Well, good morning everyone, great to be in church with you this morning.
Let me pose you with a bunch of questions as we kick off this series.
Is the Bible true?
I'm not asking if there is truth in it,
say the way that there is truth in Moby Dick or Plato's Republic
or the Lord of the Rings.
Aspects of truth can be found virtually everywhere.
What I'm asking is this, is the Bible completely true?
All of it.
Is it so trustworthy then all that it teaches
that it can function as the test of all other claims to truth?
That's a quote from John Piper's book, A Peculiar Glory.
A phenomenal book if you want to investigate further these particular issues,
which Dan and I are currently reading through at the moment.
It's a fantastic book.
Those are great questions that all of us sit somewhere
with the answers to that question.
All of us sit somewhere to those questions,
even if we're not aware that we're sitting somewhere with those questions.
In the same way, all of us sit somewhere in reality to gravity,
even if we've never thought about it.
All of us sit somewhere in response to those questions.
Some of us, no, of course not.
Some of us, well, it sort of contains some truth
and some other things which are a little bit confusing
or a bit things for a bit, for, you know, a day once upon a time.
And some of us say, well, it's entirely true.
It's completely the word of God
because that's what we're being brought up to hear and believe.
And yet, rarely pick it up.
That is, functionally, we might agree that it's true
and yet operationally in our day-to-day existence,
it's clearly not true, has no relevance to our lives.
And I make that point carefully, but also intentionally.
I've been a pastor now for more than 25 years
in churches that will be characterised
as what you would call Bible-believing churches.
And in every single Bible-believing church that I've been in,
including this one for 15 years,
I have always struggled to get people to pick up their Bibles.
When I say, open your Bibles now,
this is what happens.
No one reaches for one.
And it happens again and again and again and again and again.
Or when we're arguing about a particular point,
when I say arguing, I mean in discussing a particular point,
very few people will reference the Scriptures in their life
to make their point.
So we might declare that the Bible is true,
but how really true is it to us in day-to-day
in our actual relationship with God?
Now, the thrust of this particular series on the Bible
is that yes, it is.
The Bible is completely true in its entirety.
I'm going to get there in a moment.
But that has not always been my view.
Last Tuesday, that is less than a week ago,
was the 31st anniversary of me becoming a Christian.
I was 23 years old.
I grew up in a God-fearing family
with a long heritage in Christian things.
Some of my earliest memories were associated
with doing things like the kids are out there doing now
in kids' church.
The Bible, if you like, was an ever-present reality.
There were Bible verses, you know,
you know, on walls, you know,
like in frames and things, you know,
things like that.
The Bible was an ever-present reality.
I was encouraged to read it and to know it.
And I, before I became a Christian,
I had read through it several times.
On the most part, I found it confusing.
On the most part, I couldn't reconcile
what I would perceive as being inconsistencies.
But I feared the consequences of not reading it
and not doing my best to try to obey it.
And so it was one of those duties,
arduous duties to read the Bible
and to skim through it, you know,
like with the mentality,
a chapter a day keeps the devil away kind of thing.
This led to a very frustrating life of uncertainty
and a lack of clarity.
And that frustration for me boiled over
in my early 20s,
where I recall specifically
praying to God,
if you exist at all
and this Bible is true,
as I've been told,
then I need you to show me.
I need you to reveal yourself to me
because frankly, I'm fed up.
If you exist, make it clear.
Otherwise, I'm entirely changing tact in my life
and going somewhere else.
That was in my very early 20s.
Then it eventually happened to me
one Friday night,
Friday evening,
sitting in a shed in Katoomba,
31st of April,
31 years ago, 1993.
I can't describe to you what happened.
I wasn't looking for it.
Didn't think I even needed it in many ways.
But I knew it happened when it happened.
It changed the whole course of my life.
And here I am, 31 years later,
looking back on that event,
not being able to understand it in the time,
but over time,
I've come to realise what's happened,
what happened to me.
What I didn't know at that time
was that prior to 31 years ago,
I had a bunch of details and facts
about God,
about Jesus.
I could even argue some of those facts and details.
What I did not have
was sight.
I couldn't see the glory,
the beauty,
the majesty,
the wonder
of those facts and details.
I knew that Jesus was significant.
I knew that he was a key factor.
In fact,
I would argue at that point
that he was the son of God.
But I never saw the beauty
or the majesty of that
and what it meant for me.
