We Have A Guide Book Series

INTRODUCTION

• START OFF WITH THE VIDEO ENTITLED “THE BOOK”.

• SLIDE #1

• Today we will look at the 4th of 5 things we should know. These are things that will help us to maintain our faith in the midst of adversity and they are things that will help us to appreciate the blessings we have as a result of belonging to Jesus.

• Thus far we have learned that we can trust God with all of our hearts and He will direct our paths.

• We have learned that God wants us to ask of Him, and finally we have learned the importance of passing on a legacy of faith.

• Today our focus will be on another wonderful gift we have from God at our disposal.

• The video clip gave you just a few facts concerning the Bible.

• We have a Guide Book from God!

• We have a book that claims to be the very word of God! It does not claim to contain the word of God; it claims to be the word of God.

• The way the text has endured and has been preserved in its accuracy is in itself a testimony to the fact that the bible is the Word of God!

• Today, we will see why it is important for Christians to spend time in the bible.

• If you have your bibles, please turn to 2 Timothy 3:16-17

• SLIDE #2

• The first thing we need to understand about the Bible is that it is inspired by God himself!

SERMON

I. THE BIBLE IS INSPIRED BY GOD.

• Books are written from the mind of and by the hand of man. The bible is unique in that it is inspired by God and written by the hand of man.

• SLIDE #3

• Look at 2 Timothy 3:16

• 2 Timothy 3:16 (NASB) 16All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;

• That is quite a claim to make isn’t it? Paul is telling is that the scriptures are inspired by God.

• When we think of inspiration, we may think of seeing something that moves us to paint a picture, so that may move us to write a book or a poem.

• When Paul says the scriptures are inspired, is he merely saying that those who penned the scriptures were moved by thought of the existence of a God to write the Bible?

• It was written over a 1500 year span. That encompasses over 40 generations. It was written by over 40 authors from every walk of life, from kings to peasants.

• It was written in different places, during different times on three continents in three different languages, yet the message is the same, and it is consistent.

• All of those facts in themselves are amazing. How do you think that happened? Do you think that over 40 authors from various backgrounds, during a 1500 year span writing from 3 continents, using 3 languages, could possibly come up with a consistent message?

• There has to be more to the issue of inspiration than simply being moved to do something.

• SLIDE #4

1. The Bible is God-Breathed.

• The word translated “inspired” is only used in the verse in the bible, it literally reads, “God-Breathed.”

• This tells us that ALL SCRIPTURE is the product of God’s breath or Spirit, the result of God’s action. Every word of the scriptures was breathed out by God, and then written by man God used to proclaim His message to mankind.

• God revealed His person and plan to certain people and they wrote it down. The authors still incorporated their style and personality in the writing of the Bible.

• SLIDE #5

• 2 Peter 1:20 - 21 (NASB) 20But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, 21for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

• Peter tells us that people did not just make up what to put in the Bible. When you read some of the prophecies in the Old Testament and realize they were written many times hundreds of years before the events happened testify to the validity of this thought.

• Imagine being able to predict an event like 911 1000 years before it happened, or even 100 years. And I am talking about making a prediction with clarity, not a bunch of ambiguous statements that could be turned to mean about anything.

• Prophecies concerning Jesus, over 700 years before He came were made accurately by Isaiah.

• There were prophecies concerning the cities of Tyre and Sidon which were fulfilled, Nineveh, Babylon among many others.