Sermon
What Is The Bible: 2 Peter 1:16-21
Publisher transcript
Transcript
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Please take out your copy of God's Word and join me in 2 Peter chapter 1.
2 Peter 1 chapter mention
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I believe that we can get the answers with all of their complexities and all of their applications worked out in our minds to these three questions.
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We will have a firm foundation on which to build a life that is pleasing to God.
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I settled in on these three questions after being asked a question many years ago.
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A man that was a missionary, many of you know, Jay Whetstone, asked me over tea at his house one afternoon,
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what do you hope to accomplish with college students in their three to four years in Dahlonega?
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And I didn't really have an answer.
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I could have begun to talk through some things.
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I mean, there was stuff on my mind, oh, well, we want students to do the following.
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But what he was asking was, what's your plan?
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Is there a system in place for young people when they come and give you some of their time while they're at school in Dahlonega?
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So I didn't have a confident answer, but I knew that I should.
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There should be some things, some anchors that I would say, yes, we want to make sure that college students know certain things.
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And so in rolling that around and considering most important things, I kind of settled in on these three questions,
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which we answer all the time around here.
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This is not the first time we've taken up these questions.
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But I thought it would be helpful for us to do so systematically over the next three weeks.
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And those questions are, what is the Bible?
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What is the Bible?
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What is the Bible?
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And what is the church?
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And there's so much confusion about the answer to these three questions.
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You may think already, oh, I know the answer to those three questions.
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You may find that you don't.
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I knew that if we could get answers to these three questions concreted in the minds of college students or anyone for that matter,
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we would be doing quite well together as a church.
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And so we've been about that.
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We weave the answers to these questions in and out of all sorts of things that we do.
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But specifically, I want to stop and think about these things before we get back to our normal verse-by-verse exposition of a book of the Bible.
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So the question that I want to ask and answer, at least in part, right, with the best of my ability, my frailty this morning,
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what is the Bible?
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And I want to look largely at 2 Peter 1, verses 16 through 21.
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And we'll look at some other texts as well this morning.
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So before I read this, beloved, I want to remind you that this is God's Word to us.
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It was written for His glory and our good.
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And so we would all do well to listen to it in order to believe its promises and obey its commands.
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Peter writes, verse 16,
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For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,
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but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty.
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For when He received honor and glory from God the Father,
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and the voice was born to Him by the majestic glory,
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this is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.
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We ourselves heard this very voice born from heaven,
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for we were with Him on the holy mountain.
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And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed,
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to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place
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until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.
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Knowing this, first of all,
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that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation,
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for no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man,
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but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
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What an astounding text.
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Let's look at its context a bit before we proceed.
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Following Peter's greeting,
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Peter tells his readers in chapter 1, verses 3 and 4,
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that God's divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness
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through the knowledge of Him who has called us to His own glory and excellence,
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by which He has granted to us His precious and very great promises,
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so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature,
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having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desires.
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So Peter says to his hearers, those who are in the faith,
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we have been granted power for life and godliness through, what?
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Through knowledge.
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We have been granted precious and very great promises.
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His promises made already, given to us,
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wherever those promises once made in the Scripture.
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We have been granted to become partakers of the divine nature,
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and we have escaped from our sin.
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By the Scripture, this knowledge that comes to us,
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given to us for all things concerning life,
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pertaining to life and to godliness.
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And he goes on then to instruct his readers
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to make their calling and election sure
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by pursuing holiness
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and seeing that holiness,
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the holiness that's being birthed in them as they pursue it,
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as evidence of their standing in Jesus Christ.
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to make sure they're in the faith,
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to be confident of it by pursuing Holy Scripture.
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He says in verse 10 and 11,
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Therefore, brothers,
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be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election,
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for if you practice these qualities,
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you will never fall.
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For in this way there will be richly provided for you
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an entrance into the eternal kingdom
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of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
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And so it's in this context that Peter says
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in the beginning of verse 16,
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For we did not follow cleverly devised myths
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when we made known to you the power and coming
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of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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And he goes on to say,
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but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty.
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It's a good try, Cheyenne.
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It was good.
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I thought you had her settled too.
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Verse 17,
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For when He, being Jesus Christ,
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received honor and glory from God the Father,
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and the voice was born to Him by the majestic glory,
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This is My beloved Son with whom I am well pleased.
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We ourselves heard this very voice born from heaven,
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for we were with Him on the holy mountain.
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And what is Peter referring to?
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The transfiguration of Jesus Christ.
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When they went up with Him,
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James and Peter and John on the mountain,
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and Jesus' image was changed,
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made more glorious,
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they got to see this happen.
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And God spoke over Him,
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This is My beloved Son with whom I am well pleased.
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What an astounding thing to be able to witness.
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What an incredible thing that these three men,
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the only three in history,
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were able to see.
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And you can read about that in Mark 9,
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2-7,
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Matthew 17,
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Luke 9,
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they're all accounts of what happened.
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It's amazing.
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It's an incredible thing
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that they were witnesses of.
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But then Peter does,
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in verse 19,
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the most astounding thing.
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He says,
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And we have the prophetic word
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more fully confirmed.
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We use, typically,
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I think almost all of us are using
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the ESV translation of the Bible.
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If you have the ESV 2001,
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which I do,
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and my brain went,
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what,
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as I copied and pasted out of Lagos,
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this text,
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ESV 2001 says,
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And we have something more sure,
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the prophetic word.
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We have something more sure,
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or we have the prophetic word
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more fully confirmed.
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Peter is saying,
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We have a greater confidence
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confidence in the Scripture.
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We were with Jesus
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on the Mount of Transfiguration.
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We heard God speak from heaven,
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but we have a greater confidence
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in the Bible.
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It's incredible.
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What an astounding thing
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that he is saying.
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And it has much bearing for us today.
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Oh, wouldn't it have been glorious
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to be on the Mount of Transfiguration?
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It wouldn't have been grand
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to behold such a thing.
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Peter says,
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We have a more sure thing.
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We have a greater confidence
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in this text.
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My prayer for us this morning
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is that we would have
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the same kind of confidence
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that Peter had in his Bible.
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So here's the summary answer
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to the question,
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What is the Bible
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for our consideration this morning?
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The Bible is God's
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inspired,
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inerrant,
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authoritative,
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clear,
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necessary,
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and sufficient word
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to mankind.
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I'm going to break that
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into six statements
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to make it easier to digest.
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And I've included those
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on the back of your bulletin
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to aid you this morning.
