Why can't I seem to make any progress?

We continued our new series this past Sunday "40 Days in the Word" with part 3" How do I see what God wants me to see? You can listen to the podcast at http://www.wyandottefamily.com/listen.html or you can download it from iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/wyandotte-family-church/id478735158  

We talked about this "churchy" word called "Illumination." Illumination is simply the Holy Spirit bringing to life the Bible and speaking directly to you and your situation. It is like putting on 3D glasses and seeing the Bible come to life. On Sunday we talked about the 1st Benefit of Illumination: Seeing the Solution to the Problem. The second benefit of having your eyes spiritually opened is

#2-I see the barrier to my progress.

You have some things you’ve been wanting to do in your life.  You’ve been wanting to start a business, or start a family, or get out of debt, or you’ve had some goal or some dream. Maybe you have written down specific plans and goals for you and your family. You’ve been trying to make progress on it but you just keep bumping up against an invisible wall.  And you’re going, “I don’t get it.  I’m trying the best I can.  I’m doing the best I can.  I’m not making any progress.” 

If we can be real and authentic with each other, most of us find ourselves here. Not only do we find ourselves here. We are frustrated and find ourselves blaming all sorts of people and things in our lives. We can all relate and understand because we all face this.

We need to have your eyes opened, our eyes illuminated. There is something that we are missing. There is something in front of us that we currently don’t see.

The story that gives a good example of this is in Numbers 22.  It’s the story of a guy named Balaam.  Balaam was a prophet of God, he was a man of God.  But Balaam decided and agreed to help the bad guys.  And this didn’t settle well with God. It actually got God pretty upset.  He goes, “Wait minute, Balaam.  You’re supposed to be my representative and you’re going to go help the bad guys?”  So as Balaam starts on his journey to go help the bad guys, God puts an angel in his pathway and blocks his progress.  Only Balaam can’t see the angel.  So he doesn’t know what’s going on.  But his barrier to his progress was invisible and he could not see it.

So he’s heading off on this journey to go help the bad guys.  We pick up the story in verse 22 of Numbers 22.  “But God was furious that Balaam was going, so he sent the angel of the Lord to stand in the road to block his way…  Balaam’s donkey suddenly saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand  [The donkey could see him but Balaam didn’t] and the donkey bolted off the road into a field, [out of fear]  but Balaam beat the donkey and turned it back on the road.  [This is funny.  Balaam can’t see what’s going on but the donkey can.  There’s an angel in the road with a big sword and he goes, I’m not going there.  The donkey’s pretty smart; he goes off into the ditch.  And Balaam gets angry and beats the donkey.  It’s not the donkey’s fault.  He can see what’s out there.]

So the second time it says, “Then the angel of the Lord stood at a place where the road narrowed [It is the second time] between two vineyard walls. [Its very narrow and the angel of the Lord stood in the middle.] When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing there, it tried to squeeze by [the angel] and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall.” 

We always get hurt when we try to do something that God doesn’t want us to do.  We always get our foot crushed.  We always get hurt.  Balaam doesn’t see what’s going on.  He looks at the donkey: “Why did you do that?  Why did you run against the wall and break my leg?”  “So Balaam beat the donkey again.”  He’s angry!

Third time: “Then the angel of the Lord moved farther down the road and stood in a place so narrow that the donkey could not get by at all.  This time when the donkey saw the angel, it lay down under Balaam.  [Smart donkey!  I give up.  He just collapsed and gives up.] In a fit of rage [the Bible says] Balaam beat it again with his staff.”

We pick up the story on your outline in verse 31.  “Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes,[Circle that phrase.  This is illumination:  “He opened Balaam’s eyes.” and now Balaam saw what the problem was.]  He saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with his sword drawn.”  No way, Jose!  You’re not passing this way!

So what does Balaam do now that his eyes are open?  “He bowed low and fell facedown.” and he worships God. 

That is very strange, strange story.  But here’s the point.  You have plans in your life that aren’t working out.  You try to go this way and you get blocked.  You try to go this way and you get blocked.  And you try to go this way and you get blocked.  And you’re getting mad at everybody else.  You’re mad at your wife.  You’re mad at your husband.  You’re beating your donkey.  You’re taking it out on your kids.  You’re talking about your boss behind his back and on and on and on.  You’re mad at everybody because you can’t see what the real problem is. 

God is blocking that issue.  He is trying to keep you from making a serious mistake.  God’s saying, “I’m not going to let you go down that road.  No matter how much you beat your head against the wall I’m not going to let you go down that road because I love you too much.”  And you’re going to be stopped by it.

When your progress is being blocked, you’ve got one of two choices.  Beat the donkey or let God open your eyes.  You can either get mad at everybody around you and spiritually vomit on them and take it out on your kids and your husband or your wife and everybody else.  And you’re just so sick and tired and you’re blaming everybody for your problem.  But the problem is you can’t see the problem.  The barrier is God is not going to let you do that.  Because he loves you too much. 

But when God opens my eyes, I can see the solution to my problems.  And when God opens my eyes, I can see the barrier to my progress.  And then I go, oh… that makes sense.

 
That is the power of God’s Word. When we faithfully read God’s word (The Bible…His revelation to us) our barriers are often illuminated. Our spiritual eyes are opened. I pray that during the 40 Days in the Word, you experience this. Every time we read the Bible, let’s pray and ask God to open our eyes to see what He wants us to see. Let’s ask Him to remove the blinders and help us see the barriers. God loves you and has your best interest in mind. He wants what is best for you.

