Why should a person living in this highly technical age read and believe the Bible-- a book, portions of which were written many thousands of years ago by men who had never traveled any faster than a camel can run? Stay tuned and let us see.
Welcome, my friend, to our Bible study program In Search of the Lord's Way to become a Christian-- to live the Christian life-- and to be ready to go to be with the Lord when He comes to receive His own. It is so good to have you join us and I pray we will both be blessed by our study together.
As you know we make no appeals for money in these programs because we are here through the love and the generosity of friends of yours-- and ours-- who are members of churches of Christ in the area. And, hearing from you is a source of inspiration and encouragement to all of us who work with this ministry-- as well as those who support us financially.
So, if you would like to write us, our address is In Search of the Lord's Way, P.O. Box 371, Edmond, OK 73083. Our e-mail address is searchtv@aol.com. Our toll-free telephone number is 1-800-321-8633. Visit us on the web, too, at searchtv.org. And, we would love to have you pay us a visit at a nearby church of Christ. Do that; will you-- real soon if possible? If you need help locating one of those, let us help you. Ken Helterbrand is going to lead us now as we sing, then I will be back for our study.
“You must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” We have read from the second epistle to Timothy and we have been in chapter 3, read through verses 14 through 17. Now let us go to God in prayer. Holy Father, we are so thankful that we can bow before You as the Creator of the universe and the Father of our spirits and the Helper in the time of need and the Giver of all spiritual blessings in Christ and that you grant us also the material blessings that are so necessary for living in this world. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.
I read the other day that the number of people who believe the Bible to be merely an ancient book of history, or oral teachings, myths and legends has climbed to 20%, the highest percentage ever recorded. Nevertheless, this same survey, which was commissioned by the American Bible Society, showed that the percentage of people who believe the Bible to be the inspired word of God stands at an historically consistent 49%, almost half the people. The study also revealed that 93% of American households own at least one Bible, and the median number of Bibles per household was four. Perhaps every member of the family has his or her own Bible. And some members have more than one version. The version owned by most people is the King James Version (54%). Slightly more than one-fourth or 26% read the Bible at least once a week, and roughly two-thirds of the respondents agree that "the Bible answers all-- or at least most of the basic questions of life." At least 60% (that is six people out of every ten people) said that the Bible had a beneficial impact on their lives, such as giving them greater love for other people, helping them feel closer to God, providing peace, and helping them discover a sense of purpose and meaning in life. Well, I found all that, not only interesting but enlightening as well, and it encouraged me to escalate my efforts to spread this good Word around to more and more people. My! What an amazing book the Bible is! What power there is in the Bible for good! It is really a wonder that more churches don't spend more money and time preaching and teaching the Bible instead of dabbling around in psychology and philosophy, and-- well, humor I guess.
Of course, unless you are a new viewer of this program, you already know that we that believe the Bible is the living and true word of the living and True God. It is God's message to the human race! I mean it is the word of God, God whose word was the power that brought this universe and everything in it into existence. "By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. He gathereth the waters of the sea together as a heap: he lays up the foundation in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast. The Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect. The counsel of the Lord standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations." That is Psalms 8. And it is by the power of His Word that God still upholds, or sustains or supports the worlds that He made. It was at His command that the sun rose this morning, and will set this evening. It is by the authority of God's word that the morning star was shining so brightly this morning when I went out to get the newspaper. It is by the command of God that the little seed sprouted and blossomed into the beautiful flower that blooms outside your window today. No now, it isn't miraculous power that controls creation, but it is Divine power. No, not everything God does that man can't do is a miracle. Whoever came up with that definition of a miracle needs to go back and do some more home work.
The first reason I believe the Bible is the inspired word of God is because it says it is. I had a university professor who denied that. But of course, we need only to read the Bible to know that. In 2 Peter 1:19 through 21 God says, "We have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation [or origin], for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit." And in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, a part of what we read a while ago, He says, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work."