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Before I say anything else,
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I just want to point out
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that I misspelled
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the word inerrant,
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which I realized too late.
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It is spelled
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I-N-E-R-R-A-N-T.
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And maybe God,
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in his providence,
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permitted such a thing
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so that I can make the point
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that he's inerrant
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and I am not.
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Such creative ways
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to keep me very humble.
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So, anyway,
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now you know how to spell
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inerrant properly
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and not the way I spelled it.
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First,
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the Bible is God's
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inspired word
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to mankind.
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The Bible is unlike
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any book
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ever written.
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At the most fundamental level,
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it is both
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authored by human beings
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and by God.
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The word Christians
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have commonly used
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to describe this process
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is this word
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inspired.
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This means that the Bible
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is the product
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of God inspiring
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and using
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human authors
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to write
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his perfect
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holy words
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without error
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or defect.
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speaking through
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men's
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personalities,
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through their
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circumstance,
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and through their
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pens.
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Two passages
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that explicitly tell us
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the Bible is God's
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inspired word.
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First,
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2 Timothy,
2 Timothy 3 chapter mention
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chapter 3,
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and verse 16.
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Which is,
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all scripture is
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breathed out
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by God.
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You may be
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familiar with
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this.
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The Greek word
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used there for
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breathed out
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is actually the word
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expired.
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Much the way we say
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that a person dies
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when they expire,
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they breathe their
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last breath.
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The emphasis here
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is that it comes
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literally from God.
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It is God
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breathed.
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And where we pull
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the word inspired
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is breathed
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into.
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God breathed out
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but into
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men who
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pin down
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his
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very
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words.
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The second text
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text is from
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our text this
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morning.
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2 Peter,
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chapter 1,
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verse 20 and
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21.
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Peter says,
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knowing this,
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first of all,
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that no prophecy
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of scripture
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comes from
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someone's own
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interpretation,
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for no prophecy
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was ever produced
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by the will of
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men,
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but men spoke
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from God
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as they were
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carried along
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by the Holy Spirit,
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as they were
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inspired to write.
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the Bible
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originated
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not with the
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will of its
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human writers,
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but with the
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will of God
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the Holy Spirit.
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Over 3,000
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times,
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biblical writers
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claim to have
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received their
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messages from
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God.
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God the Holy
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Spirit
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inspired,
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breathed out,
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or originated
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the scriptures
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through human
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writers.
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So to be
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clear,
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this does not
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mean that God
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dictated the
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Bible to its
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human authors,
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right?
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That he spoke
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in all cases
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audibly,
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and they just
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pinned down
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exactly what he
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said.
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In some cases,
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this is the way
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we receive the
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text.
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But rather,
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they wrote
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with their own
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creativity,
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and in their
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own styles,
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and their own
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vocabulary,
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accomplishing all
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along exactly
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what God wanted
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them to accomplish.
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The word
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carried along
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in 2 Peter
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is the same
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word used to
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describe Paul's
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ship in Acts
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that's carried
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along by the
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storm,
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and then he's
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shipwrecked,
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and there's a
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wind that drove
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them outside of
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their course.
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A ship has
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sails to catch
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the wind,
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a keel to
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prevent it from
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tipping over,
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a rudder to
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steer it to
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some degree,
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but ultimately,
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a ship goes
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where the wind
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carries it.
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So, this is
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our understanding
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of the
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Scripture being
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inspired,
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given to us
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by God
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Himself.
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And there's a
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lot of doubt
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in our day
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about this.
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How do we
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know?
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How do we
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know that the
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very copy you
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have before you
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is God's
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inspired word
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to mankind?
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I want to make
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briefly,
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I hope,
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for you,
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an argument
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for the
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Old Testament
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and an
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argument for
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the New.
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As I'm doing
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this, if your
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brain is panicking
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because of the
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length of the
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definition I gave
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you, we're
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going to move
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much more
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quickly through
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some of those
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other doctrines
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of Scripture.
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But this one I
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think we need
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to spend some
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time on to
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make sure that
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we can get
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God's inspiration
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of His word.
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So, an argument
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for the Old
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Testament.
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The Lord
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Jesus Christ,
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the one who
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we say to be
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followers of,
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validated the
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Old Testament's
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inspiration by
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quoting from
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all three
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sections.
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The law,
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the prophets,
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and the
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writings.
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Commonly
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understood Hebrew
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categories for
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the Old
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Testament.
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He endorsed
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the inspiration
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and authority
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of the Old
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Testament in
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detail.
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We've studied
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through the
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Sermon on the
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Mount,
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Matthew 5,
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verse 17,
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18.
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He elevates
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it.
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He doesn't
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do away
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with it,
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but He
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helps us
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to properly
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understand it.
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And the
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Old Testament
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promises are
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made,
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and the
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New Testament
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promises are
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fulfilled.
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We get the
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proper lens
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by which to
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view the
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Old Testament
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through.
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We don't
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discard it,
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but we
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continue to
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pick it up
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and understand
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it through
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the lens
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of Jesus
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Christ.
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The Bible
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of Jesus'
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day is
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what we
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call our
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Old
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Testament.
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39 first
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books that
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we have
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in our
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Scripture.
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It was not
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structured the
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same way we
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have it
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structured today,
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but it was
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the same
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nonetheless.
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Luke 11,
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you might
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want to
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turn here
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with me.
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Luke 11
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and verse
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49.
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In this
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text,
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Jesus is
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indicting the
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Pharisees.
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So this is
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what He's
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accomplishing as
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the indictment
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of the
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Pharisees,
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but He does
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something really
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unique,
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something that
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should draw
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our attention
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and help
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us to see
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what was
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Jesus'
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Bible?
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What's He
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referring to
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as He
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references the
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Scriptures in
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His ministry?
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So here's the
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text.
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Therefore,
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verse 49 of
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chapter 11,
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therefore also
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the wisdom of
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God said,
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I will send
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them prophets
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and apostles,
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some of whom
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they will kill
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and persecute,
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so that the
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blood of all
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the prophets
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shed from the
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foundation of
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the world
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may be charged
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against this
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generation.
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From the
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blood of
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Abel to
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the blood
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of Zechariah,
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who perished
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between the
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altar and
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the sanctuary,
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yes,
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I tell you,
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it will be
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required of
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this generation.
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So He's
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saying,
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He's
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indicting
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them for
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all of
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the prophets
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that had
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been killed.
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And He
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uses two
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names.
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Abel,
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who here
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Jesus is
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saying is
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the very
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first prophet.
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Genesis
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chapter 4,
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verse 10,
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And the
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Lord said,
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What have
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you done?
