 8:31
31 Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. 32 And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
16 Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.
Col
It is my desire that you would have a HIGH VIEW of the Bible. That you would pursue and engage with it’s content and fall more in love with the Author. The bible is the menu a relationship with Jesus Christ is the meal. This book is God’s book that points you to Him and is useful in every area of your life.
Proverbs
5 Every word of God proves true.
He is a shield to all who come to him for protection.
6 The Lord’s promises are pure,
like silver refined in a furnace,
purified seven times over.
3. Accurate Prophetically