God Wrote a Book
God made us to know Him. He chooses to primarily reveal Himself to us through His Word.
· “God continues to reveal himself today, and the primary way he reveals himself is through the divinely inspired, inerrant, and authoritative Bible. The Bible is uniquely and solely God’s completely trustworthy revelation to us today. Scripture is the court of highest authority for Christians and their leaders, by which any alleged revelation from God is to be tested.” – Doctrine written by Mark Driscoll & Gerry Breshears
PRAY!!
The Holy Bible
The English word Bible comes from the Greek word biblia, meaning “books.”
Although the Bible has many books, it is really one book- one continuous story- with two distinct parts or “testaments,” from the Latin word testamentum, meaning “oath” or “covenant.”
· 66 Books in The Bible
o 39 Old Testament (originally written on papyrus)
o 27 New Testament (originally written on parchment)
· Written in 3 languages
o Hebrew
o Greek
o Aramaic
· Written over the span of 1500 years
· Written on 3 continents
o Asia
o Africa
o Europe
· Written by over 40 “authors”
o Kings, peasants, philosophers, fishermen, poets, statesmen, a doctor and scholars.
· The Bible consists of history, sermons, letters, songs, love letters, geographical surveys, architectural specifications, travel diaries, population statistics, family trees, inventories and legal documents.
All of these facts about the Bible are amazing but they are not what makes the Bible Holy. The power of the Scriptures is that they are God speaking His truth to us in human words. The Word of God in the words of men.
God’s Breath and Man’s Hand
· “The Bible says there are “many ways” in which the actual words of the Bible were written. Sometimes God spoke directly to the author, who simply recorded what he heard. At other times the author based much of his writings on interviews and research. And at other times, the Holy Spirit brought to mind things that Jesus taught. Regardless of the way the words came to the authors, the words they put down were an extension of them – their personalities, skills, backgrounds, and training. But they were also exactly the words God wanted them to write – the very words that God claims as his own.” – Wayne Grudem in his book Christian Beliefs
· “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.” – Doctrine by Mark Driscoll & Gerry Beshears
1 Thessalonians 2:13 – 13And we also thank God continuallybecause, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 – 16All Scripture is God-breathedand is useful for teaching,rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,17so that the servant of Godmay be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
The Bible is not just words about God but the Word of God. It is not only to be read for information but for transformation.
His Authoritative Word
Because the Bible is the divinely inspired and revealed Word of God, it is authoritative in matters of Christian belief (orthodoxy) and Christian practice (orthopraxis).
· For the Christian
o Hebrews 4:12 – 12For the word of Godis aliveand active.Sharper than any double-edged sword,it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
o Don’t Follow Your Heart / Trust the Lord with All Your Heart
§ Jeremiah 17:9 – 9The heartis deceitful above all things
and beyond cure.
Who can understand it?
§ Proverbs 3:5-6 – 5Trust in theLordwith all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
6in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your pathsstraight.
· For the Christians (The Church)
o Ephesians 5:25-27 – 25Husbands, love your wives,just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her26to make her holy,cleansingher by the washingwith water through the word,27and to present her to himselfas a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.
o John 17:17 – 17Sanctify them bythe truth; your word is truth.
Delight in His Word
Psalm 1
1Blessed is the one
who does not walkin step with the wicked
or stand in the waythat sinners take
or sitin the company of mockers,
2but whose delightis in the law of theLord,
and who meditateson his law day and night.
3That person is like a treeplanted by streamsof water,
which yields its fruitin season
and whose leafdoes not wither—
whatever they do prospers.
4Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.
5Therefore the wicked will not standin the judgment,
nor sinners in the assemblyof the righteous.
6For theLordwatches overthe way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.