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The voice
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of your
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brother's
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blood is
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crying to
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me from
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the ground.
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Right?
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Here Jesus
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calls Abel
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the very
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first prophet
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who was
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killed by
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his brother
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Cain.
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The second
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is a man
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named
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Zechariah.
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So from
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Abel
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to Zechariah,
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Zechariah,
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and remember
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this was
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not written
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in English,
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so it's
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not A to
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Z.
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It's not
-
what Jesus
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is accomplishing
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here for
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us,
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although it's
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cool that
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that happens.
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From Abel
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to Zechariah,
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why is
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he the
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bookend?
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Why is
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he the
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other
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end?
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Why from
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Abel
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to
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Zechariah?
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Here's
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where we
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read about
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the death
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of Zechariah.
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Second
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Chronicles
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chapter 24,
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verse 20
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and 21,
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Then the
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Spirit of
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God clothed
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Zechariah,
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the son of
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Jehoiada,
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the priest,
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and he
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stood above
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the people
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and said
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to them,
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Thus says
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God,
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Why do
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you break
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the commandments
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of the
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Lord so
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that you
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cannot
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prosper?
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Because
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you have
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forsaken
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the Lord,
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he has
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forsaken
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you.
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Very
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prophetic.
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They didn't
-
like it.
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They conspired
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against him
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and by
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command of
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the king
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they stoned
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him with
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stones in
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the court
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of the
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house
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of the
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Lord.
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So this
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is the
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Zechariah.
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So Abel,
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Genesis
Genesis 4 chapter mention
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chapter 4,
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Zechariah,
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2 Chronicles
2 Chronicles 24 chapter mention
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chapter 24,
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but
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chronologically,
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walking through
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history,
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the timeline,
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chronologically,
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the last
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martyr of
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the Old
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Testament was
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Uriah,
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whose death
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is described
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in Jeremiah
Jeremiah 26 chapter mention
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chapter 26.
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Chronologically,
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so Jesus
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isn't following
-
chronology then.
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He's not
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saying from
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the very
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first one
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to the
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very last
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one
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martyred.
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So why?
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Abel to
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Zechariah.
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This is
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cool.
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The Jewish
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Bible of
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Jesus'
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day was
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ordered
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differently
-
than ours.
-
Our Old
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Testament is
-
grouped by
-
literary
-
type.
-
Jesus'
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Bible was
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ordered in
-
a different
-
way.
-
1 and 2
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Chronicles were
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one book,
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just called
-
Chronicles,
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and was
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written as
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an overview
-
of Israel's
-
history with
-
a particular
-
emphasis on
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David and
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the temple.
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It was
-
placed at
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the end
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of Jesus'
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canon,
-
this Old
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Testament
-
Bible that
-
they had,
-
to help
-
God's people
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look forward
-
to a better
-
David and
-
a better
-
worship.
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It was
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placed at
-
the end
-
there.
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It was
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meant to
-
make them
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expectant of
-
the coming
-
Messiah.
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So in
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Luke 11,
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when Jesus
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says,
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from the
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blood of
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Abel to
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the blood
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of Zechariah,
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he's
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indicting
-
the generation
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for the
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death of
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the prophets
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of his
-
Bible.
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They would
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have gotten,
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they knew
-
in the reading
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of their
-
scripture,
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Abel was
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the first,
-
Zechariah was
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the last,
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as they would
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have read
-
it in order
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as it was
-
printed,
-
read to
-
them in
-
that day.
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Are you
-
catching
-
this?
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This was
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the Bible
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of Jesus'
-
day.
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The Old
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Testament is
-
the scripture
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that he's
-
referring to.
-
This is
-
the scripture
-
that Peter
-
is referring
-
to.
-
He's saying
-
you would
-
do well
-
to pay
-
attention
-
to it,
-
to these
-
New Testament
-
Christians.
-
Catching
-
that's
-
important.
-
There are
-
many people
-
in our
-
day that
-
are trying
-
to undo
-
that,
-
that are
-
trying to
-
say to
-
us that
-
the Old
-
Testament
-
ought to
-
be used
-
merely for
-
history and
-
inspiration.
-
I quote.
-
It's so
-
much more.
-
It's still
-
God's
-
inspired
-
word.
-
This was
-
the text
-
that New
-
Testament
-
Christians
-
had,
-
this Old
-
Testament.
-
Jesus'
-
Bible is
-
what they
-
had in
-
their day.
-
It is a
-
precious book
-
that should
-
be read
-
and rightly
-
understood,
-
and that is
-
not an easy
-
thing to do.
-
It is an
-
ancient,
-
ancient text.
-
Trying to
-
sort through
-
promises
-
already fulfilled
-
and promises
-
yet to be
-
fulfilled is a
-
challenge of
-
the Old
-
Testament.
-
But because
-
it's a
-
challenge,
-
we should
-
not dismiss
-
it.
-
Because it's
-
a little
-
hard to
-
understand.
-
We shouldn't
-
just do
-
away with
-
it,
-
but we
-
should get
-
in there
-
and do
-
the work
-
of understanding
-
it because
-
it's God's
-
inspired word.
-
The Old
-
Testament.
-
Okay,
-
the New
-
Testament.
-
Make an
-
argument for
-
the New
-
Testament.
-
A little
-
more difficult.
-
the Lord
-
also prepared
-
his disciples
-
for the
-
coming of
-
the New
-
Testament.
-
John 16
-
verse 12
-
says he'd
-
given the
-
spirit that
-
will lead
-
them into
-
all truth.
-
And so
-
he endorsed
-
it in
-
principle.
-
I'm going
-
to lead
-
you into
-
all truth
-
in principle
-
to the
-
apostles.
-
Paul received
-
revelation
-
pertaining to
-
redemption.
-
Galatians 1
-
verses 11
-
through 17
-
and expected
-
his writings
-
to be
-
received as
-
from God.
-
2 Thessalonians
-
chapter 2
-
verse 13
-
and verse
-
15.
-
Peter
-
classified
-
Paul's
-
writings
-
with the
-
inspired Old
-
Testament.
-
2 Peter
-
chapter 3
-
verse 16.
-
So we get
-
these hints
-
in our text
-
that's equating
-
it with the
-
Old Testament
-
as the
-
scriptures.
-
scriptures.
-
But how do
-
we end up
-
with our
-
New Testament?
-
How were
-
the books
-
that we
-
have,
-
the 27
-
books of
-
the New
-
Testament,
-
considered
-
and put
-
into the
-
canon of
-
scripture,
-
giving us
-
a total
-
of 66
-
books?
