The Bible

Good morning, brothers and sisters. Thank you so much for being with us today today. We start a new series called firm foundations kids that's in your sermon notes and does not appear on a slide. That's the only chest write that down. The sermon series is called firm foundations. And what we want to do in this series is take some time to understand the foundational truth of our Christian faith. For instance next week. We're going to be trying to understand from the scriptures who God the father is I hear about this guy God the Father. Who is he what's he liked and the week after that. The Holy Spirit? And the week after that. The Sun. This morning. I thought I would start out the series though with talking about the Bible because when we get to next week and we say who is God the Father we're going to go to the Bible and if we don't trust the Bible if we don't know what the Bible is then we're unsure and maybe the Bible saying that's who the God for the father is but is that really really is the so this morning? We want to look at not God the Father God the son God the Holy Spirit. We want to look at the Bible. What is it so that when we come to next week in delve into the scriptures to find out who got is the Bible appears to us as a credible witness, you know yourself as someone may come up and tell you something something amazing something hard to believe will do you believe it? Spends on who's saying it some people in your life have enormous credibility and some people in your life have a lot less credibility will before we go into the scriptures and ask ask the scriptures the question. Who is God the Father we want to ask the question. What is the Bible? And we're going to use this morning a little outline developed by a guy named The Young and the Bible is scan scan sufficient clear authoritative and necessary. So let's start off with the S. The Bible is sufficient. Why do we say that by the way? What way what do we mean by that does the bible clearly isn't sufficient the Bible is not the place to go. If you're trying to bake chocolate chip cookies. You don't need the Bible. You need a recipe book, so it's not sufficient for that. The Bible is not the place to go. If you're trying to figure out whether you need to change the oil you need to look at your odometer and read your owner's manual. The Bible is not the place to go. If you've got a chemistry test coming up on Tuesday. So the Bible isn't sufficient for all those things. So what do we mean when we say the Bible is sufficient. Or put it another way. It's the Bible is sufficient is sufficient for what not for cookies not for oil not for chemistry. What for what?

Let me answer that question with a question. Can I ask you what are you looking for in life?

What do you want? What do you really want in your life? And someone might say I want a new boat or I want to be popular or I wish my health were better or I wish I had more money with respect. Those are all very surface things. I acknowledge that you want to but why do you want a boat? What do you think the boat will give you what are you searching for? You want to be more healthy? Why do you want to be more healthy? You want to be popular? Why do you want to be popular not the surface things on the deepest level? What does your heart want? What do you want in life? American Constitution put it this way. We're all looking for life liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We're all looking for life and Liberty and pursuit of happiness. And we think about or popularity or money or help or whatever is going to give us life liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

I would submit to you that we're all looking for life. We're all looking for Liberty. We're all looking for happiness in our world has various strategies to find that wealth and fame that will make me happy Enlightenment. And I'm going to get it to us all new waves thing and become very spiritual that will make me happy being healthy some people invest in enormous amount of time and energy into the wrong house. Why because they think it will give them life liberty and happiness. And there are elements of truth to all of these strategies. Today's main strategy. Today's main strategy what our society teaches us today. Here's how you get life liberty and happiness. Here's how you doing. Are you listening? This is how you do it. This is what we're taught in our schools in our newspapers on our TV in our movies in our entertainment. This is what we're taught. Here's what we are taught. follow your heart Just follow your heart. What is your heart's a follow that Embrace who you are discover who you are with your passions and interests and embrace that and fully explore that and friends. I'm here to tell you that there's some truth to that. There is some real truth to that but it always comes up short because although there's truth follow your heart and embrace who you are is fatally flawed because our heart is fatally flawed. If we follow our heart Jeremiah tells us we are following something that is desperately sick. Our hearts are full and they don't naturally want the best things. Proverbs says there is a way that seems right to a man but the end is a but it's and is the way of death friends. I'm here to tell you if we follow our hearts with no modification if we Embrace who we are we are in for a world of hurt because who we are is broken and our hearts don't naturally want the right things. Many years ago author and actor Woody Allen got himself in a whole bunch of trouble with some terrible accusations made about things that he had done that he later had to admit and someone asked him. Why and he said the Heart Wants What It Wants that's the problem what it wants and it isn't always the right thing. Following your heart embracing who you are is not the way to life liberty and happiness. What is the way the scriptures? The scriptures are sufficient the scriptures contain everything you need for life for Liberty and for happiness the scriptures contain, not your heart not same not a new boat the scriptures contain the path for you to become the person who you were always meant to be the scriptures put it this way. All scripture is breathed out by God and is profitable for teaching for reproof for correction and for training in righteousness. Let's just take a look at these things. The scriptures are sufficient for teaching. They won't teach you how to make a chocolate chip cookies, but they do teach you everything you need to know to be you. Did you know that the scriptures won't teach us how the stars were formed but it will teach us who formed them. And why? The scriptures teach us everything we need to know. It doesn't mean that there are other things would like to know. It doesn't mean that there are areas of information that the Bible doesn't touch on but everything you need to know to become the real you is contained in the scriptures. The Bible sufficient for all that the Bible is also sufficient for reproof. Reproof is a warning sign. Reproof is a guardrail. You're going off the rails, you're getting off the direction you're getting in the thicket. If you go in that direction, you will pierce yourself with many Sorrows the Bible refuses it keep him off your frock. I'll track turn left turn out to the okay. Now, we're back on track. The Bible is sufficient to monitor our life and to prove us and not only reprove us but to correct us not only to tell us what they were on the wrong track but to get us on the right track. This is the way to use no, no, no, no, no, not that this. The Bible is sufficient. It requires. No other volume. No other book. No other teaching the Bible is sufficient for teaching for review for correction and training in righteousness.

