“Can I really believe the Bible?”
2nd Peter 1:20-21 and 2nd Timothy 3:14-17
The slide you see here is the Museum of the Bible. It is located in Washington D.C. Let me give you a few quick facts about it ….
• The total square footage is 430,000
• It is 8 stories high
• It cost over 500 million dollars to build
• If you wish to see everything in the museum you need 9 eight hour days.
Seeing this museum is definitely on my bucket list.
As far as I know this is the first Bible I ever owned. Got it as a child. I now over 30 Bibles. At least that is the number I have in my office. Through the internet we can access over 100 different versions of the Bible. Free. I have now read the complete Bible in 7 different versions. I love the Bible. And I believe I have the greatest calling on my life anyone can have and that is to preach/teach the Bible. To teach God’s word. Now here is a fact you may not know. Over 80% of all households in America have a Bible. 70% have at least two.
Now consider this. The Bible is the best-selling book of all time. It is also the best-selling book every year. Since 1815 we believe there have been over 5 billion Bibles printed. It is available now in 2150 different languages. Now to me that’s pretty impressive. No other books have ever come close to those kinds of sales. The influence of the Bile cannot be overstated. But at the same time it is one thing to collect books; it is quite another to actually read them. I have read 32 books this year and am on target to read 100 before the end of the year. In this slide you can see that only about 10% of the people who own a Bible have actually read all of it. To me that is not impressive. Many people say they believe it yet they have never bothered to actually read what it has to say.
There are also millions who still ask the question … can I really believe the Bible? How can I know that it is actually true and based on fact? How do I know that it is actually God’s word? How do I know that God is actually the author? Well first of all ……
1. The Bible actually claims to be the inspired Word of God. 2nd Peter1:20-21. “Above all, know this: no prophecy of scripture comes from the prophet’s own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by the will of man; instead man spoke from God as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. So the very writers of scripture have claimed that this book is actually God’s word. Now I know the response of the skeptic at this point and this is it. Big deal. So what? Just because a few men say it’s so doesn’t mean it’s so. And I would agree with that argument.
2. This book carries the endorsement of Jesus himself. Jesus not only recommended the Bible by His words but by His lifestyle as well. When Jesus was tempted He fought Satan by using scripture. When he suffered, he quoted scripture to bring peace the situation. He quoted frequently from the OT. And all the OT Jesus said: do not think that I came to abolish the Law of the prophets. I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or one stroke of a letter will pass away from the law until all things are accomplished.
Now I know the skeptic at this point would say something like this --- just because the Bible says it God’s word and Jesus says it is also, does that really make it so? In other words, I’m still asking you to take me at His word and at my word here.
3. The unity of the Bible confirms it. You will want to write this down.
Forty different authors, writing over a period of 1600 years, penned the 66 books of the Bible. It was written using 3 different languages o the day. The OT and NT were separated by 400 years of silence yet from Genesis to Revelation the Bible unfolds as one story. All of the important questions of life are answered…
• What is my purpose?
• Why are we here?
• How can I rise above my circumstances?
• How can I make peace with my brothers and sisters?
• How can I make pace with God?
All of these questions and many others --- the answers are found in these pages. 40 different authors over a period of 1500 years --- all in agreement. That is next to impossible.
4. History confirms it. Of course, through the years many people have doubted the historical accuracy of the Bible. Yet archaeologists continue to unearth evidence of the people, places and cultures described in scripture. And they have been found to be reliable --- in other words, the findings are in agreement with what has been found in scripture. Look at these examples.
• The Pilate Dedication stone. Found in Caesarea. It bears the inscription of Pontious Pilate. Verifies that he lived during the time of Jesus. Found in 1961. Dates back to the time of Christ.
• B. Nabonidus Cylinder. Dates to 550 BC. Those who criticize the Bible have claimed for years that the book of Daniel was wrong when it says there was a King named Belshazzar. Actually the critics are the ones who are wrong. King Nabonidus left this writing. He was the father of Belshazzar. The writing confirms the accuracy of the book.