Some people write me that they believe the Bible really is the word of God alright, but they find reading it a bore and sometimes a drag to them; they prefer to have God speak to them audibly and privately a fresh, new message every day. (Well, they hear preachers say God speaks to them privately and personally like that, and oh that sounds great to a lot of people! And they make it sound like they enjoy some such a close and warm relationship with God that others don't enjoy, that old people go for that.) But that is a contradiction, my friend. The word of God (the Bible) says that God is not speaking to man that way nowadays (Hebrews 1:1 to 3). It says that in the Bible God has removed us all, has provided us all teachings that pertain to life and godliness (2 Peter 1 and 3) and we are to test such prophets' or preachers' verbal claims by the living, written word of God. In 1 John 4 and 1 God says, "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world."
The written word of God is always more authoritative than the spoken word. Now if you don't believe that is true and just the practice of life, you speak to your attorney about your will or your trust. It will stand in a court of law over the request you make in the presence of witnesses on your dying pillow. Or, you might ask him about the written deed to your property, describing its boundaries, or the written contract you made with that fellow from which you made a purchase. You see, God's word says the same thing to me as it does to you. And it says the same to us in this 21st century that it said to the people of the first century. And it will keep on saying the same thing to people as long as the world stands. Then, when time shall be no more it will even be there to judge us on the day God calls us to give account for our deeds. Yes, He is going to do that, too. The Bible tells us so.
Oh, the Bible is an incredibly marvelous book! It really is. Think about it a moment. Parts of it are among the very oldest writings of man, yet, it was the best selling book in the world last year, the year just closed a few weeks ago. And it has been so continually, year after year, after year. None, I mean not one, of the other ancient writings are so! Not even those who claim to be inspired of God. And, according to the two largest Bible publishing companies in the world, after the tragedies of 9/11, sales of Bibles increased by an amazing 40%! Why do you suppose that is? Well, "The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple" (Psalm 19:7, New King James Version)! And the millions of people, who have trusted it, have found it so. The message of the Bible is a "living" message. I mean, the teachings of the Bible are as appropriate and relevant to life today as they were when the revelation was completed in the First Century A.D. It makes that claim for itself. It says in Hebrews 4 and 12 "The word of God is living! [it is alive] and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword; piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and the intents of the heart." From the writing of its first words, there is not a nation in all of history that has not been influenced by the teachings of the Bible. And the Bible has been translated into more languages and dialects than any other document of ancient or modern times.
Another reason millions of people believe this amazing book is the actual word of God so strongly that they would stake their lives on its teaching, is because of its penmen-- who they were-- when and where they lived-- and the perfect harmony with which they wrote. Notwithstanding the fact that we are uncertain of the authorship of some parts of the Bible, it is generally agreed that there were about forty people involved in writing its sixty-six portions. From extremely different walks of life they came. Some were lowly shepherds and fishermen. Others were kings and physicians and scribes. They lived as many as fifteen or sixteen centuries apart and even on different continents. They spoke different languages. And, in spite of all that, those forty people wrote in perfect harmony-- well, about the beginning of the universe, for example, and life-- and everything else on which they wrote. You might want to compare Moses' brief description of creation in Genesis chapter one, and David's, centuries later, in the 33rd Psalm. They wrote harmoniously an amazing story of the gradual unfolding over many centuries of God's marvelous plan to reconcile sinful man to Himself. Well, some recorded history. Some wrote law. Others composed the poetry. Some prophesied and still others wrote the fulfillment of those prophecies. David, second king of Israel, wrote the Psalms and some other portions. In 2 Samuel 23 and 2 He said: "The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me. And His word was on my tongue." To the honest, open-minded student, there is one thing certain: Without Divine involvement you and I read today as an impossible achievement-- the Bible. It could never, never, never have happened without Divine involvement. If you are looking for a miracle, I am holding in my hand the greatest miracle! It is the Bible, my friend. Oh, I know some people think they have found contradictions in what they wrote, what these 40 writers wrote, but upon further and more careful study those contradictions faded away.
