The Primacy of Teaching God's Word - Life of Paul Part 69

Morning everybody.

They could see guys here about taking the Bible out of you brought one intern acts chapter 20 were going to be continuing in our study of the life of the great man. The apostle Paul. You may not realize it but go Friday night on Halloween, October 31. We celebrated one of the anniversaries of one of the greatest inventions ever happened in world history. Four.

On October 31 1517. A young man named Martin Luther with the time was a faithful Roman Catholic priest posted on the door of the castle in Wittenberg, Germany 95 theses, they were all about indulgences and the sale of indulgences in the Catholic Church and is concerned about abuses in the sale of these indulgences but at the same time he also began to do something interesting. He began to study the book of Romans, and he discovered a new true now wasn't new for the book of Romans. But it was new for Martin Luther and that is, he discovered that eternal life is not the reward of human religious effort it in the Catholic Church or to any other church but rather eternal life is a free gift that God gives to anyone who places their trust in Jesus Christ and what he did form on the cross and Martin Luther began to preach this well of course that put them on a collision course with Pope Leo the 10th of the Catholic Church, and that he was actually Martin Luther was called to a trial for heresy.

In April, 15, 21, and at that trial. He refused to recant what he was teaching about eternal life and he said these words and I quote he said I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted my conscience is Live to the word of God.

I cannot and I will not recant anything. May God help me.

After leaving that meeting. Martin Luther was afraid for his life. And so for over a year he hid out in the castle in Wartburg, Germany, and while he was there he did something that would change the history of the world and that is, he took the Bible which was in Latin, and he used that year to translate the entire Bible into the common language of the German people so that the common man and woman could read the Bible.

This started a whole plethora of of of common language Bible translations a culminating 90 years later with the translation in 1611 of the King James Bible. The first accessible Bible in the English language for the common person and the reason Martin Luther did. This is because he believed the in the primacy of the word of God.

He believed that knowing God's word and understanding God's word and applying God's word to everyday life is the single most important priority for follower of Jesus Christ and to do this. Luther understood people needed the Bible in their own language and that's why he translated the nuggets of what were going to talk about today were to talk about the primacy of God's written Word, the Bible in our lives as followers of Jesus Christ because were to see the apostle Paul in our passage for today also endorsed the primacy of the word of God.

In this passage, so that's kind of our plan come along and will come back and that will talk about you and me a little bit in a few minutes let's talk about Paul first acts chapter 20 little bit of background. Remember, here, that the apostle Paul is on his third missionary journey and that he is just got through spending nine months in Greece that show you a map. He's been to the cities of Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, Corinth, all the churches that he started on his second missionary journey and is collecting money for the poor believers living in Jerusalem now that he's got that money collected.

He originally planned to leave from Corinth sales southeast towards Jerusalem and deliver the money but he learned that there were no there were some assassins on board the ship. The Jewish community in Corinth and plan to kill him and so he wisely changed his plans and decided instead to go overland back up north of Philippi and the sale.

From there he had with him a group of representatives from the churches that give any money.

They were along the be witnesses that the money was handled in a godly in a righteous way and that's what we've been so now let's pick up and let's see what happens. Verse five.

These representatives, the Bible says went on ahead and waited for Ross at Truax as a let's look back at our map you see troll as on the northwest shore of the modern country of Turkey and so this large group of representatives went there while Paul was still in Philippi. Verse six says but we sailed from Philippi after the feast of Passover. We know the feast of Passover was in April, 57 A.D. so that's when Paul left Philippi and after five days at sea we join the others at Truax as were we stayed seven days notice here that the word we reappears in the book of acts. It hasn't been in the book of acts as acts chapter 16 and of course the we refers to Dr. Luke, the author of the book who traveled with Paul to Philippi and then Paul left him in Philippi to work with the fledgling church there to work with the young believers there to work with the churches of Thessalonica and Berea and for 6 1/2 years. Luke has been in Philippi serving the church is there now that Paul swings back through Philippi, he picks up Dr. Luke again. So the we section start back up and look. Of course, is going to be with Paul now all the way through the end of the book of acts border faithful God. 6 1/2 years.

He stayed there and serve as Paul asking to well they travel together now and verse seven on the first day of the week. There were Truax as we came together to break bread. This is the first unambiguous reference anywhere in the Bible to the fact that the early church gather for worship on Sunday, the first day of the week, not Saturday, the Sabbath, the Jewish Sabbath.

