1 00:00:03,240 --> 00:00:09,640 So has God really spoken to man? Can we know for sure? 2 00:00:09,640 --> 00:00:13,800 Is the Bible trustworthy? You know, there's been lots of 3 00:00:13,800 --> 00:00:16,640 years. Has it been changed over time? 4 00:00:17,360 --> 00:00:19,800 Did man get in there and mess with it and tweak it? 5 00:00:20,480 --> 00:00:25,040 Is this really all just a religious concoction today, with 6 00:00:25,040 --> 00:00:27,960 the Bible being our subject and our theme? 7 00:00:28,640 --> 00:00:31,160 Just like last week, we saw that there are many different 8 00:00:31,160 --> 00:00:35,480 versions of Jesus, but there's one Jesus of the Bible today. 9 00:00:35,480 --> 00:00:40,640 We'll see also that there are other versions of the Bible, 10 00:00:40,640 --> 00:00:46,120 other teachings, other scriptures, and almost every 11 00:00:46,160 --> 00:00:50,000 cult that deviates from traditional Christianity in the 12 00:00:50,000 --> 00:00:54,720 sense of what does the Bible say, does so in the Scriptures. 13 00:00:54,720 --> 00:00:59,760 Let me give you a few examples. Some of them have other 14 00:00:59,760 --> 00:01:03,360 revelations. LNG White of the 7th Day 15 00:01:03,360 --> 00:01:07,240 Adventist Church has some prophecies that they treat just 16 00:01:07,240 --> 00:01:08,960 like Scripture and they, what do you know? 17 00:01:08,960 --> 00:01:11,960 They help you understand and interpret the Bible through her 18 00:01:12,240 --> 00:01:14,880 prophecies. There's another group of people 19 00:01:14,880 --> 00:01:18,000 that they have additional revelations as well that would 20 00:01:18,000 --> 00:01:21,880 say you need to have this book to understand that book. 21 00:01:22,680 --> 00:01:25,920 You guys know what that one is. Can you tell maybe you've met 22 00:01:25,920 --> 00:01:29,120 some of them before? There are others that would say 23 00:01:29,120 --> 00:01:32,720 the Scriptures have been corrupted and we need to help 24 00:01:32,720 --> 00:01:36,880 you know what the Bible really means. 25 00:01:37,040 --> 00:01:40,080 You need to become a Muslim because the Bible's been 26 00:01:40,080 --> 00:01:43,200 corrupted and we have our own revelation. 27 00:01:44,040 --> 00:01:46,320 Or there are some that would say, well, we're Christians just 28 00:01:46,320 --> 00:01:49,080 like you. We just updated the Bible so 29 00:01:49,080 --> 00:01:52,000 that, you know, we took out all the things that make Jesus God. 30 00:01:52,000 --> 00:01:54,920 But we want to keep some of the other stuff that Jehovah's 31 00:01:54,920 --> 00:01:59,120 Witnesses produced their own distorted version of the Bible. 32 00:02:00,120 --> 00:02:04,440 Or maybe there's some kind of orthodoxy that would favor human 33 00:02:04,440 --> 00:02:08,080 opinion and tradition over what the Bible clearly teaches 34 00:02:08,080 --> 00:02:11,800 playing on the face. The Catholic Church would say 35 00:02:11,800 --> 00:02:16,080 that the Pope can speak and what he says is just as good as 36 00:02:16,080 --> 00:02:18,480 Scripture, and all their councils over time have 37 00:02:18,480 --> 00:02:22,600 developed a sick and twisted amount of tradition that 38 00:02:23,240 --> 00:02:26,480 distorts the plain teaching of the Scriptures. 39 00:02:28,240 --> 00:02:33,400 But the Bible is the most trusted book on the planet, no 40 00:02:33,400 --> 00:02:35,320 matter what other people have done to it. 41 00:02:35,320 --> 00:02:39,880 It's possible for you to know it, but I want to give you a 42 00:02:39,880 --> 00:02:42,680 quick summary of what book we're talking about. 43 00:02:43,360 --> 00:02:49,520 So the Bible is a combination of 66 books, 27 in the New 44 00:02:49,520 --> 00:02:51,920 Testament, 39 in the Old Testament. 45 00:02:52,560 --> 00:02:56,320 It's written by 40 different authors who range in their 46 00:02:56,320 --> 00:03:01,520 experience from kings like David, Solomon, Hezekiah to 47 00:03:01,520 --> 00:03:06,080 priests like Ezra, government officials like Matthew the 48 00:03:06,080 --> 00:03:10,760 disciple, fisherman like Peter, and religious leaders like Paul. 49 00:03:11,920 --> 00:03:15,480 And many of these, they've never met each other yet their texts 50 00:03:15,480 --> 00:03:21,200 agree 100%. The Bible's written over 1500 51 00:03:21,200 --> 00:03:24,280 years time spanning multiple continents. 52 00:03:24,280 --> 00:03:28,760 Africa, Asia, Europe over multiple kingdoms and ages like 53 00:03:28,960 --> 00:03:33,520 the Egyptian, Israeli, Babylonian and Roman rule in 54 00:03:33,520 --> 00:03:38,800 multiple languages, Hebrew, Greek, Aramaic, and yet the 55 00:03:38,800 --> 00:03:43,200 Bible using all of these styles and personalities, it agrees 56 00:03:43,200 --> 00:03:49,640 together in one completed revelation of who God is and 57 00:03:49,640 --> 00:03:54,520 what he expects of man. So today our subject is the 58 00:03:54,520 --> 00:03:57,760 Bible and we're going to treat it just like we would any other 59 00:03:57,760 --> 00:04:00,720 Bible study. We're going to use the the 60 00:04:00,720 --> 00:04:03,640 framework that I gave you a few weeks ago when we talked about 61 00:04:03,640 --> 00:04:07,360 how to read the Bible and how to study the Bible and break this 62 00:04:07,360 --> 00:04:10,800 down over the Scriptures. If you remember, I said that 63 00:04:10,800 --> 00:04:14,680 there are three applications to Scripture when you read it. 64 00:04:14,680 --> 00:04:17,040 There's a historical application. 65 00:04:17,040 --> 00:04:19,480 What does it say? What happened? 66 00:04:20,560 --> 00:04:22,920 There's a doctrinal or prophetic application. 