Spiritual Toolbox Part 8
Notes
Transcript
Marvel vs DC Story
in 2008 marvel started this cinematic story of 23 movies from 2008 to 2019
Over the years all these movies began to reveal more and more of this massive plot
It has been regarded as one of the best cinematic plots of all time but the reality is we have even a better story at our fingertips
Story of God Video
66 books roughly 40 authors with one big plot that all intertwines and all goes together and all makes sense and all points to one thing
It is all from one source. YHWH
This story, this powerful tool is the Bible.
It’s referred to as more than just a tool actually but a weapon, a sword.
You may have seen this picture floating around a time or two on social media but its a powerful visual to demonstrate the congruency of Scripture
Picture of cross references
There are 3 I’s that help us better understand God’s word
Inspired
16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,
When we say that God’s word is inspired we mean that God is the definitive author. Although God used human’s to write down His words He is still the one behind every word that is written.
It is inspired by God and God breathed
Inerrant
God used men to write the Word of God but without error
20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. 21 For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
God used these men – with all of their personalities, writing styles, vocabularies, their life experiences, their illustrations and metaphors – to express His message, as He wanted it, yet without error.
In this way, the Bible has a dual-authorship: God and man. Yet we recognize it is God himself who is behind the Bible’s message and authority.
Infallible
God’s word is incapable of error
God’s Word will accomplish exactly what God wants it to
11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
God’s Word is the tool we have to understand God. The Words of God about Himself to help us better understand Him.
What we believe about God and what we believe about the Bible go hand and hand. We add nothing to it and take nothing away. It is intertwined and cannot be separated.
Heb 6:18 tells us that it is impossible for God to lie
So if the Bible is God’s Word to us, and God never lies, then the Bible must be incapable of error
A couple of other points and then I want to talk practically for a little bit
The Bible, without any question, is the greatest preserved document of the ancient world.
Even those who don’t believe the Bible to be the Word of God, but who do work in what’s called textual criticism recognize the incredible preservation of God’s Word.
In essence the Bible, historically, is a very very reliable text.
Most historians also believe that Jesus was a historical figure. In fact, most religions can’t get away from Jesus really living on earth they would just say he was a prophet or one of many gods
But if Jesus was a historical person, like a real person here on earth, and he had the same view of the Bible that we do than I’m gonna go with what Jesus says.
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.
Jesus believed the Bible was the inspired Word of God. And if Jesus really died on the cross and rose from the dead 3 days later, which many eye witnesses gave their lives for believing, then that makes Him God.
And if Jesus is God and He thinks the Bible is the inspired Word of God then why wouldn’t we?
You will find it very very difficult to historically and scientifically reject the evidence that the Bible is real and accurate and that Jesus was real and accurately depicted in the Bible
The only thing you can reject then is Jesus which I plead with you do not.
Life with Jesus is so much better than life without him in fact life without Jesus isn’t even life at all
Now let’s talk practically for a few minutes
For a lot of us in this room we probably don’t struggle with believing the Bible to be true or believing Jesus to be who he said he is
The problem for us is actually using God’s Word the way it was intended to be used.
At youth camp the guys did a great breakout teaching students how to study the Bible and I thought it was a great teaching not just for students but for everyone so I want to walk through some of that this morning to hopefully put some feet to this thing
The goal of reading the Bible is to know and be more like Christ
You have to plan out WHEN you’re going to study
You have to plan out WHERE you’re going to study
You have to plan out WHAT you’re going to study
Pay attention to Genre
Narrative: much of the OT, Gospels, Acts
Poetry: Heavy on figurative language
Discourse: Teaching and instruction
Prophecy: Which can have all 3
Learn the difference between descriptive and prescriptive and look for which one you are reading
Sometimes you bush hog
You can cover a large portion of Scripture.
I would recommend reading the entire bible every year.
Find a bible reading plan and stick with it. (Youversion plans, dwell app)
It takes roughly 71 hours or less than 12 minutes a day to do it
Sometimes you get on your hands and knees and you pull weeds
Dig deeper. Study Bible, (Life application at resource table) NIV application commentary, Blueletterbible.org, Logos
I would suggest a NT book but Choose a book of the Bible and read it start to finish several times.
Every day for several days sit down and read it start to finish and write down what you are seeing and learning and what you may have questions on
After that begin reading the same section (paragraph, chapter, idea) every day for a week. Write down
Here is what you are doing (meditate day and night)
7 “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
You must also obey it always
22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.
You must always find Jesus
We don’t run to the text to try to find ourselves. We run, we meditate day and night to find Jesus and I like I said from the beginning He is the whole point. He’s where the plot starts, He’s who the plot runs through, and He is how it ends. Standing in victory over evil in a fight on our behalf. King Jesus Victorious once and for all
As you are reading and as you are studying find out what the text meant originally, What it says about God, and then and only then how it applies to you.
Much like prayer this isn’t a duty in that we have to but it is a discipline in that we must
There’s no way apart from God’s word to be a better Christian or to be more like Christ.
We can’t just try harder at it
We mediate on His Word
We taste and see that the Lord is good
TODAY’S TRUTH: GOD’S WORD IS THE TRUTH
In a world crippled by lie after lie
The Bible is our compass to what is true
Sporting Clays illustration