The Book We Trust Part 1

One reason for us to Jesus phone number for Christians Bible is the epicenter and we rely on the distinction. Today we begin a series on the key doctrines that define what Christianity is all about to learn why the Bible can be trusted. Stay with us from the church in Chicago this morning with Erwin Sir, whose clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line. Estimates are tell us about the series were beginning called what we believe what you know, Dave. The reason that I preached a series of messages is to crystallize in people's mind. The essential doctrines of the Christian faith, and when I use that word doctor and I'm not talking simply the theoretical concepts of doctrine. I'm speaking about the practical application of doctrine to our lives.

People who are listening to this and thank God for the many who have joined us.

I want to thank you so much for being a part of the running to win family you will be encouraged. You will be blessed and I predict that as a result of this series of messages you will be more confident in sharing your faith with others. Yes, we're going to be studying why the Bible can be trusted, but also will be talking about God, Christ, the gospel, the Holy Spirit, and other doctrines of the Christian faith. So thanks so much for joining us. Now we go to the pulpit of Moody church where we hear about the book, namely the Bible, the book we can trust again today with a question. Is the Bible a human book or is it a divine. That's the question of the hour. Yesterday I was reading in the book of Jeremiah, and I think it's in chapter 34 were Jeremiah was asked by God to write a scroll in God gave them the wisdom to do that and after writing it. He gave it to his scribe to read to the people because he himself was banned and then it was given to the king, and when it was read to the king. Bible says that as his assistant.

Read it column by column.

The king took a knife and cut it and put it in the fire, in defiance later on. God said to Jeremiah. Jeremiah you're going to have to redo that I often wonder did he come up with exactly the same words that he had used previously are or did he change it just a little bit without affecting its meaning. You know, we come to the book of the mark in the New Testament did you find that Mark love the vivid present tense over 108 times Mark would say, Jesus goes to Jerusalem. Jesus heals the he loved that his Greek is very different from the Greek John who also wrote a book in the New Testament you get to Luke. Luke actually says look. Many people decided to write about the life of Jesus and I've investigated what they've written and now I'm putting things in order in writing my own account that you might believe, O Theophilus, think of Paul.

First Corinthians 1st Corinthians chapter 1 verse 16 he says now he says when I was with you I baptize some people and I baptized the house of Stella Banas but he said that I can't remember whether or not I baptized anyone else call that had a better memory, would you put some other some other names in the Bible for us in God's holy book and at the end of second Timothy. He says Timothy when you come bring my coat. You know, after all, he's in prison that he's cold and he says bring my coat in and bring the books and especially the parchments sounds like a very human book to me on every page you can see it's human us the styles of the writers yet at the same time, were confronted with this question. Is it only a human book more than 1500 times the Bible claims to be the word of God.

God says to Moses and then comes a quote all the way through the Pentateuch, Jeremiah, who had that experience of his scroll being burned.

The Lord says to him in chapter 1 verse two it says the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah and other times in chapter 1 it says that the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah and Paul who couldn't remember whether he baptized other people having a senior moment himself. Paul going through that experience says in first Corinthians.

If anyone is spiritual. Let him know that I am telling you the commandment of God is the Bible, human, or is it divine. The answer is, of course, it is both human and divine in the best example of that is Jesus was Jesus human or divine.

John chapter 4 Jesus, the Bible says being wearied with his journeys sat on the well wearied with his journey. What we say Jesus is God telling me that God got tired and had to sit down for a few moments, will Jesus is both God and man. And when I speak about Jesus the son in this doctrinal series were going to talk about the incarnation its complexity, but also its mystery. What is Jesus called in the Bible, among other names.

He is called the word of God in the beginning was the law because the word revelation expressly calls him the word of God and the parallels between Jesus and the Bible are really astounding. Both are eternal.

Jesus is eternal, yet died, word, O Lord, forever is settled in heaven heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. Both are eternal. Both were conceived by the Holy Spirit. Jesus, yes, but also the writers of Scripture were borne along by the Holy Spirit. The Bible says. Also, let's keep in mind that both are without error. Jesus was a man yet sinless. The Bible is a human book but because it's also a divine book.

It is without error. It is inspired.

It is inspired by God and kept free of error you say will pastor this or what do we mean when we say that the Bible is inspired doing mean just that you know it's an inspiring book.

We don't mean that there plenty of inspiring books that are out there and quite frankly there's some parts of the Bible that you read at times might not be that inspiring, especially when you get into the Old Testament. That's not what we mean it's it's much more than that. It's also much more than the notion that the Bible is reliable in matters of doctrine, but not in matters of science in matters of history that notion just does not wash. It is illogical and the reason is because history in the Bible is doctrine, the resurrection of Jesus.

