You might be a Christian if, you about that Bible (4)

Good morning, CHURCH!

(Opening joke)

There was this kid named David who was dating this girl in his history class named Lorraine.

The two dated for a couple months, but as time went on, he slowly lost interest in Lorraine.

David begrudgingly continued the relationship with Lorraine, but he eventually started seeing this girl named Clearly and quickly fell for her.

That is an interesting name for a girl, “Clearly.”

Now David wasn’t the kind of guy to date two girls, so he had to make a choice between Lorraine and Clearly.

He decided on Clearly and the next day he was going to take Lorraine to the park to explain what was going on.

The next day David and Lorraine went to the park and were walking along the river making small talk.

David was nervous about Lorraine’s possible reaction to him now falling for Clearly, so he kept quiet until he finally got the nerves to tell her.

David finally told Lorraine he wanted to break up and Lorraine was shocked.

And as she backed away from him, she lost her footing and fell off the path and rolled into the river!

David looked, as Lorraine fell into the river, and began to take off his shoes to jump in and rescue her?

But David thought for a second, with Lorraine out of the picture:

“I can see Clearly now Lorraine is gone”

Lorraine is no longer an obstacle in my way.

Are you ready to be equipped today?

Let me see your Bibles.

Let’s go to the book of Romans 15:4 ESV for this week’s wisdom Vaccination.

This Week’s Wisdom Vaccination Romans 15:4 ESV

For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

In former days, to Apostle Paul, referred to earlier times as in the Old Testament.

To us, it now refers to the Old and New Testament.

Knowing and enduring or abiding in the scriptures is so necessary for the believer because we go through so much in our soulish realm that wars against our spirit.

Think about it, if we didn’t have battles going on with our intellect, will and emotions, we’d make some really good Christians.

And without abiding in the scriptures, so many faint or fall out of the race.

We are in the 4th week of the series titled:

You might be a Christian if

So, by now we know that comedian Jeff Foxworthy used to make jokes about being a redneck.

"If you've ever cut your grass and found a car that you forgot was even there, you might be a redneck."

In this series, we have been pointing out things that may give others an indication that we might be a Christian.

Today’s message title is:

“You might be a Christian if”

You about that Bible

📷

A survey on how much of the bible people have read, discovered some staggering statistics.

30% - several passages or stories.

15% - at least half of it.

13% - only a few sentences.

12% - almost all of it.

11% - all of it.

10% - none of it.

9% - all of it more than once.

Point #1

(You might be a Christian) If you read your Bible

Why is it even important that you read your Bible?

Of over 2 billion Christians in the world, less than 30% will ever read through the entire Bible. The fact is over 82% of Christian Americans only read their Bibles on Sundays while in church.

A little over 20 years ago, Gallup released the results of a major study indicating that 86% of Americans claimed to be Christian, although only 70% of these admitted to being “born again” according to biblical measure.

(You can’t believe everybody out there saying they’re a Christian)

In recent studies, the Pew research indicates that only 25% of Americans now attend church any given Sunday, significantly down from 47% in 1990.

The study also shows that, in evangelical churches throughout the United-States, statistics show 36% of those who attend church weekly indicate that believing in Jesus Christ is the only true way to Heaven.

A shocking 57% of American Christians believe other religions can lead to eternal life.

One of the main reasons why American Christians don’t read their bibles is, only 22% of them believe the Bible is fully inspired by God Himself and written by men who were divinely appointed by the Lord almighty.

Over 1 in 4 American Christians believe the bible to be a book written by mere men, not at all the word of God.

2 Peter 3:17-18 ESV

You, therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability.

18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

Knowing what beforehand?

Paul had written that there were some things in the scriptures that were hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do other Scriptures.

He was warning them to be careful not to get swept away with error of lawless people and lose your stability.

It’s by the scriptures that we grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Again, I ask why is it important to read your Bible?

1 Corinthians 2:11-13 ESV

For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.

12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.

13 And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.

-If you want to know the thoughts of God, they are spiritually discerned not intellectually discerned.

-If you are born of the Spirit, you have received the Spirit who is from God, that you can freely understand the thoughts of God.

-How do you think they were able to impart words not taught by human wisdom? (By the Spirit as they studied the scriptures)

Point #2

(You might be a Christian) If you Study your Bible

How are we going to study our Bibles as American Christians if only 22% of us believe the Bible is fully inspired by God Himself and written by men who were divinely appointed by the Lord.

How are we going to study our Bibles if 25% of American Christians believe the bible to be a book written by mere men and not at all the divinely inspired word of God.

2 Timothy 3:16 ESV

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

You are truly deceived if you think for a second that men just wrote the Bible without being specifically inspired by God.

Do you know how many other ancient writings didn’t make the Bible?

Being inspired by God relates to that influence of the Holy Spirit by which we become conduits to communicate the truth of God’s word to others.

Meer men wrote the Bible, yeah right.

You want me to believe – over 35 different authors, from 3 different continents, over a span of 1500 years, speaking 3 different languages wrote what has been organized into 66 books that all tell one singular woven together story.

And it’s not inspired by God.

And you want me to believe that they did that without the internet, airplanes and telephones.

Psalms 119:15 ESV

I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways.

Meditate – The biblical sense of meditation involves focused attention leading to active obedience, as I carefully consider how the way of the Lord can become my way of life.

Point #3

(You might be a Christian) If you live your Bible

You mean I can’t just say I’m a Christian, but I must live it also?

Luke 6:46-49 ESV

“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? 47 Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like:

48 he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.

49 But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.”

What was Luke trying to tell us in using this analogy of building a house on a solid foundation, as it relates to being obedient to what Christ tells us? (Escaping judgement)

James also said it.

James 1:22 ESV

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

Even when someone tried to give Jesus’ mother props for raising such an amazing son, he pointed it back to obedience to the word of God.

Luke 11:27-28 ESV

As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!” 28 But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

(Closing illustration)

When i got a revelation through the scriptures that everything I have belongs to God and I’m just being trusted to manage it, God began to shower financial blessings on our life.

And when you know it’s His, you don’t struggle bringing the tithes and offerings to the house of the Lord.

When I discovered that Christ died for me so that I could live for him, I stopped struggling with sin.

When I got the revelation that God loves me, I no longer felt insecure and struggled with the comparison game.

If you’re watching online or here in the room, I have a very important question to ask you.

What is Holy Spirit saying to you right now?