Sunday Re-Cap (25 May 2008)

EMBRACE THE POWER OF THE WOG.
(Ps. Abel Phillips)

Text: 1 Pet 1:22-25, 2:1-3
Peter Mentions Four Realities / Truths
1. Our lives have been cleaned up by integrating the truth into us (v22) –cleansing
2. We have been born again by a complete type of life (v23-) – a seed of life has been put in us; that is a complete type of life and not a limited type of life
3. Human life is momentary / transitory. (v24) – Grass withers – flowers fades. In everyone of us there is time of flower blooms and there is time it withers/ dries up
4. Spiritual life comes from the word of God. (25)

Peter gives three exhortations:
1. TO LOVE EACH OTHER WITH PURE HEARTS IN A FERVENT MANNER (1 Pet 1:22)
2. PUT ASIDE ALL WRONG MOTIVATIONS (1 Pet 2:1)
3. DESIRE THE SINCERE MILK OF WORD (Pet 2:2)

Two motivational tools mentioned:
1. God is Good.
2. See the need for continual growth through the Word of God.

What we can’t do, the Word of God can
1. The Word of God will cleanse and purify us. Jn 15:3 / Jn 17:17
2. The Word of God Brings healing into our lives Jn 15:7 / Ps. 107:20
3. Produces an avenue to answered prayer – Jn. 15:7
4. Produces the strength / power in our lives.

References
~ If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you (John 15:7)
~ Prov 1:7 Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.
~ Prov 8:13 The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way. And the perverse mouth I hate.
~ Psalm 86:11: "Teach me Your way, O Lord; I will walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name."

Jack Hayford: Godliness - Stand strongly in grace. Say “No!” to ungodliness and worldliness. Be self-controlled in your practice of godly behavior and be eager to do what is good.

Is the Bible the Word of God? Part 3

Is the Bible the Word of God? Part 3

In considering whether on not the Bible is the inspired Word of God we have considered the following evidences: Support from Jesus Christ; the Apostle Peters confirmation; evidence from fulfilled prophecy; and evidence from Israel. In conclusion let us discuss two more affirming evidences: The continuity of the Bible, and evidence from science and archaeology.

The continuity of the Bible is further confirmation of its authenticity. Through it was written over a period of fifteen hundred years by thirty-five to forty different writers with sixty-six different books, it has only one major theme—the salvation of lost mankind. This supports the claim that there is only one author—God.

Evidence from science and archaeology. While the Bible isn't a book of science, scientific facts that have been in its pages for at least thirty-five hundred years have come to light only in recent times. For example, many of the statutes and regulations in the Old Testament were given for health and hygienic purposes—knowledge that was unknown to the ancient world.

As I've quoted before, in his book, None of These Diseases, Dr. S.I. McMillen wrote, "When God led the Israelites out of afflicted Egypt, he promised them that if they would obey his statutes, he would put 'none of these diseases' upon them [diseases from which Egypt and other nations were suffering]. God guaranteed a freedom from disease that modern medicine cannot duplicate."¹⁷

Dr. McMillen continues, "I am confident that the reader will be intrigued to discover that the Bible's directives can save him from certain infectious diseases, from many lethal cancers, and from a long gauntlet of psychosomatic diseases that are increasing in spite of modern medicine."¹⁸

In the final analysis, however, it is up to each individual as to whether or not he or she chooses to accept or reject the Bible as God's Word. For those who want to believe it is, there is more than sufficient evidence to support this belief.

Furthermore, all who have accepted the Bible as God's Word, and have responded to Jesus Christ's invitation to receive him as Lord and Savior and live according to biblical principles, have a deep assurance that the Bible is God's Word, that it is true, and that they have been given the gift of eternal life.¹⁹

The greatest quest of man over the ages has always been to know: "Where did I come from? Why am I here? And, where am I going?" Only God's Word, the Bible, can give him the answers to these questions.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank you for all the evidences we have to affirm that the Bible is truly your Word to mankind. Please open the eyes of my understanding that I will always see clearly what is the truth regarding your Word, and what are lies. Help me to understand your Word and diligently apply its principles to my everyday life. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

Footnotes: 1. 2 Timothy 3:16 (RSV). 2. Luke 24:44 (NIV). 3. Matthew 5:17-18 (NIV). 4. See 2 Peter 3:15-16. 5. Genesis 3:15 and 49:10. 6. 2 Samuel 7:12-16. 7. Micah 5:2. 8. Isaiah 7:14. 9. Daniel 9:25, 26. 10. Psalm 22:16 and Isaiah 53. 11. Isaiah 13:5-22 and The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, p. 621. 12. Leviticus 26:32-33. 13. Leviticus 26:44. 14. Ezekiel 36:24. 15. Amos 9:14 (TLB). 16. Isaiah 35:1. 17. McMillen, S.I., None of These Diseases (Westwood, New Jersey; Fleming H. Revell Company, 1963), p. 17. 18. Ibid, p. 18. 19. See John 17:17 and 1 John 5:13.

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Is the Bible the Word of God? Part 2

Is the Bible the Word of God? Part 2

In answering the question, "Is the Bible the Word of God?" today we present further evidences of its validity.

Fulfilled prophecy. Hundreds of years before Christ came to earth both David and Isaiah predicted in specific detail the sufferings of Christ and the manner of his death. David, referring to and "speaking for" Jesus Christ, wrote in the Psalms, "They pierced my hands and my feet."¹⁰ This is precisely what happened when Jesus was crucified on a Roman cross.

Isaiah also predicted the fall of the then mighty Babylonian Empire, saying it would be conquered by the nation of Media. This happened in 539 B.C.¹¹

Evidence from Israel. The nation of Israel is one of the clearest evidences for the validity of God's Word, the Bible. Its history is a continual story of biblical prophecy being fulfilled.

Some fifteen hundred years B.C., God said through Moses that Israel would turn from him [God] and be driven by enemies from their homeland. God said, "I will bring the land into desolation ... I will scatter you among the nations ... your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste."¹²

The result? In 721 B.C., the ten northern tribes of Israel were taken into captivity by Assyria and in 586 B.C. the two southern tribes were taken by Babylon. Seventy years later a small remnant of 40,000 Jews returned to Israel while the rest were scattered throughout the world. In A.D. 70 Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans, and the remnant of Israelites was dispersed among the nations. Israel then became desolate as predicted 1,600 years before.

God's word also stated that the nation of Israel would be restored, saying, "Neither will I destroy them utterly."¹³ "For I will take you from among the nations, and gather you out of all countries and will bring you into your own land."¹⁴ "I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel, and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and live in them again,"¹⁵ and the nation "will blossom as the rose."¹⁶

The people of Israel have survived heinous atrocities committed against them by the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Greeks, the Romans, Hitler and others. And even today there are those who would like to "wipe Israel off the map." Their repeated survival against overwhelming odds and the rebuilding of their nation—which is still taking place at this time, twenty-five hundred years after God said that it would happen—is irrefutable evidence of the validity of the Bible.

To be concluded ...

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank you that all the prophecies written years in advance in the Old Testament section of the Bible have been clearly fulfilled. Thank you, too, that this evidence assures me that all the prophecies in the New Testament will also be fulfilled in detail. Help me to be ready for every one of these—including the return of Jesus to earth to take all his true followers to be with him in heaven forever. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

Note: Footnotes will be listed at the end of Part 3.

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