Is it a matter of history, or a matter of doctrine, the answer is it's both the creation of the world is not a matter of science and not theology the whole doctrine of creation lies at the very root in the heart of Scripture and doctrine.

Furthermore, think about it for a moment. If we cannot trust the Bible in matters of science and history if it is wrong there, why should we believe it and trusted in matters of doctrine. It is wrong in these issues might just as well be believe that it is wrong in everything that's not what we mean when we speak of inspiration that you say will does that mean that the just the ideas were inspired just the ideas. That's a popular notion. The problem is that words and ideas are bound together.

Sometimes your salvation rests on a single word.

One word Jerome translating the Bible into Latin translated the words of Jesus.

He did not translate and repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. He translated it do penance for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Now maybe he thought that the word penance meant repentance. The problem is that from that word all whole tradition of penance developed when Luther discovered the error was revolutionary. One single word you say will pastor Luther didn't the writers of Scripture have any leeway scholars can see very clearly there styles answers. Of course they had leeway for the most part, the Bible was not dictated. Holy men of God were moved by the Holy Spirit. Some of it was dictation. Much of it wasn't.

Of course you see Mark love the present tense. Jesus goes to Jerusalem.

Matthew writing about the very same event might say Jesus went to Jerusalem. Maybe John says Jesus proceeded to Jerusalem, another writer might say Jesus arrived at Jerusalem. God says choose whatever word you want within your style. As long as you remain within the boundaries of truth. The Bible is a human book and it's a divine book years ago when I was in Bible College and that is more years ago than it used to be. I remember memorizing this little poem that I don't know who wrote it.

Speaking of the Bible. Deep strikes by roots old heavenly vine into our earthly sawed most human, most divine, the flower of man and God. You hold in your hand today if you brought your Bibles like I assume you did you hold the flower of man and God. We believe in what is known as verbal clean area inspiration word cleaner rate means full extends to all of Scripture verbal has to do with words so I came up with this definition actually based on other similar definitions. God superintended the authors that although they use their background in style, they nevertheless wrote his message to us without ever in the original autographs or manuscripts what they wrote and taught was without error is a habit we don't have the originals.

That's true. Thank God we don't have the originals.

We've already got enough people lining up to see a piece of bone that belongs to someone in the past.

Can you imagine if we had the originals of Paul, the people would be worshiping that piece of parchment, but we have copies of copies. And here's the deal.

Yes, there are variations, but that's what scholars do they go back and they reconstruct the original and through many different sources are able to reconstruct essentially exactly what Paul wrote and what Mark wrote.

It is oftentimes said that when you open your Bible, you know that the text upon which it is based is 99.5% exact lady what the original was and the other little one half of 1% has to do with variations that do not affect doctrine. Let me say to you with authority today that when you hold this book in your hands you can with confidence say that you are holding the word of God that lives and abides forever. This book is God's book, God's love letter to us. This is his word now the question is, of course, how do we know that the Bible is the word of God come with me to a university classroom, I maybe 25 maybe 24 maybe 23 taking a course in philosophy and a Canadian University and the professor is that teaching us logic professor and that he brings to class a a snippet that he cut out from a newspaper that says that a Christian was asked how do we know the Bible is the word of God and the Christian said that we know it's the word of God because it claims to be the word of God and the professor said this is an example of circular reasoning test example he had the Bible is the word of God because it claims to be the word of God, you're assuming the point to be proven.

I think that all of us would admit to say that the Bible is the word of God because it claims to be the word of God sounds a little bit like well I knew that he was telling me the truth because he told me he was telling me the truth, and we know that that of course is logically suspect honey ask you this question. Is it wrong for us to find out what the Bible says about itself is not a legitimate II think that's a very good enterprise. Let's suppose that you had a visitor come in a very strange boat and land on some distant shore. Wouldn't it be okay to interview him to ask him where he came from and if he gave an explanation. We look for consistency, but we also bring in experts in both manufacturing and clothing to try to verify but it would be all right. In fact may be helpful. Maybe he would tell us things about his origin that we could earn in any other way legitimate to ask what the Bible teaches about itself, even in a court of law.

You know what the defendant is able to stand up and defend himself so I think it's very right that we should ask the Bible. What do you say about yourself and your origin will have already told you that about 1500 times the Bible claims to be the word of God, the Bible claims to be God breathed all Scripture is given by inspiration of God is given by the breath of God says in Psalm 33 that the heavens were made by the breath of God, the host of them by the breath of his mouth and the very same breath as God breathed out by his spirit result and in the booklet we call the Bible. It claims to be inspired of God. In fact it goes on to say that the words of the Lord are pure words as silver tried in a furnace refined his seven time the pure word of God, heaven and earth shall pass away, said Jesus, but my word shall not pass away, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever. It's almost on every page of Scripture. It claims to be God's book and here's the question. Follow carefully. There are some people whom we called religious liberals.