67 00:04:22,920 --> 00:04:25,640 What is it teaching me about God or is there something that it's 68 00:04:25,640 --> 00:04:29,000 talking about that's yet future? And then thirdly is the one that 69 00:04:29,000 --> 00:04:31,200 most people start with is the inspirational. 70 00:04:31,200 --> 00:04:34,000 What is it saying to me? How's it directing me? 71 00:04:34,600 --> 00:04:37,360 So those will be our three main points for today. 72 00:04:37,360 --> 00:04:44,160 So, so let's look first at the historical application and let's 73 00:04:44,160 --> 00:04:46,960 look for some evidence for truthfulness. 74 00:04:48,520 --> 00:04:51,920 If this really is God's Word, then we should be able to tell 75 00:04:51,920 --> 00:04:56,960 that by examining this book. So first we'll have three things 76 00:04:56,960 --> 00:04:59,240 we'll look at. First is historical accuracy. 77 00:05:00,640 --> 00:05:03,960 The Bible is full of tons of information. 78 00:05:04,760 --> 00:05:07,280 If you've ever tried to read it, it has more names than you can 79 00:05:07,280 --> 00:05:09,800 remember, right? And there's dates and there's 80 00:05:09,800 --> 00:05:11,880 years. And if you're first time through 81 00:05:11,880 --> 00:05:14,640 it, you're thinking, man, what? How does anybody care about all 82 00:05:14,640 --> 00:05:17,240 this stuff? But all of that information 83 00:05:17,240 --> 00:05:21,360 gives us so many clear pictures and understandings of times and 84 00:05:21,360 --> 00:05:25,240 kingdoms that it, if those things really happened, there 85 00:05:25,240 --> 00:05:29,200 would be some kind of record. And you don't have to look very 86 00:05:29,200 --> 00:05:33,720 hard to find archaeological evidence or support for the 87 00:05:33,720 --> 00:05:35,960 biblical narrative throughout the world. 88 00:05:36,800 --> 00:05:39,520 I think you can. It can be so easy, in fact, that 89 00:05:39,520 --> 00:05:42,920 you could just AI it. And you could ask Google AI, 90 00:05:43,480 --> 00:05:47,320 hey, tell me, is there evidence to support the Bible being true? 91 00:05:48,320 --> 00:05:51,600 And AI will come up with enough evidence, more than you can 92 00:05:51,600 --> 00:05:54,680 study honestly. It'll come up with things like 93 00:05:54,880 --> 00:05:58,280 the archaeological evidence of different things that have been 94 00:05:58,280 --> 00:06:01,160 found that prove the kingdoms in the Bible were real. 95 00:06:01,160 --> 00:06:02,920 Some of the characters were real. 96 00:06:02,920 --> 00:06:07,080 Those places are real. It'll present you extra biblical 97 00:06:07,080 --> 00:06:10,200 sources frequently. Josephus is a first century 98 00:06:10,200 --> 00:06:15,240 Jewish historian that's quoted by a lot of Christian people. 99 00:06:15,280 --> 00:06:18,240 Not sure if he was a Christian or not, but he wrote about the 100 00:06:18,240 --> 00:06:20,360 events during the life of Christ. 101 00:06:20,840 --> 00:06:24,000 We also historical evidence that we're going to see in a moment 102 00:06:24,760 --> 00:06:29,080 about the New Testament. So there is so much truthfulness 103 00:06:29,600 --> 00:06:32,880 in the world, in rocks and buildings and under the dirt. 104 00:06:33,440 --> 00:06:35,400 It's all there if you'll go looking for it. 105 00:06:35,880 --> 00:06:41,240 But let's look next at manuscript evidence because we 106 00:06:41,240 --> 00:06:48,360 can't go dig up artifacts. We can find some manuscripts. 107 00:06:49,560 --> 00:06:53,320 The Bible has the greatest collection of manuscripts of any 108 00:06:53,320 --> 00:06:57,360 other document in history. It's just beyond comparison. 109 00:06:57,480 --> 00:07:01,440 Nothing else compares to it. In fact, I have a list for you 110 00:07:02,400 --> 00:07:04,400 manuscripts. Compared to other works, there's 111 00:07:04,400 --> 00:07:06,080 a greater list. Obviously there's more 112 00:07:06,080 --> 00:07:07,880 information. You could study this for days. 113 00:07:07,880 --> 00:07:11,040 But in general, the New Testament is said to have about 114 00:07:11,040 --> 00:07:16,560 5800 Greek manuscripts. Those aren't all entire copies 115 00:07:16,560 --> 00:07:18,520 of the Bible. They're some of them are pieces 116 00:07:18,520 --> 00:07:21,480 or fragments or whole books, and they're located in different 117 00:07:21,480 --> 00:07:23,400 places. But there is so there are so 118 00:07:23,400 --> 00:07:25,680 many references that all agree together. 119 00:07:26,760 --> 00:07:31,640 Next up of historical sources is Homer's Iliad. 120 00:07:32,080 --> 00:07:34,240 You know, maybe it wasn't written by Homer, but what we 121 00:07:34,240 --> 00:07:38,880 would call the Iliad and the Odyssey, about 1900 manuscripts. 122 00:07:40,520 --> 00:07:43,840 That's the great, the second greatest document that we have. 123 00:07:43,840 --> 00:07:47,560 We have these others like Herodotus, Plato, Caesar and his 124 00:07:47,560 --> 00:07:50,880 his Gallic wars. And we just have to ask the 125 00:07:50,880 --> 00:07:53,120 question, did did Plato really exist? 126 00:07:54,640 --> 00:07:57,560 When we read Plato, do we ever wonder is that what he really 127 00:07:57,560 --> 00:08:01,800 said or did somebody change it? But somehow or another, when we 128 00:08:01,800 --> 00:08:05,840 come to the Bible, that has even more credibility, we become even 129 00:08:05,840 --> 00:08:10,040 more critical. It's honestly not fair and it's 130 00:08:10,040 --> 00:08:16,240 not scientific. There is so much manuscript 131 00:08:16,240 --> 00:08:17,880 evidence for the Bible it's crazy. 