• C. Tel Dan Stele. Dates back to 900-850 BC. Makes reference to a military victory described in the OT book of 2nd Chronicles 22. Critics have said for years that there was not actually an OT figure named David. Carved on this stone is the inscription “house of David.”
• D. A crucified man. The remains of a skeleton of a man who was crucified the first century have been found. Now no one is saying this is Jesus of course but it confirms that crucifixion was a method of punishment that was used and that it was dine as the Bible describes. The foot bone contains a bent nail depicting a crucifixion. It does date to the time of Jesus.
• E. The Dead Sea Scrolls. This is perhaps the most important find to date. These scrolls date back to about 450 B.C. They are the oldest known manuscripts we have of the Bible and they were found in 1947. Here’s the deal. Three young Bedouin teenagers were tending their goats and sheep on the NW shore of the Dead Sea. One of them tossed a rock into the opening of a cave and heard something break/crash. The boys entered and found a collection of ten clay jars containing the Dead Sea scrolls. Now, thousands more have been found in ten nearby caves. They found 38 of the 39 books of the OT.
5. The NT confirms the OT. Fulfilled prophecies confirm the accuracy of the Bible. There are honestly so many examples here that we could discuss them for days. So let me give you a few highlights. There are over 350 prophecies in the OT concerning the Messiah. All were fulfilled in Jesus. 1000 years and more before the birth of Jesus these things were said.
• Jesus would be born in the family of Jesse.
Isaiah 11:1
Luke 3:32
• Born in Bethlehem.
Micah 5:2
Luke 2:4-7
Mary and Joseph traveled there at a time when it was not convenient. They did not live there.
• Born of a virgin.
Isaiah 7:14
Matthew 1:18
About ten others listed in our notes. 355 prophecies in all that were given in the OT were fulfilled in the NT. You have to realize that the NT was written over a period of 65 years or there would be even more. One more.
6. Unbelievers whose lives have been changed. If you have been changed by the gospel of Jesus Christ then you are an example of what I am talking about. If we were in court and I had just presented all of this evidence, I would now say, let me call ……… to the stand. You. Or you. Or you. And you would come up and give testimony of how the Bible has brought conviction in your life and how Christ has changed your life.
In 1956 five missionaries and their family made contact with a very violent tribe in Ecuador … and they did it on purpose. Their goal was to lead this tribe to Jesus. They planned for this first meeting for 3 years.
This group had killed many of the other people in that region. Yet the missionaries still went. When they landed on the island they tried to communicate with them through drawings on the sand. 3 tribal members showed up to listen. To see what this was about. In their limited knowledge of the language they asked them to go back and get as many of their tribe as possible to come back and meet them. They waited for two days for them to return. They were elated when members of the tribe came back. They waded across the water to meet them but suddenly heard a scream behind them and realized that an entire tribe of warriors were standing there holding their raised spears, ready to attack. One of the missionaries was carrying a gun but they had decided not to use it on anyone who had never heard the gospel. So he keep it holstered. In a matter of just a few moments they unleashed their spears and all 5 missionaries were killed.
In the NT book of Matthew Jesus gave one final charge to his disciples and said Go into all the world and preach the gospel. Matthew 28:18-20. He gave those words to his disciples that day but also to anyone who would choose to follow Him. Those 5 missionaries paid the ultimate price. History tells us that so did the disciples. All died a martyr’s death. For some of us when we come to Christ we may lose our family. Could lose our job. The bottom line is this: when we follow the principles in the Bible our lives WILL look different. One of the missionaries, Jim Elliott said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” They didn’t die in vain. They paid a great price but it wasn’t in vain. It inspired more missionaries to go actually. And here’s the deal …. Some of those who threw their spears are now believers …. They are missionaries. And they no longer allow themselves to become angry and they no longer use the spear. Listen this is a dangerous book.
Don’t just own one. Read it. Live it.
