WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.879 Well, again, welcome to you. 00:00:03.960 --> 00:00:05.940 Those of you that we didn't get to welcome at the beginning, 00:00:06.100 --> 00:00:08.640 welcome to you now on behalf of Church of the Advent. 00:00:08.820 --> 00:00:11.300 If you're new, really glad that you're here. 00:00:11.439 --> 00:00:12.060 My name's Tommy. 00:00:12.580 --> 00:00:14.019 If I haven't had a chance to meet you, 00:00:14.099 --> 00:00:16.740 hopefully we'll get a chance to do so after the service. 00:00:17.240 --> 00:00:19.160 There'll be some refreshments in the room next door 00:00:19.160 --> 00:00:21.980 if you'd like to hang around and get to know some new, 00:00:22.539 --> 00:00:24.560 see some new faces and shake some new hands. 00:00:25.379 --> 00:00:27.300 Before we do that, in the midst of this service, 00:00:27.300 --> 00:00:29.000 we're, as Dan said a moment ago, 00:00:29.000 --> 00:00:31.440 we're at this place in our gathering 00:00:31.440 --> 00:00:34.079 where we turn our attention to God's Word. 00:00:34.439 --> 00:00:36.159 We do that knowing that people come 00:00:36.159 --> 00:00:39.420 from all different backgrounds and sets of assumptions. 00:00:40.120 --> 00:00:42.000 Some of you are here as followers of Jesus, 00:00:42.159 --> 00:00:43.019 and some of you are here, 00:00:43.340 --> 00:00:44.439 you're not sure what you believe. 00:00:45.000 --> 00:00:45.859 And some of you are here, 00:00:45.939 --> 00:00:47.219 and maybe you already decided 00:00:47.219 --> 00:00:48.980 that there's nothing here for you. 00:00:49.840 --> 00:00:51.260 And so what we're gonna do today 00:00:51.260 --> 00:00:53.280 is we're gonna look at God's Word, 00:00:53.400 --> 00:00:54.799 the Bible, in light of that. 00:00:55.600 --> 00:00:58.340 We are doing a series in this season 00:00:58.340 --> 00:01:00.580 of the church calendar, which is called Lent. 00:01:02.280 --> 00:01:03.940 And this is a series where we're looking 00:01:03.940 --> 00:01:06.120 at some of the various habits and practices 00:01:06.120 --> 00:01:09.980 that Christians engage in 00:01:09.980 --> 00:01:14.620 as we seek to grow and mature in our faith. 00:01:15.780 --> 00:01:18.000 These are habits that Tom Wright 00:01:18.000 --> 00:01:20.920 sort of calls freedom habits. 00:01:22.180 --> 00:01:23.020 Freedom habits. 00:01:23.140 --> 00:01:24.200 Now, when you hear that, you think, 00:01:24.200 --> 00:01:26.200 well, there's nothing about habit 00:01:26.780 --> 00:01:28.040 that sounds like freedom. 00:01:28.140 --> 00:01:29.840 They sound opposed, actually. 00:01:31.079 --> 00:01:32.859 But, you know, the image is this. 00:01:32.939 --> 00:01:34.120 Imagine if you're a slave 00:01:34.120 --> 00:01:37.020 and you've lived your entire life in captivity, 00:01:37.159 --> 00:01:38.719 and then one day somebody comes along 00:01:38.719 --> 00:01:40.260 and they unlock the cage 00:01:40.260 --> 00:01:43.000 and the chains drop from your hands. 00:01:43.000 --> 00:01:45.239 Well, what do you do? 00:01:46.760 --> 00:01:48.480 See, technically you've been freed, 00:01:48.640 --> 00:01:51.140 but you're still going to think like a slave. 00:01:51.260 --> 00:01:53.599 You're still going to have desires like a slave. 00:01:53.719 --> 00:01:55.260 You're still going to live like a slave. 00:01:56.280 --> 00:01:58.200 And so you would then have to begin to learn 00:01:58.200 --> 00:02:00.819 how to think and to live like a free person. 00:02:01.500 --> 00:02:03.480 And so this is the image that Wright uses. 00:02:03.620 --> 00:02:05.319 He says, Christians have been set free 00:02:05.319 --> 00:02:06.840 by the power of Jesus Christ. 00:02:07.579 --> 00:02:08.659 We have the freedom of knowing 00:02:08.659 --> 00:02:10.460 that we're fully known and fully loved 00:02:10.460 --> 00:02:11.659 by the God of the universe. 00:02:12.960 --> 00:02:16.060 And yet our minds and our hearts 00:02:16.060 --> 00:02:20.180 and our lives would still convince anyone watching 00:02:20.180 --> 00:02:23.719 that we are still, in fact, slaves to sin and death. 00:02:23.760 --> 00:02:27.560 And so we have to learn how to live this freedom out. 00:02:27.620 --> 00:02:30.420 And so we're talking about what these habits might be. 00:02:31.879 --> 00:02:34.400 And so for those who are here who are Christians, 00:02:34.400 --> 00:02:39.280 this is, we're asking how we grow in our faith. 00:02:39.280 --> 00:02:41.319 For those who are here who are not Christians 00:02:41.319 --> 00:02:42.580 or not sure what you believe, 00:02:43.500 --> 00:02:44.560 you know, one of the main reasons 00:02:44.560 --> 00:02:48.460 that people don't take the claims of Christianity seriously 00:02:48.460 --> 00:02:50.879 are because they look at Christians 00:02:50.879 --> 00:02:52.719 and they wonder, does this faith 00:02:52.719 --> 00:02:56.400 actually make any difference in their lives? 00:02:57.340 --> 00:02:59.020 And so what we're really focusing on 00:02:59.020 --> 00:03:01.699 is what kind of change or transformation 00:03:01.699 --> 00:03:06.280 can we expect in this life as Christians? 00:03:06.280 --> 00:03:10.060 And so tonight's focus is really a foundational one 00:03:10.060 --> 00:03:12.900 and that is the focus is Scripture itself. 00:03:13.060 --> 00:03:15.020 The role of Scripture 00:03:15.020 --> 00:03:18.360 and the ways we habitually engage Scripture 00:03:18.360 --> 00:03:21.060 in our following of Christ. 00:03:21.479 --> 00:03:23.099 A lot of people, a lot of Christians, 00:03:23.219 --> 00:03:24.199 a lot of people in this church 00:03:24.199 --> 00:03:27.219 say various forms of the same thing to me, 00:03:27.280 --> 00:03:29.039 which is, yeah, I believe in Jesus 00:03:29.039 --> 00:03:29.819 and I follow Jesus, 00:03:29.920 --> 00:03:31.039 but why bother with the Bible? 00:03:32.460 --> 00:03:33.780 You know, why bother with it? 00:03:33.780 --> 00:03:35.360 It's hard to understand 00:03:35.360 --> 00:03:37.240 and I don't even really know if I can trust it 00:03:37.240 --> 00:03:38.800 and everybody thinks it says something different 00:03:38.800 --> 00:03:40.140 and so why bother with it? 00:03:40.219 --> 00:03:41.140 Why not just follow Jesus? 00:03:41.939 --> 00:03:43.639 So that's what we're going to talk about tonight 00:03:43.639 --> 00:03:44.379 and we're going to do so 00:03:44.379 --> 00:03:47.340 by looking at 2 Timothy chapter 3. 00:03:47.460 --> 00:03:50.280 We're going to focus on verses 14, 15, and 16 00:03:50.280 --> 00:03:53.000 to help us understand the role of Scripture 00:03:53.000 --> 00:03:53.840 in our lives. 00:03:54.840 --> 00:03:55.460 Fair warning, 00:03:55.639 --> 00:03:57.319 there's going to be more teaching tonight 00:03:57.319 --> 00:03:58.060 than preaching. 00:03:58.759 --> 00:04:00.819 I'm going to probably be giving more information 00:04:00.819 --> 00:04:02.180 than I normally do 00:04:02.180 --> 00:04:04.580 and hopefully you'll understand the reason for that, 00:04:04.680 --> 00:04:06.219 but there's going to be more information 00:04:06.219 --> 00:04:07.640 and so some of you are note takers 00:04:07.640 --> 00:04:08.460 and some of you aren't, 00:04:08.759 --> 00:04:10.900 but if you are not a note taker, 00:04:11.000 --> 00:04:14.020 this might be a time when you want to jot things down 00:04:14.020 --> 00:04:15.620 if there are things that I bring up or hit on 00:04:15.620 --> 00:04:17.199 that you want to follow up on. 00:04:18.519 --> 00:04:19.879 Just so fair warning, 00:04:20.019 --> 00:04:20.579 I'm going to, 00:04:20.759 --> 00:04:21.959 but you'll understand why, 00:04:22.220 --> 00:04:23.399 hopefully as we get into it. 00:04:23.399 --> 00:04:24.979 But we're going to see two things 00:04:24.979 --> 00:04:27.679 from this passage in 2 Timothy, 00:04:27.819 --> 00:04:28.699 Paul's letter to Timothy, 00:04:28.839 --> 00:04:30.779 his sort of protege in the ministry. 00:04:31.359 --> 00:04:32.979 We're going to see the origin of Scripture 00:04:32.979 --> 00:04:34.919 and we're going to see the purpose of Scripture 00:04:34.919 --> 00:04:37.339 and how knowing that helps us understand 00:04:37.339 --> 00:04:39.839 why Scripture is central in the life 00:04:39.839 --> 00:04:41.060 of those who follow Christ. 00:04:41.239 --> 00:04:41.819 So let's pray. 00:04:45.599 --> 00:04:47.419 Our Father, far be it from us 00:04:47.419 --> 00:04:50.819 to put our faith in the words of human beings. 00:04:50.819 --> 00:04:53.500 Lord, our hope tonight is not 00:04:53.500 --> 00:04:56.459 that we would be moved or inspired 00:04:56.459 --> 00:04:59.379 or that we would think differently 00:04:59.379 --> 00:05:01.519 because of anything that human beings 00:05:01.519 --> 00:05:03.879 might have said or might say tonight. 