132 00:08:18,280 --> 00:08:24,920 Thirdly, as we see a prophetic fulfillment in these three 133 00:08:24,920 --> 00:08:29,880 things, we have historical manuscript and the fulfillment 134 00:08:29,880 --> 00:08:33,640 of prophecy. If the prophecies in the Bible 135 00:08:33,640 --> 00:08:37,480 were not fulfilled completely or correctly, we would just easily 136 00:08:37,480 --> 00:08:39,200 be able to say it's like any other book. 137 00:08:39,200 --> 00:08:43,360 It's all make believe, but there are so many things concerning 138 00:08:43,520 --> 00:08:48,640 the fall of Babylon, Nineveh, Tyre, Jerusalem, all kinds of 139 00:08:48,640 --> 00:08:50,880 things that have happened and we have the remnants. 140 00:08:50,880 --> 00:08:53,880 We have the proof that they happened the way that they said 141 00:08:53,880 --> 00:08:56,760 they happened. But even that, just to simplify 142 00:08:56,760 --> 00:08:59,560 some of these prophecies for you, the prophecies that are 143 00:08:59,560 --> 00:09:05,320 fulfilled in Jesus, He was born in Bethlehem, betrayed for 30 144 00:09:05,320 --> 00:09:09,720 pieces of silver that he would bear mankind's sin out of Isaiah 145 00:09:09,720 --> 00:09:13,960 53, that he was hated without a cause, suffered without the 146 00:09:13,960 --> 00:09:17,480 camp, and just so many, many more. 147 00:09:18,640 --> 00:09:22,840 The fulfillment of prophecy is something that no other book can 148 00:09:22,840 --> 00:09:26,240 truly do. The Bible does it so well. 149 00:09:27,000 --> 00:09:28,600 But I put it to you this way in your notes. 150 00:09:29,520 --> 00:09:35,400 No amount of evidence or no amount of proof will take away 151 00:09:35,400 --> 00:09:39,520 your need for faith. Evidence abounds. 152 00:09:39,520 --> 00:09:44,560 It's without question, but there's no sense in which you 153 00:09:44,560 --> 00:09:49,560 can go back and observe the translation or the preservation 154 00:09:49,720 --> 00:09:51,800 over hundreds and hundreds of years. 155 00:09:52,320 --> 00:09:57,000 You have to put faith that this book is what it says. 156 00:09:57,480 --> 00:10:00,760 You cannot just be an intellectual Christian, but you 157 00:10:00,760 --> 00:10:03,360 can be an intellectual Christian. 158 00:10:03,360 --> 00:10:07,320 Hebrews 11 tells us through faith we understand. 159 00:10:08,880 --> 00:10:12,080 We understand that the world's were framed by the word of God. 160 00:10:13,560 --> 00:10:16,880 You see, faith is so important to God. 161 00:10:17,040 --> 00:10:20,760 In fact, this chapter, Hebrews 11 says it's without faith, it's 162 00:10:20,760 --> 00:10:25,120 impossible to please God. You cannot have a real 163 00:10:25,120 --> 00:10:28,840 relationship with the God of the Bible without exercising faith 164 00:10:28,840 --> 00:10:33,840 that He exists. But through faith we understand. 165 00:10:33,840 --> 00:10:37,640 It's possible once you put faith in the Bible that you can have 166 00:10:37,960 --> 00:10:42,080 understanding beyond what the natural man can know. 167 00:10:43,360 --> 00:10:48,520 This may sound somewhat counterintuitive, but everybody 168 00:10:48,520 --> 00:10:53,960 puts faith in something. Every atheist puts faith in 169 00:10:53,960 --> 00:10:57,280 science and projections back into the past to say billions of 170 00:10:57,280 --> 00:10:59,800 years ago that some things happened that they've never 171 00:10:59,800 --> 00:11:04,520 observed. We all place faith in something. 172 00:11:05,280 --> 00:11:08,640 You at some point have to choose to say God, I believe you and I 173 00:11:08,640 --> 00:11:11,440 take you for your word. That's what makes you a 174 00:11:11,440 --> 00:11:14,920 Christian. Secondly, we so first was 175 00:11:14,960 --> 00:11:17,240 historical. Secondly is the doctrinal. 176 00:11:18,320 --> 00:11:22,320 Let's look at some claims made by the Bible. 177 00:11:23,440 --> 00:11:25,960 What does this book say about itself? 178 00:11:27,040 --> 00:11:30,000 And this is where we would fix so many problems in the 179 00:11:30,000 --> 00:11:32,640 Christian world. If we would just let the Bible 180 00:11:32,640 --> 00:11:35,400 speak for itself, let it be the Bible, instead of trying to 181 00:11:35,640 --> 00:11:39,440 figure out ways to make it work in our progressive culture 182 00:11:39,440 --> 00:11:43,400 today. We would call this internal 183 00:11:43,400 --> 00:11:46,720 evidence. What is it saying internally 184 00:11:47,440 --> 00:11:50,840 about itself? So first is that it's divinely 185 00:11:50,840 --> 00:11:55,080 inspired. The Bible claims divine 186 00:11:55,080 --> 00:11:58,880 authorship, although men are involved. 187 00:11:58,880 --> 00:12:02,720 There's no question if you read the Psalms, you see King David 188 00:12:03,080 --> 00:12:06,160 writing about his experiences. It's there's no question it's 189 00:12:06,160 --> 00:12:10,520 written by men, absolutely. But yet the Bible uses the 190 00:12:10,520 --> 00:12:19,040 phrase Word of God 49 times, Word of the Lord 258 times, God 191 00:12:19,040 --> 00:12:24,440 said 46 times. So it is no stretch to say that 192 00:12:24,440 --> 00:12:29,480 God their their claims to be a God involved in speaking this 193 00:12:29,480 --> 00:12:32,440 Bible and bringing it to existence. 194 00:12:33,320 --> 00:12:36,440 One of the new New Testament writers, the Apostle Paul said 195 00:12:36,440 --> 00:12:40,640 that all scripture is given by inspiration of God. 196 00:12:42,120 --> 00:12:46,600 That word inspiration is the Greek word Theo Neustas, which 197 00:12:46,600 --> 00:12:50,800 is God and breathed for God giving life. 198 00:12:51,680 --> 00:12:56,320 And we know that English word inspiration as to place thoughts 199 00:12:56,320 --> 00:12:58,760 and ideas when you feel like man, I'm inspired. 200 00:12:58,760 --> 00:13:01,040 I've got all these ideas about stuff I want to do. 201 00:13:01,560 --> 00:13:05,400 That's how we use the word and what we have in the Scriptures, 202 00:13:05,400 --> 00:13:09,800 what the Bible claims of itself is that there are ideas placed 203 00:13:09,800 --> 00:13:12,960 into this book that are greater than the natural world. 