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Truth Detectors [Episode 1]
Message 2 - “The Truth About the Bible”
2 Timothy 3:14-17
Opening Illustration / Participation
This illustration helps the congregation experience both a visual and auditory demonstration of unity.
Have the people put down everything they are holding and ask them to pay close attention. First, have them applaud and clap … pointing out the random nature of the noise. Have them stand and hold out their hands in front of them, palms facing one another ready to clap. Count for them, “One, two, clap!” On the word, “clap,” the entire group should clap … making a single, loud clapping sound. Repeat the exercise until the entire group makes a single, unified sound. Clap for them, recognizing their good job … then ask them to be seated.
Taken from Bore No More (Volume 2): Creative Ways to Involve Your Audience in Bible Learning, Loveland, Colorado: Group Publishing, 1999; p.63.
Debrief
What you just heard was a demonstration of unity. We all worked together, in unity, to make a single sound. Friends, unity is of the utmost importance in the church. When there is no unity, there is division … and where there is division, sin reigns in the church. We must seek to have unity in the body.
This unity is particularly important with regard to doctrine … with the essential basics of the faith. That’s why we began with a unity demonstration today. When it comes to our basic core beliefs, we must have unity. Anything short of that is not acceptable. This brings us to our starting point today …
Starting Point:
In essential beliefs we have unity.
There are some things which cannot be compromised. We must have unity in these areas. Our essential beliefs are defined in our Statement of Faith.
Our Statement Regarding the Bible (taken from our 101 Discovery Materials)
The Bible is God’s Word to us. It was written by human writers, under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs and living. Because it is inspired by God, it is the truth without any mixture of error.
2 Timothy 3;16; 2 Peter 1:20,21; 2 Timothy 1:13; Psalm 119:105,160, 12:6; Proverbs 30:5
**This Book is the Word of God … spoken, written, and preserved for us!
Background
The passage that we’re going to look at today is in the book of 2 Timothy. Paul wrote this letter from prison. Many people call this letter his “famous last words” … he knew that he was going to die. He wrote to encourage the young pastor friend of his named Timothy. He called Timothy, “my son.” They were obviously very close. He encouraged Timothy to follow his own (Paul’s) example, to be on the lookout for false teachers, to stand strong in the faith, and rely on God’s Word. (2 Timothy 3:10-13). And some of the most profound, life-changing, statements regarding the Bible … the Word of God … are found right here in 2 Timothy 3:14-17. (Read the Scripture.)
Transition Illustration
The new minister was asked to teach a boys’ class in the absence of the regular teacher. He decided to see what they knew, so he asked who knocked down the walls of Jericho. All the boys denied having done it, and the preacher was appalled by their ignorance. At the next deacons’ meeting he told about the experience. "Not one of them knows who knocked down the walls of Jericho," he lamented. The group was silent until finally one seasoned veteran of disputes spoke up. "Preacher, this appears to be bothering you a lot. But I’ve known all those boys since they were born and they’re good boys. If they said they didn’t know, I believe them. Let’s just take some money out of the repair and maintenance fund, fix the walls, and let it go at that."
From Christianglobe.com sermon illustrations, BIBLE, Ignorance of, http://www.christianglobe.com/Illustrations/theDetails.asp?whichOne=b&whichFile=bible_ignorance_of .
That a silly little story, but it illustrates a tragic state of biblical ignorance in the American church today which has resulted in so many Christians following after lies. If we are going to be Truth Detectors, then we must be a people of the Word … which brings us to our first Bible truth …
Bible Truths
1. You must faithfully study the Bible. (v. 14)
• Errors in theology are caused by ignorance of the Bible. (Matthew 22:29, 2 Timothy 3:6-7)
There can be absolutely no doubt about this basic truth. Sadly, the people in our churches are largely ignorant about the Bible and how to properly interpret it. Instead of beginning with the Bible and seeking to make their lives conform to it’s teaching, they begin with their own lives and try to make the Bible fit them. They interpret the Bible according to their own needs … and they won’t hesitate to throw out entire parts of the Bible if they make them uncomfortable. How else could supposedly Christian people support the murder of abortion, or the acceptance of adultery, or the ordaining of homosexual ministers and priests. Ignorance of the Word is the cause. We must study the Bible. We must also affirm that …
• The content of the Bible is perfect truth … God’s truth. (John 17:17)
Jesus spoke these words. Remember our theology word last week … sanctification. We become sanctified by believing and obeying the Word of God. The daily study and application of the truth of God in our lives renews our relationship with Christ and keeps us on His path. Understand, friends, that there are no lies in this book. If you follow God’s Word, you will not be following a lie … but if you close it up, and lay it down, you become fodder for the lies of the world. Hold on to this truth!
