Divine Provision

Divine Provision- proceeding directly from God.

Talk about the Bible- God’s divine provision for man.

As look at- supernatural nature of this book- hope will ignite a desire to search out hidden truths-

Pr 25:2.

Pray …

Open Your Word to us and open us to Your Word.

Chuck Missler

Important to set aside our prejudices/misconceptions.

A sure barrier to truth is the perception that you already have it. Chuck Missler

Introduction

What have others said about the Bible …

No persons education is complete if they do not know the Bible. Unknown

George Washington-

It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible.

The Bible-

*66 books

*written by over 40 men *written over two thousand years

*yet it is one integrated book that tells one story

The NT is in the OT concealed

The OT is in the NT revealed.

Do not tell me- OT does not apply to our lives today.

It does apply, we need to find out how it applies

The Bible- one complete book- both OT/NT necessary

Mt 5:17-18

Jesus did not come to destroy the OT, but to fulfill it.

Origin of this book- outside- realm of time- records history from before man existed/events took place.

Isa 46:9-10, Isa 57:15 (God lives in eternity)

When talk about eternity- visualize lots of time.

Eternity- not having lots of time- it is outside of time.

*For us life is a series of events.

*God- beginning/middle/end all happen at once

*Look at parade from sidewalk/helicopter

Only two worldviews … everything is the result of …

* some cosmic accident.

* deliberate design by a designer.

Our world view affects how we answer the four basic questions of life …

* Who am I

* Where did I come from

* Why am I here

* Where am I going when I die

A proper understanding of the Bible gives us an accurate world view from which we can live.

Creation …

Bible- provides the answer for all false religions …

Gen 1:1

Atheism- there is no God-

* Bible- we were created by a God.

Pantheism- everything is God-

* Bible- God-distinguishable from creation

Polytheism- many Gods-

* Genesis- there is one God

Humanism- man- the center of the universe

* God not man is the ultimate reality

Evolutionism- life evolved from lower forms

* God created everything we see and know

God- Elohim- plural noun but used as a singular noun

Hint of the trinity.

1 Pet 1:1-2 (Eph 4:4-6)

Here we see the three aspects of the one God.

Gen 1:3-5

How much time did it take God to create the earth?

6- 24 hour days, 6 eras, 15 billion years?

Ex 20:8-11

One part of the Bible brings insights into other parts.

Fall of Man

Man rebels from the ruler ship of his Creator.

Gen 3:1-4

How does Satan deceive Eve (and us today)?

* First he plants doubt- did God really say that?

* Second then comes denial.

First Act of Religion found in Genesis

Gen 3:5-7

After sinned- found they were changed in some way.

* Naked- what was taken away- (Psa 104:1-2)?

* They may have been clothed in light

* Now they were no longer covered by God

(Our only understanding of creation is after the fall)

Act of man trying to cover himself- make himself acceptable to God- reconcile himself to God.

Gen 3:11-15

Seed of the woman- contradiction in biology- the seed is in the man- hint of the virgin birth.

God’s Plan for Redemption

Gen 3:21

Not just giving man clothes to cover his nakedness.

He was teaching them that only by shedding innocent blood would man be covered/acceptable to God.

Foreshadow of another tree in another garden- cross Jesus crucified on- garden of Gethsemane.

Looking at the Bible in the big picture …

* The OT is the account of a nation.

* The NT is the account of a man.

The Creator became a man.

* He died to purchase us and is alive now.

This is the central event/story of the Bible.

The Flood

Riddle: The oldest man in the Bible died before his father. Who is this man? How can this be?

Oldest man- Methuselah- lived 969 years.

Yet he died before his father.

His father was Enoch.

Gen 5:21-27

Methuselah- his death shall bring.

Book of Enoch … (not the canon of scripture)

*God would not bring judgment on the earth until Methuselah died

*Year Methuselah died- flood came, Gen 7:11

*Methuselah- oldest man- picture of God’s grace, a type of His mercy 1 Pet 3:2

Gen 5:29

Noah- to bring comfort, or rest (picture of Christ)

Gen 6:17-18

God makes a covenant w/Noah to preserve his life as we enter into a covenant w/God through Christ.