The Word Is Inspired Series

Opening Video: More Than A Book (1:42 video ilustration available on Sermon Central)

The Bible is a unique and remarkable book. It is actually a library of 66 books written over a span of 1,500 years. There isn’t another book in history that took that long to write. 40-different authors from every walk of life wrote the Bible. We know today that when different people write many books on a similar subject, and few are in agreement with each other. We all know that people from different walks of life have different perspectives on life. Yet the Bible was written by:

• Kings

• Servants

• Philosophers

• Fishermen

• Poets

• Doctors

• Military Leaders

• Herdsman

• And even a First Century IRS agent

The authors wrote from different places like deserts, dungeons, palaces, islands, battlefields, hillsides, and prison cells. They wrote on 3 different continents (Europe, Asia, and Africa) in 16 different countries, in 3 different languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek). Their writings cover hundreds of controversial subjects yet they speak in perfect unity. This can’t be explained by coincidence or by collusion.

Think about it: If we brought up one controversial subject, let’s say, the state of health care in our country, if all of us in this room were to write a couple of pages on that subject, do you think we would all have total unity in our opinions? Absolutely not! Yet the Bible, which was written by 40 different people, with various backgrounds, living in diverse places, spoke with perfect unity on a broad range of controversial subjects. The Bible is a unified story of how God worked throughout history to restore His relationship with human race. The only reasonable answer to the amazing unity is that there was one master architect who designed the book. The Bible is God’s Word to the human race. [1]

Why Trust the Word? Why should we trust the Bible? We should trust the Word because The Word is Inspired. The 40 different human writers were inspired by the Same Spirit. Our focus today is looking at the Bible as the inspired Word of God

Read 2 Peter 1:16–21

Back in 1884 John Henry Patterson formed the National Cash Register Co. and he led the company to prominence and profitability. He made it successful because he paid attention to details and kept an eye on each department in the company. At one point, it became apparent that the factory was having a high number of burglaries. Patterson was convinced that the security staff was not doing their job. So, one night, he put on a phosphorescent suit and rode up to the plant on a white horse. He jimmied opened the door to the tool room, helped himself to several spare parts and rode off, without being challenged. The next morning, he replaced the security staff. Now, why did Patterson replace the security staff? He did that because they weren’t doing their job. They weren’t paying attention. [2]

Peter tells us

2 Peter 1:19 (NKJV) And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts;

Peter says pay attention. We often fail to pay attention to the Word of God. Here is the thing about the word of God: The Word of God was written to common people, not to theological professors. The writers assumed that common people could read it, understand it, and apply it, led by the same Holy Spirit who inspired it. The humble individual believer can learn about God as he reads and meditates on the Word of God; he does not need the “experts” to show him truth.[3]

The Word of God is not for the Rocket Scientist or the Theologian with Doctorates in Biblical languages. Its for you and me, if we just pay attention. How?

“as a light that shines in a dark place” If you are in a completely dark room and someone walks in with a flash light, we are going to pay attention and go where the light this is – unless you are blind and your eyes shut, and you refuse to look. Many are like that.

2 Corinthians 4:6 (NKJV) For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

We need to pay attention to the Word until that day when Jesus comes back. This is a theme in Peter. The return of Jesus. It was certain in his eyes and he tried to covey that message.

“until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts” The morning star in the ancient world was another name of Venus, which rise just before daybreak. This is an reference to Jesus coming again for which Peter will expound on later. Jesus calls himself the bright and morning star.