anchored IN TRUTH WEEK 3 BIBLICAL AUTHORITY the shoreline church SAN CLEMENTE CA
WEEK 3
BIBLICAL AUTHORITY
WEEK THREE BIBLICAL AUTHORITY SECTION ONE God Speaks to Us When I discovered your words, I devoured them. They are my joy and my heart s delight JEREMIAH 15:16 Ultimately we believe the Bible because we believe in the power and wisdom and goodness and truthfulness of the God whose authority and veracity cannot be separated from the Bible. We trust the Bible because it is God s Bible. And God being God, we have every reason to take him at his word. KEVIN DE YOUNG Humans communicate with each other through words put into structures to convey meaning. Humans speak in a shared language in order to talk to each other. In the opening chapter of the Bible we are introduced to a God who speaks. No less than ten times we read, Then God said. Certainly the God of the Bible has made His intention clear: He wants a relationship with us based upon communication. Our God is a God who speaks to us. God spoke to Adam and Eve in the Garden. God spoke to Moses from within the burning bush. God called out to Samuel in the night and rebuked Balaam through his donkey. The prophets all delivered messages God had spoken to them. God is intent upon being heard and He speaks to us clearly. But how does God speak to us today? Should we expect that God will thunder his voice to us in the same exact way he spoke to those in times past? The author of Hebrews writes,
For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. HEBREWS 4:12 Even in times past we find that Moses, David, the Prophets, and others wrote down what God said to them. They recorded the words of God and preserved them for others to hear. Keep in mind that these were not mere history books. These were the very words of God lovingly spoken to His people! They treasured the communication they received from God and carefully kept it so that it could be heard for generations to come. His words truly are living and active and cut to the deepest places of our motives, thoughts, and inclinations. When God speaks, our hearts are exposed. We come to see clearly who He is and who we are in light of His perfection. This is what it means that, the word of God is alive and powerful, and it is so for all time and to all people. The foundation of every reformation of the Holy Spirit is the Word of God made plain to the people. FRANK COOKE This statement is no less true today than it was during the time of Ezra and Nehemiah. After the Israelites returned to Jerusalem, having lived in exile under the Babylonians and Persians, Ezra the Priest read and explained the word of God to the people. They read from the Book of the Law of God and clearly explained the meaning of what was being read, helping the people understand each passage. NEHEMIAH 8:8 The Israelites had newly returned to the land God gave them. They were ready to hear the word of God and eager to respond. We learn that they were so emotionally moved that most of them wept. Ezra and the Levites quieted them saying, Hush! Don t weep! For this is a sacred day. So the people went away to eat and drink at a festive meal, to share gifts of food, and to celebrate with great joy because they had heard God s words and understood them. NEHEMIAH 8:11-12 The living word brought life to God s people and they were eager to obey it and begin experiencing the life God had promised them. The Bible that we hold in our hands today is the very word of God. It is alive and powerful. A Holy Spirit-generated reformation will always take place when we humbly allow The Bible to do its good work in our hearts and minds. Indeed, God s word with the illuminating power of the Holy Spirit is the primary way God speaks to us today. When scripture speaks, God speaks. MARTIN LUTHER
We wholeheartedly affirm that everything good in our lives is the result of the Bible being applied to us by the Holy Spirit in the journey toward Christlikeness. That is why believers love to read the Bible, memorize it, share it, discuss it, and most importantly, put it into practice. The word of God is living and active, sharper than the sharpest scalpel, and able to direct our lives toward freedom and godliness in every way. We treasure the word of God just as the people of God have from the very beginning until now. How deeply do we resonate with the Psalmists heartfelt declaration? Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path PSALM 119:105 BIBLICAL AUTHORITY SECTION ONE
SECTION ONE: QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION 1 Is engaging with God in His word something you would say is delight or duty for you in this season of life? Why? 2 3 Think about a season when you were really connecting with God through His word. What contributed to this? Like every relationship, our walk with God is based upon communication. In the Bible, God has shared everything we need for true life and godliness (2 Pet. 1:3). Based on this incredible reality, what are some of the ways you are most encouraged or challenged to grow in your love for God and His word?
