Jan 9, 2000 2 Peter 1:21; 2 Timothy 3:16
The Bible – written by God
Main teaching: the Bible was recorded by man, but it was authored by God.
That means that:
1. You can believe the stories in the Bible actually happened.
In the year and a half that I have been the pastor of this church, I have said a lot of things. Most of those things, you have forgotten. That’s to be expected since we only retain 10% of what we hear. But I am encouraged to know that at least one thing that I said, one of you remembers. Mike remembers something that I said on a Wednesday night while we were still meeting at his house. I know that he remembers because he made mention of it this past Wednesday night. Many months ago, I said that I do not like to refer to the events recorded in the Bible as stories. To me, the word “stories” carries with it the idea of myths, fiction, nursery rhymes, and fables. We even use the word to refer to telling lies – “Johnny told a story.” I much prefer to speak of “events” or “historical accounts” when we talk about the happenings of the Bible. Now, I’m not going to get mad at you if you continue to use the word “stories” when referring to the Bible. There may even be times that you catch me using that word. But just remember that the stories recorded in the Bible are unlike any other story in the libraries of the world. You can be 100% sure that they are true to the smallest detail.
I must admit though that if I did not know that the Bible was God’s Word, I would have a hard time believing some of the events that are recorded in it. The Bible records that the whole universe was created in a period of 6 days, and that it was created with nothing but the words of God. It also says that God got so disgusted with the people in His world that He sent a great world-wide flood to destroy it. It says that the water was so deep that it rose 20 feet higher than the tallest mountain. Floating on top of that water was a boat that contained the last 8 people on the face of earth and at least 2 of every kind of land animal on the planet.
The pastor of another church announced that on the following Sunday, he was going to be speaking on Noah and the ark. A couple of mischievous boys noticed something interesting about the passage and decided to play a prank on their pastor. They glued two pages of the pastor’s Bible together. The next Sunday morning, the pastor got up to read his text, but because two pages were glued together, it read a little bit different than he expected. It went something like this: “And Noah took a wife, and she was” – page turn – “450 long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet tall.” The old pastor stood there stunned for a minute, and then he said, “I have been reading this Bible for 50 years, and there are still some things that I read that are hard to believe.”
The Bible is full of things that are hard to believe: the 10 plagues on Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, the fall of the walls of Jericho, the day the sun stood still, the strength of Samson, Jonah and the great fish – all things that would fit well into a science fiction movie except for the fact that God said that they happened and that they happened just the way that they are recorded in the Bible. But the hardest story of all to believe is the story of Jesus because it is the one that is the most ridiculous. To think that Jesus, who is Almighty God, would leave behind the splendor of heaven, be born of a virgin, live as fully God and fully man, heal the sick, raise the dead, walk on water, feed the hungry, teach those who would listen, be rejected by those He created, die on a cross as payment for the sins of people who lived 2000 years later, rise from the dead the third day, and be taken back up into heaven – that’s foolishness! (1 Cor 1:23-25 NIV) but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength. Whether the pages of the Bible sound foolish to you or not, they are true. You can believe them. You MUST believe them for they are your only hope.
There is a second way that the “stories” of the Bible are different from the stories in your average bookstore. Though the stories are entertaining, they are not given for our entertainment. It might surprise you that I would speak of the Bible as entertaining. Whatever type of literature that you like to read, you will find some of it in the Bible. If you like romance, check out Ruth and the Song of Solomon. If you like stories of war, go into 1 & 2 Kings. If you like intrigue and treachery, examine the book of Judges. If you like adventure, look at Acts, Genesis, Exodus and many other books. If you like philosophy, study the Gospel of John, Ecclesiastes and the letters to the New Testament churches. You will find some entertainment from these books. But they have a different purpose. (1 Cor 10:11 NIV) These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. The purpose for the recording of these events was so that we might learn from the successes and failures of those who have gone before us. They were recorded so that we might get a picture of God and His goodness, and that we might get a picture of ourselves and our sinfulness. They were written that we might understand through the lives and experiences of others that every time man refuses to do things God’s way, man makes a mess of His world. And they were written that we might see that God can be trusted, and that He loves us in spite of ourselves.
The Bible is not a history book. It does not attempt to give us every detail of human history. (John 21:25 NIV) Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written. If John had written everything that Jesus said and did, we would have a hard time carrying our Bibles with us to church every Sunday. But what John and the other biblical writers did record is historically accurate and given for one single purpose. (1 John 5:13 NIV) I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. Every story of the Bible can be summed up in this one statement: God loves you and wants to have a relationship with you. That may be the hardest thing of all to believe. But God said it, and so I believe it.