204 00:13:12,960 --> 00:13:16,920 God put his thoughts and ideas into this book. 205 00:13:16,920 --> 00:13:19,600 They're not just the ideas of men. 206 00:13:21,120 --> 00:13:25,880 The apostle Peter said the prophecy came not in old time by 207 00:13:25,880 --> 00:13:31,520 the will of man, but holy men of God spake as they were moved by 208 00:13:31,520 --> 00:13:36,520 the Holy Ghost. So divine authorship is what we 209 00:13:36,520 --> 00:13:41,360 find from the internal evidence. But I put it to you this way in 210 00:13:41,360 --> 00:13:43,560 your notes. The Bible will not always make 211 00:13:43,560 --> 00:13:47,760 sense to you because it's written by a more superior 212 00:13:47,760 --> 00:13:54,080 being. If this is true, if there really 213 00:13:54,080 --> 00:13:58,040 is a supernatural powerful God outside of creation that knows 214 00:13:58,040 --> 00:14:00,880 all things and he decided to give us some thoughts and ideas, 215 00:14:02,920 --> 00:14:05,160 then it would stand to reason that we probably won't be able 216 00:14:05,160 --> 00:14:09,080 to comprehend all of those. That's not to say that we'll 217 00:14:09,080 --> 00:14:14,840 know nothing, but the Bible says in Isaiah 55 God speaking. 218 00:14:15,560 --> 00:14:19,960 My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are my ways 219 00:14:19,960 --> 00:14:23,120 your ways. Have you ever found that to be 220 00:14:23,120 --> 00:14:26,360 true? You read something in the Bible 221 00:14:26,360 --> 00:14:28,400 and you think, well, that's probably not the way I would 222 00:14:28,400 --> 00:14:31,520 have did it. I don't know that I like the 223 00:14:31,520 --> 00:14:34,440 whole deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me apart. 224 00:14:35,960 --> 00:14:38,480 I don't know that I would have said the first is last and the 225 00:14:38,480 --> 00:14:43,040 last is first, or the elder shall serve the younger. 226 00:14:43,040 --> 00:14:48,000 The old Ephraim and Manasseh swap or as a leader I don't know 227 00:14:48,000 --> 00:14:52,160 that I really want to get down and wash my my disciples feet. 228 00:14:54,400 --> 00:14:57,960 The Bible does so many things differently because God is so 229 00:14:57,960 --> 00:15:00,640 much greater than us in this world. 230 00:15:00,880 --> 00:15:04,560 He says my ways are higher, they're always better. 231 00:15:07,240 --> 00:15:11,760 His ways are always better. The Bible says the natural man, 232 00:15:12,320 --> 00:15:16,200 the unregenerate man hasn't been saved. 233 00:15:16,560 --> 00:15:19,840 The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God. 234 00:15:20,920 --> 00:15:25,640 And there is a sense in which this book is hidden until we 235 00:15:25,640 --> 00:15:29,240 come to it in faith to believe what it says, and then we can 236 00:15:29,240 --> 00:15:32,600 receive it and we can be taught by God himself. 237 00:15:32,600 --> 00:15:37,600 But if we come at it as a skeptic, this is when we see it 238 00:15:37,600 --> 00:15:42,400 as foolishness. We have no discernment about 239 00:15:42,400 --> 00:15:45,000 what it says. So the Bible claims divine 240 00:15:45,000 --> 00:15:46,800 authorship, but that's the origin. 241 00:15:48,320 --> 00:15:51,600 What about all the years that have transpired since then? 242 00:15:53,080 --> 00:15:58,720 Well, the Bible also claims to be divinely preserved, by the 243 00:15:58,720 --> 00:16:00,240 way. Other religious texts claim 244 00:16:00,240 --> 00:16:02,280 this. The Quran claims to be divinely 245 00:16:02,520 --> 00:16:05,200 preserved and perfect and from God and all that sort of thing. 246 00:16:05,480 --> 00:16:08,720 And this is where Christianity allows you to tests and prove 247 00:16:09,240 --> 00:16:13,440 what is really true. You can do the math on the 248 00:16:13,440 --> 00:16:16,360 Bible, you're allowed. It's not a cult, check it out 249 00:16:16,360 --> 00:16:19,840 for yourself. But it claims to be divinely 250 00:16:20,240 --> 00:16:22,760 preserved. The psalmist says in Psalm 12 251 00:16:22,760 --> 00:16:29,320 the words of the Lord are pure words, as silver tried in a 252 00:16:29,320 --> 00:16:31,480 furnace of earth, purified 7 times. 253 00:16:31,480 --> 00:16:36,080 Thou shalt keep them, O Lord, Thou shalt preserve them from 254 00:16:36,080 --> 00:16:40,920 this generation forever. So the Bible claims that there 255 00:16:40,920 --> 00:16:46,000 is a God who gave this book and that he is also preserving it 256 00:16:46,680 --> 00:16:48,640 over time. It's precious to him. 257 00:16:48,640 --> 00:16:53,760 He says these words are pure. But let's just listen to some of 258 00:16:53,760 --> 00:16:56,360 the other Bible authors. Maybe you've heard of some of 259 00:16:56,360 --> 00:17:00,360 these men. The apostle Peter, he was a 260 00:17:00,360 --> 00:17:03,920 radical follower. You know, Peter was intense. 261 00:17:04,839 --> 00:17:09,119 He was an eyewitness of Jesus, history would say he was 262 00:17:09,119 --> 00:17:11,119 crucified upside down for his faith. 263 00:17:11,119 --> 00:17:12,839 That's how radical he was for Jesus. 264 00:17:12,839 --> 00:17:17,440 He said we have a more sure word of prophecy. 265 00:17:19,560 --> 00:17:23,359 If you read this chapter, Peter says I saw Jesus with mine own 266 00:17:23,359 --> 00:17:26,319 eyes, the mount of transfiguration, and we have 267 00:17:26,319 --> 00:17:30,240 something even more sure in the scriptures than what I saw with 268 00:17:30,240 --> 00:17:35,000 my own eyes. How about Jesus? 