00:05:04.819 --> 00:05:07.159 Rather, our hope is that these spoken words 00:05:07.159 --> 00:05:11.300 would faithfully lead us into your written word 00:05:11.300 --> 00:05:13.500 and that your written word would reveal to us 00:05:13.500 --> 00:05:15.060 the living word, Jesus Christ. 00:05:15.180 --> 00:05:16.560 And we pray this, Lord, for our glory, 00:05:16.699 --> 00:05:18.379 but also for our good, 00:05:18.459 --> 00:05:19.579 but also for your glory. 00:05:19.579 --> 00:05:21.819 That you would be glorified 00:05:21.819 --> 00:05:23.500 as we encounter you afresh tonight. 00:05:23.859 --> 00:05:25.240 We pray this in your Son's name. 00:05:25.539 --> 00:05:25.800 Amen. 00:05:27.079 --> 00:05:30.060 So first of all, we see the origin of Scripture. 00:05:30.279 --> 00:05:31.399 Where does the Bible come from? 00:05:32.319 --> 00:05:33.479 When I say the Bible, 00:05:33.560 --> 00:05:34.459 I'm talking about something 00:05:34.459 --> 00:05:36.579 that's really quite a unique work. 00:05:37.319 --> 00:05:38.599 It's not really like anything else 00:05:38.599 --> 00:05:39.939 you're going to see out there. 00:05:40.219 --> 00:05:42.860 It has two sections, right? 00:05:42.899 --> 00:05:43.899 So it's like a two-act play, 00:05:43.979 --> 00:05:46.399 the Old Testament and the New Testament. 00:05:46.500 --> 00:05:48.379 And you'll notice your Bible is pretty lopsided. 00:05:48.379 --> 00:05:49.939 A lot of it is Old Testament, 00:05:50.100 --> 00:05:51.519 and then there's just a little bit in the front, 00:05:51.600 --> 00:05:52.420 which is the New Testament. 00:05:53.980 --> 00:05:55.300 And so you can think of it as though 00:05:55.300 --> 00:05:57.240 the Old Testament lays the foundation 00:05:57.240 --> 00:05:59.620 for what happens in the New, 00:05:59.819 --> 00:06:01.819 and the New Testament fulfills 00:06:01.819 --> 00:06:03.779 everything that's predicted in the Old. 00:06:03.920 --> 00:06:05.079 That's kind of their relationship. 00:06:06.540 --> 00:06:08.259 It's made up of 66 books. 00:06:08.259 --> 00:06:12.420 It's been composed over the course 00:06:12.420 --> 00:06:14.159 of about a thousand years. 00:06:15.480 --> 00:06:17.599 It was originally written 00:06:17.599 --> 00:06:18.779 in many different languages, 00:06:19.500 --> 00:06:20.899 mostly Greek and Hebrew, 00:06:21.079 --> 00:06:22.699 but also some other ancient languages 00:06:22.699 --> 00:06:23.539 are found in there. 00:06:24.539 --> 00:06:26.959 It's been composed by as many 00:06:26.959 --> 00:06:28.779 as 40 different authors. 00:06:29.740 --> 00:06:31.819 It's been composed in places 00:06:31.819 --> 00:06:34.079 as far apart as Babylon and Rome. 00:06:34.079 --> 00:06:37.279 So if you think about all this, 00:06:37.359 --> 00:06:38.439 you realize that the first thing 00:06:38.439 --> 00:06:39.599 we've got to recognize about the Bible 00:06:39.599 --> 00:06:40.819 is it's not really a book. 00:06:42.039 --> 00:06:43.079 It's a library. 00:06:44.399 --> 00:06:45.859 It's an entire library 00:06:45.859 --> 00:06:47.879 spanning a thousand years, 00:06:48.079 --> 00:06:49.699 multiple authors, cultures, societies, 00:06:49.860 --> 00:06:50.939 historical contexts. 00:06:52.959 --> 00:06:54.060 But of all the things 00:06:54.060 --> 00:06:55.039 that make the Bible unique, 00:06:55.180 --> 00:06:56.919 the most unique thing about the Bible, 00:06:57.299 --> 00:06:59.439 which makes it unlike any other work, 00:06:59.439 --> 00:07:00.839 is its origin. 00:07:01.040 --> 00:07:02.779 The Bible is, as Paul says, 00:07:03.420 --> 00:07:05.000 breathed out by God. 00:07:05.120 --> 00:07:07.240 It is God breathed. 00:07:08.620 --> 00:07:09.420 So ultimately, 00:07:09.579 --> 00:07:11.240 the church didn't write the Bible. 00:07:12.680 --> 00:07:13.360 You know, people think, 00:07:13.439 --> 00:07:14.180 well, the church, you know, 00:07:14.199 --> 00:07:14.879 the church formed, 00:07:14.959 --> 00:07:15.459 we got together, 00:07:15.540 --> 00:07:15.800 they said, 00:07:15.860 --> 00:07:16.860 we've got to have some documents, 00:07:16.980 --> 00:07:18.279 so the church wrote the Bible 00:07:18.279 --> 00:07:19.759 and then started copying the Bible 00:07:19.759 --> 00:07:20.540 and that's how it happened. 00:07:20.620 --> 00:07:20.899 No. 00:07:22.779 --> 00:07:23.879 What Paul's saying is 00:07:23.879 --> 00:07:25.620 the church didn't write the Bible 00:07:25.620 --> 00:07:28.019 that God, 00:07:28.720 --> 00:07:30.920 using all different kinds of authors 00:07:30.920 --> 00:07:32.800 and contexts and genres, 00:07:33.639 --> 00:07:36.300 from poetry to history to prose 00:07:36.300 --> 00:07:39.540 to even parts of it that are liturgy, 00:07:41.399 --> 00:07:43.240 that God, through all of these means, 00:07:43.480 --> 00:07:45.139 wrote the Bible for the church. 00:07:48.600 --> 00:07:50.120 So God breathed 00:07:50.120 --> 00:07:52.819 is a very carefully chosen phrase. 00:07:53.459 --> 00:07:54.660 What this means, by the way, 00:07:54.660 --> 00:07:56.600 is that the authors weren't automatons. 00:07:57.520 --> 00:07:59.880 You know, they weren't word processors 00:07:59.880 --> 00:08:00.660 with legs. 00:08:01.080 --> 00:08:02.220 I used to hear this phrase, 00:08:02.320 --> 00:08:03.400 especially before I was a Christian, 00:08:03.600 --> 00:08:04.340 and I thought that somebody 00:08:04.340 --> 00:08:04.960 would be walking along 00:08:04.960 --> 00:08:05.400 and all of a sudden 00:08:05.400 --> 00:08:07.440 they would be seized up by God 00:08:07.440 --> 00:08:08.740 and they would just start writing. 00:08:09.260 --> 00:08:09.440 You know? 00:08:09.840 --> 00:08:10.420 And they would just, 00:08:10.600 --> 00:08:11.100 and all of a sudden 00:08:11.100 --> 00:08:11.620 they'd be like, oh! 00:08:11.960 --> 00:08:12.460 And they would look 00:08:12.460 --> 00:08:12.900 and they would be like, 00:08:12.960 --> 00:08:13.580 what is this? 00:08:13.640 --> 00:08:14.520 Where did this come from? 00:08:14.879 --> 00:08:16.640 And that's not at all 00:08:16.640 --> 00:08:17.260 what he's saying. 00:08:17.800 --> 00:08:19.500 He's saying it's God breathed. 00:08:19.560 --> 00:08:21.220 And I think the best image of this 00:08:21.220 --> 00:08:22.680 comes from the Bible itself. 00:08:22.680 --> 00:08:24.860 There's a place in 2 Peter 00:08:24.860 --> 00:08:26.819 where Peter's talking about 00:08:26.819 --> 00:08:28.600 where Scripture comes from 00:08:28.600 --> 00:08:29.040 and he says, 00:08:29.600 --> 00:08:30.740 in 1 Peter 1.21, 00:08:31.139 --> 00:08:33.299 For no prophecy was ever produced 00:08:33.299 --> 00:08:34.399 by the will of man, 00:08:35.120 --> 00:08:36.799 but men spoke from God 00:08:36.799 --> 00:08:38.180 as they were carried along 00:08:38.180 --> 00:08:39.180 by the Holy Spirit. 00:08:39.680 --> 00:08:41.039 As they were carried along. 00:08:41.159 --> 00:08:43.100 Now, this same word shows up 00:08:43.100 --> 00:08:44.379 in Acts chapter 27. 00:08:45.960 --> 00:08:47.019 You know, Paul and his crew, 00:08:47.180 --> 00:08:47.740 they're in a boat 00:08:47.740 --> 00:08:48.919 and they put up their sails 00:08:48.919 --> 00:08:50.360 and a storm comes along 00:08:50.360 --> 00:08:50.879 and it says, 00:08:51.159 --> 00:08:52.899 the storm, the wind was so strong 00:08:52.899 --> 00:08:54.439 that in the boat 00:08:54.439 --> 00:08:55.639 they were driven along. 00:08:56.259 --> 00:08:57.620 And they just had to submit 00:08:57.620 --> 00:08:58.959 to the direction of the wind. 00:08:59.000 --> 00:08:59.819 It was too strong. 00:09:00.079 --> 00:09:00.839 They couldn't turn 00:09:00.839 --> 00:09:02.240 either to the right or the left. 00:09:02.319 --> 00:09:03.079 They were driven along. 00:09:03.159 --> 00:09:04.039 It's the same word. 00:09:04.959 --> 00:09:05.799 The idea being 00:09:05.799 --> 00:09:07.339 that these biblical authors, 00:09:07.779 --> 00:09:09.179 these 40-some biblical authors, 00:09:09.679 --> 00:09:09.919 you know, 00:09:09.979 --> 00:09:11.240 they put the sail up 00:09:11.240 --> 00:09:11.979 of their life, 00:09:12.399 --> 00:09:13.419 but the Holy Spirit 00:09:13.419 --> 00:09:14.279 was the wind. 00:09:14.399 --> 00:09:15.339 It filled the sail. 00:09:15.439 --> 00:09:16.419 It determined the course. 00:09:16.419 --> 00:09:17.459 So they sat down 00:09:17.459 --> 00:09:17.979 and they wrote 00:09:17.979 --> 00:09:19.319 to their various 00:09:19.319 --> 00:09:20.679 historical contexts. 00:09:21.419 --> 00:09:22.439 They wrote to the political 00:09:22.439 --> 00:09:24.039 and social and economic issues 00:09:24.039 --> 00:09:24.699 of their day. 00:09:25.419 --> 00:09:26.659 They wrote with their own 00:09:26.659 --> 00:09:27.620 distinctive voice, 00:09:27.740 --> 00:09:28.939 their own turns of phrase, 00:09:29.059 --> 00:09:30.439 their own favorite language. 