2. You can expect the promises in the Bible to be fulfilled.
Over in Flemington, there is a lot of work that has been going on for several months. The city is requiring the homes along the main street to be hooked up to the city sewer. That has created a real mess. On one side of the street, all the front yards have been dug up in order to lay the sewer lines. On the other side of the street, all the back yards have been dug up. Monday night, I was over at the Everett’s house talking with Jody, and we were moaning about the good old days when a man’s hand shake was his bond. The guy that he hired to put the sewer in his back yard was supposed to come back later and re-seed the yard. Once Jody paid the guy for actually laying the lines, he was gone. A man’s word doesn’t mean much of anything anymore.
But God’s promises are not like man’s promises. God actually does what He says He is going to do. One of the first promises that God ever made was to a man named Abraham. In Gen. 12, God promised him that He would give him descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. He promised him that He would make him into a great nation. He promised him that He would make his name great. He promised him that in him, all the nations of the earth would be blessed. Abraham believed God’s promise, but he had to wait a long time before that promise was fulfilled. Not until Abraham was 100 years old, and his wife Sarah was 99 years old did they hold a son in their arms. Abraham’s descendants through that son became the nation of Israel. Simeon too was an old man. God had made a promise to him that he would see the Savior of Israel and all mankind before he died. Simeon was one of the first to hold Jesus in his arms. God made a promise to Mary. He promised her that even though she was a virgin, she would give birth to God’s own Son. Mary gave birth to Jesus in a stable. When God says that He is going to do something, you can be sure that it will happen.
What are some of the promises that God has made to you?
You can be a child of God (John 1:12 NIV) Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God--
You will never be alone (Heb. 13:8) . . . God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."
You will be forgiven (1 John 1:9 NIV) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
You can have peace (Phil 4:7 NIV) And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
You have a home (John 14:2 NIV) In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.
You will have success (Josh 1:8 NIV) Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
Everything will work out for good (Rom 8:28 NIV) And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
This is just a small sampling of the promises that God has made. I hope that you noticed something about these promises as I listed them off for you. Some of the promises that God makes will happen regardless of what we do. But most of them have a requirement that we have to fulfill before we can take advantage of the promise. In order to have forgiveness of sins, we must confess our sins. In order to have peace, we must think about the things that God tells us to think about. In order to be a child of God, we must believe on Jesus and accept Him as the Lord of our lives.
Some of you may be sitting there thinking that God let you down on some promise that He made to you at some point in your life. And because of that supposed failure, you have turned your back on God, or you have refused to trust Him with your life. When you are evaluating God’s performance record on how well He fulfills His promises, you need to ask yourself three questions. One, where did I get the idea that God promised that thing to me? Is it specifically recorded in the Bible? Or is it a feeling that I have – a wish that God would do something special for me? Second, have I fulfilled the requirements that must happen before this promise can be realized in my life? Have I done what is required of me? If not, then I have no right to expect God to do what He said that He would do. Third, am I giving God the right to fulfill His promise in His own timing? God makes promises, and He will fulfill them, but He will do so when He is ready. Abraham experienced that, and we are experiencing it today. One promise that God made is that His son Jesus is coming back to earth one day. (Acts 1:11 NIV) "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven." This is one promise that will happen regardless of what we do or fail to do, but it will happen in God’s own timing. (2 Pet 3:4,8-10 NIV) They will say, "Where is this ’coming’ he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation." But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come . . .
God has filled the Bible with promises to us, but the only way for us to know what those promises are, take advantage of them in our own lives, and receive the peace that they provide is by getting into the Bible and discovering them for ourselves. Bill was a young man from a wealthy family, and he was getting ready to graduate from high school. Bill lived on the nice side of town where the custom was that graduating seniors received a new car for their graduation gift. Bill and his father had spent months looking at cars trying to pick just the right one. Then, the week before graduation, they found it – the perfect car. Bill could hardly sit still during the graduation ceremonies. He knew what would be waiting for him when he got home. His dad had promised. When Bill got home, he was a little surprised to see that there was no new car in the driveway. But he figured that maybe they had it parked at a neighbor’s house – you know, to make the surprise a little better. You can imagine Bill’s disappointment when his dad handed him a new Bible and told him that was his graduation gift. In anger, Bill threw the Bible down, walked out the door and never again saw his dad alive. Not until his dad’s death did he come back home. After the funeral, Bill was going through his dad’s stuff when he found the Bible that his dad had tried to give him so many years ago. Something was sticking out of it, so he opened it. To his amazement, he discovered a cashier’s check dated on the night of his graduation and made out for the exact amount that he would have needed to purchase that brand new car. Because he refused the Bible, Bill lost out on the promised car and on the relationship that he had with his dad.
The Bible records all the promises that God has ever made to you. But if you never open the book, you will never be able to take advantage of the promises. What’s worse is that you will never get to enjoy a relationship with the one who made those promises. You can expect the promises in the Bible to be fulfilled because God is the one who made the promises.
