The Transforming Power Series

INTRODUCTION

• We (well, many of us) read.

• We read books, magazines, newspapers, sports pages, instruction manuals (LOL, NOT MEN), blogs, texts, and the list goes on and on.

• We read for various reasons; for entertainment and to gain knowledge because we are forced to do so.

• How many of us read to be transformed?

• I know many people read certain things because they desire to change.

• Some go to the Bible for all the reasons we have mentioned, but how many of us go to the Bible to be TRANSFORMED?

• Some read the Bible out of curiosity, some to gain knowledge, some to be entertained, and some to seek to prove it to be a false book.

• The Bible is more than a book; it can do something that no other collection of writing can do to you.

• Today we will examine why the Bible has the power to transform.

• One of the principles we will use today as we continue to dig into our series on How to Read the Bible is that when we read the Bible, we are reading the mind and heart of God!

• The Big Idea of the Message: All Scripture is “God-breathed” and endowed with the supernatural power to transform us in the love of Christ.

• Let’s turn to 2 Timothy 3:16-17, we will start with verse 16.

2 Timothy 3:16 (NET 2nd ed.)

16 Every scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,

SERMON

I. Every scripture is inspired by God!

• When we open the Bible, what are we looking at?

• What are we reading?

• If we go into it thinking it is anything other than the inspired Word of God, it will not do much for us.

• We may read a few things that touch us in some way, but we will never be transformed because we will not allow it to work in our lives.

• Paul tells us that EVERY SCRIPTURE IS INSPIRED BY GOD!

• That is quite a claim to make.

• Paul claims that God inspires the scriptures.

• When we think of inspiration, we may think of seeing something that moves us to paint a picture, which may move us to write a book or a poem.

• Is that what Paul means when he states that all scriptures are inspired?

• Is Paul merely stating that those who penned the scriptures were moved by the thought of the existence of a God to write the Bible?

• How do you prove Paul’s claim?

• The way one can do that is to examine the evidence and facts.

• Here is a brief rehash of the writing of the Bible.

• The Bible was written over a 1500-year period of time.

• That period encompasses over 40 generations.

• The Bible was written by over 40 authors from every walk of life, from kings to peasants.

• The Bible was written in various locations throughout the time frame.

• The Bible was penned on three continents in three different languages, yet the message is the same and consistent.

• All those facts in themselves are amazing.

• How do you think that happened?

• Do you believe that over 40 authors from various backgrounds could create a consistent message during a 1500-year time frame of writing from 3 continents, using three languages?

• If the Bible were inspired by God Himself, one would expect it to be accurate to the things you can prove, like history and geography; and one could expect a consistent message.

• We have those qualities in the Bible.

• One would also expect prophecies to be accurate, as a matter of fact, spot-on accurate.

• We have that with the Bible.

• Let’s look at something Paul said about the Bible.

• Paul uses the word INSPIRED. Some used the phrase, GOD BREATHED.

• The word translated “inspired” is only used in this particular verse in the Bible; the literal translation reads, “God-Breathed.”

• This tells us that ALL SCRIPTURE is the product of God’s breath or Spirit, the result of God’s action.

• Every word of the scriptures was breathed out by God and then written by man; then, God used to proclaim His message to humanity.

• God revealed His person and plan to certain people, and they wrote it down.

• However, the authors still incorporated their style and personality in the writing of the Bible.

2 Peter 1:20–21 (NET 2nd ed.)

20 Above all, you do well if you recognize this: No prophecy of scripture ever comes about by the prophet’s own imagination,

21 for no prophecy was ever borne of human impulse; rather, men carried along by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.