And so increasingly so
over the past three decades,
I've been gifted by God
to see more and more glory
and majesty
in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
What happened to me on that
first night
31 years ago
is that up until that point,
I'd been looking at the Bible
as if it was a picture
hanging on a wall
of a great landscape.
Marvelling at this thing occasionally,
walking past it,
having a gasp,
you know,
it's a good picture.
And then God,
by his spirit,
31 years ago,
opened up the landscape
and helped me to see
that it's actually a window
that I'm looking through
to see real,
live glory.
I'm not looking at a masterpiece.
I'm looking through a window.
God wants me to see
majesty and glory.
That's what he wants me to see.
So one of the aims
that I want us to do
through this series
is to awaken us
to a passion
for the sheer existence
of truth.
And particularly so
in a day and age
where everything you read
and see
will tell you
that truth does not exist.
truth is what you make it to be.
Truth is true for you.
All that is doing
is preparing
future generations
of this country
and our society
and our world
for prison cells.
As we,
more and more people,
individually declare
that they can live life
any way they choose to be.
chaos and anarchy
is the only thing
and we're starting to see
in our society already.
And so to awaken us
for the sheer existence
of truth
and to embrace
that truth
for our joy.
So my hope
in this series
is that we would know
and we would see
and that we would experience
that the God
who defines
all things,
the God
who has created
all things,
the God
who rules
all things,
the God
who has
worked to save
all things,
that this God
throughout all of history
has spoken.
And he has spoken loud
and he has spoken clearly
and with more authority
than any other voice
in this world.
and he has spoken
clearly and loudly
and with authority
about every single thing
that we face
in this world.
And what he has spoken
has been recorded
for us
in the scriptures.
So my three points today
is God speaks the truth,
Jesus is the truth,
and the truth
is what sets you free.
So let's take a moment
there.
I want to see
the connection
between God's word
and the authority
over our lives.
So Psalm 119,
grab your Bibles,
don't do it out of guilt
but I do encourage you
to grab your Bibles.
Turn to Psalm 119,
James read this out for us.
Don't feel guilty
if you have not got
your Bible in front of you.
Maybe feel somewhat guilty
that you didn't actually
bring it with you to church.
Salvation
is far from the wicked
for they do not seek
your degrees.
Your compassion is great,
O Lord.
Preserve my life
according to your laws.
Many are the foes
who persecute me
but I have not turned
from your statutes.
I look on the faithless
with loathing
for they do not obey
your word.
See how I love
your precepts.
Preserve my life,
O Lord.
According to your love,
all your words
are true,
all your righteous laws
are eternal.
I'm just saying earlier
to the team
that we get together
to pray,
Psalm 119,
the entire Psalm 119,
the longest chapter
in the entire Bible
is all about
the word of God
and all of it
except for three verses
of 170 something verses,
all but three
make specific reference
to God's word.
Now notice
that these verses
are therefore
are talking about
God communicating
decrees,
laws,
statutes,
word,
precepts.
Then it says
in verse 160
that what God
speaks is true.
What he speaks
is righteous.
What he speaks
is eternal.
The word
at the very beginning
of verse 160,
the word
all there
in its original
language
which is Hebrew
means head.
The word
we got
all there
in its original
language
means head.
It means
the head
of a body
or the head
of a river
or the head
of a tribe
or the head
of a family
or head
of a nation.
Two other places
it's used
in the Old Testament
Exodus 30
and Numbers
chapter 1
and both
Exodus 30
and Numbers 1
translate
that word
their head
as census.
What this verse
is saying
is that if
you took
a census
a survey
of the word
of God
if you
investigate
the facts
then the
conclusion
would be
that the
sum total
of the word
of God
is truth.
The totality
of the Bible
is truth.
Not a truth
the truth.
But notice
the second half
of verse 160
all
same word
all
your righteous
laws
are
eternal.
That is
it's not just
the
total
of it
that is
truth
it's all
the individual
parts
of it
that are
truth.
The census
would reveal
that the whole
and the parts
are all
truth.
That is
when God
speaks
truth.
And what
we have
here
in his
word
what we
have
is
truth.
He speaks
truth.
Truth is
what God
communicates.
He can
only ever
communicate
that which
is true
which is
right
which is
eternal.
And the
reason why
God's word
is ultimate
truth
is that
the overruling
and final
authority
in all
things
his word
is
so
is
such
because
that
God
himself
is
ultimate
reality.