269 00:17:35,000 --> 00:17:41,120 What does he say about God keeping his word till heaven and 270 00:17:41,120 --> 00:17:43,960 earth pass? One jot or one title shown in no 271 00:17:43,960 --> 00:17:49,240 wise pass from the law. If you're going to take Jesus at 272 00:17:49,240 --> 00:17:52,160 his word, He says that his words going to be around until it's 273 00:17:52,160 --> 00:17:57,720 all fulfilled. How about King David, one of the 274 00:17:57,720 --> 00:18:00,240 greatest kings Israel ever had. He loved the Lord. 275 00:18:00,240 --> 00:18:05,240 He says in Psalm 119, Thy word is true from the beginning. 276 00:18:05,240 --> 00:18:09,800 Everyone of thy righteous judgments endureth forever. 277 00:18:11,040 --> 00:18:15,520 Solomon claims that the Bible is the certainty of the words of 278 00:18:15,520 --> 00:18:19,000 truth. Isaiah says that the word of our 279 00:18:19,000 --> 00:18:25,080 Lord will stand forever. It's very clear that the 280 00:18:25,080 --> 00:18:28,880 Scriptures would say there is a God that will preserve His word, 281 00:18:28,880 --> 00:18:31,600 and we can trust it and we can know it. 282 00:18:32,760 --> 00:18:37,040 So I put it to you this way, Christians trust in God to 283 00:18:37,040 --> 00:18:49,520 preserve His word, not men. All right. 284 00:18:49,520 --> 00:18:55,680 Lastly, your third thing in this doctrinal assessment of the 285 00:18:55,680 --> 00:18:59,000 Bible is that it is to be applied objectively. 286 00:19:00,880 --> 00:19:05,680 So it claims to be from God. God claims to be the one to keep 287 00:19:05,680 --> 00:19:07,400 it together and preserve it over time. 288 00:19:08,000 --> 00:19:11,040 But then we have to figure out what do we do with what it says? 289 00:19:12,920 --> 00:19:17,120 And we need to start first with an objective understanding of 290 00:19:17,120 --> 00:19:20,360 what does the Bible say. And if you remember a few weeks 291 00:19:20,360 --> 00:19:23,040 ago when we talked about how to read the Bible and how to study 292 00:19:23,040 --> 00:19:26,480 the Bible, we said the most important question to ask is 293 00:19:26,480 --> 00:19:29,920 what does it say, not what does it mean. 294 00:19:30,840 --> 00:19:36,200 We ask first, what does it say? So a few examples of this. 295 00:19:36,200 --> 00:19:38,440 Jesus interprets his own parables. 296 00:19:39,040 --> 00:19:41,400 If you want to know, wonder, I wonder what that means. 297 00:19:42,160 --> 00:19:44,600 Frequently, if you would just keep reading, you'll find out 298 00:19:44,600 --> 00:19:46,840 the Bible will tell you what those things mean. 299 00:19:47,520 --> 00:19:51,360 The New Testament interprets the Old Testament and we compare 300 00:19:51,360 --> 00:19:53,320 Scripture with Scripture. According to 1st Corinthians 301 00:19:53,320 --> 00:19:57,000 213, we need two or three witnesses to let every word be 302 00:19:57,000 --> 00:19:59,400 established. We can go back and forth and 303 00:19:59,400 --> 00:20:02,360 cross reference, but we don't get to make it say. 304 00:20:03,400 --> 00:20:06,760 Whatever we want, Peter says, knowing this first, that no 305 00:20:06,760 --> 00:20:09,440 scripture is of any private interpretation. 306 00:20:10,880 --> 00:20:13,280 You don't get to say, well, that's what it means to me. 307 00:20:13,280 --> 00:20:18,320 Well, we'll talk about personal application in a moment, but in 308 00:20:18,320 --> 00:20:21,240 general, you don't get to develop your own version of 309 00:20:21,240 --> 00:20:24,840 Christianity based on how you feel or what you think. 310 00:20:25,680 --> 00:20:30,880 It's not a privately interpreted book in Jesus's words in John 311 00:20:30,880 --> 00:20:35,240 17, John 17, he says thy word is truth. 312 00:20:37,200 --> 00:20:40,080 This isn't the kind of truth that we get to make it our 313 00:20:40,080 --> 00:20:43,080 truth. This is the kind of truth that 314 00:20:43,080 --> 00:20:47,480 is just objectively clear and true, and it is what it says. 315 00:20:48,560 --> 00:20:51,800 If God's ways truly are higher than our ways, then we may not 316 00:20:51,800 --> 00:20:55,400 always like it or agree with it, but we can't deny that it says 317 00:20:56,240 --> 00:20:58,120 what it says. It doesn't say something else. 318 00:20:58,120 --> 00:21:02,840 So at this church, we take a literal, historical, grammatical 319 00:21:02,840 --> 00:21:07,240 approach to the Scriptures unless the context dictates 320 00:21:07,240 --> 00:21:10,680 otherwise. There are poetic things or 321 00:21:11,000 --> 00:21:14,200 exaggerations, if you will, in the Scriptures at times, but in 322 00:21:14,200 --> 00:21:16,920 general, we're going to take it at face value for what is it 323 00:21:16,920 --> 00:21:18,600 saying? What does it say? 324 00:21:19,560 --> 00:21:22,440 So I put it to you this way you don't get to make the Bible say 325 00:21:22,440 --> 00:21:35,720 whatever you want. You don't get to make the Bible 326 00:21:35,720 --> 00:21:39,720 say whatever you want. Well, so far that's been 327 00:21:39,720 --> 00:21:41,280 somewhat academic for you, right? 328 00:21:41,280 --> 00:21:44,520 We talked about history, archaeology, doctrine. 329 00:21:44,520 --> 00:21:47,680 Where'd the Bible come from? But let's talk now about the 330 00:21:47,680 --> 00:21:53,000 inspirational. Likely the reason why most 331 00:21:53,000 --> 00:21:55,920 people begin to read it in the first place is because they're 332 00:21:55,920 --> 00:21:59,840 looking for answers. Is there a God? 333 00:21:59,840 --> 00:22:01,600 Is there hope? Is that thing real? 334 00:22:03,080 --> 00:22:07,640 We're not just always looking to find some textbook to read. 335 00:22:08,520 --> 00:22:12,000 We want answers. So I'm going to give you a few 336 00:22:12,000 --> 00:22:15,600 things on the inspirational application of the Bible. 