Light Service Sermons for the Month
Tough-Minded Questions
DATE: February 22, 1998
TEXT: 2 Timothy 3:14-17
Light Service Sermons for the Month
Does the Bible Have Anything Relevant to Say
Tough-Minded Questions
DATE: February 22, 1998
TEXT: 2 Timothy 3:14-17
A pastor was visiting with one of the families from his church. Before leaving he asked if they would like him to read a passage from the Bible and have a word of prayer. Mom though it was a great idea and yelled to one of her children, "Honey, go get the Big Book we read out of so much." ( You know where this is going!) A few minutes later her daughter walked into the room carrying the Sears Catalogue.
Down through the centuries the Bible has been both a highly loved and a highly despised Book.
Over the years powerful rulers have tried to wipe the Bible off the face of the earth. They've banned it and burned it. And yet, today the Bible continues to be the best selling book of all time. In some countries to be caught with a Bible means imprisonment or even death. And yet, people in those countries deprived of the Bible weep with joy when receiving a smuggled Bible, or even a page from one. They're willing to risk their lives for it. Voltaire once said that in 100 years the Bible would be outdated and forgotten relegated to museums. 100 years later Voltaire's house is now owned by the Geneva Bible Society.
Needless to say the Bible is a book that has been able to stand the test of time. As we move into the 21st century, the question that is always before us is, "Does a book that's thousands of years old have anything relevant to say to me today? Maybe it's been meaningful for people in the past, but how can stories about peoples and countries half way across the world, stories about shepherds and nomads and fishermen, possibly speak to me? We live in a world today of information highways, space shuttles, corporate mergers, nuclear power, and rising violence. How can the Bible speak to that?"
Today, as we continue our series looking at important faith questions, I'd like to spend a few minutes with you focusing on the Bible. For I believe that the Bible does have something to say to those of us living in the 1990's. What you will be listening to or reading this Lent can change your lives. But before we talk about it, let's pray together.
Yours is the Book, dear God that has influenced countless generations through the ages. Can it influence countless more? Inquiring minds want to know; are you there in those pages or should we look elsewhere. What are you trying to tell us as we read, as we listen this Lent?. AMEN
The Bible consists of 66 books, 39 of them in the Old Testament, the portion of the Bible written before the birth of Jesus, and 27 books in the New Testament, the portion of the Bible written after the birth of Christ. There are another some 15 books known as the Aprocrypha which are in the Roman Catholic Bible but not in the Protestant bible. These 15 cover the 400 years between the end of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New. Over 40 different authors wrote the Bible (another 10 the Apocrapha) over a period of 1000 years.
There are many different views of what the Bible actually is.
Some view the Bible strictly as a book of history. And it's true; the Bible does record history. It sets out, in particular, the history of the nation of Israel and their relationship with God. As people have studied the Bible it has proven over and over again to be highly accurate in its record of historical details.
Others see the Bible as a book of literature. In fact, some colleges use it as a reference in lit. courses. The Bible is filled with all kinds of different literary forms from narrative to poetry to proverbs to myths to fables.
Others see it as book of guidance, as a "how-to" or self-improvement book. And the Bible is filled with all kinds of practical principles for making life more enjoyable.
Still others see it as a faith document of the Jews and Christians. They believe the book has very little historical value except that it shares the faith journey of the Jews and Christians within a historical context. It's an interesting book if you want understand these faith, but nothing more.
The Bible itself makes a rather startling claim about itself and how it should be understood. And if what it says about itself is true, the book not only has something relevant to say to us today, but it can also change our lives.
The Bible claims that it is more than a book of history, though it is that. It claims to be more than literature. It claims to be more than a self-help guide to better living. It claims to more than the faith story of a group of people.
The Bible claims to be the very word of God himself. The Bible claims that through the stories, the different kinds of literature, and the practical principles, God himself is speaking directly to us.
Our Bible reading for today says that, "All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness."
In other words, somehow in some way, when these over 40 authors wrote their books, their words became God's words. That the Bible is inspired by God means that he speaks to us through it. Through reading the Bible we encounter the living God as he encounters us. The Bible is God's gift to us, a letter written to us by him that we might get to know him and understand him.