But remember, this was a pagan culture. People didn't get Sunday off so they were in the evening they go ahead they had to work all day and this worship gathering now was on Sunday night after work and that explains what happens next for seven and Paul preached to the people because him because he planned to leave the next day he kept on talking until midnight, and you guys think I'm that this guy preach three or four hours straight until midnight, and you civil law. Why in the world and people stay and listen to him that long well be friends because this is the apostle Paul. Because these people are never hurting in person before and this was their chance of after he left.

They were going to get the chance to hear him again in person. I mean he didn't have a cassette ministry did have a radio program. Although I did thing that Paul had a radio program a really cool name for it would've been not a sermon, just in epistle 40 for now I think that's cute but all right will, whatever.

Anyway, they knew this was there one shot in him. So they came to listen now verse eight and there were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting and there was a certain young man named Utica sitting on a windowsill and is Paul talked on and on. You feel Dr. Luke in here as Paul talked on and on.

Utica sank into a deep sleep and fell down from the third floor. This is why I don't feel so bad sometimes when I look out at you folks. I figure if they did at the Paul then it's okay for important happen to me. Utica still fast asleep while Paul was preaching and tumbled out of the window. Three stories verse nine and Utica was picked up dead. But Paul went down and lay on top of the young man and wrapped his arms around him and said don't be alarmed. He's alive now. There's a lot of debate that is circled around whether Utica is was really dead or whether he was just unconscious and Paul just recognize he was unconscious. I'm inclined to think he was really dead because don't forget they have a position here.

They have Dr. Luke right there on the scene and Luke ran down and certainly examined him and what is Luke Wright. He says that we picked them up dead. He was dead. And if this is true then what happens here is that the Holy Spirit through the apostle Paul raises this young man from the dead. Now this is not an unprecedented thing. The apostle Peter did the very same thing in acts chapter 9 with a young woman named Dorcas. This is not unprecedented, but it has brought a pretty amazing thing to watch somebody raise another person from the dead. Paul did this you civil after that what they do that they all yell and scream and dance around didn't have a big party.

Did they did they start talking about organizing a citywide miracle crusade on the what they do what what you what you do after you raise somebody from the dead, well look what Paul did. Verse 11 then Paul went back upstairs again broke bread and continued speaking, he went back to preaching until daybreak.

The guy preached all night long. Amazing. And then after this Paul left and they took the boy home alive and they were greatly comforted. Know this is amazing to me that after raising somebody from the dead. I mean what what the world that like to raise somebody from the dead.

What it Paul do Paul went right back to the word of God right back to teaching the word of God.

You know why because in Paul's minds oppose mine.

It miracles were not the priority in Paul's mind doing supernatural events is not the priority in Paul's mind the teaching of the word of God, the understanding by people of the word of God. The spreading of the word of God. That was the prime issue in the life of the apostle Paul and that's why, instead of worried about the fact he just done a great miracle. He didn't dwell on that. He went right back to the real prime directive and that is preaching and teaching the word of God that that's as far as we want to go in our passage because we want to ask a question and you'll know the question so we we ready ready or by ready okay here we go. 123 right is a lawn. So what say what differences make to me.

I'm glad we don't. We got pews today are not windowsills but other than that, what difference is this possibly make today will let me see if I can explain that to you know as I was reading this passage I asked myself a couple questions like this. Why did Paul spend all night hours and hours teaching the word of God. That evening, why was teaching the word of God more significant in the apostle Paul's mind that even raising somebody from the dead and why did Paul write Timothy the words that he did second Timothy chapter 4 in the presence of God. Timothy, I give you this charge for each.

The word we ready to do so in season and to do so out of season wanted Paul say all of that to all of them were friends. The answer is because of what the Bible claims to be the Bible claims to be the inspired word of God to the human race. That's why in second Timothy chapter 3, Paul writes these words that all Scripture is given by inspiration of God is all literally God three and we want to take a moment now I want to talk to you about this issue of inspiration because the inspiration of the Bible is the single most important theological issue in all of biblical Christianity. You say wait a minute, wait a minute, wait, wait, I will a day don't you think the deity of Christ is a high is a more important theological issue. Don't you think that the resurrection is a more important issue. Don't you think that maybe the return of Christ or the death of Christ on the cross is a bigger theological issue than this. No.

And I'll tell you why, because everything we know about that the deity of Christ, the resurrection, the cross and everything else. It all comes out of the Bible friends of the Bible is not a reliable book of the Bible is not in inerrant and correct in what it says we don't know any of those things even happen the way the Bible says they did so. This is the fulcrum point of biblical Christianity. This is the sine qua non of biblical Christianity grid biblical Christianity rises and falls with the inspiration and the inerrancy of the Bible to limit talk to about that for a minute. First of all, what is it mean when we say the Bible is inspired well.