WEEK THREE BIBLICAL AUTHORITY SECTION TWO What did Jesus do with the Bible? Every word of God proves true. He is a shield to all who come to him for protection. PROVERBS 30:5 The Bible is the inevitable outcome of God s continuous speech. It is the infallible declaration of His mind. A.W. TOZER Jesus is the Author of the Bible as well as its subject. For this reason, understanding how Christ treated the Scriptures is vitally important. Let s take a brief look at how God the Son related with the Bible. Jesus was a learner from an early age. When he was 12 years old on an annual trip to Jerusalem with his family, unbeknownst to his parents, he stayed behind to ask questions of the Jewish teachers in the Temple. Even at this young age, he amazed the teachers with his understanding and knowledge of the Scriptures (Luke 2:46-47). In preparation for His ministry, Jesus was baptized by John the Baptizer. At first, John protested, citing his need for baptism by Jesus. But because Jesus was obedient to do what He knew was required in the Scriptures, he explained to John that he must go through with it because it was what the Father wanted. Jesus was obedient to do all that God required of Him. He was being obedient to what He knew was required in the Scriptures (Matthew 3:15). Following His baptism, Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. Satan tempted Jesus with three appeals to act on His own behalf rather than trusting God. In each case, Jesus refuted Satan by reciting God s word to him. Listen to the heart and mind of Jesus in his three replies to Satan. The Scriptures say, People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. MATTHEW 4:4
The Scriptures also say, You must not test the Lord your God. MATTHEW 4:7 Get out of here, Satan, for the Scriptures say, You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him. MATTHEW 4:10 In each of these cases, Jesus used the memorized word of God to drive Satan away and to continue in His trust and obedience to His Father. Jesus used the power and precision of God s Word in the heat of the battle, reciting the perfect text as the situation demanded. Jesus teaches us not only to learn, memorize, and use the Scriptures, but He also shows how to understand them. He taught us that He was the Subject of the Bible and the Fulfillment of it. In Jesus most famous sermon, he explained that He had not come to abolish or wipe away the written Law of God. He said, Don t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose. MATTHEW 5:17 Thus, Jesus explained that His life mission was to fulfill the requirements written in the Law and Prophets. He went on to say, I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved. MATTHEW 5:18 He makes this point even more explicit when teaching two of his disciples while walking along the road after He had risen from the dead. As his two friends are walking, they are feeling dejected and downcast from the events of the crucifixion and discussing all that had happened in Jerusalem. Jesus joins them on the road but His identity is kept from them. When they have shared with Him all that they saw, He rebukes them for their lack of understanding saying, You foolish people! You find it so hard to believe all that the prophets wrote in the Scriptures. Wasn t it clearly predicted that the Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering his glory? Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. LUKE 24:25-27 What a Bible study that would have been! Can you imagine the Word of God Himself, the Author, the Subject, and the Fulfillment of the Bible taking these two men through the Scriptures and carefully pointing out all of the words, people, and places designed to lead them to Himself? The two later recalled how their hearts burned inside them as He taught them the Scriptures! (Luke 24:32) The Scripture was a familiar book to [the disciples on the road to Emmaus]. And what did our Lord do when He met with them? He took the book they had studied all their lives. He turned to the pages that they knew so well. He led them down by the old familiar texts. ROBERT MORRISON
What can we learn from Jesus regarding how He related with the Bible? First, we must learn the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, by asking questions and seeking answers from the earliest age possible all the way to our final breath. Disciples of Jesus are learners and adherents to the Scriptures. Second, we must memorize it and use it in the heat of the battles of our lives, especially in times of temptation. The psalmist said it so beautifully: How can a young person stay pure? By obeying Your word I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. PSALM 119:9, 11 Notice what is modeled here. The psalmist took the greatest treasure God s word and put it in the greatest place my heart for the greatest purpose that I might not sin against You. Oh, that we may follow this example! Lastly, we must heed Jesus correction to the two disciples on the road and seek to continually understand how Christ is the center of God s plan by learning to see how the entire Bible points to Him. It s been said that the Scriptures first give us a picture of Jesus and then that picture transforms into a mirror showing us ourselves; this mirror then finally turns into a window through which we see the world. This is a fitting metaphor for how the word of God illuminates our understanding and helps us see clearly the truth about Jesus, ourselves, and His plans for the world. The Scriptures were central to Jesus life, and they are central to our lives as His followers. BIBLICAL AUTHORITY SECTION TWO
SECTION TWO: QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION 1 2 3 Two of the disciples were privileged to hear a unique Bible study in which Jesus shared from the Law and the Prophets all of the Scriptures which concerned Himself. These disciples were blow away saying, Didn t our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us? Have you ever experienced God s word burning within you? Can you think of a time when a particular Bible verse or story impacted your life in a significant way because you had committed it to memory? What are the benefits of memorizing Scriptures versus simply reading them? In the New Testament Paul writes, Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil (Ephesians 6:10-11). The sword of the Spirit is the word of God (Ephesians 6:17) and drawing upon its truth during times of trial and opposition secures the believer against Satan s inevitable attacks (Matthew 4:1-11). Can you see how God s word could be used as a sword of defense? In what ways have you experienced this to be true?
