When serious problems arise in your life: serious illness, loss of a job, the tragic death of a loved one, disappointment in a friend, or whatever-- to whom or to what do you turn for courage to go on? Astrology? Psychiatry? Drugs? Well, I, along with millions of others, turn to God and His word. That's our study today. We are glad you have joined us.
Welcome, my friend, to our program of Bible study In Search of the Lord's Way. We're searching for the Lord's way to become and to be a Christian. It's revealed only in the Bible and that is why it's a Bible study. We pray we will both be blessed by it today.
Since my childhood-- from the time of my first memories, I have believed the Bible to be the inspired word of God. I've read it. I have studied it persistently. I've preached it to others almost sixty years. I have trusted its promises. I've followed its teachings to the very best of my understanding. I have never doubted it. But, sometimes just the simple, plain experiences of living demand that we stop and re-examine our faith. Why should I believe what the Bible says about origins, for example-- the origin of the universe or the origin of life on the earth? Why should I believe what the Bible says about purpose-- in the universe-- and especially in the purpose of human life-- even my life? Why should I believe in the One that the Bible calls Jesus? Why should I believe He was literally, bodily raised from the dead? Why should I believe that you and I will be raised and live on somewhere after death?
Well, if you think you might want a free printed copy, or a CD or an audio cassette tape of it, simply address your request to In Search of the Lord's Way, P.O. Box 371, Edmond, OK 73083. Our e-mail address is searchtv@searchtv.org. And our toll-free telephone number is 1-800-321-8633. Of course you know you may access it at our website searchtv.org any time that is convenient for you. Everything's free, so you won't need to send money. And you don't have to fear; we are not going to add your name to a mailing list to send you a series of letters asking you to send us money. We are here, not as a money-making scheme, but as a ministry of some members of churches of Christ in the area of this station. Ken Helterbrand is our song leader and he will lead us now as we sing; and then I'll be back for Bible reading and prayer.
Our reading today is from the Hebrew letter, chapter 11, verse 1 beginning. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. By faith we understand the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.” And from this, of course, we understand, we come to understand by faith. Now let us go to God in prayer. Holy Father, we are so thankful to You that You have revealed to us the message in the Bible; and by it we come to understand some things that we don’t have any knowledge of by any other source. And we pray Your blessings upon our study today as we strengthen our faith in You and in Your word, the Bible. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen!
What we are studying about today is one of the most, if not the most, important question we'll ever ask ourselves. No one has ever lived very long on this earth without having to deal with some kind of a crisis, heart-ache, disappointment, disaster, some kind of tragedy, the loss of some kind. From the days of Job we have been searching for answers to such question: Why does evil abound? Why do good people-- little innocent children, and maybe babies even, have to suffer as they sometimes do? Where do people find the answers to these questions? How do people handle these crises in their lives? Where do they find solace, and the courage to pick up the pieces; and the direction to go on to a full and productive life? How do people see clearly through the tears that chart their future? My friend, it's by faith-- faith in something or someone that's bigger than themselves. That is the way they do it. And, some things put faith to a test. In what, or in whom, shall we trust?
It doesn't sound right for this enlightened age, but a great many people believe that not only their character, but their daily affairs and even their destiny are determined by the relationships of the heavenly bodies. They also believe that the events and the movements of history are determined by the stars and the planets. If you are familiar with the Old Testament writings, you know that when the ancient kings were faced with some difficulties, they often called in the astrologers, the stargazers, the sorcerers and the soothsayers. But the children of God were forbidden to do that. They were taught to trust in God. We're told that in our own day some of the fastest selling books in the bookstores are on astrology, and some people wouldn't begin the day without first reading their horoscope.
Others base their faith and are guided by subjective feelings. Of course, we all know that a person's feelings are subject to change. In fact, certain feelings or emotions can be (and often are) manipulated by external stimuli, such as sight, as by colors or pictures, and by sounds such as music. Visions and dreams can be induced by such things as hypnosis or drugs or even fatigue. Yet, some people are very serious about using their emotional feelings as their point of reference in life. Sincere but hurting people have called to talk to me because their feelings have been mixed and confusing them; they are left without a point of reference. Still others turn to philosophy or psychology or Eastern religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism or Islam.
