Why Bother with the Bible? (Part 6 of 6)

As a believer in Jesus we never out our dependence on the Bible, God has given us his Word so that we can be thoroughly equipped knowing what to believe and how to behave today on Truth for Life.

Alistair Begg explains that whether you're a preschooler or a pastor, you need God's word all of the Bible all Scripture is God and is useful. First of all, for teaching is why Jesus came teaching a wonderful teacher able to explain things so powerfully and so life-changing. That's why the apostles when they stepped onto the stage of history after Pentecost were proclaiming the word of God. Many of your teachers, what a noble calling to be a teacher to have the hand, have the minds and the lives of youngsters and in some cases, university students under your tutelage of that is an immense responsibility and I call the question for any teacher that I glass myself among the many did any of his teachers put our heads on the pillow at night and we asked the question, are my students learning anything, and each of eyes who teaches will be judged first, not by the effectiveness of our teaching, but we will be judged for the motives of our teaching and learning anything correcting teaching, rebuking, rebuking, some people don't like the very rebuking Debbie rebuking is important business. I've been with a lot of dogs this week.

It just so happens, walking in the street. I met a parent in mountain dog that waited hundred and 65 pounds and was very lovely looking, but I would like to bump into it on a dark night, I met a number of dog during the weekend and one or two of them are just hopeless things, hopeless creatures, and I don't I don't feel badly for I feel no animosity towards the dog. I like to shake the owner by the neck.

What is this jumping creature doing rebuke the thing or live with the implications of the absence of review standing like a clown in the middle of the street.

While this thing goes all over the place in your Starbucks coffee goes everywhere in the dog's slavering all over everything. That's all getting out looks good. I was a problem the same problem.

The producers, the two-year-old tyrannize in the grocery store writing in the chariot data here. I'll give you something. This evening we live in a culture where in the teaching deal. Everything is so bent towards positive reinforcement and affirmation that the notion of review is regarded immediately as some intrusion into person's life and is viewed almost immediately negatively, but in point of fact, it is vital in the teaching task to point out what is true and also to point out what is not true to refute what is wrong and to rebuke what is wrong so that people may then in embracing truth turn away from here you have it in first Thessalonians 1 where Paul is able to commend the church in Thessalonica. This is you are commended amongst the communities because you turned away from idols to serve the living God. In other words, there was the turning from because there was a turning to. There was a positive discovery of who Jesus was. There was the rebuking of everything that went against that this morning and that my McShane readings and I hope many of you use this machine reading through the year. I know that many of you do just the plug is ongoing presence. Were talking about the Bible. Some of you read through in a year. Some of you like me takes about two years to achieve it because of how many times I I failed but anyway I get through the end and today some of you read first Kings chapter 22 and you will agree with me now how the Bible ties in when our hearts and minds are open to it.

I can go through it. It's got tons of verses 50 or 60 verses but the kings of Judah and Israel are coming together to decide whether they should engage in a battle and so they bring together the prophets and the prophets, some 400 men are asked the question. Shall we go to war against RAM of Gilead, or shall I refrain, the answer is, let's go for Jehoshaphat says no. I wonder whether this is just right. He says, is there not a prophet of the Lord here whom we can inquire so that all these prophets telling them what to do prophet of the Lord. Interesting distinction is because somebody calls himself a prophet is made them a prophet, the king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat. There is still one man through whom we can inquire of the Lord, but I hate because he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad.

He is Michalak son-in-law Eagle going read first Kings 22 is that of the plain dealer and you will discover, you will discover the amazing all unfolding of the story, which has to do with the necessity of rebuke 400 Fallis said yes yes yes one guy in the most unpopular position, said he and that of course was the task given to Michalak, the prophet of God that addresses what we're believing and also addresses how were behaving doesn't and you will notice how it goes from the positive to the negative, correcting and rebuking and then he goes from the negative to the positive in a particularly important that I thought I pointed out correcting and training in righteousness. The word here for correcting pan orthosis and is a word that is descriptive of mending or rebuilding something that we as ship would be brought into dry dog in order that it might be refitted for its journeys on the ocean. It is ortho which means straight and dark. So which means opinion and view to remind us that this is the same route which is given as orthopedics or orthodontics.

What Paul is saying to Timothy, is this if you want to be sound and healthy then you will be sound and healthy as you are corrected and brought into line by the truth of God's word I said to you again because it is precious important. If we would be sound and healthy. In terms of our spiritual pilgrimage. The mechanism the supreme mechanism which God employs to make us both sound and healthy. Is there correcting the bringing into line by the truth of the Bible and this then is how any of us ought to determine whether the Council we are receiving from whatever source is counsel to which we should pay attention.