3. You can trust the wisdom of the Bible to give you direction.
We have just come through one of my favorite times of year – Christmas. But as nice as Christmas morning is, I always dread Christmas afternoon. For it is in the afternoon of Christmas that all those toys that were opened on Christmas morning have to be put together. The dreaded of words of any dad on Christmas morning are “some assembly required”. Tammy and I spent over two hours on Christmas afternoon putting together Ben’s train set and trying our best to follow the directions. I spent most of my time putting all those little stickers in just the right place so that the train would look as realistic as possible. Following directions can be very difficult. But putting together the train without the directions would have taken much more time, more mistakes, and a great deal more energy.
There’s something about being a man that causes us to refuse to ask for directions when there is any possibility that we might be lost. One commercial that I’ve seen recently on TV is of a young guy who is in the car with his girlfriend. They are obviously lost. For the love of the girl, the guy finally agrees to stop at a gas station to ask for directions. He walks into the station and slowly makes his way up to another guy at the counter where he, in a soft, timid voice says, “Can you give me directions? I’m lost.” The guy behind the counter stares at him for a second, dumbfounded that he would admit being lost, and then snickers. When the guy gets back to the car, he’s holding a map and says, “Supposedly these things are supposed to show you where to go.”
God has already given us wisdom in His Word to give us direction. But it’s not direction about how to put a train set together or how to get around town. It’s direction about how to live our lives in such a way that we will receive the most satisfaction and fulfillment from them. (Psa 119:105 NIV) Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. (Psa 119:130 NIV) The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple. (Prov 6:23 NIV) For these commands are a lamp, this teaching is a light, and the corrections of discipline are the way to life, (2 Pet 1:19 NIV) 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. God’s Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. It tells me where I need to go and what I need to do when I get there.
For several weeks this summer and early fall, we spent time going through the book of Proverbs in the Old Testament. Proverbs is a book recorded by the wisest man who ever lived – Solomon. Solomon observed life and people, and then he took his observations and drew conclusions about what people are like, how foolishly they behave sometimes, and what the proper way for them to deal with the situations they face in life is. Solomon recorded wisdom about the proper way to deal with finances, how to make friends and keep them, how to achieve success, what the real meaning of beauty is, the importance of telling the truth, and the significance of having God as the center of your life.
Sometimes, the reason that we do not follow wise directions is because those directions are not clear. A man called his neighbor to help him move a couch that had become stuck in the doorway. They pushed and pulled until they were exhausted, but the couch wouldn’t budge. "Forget it," the man finally said. "We’ll never get this in." The neighbor looked at him quizzically and said, "In?" God’s wisdom is not like that. The directions that He gives are very clear. When he says in Eph 5, “Husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church and sacrificed Himself for her”, that’s pretty clear. And when He says in that same passage, “Wives, submit to your husbands as unto the Lord” & “Children, obey your parents”, that’s pretty clear. But you may say, “There’s a lot in the Bible that I do not understand. There’s a lot of it that is not clear to me.” Join the club. There’s a lot of the Bible that is not clear to me either. But as Mark Twain said, “It’s not the parts of the Bible I don’t understand that trouble me; it’s the parts of the Bible that I do understand.” I have a suspicion that if we spent all of our time doing our best to be obedient to the parts of the Bible that we do understand, that at the end of our lives when we stand before God, we would find that we had done a pretty good job of obeying the parts that we didn’t understand too.
Our problem is not a lack of understanding; it is a lack of obedience. A man and his wife were traveling through town to get to some friends’ house for dinner. They had never been to this particular city, so they had gone to the internet where they found street-by-street directions. Everything went well until they got into the city. [begin to give excuses of why they chose not to turn down certain streets “bad part of town”, “steep hill and it’s starting to snow”, “dirty street – just had the car cleaned”, “saw a billboard ahead that I wanted to get a look at”] The problem was not in the one who gave the directions. The directions were good. The failure was in the ones who had received the directions. They didn’t like what the directions said, so they picked out their own pathway. Those people who refuse to follow the directions that they are given wind up getting very, very lost and are never able to enjoy the relationship with the friends who were waiting for them at the end of their journey.
You can trust the wisdom of the Bible to give you direction because the wisdom comes from God.
4. You must obey the commands of the Bible to receive God’s blessing.
- Noah and the ark
- Peter and the great catch of fish Luke 5:5 “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” The result: “When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break.”
- Us – “Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together.” “Love your enemies, & pray for those who persecute you” (Mt. 5:44) “You shall have no other gods before me.” (Ex. 20:2)
You must obey the commands recorded in the Bible for you. They come from God.
5. You must heed the warnings of the Bible to escape God’s wrath.
- Adam and Eve
- Achan and the Israelites
- Unsaved church members (Mt. 7:21-23) “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophecy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers.’”
- Revelation is a warning
CONCLUSION
One day, a little girl picked up a book of poems. They were dry as dust. They meant nothing to her, so she put the book down. Later, she was introduced to a man. She began to become quite interested in him. She learned that he was a poet. Furthermore, she learned that he had written the book of poetry that she had looked at. She went back and picked up that same book of poems, only now she found them very interesting. The difference was that now she knew the author.
Do you know the Author of this Book?
