“The spades of a thousand over the centuries have not discredited the truth of Scripture nor has the turned-over earth proven the Bible to be untrue.” Harold Lindsell
There is a distinguished professor of religious studies who is given much space in the local paper to express his “enlightened” beliefs. He considers the Bible to be the product of men who expressed their religious hope and beliefs but not historical facts or divine truth. He still claims faith in God, but not the God of a literally interpreted Bible. He sees himself as a sincere seeker of truth whose spiritual journey has led him to the conviction that the Bible is not the inspired, inerrant Word of God. He still has ‘faith,” but it is not in Jesus Christ, Son of God, born of a virgin, Savior of the world, resurrected Lord. For him, that is myth, promoted by unenlightened, uninformed, fantasy lovers.
This morning we continue to pursue our joy by opening up God’s Book. I have formulated a statement as to the reason I believe the Bible is so important to our finding the joy and satisfaction God intended for us to find I Jesus. Here is my take on this priority:
We are a people of the Book. We know God through the Book. We meet Christ in the Book. We see the cross in the Book. Our faith and love are kindled by the glorious truths found in that Book. We have tasted of the divine majesty of the Word and are persuaded that the Book is God’s inspired and infallible written revelation. Therefore what the Book teaches matters. Doctrine is important for worship and life and mission. Knowing the truth found there and doing the truth found there will bring great joy to our souls and great glory to our Savior. GR
God created us to glorify him by seeing and enjoying him. But there is a host of enemies lying in wait to rob us of our joy. So, we must fight for our joy. We must fight for our faith. If we don’t prepare for battle is only a matter of time before it will be lost. This message is designed to help us fight and win the battle for joy that lies ahead of us.
"The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness." Romans 1:18
Rick Warren's Purpose Driven philosophy has had an unbelievable influence upon the American church. His book, "The Purpose Driven Church" has sold over 1 million copies and has been translated into 20 languages. That book has been noted as one of the "100 Books that changed the 20th Century." However, even that book has been surpassed in influence by his 40 day devotional called "The Purpose Driven Life." It is directed toward the common man, not the church leader. Its positive message and encouraging note has struck a chord in both the laymen of the church as well as the common man in the streets. Its positive message has even caused such secular groups as the Oakland Raiders, Coca Cola, WalMart, NASCAR and the White House to seek out its wisdom. It seems that you can't open up a church bulletin across the U. S. A. without finding a small group gathered around the words of Rick Warren. Some of the evangelical "heavyweights" who have given their unqualified endorsement to the book are Billy and Franklin Graham, Bruce Wilkerson, Lee Strobel and Max Lucado. The book's claim to be a "blueprint for Christian living in the 21st century," may prove to be true.
"Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true." Acts 17:10-11
We at GMTB believe that the Bible is God's Word spoken to men; all of it. It is not just the "basis" of all we do, it is the "dynamic" of all we do. When we approach the Bible in faith, it comes alive by the Holy Spirit. It is not just what God has said; it is what God is saying, now. It is not just concerned with "religious" things, but speak to all of life. God has purposed to glorify himself through his people and He has chosen to do this by revealing Himself and His ways through His Word.
There is a great battle presently being waged over the authority and sufficiency of God's Word. The Enemy hates God's Word. He will do anything to keep God's people from pursuing Christ in His Word. Sometimes his attacks come directly from unbelieving forces.
It Is Written
"It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" Matt 4:4
"Here I stand. I can do no other. May God help me. Amen." Martin Luther
There is something so permanently powerful about the written word. It lays there unchanged by rumor or deceit or popular opinions or cultural fads. You can question it, deny it, interpret it, or even ignore it, but you cannot change it. It is there in black and white. Countless men and women down through the years have discovered, devoured and devoted themselves to the Word of God, written. It has transformed their lives. It has given them a whole new reason to live. It has set their hearts free. It has set them apart. It has given them unchanging truth. It has given them hope in the midst of great darkness. It has even given them a cause to die for. God has chosen to write down his purposeful, powerful, personal and practical Word to us.
We at GMTB love the clear bold witness of John Wesley. He confidently and joyfully declared the sufficiency of God's Word. Tragically, today many church leaders have lost that confidence. Many doubt whether the Bible is really a sufficient resource for the growing and healing of the church in such a hostile and sick environment. Many in the church have lost their confidence in the power of God's Word and have been intimidated into silence.
Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints. Galatians 1:6
That so-called Bible religion in our times is suffering rapid decline is so evident as to need no proof. I have observed one significant lack among evangelical Christians. The great deficiency to which I refer is the lack of spiritual discernment, especially among the leaders. How can there be so much Bible knowledge and so little insight? Surely one of the greatest needs is the appearance of Christian leaders with prophetic insight. Unless they come soon, it will be too late for this generation. A. W. Tozer