-
Well,
-
they were
-
considered
-
by this
-
criteria.
-
First,
-
the book
-
had to be
-
written by
-
a recognized
-
apostle.
-
Paul or
-
Peter would
-
be a fantastic
-
example of
-
that.
-
Secondly,
-
it had to
-
be written
-
by or
-
written by
-
somebody
-
associated
-
with the
-
recognized
-
apostle like
-
Luke or
-
Mark.
-
Third,
-
it went
-
through the
-
criteria of
-
truthfulness.
-
Deuteronomy
-
chapter 18
-
verse 20
-
and 22.
-
If a prophet
-
claims to be
-
speaking from
-
me and what
-
he has said
-
is not true,
-
then he has
-
not spoken
-
from me.
-
So they
-
were carefully
-
rolled around
-
and waited
-
and looked
-
at,
-
examined,
-
is this
-
consistent
-
with the
-
truth we
-
already have?
-
It went
-
through that
-
filter before
-
it was
-
considered to
-
be part of
-
the canon
-
of scripture.
-
Faithfulness,
-
much like
-
truthfulness,
-
right,
-
to previously
-
accepted
-
canonical
-
writings.
-
Again,
-
is it
-
contradictory in
-
any way to
-
other writings
-
that we've
-
already
-
affirmed
-
as
-
scripture.
-
Fifth,
-
confirmed
-
by
-
Christ,
-
prophet,
-
or an
-
apostle.
-
We have
-
some examples
-
of that.
-
Luke
-
chapter 24
-
verse 44,
-
2 Peter
-
chapter 3
-
verse 16.
-
Peter talks
-
about,
-
in that case,
-
2 Peter,
-
Paul's writings
-
being scripture.
-
And six,
-
the church's
-
usage
-
and
-
recognition.
-
The church
-
used these
-
writings,
-
these New
-
Testament
-
writings,
-
and was
-
deeply
-
edified by
-
them.
-
They were
-
believed
-
over time
-
that they
-
were from
-
God.
-
And so
-
the final
-
acceptance
-
of the
-
recognition
-
of the
-
66 books
-
of the
-
Bible
-
as
-
scripture
-
took place
-
at a
-
gathering
-
of church
-
leaders
-
called the
-
Senate of
-
Carthage
-
in
-
A.D.
-
397.
-
So quite
-
a bit
-
of time
-
after
-
Jesus'
-
life,
-
death,
-
and
-
resurrection.
-
Now,
-
there could
-
be much
-
criticism
-
of the
-
Bible
-
at this
-
point.
-
Oh,
-
so many
-
years
-
later,
-
I would
-
counterpoint,
-
but look
-
at the
-
time they
-
gave
-
to
-
carefully
-
weigh
-
and measure
-
and see
-
these works
-
out,
-
see them
-
edify in
-
the church.
-
The claim
-
is always
-
that the
-
church
-
made the
-
Bible,
-
selected
-
what it
-
did and
-
didn't
-
want to
-
be
-
contained
-
within
-
it,
-
but we
-
like to
-
rather think
-
in these
-
terms,
-
the church
-
did not
-
make the
-
Bible,
-
but rather
-
the Bible
-
made the
-
church.
-
And they
-
were merely
-
recognizing
-
that,
-
verifying
-
its use
-
and its
-
veracity.
-
Now,
-
to be added
-
to this,
-
in much
-
less measure,
-
it's worth
-
mentioning
-
our own
-
experience
-
with the
-
scriptures,
-
what John
-
Piper calls
-
a peculiar
-
glory.
-
The longer
-
I spend
-
studying the
-
Bible,
-
the more
-
flawlessly
-
I see it
-
fit together.
-
Even
-
pieces written
-
thousands
-
of years
-
apart,
-
the more
-
it feels
-
like the
-
work of
-
God.
-
how
-
would
-
such
-
a
-
magnificent
-
work
-
come
-
together
-
in
-
this
-
way,
-
written
-
by so
-
many
-
people
-
across
-
so
-
much
-
time,
-
if it
-
were
-
not
-
inspired
-
by
-
God.
-
The
-
more
-
I
-
study it,
-
the more
-
astounded
-
I am
-
by its
-
interconnectedness
-
and all
-
of its
-
beauty.
-
I know
-
that's not
-
something you
-
can break
-
your life
-
on,
-
me saying
-
it feels
-
like God's
-
word.
-
You
-
shouldn't
-
bank your
-
life on
-
that.
-
But for
-
me,
-
in addition
-
to more
-
objective
-
arguments,
-
I have
-
to say
-
it feels
-
like what
-
it claims
-
to be.
-
God
-
illuminates
-
the text
-
to me.
-
He makes
-
it come
-
alive as
-
I pick
-
it up
-
and read
-
it.
-
Paul wrote
-
in 1 Corinthians
-
chapter 2
-
verse 14,
-
the natural
-
person does
-
not accept
-
the things
-
of the
-
Spirit of
-
God,
-
for they
-
are folly
-
to him,
-
and he's
-
not able
-
to understand
-
them because
-
they are
-
spiritually
-
discerned.
-
So those
-
of us who
-
have the
-
Spirit of
-
God,
-
and I
-
know this
-
is a
-
difficult
-
claim to
-
make to
-
someone who's
-
not a
-
follower of
-
Christ,
-
we have
-
the Spirit
-
of God,
-
and the
-
Spirit of
-
God leads
-
us to
-
the truth,
-
and where
-
do we
-
find the
-
truth?
-
God's
-
inspired
-
word.
-
So what
-
we do is
-
we put the
-
truth in
-
front of
-
people as
-
often as
-
we can,
-
that the
-
Spirit might
-
awaken them
-
to the
-
truth of
-
the gospel.
-
So we
-
contend that
-
the Bible is
-
God's
-
inspired word
-
to mankind.
-
If then
-
the Bible is
-
God's inspired
-
word, then it
-
follows that it
-
is also his
-
inerrant word,
-
spelled properly
-
I-N-E-R-R-A-N-T.
-
Inerrant.
-
Just to prove I
-
wouldn't get out
-
in a Bible
-
bee on that
-
one.
-
The Bible is
-
God's inerrant
-
word to
-
mankind.
-
To say that
-
the Bible is
-
inerrant is
-
to say that
-
the Bible in
-
the original
-
manuscripts does
-
not contain
-
any error.
-
Because the
-
Bible is God's
-
inspired word,
-
then it cannot
-
contain error.
