The Breath of God

When you pick up your copy of the Bible and read it. What happens what changes you. The impact of Scripture on a life before that radically alter the lifestyle. This was one of the agent tests of authenticated Scripture the test of usefulness and spiritual growth. I have often thought what would it be like for us to try to determine now as the word of God truly revolutionized our lives as it made is that distinctive and different. The Bible is the very word of God. Spending time and it should have life changing effects. God uses his word in the life of the believer to conform us to the image of his son in our 21st-century American culture. We have Bibles everywhere. Has that caused us to lose our sense of all.

For the Scriptures when you open that drawer in your hotel room work pick up the study Bible from your bookshelf. How can you regain the sense that what you hold is more than just a revelation. It's a miracle today on wisdom for the heart Stephen Davies going to help settle this issue for you. The lesson is called the breath of God, but just how did God deliver to mankind's words so glad you finally asked me that question so we can move forward. Well I give you a couple of passages free to turn to an end mark in the margin. The next reference and so will your ask you can go to these different passages in defend your faith. You cannot create faith by the way an unbeliever, you, I cannot create faith. Only God can do that we can defend our faith and give an answer or reason for the hope that within us. Let's start with second Peter one. As soon as you find that turned acts 27 because I'll be there in about 10 seconds. Second Peter 121 says that men were moved by the Holy Spirit as they spoke from God. That phrase moved by the Holy Spirit or born along translates the Greek verb from annoy it means to be swept along by the power some power outside of yourself. You are moved along look at the way it's illustrated the same verb appears twice in acts chapter 27 where Paul is in a storm at sea and is about to be shipwrecked. Verse 14. But before very long.

There rushed down from the land of violent wind called your kilo and when the ship was caught in it and could not face the wind we gave way to it and let ourselves here. It is being driven along verse 17. After they had hoisted it up they use supporting cables and undergirding the ship and fearing that they might run aground on the shallows of Sears as they let down the sea anchor and in this way, let themselves there is again being driven along towards the ship was moved along it was swept about by this win, so also the human authors then are moved along, swept along by the controlling divine author. So you have human authors but behind the 40 human authors you have the movement of the divine author the breath of God, the wind of God effect is very interesting that wind is used to express the active inspiration another passage you want to look at a second Timothy chapter 3 verse 16 second Timothy chapter 3 verse 16 where God's controlling and moving in the hearts of human authors of Scripture is likened to the movement of the wind.

Second Timothy 316 we read that all Scripture is inspired, the word inspired is a compound original word for God and new stage for wind all Scripture is the window can be translated breath all of Scripture is the breath of God, that is, it comes as it were. From the very mouth of God as its source.

That's a pretty bold statement to make same idea Paul uses Romans 32 tells the Jews that they have been given stewardship of the oracles that is the image of something coming right from the mouth of God. But the question remains how today under the controlling power the Holy Spirit record received the breath of God three ways one through ordinary developments turn to look. Chapter 1 chapter 1 where Luke. For example, is writing to his friend, a high official. Many believe name Theophilus his name means a lover of God's would probably as a believer maybe a Christian name. He adopted Luke told him his opening comments that he had done careful research of the life of Jesus Christ. So here through ordinary developments. Outlook is now writing is what he says.

Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things accomplished among us. That is the apostolic community.

Just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word have handed them down to us.

It seems fitting for me as well. Having investigated everything carefully from the beginning to write it out for you in consecutive order, most excellent Theophilus, so that you might know the exact truth about the things you have been taught in other words, will look at sayings that he had researched he had journaled he had interviewed he had digested. He had dissected he had compared to other scriptures. All of the events and then he timeline them out in consecutive order from the eyewitnesses so we wrote it all down while another passages were then told that as a Luke through ordinary developments wrote down this careful treatise of the account of Christ behind him was as it were, the wind of God and his sale governing his quill and producing an errant text. Secondly, the Bible was received through ordinary description into many people think that wealth is the word of God. That means everybody sort of went into a transfer of it again dictating no matter all God moved among these human authors. This is a book we refer to as having dual authorship, which is part of the mystery of it. These human authors were controlled and he controlled the product of their quills get giving them at the same time incredible freedom to be who they were somebody who is writing Scripture didn't suddenly start talking or writing differently than they talked to start using different words didn't start writing in French. They knew Greek was written in Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic. God used the ordinary descriptions from their lives.