Inspiration will be tell you first. What it does not mean it does not mean first of all, were not when we say the Bible is inspired were not talking about some superhuman achievement of man like you know Beethoven was inspired when he wrote his fifth Symphony is not over talk, nor are we talking about God giving the writers of the Bible. The basic idea and then say that you guys flush it out. He didn't say to Moses, okay Moses take this guy knowing there was a bunch of rain. I go work this out okay writes up about that. He didn't do that, nor third and finally, are we talking about God inspiring the Bible to me as I read it. You see there's a lot of theologians to say you know the Bible is not a perfect book. It's very imperfect book, but as you're reading this imperfect book.

Sometimes God the Holy Spirit will take a verse out of it and he'll zap it to you and you just, we go all over and get goosebumps. And that's all they've got. First was inspired to you, but it may not be inspired anybody else, no, no, that's not what were talking about inspiration. What is it mean, let's let Peter tell us he said second Peter chapter 1.

No part of Scripture ever originated in the writers own understanding men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. This is inspiration. Men spoke the words God wanted them to speak as the spirit of God carried them along and gave them those words nice it will on how exactly did did that process work within a trance. What happened well, the Bible never says and we don't know all we know is the result.

The result is a book where the exact words God wanted were written down in this book brings inspiration means that if the Lord Jesus Christ himself and sat down at a desk in Nazareth and personally written every word in the Bible himself.

We have the exact same Bible that we have today. That's what inspiration means. Now the Bible also claims as a result of inspiration to be inerrant. This is why Psalm 19 verse seven says that the law of the Lord is perfect. Inerrancy means that the Bible is without error. Inerrancy means that even though the Bible is not a science book. It's not a geography book.

It's not a history book is not a cosmology book but nonetheless the inerrancy means that when the Bible speaks to science, geography, geology, astronomy, cosmology, or history that whatever the Bible says about those subjects is just as correct as what the Bible says about salvation in Jesus Christ per se. Inerrancy is the linchpin of biblical Christianity. Rob the Bible of inerrancy and all of biblical Christianity crumbles with. That's why John Wesley said if there be any mistakes in the Bible there might as well be a thousand if there be one falsehood in that book. It did not come from the God of truth. You see folks if what the Bible says about Jonah and the fish is untrue, then how do we know that the what the Bible says about the resurrection of Jesus is an untrue hit what the Bible says about Adam and Eve is wrong and how we know that what Jesus said about heaven and hell is it wrong it's a package deal is gone it comes together. Is it will long continue. Can you give me any evidence to prove the Bible's claim that it's inerrant that it's inspired, yes I can affect I give you about 40 minutes worth it's on a CD idea called spiritual boot camp part one the reliability of the Bible and you can walk right out here walk right over in our bookstore and you can buy one if there's any doubt in your mind about whether we bring a number of different kinds of evidence to the Bible that the Bible can stand the test of what he claims to be. You go pick up that CD or that tape and I'll help you with that may take a break and say if you're here and you've never trusted Jesus in a real and personal way. And one of the things that always hung you up is what Jesus said in John 14 six I am the way, the truth and the life. Nobody gets to heaven unless they come by way of me if that is been something that is hung you up that I'm here to tell you that you can trust the Bible that the Bible is inerrant that the Bible is what it claims to be an and if you have any problem with that, you go get my tape and listen friends if you become convinced the Bible is what it says it is been then you have no choice but to deal with what Jesus said I am the way the truth and the life.

Nobody gets to heaven unless they get there by way of me which means that a decision for Christ is the most important decision you'll ever make in your life. I hope you'll think about that now. For those of us were followers of Christ. Let me move on from here and remind you that among the many proofs that the Bible is inspired and inerrant is the attitude of the Lord Jesus, I just want to cover this one today. The attitude of the Lord Jesus himself towards the Bible and that is simply this, that the Lord Jesus take his entire credibility as the son of God as the Messiah of Israel. His entire credibility on the fact that the Bible is true just the way it stands that that that even the most outrageous events in the Bible happen just the way the Bible says they happen now. For example, Jesus believed the Bible's account of Noah's flood of Matthew chapter 24, Jesus believed the Bible's account about a mini Matthew chapter 19 Jesus believed the Bible's account of Solomon Gomorrah and lots wife turning into a pillar of salt.