So what
he
communicates
is
ultimate
reality.
That is
God
is
absolute.
There is
nothing
higher
than
God.
There is
no one
no thing
equal
with God.
It's not
his opinion
against
another
opinion.
there was
no reality
before
God.
It was
all
void.
It was
all
formless.
God
we are
told
is from
everlasting
to everlasting.
No
beginning
no end.
He stands
outside of
all things
created.
Never
beginning
never
ending
never
becoming
never
improving
simply
and
absolutely
there to
be dealt
with on
his
terms
or
not
at
all.
The
one
who
never
had
a
beginning
but
always
was
and
is
and
will
be
he's
the
one
who
creates
all
things.
He's
the
one
who
defines
all
things.
When
God
speaks
the
Bible
when
God
speaks
through
the
word
he's
not
interpreting
history
for
us.
He
is
creating
history
when
he
speaks.
therefore
what
matters
above
all
things
in
life
is
this
God.
I
cannot
escape
the
simple
and
obvious
truth
that
God
must
be
the
main
thing
in
life
because
he
defines
all
things.
That
means
that
this
gathering
right
now
has
to
do
with
God
because
life
has
to
do
with
God
and
the
life
has
to
do
with
God
because
all
of
the
universe
has
to
do
with
God
because
every
atom
and
every
emotion
and
every
soul
of
every
angelic
and
demonic
and
human
being
belongs
to
God
the
one
who
absolutely
is.
You
and I
are
defined
by
our
experiences
and
by
our
connection
to
things.
I
have
a
mom
and
a
dad.
I
have
a
wife.
I
have
children.
I
have
a
job.
I
wear
particular
clothes.
I
live
in
a
particular
area.
God
exists
beyond
all
other
definitions.
He
stands
outside
of
everything
that's
created.
as
Romans
11
36
says
from
him
and
through
him
and
to
him
are
all
things
to
him
be
glory
forever.
Reality
is
created,
it is
determined,
it is
defined
by God
and
truth
is the
communication
of
that
reality,
the
display
of
that
reality.
It
is
the
way
things
actually
are.
For
something
to be
true,
it
must
represent
reality.
If it
doesn't
represent
reality,
what we
call that
nowadays
is a
myth
or we
call it
a lie.
When
God
speaks,
he
reveals
reality
because
he
is
reality.
Left to
our own
devices,
we would
have no
ability
to discover
reality
and truth.
But
God
is the
one who
has
revealed
the way
things
simply
are.
The
one who
is
inapproachable,
exists
outside of
us,
not
defined
by us,
has
come to
us and
revealed
himself
to
us.
And
that's
my
second
point.
The
place
where
reality
and
the
communication
of
reality
or the
representation
of
reality
come
together
in the
most
profound
way
is in
the
person
of
Jesus
Christ.
Firstly,
because
Jesus
himself
speaks
truth.
Jesus
says
this
in
John
18
verse
37,
for
this
I
came
into
the
world
to
testify
to
the
truth.
Everyone
on the
side
of
truth
listens
to
me.
Jesus
is saying
there that
he speaks
truth.
He came
to testify
to truth.
If you
want to
know
truth,
what he
says
there is
you
must
listen
to
me.
You
want to
know
reality,
you
want to
know the
way
things
are,
you
must
listen
to
me.
But
what he
says
a little
bit
later in
John
14
verse
6
is
even
more
profound.
He
says
not
that
he
just
speaks
what
is
true,
but
that
he
is
what
is
true.
He
is
the
truth,
he
is
reality,
he
is
the
way
things
actually
are.
The
most
ultimate
reason
why he
could
say
that
he
was
truth
is
that
he
himself
is
God.
And
that's
what
John
1
affirms
for
those
who
were
here
on
Thursday
night
when
I
preached
on
John
1.
In
the
beginning
was
the
word,
that
is
he
existed
before
anything
was
made.
The
word
here
is
Jesus
Christ.
And
the
word
was
with
God
and
the
word
was
God.
He
was
with
Now,
for
those
who
are
here
on
Thursday
night,
I'm
going
to
say
something
I
said
on
Thursday
night.
John
when
he
writes
this
referring
to
Jesus
saying
something
incredibly
profound.
He
refers
to
Jesus
as
the
word.
In
the
Greek
language
it's
the
word
logos.
And
the
word
logos
in
Greek
philosophy
and
Greek
life
was
massive.
It
was
a
massive
word.
