This Book Can Change Your Life
March 19, 2023
“This will change your life!”
This book has changed my life
Experience God through the Bible
Why is the Bible so important?
I don’t believe Jesus because of the Bible, I believe the Bible because of Jesus
Jesus is God
Jesus taught from the OT as a supernatural book
Luke 4:16-21 When he came to the village of Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures. The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.” He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. All eyes in the synagogue looked at him intently. Then he began to speak to them. “The Scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!”
Jesus used the Bible as a supernatural weapon
Matt. 4:4 But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Jesus said there are great rewards and punishments honouring the Bible
Matt. 5:17-19 “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved. So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Jesus believed that the Bible were the words of God
Matt. 15:1-4 Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash their hands before they eat!” Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’
Matt. 22:31 But about the resurrection of the dead—have you not read what God said to you, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’?
Matt. 22:43 Jesus responded, “Then why does David, speaking under the inspiration of the Spirit, call the Messiah ‘my Lord’?
2 Tim. 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God
The Bible… God’s Whispered Words to Humans
From the beginning, Christians have been in agreement that the Bible is cohesive, inspired by God and authoritative for our lives. – Alisa Childers
2 Peter 1:21 For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
To experience the Bible we need the correct knowledge and the correct posture
What posture do you come to the Bible with?
Relationally: Open your word to me
Psalm 119:18 Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in your instructions.
Logos Word – content for everyone
The content of the Bible (Logos) is necessary because it gives us an absolute standard against which to measure all ‘truth.’ It is our safeguard to keep us from error, and our instruction manual for life. Markk Virkler
Rhema Word – content for me
The Scriptures can be logos if I approach them for content. When I receive them as revelation (whisper) from God, they can be called rhema. Marrk Virkler
What posture do you come to the Bible with?
Relationally: Open your word to me
Learning: Whisper who you are…
What posture do you come to the Bible with?
Relationally: Open your word to me
Learning: Whisper who you are…
Submission: Whisper what you want me to do…
The goals isn’t for you to master the Bible. The goal is for God to master you through the Bible. Mulholland
Open the Bible with a listening heart
Ps. 119 Challenge
Ps. 1 Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.
Open the Bible with a listening heart