The Bible Series

Intro: Since we’ve moved into this building 2 months ago we’ve experienced explosive growth! We’re in the midst of a paradigm shift in ministry. Some of the stuff we’re going thru right now is simply growing pains. But while a lot of things are changing around here, there are some things that will never change at VillageChurch.

-I thought it’d be a great idea for us to start a new series of messages talking @ the DNA of VillageChurch; talking @ the very basics of what makes VillageChurch what it is today. And the 1st part of our DNA at VillageChurch is the Bible.

-Now I know we’ve all heard of the Bible. Yet lot of confusion exists today about the Bible. According to a 1996 Barna survey, 42% of Americans say they believe that the Bible is the literal word of God. Yet almost half of Americans believe that the Bible is too hard for them to understand, so on a given week very few people actually read the book they claim to embrace as God’s literal word.

-Clearly there’s a discrepancy between what we say we believe and our true beliefs as demonstrated by our actions. So what exactly is the Bible? The Christian Bible is a collection of 66 different books divided into two sections (Old and New Testaments) written by over 40 different authors over a span of 1,500 years in three different languages, yet it presents a unified message of God’s plan and purpose for humanity.

-39 books make up the Old Testament, which was written between around 1,500 BC and 400 BC, starting with the book of Genesis and ending with the Malachi. The Christian OT and the Jewish Bible contain the same 39 books, though they’re listed in different order. The 27 books that make up the NT were written over a 50 year span, and they deal with Jesus Christ’s birth, life, death, and resurrection, the beginning of the Christian church, and instruction about how to live as a follower of Jesus Christ.

-The OT is written primarily in Hebrew, with a little Aramaic, and the New Testament is written exclusively in Greek. Yet these diverse authors each in their own way present a unified portrait of God’s plans and purposes in our world.

-The Bible was also the first book every printed on the printing press, it’s the best selling book of all time, and portions have been translated into over 1,946 different languages. So when I say "Bible" this is what I’m talking about, these 66 books that have been the foundation for the Christian faith since it’s very beginnings.

Sermon Idea: Today in our passage of Scripture we’re going to see a man named Paul share w/Timothy a few important pieces of information to learn @ Scripture. And we’ll see that these important lessons show the true value of the Bible. These lessons will show us that the Bible is more than just a book.

TEXT: 2 TIMOTHY 3: 16-17

Bckgrd: In this Scripture we see one of the strongest statements there is for the authenticity, the wealth and the power of the Bible. These verses point out why the Bible is the guide for VillageChurch’s faith and practice.

-At this point, the author of this book (Paul) was @ to be executed b/c of his faith in Christ. So he wanted to establish the credibility and power of the Bible. He wanted people to know that this wasn’t just any old collection of writings. It was a uniquely special book that could transform lives. That’s why Paul set out to show what every person ought to know @ the Bible. And the 1st principle every person ought to know @ the Bible is:

DIV. 1: THE BIBLE COMES FROM GOD (v. 16)

Exp: If you’re a person who likes to read, one thing that will be important to you is “Who wrote the book?” I remember when I was in seminary learning @ the importance of “Who wrote the book?” When I was in preaching class I learned that there are a lot of materials you can go to to help you in your sermon preparation.

A. But as you look to different resources for help it’s important to know who the author is. The reason why is b/c there are some authors who might not hold scripturally sound beliefs. Let me give you an example.

1. One resource that’s very good is the author William Barclay. He has excellent historical information. But something I have to be careful @ as I read William Barclay is to remember that he didn’t believe in the miracles of Jesus. He doesn’t believe Jesus performed any of the miracles written @ in the Bible. So it’s important I don’t read Barclay if I’m preaching a series of messages on Jesus’ miracles.