00:09:30.779 --> 00:09:32.339 They wrote representing 00:09:32.339 --> 00:09:33.240 their own culture, 00:09:33.379 --> 00:09:34.120 their own dialect, 00:09:34.479 --> 00:09:37.240 their own sense of poetry, 00:09:37.479 --> 00:09:38.719 their own ability. 00:09:38.860 --> 00:09:39.439 They wrote within 00:09:39.439 --> 00:09:40.919 all of these constraints 00:09:40.919 --> 00:09:41.620 and yet, 00:09:42.480 --> 00:09:43.819 they did so in a way 00:09:43.820 --> 00:09:45.680 that reflects exactly 00:09:45.680 --> 00:09:46.940 what God wants them to say. 00:09:48.320 --> 00:09:49.680 So God is able 00:09:49.680 --> 00:09:52.860 to use their distinctive personalities 00:09:52.860 --> 00:09:54.760 and to not violate 00:09:54.760 --> 00:09:55.720 who they are 00:09:55.720 --> 00:09:57.360 to deliver his message 00:09:57.360 --> 00:09:58.700 and they're able to write 00:09:58.700 --> 00:10:00.500 in a way that doesn't violate 00:10:00.500 --> 00:10:01.780 what God wants to say. 00:10:02.000 --> 00:10:03.520 It's God-breathed. 00:10:05.000 --> 00:10:06.060 So I know this raises 00:10:06.060 --> 00:10:06.700 some questions 00:10:06.700 --> 00:10:08.100 and it raises some objections. 00:10:08.320 --> 00:10:09.060 The first being, 00:10:09.480 --> 00:10:10.180 well, people say, 00:10:10.260 --> 00:10:10.640 well, okay, 00:10:10.940 --> 00:10:11.640 Peter and Paul, 00:10:11.720 --> 00:10:12.240 they're talking about 00:10:12.240 --> 00:10:12.860 the Old Testament. 00:10:12.960 --> 00:10:13.720 What about the New Testament? 00:10:14.820 --> 00:10:15.420 Does this apply 00:10:15.420 --> 00:10:16.440 to the New Testament as well? 00:10:17.680 --> 00:10:18.720 What we need to understand 00:10:18.720 --> 00:10:19.800 is that when the apostles 00:10:19.800 --> 00:10:21.060 began to die out, 00:10:22.240 --> 00:10:23.379 when the apostles, 00:10:23.520 --> 00:10:24.000 these are people 00:10:24.000 --> 00:10:25.600 who had seen Jesus face-to-face, 00:10:25.680 --> 00:10:26.060 they knew him, 00:10:26.100 --> 00:10:27.320 they had been trained by him 00:10:27.320 --> 00:10:28.800 and their purpose 00:10:28.800 --> 00:10:29.860 as given by him 00:10:29.860 --> 00:10:32.220 was to send his word out 00:10:32.220 --> 00:10:33.200 to continue his teaching. 00:10:34.080 --> 00:10:35.500 When they began to die out, 00:10:35.720 --> 00:10:37.500 they and their secretaries, 00:10:37.620 --> 00:10:38.260 their associates, 00:10:38.420 --> 00:10:38.960 their assistants 00:10:38.960 --> 00:10:40.360 began to write 00:10:40.360 --> 00:10:41.460 their teaching down 00:10:41.460 --> 00:10:43.140 and these became letters 00:10:43.139 --> 00:10:44.559 that were then circulated 00:10:44.559 --> 00:10:46.860 to all of the known churches. 00:10:48.120 --> 00:10:49.759 And so from the very beginning, 00:10:49.899 --> 00:10:50.539 their teachings 00:10:50.539 --> 00:10:51.120 were treated 00:10:51.120 --> 00:10:52.299 with the same authority 00:10:52.299 --> 00:10:53.740 as the rest of Scripture. 00:10:54.439 --> 00:10:55.620 So you actually have places 00:10:55.620 --> 00:10:57.139 like 2 Peter 3 00:10:57.139 --> 00:10:59.059 where at the very end, 00:10:59.199 --> 00:11:01.299 Peter refers to Paul's letters 00:11:01.299 --> 00:11:02.559 as Scripture. 00:11:02.679 --> 00:11:02.939 He says, 00:11:03.039 --> 00:11:03.460 now I know 00:11:03.460 --> 00:11:05.000 that there are some things 00:11:05.000 --> 00:11:06.879 that are hard to understand 00:11:06.879 --> 00:11:07.779 in Paul's letters 00:11:07.779 --> 00:11:09.679 as with the rest of Scripture. 00:11:09.679 --> 00:11:12.059 So you see Peter 00:11:12.059 --> 00:11:13.199 right there 00:11:13.199 --> 00:11:14.120 acknowledging 00:11:14.120 --> 00:11:15.079 that Paul's writing 00:11:15.079 --> 00:11:16.699 is part of 00:11:16.699 --> 00:11:17.699 what is recognized 00:11:17.699 --> 00:11:18.459 as Holy Scripture. 00:11:19.839 --> 00:11:20.879 And then you have 00:11:20.879 --> 00:11:22.319 the earliest Christian writers 00:11:22.319 --> 00:11:23.039 like Clement 00:11:23.039 --> 00:11:24.779 who quote 00:11:24.779 --> 00:11:26.279 New Testament writings 00:11:26.279 --> 00:11:27.719 right alongside 00:11:27.719 --> 00:11:29.019 the Old Testament writings 00:11:29.019 --> 00:11:30.000 as Scripture. 00:11:31.139 --> 00:11:32.359 And by the end 00:11:32.359 --> 00:11:33.319 of the first century, 00:11:33.599 --> 00:11:34.339 Paul's letters 00:11:34.339 --> 00:11:35.099 were already 00:11:35.099 --> 00:11:35.839 in circulation. 00:11:36.099 --> 00:11:36.759 And we know this 00:11:36.759 --> 00:11:39.819 because in the very early part 00:11:39.819 --> 00:11:40.879 of the second century, 00:11:41.019 --> 00:11:41.679 Justin Martyr 00:11:41.679 --> 00:11:42.919 refers to 00:11:42.919 --> 00:11:44.500 the writings of Paul. 00:11:47.159 --> 00:11:48.240 So some of you hear this 00:11:48.240 --> 00:11:48.519 and you say, 00:11:48.620 --> 00:11:48.980 well, okay, 00:11:49.120 --> 00:11:49.259 well, 00:11:50.039 --> 00:11:51.080 all this is fine and well 00:11:51.080 --> 00:11:51.519 if you lived 00:11:51.519 --> 00:11:52.340 in the second century. 00:11:53.539 --> 00:11:55.419 But these books 00:11:55.419 --> 00:11:56.399 that we have today, 00:11:56.500 --> 00:11:57.000 this Bible 00:11:57.000 --> 00:11:57.860 is a translation 00:11:57.860 --> 00:11:58.600 of a translation 00:11:58.600 --> 00:11:59.200 of a translation 00:11:59.200 --> 00:12:00.519 and it's got all kinds of errors 00:12:00.519 --> 00:12:01.019 and who knows 00:12:01.019 --> 00:12:01.539 what they had 00:12:01.539 --> 00:12:02.519 but this is definitely not it. 00:12:03.039 --> 00:12:03.179 You know, 00:12:03.220 --> 00:12:04.340 this was very obviously 00:12:04.340 --> 00:12:05.620 published by Crossway. 00:12:06.759 --> 00:12:07.139 You know, 00:12:07.319 --> 00:12:07.759 and you say, 00:12:07.840 --> 00:12:07.899 well, 00:12:07.919 --> 00:12:08.759 that's not what 00:12:08.759 --> 00:12:09.539 you're talking about. 00:12:10.539 --> 00:12:11.360 And what we have 00:12:11.360 --> 00:12:11.819 to understand 00:12:11.819 --> 00:12:12.439 is that's actually 00:12:12.439 --> 00:12:12.939 not true. 00:12:13.080 --> 00:12:14.100 This is actually 00:12:14.100 --> 00:12:16.000 just one translation 00:12:16.000 --> 00:12:17.200 from the original language. 00:12:18.779 --> 00:12:19.779 And most likely 00:12:19.779 --> 00:12:20.819 the Bible that you have 00:12:20.819 --> 00:12:21.720 at worst 00:12:21.720 --> 00:12:23.100 is just one translation 00:12:23.100 --> 00:12:24.220 from the original language. 00:12:24.779 --> 00:12:25.340 And moreover, 00:12:25.419 --> 00:12:26.379 we actually have 00:12:26.379 --> 00:12:27.200 all of this 00:12:27.200 --> 00:12:28.299 in the original language. 00:12:30.259 --> 00:12:31.200 So you can go 00:12:31.200 --> 00:12:31.759 and you can actually 00:12:31.759 --> 00:12:33.240 read all of these texts 00:12:33.240 --> 00:12:34.439 in the original language 00:12:34.439 --> 00:12:34.980 they were written. 00:12:34.980 --> 00:12:36.720 So we have actually 00:12:36.720 --> 00:12:37.800 5,800 00:12:37.800 --> 00:12:40.279 complete or fragmented 00:12:40.279 --> 00:12:41.159 Greek manuscripts 00:12:41.159 --> 00:12:42.019 of the New Testament. 00:12:42.259 --> 00:12:42.779 5,800. 00:12:43.960 --> 00:12:44.639 We have, 00:12:45.060 --> 00:12:45.320 you know, 00:12:45.360 --> 00:12:46.000 in addition to that 00:12:46.000 --> 00:12:48.200 10,000 Latin manuscripts, 00:12:49.139 --> 00:12:50.220 almost 10,000, 00:12:50.279 --> 00:12:51.680 9,300 manuscripts 00:12:51.680 --> 00:12:52.519 in various other 00:12:52.519 --> 00:12:53.200 ancient languages, 00:12:53.560 --> 00:12:54.560 all that came about 00:12:54.560 --> 00:12:55.320 before the invention 00:12:55.320 --> 00:12:56.500 of the printing press. 00:12:57.779 --> 00:12:58.779 And when you compare 00:12:58.779 --> 00:13:00.039 all of the errors 00:13:00.039 --> 00:13:01.100 and all of the kind 00:13:01.100 --> 00:13:02.220 of little misspellings 00:13:02.220 --> 00:13:02.700 and all of that 00:13:02.700 --> 00:13:03.940 across all of this, 00:13:03.940 --> 00:13:07.320 the vast majority 00:13:07.320 --> 00:13:08.180 are utterly meaningless. 00:13:09.140 --> 00:13:09.620 In fact, 00:13:09.720 --> 00:13:10.720 less than 1% 00:13:10.720 --> 00:13:11.740 of all of the errors, 00:13:11.860 --> 00:13:12.900 less than 1%, 00:13:12.900 --> 00:13:15.040 are both plausible 00:13:15.040 --> 00:13:15.920 and meaningful. 00:13:16.020 --> 00:13:16.480 In other words, 00:13:16.860 --> 00:13:17.680 less than 1% 00:13:17.680 --> 00:13:18.620 are plausible 00:13:18.620 --> 00:13:19.140 in the sense 00:13:19.140 --> 00:13:19.800 that you can have 00:13:19.800 --> 00:13:20.720 either or reading. 