Somebody says well I think the course of action is ask her why are we then just to follow that outbreak by dint of the letters after their name or the fact of their notoriety. No every counsel that we receive should be brought and passed through the sin of the Bible and that which is truly biblical and reeked is it retain a book we may chew on and pursue and that which falls through should be left completely alone.

The Bible heals and cleanses our emotions and our affections. The Bible restores broken lives. The Bible produces spiritual health and vitality is why we need to be corrected by and it also positively trainings in righteousness. Righteousness simply doing the right thing which is really the question that ought to be before is all the time. What is the right thing to do tomorrow morning in business decisions. I ask what is the right thing to do tomorrow morning. As the children get ready to go off on the bus is the right thing to do in our relationships with the opposite sex.

What is the right thing to do and how are we going to know what the right thing to do is for the Scriptures have been given an order that not only will we know what it is but by God's spirit will be. We will be unable to do what we want to do. Paul is already told Timothy in first Timothy four that spiritual fitness is a certain volume but spiritual fitness is essential both for this life and for the life to come. In the word that he uses their good not so which is the word that gives his gymnasium saying Timothy Kaman get into the gymnasium of the Bible and become fit for life in between services that I've been listening to some of the children singing upstairs. Lots of songs from Heather and Don wonderfully reinforcing the truth of the Bible and many think, as I was coming down stairs of the songs of all read your Bible, pray every day you grow grow grow your grow grow grow in read your Bible and pray every day and you grow grow grow here I am all these years later from the time that he taught me that in kindergarten and that I've never gone beyond that there is no place to go beyond what else am I supposed to do. So it is at once simple enough for the child in kindergarten and it is once expensive enough for the most mature belief which I do this week. Jesus read your Bible and be in touch with me every day you will grow. See if we hope in our Christian lives to overcome matter to grow in truth, to overcome evil to grow in holiness, then it is to the Scriptures, we must constantly be turning because it is only then the person belongs to God may be thoroughly equipped.

It is only then that things will be as the shoot it's only then that we will be if you like living the normal Christian life is watchmen the present. The Bible teaches, trains, men's restores until we are ready for useful service and I think it's true to say that it will take a whole Bible to make a whole Christian and it will take a lot longer than most of us think you know the story of the man who is refining silver and is removing all the extraneous elements from it.

The impurities and someone comes and watches him as he works with painstaking interest in this little vat of silver, and the man was observing system how long will you work at refining that silver and the man said I will work at and acted until I can see my self reflected in it. How long will God work in our lives through the Scriptures until the sees himself reflected in its what ionizers wrap this up.

The application is therefore every person who belongs to God, begging the question, do I belong to God certainly has a word for myself and for others like me were involved in pastoral ministry. Timothy was surrounded by chaos. He was confronted by confusion. He was to take refuge in the Bible and that's why throughout the generations and I was reading this morning the life of Samuel Rutherford in between times but that's why throughout generations. The call of God to pastoral ministry has always been directly related to the place of the Bible and chording out from the 16th-century Anglican prayer book and when a minister was set apart to the task of the gospel. He was asked whether he felt himself truly called of God. And when he replied in the affirmative, than the bishop would go on to ask, as follows. Are you persuaded that the holy Scriptures contain sufficiently all doctrine required of necessity for eternal salvation through faith in Jesus Christ and are you determined I would've these same Scriptures to instruct the people committed to your charge, other than two fundamental questions that need to be asked of all who stand in the position that is afforded me are you persuaded of the holy Scriptures are sufficient for the work of salvation and the life of God's people and if you are are you determined out of the Scriptures than to instruct the people committed to your charge of God helping is the answer to that is yes. Parkside is were not presumptuous about it, we we are dependent entirely upon God, week by week and Sunday by Sunday. But I think were also aware of what will happen to a culture to a church into an individual when they neglect the place of the Bible. First of all, men and women in a culture will be ignorant of the good news one day to be ignorant of the good news watch because all Scripture is God breathed and it is this scripture which is able to make a woman or a man wise for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, so that the Bible doesn't say. But the Bible points us to Jesus who is the Savior of all who believe. So when a culture gives up on the Bible as the American culture largely you will discover many men and women wandering around you meet them in Starbucks and as you travel who will tell you that they're not religious people by the our spiritual people there people are interested in spirituality and they may go into elaborate details as to the nature of their own particular little brand of of nihilism.

What are we to say to such individuals.

While how we speak and then what we say are interwoven ardently on a jump until the people get the wax them, and have endured just yesterday Sue and I were in conversation with a young man began to talk about something in relationship to our home and in the course of conversation. He said you know I I I am going under a religion on my own way and I and I like to write in the woods and I'm looking for God within, not in the moment that he said that II said to myself, I honestly did.