It's
a
word
that
means
that
the
Greeks
believed,
the Greek
philosophers
believed,
the Greek
cultures
believed,
which
Western
civilization
is built
on,
and
Eastern
civilizations
have the
same
concept,
that behind
the order
of the
universe
is a
divine,
a being,
a logic
of the
universe,
a structure,
a design,
of the
universe
that
makes
the
universe
work.
What
John
says
here
is
that
logos,
that logic
of the
universe,
that structure,
design,
that purpose,
that reason
for the
universe,
is a
person.
And
it's
Jesus
Christ.
And
down in
verse
14,
we see
something
startling.
That
the
word,
the
logos,
became
flesh and
made his
dwelling amongst
us.
We have
seen his
glory,
the glory
of the
one and
only,
who came
from the
Father,
full of
grace and
truth.
So,
who is
this word?
Who is
God?
Who is
full of
grace and
truth?
Verse 15,
John testifies
concerning him.
He cries out
saying,
this was he
of whom I
said,
he who
comes after
me has
surpassed
me,
because he
was before
me.
From
the fullness
of his
grace,
we have
all received
one blessing
after another,
for the
law was
given
through
Moses,
grace and
truth came
through Jesus
Christ.
Jesus
doesn't
just,
he's not
just a
prophet who
speaks God's
word with
more clarity
than other
religious leaders
and prophets.
He doesn't
just,
he hasn't
just got
more things
right than
other prophets
and religious
leaders.
others.
He is
the truth
in itself.
And only
Jesus made
that claim
of all
other major
world religions,
only Jesus
made the
claim that
I am God
and I am
the truth.
All others
just said,
believe me
and I'll
point you
in the
direction
of it.
Jesus
is the
God of
the burning
bush in
Exodus 3.
who when
asked by
Moses,
you know,
God,
you know,
when I
get off
down to
Egypt to
tell Pharaoh
to let my,
it'd be great
if I've got a
name, a
reference here,
you know,
give me a
reference.
Who do I
tell Pharaoh
has sent
me?
And God
says to
him,
I am.
How's
that helpful?
You know,
I would
never imagine
saying that
to someone.
I just
simply
am.
And so
the place
where ultimate
reality and
the representation
of ultimate
reality come
together most
profoundly is in
the person of
Jesus Christ.
And Jesus
himself endorsed
the message of
Psalm 119,
where all of
your words are
true and all
of your righteous
laws are eternal,
when he says in
Matthew 5,
do not think
that I've
come to
abolish the
law or the
prophets,
that is the
Old Testament.
I've not
come to
abolish them,
but to
fulfill them.
I tell you
the truth,
until heaven
and earth
disappear,
not the
smallest
letter,
not the
least stroke
of a pen
will by any
means disappear
from the
law until
everything is
accomplished.
And in
Luke 24,
Jesus is
walking the
road to
Emmaus,
and he
showed the
disciples in
that moment
how the
entire Old
Testament
pointed to
him.
The Bible,
as the
word of
God,
is where we
have God
revealing the
way things
are.
The 66
books of
the Bible,
with Jesus
at the
center,
is truth.
And
therefore,
the authority
by which all
things are
measured.
The Bible
is where God
speaks what
is real and
absolute,
and so it
is true.
The Bible
is the way
God,
the ultimate
and all
important
reality,
reveals himself
to us with
clarity and
authority today.
The Bible,
with his
spirit,
is how he
mediates his
presence in
his world
today.
And so,
if God is
more important
than anything
as the great
reality of all
things,
then the Bible
is more important
than anything
but God.
What we
need to
embrace,
particularly in
a day and
age where
God's word
is mocked
and ridiculed,
what we need
to embrace and
be confident
in,
is that the
whole word
of God
is truth,
and that the
Lord Jesus
Christ is the
center of that
truth.
That the God
who made
everything,
controls
everything,
has a purpose
for everything,
this God
has spoken
to us.
As James
read out to
us from
2 Timothy,
all scripture
is God
breathed and
is useful for
teaching,
rebuking,
correcting,
and training
in righteousness.
In what he
has revealed,
we are not
left without a
knowledge of
his will.
We are not
left with a
knowledge of
him at,
sorry, we are
left with a
knowledge of
work in the
world.
we are not
left without
wisdom.
We are not
left without a
revelation of
the way of
salvation.
And this,
my friends,
is absolutely
priceless.
Absolutely
priceless.