Well, I'm not going to go on and on with what others believe and do. I mention these only to show that different people believe in and trust different beings or objects or ideas as their "north star" so to speak. I am just one among many millions of people now living who believe in God-- and the Bible as His message to man. But then, why should or why would we believe and trust the message of just a book, a book whose most recent parts were written almost two thousand years ago by people who knew nothing at all about life in our very complicated twentieth century-- people who never traveled any faster than a camel can run and they would be totally distraught on any one of our modern freeways, wouldn’t they? I recently read some boasting by a professed liberator, who believed that he doesn’t believe the book, but the God of the Book. Sounds like some real good thinking, doesn't it? Well, just beneath that very thin veneer of assumed spiritual superiority lies this: "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." That fellow along with the rest of us would be sorely limited in his faith in God without the word of God. My friend, I believe in God-- yes, yes, yes I believe in God-- and the Bible as His word. And here are some of the reasons why.
First is because of its antiquity. Some of the first writings in the Bible are among the oldest known writings in existence anywhere. Yet, year after year it maintains its position as the "best seller" of books in the world, even in this twenty-first century. And it's translated into more languages and dialects than any other document. There are more copies of the Bible now in print than any other book. Oh, that says something, doesn’t it? A copy of the Bible can be brought, can be bought I should say at the corner pharmacy or the book store for less than an hour's minimum wage. Copies of other ancient documents, but more recent than the Bible, are hard to find-- and if a rare copy should be found, it could be purchased only for huge sums of money. "So?" you ask. Well, that is a loud and clear voice that there just has to be something very unique and very special about the Bible, something very different about it. In fact, it is the single greatest wonder of the world when you think about it!
And, enhancing the wonder of it is that the Bible has probably been the object of more severe criticism and bitter attacks than any other document in all of history. In the second century before Christ, Antiochus Epiphanes of Syria tried to break the morale of the Jewish people by destroying their Scriptures as well as their temple. And in the third century A.D. the Roman Emperor Diocletian set out to destroy Christianity. He forbad the Christians to assemble for worship, and he burned their buildings and confiscated all the Bibles, every copy of the Bible he could find and burned them. Now those things were at the very heart and the strength of Christianity, and still are. If you remove the Bible, you have removed the strength of Christianity. Well, he even killed their owners. In as recent history as that of our own nation, back in the pioneer days, there are recorded events of Bible burnings-- efforts made to destroy the Bible.
Well, others have tried to destroy the Bible by discrediting it. Awhile back syndicated columnist Joseph Sobran, who well, he had an article that he aptly titled The Power of Jesus' Words Defies Efforts of Debunkers. And in that article he said, "Over the last century, a great body of critical scholarship has led to skepticism about the Gospels. Can we be sure they are historically accurate? Isn't it more likely that the miracles of Jesus are fables, than maybe that they really happened? How do we know if the Gospels were actually written by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John?" Well, those are some of the questions that condemn as well as to a lot of other people.
Well, Sobran goes on to say that, "These questions tend to deplete one's faith, and I have to answer them. But just when they make a doubter of me, another question the skeptics raise undermines all their skepticism: How can we be sure Jesus even said the things attributed to him?" Well, he says a lot of good things, but let me quickly get to his conclusion. He says, "It's no answer to speculate that the Gospels are all forgeries. As Tennyson said, Jesus' personality is his greatest miracle. Try making up a character who says things that men will die for, not just today, but hundreds of years from now. Easy, isn’t it? If this is just forgery, maybe we should be worshiping the forgers." Well, it's something to think about. Yet, the Bible has survived and it lives! So what I'm saying is that the Bible is a believable book. The Bible is believable, too, because of the great good and influence it has had on the world for centuries. A tree is known by its fruits. For fifteen centuries before the coming of Christ, the Ten Commandments (a biblical document) constituted the highest moral standard known to men. Then came Jesus and improved even on that. Instead of forbidding the overt act of immoral and illegitimate and unjust behavior such as murder, adultery, thievery, lying and greed, He sought to limit all such evils by changing the hearts of men. He went right to the heart of man to change it; and by changing the hearts of men He could change the world, one person at a time. His way is found only in the New Testament, friend. Some of the great leaders of our nation have recognized the good influence on our American culture.