He refers to it in Luke chapter 17 Jesus believed the Jonah was swallowed by a fish and that he was in the belly of a fish three days and three nights. He mentions out and bought Matthew chapter 12 in Jesus believe that God spoke to Moses from the burning bush didn't burn up exactly the way. Exodus 3 says he mentions that in Matthew chapter 22. All of these outrageous events that a lot of people .2 would say those things are ridiculous and impossible. Jesus said, I believe every single one of not Jesus. As we said, is we believe that he is God wrapped in human flesh, and that he knows everything about everything that if this is the way Jesus regarded the Bible than folks. I maintain that his followers of Christ.

There is no wiggle room for us to regard the Bible any differently than any show you how far Jesus is belief in the inspiration of the Bible went Matthew chapter 22.

Let me summarize what happens here is a group of guys a name Sadducees as a religious party in Israel, Jesus and the company and one day they said Laura got a question is a question. There was this woman she had always in E.and then she married again to a second husband and he died and then she had her third husband, and he died in the fourth one died in the fifth when died, and the 61 died and the seventh 1.so here's our question Jesus. When this woman gets to heaven whose wife will she be because nobody else wants her down here is one of the bad karma. Nobody wants this woman so was against the heaven because nobody owes the narrator whose wife's ability. Well we know from their writings that the Sadducees didn't believe in heaven they didn't believe in the resurrection they didn't believe in an afterlife. They were that you know you blow out the candle you gone people so they didn't really want an answer to this question. This was a test. They were trying to trap Jesus and what the real question, but look what Jesus does Matthew 22. First, he answers their actual question. He says in the resurrection, that is in heaven. People neither Mary nor are they given in marriage, but there like the angels in heaven. In other words, in heaven, people are not sexual beings anymore. The angels on sexual beings. They don't procreate Beto Mary. They don't have sex and that's exactly what it's going to be for people in the afterlife.

She's not going to be anybody's wife in heaven heaven is different, but then he goes on Jesus to us to answer a deeper question that they didn't ask. He's going to answer question.

They only want the answer to. And that is is the afterlife real is heaven really there to people really live on in eternal life the way that the resurrection implies they didn't want to know the answer but Jesus answers it.

Anyway, here's what he says. Matthew 22, he says, but as for the resurrection of the dead, and for people living on in the afterlife in heaven, having you guys read what God said to Moses from the burning bush, God said I am the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God is not the God of the dead wood of the living symbol on how does that prove anything that he makes the island and is able to talk about what to say in their well let me explain it to you that listen when God spoke to Moses from the burning bush. It was 1450 BC, Jacob and been dead for over 400 years Isaac had been dead for over 500 years Abraham had been dead over 600 years their bodies. It turned to dust here on earth. They were in here for centuries and yet from the Bush what did God say to Moses he said Moses, I am present tense, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Not I was there. God or I have been there. God past tense. But God use the present tense and sent 400 years after. These men died on earth. I am still there. God because they are still alive there alive in heaven with me there still alive and the people. The Bible says that the people all stood around and said well can argue with that. God is not the God of the dead. Once you're dead is not your God anymore. He's the God of the living is Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are still living now friends what I want you to see here though is the Jesus based his entire theological defense of the afterlife on the Bible's use of a verb tense here in that area of it in Exodus 3 from the burning bush, he believed Jesus did, that God breathed not only every word of the Bible, but would you notice Jesus believe that God breathed, every tense of every word in the Bible he based an entire theological position in the fence on the tense of a verb.

That's how deep he understood the inerrancy and the inspiration of the Bible to go and so once again I repeat, if this is the way Jesus all the Bible what room do we have seen any differently now. Regarding this, let me bring it down to make it personal to you and me because here's what God said to Joshua. Joshua chapter 1 he said Joshua he said do not let this book that I've given you depart from your mouth meditate on it daily so that you may be careful to do everything that is written in it for the then you will be prosperous and then you will have success wherever you go.

Let me repeat that Joshua what you meditate in this book and then you will be prosperous and then you will have success wherever you go. What what this means is that his followers of Jesus Christ, knowing the word of God as followers of Jesus Christ studying the word of God as followers of Jesus Christ obeying the word of God as followers of Jesus Christ using the word of God is the roadmap for our life.

What is God say to Joshua. This is the key to a safe and a rewarding life, not about you, and you guys, morning people see I'm not in fact I had a friend of mine is out with the other day and he said to me you know we said.Asa 10 o'clock I'm in bed. Unlike p.m. 10:00 PM, you're in bed. I might do the news and even on yet. Had you keep up with the world is a lot checking on my computer early in the morning. I'm like, will you know God bless you, because that is not how I do it 10 o'clock at night when things are just starting to get rolling at 10 o'clock at night. You know I do my best work after midnight and it's not unusual for me to roll in the bed 1 AM 2 AM and when I do that to unwind a little bit. I turn on the TV and there is nothing on the TV in one or 2 o'clock in the morning but infomercials paid programming as they call and so I lay there and I watched paid programming men friend I know more about losing weight and home gym equipment and buying gold and investing in real estate than anybody here, I believe the day. Unbelievable.

