Can I Trust My Bible?

Text: 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Introduction:

What is our identity?

  • Created in the image of God
  • Fallen and separated from God with devastating and eternal consequences
  • Redeemed because of the love of God through the Death Burial and Resurrection of Jesus
  • We are people of the book

Christians are dominated by the enemy for one of two reasons:
They don’t believe the bible

  • They haven’t looked at the evidence
  • They have believed a lie (for misled academic reasons or for emotional social reasons

They don’t obey the Bible. They fail to see and know the powerful, wonderful impact of the Bible.

I. How does God speak?

  • God speaks through Natural Means (Natural Revelation)
  • Psalm 19:1-4  “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the    expanse proclaims the work of his hands. Day after day they pour out speech; night after night they communicate knowledge. There is no speech; there are no words; their voice is not heard. Their message has gone out to the whole earth, and their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun.”
  • Romans 1:19-20  “since what can be known about God is evident among them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, that is, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being understood through what he has made. As a result, people are without excuse.” 
  • God speaks through Special Means (Divine Revelation)
  • Hebrews 1:1–2  “Long ago God spoke to our ancestors by the prophets at different times and in different ways. In these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son. God has appointed him heir of all things and made the universe through him.”
  • Ephesians 1:17–19  “I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, would give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what is the wealth of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the mighty working of his strength.”
  • Deuteronomy 29:29  “The hidden things belong to the Lord our God, but the revealed things belong to us and our children forever, so that we may follow all the words of this law.”

II. God Speaks Perfectly Through Scripture

  • The Bible is Inspired by God
  • You can trust its proven integrity (The Bible is not one book. It is 66 distinct books.)
  • This is a more common misconception than many people realize, especially with people who do not come from a Judeo-Christian background. Rather than being a single book, the Bible is actually a collection of 66 books, which is called the canon of scriptures. These 66 books contain a variety of genres: history, poetry, prophecy, wisdom literature, letters, and apocalyptic just to name a few.
  • These 66 books were written by 40 different authors
  • These authors came from a variety of backgrounds: shepherds, fishermen, doctors, kings, prophets, and others. And most of these authors never knew one another personally.
  • These 66 books were written over a period of 1500 years
  • Yet again, this is another reminder that many of these authors never knew or collaborated with one another in writing these books.
  • These 66 books of the Bible were written in 3 different languages
  • In the Bible we have books that were written in the ancient languages of Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic; a reflection of the historical and cultural circumstances in which each of these books were written.
  • These 66 books were written on 3 different continents: Africa, Asia, and Europe
  • Once again, this is a testament to the varied historical and cultural circumstances of God’s people.
  • You can experience its proven power

III. The Power of Scripture in our Lives ( 2 Timothy 3:16 )

  1. Scripture Declares God’s Unchanging Truth
  2. Scripture Reveals Our Hearts and Rebukes Our Sin ( 2 Timothy 3:16 )
  3. Scripture Corrects Our Path and Guides Our Journey ( 2 Timothy 3:16 )
  4. Scripture Trains Us to Live Righteously and Serve Faithfully ( 2 Timothy 3:17 )
  5. Scripture Protects Us From Bondage