-
If we are
-
not able to
-
reconcile something
-
that seems to
-
be an error in
-
the Bible,
-
it must be
-
assumed that
-
there is
-
something wrong
-
with us,
-
not that there
-
is something
-
wrong with
-
the Bible.
-
Numbers 23,
-
verse 19,
-
says,
-
God is not
-
man that
-
he should
-
lie,
-
or a son
-
of man that
-
he should
-
change his
-
mind.
-
Has he
-
said,
-
and will
-
he not
-
do it?
-
Or has
-
he spoken,
-
and will
-
he not
-
fulfill it?
-
God can
-
not lie.
-
He would
-
not be
-
God if
-
he could.
-
He is
-
truth.
-
Therefore,
-
anything written
-
by him
-
must be
-
true.
-
So the
-
Bible can
-
be trusted,
-
and it
-
should be
-
trusted,
-
even when
-
it's difficult
-
to understand.
-
We put
-
ourselves
-
under it
-
and say,
-
I'm not
-
the most
-
brilliant person
-
to have
-
ever lived.
-
I hope you
-
know that
-
of yourself.
-
Many of us
-
act like we
-
don't.
-
But even
-
the most
-
brilliant person
-
to have
-
ever lived
-
is not
-
God.
-
God.
-
So we
-
do the
-
labor of
-
getting in
-
there and
-
trying to
-
work this
-
thing out.
-
Understand it
-
as we
-
should.
-
So the
-
Bible is
-
inspired,
-
and because
-
it's inspired,
-
it's an
-
error.
-
And it
-
also means
-
that the
-
Bible is
-
authoritative.
-
The Bible
-
is God's
-
authoritative
-
word to
-
mankind.
-
When we
-
speak of the
-
Bible's
-
authority,
-
we are
-
saying that
-
the words
-
of the
-
Bible
-
carry God's
-
authority
-
since he
-
is their
-
author.
-
That makes
-
sense,
-
doesn't it?
-
God wrote
-
the book,
-
therefore,
-
it's
-
authoritative.
-
It carries
-
his weight
-
behind it.
-
So then,
-
to disbelieve
-
or disobey
-
the Bible
-
is to
-
disbelieve
-
or disobey
-
God
-
himself.
-
2 Thessalonians
-
3,
-
13-15.
-
Paul writes,
-
As for you
-
brothers,
-
do not
-
grow weary
-
in doing
-
good.
-
If anyone
-
does not
-
obey what
-
we say
-
in this
-
letter,
-
take note
-
of that
-
person and
-
have nothing
-
to do
-
with him
-
that he
-
may be
-
ashamed.
-
Do not
-
regard him
-
as an
-
enemy,
-
but warn
-
him as
-
a brother.
-
We ought
-
to tremble
-
when we
-
open up
-
this text.
-
When the
-
holy writ
-
comes out
-
before us
-
because it
-
is God
-
himself
-
speaking
-
to us,
-
directing
-
our lives
-
for our
-
good and
-
for his
-
glory.
-
We ought
-
to endeavor
-
to obey
-
it in
-
every way,
-
every jot
-
and tittle.
-
It ought
-
to bring
-
us great
-
pleasure to
-
do such
-
a work.
-
God's
-
word is
-
inerrant,
-
excuse me,
-
it is
-
inspired,
-
therefore it is
-
inerrant,
-
and it is
-
authoritative.
-
Fourth,
-
the Bible
-
is God's
-
clear word
-
to mankind.
-
The
-
clarity
-
of the
-
scripture
-
is a
-
doctrine
-
that I
-
run to
-
often as
-
I am
-
confused,
-
as I am
-
perplexed
-
by a
-
text.
-
I go,
-
oh,
-
but we
-
believe that
-
the Bible
-
is clear,
-
right?
-
That it
-
can instruct
-
simple
-
people.
-
The Bible's
-
clarity means
-
that those
-
who seek
-
to know
-
the truth
-
can know
-
it
-
by the
-
help of
-
the Holy
-
Spirit.
-
Those who
-
seek to
-
know it
-
can
-
by the
-
help
-
of the
-
Holy
-
Spirit.
-
A couple
-
of Old
-
Testament
-
texts
-
speak to
-
that.
-
Psalm
-
19,
-
verse 7,
-
the law
-
of the
-
Lord is
-
perfect,
-
reviving
-
the soul.
-
The
-
testimony
-
of the
-
Lord is
-
sure,
-
making
-
wise
-
the
-
simple.
-
Isn't
-
that good?
-
Isn't
-
that good?
-
And
-
throughout
-
the history
-
of the
-
church,
-
people who
-
most often
-
most readily
-
turn to
-
faith in
-
the gospel
-
of Jesus
-
Christ are
-
the simplest
-
of people,
-
not the
-
most brilliant
-
of people.
-
The most
-
brilliant of
-
people seem
-
to be their
-
own worst
-
enemies,
-
but people
-
who come
-
humbly
-
to the
-
text.
-
Lord,
-
make me
-
wise.
-
I am
-
but
-
simple.
-
Psalm
-
119,
-
verse
-
130.
-
The
-
unfolding of
-
your words
-
gives light.
-
It imparts
-
understanding
-
to the
-
simple.
-
Blessed
-
promises
-
found
-
in the
-
scripture.
-
That is
-
not to
-
say that
-
it is
-
always
-
easy.
-
It is
-
certainly
-
not.
-
As I
-
said before,
-
the Bible
-
is an
-
ancient
-
book.
-
It was
-
written
-
across
-
centuries.
-
It was
-
written in
-
languages
-
and cultures
-
that we
-
are not
-
first-hand
-
familiar
-
with.
-
Some
-
of our
-
great
-
difficulty
-
is trying
-
to
-
understand
-
the
-
context
-
into
-
which
-
the
-
text
-
was
-
written.
-
picking
-
up
-
translative
-
challenges
-
in the
-
text.
-
Although I
-
will tell
-
you that
-
more often
-
than not
-
when you
-
try to
-
deep dive
-
the
-
Greek,
-
the
-
English
-
words
-
are
-
really
-
great.
-
They
-
did a
-
good
-
job.
-
You
-
think,
-
I'm
-
going to
-
unlock
-
some
-
magic
-
in this
-
verse.
-
And you
-
go,
-
no,
-
that's
-
what the
-
Greek
-
word
-
means.
-
It's
-
what they
-
translated
-
it
-
in
-
English.
-
But there
-
is work
-
to be
-
done.
-
We have
-
to see
-
that the
-
Bible
-
wasn't
-
inspired
-
in
-
English.