What I learned watching these infomercials now not stupid. I never bought any of that stuff, but it is interesting to watch people take all the people on television Leica and the and are instantly ignorant bed. Many times I say to myself, you know what people are spending billions and billions of dollars a year, not just on infomercials but on astrology and self-help books and pop psychology.

Just go to Borders and go over and look at that section because people are trying with everything in them to hit on a formula for successful living. You know what God told us that the formula for successful living can be found in the nightstand drawer in every hotel in America.

It's called the BRI BLE and friends. This is what got one of the reasons God gave us the Bible was to be a roadmap for life to teach us how to live a successful and rewarding life and God wants us to use it that way would he tell Joshua he said Joshua meditate in the word of God so that you can obey the word of God so that you can have a rewarding life. This is not a real complicated formula, we learn the word of God. We obey the word of God, and God gives us a satisfying life.

That's what God says so let me ask you question is why here at McLean Bible church. We challenge you have a quiet time to be in the word of God.

Regular my question is how many of us don't raise your hand. Spend at least 15 minutes a day reading, studying, meditating, in the word of God. How many of the storage and I suspect if we had people raise their hands would be shocked to see how few hands really went up and that's that's a problem you say, long can I live is a follower of Jesus Christ without reading the word of God. 15 minutes a day. Sure you can you can be an athlete without ever going to the weight room. You can drive cross-country without ever using a roadmap you can know you can graduate college without ever going to class. A lot of things are ugly and you know it they're ugly you get it done, but it doesn't work out to be a very rewarding experience. You can be a follower of Christ and not be in the word of God, but you will never have the kind of Christian experience.

God want you to have some possible and you know years ago when I first came to Jesus.

€32.33 years ago, the man led me to Christ Bob Eckhart. I'll never forget it. He took a blue-black by light never owned a Bible in my life you gave me one still have today put in my hand and he said no mama tell you something he said if you want to live a life it's worth live in. He said you spend more time in this book than you spend in Time magazine than you spend in Sports Illustrated than you spend in Newsweek, then you spend watching television spend more time in this book than you spend with those other things and you'll have rewarding life. You know what, 33 years later I'm here to tell you the man's right that was great advice friend I'm here to give you the same advice spend more time in the word of God and reading time, Newsweek, Sports Illustrated, God forbid the Washington Post spend more time in the word of God when you spend reading tell of watching television and listen to the radio and you'll have a rewarding life. If you spend time in the word of God and obey it. That's what God says if I want to challenge you today to take a hard look at your schedule.

I know we go thousand miles an hour here in Washington.

I know we do for folks getting into the word of God is more important than anything else.

You do all day more important than anything else. You read all day. And if you don't discipline your life to get in there and I will discipline my life to get in there. It's not going to happen by accident. It just won't settle on for me the issue is not self-discipline them for me the issue is I don't understand Bob. I don't have study the Bible who have I got something for you to call Christianity 201 because in Christianity 201 that's what we teach us how to study the Bible for yourself and how to pray and we teach you how to use all the spiritual disciplines to get intimate with God.

If you don't how to study the Bible don't you dare let that be an excuse for you not getting in the word of God go right out the lobby signed up for Christianity 201 will teach you how to study the Bible and get things out of it for yourself but one way the other way, do you know how to study the Bible you don't friends, remember what God said to Joshua, one a rewarding life, one a successful life. Meditate every day in this book so that you may be careful to obey what's in it and that's how you get there. It's pretty good with our heads bowed in her eyes close, I want to give you just a moment to really talk to God today about your schedule about your time, or lack thereof in the word of God and if you need to make some changes in your schedule beginning tomorrow, then wanted to talk to God about that right now for Jesus you know that Washington moves at an unbelievable pace and many times where we just become victims of the pace we wake up and then we hit the ground running and we never look up until the days over were exhausted and we fall in bed and somehow we never made time to be in the word of God my prayers that you would challenge us today that that's not the formula for successful living, and that you would really speak to our hearts about carving out those few moments every day were we meditate in the word of God so that we can be careful to obey it or many people here today have told you the go to make a change in their daily schedule.

I pray you help them do that, and father, thank you for giving us the word of God is a roadmap for life. May we use it that we use it so that we can have the kind of rewarding life that you want us to have so desperately. And we pray this in Jesus name, amen