WEEK THREE BIBLICAL AUTHORITY SECTION THREE Waiting on the World to Change To see lonely, selfish, empty individuals transformed slowly but surely into warm, loving, wholesome, and happy people is to become aware of why Paul describes Christ as unsearchable riches. RAY STEDMAN The appearance of Jesus in our midst has made it undeniably clear that changing the human heart and changing human society are not separate tasks, but are as interconnected as the two beams of the cross. HENRY NOUWEN Transformation in the lives of believers is guaranteed to be thorough and dramatic as we are shaped away from the world and toward the Christlikeness. Television shows have mastered the art of the before and after drama, whether it is weight loss or home remodeling, we can hardly wait for the big reveal! When we finally get to see the total and complete transformation we marvel in awe of the difference. The Bible is God s number one way for transforming believers from wandering souls to sanctified saints and this too is thorough and dramatic. Listen to how the Bible is used by God to transform our lives. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work 2 TIMOTHY 3:16 Don t copy the behavior and customs of this world, by let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. ROMANS 12:2
The Bible is God s inspired word, literally breathed-out of Him for us. It is powerfully useful to teach us, awaken our realization, correct our way, lead us toward what is right, and perform every good thing on earth! When our thinking, habits, and desires are being trained by the Bible we are in a dramatic process of transformation. We begin to think and do differently in everything: relationships, work, family, free time, conversations, hobbies there is a total makeover in progress! All of this occurs in our lives because we are being trained by the God s word. What is it about this Bible that makes it so powerfully effective in our lives? In short, the Bible is the living and powerful Word of God. It was written by One Author, God s Holy Spirit, through over 40 human authors over a span of 1,500 years on 3 different continents and in 3 languages. And yet, it has One Subject, the saving work of God through Jesus Christ, and is without contradiction. In describing how the Bible was written by God through humans, Peter said this, Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet s own understanding, or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God. 2 PETER 1:20 God inspired the human authors to write what He intended, without violating their personality or circumstances, He carried them along to the very words He wanted to say to His world. The Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John were written from eyewitness accounts and were recorded shortly after the time of Jesus. The letters of Paul, Peter, John and others were in early circulation and used by the earliest believers even before they were collected into one book. People who were providentially prepared by God, and motivated and superintended by the Holy Spirit, spoke and wrote according to their own personalities and circumstances in such a way that their words are the very Word of God. God s supernatural guidance of the writers and their situations enabled them to receive and communicate all God would have us know for his glory and our salvation. We call this divine inspiration. Putting it a bit more technically, the writings themselves have the quality of being God-breathed. It is not the authors or the process that is inspired, but the writings. MARK DRISCOLL & GERRY BRESHEARS We affirm this central and unchanging truth: THE BIBLE HAS DECISIVE AUTHORITY OVER WHAT WE SAY AND DO. Its authority derives from it being God s Word. It is the precious work of God in our lives to transform us, and, because it was written by the same Holy Spirit who has come to indwell us, our hearts agree that it is leading us to become more and more like Jesus. Our hearts beat with the Psalmist when he says, How sweet your words taste to me; they are sweeter than honey. PSALM 119:103
BIBLICAL AUTHORITY SECTION THREE
SECTION THREE: QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION 1 2 3 Briefly describe how you have related to the Bible throughout the course of your life. Has it been authoritative to you? How has your view changed? What excites you about the potential of your life changing as a result of engaging with God in His Word? What causes you concern about this? If transformation is the expectation of every believer in Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17; Romans 8:29; Hebrews 5:11-14), what role do you feel the Bible plays in this transformation?
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