Do you know dear friend that you were made in the image of God? And your heart desperately wants to reflect your creator, but it's broken in the Bible can train you the Bible can train you to be the reflection that God had in mind when you were placed in your mother's womb. The Bible is sufficient. I put it this way. The Bible is sufficient to convict. to convert and to conform the Bible is sufficient to show you who you really are before God not who you think you are, but who God thinks you are and you'll find that you're a sinner in Desperate danger. The Bible is sufficient to conduct. And the convert the Holy Spirit uses the scriptures to Louis to the side of the Risen Christ the will we will be celebrating and communion later this morning. If you haven't prepared the elements that you might want to take a minute just miss a little bit of the sermon is more important that you participate in communion. Don't get yourself. The elements will be participating in communion. A little later on why why we participating in communion because we've been converted. The the Holy Spirit has used the scriptures found the scripture sufficient to not only convicted of arson but leaders to the Saviour and a conformist. Neither were converted. The holy spirit is using the scriptures to knock away the edges to smooth away the rough places to fill in the valleys and level the mountains and make us into the images of Christ. The Bible is sufficient for that. s scan sufficiency clear the Bible is clear.

How can you save half don't you read history don't you know that we've been fighting about what the Bible says for 5,000 years. No one can agree on this stuff is not clear and there's all kinds of different opinions on the Bible if that's true. Corso's troop. I remember when the church started Pastor Jim rode our constitution with some deacons. I know that because I was one of the deacons I remember very clearly why I remember this particular meeting. I don't know but we were in Pastor Jim's home around his kitchen table. We are writing the Constitution and we all happen to be of one particular theological persuasion. And so we wrote that right end of the Constitution.

10 years later we ran into a little bit of a problem Pastor Jeff. He couldn't even be a member of our own we had to change the Constitution to make it brought her to accept other Orthodox positions. So, how can you say the Bible is clear when you and Pastor Jack even don't agree on everything friends the Bible as clear as in everything is easy. The Bible is clear in its main thrust. The worship team was reading responsibly someone on 119. Did you notice in Psalm? 119 the Bible assumes that it's clear. I'm Wiser than all my teachers because I read the Bible it as soon as it's understandable. The Bible sees itself as a lamp unto our feet clearly Illuminating up at all. You're going to get off the path. If you go that way, I'll look at that. There's a big rock. I got any it assumes that lights the way it assumes. That is understandable.

No. Doesn't mean that there aren't hard places in the Bible. The Bible itself says there are hard places in 2nd Peter 3:16 Peter. The Apostle. Peter is right about Paul's letters. Think of that. Did you know that the Apostle Peter? Wrote about what Paul was writing and then put first and second Peter 360 and he says there are some things in them that are hard to understand. The Apostle Peter found portions of Paul's letters hard to understand but saying the Bible is clear does not mean there aren't any Mysteries. It doesn't mean that there are things that are hard to understand. It means that the Contours of the scriptures are clear. The overall message of the Bible is absolutely crystal clear. I have noticed it when I teach this there are two responses. What is this is terrific think of that the god of the universe has lowered himself to communicate to us and to reveal who he is and who we are and what our purpose is and how history will end and how life works and how to be successful imagine that God has communicated to us as His. Holy name. Oh, yeah, that's one response to understanding that. The Bible is clear. The other response is. Oh no. Oh, no, I clear Bible is the last thing I want doesn't sound like freedom to me. It sounds like more rules to me. You know what this whole dumb clear Bible things going to do is going to get in the way of me pursuing the sin that I have fallen in love with.