00:13:20.840 --> 00:13:21.880 They're both well supported 00:13:21.880 --> 00:13:22.640 in the text 00:13:22.640 --> 00:13:23.860 and you're not sure 00:13:23.860 --> 00:13:24.460 which is right 00:13:24.460 --> 00:13:25.580 and meaningful 00:13:25.580 --> 00:13:26.040 in the sense 00:13:26.040 --> 00:13:27.080 that they might affect 00:13:27.080 --> 00:13:27.760 a phrase 00:13:27.760 --> 00:13:28.120 that would have 00:13:28.120 --> 00:13:28.700 some effect 00:13:28.700 --> 00:13:29.380 on the meaning 00:13:29.380 --> 00:13:30.320 of that section 00:13:30.320 --> 00:13:30.740 of scripture. 00:13:30.900 --> 00:13:31.820 Less than 1% 00:13:31.820 --> 00:13:32.420 would fall 00:13:32.420 --> 00:13:33.060 into that category. 00:13:33.059 --> 00:13:33.959 The vast majority 00:13:33.959 --> 00:13:35.000 are just tiny little 00:13:35.000 --> 00:13:35.899 omissions or issues 00:13:35.899 --> 00:13:36.579 that you immediately 00:13:36.579 --> 00:13:37.500 look at and you realize, 00:13:37.839 --> 00:13:38.539 well, this copyist 00:13:38.539 --> 00:13:39.500 made this slight error, 00:13:39.619 --> 00:13:40.500 a slight misspelling, 00:13:40.579 --> 00:13:41.099 a slight error 00:13:41.099 --> 00:13:41.839 in punctuation. 00:13:43.439 --> 00:13:44.539 And even if you look 00:13:44.539 --> 00:13:45.699 at that 1% of errors 00:13:45.699 --> 00:13:46.319 that are plausible 00:13:46.319 --> 00:13:47.039 and meaningful, 00:13:48.139 --> 00:13:49.239 they in no way 00:13:49.239 --> 00:13:50.759 affect a single doctrine 00:13:50.759 --> 00:13:52.659 of scripture, 00:13:52.919 --> 00:13:54.000 a single doctrine 00:13:54.000 --> 00:13:55.639 of the Christian faith. 00:13:56.019 --> 00:13:56.799 In fact, 00:13:58.000 --> 00:13:58.399 I've got to be 00:13:58.399 --> 00:13:58.859 a little careful 00:13:58.859 --> 00:13:59.359 saying this, 00:13:59.360 --> 00:13:59.860 but really, 00:14:00.320 --> 00:14:01.379 there's so much 00:14:01.379 --> 00:14:04.139 interconnectivity 00:14:04.139 --> 00:14:04.980 between all of the 00:14:04.980 --> 00:14:05.500 various books 00:14:05.500 --> 00:14:05.980 of the Bible, 00:14:06.139 --> 00:14:06.580 Old Testament, 00:14:06.680 --> 00:14:07.100 New Testament, 00:14:07.360 --> 00:14:08.080 that you could actually 00:14:08.080 --> 00:14:09.539 throw out entire books 00:14:09.539 --> 00:14:10.279 of the Bible 00:14:10.279 --> 00:14:11.320 and still 00:14:11.320 --> 00:14:13.120 no doctrine 00:14:13.120 --> 00:14:14.340 of the Christian faith 00:14:14.340 --> 00:14:15.659 would be meaningfully 00:14:15.659 --> 00:14:16.120 affected. 00:14:18.019 --> 00:14:19.300 Because there's so much 00:14:19.300 --> 00:14:20.139 interconnectivity. 00:14:20.980 --> 00:14:21.919 You can have a doctrine 00:14:21.919 --> 00:14:23.060 of creation built 00:14:23.060 --> 00:14:24.039 out of the New Testament, 00:14:24.180 --> 00:14:25.000 you don't need Genesis. 00:14:25.000 --> 00:14:27.320 You can have a pretty 00:14:27.320 --> 00:14:28.039 clear understanding 00:14:28.039 --> 00:14:28.940 of who Jesus is 00:14:28.940 --> 00:14:29.480 without reading 00:14:29.480 --> 00:14:30.299 one of the Gospels. 00:14:30.700 --> 00:14:31.860 Because there's so much 00:14:31.860 --> 00:14:32.919 interconnectivity there. 00:14:33.460 --> 00:14:34.340 It all fits. 00:14:36.259 --> 00:14:37.039 So another thing 00:14:37.039 --> 00:14:37.919 I hear a lot is this, 00:14:38.000 --> 00:14:38.559 well, okay, 00:14:39.100 --> 00:14:40.259 okay, so the Bible, 00:14:40.500 --> 00:14:41.299 maybe it's reliable 00:14:41.299 --> 00:14:41.759 and all that, 00:14:41.899 --> 00:14:44.500 but doesn't it make sense 00:14:44.500 --> 00:14:45.080 that the church 00:14:45.080 --> 00:14:45.720 would claim 00:14:45.720 --> 00:14:46.980 that it's divinely inspired? 00:14:47.419 --> 00:14:47.600 I mean, 00:14:47.639 --> 00:14:48.940 isn't that really convenient 00:14:48.940 --> 00:14:49.779 for the church? 00:14:50.620 --> 00:14:51.240 Isn't that really, 00:14:51.340 --> 00:14:52.039 if you're totally honest, 00:14:52.100 --> 00:14:53.220 a kind of power play 00:14:53.220 --> 00:14:54.120 so that the church 00:14:54.120 --> 00:14:55.220 can use the Bible 00:14:55.220 --> 00:14:56.139 to sort of manipulate 00:14:56.139 --> 00:14:57.139 and control people? 00:14:58.879 --> 00:14:59.620 And certainly, 00:14:59.740 --> 00:15:01.040 the Bible has been used 00:15:01.040 --> 00:15:01.920 and abused 00:15:01.920 --> 00:15:02.460 and some of you 00:15:02.460 --> 00:15:03.320 are victims of that. 00:15:04.379 --> 00:15:05.320 But if you look back 00:15:05.320 --> 00:15:05.920 at what actually, 00:15:06.820 --> 00:15:08.220 at the sort of 00:15:08.220 --> 00:15:09.340 the core of this question, 00:15:09.540 --> 00:15:10.180 didn't the church 00:15:10.180 --> 00:15:11.440 invent this idea? 00:15:12.480 --> 00:15:13.500 There's a lot of problems 00:15:13.500 --> 00:15:13.720 with that, 00:15:13.800 --> 00:15:14.639 but the central problem 00:15:14.639 --> 00:15:15.200 is this, 00:15:15.899 --> 00:15:16.720 that there's nobody 00:15:16.720 --> 00:15:17.620 in history, 00:15:18.580 --> 00:15:19.800 nobody in history 00:15:19.800 --> 00:15:20.680 before or since 00:15:20.680 --> 00:15:21.879 that had a higher view 00:15:21.879 --> 00:15:22.259 of Scripture 00:15:22.259 --> 00:15:23.160 than Jesus Christ. 00:15:23.220 --> 00:15:26.080 He has the highest view 00:15:26.080 --> 00:15:26.440 of Scripture 00:15:26.440 --> 00:15:27.480 of anybody there is. 00:15:29.120 --> 00:15:30.080 You can see it 00:15:30.080 --> 00:15:30.700 in many ways. 00:15:30.779 --> 00:15:31.220 You can see it 00:15:31.220 --> 00:15:32.259 because Jesus quoted 00:15:32.259 --> 00:15:33.660 from almost every book 00:15:33.660 --> 00:15:34.560 of the Old Testament 00:15:34.560 --> 00:15:35.300 throughout His ministry. 00:15:35.399 --> 00:15:35.700 In fact, 00:15:35.920 --> 00:15:36.540 between Jesus 00:15:36.540 --> 00:15:37.019 and the other 00:15:37.019 --> 00:15:37.860 New Testament writers, 00:15:38.899 --> 00:15:41.120 I think every single book 00:15:41.120 --> 00:15:41.840 in the Old Testament 00:15:41.840 --> 00:15:42.340 is quoted 00:15:42.340 --> 00:15:43.320 except for Esther. 00:15:45.000 --> 00:15:45.620 Not sure why 00:15:45.620 --> 00:15:46.720 they left that one out, 00:15:46.840 --> 00:15:48.560 but every single book 00:15:48.560 --> 00:15:49.000 is quoted. 00:15:49.420 --> 00:15:50.160 And when Jesus 00:15:50.160 --> 00:15:51.180 is tempted by Satan 00:15:51.180 --> 00:15:51.620 in the wilderness, 00:15:51.740 --> 00:15:52.320 what does He do? 00:15:53.220 --> 00:15:55.720 He relies 100% 00:15:55.720 --> 00:15:56.180 on Scripture. 00:15:56.320 --> 00:15:57.019 He quotes Scripture. 00:15:58.379 --> 00:15:59.860 He explicitly taught 00:15:59.860 --> 00:16:00.740 that the Old Testament 00:16:00.740 --> 00:16:01.980 was written about Him 00:16:01.980 --> 00:16:04.240 and points toward Him. 00:16:04.320 --> 00:16:05.320 So in John 5, 00:16:05.759 --> 00:16:06.420 He says, 00:16:06.680 --> 00:16:07.580 you search the Scriptures 00:16:07.580 --> 00:16:08.320 because you think 00:16:08.320 --> 00:16:08.920 that in them 00:16:08.920 --> 00:16:09.860 you have eternal life. 00:16:10.080 --> 00:16:10.820 And it is they 00:16:10.820 --> 00:16:11.460 that bear witness 00:16:11.460 --> 00:16:13.800 about me. 00:16:14.580 --> 00:16:14.840 You know, 00:16:14.899 --> 00:16:15.340 Luke 4 00:16:15.340 --> 00:16:16.300 is one of my favorite places. 00:16:16.420 --> 00:16:17.080 This is one of Jesus' 00:16:17.279 --> 00:16:17.940 first sermons. 00:16:17.940 --> 00:16:18.940 He gets invited 00:16:18.940 --> 00:16:19.880 to be a guest preacher 00:16:19.880 --> 00:16:20.440 at a synagogue 00:16:20.440 --> 00:16:21.140 in Galilee, 00:16:21.280 --> 00:16:21.840 shows up. 00:16:22.160 --> 00:16:22.300 You know, 00:16:22.360 --> 00:16:23.580 he's expected to stand up, 00:16:23.680 --> 00:16:24.240 read a scroll, 00:16:24.600 --> 00:16:25.500 preach a little sermon 00:16:25.500 --> 00:16:26.240 and then sit down 00:16:26.240 --> 00:16:27.120 so it can be discussed. 00:16:27.480 --> 00:16:28.380 So he stands up, 00:16:28.700 --> 00:16:29.980 opens the scroll of Isaiah, 00:16:30.320 --> 00:16:31.160 reads from Isaiah 00:16:31.160 --> 00:16:32.120 chapter 61, 00:16:32.340 --> 00:16:33.160 first couple of verses, 00:16:33.620 --> 00:16:34.460 rolls the scroll up 00:16:34.460 --> 00:16:35.700 and guess what his sermon is? 00:16:37.580 --> 00:16:39.040 Today this has been fulfilled 00:16:39.040 --> 00:16:39.780 in your hearing. 00:16:40.380 --> 00:16:41.280 And then he sits down. 00:16:42.000 --> 00:16:42.880 It's like the ultimate 00:16:42.880 --> 00:16:43.880 drop the mic moment. 00:16:44.160 --> 00:16:44.300 You know, 00:16:44.340 --> 00:16:44.780 it's like, 00:16:44.779 --> 00:16:46.860 Isaiah 61, 00:16:47.419 --> 00:16:47.600 yeah, 00:16:47.659 --> 00:16:48.500 this is about me. 00:16:48.799 --> 00:16:49.159 Boom. 00:16:49.379 --> 00:16:50.299 And then he just sits down. 00:16:50.539 --> 00:16:51.139 Can you imagine? 