Matthew 6:9-13 - After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom
come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive
our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,
forever. Amen.
The Sermon for this week is: Why I Believe In The Bible
INTRODUCTION
1. The Bible is a wonderful book, highly esteemed by many...
a. “The Bible is endorsed by the ages. Our civilization is built upon its words. In no other book
is there such a collection of inspired wisdom, reality, and hope.” - Dwight Eisenhower
b. “The New Testament is the very best book that ever was or ever will be known in the world.”
- Charles Dickens
2. I am not ashamed to confess my own faith in the Bible...
a. As the Word of God
b. Written by men, who were inspired by the Spirit of God - cf. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 - All scripture
is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine,
for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto
all good works.
[What evidences are there to believe that the Bible is inspired of God? There are many, but let’s
just review a few beginning with...]
I. THE UNIFORMITY OF THE BIBLE
A. THE BIBLE IS A COLLECTION OF 66 BOOKS...
1. Written over:
a. A period of 1600 years
b. A span of 40 generations
2. Written by approx. 40 authors from every walk of life; e.g.:
a. Moses, a political leader trained in the universities of Egypt
b. Peter, a fisherman
c. Amos, a herdsman
d. Joshua, a military general
e. Nehemiah, a cup bearer to a king
f. Daniel, a prime minister
g. Luke, a physician
h. Solomon, a king
i. Matthew, a tax collector
j. Paul, a tentmaker and rabbi
3. Written in different places
a. Moses in the wilderness
b. Jeremiah in a dungeon
c. Daniel on a hillside and in a palace
d. Paul inside prison walls
e. Luke while traveling
f. John in exile an the isle of Patmos
g. Others in the rigors of military campaign
4. Written at different times and during different moods
a. David in times of war, Solomon in times of peace
b. Some writing from the heights of joy, others from the depths of sorrow and despair
5. Written on three continents, and in three languages
a. Asia, Africa, Europe
b. Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek
6. Which subject matter includes hundreds of controversial topics
a. The origin of man & the universe
b. The nature of God
c. The nature of sin & man’s redemption
B. YET THERE IS HARMONY AND CONTINUITY...
1. “The Paradise Lost of Genesis becomes the Paradise Regained of Revelation. Whereas the gate to
the tree of life is closed in Genesis, it is opened forevermore in Revelation. ” - Geisler and Nix
2. Compare the continuity of the Bible with any other such writings of man
a. Imagine what you would have if you just took ten authors...
1) From one walk of life, one generation, one place, one time, one mood one continent, one language
2. Speaking on one controversial subject
b. You would have a conglomeration of ideas, not harmony!
3. The reason for the unity of the Bible?
a. The writers were all inspired by the same God - cf. 2 Peter 1:20-21 - Knowing this first,
that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man:
but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
b. Providing evidence that the Bible is the Word of God!
[Another evidence for the inspiration of the Bible is...]
II. THE SCIENTIFIC FOREKNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE
A. THE NATURE OF THIS ARGUMENT...
1. In the Bible there are scientific truths that...
a. Were unknown by man with all his wisdom and resources
b. Are stated as facts hundreds of years before their discovery by men
2. The writers of the Bible could have known these facts only through inspiration of God
B. A FEW EXAMPLES...
1. The roundness of the earth - Isaiah 40:22 - It is he that
sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that
stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:
2. The suspension of the earth in space - Job 26:7 - He stretcheth out the north over the empty
place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing.
3. The currents in the seas - Psalms 8:8 - The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.
4. The springs in the seas - Job 38:16 - Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea? or hast
thou walked in the search of the depth?
5. All nations of one blood - Acts 17:26 - And hath made of one blood all nations of men for
to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;
[These are just a few of the many examples of scientific facts written in the Bible, but confirmed only
recently with the aid of modern science. Further evidence of inspiration is...]
III. THE FULFILLED PROPHECIES IN THE BIBLE
A. THE NATURE OF THIS ARGUMENT...
1. Prophecies in the Old Testament foretold events in detail that were beyond the scope of human speculation
2. How did the writers do it?
a. They attributed it to God!
b. And God declared that such evidence was a proof of His existence and superiority
over men and all heathen gods - Isaiah 41:21-24 - Produce your cause, saith the LORD; bring forth your strong
reasons, saith the King of Jacob. Let them bring them forth,
and shew us what shall happen: let them shew the former things, what they be, that we may
consider them, and know the latter end of them; or declare us things for to come. Shew the things that are to come hereafter,
that we may know that ye are gods: yea, do good, or do evil, that we may be dismayed, and
behold it together. Behold, ye are of nothing, and your
work of nought: an abomination is he that chooseth you.
; Isaiah 42:8-9 - I am the LORD: that is
my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. Behold, the former things are come to
pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them. ; Isaiah 46:8-11 - Remember
this, and shew yourselves men: bring it again to mind, O ye transgressors. Remember the former
things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the
beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet
done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure: Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth
my counsel from a far country: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have
purposed it, I will also do it.
B. A FEW EXAMPLES...
1. The fall of Babylon, written two hundred years before it occurred - Isaiah
13:17-22 - Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, which shall not regard silver; and as
for gold, they shall not delight in it. Their bows also shall dash the
young men to pieces; and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb; their eye shall not spare children. And Babylon,
the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. It shall
never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there;
neither shall the shepherds make their fold there. But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there; and their houses shall be
full of doleful creatures; and owls shall dwell there, and satyrs shall dance there. And the wild beasts of the islands shall
cry in their desolate houses, and dragons in their pleasant palaces: and her time
is near to come, and her days shall not be prolonged.