I'm not talking about political liberals and I'm trying but religious liberals and this is what they say. They say you know we don't believe that the Bible is a word from God. We think it's a purely human book exit. It's the story of of the Jews in the Old Testament coming to grips with monotheism and that's all that is backed.

Nonetheless, we should treated with reverence because it has so much good things in an and we have to respect it all really. You're going to respect a book that has Internet, at least minimally. 1500 lives you respect this book. I don't think so, let's put the best face on these guys, yet they were not writing God's word but they thought they were. Are you going to accept the words of authors who were so befuddled that they couldn't tell the difference between their thoughts and God's. I don't think so.

But suppose someone wrote a biography of Winston Churchill and throughout the biography said, now Churchill said to me, and then we discover the guy never met Winston Churchill even once. Would we say well you know he was wrong regarding that it's true he told us all these lies but I think that this is a very helpful biography. I think I'd use it to warn myself in winter. Quite frankly, what I'm saying to you today is this, if the Bible is mistaken regarding its origin. It is nothing else to say to us that is worthwhile all yeah there's some wonderful things that Jesus gave on the sermon on the mount, but a lot of those can be found in other religions. How do you respect a book that's wrong so many times is simply can't either.

The Bible is a good book or it is a bad book either. It is a book that tells us the truth or it tells us a pack of lies.

Either it was written by honest men who heard from God or it was written by deluded prophets and men whose meanderings are not worth reading.

It is one or the other and so I say to you today make up your mind as to what you believe about the origin of the Bible that claims to be God's word God's book will my friend. That's quite a challenge is in that needed the Bible has come from God.

As it says about 1500 times in different ways that it is the word of God, or else it is filled with lies. The argument that I just made when you and I pick up the Bible we recognize that it is a human book.

You know, the apostle Paul had a certain style. Other writers also had their styles and we acknowledge that, but superintending them was the Holy Spirit so that while using human words, they nonetheless communicated the word of God to us and come to think of it.

Obviously they had to use language so that we would understand it communicating to us is the word of God when you pick up the Bible you know that God has spoken. I want to encourage you with this series of messages. The series is entitled what we believe, and it discusses 10 different doctrines that are really central to the Christian faith would be wonderful for you to have this series to listen to these messages again and again and let me encourage you also so that you might encourage others to listen to this series of messages, your children, your grandchildren, college students, people in your church. We all need to be refreshed in those truths that have made the church of Jesus Christ great for gift of any amount.

These messages can be yours. Here's what you do go to RTW offer.com that's RTW offer.com or you can call us at 1-888-218-9337. I'll give you that information again when you think of Bible doctrine.

Think of the structure of the building. The pillars the foundation the basics. That's what this series of messages is all about, but also these doctrines applied to our lives. Whenever we are in contact with the Scriptures. It should always impact what we believe. Yes, but also how we behave. Would you like to have these messages I think you will profit from them. We exist here at running to win, to encourage you on your journey go to RTW offer.com that's RTW offer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337 it's time once again you ask Pastor looks her a question about the Bible or the Christian life.

Today's question pastor comes to us from an anonymous lady in Ohio. It's short and sweet. If God planned it all, why should we worry well that's an excellent question, and we've all been troubled by that heavenly because if it is all on God's shoulders, why should any of it be on hours now. In an ideal world it would be true that all of our burdens would be given to God, we would be totally carefree and we never have to bear any kind of anxieties but it's not that way is it. And that's because were human.

We have human emotions when we experience grief, we cry whether God planned it all or not but here's what I'd like to leave with you today that the better we know God, the more able we are able to commit to him everything that concerns us and then we discover that the peace of God which passes all understanding keeps our minds and hearts as the apostle Paul said, think about this when Potiphar committed the affairs of his household. All of the matters that pertain to running his huge palace when he committed that to Joseph.

The Bible says that he concerned himself with nothing that was going on in the house. What a wonderful example of commitment and when we give ourselves to God and our children to God and our anxieties to God. We should concern ourselves with nothing because it has been removed from our shoulders to his yeah good question.

If God is in charge. Why should we worry.

Thank you Dr. Luther if you'd like to hear your question answered. Go to RTW offer.com and click on ask Pastor looks her or you can call us at 1-888-218-9337 that's 1-888-218-9337. You can write to us at running to win 1635 N. LaSalle Boulevard Chicago, IL 60614. You're being chased by natives for the gourds. A fragile rope bridge spans the goat do you take it or face severe romantic yes this is the bottom line when it comes to the Bible. At some point your doubts have to give way to faith that it is what it says it is the word of God. The only book that can take you across the gourds and that into eternity.

On our next going to win. Find out more about why you can trust the Bible, running to win is all about helping you understand God's roadmap for your race of life.

Thanks for listening. This is Dave was there running to win is sponsored by the movie church