I said I wonder if I could reach into the congregation of my Sunday morning pick out any individual and say okay Joe okay Mary answer that. I wonder if he could, which is what I'm telling you.

I lie in bed and I say is anyone learning anything. Now you're all going.

I hope he doesn't ask me much. There must be somebody who remembers last Sunday and who would be able to say to this young man. You know that is an interesting idea and certainly in the woods and in the auto. There is so much that speaks of the glory of God and of the reality of his creative power, however we would have to say all that we see of God in the woods is sufficient to render our unbelief, inexcusable but is insufficient to save acts because it is by means not of the forest, but of the Bible that you young man may become wise for salvation through faith in the Lord Jesus someone asking to have any interest in reading the Bible. Do you have a Bible because I can see that you have hunger for, and an interest in go that's not the normal answer in America. The normal answer in America's oh I'm glad you found something some and if you can find it in the woods. That's fine if you can find it in the mountains, that's fine. Let me ask you a question. If you can find salvation in the mountains.

Why in the wide world is are we expanding such incredible effort financial and life effort in the translation of the Bible. Why are we translating the Bible into the catch your dialect if all the kids you a people have to do is go up into the Andes and meet God answer because in the Andes, they can see I'm not off of God's creation to render their unbelief inexcusable. But they cannot find enough of God to save them.

Therefore, we need the Bible. Now, don't you think if you were the evil one. Looking on a culture like this that one of your approaches would be not to say the Bible is not to say the Bible is bogus to say the Bible is whatever it is to attack it all into unknown on far better simply to say no. There is an ideas.

There is a possibility is, but whatever you do don't listen to anybody who tells you that the Bible is this all means whereby somebody comes to salvation through faith in Jesus. What happens to our culture when it rejects the Bible, it will be ignorant of the good news. What happens to a church when it rejects the Bible, it will be utterly inept and fundamentally useless. I may fulfill social obligations. You can do a bunch of things, but in terms of that making a dent in the kingdom of God and what happens to the Christian when they're no longer being taught the Bible.

They run all around the place looking for teachers to tell them something that there itching ears want to hear some of your here because of that as a stop on your journey. Mr. Mrs. eight years and the reason you're here and I'm glad you're here. The reason you're here is because you're pretty well convinced that you need to run around and find a little bit from here in a little bit from their I could pretty well guarantee what I know about you, and this is what I know about you, you have never in the last while been sitting under the faithful, systematic exposition of the Bible in a way that is not only stored strict truth in your mind, but his touch your heart and hopefully your stay here for a while because I and my colleagues are particularly able with the Bible because I along with my colleagues. I'm absolutely convinced that all Scripture is God breathed and it answers the question how can I be safe and what should I look like living as a safe that is Alistair Begg on Truth for Life with the conclusion of the series title.

Why bother with the Bible. Alister returns in just a minute to close with prayer.

As we've heard from Alister in this series God's word is powerful, he uses it to convert unbelievers to strengthen and establish believers and to strengthen local churches and that's why we teach from the Bible every day.

Your Truth for Life. As Alister said it takes a whole Bible to make the whole Christian, the great preacher Charles Spurgeon once said the Bible reader is ever the Bible lover Spurgeon's powerful sermons reflected his belief in the Bible is the word of God and today when you give a gift of any amount to support our mission the Truth for Life we want to invite you to request a copy of the book titled Spurgeon on the power of Scripture. This is a book that presents seven of Spurgeon's sermons.

Each chapter begins with an overview when includes a summary and Key quotes.

The sermons have been edited for easier reading and they'll increase your confidence in the certainty of the Bible you can find the book on our website@truthforlife.org/donate or call us at 888-588-7884 and if there is someone on your Christmas list who you'd like to give God's word to.

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Now, here is Alister close with prayer. Father, we thank you that your word abides and it guides our footsteps. It teaches us it rebukes us causes interline. Some of us have come in like vessels all barnacles up smashed and crashed.

As a result of the waves and our inability to anchor safely or arrive in our destination without harm were here this morning to say Lord Jesus Christ refit me, cleanse me, renew me getting ready for the voyage this week. Hear our prayers Lord Jesus made a grace of the Lord Jesus and the love of God our father and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit rest upon and remain with all who believe. Today and forever more. Amen about Lapine. We hope you enjoy your weekend and are able to worship with your local church as we anticipate Christmas. We want you to join us Monday, as will dive into the good news of Isaiah's prophecy about the birth of Christ series titled a child is born the Bible teaching of Alistair Begg is furnished by truth for like morning is for living