Bibliology Sermon Blake Jennings June 26, 2016 Turn to 2 Timothy 3 Most of us struggle to find the time to read, study, and memorize the Bible. Proverbial truth: You will ALWAYS find the time to do what you value most - So when we say that we are too busy to spend time reading the Bible NEVER true - You re never too busy to do what you value most - We re not reading b/c we don t value it as highly as we value whatever we do instead The only way to grow our time in God s Word: Grow our desire for God s Word Why is reading the Bible worth our time? 4 Reasons: 1) Absolutely true - There s not much in this world that s absolutely true even things that claim to be o If you re looking for absolute truth from human sources, you ll be disappointed - To find absolute truth, we must look beyond the human race to someone far greater o Someone who is never deceived or confused, who sees all things o That's what the Bible gives us words from the mouth of someone greater - Read 2 Tim 3:16a o Inspired = God-breathed = God s own speech o God worked through human authors - every word exactly what He wanted o = Verbal Inspiration Bible is inspired word of God all the way down to the individual words 1
- The result of verbal inspiration: Ps 119:151,160 o Absolutely without error no mistakes = inerrant o Completely true in all it teaches, whether doctrine, morality, history, science o It s as true as God is true - Not only true, but free of spin Mark 8:32-33 o Over and over the Old Testament & New Testament reveal the greatest mistakes of God s people No spin, no cover-up! Just absolute, unfiltered truth. 2) Stood the test of time - We live in a Next-Version culture o We live in a world of constant change - In the midst of constant change, we need something that doesn t change o We need an anchor we can count on something reliable, stable, permanent - Read Isa 40:8 permanent, unchanging o There will never be an update from God o Never need a new version it was perfect truth the first time! - Read Mt 5:18 o letter or stroke = jot & tittle Jot = smallest Hebrew letter looks like an apostrophe Tittle = smallest Hebrew stroke like line that distinguishes R from P o Point: not even 1 stroke of 1 letter will be annulled until God fulfills all of it o God s Word will never change and never become obsolete 2
- It s the anchor we can count on to get us through the storms of life - It s where we find proven answers to life s most important questions o Answers tested and verified for 1000 s of years in every culture, every scenario o If the Bible s teachings were not reliable, it would have died out long ago o The Bible remains. It s the most circulated book in all of human history o Why? because it s proven reliable for all people at all times in all places. 3) Leads to salvation - Most extraordinary thing about the Bible o Only the Bible can save you! Only the Bible can lead you to eternal life! - Read 2 Tim 3:15 o Reveals the way of salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. o = GOSPEL = the good news o If you haven t yet believed read John and Romans 3
4) Equips us for life - So many people dismiss this book as irrelevant - But they couldn t be more wrong! Speaks to all our most pressing issues o How to avoid shame and guilt o How to improve your marriage o How to raise your children o How to relate to the government o How to handle your money o Even current events: Harambe the gorilla Gen 1 & 2, Psalm 8 - This book provides everything you really need to live life well - Read 2 Tim 3:16-17 o equipped for every good work not some, not most, but every o Now the Bible doesn t give you the details o But does give us the key information we need to do all the good God wants us to - Bible gives you everything you need to live the life of good works God has called you to - Read Ps 119:98-99 - Read Ps 119:11 it will help you resist sin o What did Jesus do when tempted by Satan? Quoted Scripture! He used scripture to show us: this is where you find strength o This book is God s cure for temptation There s so many things competing for your time but none can give you what this book can - Absolute truth and time-tested wisdom - Can save you and equip you for life 4
Your Bible is most valuable thing you ll ever own best place to spend your time So spend time in the Word of God every day, if possible But as we spend time in God s Word it often raises challenging questions 5 common questions people have asked me about the Bible: 1. We don t have the original manuscripts, so how do we know that our Bibles are accurate? - True but true of almost all ancient literature - So what you must do: collect all the ancient copies you can find o The further back they go, the more reliable o The better they agree with one another, the more reliable - Focus on New Testament chart o Bigger the yellow circle more ancient mss we have o Close the edge of the circle to the black dot closer in time to the originals o The New Testament blows all other ancient literature out of the water! 643 copies of Homer, 49 of Aristotle, 7 of Plato 24000 of NT! Earliest copy of Homer = 500 yrs after Homer Plato Aristotle 40-70 years for the Bible! Portions within 100 yrs of Jesus entire NT early 300 s in museums - And those thousands of ancient copies agree with each other over 99% of the time o Of the <1% vast majority differences in spelling - So even though we don t have the original manuscripts, our copies are incredibly reliable sources 2. What English translation should we use? - You don t even realize how blessed you are to be able to ask that question! - Pick any of the major translations done in the last 30 years: NASB, ESV, NIV - Better yet: use multiple translations will help you better understand 5
3. Why do we have these 66 books and not others? - Key to understand: your Bible was never bigger than it is now o No books early church received as scripture, then threw out for political or personal reasons - On the contrary: their Bible was smaller than yours o For Jesus and the Apostles just the 39 books of the Old Testament! o By time of Jesus, the Jews had settled on the content of the Old Testament, and the church accepted it - But the NT took time to write, copy, and distribute to all the churches o Took decades for books of NT to be disseminated throughout Roman empire - As the New Testament books were distributed, some books were immediately accepted as scripture o 4 Gospels, Acts, and the letters of Paul = the undisputed books - But other books took longer to pass muster for one reason or another o Hebrews author not named o Revelation crazy! o = the disputed books - Debates went on until late 300 s when the churches gathered at councils o Worked out their differences and finally authorized the New Testament as you have it today - Again key: the New Testament was never bigger than what you have now o No books removed, only books added after LOTS of prayer and debate - So you have the 27 books of the New Testament because that s what God led the early church to accept 6
4. Are we really supposed to take it literally? - Problem: if you start to label some of Bible myth, then where do you stop? - Labeling any part of the Bible myth puts you on a slippery slope o Not long before they begin to dismiss all the hard stuff in the Bible o Miracles, hard theology (Trinity), uncomfortable stuff (hell, homosexuality) - Start dismissing one part of the Bible it isn t long before you ll dismiss it all - At the end of the day you must choose o Whether you stand in judgment over the Bible deciding what is true o Or kneel before the Bible accepting all of it as true even if you don t understand - First option leaves you with an empty religion of your own creation - Second option gives you an anchor to hold onto in the storms of life 7
5. How can I understand what I m reading? - Be honest: the Bible is hard to understand! - Pray for God to give you insight o It s His words and He wants you to understand so ask for His help! - Read a passage multiple times in multiple translations - Read a good commentary o Book: The Bible Knowledge Commentary o Free online: lumina.bible.org - Join a group - Remember: it s ultimately all about Jesus o Old Testament points forward to Jesus o Gospels tell us about Jesus o The New Testament looks back to Jesus 8