2. The fall of Egypt, that it would be destroyed more by civil war than by outside
forces - Isaiah 19:1-4 - The burden of Egypt. Behold, the LORD rideth upon a swift cloud, and shall come into Egypt:
and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it. And I will set
the Egyptians against the Egyptians: and they shall fight every one against his brother, and every one against his neighbour;
city against city, and kingdom against kingdom. And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the
midst thereof; and I will destroy the counsel thereof: and they shall seek to the idols, and to the charmers, and to them
that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards. And the Egyptians will I give over into the hand of a cruel lord; and a fierce
king shall rule over them, saith the Lord, the LORD of hosts.
3. The fall of Nineveh, with its utter desolation - Zephaniah 2:13-15 - And
he will stretch out his hand against the north, and destroy Assyria; and will make Nineveh a desolation, and dry like a wilderness. And flocks shall lie down in the midst of her, all the beasts of the nations: both
the cormorant and the bittern shall lodge in the upper lintels of it; their voice shall sing
in the windows; desolation shall be in the thresholds: for he shall uncover the cedar work.
This is the rejoicing city that dwelt carelessly, that said in her heart, I am, and there is none beside me: how is she become a desolation, a place for
beasts to lie down in! every one that passeth by her shall hiss, and wag his hand.
4. The fall of Tyre, with its becoming a place for the spreading of nests -
Ezekiel 26:1-5 - And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the first day of
the month, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, because that Tyrus
hath said against Jerusalem, Aha, she is broken that was the gates of the people: she is
turned unto me: I shall be replenished, now she is laid waste: Therefore thus saith the Lord
GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Tyrus, and will cause many nations to come up against thee,
as the sea causeth his waves to come up. And they shall destroy the walls of Tyrus, and break down her towers: I will also
scrape her dust from her, and make her like the top of a rock. It shall be a place for the
spreading of nets in the midst of the sea: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD: and
it shall become a spoil to the nations.
-- Cf. Introduction To Christian Evidences, Ferrell Jenkins, pp. 87-107
[There are many other examples of fulfilled prophecies, especially those related to the coming of the
Messiah (which we will cover in our next study). But here is one more reason to believe the Bible...]
IV. THE IMPACT OF THE BIBLE
A. ON CIVILIZATION...
1. The Bible has had a great impact
a. On art, music, and literature
b. On education, judicial systems, and even science
2. Some related quotes
a. “We cannot read the history of our rise and development as a nation, without reckoning with the
place the Bible has occupied in shaping the advances of the Republic.” - Franklin Roosevelt
b. “The fundamental basis of this nation’s laws was given to Moses on the Mount. The fundamental
basis of our Bill of Rights comes from the teachings we get from Exodus and Saint Matthew, from Isaiah and Saint Paul.”
- Harry Truman
c. “If you take out of your statutes, your constitution, your family life all that is taken from
the Sacred Book, what would there be left to bind society together?” – Benjamin Harrison
B. ON INDIVIDUAL LIVES...
1. It has transformed the lives of millions of people
a. It has motivated them to be missionaries and martyrs
b. It has made them better spouses, parents, friends, neighbors, workers
c. Countless people would agree with the words of David - cf. Psalms 19:7-11
- The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the
LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the LORD are
right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. The
fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are
they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them is thy servant
warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.
2. Some related quotes:
a. “So great is my veneration for the Bible that the earlier my children begin to read it the more
confident will be my hope that they will prove useful citizens of their country and respectable members of society. I have
for many years made it a practice to read through the Bible once every year.” - John Quincy Adams
b. “In all my perplexities and distresses, the Bible has never failed to give me light and strength.
” - Robert E. Lee
c. “If there is anyt hing in my thoughts or style to commend, the credit is due to my parents for
instilling in me an early love of the Scriptures. If we abide by the principles taught in the Bible, our country will go on
prospering and to prosper; but if we and our posterity neglect its instructions and authority, no man can tell how sudden
a catastrophe may overwhelm us and bury all our glory in profound obscurity. ” - Daniel Webster
CONCLUSION
1. The evidence for the Bible as the Word of God is both objective and subjective...
a. The objective evidence includes its unity, foreknowledge, and fulfilled prophecies
b. The subjective evidence is seen in its impact on our lives and the world in which we live
2. Do we really believe in and appreciate the Bible as the word of God...?
a. “I believe the Bible is the best gift God has ever given to man. All the good from the Saviour
of the world is communicated to us through this book.” - Abraham Lincoln
b. “Within the covers of this one single book, the Bible, are all the answers to all the problems
we face today. If only we would read it and believe.” - Ronald Reagan
May our estimation of the Bible prove to be no less, demonstrated by our obedience to it...!
Mark 16:15-16 - And
he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
Matthew 28:19-20 - Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and
of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Prayer: Lord I truly thank
You for giving me the opportunity to present these words to my brethrens. I pray that You will give them Your eternal blessings
and accept them into Your heart - this I pray in the name of Thy Son, Jesus,
the Messiah, Your only begotten son which Ye sent to save mankind from themselves. Ephesians 6:23-24 - Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity.
Amen.
This sermon is in the Public Domain - Free for all to use with the only requirement:
That it never be used for profit.