Well, I had a long list of quotes from great people out of our nation's proud past that I was going to quote, but I don't have time for all of them. Let me just give you just one of them that seems to sum up what they all say. It's a quote from Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, Earl Warren, and it is as recent as 1954. He said, "I believe no one can read the history of our country without realizing that the Good Book and the spirit of the Savior have from the beginning been our guiding geniuses. . . Whether we look to the first Charter of Virginia. . .or to the Charter of New England. . .or to the Charter of Massachusetts (he said). . .or to the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut. . . it doesn’t make any difference where you read it; the same objective is present. . .A Christian land governed by Christian principles. (And that is what they were establishing; and that is what we are.) I believe the entire Bill of Rights came into being because of the knowledge our forefathers had of the Bible and their belief in it: freedom of belief, of expression, of assembly, of petition, the dignity of the individual, the sanctity of the home, equal justice under the law, and the reservation of powers to the people . . . I like to believe we are living today in the spirit of the Christian religion. I like also to believe that as long as we do so, no great harm can come to our country." Now, Justice Warren was a bit liberal for me in most things, but he said it right in some of the things that we quoted him in, didn't he, well all the things that we quoted him in or about?
I grew up on an Oklahoma farm in depression years. After leaving the farm, I have lived in some of the most populated areas of the world-- in Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex-- in metropolitan Perth, Western Australia and in the high-density population area of New York City. And, wherever I've lived, I have found God's word provided the most practical and noble sights into living under any and all circumstances. I've never found Bible teaching to be outdated or obsolete. It is useful, friend. It's practical. Simply stated, "It works." I pray before the day is over, you will become a Christian, an obedient believer in God and His word. Turn to Him in repentance, confess the lovely name of Jesus Christ as the Son of God; be baptized into Him at once, just as He tells you to do and all the rest of us He tells the same thing (Mark 16:16). “He who believes and is baptized will be saved.” Will you do that? Let's pray together about it. Holy Father, we are so thankful for Your word, for the great message that You have given us about where we came from, what we are doing here, what our purposes here. We thank You, Father, for the help that You provide for us through the teachings of Your word, and for the Savior that You sent us, and the new life that we can enjoy in Him. Oh, we are thankful for all of that, Lord. And we pray that You will bless this message to the hearts of people who will want to become followers of You as we read in the Bible. In the lovely, and loving, name of Jesus, we pray. Amen!
My friend, why should you and I believe in what the Bible says? Well, we have considered four reasons today. First, because of its antiquity. Parts of the Bible are among the oldest documents in existence, dating a way back to the earliest specimens of writing of any kind. That should make it priceless! And it does! Yet you can purchase a copy of it in your own language for as little as an hour's salary at the minimum wage! Secondly, the Bible is worthy of your acceptance because, in spite of all the powerful efforts to destroy it and its teachings, it still lives and millions of copies of it are sold every year. Third, the Bible is believable because of its powerful influence for good in the lives of people and nations, wherever and whenever it's read and respected it so. A tree is known by its fruits. It simply must be Divine power. And then fourthly, because it is relevant. Whether we're living in the slow-paced rural environment of the first century or in the fast-paced cities of the twenty-first century, the Bible is as practical and as vital and as a living message; it is for living people at any time.
Well, it's my hope and prayer that you will accept the Bible and its Author; that you will obey its precepts, and enjoy its precious promises. Become a Christian today, will you? Be baptized into Christ at once, will you? If you would like to know more about the Bible, you may enroll in our free Bible Correspondence Course. You may study the Bible systematically from beginning to end at your own pace in the privacy of your own home. And it's all free! And in a moment I am going to give you our address and you simply enroll in it; and it is free. All you have to do is as requested.
Our address is In Search of the Lord's Way, P.O. Box 371, Edmond, OK 73083. Our e-mail address is searchtv@searchtv.org. You may also use that address to request a free printed copy, a CD or an audio cassette tape of today's program titled, Why I Believe the Bible? If you would rather call in your request for the free correspondence course or a CD, tape or transcript, you may use our toll-free telephone number--1-800-321-8633. Well, we hope you will join us again next week, will you? God bless you and keep you; we love you.
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