Now, I can't prove to you conclusively that the Bible is God's word but I can suggest several reasons for at least taking seriously that amazing claim.
1) First of all, as I mentioned at the beginning of the sermon, the Bible has stood the test of time. Though rulers, philosophers, and artists have tried to devalue it and destroy it, the Bible lives on.
2) Secondly, no other book has been as analyzed, researched, and studied as the Bible. Scholars are continually trying to verify the accuracy of the book. And amazingly, as we discover older and older documents of the Bible, we find that our Bible today is extremely accurate. To find a book that has been translated as much as the Bible has, into as many languages, over almost 2000 years of time, and have it say what it said when first written, is almost beyond the possible.
3) Thirdly, what the Bible has to say, or its content, has also proven to be accurate. For example, there are over 300 predictions or prophecies in the Old Testament concerning Jesus, made hundreds of years before he was born. Each of them was fulfilled. One scholar notes that the odds of that happening are one change in 84 followed by 98 zeroes.
4) A final reason for believing the Bible is the word of God is that, after almost 2000 years, it continues to change our lives.
One day a man noticed a young girl sitting on a park bench reading a Bible. He said to her, "You don't believe that stuff, do you? It's a bunch of fables."
She said, "Of course I believe it. The Bible is God's word."
"How do you know that?" he asked.
"Well, sir, how do you know the sun exists?"
He said, "I see it. I feel its warmth on my skin. I see the light it provides."
The young girl responded, "When, when I read the Bible I feel its warmth in my heart. It inspires me with hope. It brings light to my life. I believe the Bible is the word of God because I hear God speaking to me when I read it."
If the Bible is the Word of God, then what is it he's trying to say to us? In the midst of all of the stories, the poems, and the historical details, what is it God wants to communicate to us? Is it still relevant today?
The answer is really quite simple. What God is trying to say to us through the Bible is that he loves us. The main thrust of the Bible is to tell us that God believes in us and values us even though our natural tendency is to turn our backs on him. Through the pages of the Bible God wants us to know that he will do whatever it takes to win us over—that he is a God who continually seeks us out that he might offer us forgiveness and life. Ultimately, the Bible was written to point us to Jesus, the one who died and rose again that a relationship with God might be possible. The Bible was written that we might hear from God himself how much he loves and cares about us.
Jerome was priest and a scholar who translated the Bible from Greek to Latin. Near the end of his life he was living in Bethlehem where he continued his translation work. A number of years ago, I was in the cave-like room where he did most of his work. One night he had a dream while asleep in his cave dwelling. In his dream Jesus appeared to him. Jerome felt so overwhelmed by the appearance of Christ that he felt the need to give him something.
So he pulled out some money and said, "Here! This is yours." Jesus looked at him and said, "I don't want it." So Jerome offered him another item of value. Again Jesus said, "I don't want it." So Jerome said, "If there is anything in the world that I can give to you, tell me what it is." And Jesus said, "Give me your sin! That's what I came for."
Through the Bible God shares with you the good news that Jesus Christ came for you—that he came to die on a cross and rise again that you might experience hope and life. The Bible was written to let you know how much God loves you.
So, if you've ever been hurt, if you've ever fallen short, if you've ever felt empty, if you've ever felt devalued and unloved, if you've ever felt unsure of your eternal destiny, then the Bible does have something important and relevant to say to you today.
Through the Bible God want you to know that your hurt can be healed, your sins forgiven, your emptiness filled, your dignity restored, your eternal destiny assured, and that it can happen through Jesus Christ.
The Bible does have something relevant to say to us today because God is always relevant, and through the Bible he speaks to us where we live. Through it he inspires and encourages us. He guides and directs us. But most of all, he points us to the one who can change our lives and fill them with meaning.
The Bible is God's letter of love to you. It's his way of introducing himself to you. And through it he points to the one who can make a friendship between you and God possible, Jesus Christ. Those of you who will be listening with me through the New Testament this Lent, I promise you that you will meet the savior this Lent. If you've not had the opportunity to meet Jesus personally, to discover the life and love he has for you, I encourage you to meet him today by surrendering your life to him. And then I encourage you to get to know him better by reading the Bible—his word to you.
AMEN