-
no
-
version
-
of it
-
no
-
matter
-
what
-
somebody
-
will
-
tell
-
you.
-
This
-
is a
-
translation
-
of the
-
original
-
inspired
-
text.
-
And so
-
there is
-
work to
-
be done
-
in there.
-
And praise
-
God,
-
there's
-
great
-
kindness
-
toward us.
-
He gives
-
us people
-
who are
-
smarter
-
than us,
-
who do
-
this kind
-
of work
-
and put
-
it in
-
books
-
and let
-
us
-
reference
-
it
-
and
-
create
-
amazing
-
computer
-
programs
-
and
-
teach
-
and teach
-
and teach
-
and teach.
-
It's a
-
blessing
-
that we
-
get to
-
sit under
-
other
-
teaching.
-
I hope
-
it's a
-
blessing
-
to
-
you
-
that
-
you
-
sit
-
under
-
my
-
teaching
-
and I
-
labor
-
across
-
texts.
-
I joke,
-
although I probably
-
shouldn't because I should know Greek better than I do,
-
but that I learn Greek a week before you do.
-
I'm getting into it and working out meanings and trying to bring it to you in its greatest
-
accuracy.
-
So the clarity of Scripture doesn't mean that it's always an easy thing to do.
-
Christianity is itself an education as we try to pick up this book and know it and
-
understand it and understand it and understand it and understand it and that we might be obedient to our God.
-
This means that there are times that it will take a lot of work to sort out its meaning.
-
I'll give you the example of the issue of divorce and remarriage that we've been dealing with in the past months.
-
I won't say months, years, but I'm going to say months that I've been diligently working on it.
-
And we might, at the end of all of that, still not agree on exactly what the text
-
teaches.
-
But those things that are most important for life and godliness,
-
we can know
-
with great certainty.
-
What did Peter say in 2 Peter?
-
His divine power is granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness
-
through the knowledge of Him.
-
I'm back in 2 Peter chapter 1.
2 Peter 1 chapter mention
-
And then later he says, we have this more sure thing, this prophetic word,
-
which we will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place.
-
It lights our way, illuminates our path to the day dawns and the morning star rises in our hearts.
-
So the scripture is clear and it can be understood with the help of the Holy Spirit.
-
Fifth, the Bible is God's necessary word to mankind.
-
God created mankind to be in a relationship with Him,
-
walking under His instruction.
-
After the record of God creating man and woman in Genesis chapter 1,
Genesis 1 chapter mention
-
we read in verses 28 through 30,
-
God blessed them and God said to them,
-
Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea
-
and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.
-
And God said,
-
Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of the earth
-
and every tree with seed in its fruit.
-
You shall have them for food.
-
And every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens
-
and to everything that creeps on the earth,
-
everything that has the breath of life,
-
I have given every green plant for food and it was so.
-
So God gives Adam and Eve instruction.
-
He tells them what to do.
-
Be fruitful.
-
Multiply.
-
Fill the earth.
-
Rule over it.
-
He says subdue it.
-
Have dominion over it.
-
He gives them in the very beginning good instruction.
-
He tells them to have children and to care for the earth.
-
He'll state it again in Genesis chapter 2 verse 15.
-
Then God,
-
Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and to keep it.
-
And then in Genesis chapter 2 verse 16 and 17,
-
God gives them a command to not do.
-
He says,
-
You may surely eat of every tree of the garden,
-
but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat.
-
For in the day that you eat of it,
-
you will surely die.
-
Again, good instruction.
-
I want good for you.
-
I put you on the earth for a purpose.
-
Do this, but don't do this.
-
And it's in chapter 3 of Genesis that the fall of man is recorded.
-
Adam and Eve decided not to follow the good word of God,
-
which is rebellion against him.
-
We are all guilty of this.
-
So you see that even prior to sin entering the world,
-
we were designed to live in relationship with God,
-
receiving his loving word to us and obeying it.
-
How much more needful we are now living with the repercussions of the curse.
-
We all the more need God's good instruction.
-
It is necessary for us.
-
Epistemology is the study of how we know what we know.
-
If you've been here long, you've heard me do this.
-
I'm going to do it super fast.
-
So if you've not been around,
-
I'll give you a fuller explanation sometime.
-
How do we know what we know?
-
And all of us have some framework that we come to the world with.
-
And it tends to run generationally.
-
So across the past generations,
-
my parents, some of you in this room,
-
not many of you in this room,
-
but some of you in this room,
-
would be considered modernists.
-
It's out of modernism that the scientific method arose.
-
So anything that could be measurable, tangible,
-
that's what's true.
-
It helps us to define truth.
-
It's measurable.
-
It's tangible.
-
And modernists tend to think in this way,
-
fairly locked in to this kind of thinking.
-
Faith becomes a challenge to them in that regard.
-
Or in some cases, some of the older generation,
-
they saw that church, quote unquote, worked.
-
And that became the very evidence for them.
-
Society's going well.
-
Church is part of that.
-
I will be part of church.
-
Church.
-
After the modernists emerged the postmodernists.
-
Creative names.
-
I fall into that category, postmodernists.
-
Believe that there is truth,
-
but we want to define truth for ourselves.
-
Truth is what we experience to be true.
-
So it's still based in something factual,
-
but I'm going to decide what is and isn't factual.
-
I want to feel it to be true.
-
A lot of weaknesses in that as well, to be clear.
-
I don't want to pick on the modernists.
-
Many of you in this room are now what we call post-postmodernists.
-
Post-postmodernists aren't sure that truth can be arrived at at all.
-
This is the age in which we live.
-
And just dip your toe in the world of social media,
-
and you will see that everyone seems to know, but no one really knows.
-
And there's a great deal of misplaced confidence in what is true.
-
And no matter how you arrive at what you think is true,
-
none of us are going to get it right,
-
apart from the revelation of God.
-
We need God to define for us what is true,
-
what is objective, what is absolute.
-
We all need a hook to hang our hat on.
-
Probably only the modernists get that in the room.
-
We need to go to something that is absolute,
-
something that speaks from without,
-
speaks into our lives and tells us what is true
-
and what is good and what is beautiful.
-
The Bible does this.
-
The Bible is necessary for our salvation,
-
and it's necessary for our sanctification.
-
Romans 10, verse 17,
-
So faith comes from hearing,
-
and hearing through the Word of Christ.
-
This is how we come to faith in Jesus Christ.