337 00:22:15,600 --> 00:22:18,120 First, the Bible will speak to you. 338 00:22:21,960 --> 00:22:26,800 It is a living book, if you will let it. 339 00:22:28,760 --> 00:22:31,760 It will speak to you and that's what we want when we open it. 340 00:22:31,760 --> 00:22:35,160 We want to hear OK is this true? What does it say, What do I do? 341 00:22:36,880 --> 00:22:41,960 The Bible says in Hebrews 412 the word of God is quick and 342 00:22:41,960 --> 00:22:45,800 powerful, sharper than any 2 edged sword, piercing even to 343 00:22:45,800 --> 00:22:49,840 dividing asunder of soul and spirit, then of the joints and 344 00:22:49,840 --> 00:22:53,520 marrow, and as a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the 345 00:22:53,520 --> 00:22:59,640 heart. The Bible claims to be alive and 346 00:22:59,640 --> 00:23:04,400 to be able to penetrate into your heart, into the intent of 347 00:23:04,400 --> 00:23:05,840 your heart. What is your motivation? 348 00:23:05,840 --> 00:23:07,760 What am I thinking? What am I doing with my life? 349 00:23:09,240 --> 00:23:13,160 If you will let it, the Bible will speak expressly to you. 350 00:23:14,920 --> 00:23:17,360 Perhaps This is why many people avoid reading it. 351 00:23:18,320 --> 00:23:22,360 We're afraid of that moment. Maybe it's why we read it with 352 00:23:22,360 --> 00:23:24,960 our barriers up. Like, I know it's not true. 353 00:23:28,600 --> 00:23:32,800 Maybe we know that already. Secondly, we see that the Bible 354 00:23:32,800 --> 00:23:45,610 will direct you. If you're going to make 355 00:23:45,610 --> 00:23:49,450 decisions in your life, where are you going to go for answers? 356 00:23:49,450 --> 00:23:55,330 Are you just going to scroll and hope I find something good, Hope 357 00:23:55,330 --> 00:23:59,530 the algorithm treats me well. I was asking Siri questions last 358 00:23:59,530 --> 00:24:00,890 night and she was not very smart. 359 00:24:01,810 --> 00:24:04,170 I just got an iPhone and I was like trying out the Siri thing, 360 00:24:04,170 --> 00:24:07,960 and I was kind of impressed with the lack of awesomeness. 361 00:24:09,120 --> 00:24:10,360 Honestly. I was like, really? 362 00:24:10,360 --> 00:24:12,000 Come on, girl, you got more than this. 363 00:24:12,000 --> 00:24:14,360 I know you do. Somewhere, once Google gets a 364 00:24:14,360 --> 00:24:15,720 hold of it, you know they'll make it better. 365 00:24:15,720 --> 00:24:21,920 But where are you going to go for answers Is all you can come 366 00:24:21,920 --> 00:24:24,000 up with in your own mind and the things around you. 367 00:24:24,000 --> 00:24:25,360 Is that how you're making life decisions? 368 00:24:25,360 --> 00:24:29,920 Well, this is just all I know. If you believe that this book is 369 00:24:29,920 --> 00:24:32,960 true, then you have a duty to consult it. 370 00:24:32,960 --> 00:24:37,560 It says in Psalm 119, Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a 371 00:24:37,560 --> 00:24:42,840 light unto my path. It says, it's able to reveal to 372 00:24:42,840 --> 00:24:48,720 you which steps to take. And you know Psalm or I'm sorry, 373 00:24:48,720 --> 00:24:52,520 Proverbs 36 And all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall 374 00:24:52,520 --> 00:24:57,760 direct thy paths. But we don't have to divine. 375 00:24:58,440 --> 00:25:00,920 We can just go simply read the Bible. 376 00:25:00,920 --> 00:25:03,280 We don't have to feel our way through life. 377 00:25:04,160 --> 00:25:07,400 You can go open the scriptures and let them speak to you. 378 00:25:07,400 --> 00:25:10,640 So I put it to you this way, Christians make life decisions 379 00:25:10,640 --> 00:25:15,560 with an open Bible. If you want to know Christianity 380 00:25:15,560 --> 00:25:17,600 one O 1. What do we believe about the 381 00:25:17,600 --> 00:25:19,800 Bible? It's that we allow it to 382 00:25:19,800 --> 00:25:22,240 influence our life and our decision making. 383 00:25:23,600 --> 00:25:27,400 Things like who you marry or date. 384 00:25:28,040 --> 00:25:30,480 The Bible gives clear evidence in the New Testament, clear 385 00:25:30,920 --> 00:25:32,600 guidance. First Corinthians Chapter 7. 386 00:25:32,600 --> 00:25:34,760 Go read it. It's it forbids A believer to 387 00:25:34,760 --> 00:25:38,680 marry an unbeliever. Where you work, where you live, 388 00:25:38,680 --> 00:25:40,120 what what do you do with your time? 389 00:25:40,120 --> 00:25:44,280 Why do you exist? You can find answers to these 390 00:25:44,280 --> 00:25:50,000 kinds of questions if you will simply seek what it says. 391 00:25:51,400 --> 00:25:53,960 If you need help with those things, we'd love to read the 392 00:25:53,960 --> 00:25:56,280 Bible with you. We have a Bible reading plan as 393 00:25:56,280 --> 00:25:59,440 a church that's on your sheet. Read that together with us. 394 00:25:59,440 --> 00:26:02,240 We have discussions about what we read Also, Bible study is a 395 00:26:02,240 --> 00:26:05,240 great time to come together around the scriptures and let it 396 00:26:05,240 --> 00:26:09,120 shed light on the the circumstances of our life. 397 00:26:10,160 --> 00:26:13,200 The next we see that if, if we'll do this, if we'll let the 398 00:26:13,200 --> 00:26:15,880 Bible influence our decision making, something is going to 399 00:26:15,880 --> 00:26:18,920 happen is that we'll begin to change. 