• The Bible was written to teach us. (Romans 15:4)
It gives us living examples of how God has acted and moved in the lives of people. We can read the accounts of the Bible and realize that we are not alone … plenty of people have dealt with stuff that’s just like what we deal with in our lives every day! And as we know more about how God has acted in the past, we can have confidence in how He will act in our future. So, study the Bible, because it was written to teach us about life … how to live it, how to enjoy it, and how to make the most of it.
2. The Bible is a “roadmap” for life that leads people to Jesus Christ. (v. 15)
Timothy was a second-generation Christian. He didn’t come to know the Lord because he saw a sermon on TV or because an evangelist dropped by his house to read him a tract and pray with him. He because a Christian because his mother and his grandmother read him the Scriptures since he was a little boy. His precious kin realized that they had God’s Word which was their roadmap in the faith … and that map led them all to Jesus. Why?
• All of the Old Testament points to Jesus. (Luke 24:44-46)
The Law of Moses, the prophets, and the Psalms … this describes the entire Old Testament. Everything in the Old Testament points to the Messiah … Jesus Christ. All of God’s revelation in His Word was preparing the people for the arrival of His Son. We can be confident in this because …
• Jesus verified this with His own Words. (John 5:39)
Jesus said it! All of these Scriptures … all of these scrolls … this Word that you so carefully read and follow … it all gives testimony of me! It all points to me! It is all about me! And out of that Old Testament foundation, we can know and be assured that …
• Jesus is God’s ultimate Word … His final statement! (Hebrews 1:1-2)
Yes, this is God’s Word. But every letter in it bears witness to God’s ultimate, final statement. His ultimate Word was and is spoken through a Person … Jesus Christ. And we all know that the entire New Testament talks about Jesus! The Gospels tell about Him during His life on earth. The book of Acts gives the history of the earliest followers of Jesus. And all of the letters deal with church life, theology, and love for the Lord. Friends … this entire book is a vast and beautiful roadmap that leads those who will believe directly to God’s Living Word … His Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Transition Illustration
There was once a fellow who was asked if he would describe life with his wife, Mary. He answered, "She has displayed an extraordinary amount of patience." He paused, then continued, "Women are an inspiration. It’s because of them we put on clean shirts and wash our necks. Because of women, we want to excel. Heck, because of a woman, Christopher Columbus discovered America!"
The fellow he was talking to said, "You mean Queen Isabella.”
He said, "No, I was thinking more of Mrs. Columbus.”
Contributed by: Paul Fritz to Sermon Central.com illustrations. http://www.sermoncentral.com/ sermoncentral_pro/ super _illustration_search_keyword.asp?display_search=yes&FreetextTerms=inspiration&category_name=Humor&Submit=Pro+Search .
Now, you might call that inspiration … but I think he’s talking about a really negative sort of inspiration. But I think we can all agree that the record of God’s Word that we have in this Holy Bible is a good thing … isn’t it? And, as we continue to solidify our understanding and doctrine of the Bible, we need to understand a very important concept.
3. The Bible is inspired by God. (v. 16a)
**Important Theology Word – INSPIRATION
You will hear this word spoken often by teachers and preachers. But what does it mean?
It is the supernatural influence of the Holy Spirit on the Scripture writers which made their writings the actual Word of God.
It means that God acted in a powerful and mysterious way to make sure that what he led those writers to put down on paper was His exact, perfect message. He used their knowledge, their personalities … even their ideas … but the end product was His Word. He spoke through these men.
I know that’s hard to understand. And good people have wrestled with the idea of inspiration for centuries. But, friends, it’s not something that we need to wrestle with. It is something that God’s Word claims for itself … therefore it is something that we study, try to understand, and accept in faith.
• “God-breathed” is the perfect description of the Bible.
Isn’t that a beautiful picture of inspiration? God-breathed. Now, I haven’t taken Greek yet … I have my fires semester this Fall. But as I understand it, the same root word used here for “breathed” is the same root word in the Greek for spirit … as in Holy Spirit. So, this Word is “God-breathed.” Through the Spirit of God, He placed the words in the heart of the writers, then they expressed them through their own writing, language, and style.