Perhaps Mark Twain put a best. It ain't the parts of the Bible that I can't understand the Bible bought that bother me the parts of the Bible that I can't understand that bother me. It's the parts that I do understand.

You may say what wait a minute. Wait a minute. It's the Bible was so clear. Why is it so complicated like didn't dr. Carter and didn't Bonnie Carter do an introduction to the Bible. What? Yes they did and I was like 20 minutes right? I'm not exactly how long was it 2 years like 2 years of a couple of five minute meetings. Not exactly. It was two years of Fairly lengthy meetings and you had to buy a textbook and there was homework if it's clear. Why do you have to work? So hard friends? The Bible is clear, but it the understanding is details is a process not a vent an event. The Bible expects us to meditate on it day and night. That's important. You can get the overall Contours but this is a lifelong Mission the Bible expects in Psalm 1 and 2 us to meditate on it day and night the Bible expect that we will be trained and discernment by a constant practice that we will be working on our understanding of the scriptures to deepen and broaden and enrich them all the time.

I might give this is Noah stration. This mountain here is clear. See this is a mountain. It's got some foot here Foothills right here and you can see as you go up the mountain Thor still vegetation right here and there's some nooks and crannies and and then this portion here is all snow cap. And it looks like it has two peeps one right there and one right there. I get all that. I understand the mountain. That's true. You can see the overall Contour the mountain but in that mountain there are thousands and thousands and thousands of tiny little details, which you only discover when you climb it. You can only understand that the Contour of this particular classify hanging off of it. Well, that's the scriptures if they are clear. They are absolutely clear in its main messages who got is who we are how we got to be broken and how we can be restored. It is absolutely clear, but we are called to meditate on it day and night because inside there are details that are in Richmond, but only healed their truth with hard work. Just before we leave clear. I wanted to encourage you to have three. tools at hand as you pursue scriptural knowledge as you meditate on the scriptures day and night someone into as you are trained by constant application of the word. I would really encourage you to grab gather three Tools in your life the first to Alyssa good translation in your language. We are blessed in English to have many good translations by the way our church teaches from the ESV the English Standard Version. If you'd like to know why that we respect other versions. I read the new King James. I read the NIV. I read the nasb every single week. I read those translations. I don't prepare any sermon without looking at least at those for translations. But if you'd like to know why we prefer the ESV, we're not saying it's the best. It's just the best for what we're doing. Send me a note and I'll be happy to send you a helpful article that explains why we think the ESV is an exceedingly good translation. The second thing is accumulate in your life good teachers. People who know the scriptures who have made a lifetime of studying them are absolutely committed to their truth and veracity. accumulate around yourself good teachers I got a note from a member of our church just yesterday saying hey, have you heard of this person? Are they sound are they Orthodox? And I don't know the person I'll have to do the research, but that is such an encouraging note to get cuz that means our church saying I don't take teaching for just anybody. I'm looking for good teachers. Yes in your Pursuit. To deepen your walk to deepen your understanding the scriptures. You will need a good translation and you'll need good teachers and you will need Fellowship. You will need scholarship even in covid-19 tall ship find a way. None of us has built. complete I need Wendy and Wendy needs me. I need Craig and Craig needs me. I need Jeff. Jeff needs me. We are built to be a family. As you pursue the scriptures be in fellowship with the local Body of Christ learn together discuss together in small groups in big group lonely walks, but I would just encourage you to unlock the clarity of the Bible with a good translation good teachers and fellowship. scan scan sufficient clear a authoritative The Bible does not see itself as a book of suggestions. Jesus said that not an Iota not a. Will pass from the law until all is accomplished. What's a. And what's an Iota by the way, they are annotations in the Greek language that aren't even letters. They're not even ladders. The closest we would have is maybe like a, and maybe an accent mark that you put over a letter they enhance the meeting but they don't contain any meaning in themselves, but Jesus say not even a. Not even an Iota will pass from the law until all is accomplished.