So much so that Paul with with his brilliant attorney mind having been trained in the law trained at the feet of Gamaliel. He writes with complicated grammar and extensive vocabulary and you know as well as I do that one word in Romans is a volume. Amen. Not make it up all right. Well he he he is compared to a guy like Myrick Marquez is a young uneducated man who writes with broken grammar and spelling. I didn't clean it up. He writes with his limited vocabulary. In fact, Mark repeats over and over in the word, immediately, is always in a hurry immediately immediately very fast-paced book to read and they recorded very human elements. Paul wrote to Timothy and said Timothy when you come to me bring the code I left it at Truax S. I'm so glad that was included the Paul forgot something. You know that gives hope to us all. If you are writing today, he might've said bring my glasses. I forgot them at Truax as at the same time. None of the Bible's contributing authors in the writing ever wrote. Now I think I'm right on this one, but you be the judge of it or something like you probably won't agree with what I'm about to write, but I hope you can come to group some of the know they wrote with his sense, and over time that sense is obvious that there was the moving of God's spirit. So much so that Peter would say we were moved along by the breath of God. Thirdly, they receive the word through divine dictation.

There was dictation involved. There were times when God spoke to man because men would have any clue as to any of the things that are about to record. In fact, Moses did wake up one morning is a you know I really ought to write account of what happened.

Beginning the world.

Let's see. In the beginning I figure God created all know when there so got delivered the truths to he could have conceived of it without the record of God being given to him. Furthermore, Moses never said you know I need I need some rules for these people because I never get the nation under control, like I can use 10 Goodwin let's say no Isaiah could never have sat down centuries before the fact, and ever, ever thought of writing alone. Therefore the Lord himself will give a sign. Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and will name him God with us. I think there were times when they wrote was scratch their head virgins do not conceive God does not become a baby. God spoke to the Old Testament's the Old Testament prophets. In Deuteronomy 18 I will raise up God said a prophet from among their countrymen like you and I will put my words in his mouth and he shall speak to them all that I command him and we do know by the way, the prophets, and scratch their heads. Peter tells us that the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries try to figure it out, seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories of follow. First Peter 112 it was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves a they were writing these passages not for themselves, he says, but for you in the new covenant in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you.

They wrote it wasn't for them.

It was for you.

They couldn't figure it out, and they studied and researched it and couldn't quite put the pieces together the mystery of inspiration. This dual authorship is is a mystery of God, collaborating with with humanity to produce an errant text. So much so that it can be called the breath of God, by the way, the same mystery of collaboration occurs in another incident right God collaborated with a woman to marry conceiving in her womb, the son of God. Can you understand the incarnation. No more can you understand inspiration, we can only discuss it with a hard time understanding either one. Now I have been asked a number of questions, never intending to spend this much time here, a trust is been helpful to you but I've been asked a number of questions about this topic and I've decided on I can answer them all.

We gotta get out of verse two. Eventually, in fact, I have a wonderful book in my hand by one of my favorite authors. A pastor in Chicago named Erwin lutes or this book is entitled seven reasons why you can trust the Bible and I pull this off my shelf again. As I've studied and he goes through and gives historical reasons and logical reasons and prophetic reasons and Christological reasons and and do personal reasons.

Providential reasons, wonderful book, easy to read. As you can tell by my introduction of and you get it, read it if you want to go deeper there other books that you can get that will take you even further.

However, I do want to address a couple more issues this morning and will leave the subject.

One of them is the issue of the Canon of Scripture, unless you think I'm talking about firearms all of a sudden. Let me explain here the word canon is a word that refers to the word of God.

It's actually a metaphor to play on words factor comes from the Greek word cannot simply transliterated enemies on Rod or a measuring line.