00:16:51.419 --> 00:16:52.720 And it incites 00:16:52.720 --> 00:16:53.679 ultimately a riot, 00:16:53.839 --> 00:16:54.120 right? 00:16:55.220 --> 00:16:56.159 But Jesus is saying 00:16:56.159 --> 00:16:57.100 this is all about me. 00:16:58.419 --> 00:16:59.659 And then Jesus himself 00:16:59.659 --> 00:17:00.539 goes on to teach 00:17:00.539 --> 00:17:01.959 that the primary nourishment 00:17:01.959 --> 00:17:02.740 that we're designed 00:17:02.740 --> 00:17:03.439 to require 00:17:03.439 --> 00:17:04.339 as human beings 00:17:04.339 --> 00:17:05.480 is not food, 00:17:05.579 --> 00:17:05.980 but what? 00:17:07.079 --> 00:17:07.899 God's word. 00:17:08.279 --> 00:17:08.819 Man shall live 00:17:08.819 --> 00:17:09.559 not by bread alone, 00:17:09.619 --> 00:17:10.399 but by every word 00:17:10.399 --> 00:17:10.940 that comes from 00:17:10.940 --> 00:17:11.740 the mouth of God. 00:17:12.259 --> 00:17:12.879 So Christians 00:17:12.879 --> 00:17:14.019 don't believe in Jesus 00:17:14.019 --> 00:17:14.960 because of the Bible. 00:17:15.160 --> 00:17:16.139 We believe in the Bible 00:17:16.139 --> 00:17:16.900 because of Jesus. 00:17:20.720 --> 00:17:21.400 And then you say, 00:17:21.480 --> 00:17:21.619 okay, 00:17:21.700 --> 00:17:21.799 well, 00:17:21.819 --> 00:17:22.579 those are God's words. 00:17:22.639 --> 00:17:23.660 What about Jesus' words? 00:17:23.799 --> 00:17:24.019 Well, 00:17:24.400 --> 00:17:25.400 Jesus made it very clear 00:17:25.400 --> 00:17:26.220 that his words 00:17:26.220 --> 00:17:27.319 are God's word. 00:17:28.440 --> 00:17:29.339 So he says this 00:17:29.339 --> 00:17:30.180 in Matthew 24, 00:17:30.460 --> 00:17:31.079 heaven and earth 00:17:31.079 --> 00:17:31.759 will pass away, 00:17:31.859 --> 00:17:32.660 but my word 00:17:32.660 --> 00:17:33.700 will not pass away. 00:17:35.420 --> 00:17:35.799 Now, 00:17:35.859 --> 00:17:36.500 either Jesus 00:17:36.500 --> 00:17:38.139 is a lunatic heretic 00:17:38.139 --> 00:17:42.039 or he's making 00:17:42.039 --> 00:17:42.660 very explicit 00:17:42.660 --> 00:17:43.039 the fact 00:17:43.039 --> 00:17:43.859 that when he speaks, 00:17:43.980 --> 00:17:44.639 God is speaking. 00:17:47.039 --> 00:17:48.859 He says in John 5, 46, 00:17:49.059 --> 00:17:50.139 if you believed Moses, 00:17:50.359 --> 00:17:51.259 you would believe me, 00:17:51.440 --> 00:17:52.759 for he wrote of me. 00:17:53.099 --> 00:17:53.879 But if you do not 00:17:53.879 --> 00:17:54.899 believe his writings, 00:17:55.200 --> 00:17:56.180 how will you believe 00:17:56.180 --> 00:17:57.259 my words? 00:17:59.740 --> 00:18:00.599 And then finally, 00:18:00.720 --> 00:18:02.159 Jesus defines for us 00:18:02.159 --> 00:18:02.899 what does it mean 00:18:02.899 --> 00:18:03.940 to be my disciple? 00:18:04.079 --> 00:18:04.539 What does it mean 00:18:04.539 --> 00:18:05.240 to follow me? 00:18:05.319 --> 00:18:05.700 What does it mean 00:18:05.700 --> 00:18:06.480 to have a relationship 00:18:06.480 --> 00:18:07.000 with me? 00:18:07.420 --> 00:18:08.159 What does it mean 00:18:08.159 --> 00:18:09.059 to be counted 00:18:09.059 --> 00:18:10.559 as belonging to me? 00:18:10.559 --> 00:18:11.319 Well, 00:18:11.339 --> 00:18:11.899 he says this 00:18:11.899 --> 00:18:12.919 in John 8, 00:18:13.000 --> 00:18:13.740 if you abide 00:18:13.740 --> 00:18:14.539 in my word, 00:18:14.720 --> 00:18:15.339 you are truly 00:18:15.339 --> 00:18:15.980 my disciples. 00:18:15.980 --> 00:18:16.539 Not just hear 00:18:16.539 --> 00:18:16.940 and understand, 00:18:17.059 --> 00:18:17.819 but live out, 00:18:17.980 --> 00:18:18.399 abide, 00:18:18.779 --> 00:18:19.700 have it define 00:18:19.700 --> 00:18:21.200 all of who you are. 00:18:22.519 --> 00:18:23.059 So he asks, 00:18:23.119 --> 00:18:23.200 well, 00:18:23.240 --> 00:18:23.759 what difference 00:18:23.759 --> 00:18:24.599 does this make? 00:18:26.579 --> 00:18:27.000 Well, 00:18:27.059 --> 00:18:27.899 when people today 00:18:27.899 --> 00:18:28.460 say, 00:18:29.460 --> 00:18:30.639 I love Jesus, 00:18:30.759 --> 00:18:31.519 I believe in Jesus, 00:18:31.619 --> 00:18:32.519 I follow Jesus, 00:18:33.379 --> 00:18:34.039 but I don't bother 00:18:34.039 --> 00:18:34.519 with the Bible, 00:18:34.519 --> 00:18:37.079 I want to humbly 00:18:37.079 --> 00:18:38.039 suggest that that 00:18:38.039 --> 00:18:39.400 is actually a kind 00:18:39.400 --> 00:18:40.160 of power play. 00:18:42.180 --> 00:18:42.879 And what I want 00:18:42.879 --> 00:18:43.599 to suggest is this, 00:18:43.639 --> 00:18:44.559 is that when you say, 00:18:44.960 --> 00:18:45.759 I'm all about Jesus, 00:18:45.920 --> 00:18:46.599 but not the Bible, 00:18:46.740 --> 00:18:47.420 I'm just about 00:18:47.420 --> 00:18:48.139 following Jesus, 00:18:48.500 --> 00:18:49.200 what you're really 00:18:49.200 --> 00:18:49.779 saying is, 00:18:49.879 --> 00:18:51.519 I have discovered 00:18:51.519 --> 00:18:52.680 a more true, 00:18:53.039 --> 00:18:54.460 more pure version 00:18:54.460 --> 00:18:55.180 of Christianity. 00:18:56.220 --> 00:18:56.960 It's sort of, 00:18:57.000 --> 00:18:57.180 you know, 00:18:57.259 --> 00:18:57.920 capital T, 00:18:58.039 --> 00:18:58.500 capital C, 00:18:58.599 --> 00:18:59.460 true Christianity, 00:18:59.599 --> 00:19:00.299 trademark pending, 00:19:01.259 --> 00:19:01.599 you know, 00:19:02.019 --> 00:19:03.500 and it's more pure 00:19:03.500 --> 00:19:04.160 than your version 00:19:04.160 --> 00:19:04.680 of Christianity 00:19:04.680 --> 00:19:05.320 because it doesn't 00:19:05.320 --> 00:19:06.180 have this baggage 00:19:06.180 --> 00:19:07.320 of the Bible. 00:19:09.160 --> 00:19:10.140 So it becomes 00:19:10.140 --> 00:19:11.300 a kind of power play. 00:19:11.759 --> 00:19:12.620 And this sounds 00:19:12.620 --> 00:19:13.740 like a great idea, 00:19:13.840 --> 00:19:14.320 and this sounds 00:19:14.320 --> 00:19:15.060 like the kind of thing, 00:19:15.120 --> 00:19:15.320 wow, 00:19:15.420 --> 00:19:16.440 that's really cool. 00:19:16.620 --> 00:19:17.440 But the only problem 00:19:17.440 --> 00:19:18.200 is that Jesus 00:19:18.200 --> 00:19:18.900 would have completely 00:19:18.900 --> 00:19:19.480 disagreed. 00:19:20.200 --> 00:19:20.800 If you look at 00:19:20.800 --> 00:19:21.540 what Jesus says 00:19:21.540 --> 00:19:22.540 about himself 00:19:22.540 --> 00:19:24.160 and about God's word 00:19:24.160 --> 00:19:25.320 and about his words 00:19:25.320 --> 00:19:26.200 and about what it means 00:19:26.200 --> 00:19:27.840 to be his follower, 00:19:28.000 --> 00:19:28.820 you realize that 00:19:28.820 --> 00:19:29.600 he's saying, 00:19:30.620 --> 00:19:31.160 and one of the best 00:19:31.160 --> 00:19:32.400 places to see this 00:19:32.400 --> 00:19:33.480 is Luke chapter 24, 00:19:33.779 --> 00:19:34.120 he says, 00:19:34.160 --> 00:19:34.840 to these disciples 00:19:34.840 --> 00:19:35.779 on the road to Emmaus, 00:19:35.940 --> 00:19:36.480 if you want to 00:19:36.480 --> 00:19:37.380 understand these scriptures, 00:19:37.519 --> 00:19:38.300 you need to understand 00:19:38.300 --> 00:19:39.180 that they're about me. 00:19:40.080 --> 00:19:40.920 And if you have any hope 00:19:40.920 --> 00:19:41.660 of understanding me, 00:19:41.700 --> 00:19:42.580 you have to understand 00:19:42.580 --> 00:19:43.840 the scripture. 00:19:45.480 --> 00:19:46.860 And if you believe in me, 00:19:46.920 --> 00:19:47.620 that means that you 00:19:47.620 --> 00:19:48.640 believe in scripture. 00:19:48.759 --> 00:19:49.519 If you love me, 00:19:49.580 --> 00:19:50.440 that means you love 00:19:50.440 --> 00:19:51.220 scripture. 00:19:51.360 --> 00:19:52.380 He did everything he could 00:19:52.380 --> 00:19:53.259 to tie even 00:19:53.259 --> 00:19:53.880 his moments 00:19:53.880 --> 00:19:55.200 of greatest suffering. 00:19:55.600 --> 00:19:56.300 When he's hanging 00:19:56.300 --> 00:19:56.920 on the cross, 00:19:56.960 --> 00:19:57.480 what does he do? 00:19:57.480 --> 00:19:59.160 He quotes scripture, 00:19:59.840 --> 00:20:00.480 Psalm 22. 00:20:00.480 --> 00:20:04.299 So the origin 00:20:04.299 --> 00:20:05.059 of the Bible 00:20:05.059 --> 00:20:06.319 and what makes it unique, 00:20:06.400 --> 00:20:08.620 the origin is God himself. 00:20:08.759 --> 00:20:10.640 It is God-breathed words 00:20:10.640 --> 00:20:11.620 for God's people. 00:20:11.720 --> 00:20:12.240 So this is why 00:20:12.240 --> 00:20:13.259 we can say with confidence, 00:20:13.599 --> 00:20:14.380 the word of God 00:20:14.380 --> 00:20:15.599 does the work of God. 00:20:16.720 --> 00:20:16.920 You know, 00:20:16.960 --> 00:20:17.360 if people say, 00:20:17.500 --> 00:20:18.980 I want to see God 00:20:18.980 --> 00:20:19.720 at work in my life, 00:20:19.779 --> 00:20:20.779 the first question should be, 00:20:21.039 --> 00:20:21.140 well, 00:20:21.220 --> 00:20:22.360 where is the word 00:20:22.360 --> 00:20:22.940 in your life? 00:20:22.940 --> 00:20:25.700 So the origin 00:20:25.700 --> 00:20:26.259 of the Bible 00:20:26.259 --> 00:20:27.799 is God. 00:20:27.960 --> 00:20:28.740 God breathed 00:20:28.740 --> 00:20:29.380 through all of these 00:20:29.380 --> 00:20:29.900 different people 00:20:29.900 --> 00:20:30.460 and cultures 00:20:30.460 --> 00:20:31.960 for God's people. 