Jesus is the central figure of the Bible. God forbid that you or I be one of the more skeptical characters who disbelieves His deity and thinks of Him only as a-- well, let's say a-- a Will Rogers of His day. If we should think so, even then, we would have to appreciate His bits of unusual wisdom, among which, there is this: "A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that brings not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them." That is Matthew 7:23-28). Let us put the Bible to that "tree test." Ok? Belief in, and following the Bible has never done anybody anything but good, my friend. The Bible never produces anything but good. Therefore, the Bible must be all it claims to be: And judging by that rule, the Bible surely must be "The good book," God's eternal word. The second reason we can deduce that, is that it hasn't been hewn down and cast into the fire; as we read Jesus' words awhile ago. It is still here; it still lives! And, it is selling more copies than ever before!
The evil in the world is not a result of Bible teaching. Acceptance of the Bible as the way of life produces only good: love and joy and peace and longsuffering and kindness and goodness and faithfulness and gentleness and self control. Bible teaching doesn't result in the opposites of those virtues. It doesn't produce hatred, and strife and wars and idolatry, sorcery, adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness and sorcery and murders and drunkenness and lust and greed and such like. So, when put to the tree test-- may we call it the tree test, seed produces only its kind-- then the Bible comes from the source of all good-- and, friend, that source is God! Shall we pray? Thank You, Lord, for the revelation of Your word, the preservation of it so we can have it now and read it and study it and know it and follow it. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.
Well then, since we believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God, the Almighty God, all knowing God, what is our-- or, mankind's-- responsibility to that Word? Will God not hold us accountable for doing what He teaches in His Word? Modern liberal thought says "No!" There is no God. There is no accountability. There is nothing beyond the grave. When a person dies, that is the end for him. Like the Epicureans of a couple of centuries B.C, they are saying, "Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow you die." However, in Romans 14:12 God's Word says each of us "shall give account of himself to God." And, "It is appointed for men to die, after this the judgment" (Hebrews 9:27). Even modern religious liberals tell us that obedience to God's word isn't necessary; we are all saved by grace alone and no obedience to God and His teaching is necessary at all. They tell us that obeying God's word is an effort on the part of some of us to work for our salvation, and salvation is free. Jesus paid it all. But "Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, if you abide in my word, you are My disciples indeed; And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." In Galatians 5 and 7, God says, "You ran well. But, who hindered you from obeying the truth?" And Jesus said in the sermon on the mount, "Not everyone who says, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, done many wonders in Your name? Then will I declare to them, I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!" (Matthew 7:21-23). And in Hebrews 5, verses 8 and 9 God says of His Son that "Though He was a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all those who obey Him." Jesus once asked, "Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and not do the things which I say" (Luke 6:46)? I think of that so much when I hear people’s crying, "Jesus Lord," or singing "Jesus Lord of my life," but refuse-- and-- even make light of the idea of obeying Him in repentance and baptism as God teaches in His word in Acts 2:38.
Well, we are glad you were with us today. And if you would like a free printed copy or an audio cassette tape of today's message about the Inspiration and the Authority of the Bible, you may have it by sending your request to In Search of the Lord's Way, P.O. Box 371, Edmond, OK. Or, you may e-mail your address, to the address searchtv@aol.com. Or you may use our toll-free telephone number and call in your request. The number is 1-800-321-8633. Our website is at www.searchtv.org.
Say, would you invite your friends and neighbors to start studying with us next week? You might save a soul that way, just by inviting them to see this program next week, free of all appeals for money and we are paid for by friends of yours and ours in churches of Christ, who would dearly love to have you pay them a visit real soon. And I hope you will. If you need assistance in locating a congregation near you, please let us be that help. Churches of Christ are not trying to be just another denomination and I hope that if you concur in that you will join us. God bless you now. We love you. |