The Greek term came from a Hebrew root idea of a read. In fact in Bible lands a read was a term of measurement so you would get to reads of this and three reads of that were now you go in your cupboard to pull at that thing. This is one cup and you know if you fill it up with flour just about right point you got one cup that you're measuring cup. This is your measuring standard that is been defined well a read became the measuring standard for things in biblical days and the word canon comes from that idea.

Eventually, the term Canon was used to refer to the completed list of Scripture, Athanasius, the godly bishop of Alexandria in the fourth century referred to the 27 books you hold in your lap of the New Testament is the Canon of Scripture before him was a man named Aleta the Bishop of Sardis who was actually writing right 8170 and he listed all but one of the books of the Old Testament. No apocryphal or dubious writings are found in these early lists. In fact, it isn't until a thousand years in the church life at the Council of Trent that the Roman Catholic Church officially declared the Apocrypha to be part of the Canon sort in the church life. Now a thousand years.

When they declared that however it significant for the historian understand the Bible student to know from history at the Council of Trent was a knee-jerk reaction to the response of people to the teachings of you too can call them a reformed monk converted monk named Martin Luther and the rise of this movement of protest called the protesting movement or the Protestant movement so they gathered this counsel together and they said or alleged that all the Apocrypha was also to be a part of the Canon Wayne Gruden wrote insightfully in his systematic theology.

He says by affirming the Apocrypha as a part of the Canon. The Council of Trent merely affirmed the writings that supported their doctrines such as prayers for the dead, penance, and justification by faith plus works. More importantly, the leaders then could hold that the church has the authority to constitute what is Scripture. In other words thousand years into the church why they turned around and said this is Scripture and we have authority to define Scripture where the protesting movement said not enough Scripture has authority over the church. There is a grand difference in all of that. He went on to use an analogy of what this counsel did Gruden said a police officer. In his investigation can recognize counterfeit money is counterfeit and he can recognize genuine currency is genuine, but he cannot make counterfeit money, genuine North, he called the Council of policeman together can they buy some edict make counterfeit money, genuine. So today when we talk about the canon of Scripture were actually saying the 66 books of the Bible is a completed record of divine revelation and I would add we are under its authority.

We are not over its authority by the church for counselor leader of the early believers identify what was indeed Scripture.

Let me give you three or four ways number one through the providence of God's preservation, God promised that his word would stand so you just keep saying these letters circulating growing popularity.

We know that Paul actually wrote more letters. He refers to another letter that was evidently lost. Does that mean that maybe 100 years from now to find this letter working to discover some things I should've been doing that were told that letter and no because the Bible says it is complete in and of itself. It says it sufficient to equip every believer unto every good work, so there's no need to fear some discovery of truth Scripture God preserved everything for us that we needed. This is the providence of God's preservation one number two, through the record of authorship that is wasn't a prophet, was an apostle or a member of the apostolic community.

These were the ones who wrote the words of God, and you can simply go to the writings and discover the content and and determine for yourself and you can go to other spurious writings and see a vast difference. Therefore, there in lies the third test and that is the test of content, test of content doesn't contradict or agree with the other body of evidence and needs a will will. How difficult is it let me me assure you, for those of you that are red apocryphal writings is very easy to give a couple of illustrations. For instance, the Shepherd of Hermas's claim to be sacred writing it taught the necessity of penance cannot have immediate forgiveness.

You must do penance. It also taught this interesting doctrine that it was possible to have the forgiveness some solvent sin immediately after baptism.

Whatever you send the meeting after baptism was immediately covered, so I sorta got out of that that you want to save up the really big one for right after you baptized and then it would be automatic. Forgive the Gospel of Thomas was held by many to belong to the Canon, but Usery that just go to the last passage and ends with his rather strange conversation that surly doesn't agree with other passages of Scripture. Simon Peter said to them, let Mary go away for us from us, for women are not worthy of life if you didn't like Peter before you like them now.

Jesus said no. I shall lead her so that I may make her a man that she too may become a living spirit resembling all men, for every woman who makes yourself a man will enter the kingdom of heaven, but spoke how many earned thing is pretty obvious, and it spurious writings someone teaching strange doctrine.