00:20:32.799 --> 00:20:33.559 So that leads us 00:20:33.559 --> 00:20:34.880 to the second point. 00:20:35.820 --> 00:20:36.600 What's the purpose 00:20:36.600 --> 00:20:37.120 of the Bible? 00:20:38.240 --> 00:20:39.420 And in this passage 00:20:39.420 --> 00:20:40.299 in 2 Timothy, 00:20:40.660 --> 00:20:41.600 Paul lays out 00:20:41.600 --> 00:20:42.600 three sort of 00:20:42.600 --> 00:20:43.740 interrelated purposes. 00:20:45.039 --> 00:20:45.720 He says, 00:20:45.799 --> 00:20:46.680 scripture leads us 00:20:46.680 --> 00:20:47.420 to salvation, 00:20:47.980 --> 00:20:49.740 it shapes what we believe, 00:20:49.980 --> 00:20:50.700 and it shapes 00:20:50.700 --> 00:20:51.580 how we live. 00:20:51.579 --> 00:20:53.659 In verse 15, 00:20:53.759 --> 00:20:54.480 you see he says, 00:20:54.759 --> 00:20:55.539 the scriptures are, 00:20:55.980 --> 00:20:56.000 quote, 00:20:56.379 --> 00:20:57.919 able to make you wise 00:20:57.919 --> 00:20:58.720 for salvation 00:20:58.720 --> 00:20:59.579 through faith 00:20:59.579 --> 00:21:00.460 in Christ Jesus. 00:21:01.740 --> 00:21:02.679 So first of all, 00:21:02.699 --> 00:21:03.500 it's about salvation. 00:21:03.619 --> 00:21:04.399 As we said before, 00:21:04.720 --> 00:21:05.460 the whole Bible 00:21:05.460 --> 00:21:06.839 from Genesis to Revelation 00:21:06.839 --> 00:21:07.500 is ultimately 00:21:07.500 --> 00:21:08.240 about Jesus. 00:21:09.679 --> 00:21:11.059 It's meant to show us 00:21:11.059 --> 00:21:12.199 the reality of our sin. 00:21:12.279 --> 00:21:13.119 It's meant to show us 00:21:13.119 --> 00:21:13.839 the necessity 00:21:13.839 --> 00:21:15.379 in every human life 00:21:15.379 --> 00:21:16.899 for the grace of God 00:21:16.899 --> 00:21:17.659 that comes through 00:21:17.659 --> 00:21:18.859 the sacrifice of Jesus. 00:21:19.399 --> 00:21:20.220 It's meant to show us 00:21:20.220 --> 00:21:21.159 how to become a part 00:21:21.160 --> 00:21:22.600 of God's renewal project, 00:21:22.840 --> 00:21:23.440 how he's making 00:21:23.440 --> 00:21:24.960 all things new 00:21:24.960 --> 00:21:25.680 in this world. 00:21:27.240 --> 00:21:28.180 So first of all, 00:21:28.240 --> 00:21:28.920 the Bible is meant 00:21:28.920 --> 00:21:29.740 to show us 00:21:29.740 --> 00:21:30.860 how to have a relationship 00:21:30.860 --> 00:21:32.220 and be reconciled to God 00:21:32.220 --> 00:21:33.160 through Jesus Christ. 00:21:34.620 --> 00:21:35.740 But then Paul goes on, 00:21:35.779 --> 00:21:36.700 it's not just about 00:21:36.700 --> 00:21:37.440 getting saved, 00:21:37.500 --> 00:21:38.220 as we might say. 00:21:40.300 --> 00:21:41.560 The Bible is meant to, 00:21:41.680 --> 00:21:42.460 scripture is meant to, 00:21:42.460 --> 00:21:44.240 shape what we believe. 00:21:45.519 --> 00:21:45.920 Now, 00:21:45.960 --> 00:21:46.680 that's an important point 00:21:46.680 --> 00:21:47.340 because again, 00:21:47.880 --> 00:21:48.860 in terms of objections, 00:21:48.859 --> 00:21:50.859 something I hear a lot, 00:21:50.919 --> 00:21:51.359 and you may hear 00:21:51.359 --> 00:21:52.059 some of this too, 00:21:53.279 --> 00:21:54.379 is more and more 00:21:54.379 --> 00:21:55.299 and more people, 00:21:55.500 --> 00:21:55.919 individuals, 00:21:56.079 --> 00:21:57.500 as well as entire churches. 00:21:57.779 --> 00:21:58.539 I knew a church 00:21:58.539 --> 00:21:59.119 up in New York 00:21:59.119 --> 00:21:59.740 that tried this 00:21:59.740 --> 00:22:00.199 for a little while. 00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:00.519 They realized 00:22:00.519 --> 00:22:01.119 it didn't work. 00:22:01.859 --> 00:22:02.659 But it's more and more 00:22:02.659 --> 00:22:03.799 common for entire churches 00:22:03.799 --> 00:22:04.199 to say, 00:22:04.279 --> 00:22:04.539 you know, 00:22:04.779 --> 00:22:05.839 we don't really believe 00:22:05.839 --> 00:22:06.599 in the whole idea 00:22:06.599 --> 00:22:07.059 of doctrine. 00:22:08.299 --> 00:22:09.179 We want to do away 00:22:09.179 --> 00:22:09.679 with doctrine. 00:22:09.819 --> 00:22:10.139 Doctrine, 00:22:10.259 --> 00:22:10.759 all that does 00:22:10.759 --> 00:22:11.439 is divide people, 00:22:11.519 --> 00:22:12.419 it confuses people, 00:22:12.659 --> 00:22:13.679 and it causes 00:22:13.679 --> 00:22:14.319 all kinds of problems. 00:22:14.379 --> 00:22:14.919 We're going to get rid 00:22:14.919 --> 00:22:15.339 of doctrine 00:22:15.339 --> 00:22:16.359 because we just want 00:22:16.359 --> 00:22:16.879 to be about 00:22:16.879 --> 00:22:18.319 worshiping God. 00:22:19.299 --> 00:22:20.019 That's what we're about, 00:22:20.119 --> 00:22:20.799 worshiping God. 00:22:22.019 --> 00:22:22.519 And again, 00:22:22.579 --> 00:22:23.500 that's really great 00:22:23.500 --> 00:22:24.659 for your marketing campaign. 00:22:24.779 --> 00:22:24.919 I mean, 00:22:24.959 --> 00:22:25.819 that will preach well. 00:22:26.599 --> 00:22:28.019 And if I said that, 00:22:28.099 --> 00:22:28.779 you could probably 00:22:28.779 --> 00:22:29.599 get standing ovation 00:22:29.599 --> 00:22:30.079 for that, 00:22:30.339 --> 00:22:30.619 right? 00:22:32.079 --> 00:22:32.899 It's one problem. 00:22:34.759 --> 00:22:35.079 Okay, 00:22:35.159 --> 00:22:35.459 so you want 00:22:35.459 --> 00:22:36.059 to worship God. 00:22:36.099 --> 00:22:36.500 What do you mean 00:22:36.500 --> 00:22:36.979 by God? 00:22:38.619 --> 00:22:39.719 That's a doctrinal question. 00:22:41.299 --> 00:22:41.419 Oh, 00:22:41.459 --> 00:22:41.819 so you want 00:22:41.819 --> 00:22:42.659 to worship God. 00:22:42.719 --> 00:22:43.079 What do you mean 00:22:43.079 --> 00:22:43.539 by worship? 00:22:45.099 --> 00:22:46.039 How does that happen? 00:22:46.039 --> 00:22:47.240 It's a doctrinal question. 00:22:47.519 --> 00:22:47.980 In other words, 00:22:48.139 --> 00:22:49.259 doctrine is inevitable. 00:22:49.399 --> 00:22:50.159 You cannot get away 00:22:50.159 --> 00:22:50.659 from doctrine. 00:22:50.740 --> 00:22:51.200 The minute you try 00:22:51.200 --> 00:22:52.180 to answer that question 00:22:52.180 --> 00:22:53.579 is doctrine. 00:22:55.039 --> 00:22:56.000 So everybody 00:22:56.000 --> 00:22:57.279 has doctrinal assumptions. 00:22:57.399 --> 00:22:57.460 Now, 00:22:57.480 --> 00:22:58.200 you may be forward 00:22:58.200 --> 00:22:58.700 with them 00:22:58.700 --> 00:22:59.700 and honest with them, 00:23:00.000 --> 00:23:01.420 or you may hide them 00:23:01.420 --> 00:23:02.960 and conceal them. 00:23:03.759 --> 00:23:04.779 But everybody makes, 00:23:05.059 --> 00:23:05.240 you know, 00:23:05.339 --> 00:23:06.139 atheists have 00:23:06.139 --> 00:23:07.139 doctrinal assumptions. 00:23:08.500 --> 00:23:09.659 So the question is, 00:23:09.759 --> 00:23:11.099 are your doctrinal assumptions 00:23:11.099 --> 00:23:12.460 grounded in anything 00:23:12.460 --> 00:23:13.440 beyond you, 00:23:14.059 --> 00:23:15.000 or are they just 00:23:15.000 --> 00:23:15.839 your opinions? 00:23:17.000 --> 00:23:18.039 So doctrine 00:23:18.039 --> 00:23:18.639 is inevitable. 00:23:19.859 --> 00:23:20.220 So what do you 00:23:20.240 --> 00:23:20.639 or whatever 00:23:20.639 --> 00:23:21.579 we believe about God? 00:23:21.819 --> 00:23:22.579 What do you believe 00:23:22.579 --> 00:23:23.399 about this world? 00:23:23.539 --> 00:23:24.039 What do you believe 00:23:24.039 --> 00:23:24.819 about what it means 00:23:24.819 --> 00:23:25.680 to be a human being, 00:23:25.759 --> 00:23:26.240 our purpose 00:23:26.240 --> 00:23:26.980 and identity here? 00:23:28.079 --> 00:23:28.500 You know, 00:23:28.539 --> 00:23:29.119 what do you believe 00:23:29.119 --> 00:23:29.819 about what life 00:23:29.819 --> 00:23:30.460 is all about? 00:23:30.619 --> 00:23:31.279 What do you believe 00:23:31.279 --> 00:23:32.420 about other religions? 00:23:33.680 --> 00:23:34.420 What do you believe 00:23:34.420 --> 00:23:35.039 about marriage 00:23:35.039 --> 00:23:35.500 and gender 00:23:35.500 --> 00:23:36.180 and sexuality? 00:23:36.299 --> 00:23:36.779 What do you believe 00:23:36.779 --> 00:23:37.440 about family? 00:23:37.559 --> 00:23:38.000 What do you believe 00:23:38.000 --> 00:23:38.659 about parenting? 