-
The Scripture, whether preached,
-
or shared one-to-one,
-
or read,
-
is the Word of God
-
that is used as the tool
-
by the Holy Spirit
-
to birth faith in the Christian.
-
That I'm sharing with you
-
what the Word of God says,
-
that I'm reading to you
-
the Word of God,
-
that you're hearing it proclaimed,
-
sitting in a sermon,
-
listening to it on the radio.
-
This is the sword that the Spirit wields
-
to bring about salvation of God's people.
-
Not only that,
-
He brings about perfection,
-
sanctification,
-
this process of ever-growing holiness
-
in the life of a Christian.
-
There is, I would contend,
-
a one-to-one ratio
-
of people who are actively studying
-
and applying the Scripture to holiness.
-
And to those who are finding their lives
-
are struggling,
-
and they're finding themselves
-
caught in habitual sin,
-
or not doing the other altogether,
-
well, they don't do it well at all.
-
God has not told us
-
everything in the Bible.
-
The Bible doesn't contain
-
all truth for mankind,
-
but He has told us
-
everything necessary
-
for holiness.
-
That's why we call it the Holy Bible.
-
It's the absolute resource,
-
the authoritative book
-
on holiness.
-
Deuteronomy 29, verse 29.
-
The secret things belong to the Lord our God,
-
but the things that are revealed
-
belong to us
-
and to our children forever,
-
that we may do all the words
-
of this law.
-
He's given us what we need
-
to proceed in holiness.
-
Jesus prays in John 17.
-
Not too long ago,
-
Clay preached a series
-
through the High Priestly Prayer.
-
Jesus pray,
-
Jesus prays not that
-
God would take His disciples
-
out of the world,
-
but that He would leave them
-
in the world.
-
Verse 15, He says,
-
I do not ask that you take them
-
out of the world,
-
but that you keep them
-
from the evil one.
-
They are not of the world,
-
just as I am not of the world.
-
Sanctify them in the truth.
-
Your word is truth.
-
As you sent me into the world,
-
so I have sent them
-
into the world.
-
And for their sake,
-
I consecrate myself
-
that they also may be
-
sanctified in truth.
-
There's the word of God
-
that gives us what we need,
-
equips us to go out
-
into the world
-
and live for Jesus Christ.
-
So, the Bible is necessary.
-
Sixth and last.
-
I'm moving.
-
The Bible is God's sufficient word
-
to mankind.
-
The Bible's sufficiency
-
means that it contains within it
-
all of the instruction
-
that we need
-
for our salvation
-
and our sanctification.
-
All of it.
-
We don't have to go beyond
-
the pages of Scripture
-
to figure out
-
how we ought to live
-
as followers of Jesus Christ.
-
That includes things like
-
how we conduct ourselves
-
as a church.
-
Many applications
-
of our living.
-
It has everything in it
-
that we need.
-
Beloved,
-
we far too often run
-
to extra-biblical sources.
-
Some good
-
that points back
-
to the Scripture.
-
Help us to understand
-
the Scripture.
-
I'm constantly promoting books.
-
Constantly.
-
Please be readers.
-
That's fantastic.
-
But read stuff
-
that points you back
-
to the Scripture.
-
Put you in this text
-
because it is sufficient
-
for the task.
-
We have a culture
-
that is looking
-
for answers everywhere.
-
Oprah Winfrey
-
has built a career
-
on this.
-
People need help.
-
She's ready to provide it
-
in any way
-
that tickles their ears.
-
We have pastors
-
in our day
-
that are doing
-
the very same thing
-
instead of taking people
-
to the text.
-
It is sufficient
-
for all of this.
-
I'll bring you back
-
to a text
-
that I read earlier
-
but I'm going to read it
-
in its completion.
-
2 Timothy 3
-
verses 16 and 17.
-
All Scripture
-
is breathed out by God
-
and profitable
-
for teaching,
-
for reproof,
-
for correction,
-
and for training
-
in righteousness.
-
All the ways
-
that we need
-
to give application
-
of this text
-
to our lives
-
that the man of God
-
may be complete,
-
equipped for
-
every good work.
-
Everything
-
that we are meant
-
to do,
-
all of it
-
is given to us
-
in this text.
-
It speaks to us
-
about our various
-
kinds of sin,
-
our sins of commission,
-
the things that we're
-
not to do
-
and yet we do them
-
anyway.
-
And then too often
-
ignored in the church
-
the things that we are
-
supposed to be doing
-
but we do not do.
-
It speaks to us
-
about both
-
sins of commission
-
and omission.
-
Shows us the way
-
in which we
-
should walk.
-
So the Bible
-
is God's inspired,
-
inherent,
-
authoritative,
-
clear,
-
necessary,
-
and sufficient
-
word
-
to mankind.
-
I hope you even
-
pick some of this up
-
each Lord's Day
-
when I get up
-
to preach
-
before I read the text
-
and I say,
-
beloved,
-
this is God's
-
word to us.
-
It's written for
-
His glory
-
and our good.
-
We would all do well
-
to believe its promises
-
and obey
-
its commands.
-
And
-
most of you
-
don't know
-
that I started
-
doing that
-
when we had a young
-
man who was a member
-
of our church
-
who's now moved away.
-
Good member,
-
faithful member,
-
left on good terms.
-
He was really
-
struggling with
-
the Bible's
-
inerrancy.
-
Particularly,
-
it's inerrancy.
-
He had read
-
so many garbage books
-
that had him
-
all confused.
-
And at the end
-
of it all,
-
as I'm speaking
-
with him
-
and trying to
-
bring him back
-
to and apply
-
the apologetics
-
for the Scripture,
-
what really came
-
down to it
-
is that he wanted
-
the Bible's promises
-
but he did not
-
want to obey
-
its commands.
-
He wanted all
-
the good promises
-
of God
-
but he really
-
wanted to live
-
his life
-
the way he wanted
-
to live his life.
-
And so,
-
the following
-
Lord's Day,
-
I kind of
-
in a flurry
-
just ripped
-
those two sentences
-
out,
-
put them at the
-
beginning of the text
-
to make the point
-
to this young man,
-
I want you to hear this,
-
you can't have it
-
your way.
-
You've got to take
-
God on his terms.
-
If you're going to
-
have his promises,
-
you have to obey
-
his commands.
-
He gives the evidence
-
of his promises
-
being fulfilled
-
in our lives.
-
This is what
-
2 Peter,
-
that's what Peter's
-
trying to communicate
-
to us,
-
right?
-
Live in this way,
-
make your calling
-
and election sure,
-
right?