I don't know Thomas's problem was, but he had one number four through the test of usefulness and spiritual growth. This is an interesting test. It was used in the early days. The impact of Scripture on a life didn't perform didn't radically alter the lifestyle.

This was one of the ancient tests of authenticating Scripture.

I have often thought what would it be like for us to try to determine now is the word of God truly revolutionized our lives as it made is that distinctive and different from the world.

This was one of the tests of authenticating the word what it did in a person's life. I love this this debate.

The Dennis Prager was having with an atheistic professor from Oxford University. His name is Jonathan Glover and they were debating on the authenticity of Scripture. Prager posed this question. He said now if you professor Glover were stranded at midnight in a desolate Los Angeles area and if as you stepped out of your broken down car with fear and trembling. You were suddenly to hear the weight of pounding footsteps behind you and you saw 10 burly young men who had just stepped out of a tenement house coming toward you wanted or would it not make a difference to you to know they were just leaving a Bible study would make you feel any better if someone carrying a Bible would me praise God brother well is it that an interesting test. The world does. And even at unbelieving professor knows that young man who just finished studying the Bible are most likely not to hurt that man with the help of all other books have been given to us for information.

This book has been given to us for transformation.

Are you authenticating the word of God in your life with the way that you live one final question, what is the word of God do. Let's explore the just a bit further here.

What is the word of God do in three areas number one in the life of the church. For starters, the word of God, to make all the difference in a does being a dead church and living church have ever walked into a church and you felt immediately was dead could feel it. I have writing to serve as the lights are on but is dead to morgue with the steeple program will revelation the Lord rebuke the well-known church that had left obedience to the Scriptures by saying you happen to have a reputation your lie but I want to know your dad did has nothing to do with size has nothing to do with programming is nothing to do with the songs they sang is the absence of the Holy Spirit who says he like a train follows the tracks of biblical truth. Jesus Christ rebuked another church in Revelation 3 and Liotta say he told them they were blind. This church was an active growing, it would seem effective church, but he said to them, you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind.

Imagine getting a letter from God the told you were those things are blind even more meaningful.

Understand that Liotta say in this time was a city where the church was located. The city was famous for producing a medicine called the Taft from Phrygia.

It was exported in tablet form. It was ground down at the water and mixed and then paste was made and put upon week and ailing eyes the Phrygian Powder was held to be a wonderful remedy.

It was to the church in this city, the Christ said to them, I advise you to buy from me. I said I have, to anoint your own eyes that you may see what's the solution for both of these churches. The difference between living and dying. The difference between seeing and being blind was this written warning.

The sacred words of God in their abandonment of them or their obedience of them. What is the were doing the world. Secondly, well, it's the instrument for bringing believers and unbelievers to saving faith: Romans 1017. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by what my the word Christ. The apostle Peter wrote you have been born again through the living and enduring word of God. First Peter 123.

What is the were doing a believer's life. You know the list could belong to give you one thing the Bible is the complete sufficient resource for living a holy life in second Timothy three were told that all Scripture is inspired and profitable that the believer might be thoroughly equipped door equipped wonderful word refers back in those days to a wagon that was stopped for a journey or to a boat that was stocked with supplies for journey. He says you're not missing a book, you're not missing a letter, not missing a prophecy you have at all. You have everything you need as you journey through life. Just make sure you stock the wagon of your heart with the word, and you're ready to live question is what we doing with it and just we don't understand the Bible, known as the reading that it's what we understand it's a problem with. We all according to this book have been entrusted with the sacred breath of God inspired letter from God, what are you going to do that today. What are you going to do about it tomorrow look like dust seeds.

One thing ladies and gentlemen for us as a body of believers to say we believe the Bible is another thing to say we behave. The Bible may our belief in their behavior be one of the same for the glory of God.

Obedience to the very breath of God, which is made that be true. You've been listening to wisdom for the heart. The Bible teaching ministry of Stephen Davey, if you're new to our broadcast welcome each day Stephen takes us to God's word to help us understand what it says and means to help us apply that truth to our lives. With today's lesson. Stephen concludes a three-part series called how we got our Bible we have it available several ways. I also want to mention that it's a real blessing to our ministry.

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