The Bible sees itself as the ultimate Authority as matter fact, Isaiah 40 and 8 says the Wither the grass withers the flower flower Fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.

You know, there's two things. There's three things that survive from this Roman to the Eternal rum. Do you know what they are? you

The wounds of Christ when we get to heaven he will still have the nail prints. And the scriptures we will still have the scriptures the chair you're sitting in the TV you're watching the speakers that you're listening to. The water that you're drinking in the glass that the water is in all will be gone. But the scriptures are Eternal because they're authoritative the scripture say of themselves. It is easier for heaven and earth to pass away then for one. Of the law to become void. Just think about that. Think about that. Let me challenge you brothers and sisters. Think about the last 20 years in Western Society. And how much are morals and mores have changed in just 20 years. What was wrong is now, right? What was right is now wrong. What is it? What was esteemed is now despised. What was the spices that was steamed all within 20 years? Yeah, the Bible's not like that.

It doesn't make a call and then go to replay and overturn the call. You know, why because it gets it right every time and you know, why because it's authoritative.

scam s sufficiency clear authoritative n necessary We mean that the Bible is necessary because it isn't. It's not necessary. You can eat your lunch without a Bible. Your heart will beat without a Bible. You can breathe in air without a Bible many people live without a Bible you can drive here and there and everywhere without a Bible in what way what do we mean when we say that the Bible is necessary.

Friends, the Bible is necessary to be reconciled to God. The Bible is necessary to understand who we are and how God can heal us. Did you know that when we are born we are all born under the wisdom of this age.

Now there's different variations, but we are all born into a fallen State and we have the wisdom of this age that informs our every thought. And the wisdom of this age will never ever lead us to the correct view of ourselves. It will never lead us to the correct view of God, and it will never lead us to about warranty and salvation ever.

Toyota Street. People would say that there's tons and tons of religions but that's not true. There's two there's two there's man-made and God made religions. Now within man made people would say all there's tons of disagreement. You see see this religion over here. That one says you have to go to this physical place on Earth and point in this direction and pray and then God will hear you but this one over here, it's totally different. It says you don't have to be in that place and you don't have to point in that direction. You just have to say these magical words and this third religion here. It says no. No you don't do that. You just have to do these 7 things to prove a worthy you are. Yeah. You know what? Different dog sand fleas. Those are all man reaching up to God those all start with the wisdom of this age. I am essentially good sensually worthy. I just need to learn a few things. I just need to do a few things. I just need to go a few places. I just need to say a few words and then every religion is a variation on that theme because it comes from the wisdom of this age.

Friends, there is a secret and hidden wisdom from God and it says something that we would never say on our own that we are completely broken. We are in an irreparable State and we have no way to God. There is absolutely nothing we can do we deserve how and we will get hell. What's God has made a way God has done the work God has made a sacrifice and we don't have to earn it. We don't have to do anything. We just have to accept it. That is the secret and hidden wisdom from God that the wisdom of this age will never get to the Bible is necessary. We on our own account will never be able to puzzle out who we really are never we will never be able to discern who God really is never we will never stumble upon the way of Salvation. It is in an isomer to us. It is completely outside of our thinking the Bible is not only sufficient. It is necessary.

This is the chosen instrument that the Holy Spirit uses to bring men and women to himself.

And so is returned to next week and we ask ourselves who is God the Father we do fruits. We will get that answer from the Bible. But as we look next week into the Bible, we will see it as sufficient everything. We need to know about God the Father. Everything we need to know about God the Father. Is right here. It's all in here. There's nothing that we need to know about left out. It's sufficient. It is clear. There will be Mysteries, but they brought out lines. The things that are most important in court to Salvation will be absolutely clear. They'll be repeated in plain language over and over again, they'll be clear and their authoritative when the when the Bible speaks to us next week and says, this is who God the father is we can take it to the bank that is God the father is and it's necessary. No Bible. No knowledge. We will never know who God the father is So I hope you'll look join us friends. Come on up and we are going to celebrate communion in just a moment. But as we turn our self to the scriptures next week, we're going to find three things. We're going to find out the God. The father is personal. He is not an impersonal Force. He's not a Karma. He's not an energy field. He is a person we will find that God the father is personal. We will also fine that God the father is powerful. He's the one that created the world in 6 days with time to spare. He is personal he is powerful and lastly next week. We're going to learn that the God the father is not only personal and Powerful. He is passionate namely he is passionately in love with you.