-
And then you'll know,
-
you'll never fall away
-
because you're God's,
-
you belong to him
-
and it's this text
-
that communicates
-
that to us
-
and praise God,
-
he saw that,
-
right?
-
By the work of the
-
Spirit,
-
not because I wrote
-
a catchy phrase
-
but because I opened
-
up the text,
-
right?
-
Each Sunday,
-
I opened up the text
-
and I'm forever
-
grateful for that
-
in his life.
-
So some application.
-
Read and study
-
the Bible.
-
I hope that's the
-
first and most
-
obvious application.
-
But you cannot
-
read and study
-
the Bible
-
as if you would
-
read any other
-
book.
-
College students,
-
I think this is
-
especially entrapping
-
for you.
-
I know it was for me
-
when I was in school.
-
There's so much
-
you have to read,
-
right?
-
You're getting
-
information pumped
-
at you all the time.
-
Do not treat
-
the Scripture
-
like all the other
-
texts you have to
-
read, right?
-
This is a sacred
-
text, right?
-
Written by our
-
God for us.
-
He wants to meet
-
with you in the
-
Scriptures.
-
George Whitfield,
-
the great evangelist
-
on the front of your
-
bulletin, said,
-
the Scriptures contain
-
the deep things of
-
God and therefore
-
can never be
-
sufficiently searched
-
into by a careless,
-
superficial,
-
cursory way of
-
reading them,
-
but by an
-
industrious,
-
close,
-
and humble
-
application.
-
I fear
-
that the rise
-
of the
-
information age
-
and the way
-
information comes
-
at us so fast,
-
particularly
-
through social
-
media,
-
soundbite,
-
soundbite,
-
soundbite,
-
soundbite,
-
soundbite,
-
right?
-
The 24-hour
-
news cycle.
-
My word,
-
just information
-
is coming like
-
this all the time,
-
that we as a
-
people are losing
-
the ability
-
to sit and be
-
quiet and have
-
deep thoughts,
-
right?
-
To sit with
-
the text.
-
And we might
-
need to do
-
something dramatic
-
to discipline
-
ourselves back
-
towards being
-
able to really
-
read and study
-
the Bible,
-
right?
-
Just try to get
-
away from your
-
technology and
-
spend good time.
-
If you're ever up
-
here during the
-
week, you will
-
find me at times
-
pacing the parking
-
lot.
-
I've gotten pretty
-
good at not
-
running into stuff
-
and reading while
-
walking to get
-
away from my
-
computer.
-
It's constant
-
stuff dinging at
-
me all the time
-
and distracting
-
me away.
-
What if Satan
-
and his great
-
mastery of lies
-
has promoted
-
these kinds of
-
things?
-
I'm not saying
-
anybody who
-
invented any of
-
these things is a
-
tool of Satan.
-
But as working
-
us into a place
-
where we are so
-
even unable to
-
read God's word
-
and to think
-
deeply about it,
-
to really meet
-
with him in the
-
scripture,
-
right?
-
We might read
-
it to check a
-
box, right?
-
Beware the
-
Instagram Bible.
-
Somebody might
-
say, I read my
-
Bible every day
-
and it's some
-
post, some
-
meme that
-
somebody posts.
-
It's a half
-
of a verse
-
taken out of
-
its context.
-
You might flip
-
open an app.
-
These things can
-
be helpful to
-
us, but we
-
don't really
-
drink deeply
-
of God's
-
word.
-
It may take
-
some serious
-
discipline in
-
our lives.
-
Reading other
-
books, I will
-
tell you, helps.
-
You read other
-
books, point you
-
to the scripture.
-
It's a good
-
discipline to
-
have.
-
So read and
-
study the Bible.
-
Secondly, meditate
-
on and memorize
-
the Bible.
-
Meditate on and
-
memorize the
-
Bible.
-
And I will tell
-
you that if you
-
will meditate,
-
memorization follows
-
really easily
-
behind it.
-
Right?
-
That you really
-
roll a text around
-
in your brain.
-
That you really
-
think about what
-
it means.
-
I have member
-
health survey
-
results.
-
If you're not a
-
member of our
-
church, this is
-
something we're
-
trying to do
-
every year.
-
There's a big
-
disconnect between
-
everyone's, who
-
filled it out, idea
-
of what they know
-
to be true.
-
I read the
-
Bible.
-
I understand the
-
Bible.
-
I'm equipped.
-
I've got everything
-
I've got going on.
-
I'm solid on the
-
doctrines.
-
I totally get it.
-
There's a big
-
disconnect between
-
that and
-
obedience.
-
There's a lot of
-
habitual sin.
-
There's a lack of
-
sharing the
-
gospel.
-
There's a big
-
disconnect between
-
the two.
-
And I know that we
-
desire.
-
I know that we
-
are zealous.
-
We want to do
-
good works.
-
I don't think
-
anybody in here is
-
just lackadaisical
-
and lazy.
-
I think the
-
disconnect,
-
though, is we
-
say we
-
understand, we
-
say we read, but
-
we don't really
-
meet with God in
-
the Scripture.
-
We don't really
-
let Him sink
-
truth deep down
-
into us.
-
Let it take
-
root and
-
changes as a
-
result.
-
So there's a
-
challenge to our
-
church in this
-
way.
-
So read and
-
study it, meditate
-
on and memorize
-
it, and obey
-
it, and then walk
-
it out.
-
Don't just be
-
hearers, but be
-
doers of the
-
word also.
-
In closing, you
-
guys are familiar
-
with Martin
-
Luther.
-
October 31st,
-
1517, nailed
-
the 95
-
theses on the
-
Wittenberg
-
door because he
-
was in the
-
Scripture, because
-
he was meeting
-
with God in the
-
Bible and saw
-
the heirs of
-
the Catholic
-
Church in this
-
day, kicked
-
off the
-
Protestant
-
Reformation that
-
cried all
-
throughout it, and
-
we cry it to
-
this day, sola
-
scriptura.
-
The text, the
-
text, the
-
text.
-
He penned
-
this poem.
-
Feelings come,
-
and feelings go,
-
and feelings are
-
deceiving.
-
My warrant is
-
the word of
-
God, not
-
else is worth
-
believing.
-
Though all my
-
heart should feel
-
condemned for
-
want of some
-
sweet token, there
-
is one greater
-
than my heart
-
whose word cannot
-
be broken.
-
I'll trust in
-
God's unchanging
-
word till soul
-
and body sever.
-
For though all
-
things shall pass
-
away, his word
-
shall stand
-
forever.
-
Let's pray
-
together.