And because it is His “God-breathed” Word:
• The Bible, as God’s Word, never changes. It lasts forever. (1 Peter 1:25)
There are a lot of people out there today trying to redefine the Word of God. They want to look at it in new ways. They want to take the parts they like and cut out some of the rest. Some of you may have heard of the Jesus seminars in recent years. Well, don’t pay too much attention to them! A bunch of so-called scholars get together and they use colored beads to vote on the red-lettered words in the New Testament. They vote whether Jesus actually said the words or not. They have ruled out the entire Gospel of John, all but one verse of Mark, and 75% of the Book of Matthew. Here are a couple of statements from their web site:
• The Christian Scriptures were not uniquely inspired by God; they were composed by men (and perhaps one woman) who promoted their own beliefs, and those of the specific Christian tradition that they belonged to.
• Many, if not most, of the miracles described in the Gospels did not actually occur. There was no virgin birth, no walking on water, no feeding of thousands with a few fish and loaves. Jesus did not bring Lazarus back to life. Jesus’ bodily resurrection, walking through walls, transfiguration, ascension into heaven, etc. are myths.
Pardon me … but when it comes time to vote … I’ll vote for Jesus every time! The Bible is inspired by God … it is His perfect Word … and it will last forever. If you do not believe that, then you have absolutely no foundation for the Christian faith. You might as well join the Worldwide Church of Elvis.
This leads us to one more very important doctrine with regard to the Bible:
4. The Bible is without error. (v. 16a)
**Important Theology Word - INERRANCY
Inerrancy means that the Bible is fully truthful in all of its teachings. Without a belief in inerrancy, you have an incomplete understanding if the Bible.
• God is the author of the Bible … that means it cannot contain any error or untruth. (1 John 1:5)
If we affirm that this is the Word of God … given to us and preserved for us, then it stands to reason that it is given without error. Otherwise, we wind up calling God a liar. But, you know, plenty of people do just that. They will read a blatant, plainspoken passage and say, “I know it says that … but that’s not what God really meant.” That’s crazy! God doesn’t need us to tell His what He meant. God said what He meant, and He meant what He said … and it’s all right here in this book … complete and true.
• God has revealed Himself to us in this written revelation. (2 Peter 1:19-21)
These verses confirm for us that this message comes from God … not from any man. It cannot and will not contain an error or a lie. And, finally, I desperately want you to understand …
• Any belief short of inerrancy leaves us with no foundation for our faith.
Friends, I believe that this book is perfect and true … cover to cover. If it says “Genuine Leather,” I believe that, too! If you cannot accept the inerrancy and perfection of this entire book, then how are you going to decide which parts have error? What will you use for a spiritual foundation? You won’t have any, unless you build your spiritual house upon the foundation of this Word!
And, finally, as we near our time to close, let me remind you of one last Bible truth.
5. The Bible is our guidebook for Christian living. (vv. 16b-17)
This is our source of teaching, our source of training, and our source of salvation. You can buy books by Billy Graham or Max Lucado or Lee Strobel, but just remember that those are helpful resources. But this book is the source.
• It is life-changing and dynamic. (Hebrews 4:12)
• The goal of the Bible is not information … it is transformation. (Colossians 1:6)
• In all areas of our lives, we must always ask, “What does the Bible say?”
Closing Illustration
A fellow was talking with a farmer about his soybean and corn crops. Rain had
been abundant, and the results were evident. The fields were lush. The farmer’s comment surprised him: "My crops are especially vulnerable. Even a short drought could have a devastating effect."
"Why?" the fellow asked.
He explained that while we see the frequent rains as a benefit, during that time the plants are not required to push roots deeper in search of water. The roots remain near the surface. A sudden drought would find the plants unprepared and it would quickly kill them.
Friends, some Christians receive abundant "rains" of worship, fellowship, and teaching. Yet when stress enters their lives, many suddenly abandon God or even think Him unfaithful. Their roots have never pushed much below the surface. Only roots grown deep into the Word of God help us endure times of drought in our lives.
Contributed by Greg Yount to sermoncentral.com sermon illustrations, found at http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermoncentral_pro/super_illustration_results.asp?samepage=2&Topic1=103&SermonTopic=10&category_name=&select=1&imageField3.x=4&imageField3.y=7 .
Friends … I urge you … fall in love with this book. Get to know its words. Get to know its Author. It is only here that you can truly discover what you believe and why you believe it.
Closing Challenge and Prayer
*For non-believers – salvation in Christ Jesus.
*For believers – deepening understanding of the Word.
LIFE Applications
1. You must believe that the Bible is the inspired, inerrant word of God.
2. You must adopt the Bible as your guidebook for living.
3. You must faithfully and systematically study the Bible in order to know the Author.
4. You must understand that there can be no compromise in this doctrine. Rejection of the inspiration and inerrancy of the Bible makes it just another historical book.