400 00:26:21,960 --> 00:26:28,200 If we start agreeing with the words written by a God who says 401 00:26:28,360 --> 00:26:33,160 my ways are higher than your ways, then essentially we're 402 00:26:33,160 --> 00:26:36,840 able to live a life that's higher than we could on our own. 403 00:26:38,160 --> 00:26:42,360 It's greater, it's supernatural. You could say, why wouldn't we 404 00:26:42,360 --> 00:26:47,040 do that? Romans 12/2 tells us that we can 405 00:26:47,040 --> 00:26:50,880 be transformed by the renewing of our mind. 406 00:26:52,520 --> 00:26:56,120 The mind being renewed is to the mind that is washed with the 407 00:26:56,120 --> 00:27:00,000 water of the word of God. It is constantly meditating on 408 00:27:00,000 --> 00:27:03,320 what God says. It's a it's a mind that's 409 00:27:03,320 --> 00:27:06,840 becoming new. It's putting off the old man. 410 00:27:06,840 --> 00:27:09,920 It's putting on the new man. And when we do that, it says 411 00:27:09,920 --> 00:27:12,960 that there's a transformation to change forms. 412 00:27:13,600 --> 00:27:18,000 I can literally be a person that I have never been before if I 413 00:27:18,000 --> 00:27:24,000 will simply read and study and apply the Christian Bible. 414 00:27:25,000 --> 00:27:31,160 You can even know what is God's will, perfect will, but you 415 00:27:31,160 --> 00:27:34,960 cannot grow spiritually without the Bible. 416 00:27:34,960 --> 00:27:40,400 This is the hiccup for many Christian people, and we know it 417 00:27:40,400 --> 00:27:42,680 is a large book. As we said, an introduction. 418 00:27:42,880 --> 00:27:47,120 It spans many subjects, many kingdoms, many authors, and it's 419 00:27:47,120 --> 00:27:50,800 easy to be intimidated by many people make New Year's 420 00:27:50,800 --> 00:27:52,920 resolutions. I'm going to read the Bible and 421 00:27:52,920 --> 00:27:56,920 we get apps that have streaks and all kinds of things going on 422 00:27:56,920 --> 00:28:01,520 to try to help us, but really we're never going to grow 423 00:28:02,360 --> 00:28:05,960 without it. Peter says that we are to desire 424 00:28:05,960 --> 00:28:11,280 the sincere milk of the word that we may grow thereby. 425 00:28:13,760 --> 00:28:18,000 If you will just nurse on the the Bible, you're going to grow 426 00:28:18,000 --> 00:28:24,520 up big and strong, but spiritual growth is different for 427 00:28:24,520 --> 00:28:27,400 different people. That isn't to say that you get 428 00:28:27,400 --> 00:28:30,160 to develop your own objectives. The Bible's very clear about 429 00:28:30,160 --> 00:28:31,480 what a Christian should be doing. 430 00:28:32,000 --> 00:28:34,680 But when you first get saved, when a person says, I believe 431 00:28:34,680 --> 00:28:38,760 what Nathan said, Jesus died on the cross and I'm just going all 432 00:28:38,760 --> 00:28:40,280 in, I believe that I need to be saved. 433 00:28:40,280 --> 00:28:42,240 I'll follow you. I want to, I want to change my 434 00:28:42,240 --> 00:28:45,840 life for you Jesus, and you become born again. 435 00:28:45,840 --> 00:28:50,120 The Bible says you're born into God's Kingdom as a babe and you 436 00:28:50,120 --> 00:28:52,640 need to start nursing on the word of God. 437 00:28:53,400 --> 00:28:58,240 But after you've known Jesus for a while, you need to develop 438 00:28:59,080 --> 00:29:01,880 into strong meat. What Hebrews chapter 5 says. 439 00:29:01,880 --> 00:29:06,120 It's time for those that are of full age to continue to study 440 00:29:06,120 --> 00:29:10,720 and go deep in the Word of God. You'll find that the book is an 441 00:29:10,720 --> 00:29:15,040 endless supply of the riches of Christ. 442 00:29:16,240 --> 00:29:17,800 You can study it for your whole life. 443 00:29:17,840 --> 00:29:22,040 I continue to study it and read it and learn new things all the 444 00:29:22,040 --> 00:29:24,720 time. But you need to be in the word 445 00:29:25,200 --> 00:29:27,280 to be able to grow and be changed. 446 00:29:28,360 --> 00:29:31,440 And lastly is that the Bible will save you. 447 00:29:35,840 --> 00:29:39,320 This one may seem obvious. We've kind of Nathan already set 448 00:29:39,320 --> 00:29:44,720 us up for that earlier, but there's no other book on the 449 00:29:44,720 --> 00:29:51,360 planet that's going to give you the record that God sent his son 450 00:29:52,280 --> 00:29:57,080 in the form of a servant to die on a cross, to exchange the just 451 00:29:57,080 --> 00:30:00,680 for the unjust, your sin, his righteousness. 452 00:30:00,680 --> 00:30:04,080 That whoever would believe in the resurrection, they'll be 453 00:30:04,080 --> 00:30:08,560 saved eternally secure, indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God-given 454 00:30:08,560 --> 00:30:11,880 a home in heaven, placed into a church family. 455 00:30:13,320 --> 00:30:15,440 There's no other record on the planet that's going to tell you 456 00:30:15,440 --> 00:30:19,120 that it all comes from this book. 457 00:30:20,040 --> 00:30:25,280 It's not a man's idea. In fact, this book is necessary 458 00:30:26,400 --> 00:30:28,400 and us comprehending that all together. 459 00:30:28,400 --> 00:30:29,920 Where else would we find this record? 