00:23:39.099 --> 00:23:39.559 What do you believe 00:23:39.559 --> 00:23:40.480 about our jobs? 00:23:41.000 --> 00:23:41.599 What do you believe 00:23:41.599 --> 00:23:42.619 about human institutions 00:23:42.619 --> 00:23:43.639 and the role of government 00:23:43.639 --> 00:23:44.659 in everyday life? 00:23:44.660 --> 00:23:52.460 there's hardly a question you can ask that doesn't somehow flow out of doctrinal assumptions 00:23:52.460 --> 00:23:58.940 and so paul is saying here that all of scripture has been given for the express purpose of shaping 00:23:58.940 --> 00:24:03.860 what we believe about all of these things he says it's profitable for teaching for reproof 00:24:03.860 --> 00:24:09.420 for correction of all of our beliefs and he actually says in ephesians chapter 4 that that 00:24:09.420 --> 00:24:16.320 a big part of maturity is growing in our understanding of doctrines so that we're rooted 00:24:16.320 --> 00:24:22.840 in scripture in instead of being tossed to and fro by every new idea that comes along he says 00:24:22.840 --> 00:24:29.420 that's how you tell a mature person so scripture is for our salvation it shapes our beliefs 00:24:29.420 --> 00:24:37.680 thirdly it's meant to shape how we live how we live now by that i do not mean that it's just a 00:24:37.680 --> 00:24:42.940 wooden set of rules and you follow the rules and you're right with god that's not that has nothing 00:24:42.940 --> 00:24:49.600 to do with the christian faith he says scripture is in verse 16 he says it's for training in 00:24:49.600 --> 00:24:55.980 righteousness that the man or woman of god may be complete equipped for every good work 00:24:55.980 --> 00:25:02.140 so this is by the way why we started our series last week by talking about submission to god 00:25:02.140 --> 00:25:18.420 if you're an athlete or a musician or an artist you know what it's like to submit yourself to their 00:25:18.420 --> 00:25:25.880 authority because their job is to train you is to take your innate gifts and talents and to help you 00:25:25.880 --> 00:25:32.900 hone them so that you can then express i mean how how is it how can hillary sit down and play so 00:25:32.900 --> 00:25:38.160 beautifully and bring such beauty into the world well it's because she has trained and trained and 00:25:38.160 --> 00:25:43.620 trained and trained she has a doctorate in performance piano which meant she hours and hours and hours and 00:25:43.620 --> 00:25:47.580 hours and training under some very demanding instruction 00:25:47.579 --> 00:25:56.419 so he uses this phrase deliberately it's for our training in righteousness and it's interesting in 00:25:56.419 --> 00:26:02.599 ephesians 2 10 paul says that christians are god's workmanship created in christ jesus for good works 00:26:02.599 --> 00:26:05.339 and you know the word there is actually poema 00:26:05.339 --> 00:26:12.619 in other words i mean a kind of a loose way of translating that would be to say your life is 00:26:12.619 --> 00:26:20.519 meant to be god's poetry in the world it's meant to be god's poetry in the world it's meant to be the 00:26:20.519 --> 00:26:27.859 the beautiful art that god brings into the world to glorify himself we know we're not saved by our 00:26:27.859 --> 00:26:32.679 good works we're saved by the finished work of jesus christ but the question then is why why are we 00:26:32.679 --> 00:26:40.000 why are we saved it's so that our lives can become god's poetry in the world so scripture is our coach 00:26:40.000 --> 00:26:44.700 it's our guide it's our instructor it's meant to show us how that happens 00:26:44.700 --> 00:26:52.180 so the purpose of the bible is what to lead us to salvation to shape our beliefs and to shape how we 00:26:52.180 --> 00:27:01.259 live now i'll deal with another objection another objection some people say okay that sounds good but 00:27:01.259 --> 00:27:05.519 you know i've found in my walk with god that i don't actually need the bible because i hear directly 00:27:05.519 --> 00:27:11.259 from god you know the holy spirit prompts me and leads me and if i'm sensitive to that and if i listen 00:27:11.259 --> 00:27:17.319 to that then that's all i need and that raises a number of questions you know people ask well and people 00:27:17.319 --> 00:27:22.900 debate this hotly debate this you know in some of the theological circles i come from people this is a 00:27:22.900 --> 00:27:27.720 huge debate can god does god still speak today well to the question of can god still speak today 00:27:27.720 --> 00:27:35.299 absolutely i mean god is god he can do whatever he wants but the more important and more salient 00:27:35.299 --> 00:27:44.360 point here is this that god has spoken god has spoken so paul says right here that the scripture 00:27:44.360 --> 00:27:51.779 is sufficient to make us complete for every good work i mean what does that mean he's saying you have 00:27:51.779 --> 00:27:57.339 right here everything you need to become complete for every good work in other words you don't need a 00:27:57.339 --> 00:28:04.680 special personalized message you've got this this is enough it's sufficient for everything that god's 00:28:04.680 --> 00:28:11.160 going to call you to do and everything god's going to call you to be is right here so we should be very 00:28:11.160 --> 00:28:19.039 wary and i apologize if i've ever said this you should be very wary of people who say well god said this to 00:28:19.039 --> 00:28:25.259 me you know in my prayer time the other day you know god said god told me this or you know i was 00:28:25.259 --> 00:28:30.619 just really thinking about you and your situation and god god told me to tell you this i think you 00:28:30.619 --> 00:28:37.399 should be really careful because the thing is unless you are deeply deeply deeply immersed and intimately 00:28:37.399 --> 00:28:44.379 familiar with every corner of god's word how do you know that god is saying that and how do you know 00:28:44.380 --> 00:28:48.260 it's not just you i don't think you can 00:28:48.260 --> 00:28:57.500 to paraphrase ann kennedy who's a somebody that i love to read her her stuff she says why would god 00:28:57.500 --> 00:29:05.240 take the trouble of using so many different people over such a huge span of time representing so many 00:29:05.240 --> 00:29:11.600 different cultures representing so many different genres to weave together this beautiful tapestry of a 00:29:11.599 --> 00:29:17.559 witness to describe who he is what he's done in the world what that means and how we can be a part of it why 00:29:17.559 --> 00:29:23.480 would he go to all that trouble only two thousand years later to say ah never mind i'm just going to 00:29:23.480 --> 00:29:27.399 whisper some vaguely spiritual stuff in tommy's ear that kind of sounds like the bible but not as good 00:29:27.399 --> 00:29:34.339 why would god do that and frankly i i don't think that's how he works 00:29:34.339 --> 00:29:40.419 so what does this actually look like in our lives i mean that so the question becomes okay well 00:29:40.420 --> 00:29:44.920 then how do we actually engage scripture and the answer is there's there's a number of different 00:29:44.920 --> 00:29:51.660 ways and think of these not as a choose one but rather as all of the different angles or approaches 00:29:51.660 --> 00:29:58.920 or means by which we seek to hear from god so first of all there's there's personal study of scripture 00:29:58.920 --> 00:30:03.560 if you have never sat down and read the bible before i will warn you it is hard 00:30:03.560 --> 00:30:08.460 there there are places in there just like peter the apostle peter says that are hard to understand 00:30:08.460 --> 00:30:13.900 because it's written by so many different people in so many different genres representing so many 00:30:13.900 --> 00:30:18.940 different cultures and societies there's an enormous amount of work and learning to be done to understand 00:30:18.940 --> 00:30:24.720 those cultures and societies because the goal is to understand what was this originally written for 00:30:24.720 --> 00:30:30.559 what did it originally speak to who was the original audience and then how from knowing that can we apply 00:30:30.559 --> 00:30:35.319 it to us today so you have to understand this piece before you can understand this piece and that takes 00:30:35.319 --> 00:30:41.939 study it takes work so it's great to rely on commentaries it's great to rely on study bibles 00:30:41.939 --> 00:30:47.319 it's great to rely on people who are more knowledgeable than you but what we need to remember is in our 00:30:47.319 --> 00:30:52.399 personal study of scripture the goal is to understand ultimately more about jesus and so if you've never 00:30:52.399 --> 00:30:58.740 read the bible it's not necessarily the best idea to start at the beginning you know i talked to this 00:30:58.740 --> 00:31:04.439 one sweet amazing woman who was marrying get you know getting married she was engaged and she said well you know i really 00:31:04.440 --> 00:31:08.740 you know you know studying the bible is is really important and in his life and this is something 