If we could
awaken in our
hearts and
minds of the
confidence that
this is so,
just imagine
how we would
navigate our
lives.
Just imagine
how we would
navigate the
complexity of
life in this
world.
The implication
for our lives
would be
countless and
viable.
The Bible is
God's provision
for us and
it is sufficient
for all that
we need to
know in life
and salvation.
Every single
thing we face
in life is
touched by the
Bible.
It is either
directly touched
because it is
in the Bible
or indirectly
touched because
the Bible
shapes all the
attitudes and
the criteria in
which we deal
with it.
the Bible
ought to be
the sun in
the solar
system of
all of our
learning in
his world.
It gives
light, it
gives perspective,
it gives
meaning.
It will not
be just one
book among
many books
in our
shelves, it
will be the
central book.
Every idea
that we face
in the world
will be judged
by this book.
This book
must be known
first and
known better
than all
other books
and ideas
and information.
and the
whole aim,
the whole
aim in
knowing our
Bibles
is to know
the God
who has
given it
to us.
Our aim
in seeking
to see
Jesus,
to be led
to Jesus
and being
led to him
have life.
our concern
must be
to enlargen
our
acquaintance
with the
God who
defines all
things,
to walk
with him
day in
and day
out.
So one
quick tip
from the
great
J.I.
Packer
and how
to turn
our knowledge
about God
from his
word into
a knowledge
and intimate
relationship
with God.
how to
shift from
the
masterpiece
if you
like
to seeing
through a
window
of a
world
that's
alive
and
active.
I think
it's both
demanding
and simple
at the
same time
but here's
the point.
Turn
every
truth
that we
learn
about
God
into
a matter
of
meditation
before
God
that is
with God
communication
with God
leading to
obedience
of God
and prayer
and praise
to God.
I'll say
it again
turn every
truth that
we learn
about God
into a
matter of
meditation
before God
leading to
obedience
of God
and prayer
and praise
to God.
Meditation
is the
activity of
calling to
mind and
lingering over
and dwelling
on and
applying to
ourselves
that what we
have engaged
with in
God's word
about the
works,
the ways,
the purposes,
the promises
and the
character of
God.
God
and the
effect will
be to
humble us
as we
contemplate
God's
greatness
and glory
and our
own
smallness
and
sinfulness
to
challenge
us,
to change
us,
to encourage
us and
comfort
us and
to reassure
us as we
contemplate the
unsearchable
riches of
God's mercy
to us.
I said to
my community
group on
Friday night
that I'm
now into
the fourth
year of
a five-year
program to
read through
the Bible
every year,
the Old
Testament once,
New Testament
twice,
Psalms twice
in a year.
And so I'm
up to year
number four.
And there's
two things
that I've
gained from
it.
One so
far is
a sense
of the
scope,
of scripture,
of where
everything's
fitting.
I can
quickly recall
where I've
been over
the last
number of
years.
But the
second profound
thing that it's
done in terms
of changing
me is
that I've
walked away
each year
and gone,
God is
just bigger
and bigger
and I am
smaller and
smaller.
for my
joy.
I've
said to
the guys
on Friday
night,
I can tell
you one
thing that's
changed in
me.
Having read
through the
scriptures so
much in the
last four
years, I am
so much more
settled than I've
ever been in
life.
So much more
settled,
more content,
consciously so.
Not anxious,
consciously so.
And that's
because the
truth sets
us free.
And that's
why I want to
encourage you to
pick up your
Bibles, because
the truth sets
us free.
Jesus said,
and another
astounding thing
in John's
Gospel,
chapter 8,
if you hold
to my teaching,
you are really
my disciples,
and then you
will know the
truth, and the
truth will set
you free.
Know Jesus,
and you know
true freedom.
The reason why
this is so
important,
because in our
day and age,
the culture that
we're marinating
in, a
culture that
wants to get
rid of any
absolute truth
claims, doesn't
matter who it
is.
I mean, you
probably heard
the statement,
there is no
absolute truth
out there by
which we must
live our lives
by.
The irony is
that itself a
statement is a
statement of
absolute truth in
itself.
That's an
irony, but let's
leave that to
one side.
Why don't I
pick that for
the time being?
But the
reason why our
culture says
there's no
absolute truth
is because of
the assumption
that any
truth claim,
absolute truth
claim, results
in oppression.
It oppresses
others.
And I want to
say the truth
claim that Jesus
is the truth,
the way, the
truth, and the
life is a
truth that sets
you free.