460 00:30:29,920 --> 00:30:31,440 I would never find it in the city. 461 00:30:31,720 --> 00:30:34,080 I'll never find it at the office or wherever I'm at. 462 00:30:34,080 --> 00:30:36,640 You're never going to hear people outside of the Bible 463 00:30:36,640 --> 00:30:42,280 talking about the resurrection. Peter says that we're born again 464 00:30:43,440 --> 00:30:48,280 by the word of God. So it is this book that is the 465 00:30:48,280 --> 00:30:52,120 agent for us to be able to come into a relationship with the God 466 00:30:52,120 --> 00:30:57,480 of this book. Paul says that faith comes by 467 00:30:57,480 --> 00:31:03,920 hearing the word of God. So I put it to you this way, The 468 00:31:03,920 --> 00:31:10,120 Bible is so necessary to the Christian faith that you cannot 469 00:31:10,120 --> 00:31:24,930 be saved without it. You can't be saved without 470 00:31:24,930 --> 00:31:29,170 hearing the Bible, whether it's quoted or discussed or preached 471 00:31:29,170 --> 00:31:32,490 or whatever it is. Beautiful feet have to take the 472 00:31:32,490 --> 00:31:35,690 book to people that will hear it and listen and receive it. 473 00:31:37,410 --> 00:31:40,210 But you also can't be saved with the Bible while disagreeing with 474 00:31:40,210 --> 00:31:43,370 it. If you don't think it's true, it 475 00:31:43,370 --> 00:31:45,970 will do no no thing in your life. 476 00:31:48,760 --> 00:31:54,680 So when it comes to salvation, we have to choose to agree with 477 00:31:54,680 --> 00:32:02,440 God based on His word that I'm a Sinner, that my sin separates me 478 00:32:02,440 --> 00:32:05,600 from God. That Jesus died on the cross, 479 00:32:05,600 --> 00:32:09,840 was buried and rose again. That I need to accept his blood 480 00:32:09,840 --> 00:32:14,560 sacrifice to forgive me. I need to accept that Jesus is 481 00:32:14,560 --> 00:32:20,400 the Lord of my life and that I need to live to obey Him in His 482 00:32:20,400 --> 00:32:23,280 Word. If you won't agree with that, 483 00:32:24,200 --> 00:32:26,640 you can be whatever you want. You just can't be a Christian. 484 00:32:27,960 --> 00:32:31,600 This is what Christians believe, and this is where that comes 485 00:32:31,600 --> 00:32:33,520 from. Ultimately, this is the record. 486 00:32:34,560 --> 00:32:38,600 So have you ever accepted that? Has there been a time in your 487 00:32:38,600 --> 00:32:41,520 life that you said that's true? I want that to be true. 488 00:32:41,880 --> 00:32:43,960 I receive it, I believe it, I confess it. 489 00:32:45,800 --> 00:32:50,600 Well, if not, today's the day. Romans 10 says if you confess 490 00:32:50,600 --> 00:32:53,480 with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that 491 00:32:53,480 --> 00:32:55,960 God raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 492 00:32:57,080 --> 00:32:59,600 Becoming a Christian doesn't look like joining an 493 00:32:59,600 --> 00:33:03,440 organization, getting some kind of safety training, or, you 494 00:33:03,440 --> 00:33:05,440 know, some kind of conversion ritual. 495 00:33:06,680 --> 00:33:09,360 It is you agreeing with the Bible that Jesus is Lord. 496 00:33:09,360 --> 00:33:11,400 He died for you. You're a Sinner, You need Him, 497 00:33:11,440 --> 00:33:13,480 and you tell that to him. You don't have to tell it to me. 498 00:33:13,480 --> 00:33:16,440 I'm glad to help you pray, but you tell it to him. 499 00:33:17,120 --> 00:33:19,840 And the Bible says thou shalt be saved. 500 00:33:21,360 --> 00:33:23,560 You can take that to the bank that's older than me. 501 00:33:24,600 --> 00:33:27,680 Take that one to the bank. But how about us? 502 00:33:27,680 --> 00:33:29,960 Let's wrap up. We've got one more song. 503 00:33:30,240 --> 00:33:35,320 But while we're here, do you need more evidence? 504 00:33:36,880 --> 00:33:41,080 Evidence abounds and you could seek some out if you'll do it 505 00:33:41,080 --> 00:33:45,800 with an open heart. If you believe the Bible is 506 00:33:45,800 --> 00:33:49,720 true, are you letting it speak into your life? 507 00:33:51,240 --> 00:33:56,480 Are you reading it, studying it, or perhaps today? 508 00:33:56,480 --> 00:33:59,160 There's one of these things, there's several points, maybe 509 00:33:59,160 --> 00:34:02,200 there's one that you would just circle that and say I need to 510 00:34:02,200 --> 00:34:04,280 check back into that. I need to pray about that. 511 00:34:05,640 --> 00:34:08,560 How would God be speaking to you today? 512 00:34:10,920 --> 00:34:14,560 I want to take another moment to pray in response, and then we'll 513 00:34:14,560 --> 00:34:16,719 have a final song. So let me lead us in a prayer. 514 00:34:16,719 --> 00:34:25,800 And Jay, you can come and sing. God, we come, We confess that 515 00:34:26,600 --> 00:34:31,400 this word is true. And for those that still have 516 00:34:31,400 --> 00:34:33,719 questions, God, I pray that you would open their heart. 517 00:34:34,080 --> 00:34:39,199 You say that the hearing of your Word gives faith, and I pray 518 00:34:39,199 --> 00:34:46,159 that would be true today. God as a church, would you give 519 00:34:46,159 --> 00:34:51,280 us a hunger for your word? Would you help us to be people 520 00:34:51,280 --> 00:34:56,440 of the book? Would you help us to give it out 521 00:34:56,440 --> 00:34:58,400 freely? You say freely we have received. 522 00:34:58,400 --> 00:35:01,280 We want to freely give. Help us to share the good news 523 00:35:02,120 --> 00:35:07,640 with others. Use us and growing up training 524 00:35:07,640 --> 00:35:11,000 up the Saints. I pray for your people today. 525 00:35:11,000 --> 00:35:14,920 Would you bless them give them the courage, the strength even 526 00:35:14,920 --> 00:35:17,840 starting tomorrow to just keep opening it and keep reading it, 527 00:35:17,840 --> 00:35:24,200 studying it and for myself make me an example of reading study 528 00:35:24,960 --> 00:35:27,880 growth. We know that it'll produce a 529 00:35:27,880 --> 00:35:38,280 great change in US and God, when when times are tough and and we 530 00:35:38,280 --> 00:35:44,360 waver, we come back and we just cling and say, I just believe 531 00:35:44,360 --> 00:35:51,400 it's true. Would you give us a grip on your 532 00:35:51,400 --> 00:36:03,890 word that nothing can shake? Thank you for Jesus, Lord, thank 533 00:36:03,890 --> 00:36:08,010 you for all you've done for us. As we sing this next song, I 534 00:36:08,010 --> 00:36:11,370 pray that it be the desire of our heart to know you and to 535 00:36:11,370 --> 00:36:13,770 grow. I pray in Christ's name, Amen.