00:31:08.740 --> 00:31:14.299 we've talked about and so i for him like i want to read the bible um i want to read the whole bible 00:31:14.299 --> 00:31:20.160 before we get married and i said okay well how long is your engagement and you know and engagement for 00:31:20.160 --> 00:31:23.259 some of you know is it's stressful enough and i'm like and you're gonna just kind of kind of like 00:31:23.259 --> 00:31:30.279 squeeze in there reading the whole bible you know and i said well how's it going she's like not very good 00:31:30.279 --> 00:31:37.500 i can't read it back to front i would suggest if you've never read the bible before start in the 00:31:37.500 --> 00:31:42.099 middle in other words don't start at the beginning start in the center jesus is the center pick one of 00:31:42.099 --> 00:31:46.259 the gospels read one of the gospels begin to learn about who jesus is and then wherever you are in 00:31:46.259 --> 00:31:50.700 scripture wherever you're studying if you get lost and try to start to lose your way and you're not sure 00:31:50.700 --> 00:31:55.879 what is happening just remember this is somehow meant to point me to jesus and normally that will get you back 00:31:55.880 --> 00:32:05.560 on track last thing i'll say about personal study is this yes we study for understanding but more than 00:32:05.560 --> 00:32:12.560 that we read the bible so that it can read us and we study it so it can study us the goal is to have 00:32:12.560 --> 00:32:16.260 your heart laid bare by scripture you read it and you realize oh my gosh this is talking about me 00:32:16.260 --> 00:32:22.400 and then you begin to understand more your need for christ so that's one way some other ways right 00:32:22.400 --> 00:32:27.580 quick we we engage scripture through prayer you want to guarantee that god is going to hear and 00:32:27.580 --> 00:32:35.140 answer your prayer pray scripture guaranteed we we do it in community there's a there's a time and 00:32:35.140 --> 00:32:41.800 place for discussing and interacting that's why we do this in small groups we sing god's word together 00:32:41.800 --> 00:32:46.840 we sing god's word most of what we sing up here is in some way directly taken from scripture 00:32:46.840 --> 00:32:51.940 we do it in the preaching hopefully the goal of preaching is to reveal scripture faithfully 00:32:51.940 --> 00:32:56.740 to exposit it and then to reveal christ through that 00:32:56.740 --> 00:33:02.620 and then lastly through our liturgy you know the book of common prayer on which our service is based 00:33:02.620 --> 00:33:07.799 three quarters of that is just directly quoting scripture that was the goal of the book of common prayer 00:33:07.799 --> 00:33:13.100 you know so we we decide okay do people want to hear whatever i make up every week 00:33:13.100 --> 00:33:16.460 or do they want to hear god's word we just went with the latter 00:33:16.460 --> 00:33:21.660 and how we put the service together but the goal is through all of these means to just be utterly 00:33:21.660 --> 00:33:27.240 saturated with god's word to be completely saturated by god's word in every way 00:33:27.240 --> 00:33:33.660 and and the goal is not to have spiritual highs all the time sometimes you do and sometimes you don't 00:33:33.660 --> 00:33:37.100 the goal listen to this the goal of all of this as we're doing it all together 00:33:37.100 --> 00:33:44.440 is a kind of mutually reinforcing cumulative effect on our hearts and minds over time that's the goal 00:33:44.440 --> 00:33:48.920 the more you personally study the bible the more you're going to get out of gathered worship the more 00:33:48.920 --> 00:33:52.620 you listen to good preaching and the more you sing and the more you learn to pray scripture the more 00:33:52.620 --> 00:33:56.360 you're going to get out of your personal study it all works together but the goal is the accumulative 00:33:56.360 --> 00:34:02.680 effect over time a great way of thinking about this comes from the chicago shakespeare improv group and 00:34:02.680 --> 00:34:07.640 some of you have heard me talk about this before i love it um the chicago shakespeare improv 00:34:07.640 --> 00:34:14.440 group they give two 90 minute performances every time they they they perform two 90 minute performances 00:34:14.440 --> 00:34:19.900 and it starts this way they say give me some topics and the audience yells out they yell out different 00:34:19.900 --> 00:34:24.940 different like whose line is it anyway they they they shout out different ideas and then from that 00:34:24.940 --> 00:34:33.099 on the spot totally improv they construct a full-length 90 minute shakespearean verse play 00:34:33.099 --> 00:34:37.860 and people looking at and then how do you do the verses in the rhyming and how did it sounds just 00:34:37.860 --> 00:34:41.199 like shakespeare and how do you just how does that come out of you well guess what they do 00:34:41.199 --> 00:34:49.019 they spend all of their off time studying shakespeare they read and they read and they read and they read 00:34:49.019 --> 00:34:52.539 and they study and they study and they study and they study and they study and the goal is that they 00:34:52.539 --> 00:35:00.179 become so immersed in the real thing in shakespeare that they're able to just exude it it just comes out 00:35:01.159 --> 00:35:03.379 So our goal in reading Scripture 00:35:03.379 --> 00:35:06.319 is that we would become so familiar with it 00:35:06.319 --> 00:35:08.899 that whenever you find yourself in a situation 00:35:08.899 --> 00:35:11.339 and Scripture doesn't speak directly to that situation, 00:35:11.460 --> 00:35:12.839 and Lord knows there's a ton of those, 00:35:14.119 --> 00:35:15.859 you can just exude it. 00:35:15.899 --> 00:35:18.259 You have a kind of gospel-shaped instinct 00:35:18.259 --> 00:35:20.759 because you're so familiar with God's Word. 00:35:22.839 --> 00:35:25.419 So all this brings us back to our original question 00:35:25.419 --> 00:35:26.859 as we wrap up. 00:35:26.860 --> 00:35:31.660 But for those of us who do follow Christ, 00:35:31.740 --> 00:35:35.200 for those of us who consider ourselves to be His disciples, 00:35:35.320 --> 00:35:36.340 why bother with the Bible? 00:35:37.220 --> 00:35:38.720 And I would say there's two reasons. 00:35:39.680 --> 00:35:40.740 Because of its origin, 00:35:42.360 --> 00:35:44.099 because the entire purpose of this 00:35:44.099 --> 00:35:46.360 is that it is God-breathed for us. 00:35:46.460 --> 00:35:49.480 God does God's work through God's Word. 00:35:50.420 --> 00:35:53.539 And the second is this, because of its stated purpose. 00:35:53.539 --> 00:35:57.119 The Bible itself all throughout the Old Testament 00:35:57.119 --> 00:35:58.980 and the New Testament says again and again and again 00:35:58.980 --> 00:36:01.500 that God's Word in Scripture 00:36:01.500 --> 00:36:03.880 is the way to have a relationship with Him. 00:36:06.239 --> 00:36:07.900 So do you want to know God intimately? 00:36:09.300 --> 00:36:11.420 Do you want to feel a sense of His presence 00:36:11.420 --> 00:36:12.519 and His love in your life? 00:36:13.840 --> 00:36:16.820 Then open His Word, sit at His feet, 00:36:17.420 --> 00:36:18.980 and listen to what He has to say. 00:36:20.079 --> 00:36:20.659 Let's pray. 00:36:20.659 --> 00:36:27.059 Father, again, the great danger 00:36:27.059 --> 00:36:28.659 is putting our hope in human words. 00:36:29.859 --> 00:36:31.879 And we pray that whatever is of You 00:36:31.879 --> 00:36:35.139 would be empowered by Your Spirit 00:36:35.139 --> 00:36:37.119 and driven deep into our hearts. 00:36:38.839 --> 00:36:40.819 Lord, that if we have resistance to this, 00:36:41.420 --> 00:36:42.619 that You would help penetrate 00:36:42.619 --> 00:36:44.339 to the core of that resistance. 00:36:44.739 --> 00:36:46.399 That for those of us who are open 00:36:46.399 --> 00:36:48.539 and who desire to hear from You through Your Word, 00:36:48.539 --> 00:36:51.779 I pray that You would bless and empower that desire 00:36:51.779 --> 00:36:54.059 and give us the means to hear from You 00:36:54.059 --> 00:36:56.420 and to be transformed from the inside out 00:36:56.420 --> 00:36:58.440 by Your Word in our lives. 00:36:58.599 --> 00:37:00.099 We pray this not only for us as individuals, 00:37:00.259 --> 00:37:01.360 but for our entire community, 00:37:01.500 --> 00:37:03.559 that one of the things we would be known for 00:37:03.559 --> 00:37:05.420 is a church that values 00:37:05.420 --> 00:37:10.139 and seeks to live under Your Word in all things. 00:37:10.199 --> 00:37:11.900 We pray this in Your Son's holy name. 00:37:12.219 --> 00:37:12.440 Amen. 00:37:12.440 --> 00:37:12.539 Amen. 00:37:12.940 --> 00:37:13.440 Amen. 00:37:13.440 --> 00:37:13.940 Amen. 00:37:13.940 --> 00:37:14.440 Amen. 00:37:14.440 --> 00:37:14.500 Amen.