And therefore,
we should pursue
it.
no Jesus
and no
freedom.
There is no
freedom, ironically,
outside of
Jesus.
The person who
says there is no
absolute truth
and I am the
full determiner of
my truth,
you are not
free.
You have
lumbered
yourself with a
burden that it's
impossible for you
to carry the
weight of,
to determine
yourself how the
world should
work.
Jesus promises
here the very
thing that we
are striving in
our secular
individual society,
striving to
achieve.
I take it that
every single
person in this
room wants to
be free in the
deepest, fullest
sense.
If the opposite
is bondage and
slavery, no one
wants to go
there.
Although it's
possible to be
enslaved to some
habits that are
very pleasurable in
the sense that it's
possible to love
your slavery,
even so, all of
us would rather be
happy in freedom
rather than a
slave to pleasant
addictions.
We all want to be
truly free.
And Jesus makes
this walloping
statement, if you
hold to my
teaching, you are
really my
disciples and then
you will know the
truth and the
truth will set you
free.
And the people
answered him, just
as some of us
might do right
now, what are you
talking about,
Jesus?
I'm not a slave to
anyone.
I'm completely
free.
That's what they
said, we are
Abraham's descendants
have never been
slaves of anyone.
How can you say
that you're going to
set us free?
I mean, the irony of
that statement is
they'd hardly ever
known a time when
they were not
enslaved to someone.
They're thinking
about just one
aspect of freedom,
but Jesus is
thinking about
something entirely
different and he
immediately clarifies,
I tell you the
truth, everyone
who sins is a
slave to sin.
That's the
walloping statement
right there.
It would take
ages to unpack
the implications of
that for us.
But to put it
briefly, Jesus is
saying that everyone
sins and therefore
everyone is
enslaved.
to sin.
This means that
sin is not just
a bad act, it
is a power over
our hearts and
over our lives
that makes us do
bad acts and sets
us against God
and other people.
There are many
kinds of freedoms
that we can make
for ourselves, but
we cannot make
this freedom for
ourselves.
sin enslave us
by making anything
look more
desirable than
knowing Jesus.
It also
enslaves us
by eventually
damning us
and it will enslave
us into hell
until someone or
something intervenes.
Jesus says in
verse 36, if the
son sets you
free, you will
be free indeed.
The son who is
Jesus, who is the
truth in verse
32, is the one who
sets us free.
He frees us from the
damnation of slavery
by becoming damned
for us in his death
on the cross as our
substitute.
He frees us from the
dominion of a sin
over our hearts by
changing our hearts
to see him as more
desirable than
anything.
So that we are free
to truly love him and
free to love others.
Only Jesus, the son of
God who came, died and
rose for us, can set us
free and make us happy
forever.
If Jesus sets you
free, you'll be free
indeed.
And unbeknownst to me,
that's what happened to
me 31 years ago.
For the very first time
in my life, it's like
God moved the
masterpiece and helped
me gaze to the window
that it was hiding.
The landscape showed
me the reality that
was behind it, a God
who was behind it.
I want to say that
31 years ago, I
discovered, increasingly
so over these past
three decades, that the
Bible was not so much
an instruction manual on
how to live life as a
letter that revealed a
good and majestic and
beautiful and glorious
God.
It is a letter to us
from the creator of the
universe.
In that sense, the
Bible is deeply,
deeply personal.
It is designed to
deeply connect us to the
heart and the mind of
the writer.
So friends, let me just
say, for those of you
who are Christian,
Christian, we have no
sure sight of God's
excellencies, his
beauty, his majesty,
his wonder, except
through the word, the
Bible.
When we pick up the
Bible in our daily
devotions or study it in
our community groups or
hear it preach, the
church or youth group,
we are dealing with the
creator of the universe
and the book that he
inspired as a gift for
all peoples of the
world, that we might
know the truth, him the
truth, the only one who
can set us free.
to know the God of all
truth, to see and
savour the God of all
truth, to delight in the
God of all truth.
Not just simply an
artwork on a wall to be
marvelled as we walk by,
occasionally stare at, but
mostly just have a general
presence around, but to
have the window opened to
reality.
to see the God behind
all things.
I know of no greater
quest in life than to
search it, to know it,
and in knowing it, in
increasing measure, seeing
the beauty and worth and
glory and majesty of the
God who is true, who is
true and who wants to be
known and can be known in
increasing measure.