The Junior Bible Quiz Sermon Series
Is all the Bible inspired?
All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. (2 Timothy 3:16)
How to introduce: The Bible remains the biggest “best seller” among books in the world. The Bible also comes with mixed reviews as some claim the Bible nothing more than inspiring literature. Is the Bible just inspiring or is it inspired? The Bible declares its own source of inspiration. It comes from God, and it serves a purpose.
I. The Bible is God-breathed.
a. Literally, God breathed the words into the writers, and the authors put those words into writing. Each writer retained their own style, but the content of what they wrote came from God. The Bible, therefore, came from God. It is God's method of communicating to mankind and contains the truths that we need to know about God and how to relate to him.
b. Additional Biblical support: And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Above all, you must understand that no prophesy of scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophesy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. (2 Peter 1;19-21)
c. For the follower of Christ, the Bible is held in reverence and awe. God gave us His words for us to know him and to follow him. God.Speaks.to.Us. Can there be a more somber, more awesome word for us?
II. The Bible Serves a Purpose.
a. The Bible was never meant to be used primarily as poetry or as a medium of entertainment. The Bible is a training manual similar in purpose to the training manuals every new soldier is given when they arrive for basic training. When a soldier needs instruction, he can go to the manual. When he needs correction, his actions are measured against the manual. When he needs instruction, he will find the information he needs in the manual. The Boy scouts have a manual, football refs have a manual, preachers have a manual, postal workers have a manual. The Bible serves as the manual for the faithful.
b. From Acts. This principle was seen in action when Paul rebuked Peter for acting in contrast to the Bible when he acted like a Jew when he was around the Jewish Christians, and then like a gentile when not in their presence. When his behavior was compared to the Scripture, correction in behavior and attitude was demanded. Jesus often answered questions from antagonists with the phrase, “what does the Scripture say?”
c. When I was in the service, we were expected to keep our manual in our pocket. I would have a pocket bible in one pocket and my BCT manual in another. When we were standing in formation waiting, or if we had down-time, we were expected to be reading our manuals and committing it to memory. Every soldier is expected to know the material in that manual. So, what are your expectations of the Bible? What reason would a follower of Jesus Christ have for not studying the Bible and committing its words and principles to memory? There is no other source of truth or basis for relating to God outside of the Scripture.
How to conclude: The Bible is not meant for the coffee table. It isn't meant to be read at ceremony. It is a manual that God gave us for knowing and following Him. Its importance in the life of a follower of Christ cannot be overstated. The challenge for anyone professing faith in Christ is to make the Scripture the manual for following God. It is to be studied in a disciplined fashion and it's principles are meant to be committed to memory.
