Battle for the Bible SERMON

HONOR

Good Morning!!

Today I want to talk to you about our Bible and why we believe it is important.

My desire is that this short encouragement today would foster a desire in you to STUDY the Bible!

The Bible is a God book - it is not a man book.

God used man to put pen to paper, but it is God’s Word for us.

Some may be here today and you feel desperate for a Word from God.

You’re in a dry season, your head feels us in the clouds in a fog — and all you want is just a Word from God

Can I encourage you friend? — God has a Word for you: THE BIBLE!

If you need a Word — READ ONE!

The Bible is not an overnight study or something you tackle in a weekend.

It is a lifetime study. Little by little. Piece by piece.

2 Timothy 3:16 ESV

16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,

In our culture today — the Truth is on trial

And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s only a bad thing if you’re trying to cover a lie

The Bible is on trial in the world today.

We are in a battle for the Bible.

Truth has become a relative thing, a subjective thing - and so what’s true for you doesn’t have to be true for me.

You can follow the Bible, but I’d rather follow myself and my heart and my beliefs and I’ll just use the Bible when it fits my agenda. Never vice versa.

And because truth has become relative — The Bible holds no real authority. It’s a great moral suggestion and nothing more.

As Christians, We can get caught up in not knowing how to answer the worlds questions and criticisms that we avoid it all together.

But the only reason to be afraid of a trial is if there’s something to hide — WE, as Bible believing Christians, HAVE NOTHING TO HIDE!

Let the Truth speak for itself!

If the Bible was a lie it would be the greatest coverup of all time.

We don’t have to be nervous when the Truth is on trial.

Let’s be equipped with the Truth so we can know how to answer these important questions. Because they are -NOW MORE THAN EVER- important.

So — What should the Bible be to a Christian?

Why do we care about the Bible?

OR Why should we care about the Bible?

How Do We Know Our Bible is Accurate?

Is it trustworthy? Sometimes in church we take these things for granted and when we’re confronted with hard questions — we really have no answers

One way is archeological discoveries.

The book of John describes the “Pool of Bethesda” with 5 walkways leading to the pool. Scholars didn’t think the pool existed, until archaeologists found it 40 feet below ground, complete with the 5 porticoes.

Renown Jewish archaeologist Nelson Glueck: “It may be stated categorically that no archaeological discovery has ever controverted a Biblical reference.”

Hittites

In the book of Acts, Luke names 32 countries, 54 cities and 9 islands without an error, which have all been identified through archaeology.

That’s INSANE!

Okay cool, so the Bible isn’t lying about geography — but how do we know what we have today is the EXACT same as what was originally written?

The Bible had been copied over and over again — This is all before the printing press and anything could be digitally saved. So copying was the only option.

How do we know it wasn’t changed over the last 2,000 years?

The Dead Sea Scrolls (found in 1947) contained Old Testament manuscripts dating 1,000 years older than any manuscripts we had. When compared with the ones we did have, we found 99.5% agreement. The .5% differences were minor spelling variances and sentence structure that didn’t change the meaning of the sentence.

Like “Happy Birthday, bro!” / “Bro, Happy Birthday!” — Same message!

Meaning — what we’ve had in our Bibles is accurate. The Dead Sea Scrolls proved it.

Papyrus didn’t have a long shelf life so things had to be copied. Like couple hundreds years or so. Didn’t have the printing press back then

The New Testament is the world’s most reliable ancient document

“Compared to what?”

Few people doubt Plato’s writing of “The Republic.” It’s written around 380 B.C. The earliest copies we have of it are dated 900 A.D., which is a 1,300 year time lag from when he wrote. There are only 7 copies of “The Republic” in existence.

Caesar’s “Gallic Wars” were written around 100-44 B.C. The copies were have today are dated 1,000 years after he wrote it. We have 10 copies.

The New Testament was written between 50-100 A.D., and there are more than 5,000 copies. All are within 50-225 years of their original writing. They are better preserved in terms of variances and errors of sight than any other ancient manuscripts.

5,366 copies of NT …

No one doubts Plato! Yet the NT completely blows it out of the water in terms of reliability

YOU CAN TRUST THE BIBLE!

Why is the Bible Important to the Christian?

2 Timothy 3:16 ESV

16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,

If I want to follow God — then I have to follow God’s teachings.

A lot of people love Jesus — they just hate what He said. But you cant divorce Jesus from His teachings. What kind of relationship is that?

Let me give you the definition of a Christian — Someone who follows Christ, and obeys His teachings.

You can’t love God and NOT do what He says.

And yet there is a movement, even in the Body of Christ that says “we love Jesus yet the Bible is not fully God’s Word.”

“The Bible is just a great moral suggestion.”

No, the Bible is Our Boundary

It’s not my truth - not my words - not man’s words - It is a Truth that is above my own, it is the Words of God that must set the pace and direction for my life.

Here are 2 things the Bible is to every Christian:

The Bible is Our Authority

2 Timothy 3:16 ESV

16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,

Every person needs someone in their life that can tell them “no.”

Any dad’s ever try to dress your kids and then your wife sees them …

Like — You don’t have an eye for everything.

There are some things you need an outside opinion.

We all need people in our life that has the authority to tell us “no”

We ALL need correction.

Why a parent disciplines. Never to be cruel, but because we know what is best.

God disciplines those HE loves

The Bible is a benefit to your life — WHY? Because it tells you no.

The heart is continually wicked — God is greater than our hearts…

God’s Words is the guardrail for my life.

The Bible is Our Encourager

Everyone needs an encourager in their life

Someone that has your back. That gives you wind in your sails.

2 Timothy 3:16 ESV

16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,

Teaching

Reproof

Correction

Training

Hear me friend — God has not left you out to dry.

He hasn’t forgotten you or abandoned you.

He has given you everything you need — RIGHT HERE IN HIS WORD

If you’re struggling with finding your purpose — you can find it here in His Word

calling — here in His word

Struggling with addiction — freedom in His Word

Better husband — direction in His word

Better father —

Better son

If you’re broken and hurting, lost, forgotten about, on the brink of giving up --- GOD LOVES YOU SO MUCH THAT HE GAVE YOU HIS WORD

And if God said it — Then I can have faith for it!

You already have what you need. It’s in His Word.

God is raising up a SPIRIT AND TRUTH Church.

You may be here and don’t know God — He doesn’t have to be a mystery to you. He has made Himself known to you. Through His Word.

It is His self-revelation.

PRAY — FOR THE LOST AND AN ENCOURAGEMENT