Adapted from thoughts from Rick Warren and 40 Days in the Word

PS. This Sunday is our "Souper Sunday. As of today we have 15 soups. Vote for the best soup by giing your change. All money raised will go to the Hope Project. The hope project fights human trafficking. Read more about them at http://www.hopeprojectusa.org/ 

God's Word helps the "light bulb" come on!

We officially continued our new series this past Sunday "40 Days in the Word" with part 2" How does the Bible Change Me? You can listen to the podcast at http://www.wyandottefamily.com/listen.html or you can download it from iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/wyandotte-family-church/id478735158  

We talked about how the Bible Transforms us. The Bible isn't like other books because the Bible is God's Word. It is alive and has power to change lives. We talked about how the Bible recreates our lives. You'll want to check out the link above. The past 3 blogs we talked about how God's Word helps get rid of our guilt, how the Bible builds our faith and how the Bible helps me grow. Let's look at part 5...

The fifth way is... God uses the Bible to illuminate my mind.

Have you ever had someone try to explain something to you but you just couldn’t get it. Someone try to explain something to you and you just couldn’t see it. Then all of a sudden, one word is said or one thing happens and the light bulb comes on. “Oh, now I get it. Oh, now I see it.” "Now it makes perfect sense."
God wants to illuminate our minds. God wants to open up His Word so that we not only understand it but it transforms our minds. So how does it work?  How does God turn the light on?  Psalm 119:130 says “Understanding your Word brings light to the minds of ordinary people.” 

The NLT says… “The teaching of your word gives light, so even the simple can understand

So God wants to use his Word to bring light to every one of our minds. God wants to bring light to every single person, every single heart and every single mind.  He wants to light up our minds with the truth of who He is, with the truth of the next step we should take, the next direction to take in our lives, with the truth of how to handle the feelings I’m having, with the truth of how to handle the relationship difficulties or the relationship successes I’m having. He wants to shine his light and the way out of the temptation we are struggling with.  He wants to bring light to our lives through the BIBLE (His Word). That is called "illumination." We'll talk more about this on Sunday.

How does he do that?  How does he turn the light on in our lives?

Some of you may have opened up the Bible and thought, “I’m not getting any light out of that.  It didn’t happen.” Other times it happens immediately.  But more often when the light dawns on you, it comes slowly. 

Psalm 119:99 says “I have more insight than all my teachers for I meditate on your statutes.”  Focus on that word “meditate.”  You notice a lot of verses are from Psalm 119.  It’s not only the longest chapter in the Bible, but it’s also a chapter that’s all about the Bible, so that’s why we look at it a lot.  That reminds us that meditation is the key to turning the light on many times.  Not the type of meditation where you try to clear your mind and go to a happy place. The kind of meditation when you fix, think upon, and strategically focus on God’s Word.

When you soak your mind in the Word. Meditation isn’t losing your mind to the universe; it’s focusing your mind on the Word of God.  All of these are so that God can turn the light on in our lives.  That’s what he wants to do in my life, that’s what he wants to do in our life.

When you soak your mind in the Word, he turns the light on.  He helps you to see things with a different perspective, a different way.  Once that happens, he gives you the opportunity to do something else, Psalm 119:105 says this “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”  He turns the light on so that we can have direction in our lives – a lamp for our feet, a light for our path.

When this was first written, the lamp was like a candle in a lamp that they’d carry.  Now we would have a flashlight.  Some of you have like a flashlight on your phone.  So you could read it today, your Word is an app to my feet.  That’s what this is about. God’s Word guides our steps. It shows us which path to take. It makes the path clear, not necessarily easy, but clear.

How does my faith in God’s Word work in practical every day ways?  It’s like a flashlight that I’m holding, a flashlight app that I’m holding.  It gives just enough light for the next few steps.

If I’m holding a flashlight and I’m wanting more light down the path, how do I get more light down the path?  I’ve got to take the next step.  The only way to get more light is for me to take the next step.  There have been so many times in my life when I’ve been stuck waiting for more light from God.  What I want is, “God, could you just light up the whole path, my whole life.  The next twenty miles would be nice so I could see where everything’s going.”  But God says, No, I’m just giving you enough for the next step.  You take that step and then you’re going to get light for the next step.  You take that step then you’ll get light for the next step.

God’s given you just enough light for the next step.  So what’s the next step in your life?

To turn the light on in your life one of the great things you can do is pray prayers, related to God’s Word, related to the Bible.  In fact one of them is our memory verse this week.  Psalm 119:18 “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.”  There’s a lot of words in the Bible, for the Bible.  We just looked at law, statutes, word, promise – they’re synonymous.  They all mean the same thing.  This is talking about the whole of God’s Word.  “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.”

The more we read God’s Word, the more clear our path will be. Whether or not we follow the path is a whole other blog and lesson for a whole other time. However, God gives us His Word to illuminate our minds. To shine His light. I pray that you take your NEXT STEP. For many, the next step is daily time reading God’s word. For others it is joining a home group. I pray that you take that next step and watch God illuminate the next one on your journey.

 

adapted from thoughts from Rick Warren and 40 Days in the Word Campaign

It is "Spiritual Exercise" (How the Bible Helps Me Grow)

We officially continued our new series this past Sunday "40 Days in the Word" with part 2" How does the Bible Change Me? You can listen to the podcast at http://www.wyandottefamily.com/listen.html or you can download it from iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/wyandotte-family-church/id478735158  

We talked about how the Bible Transforms us. The Bible isn't like other books because the Bible is God's Word. It is alive and has power to change lives. We talked about how the Bible recreates our lives. You'll want to check out the link above. The past 2 blogs we talked about how God's Word helps get rid of our guilt and how the Bible builds our faith. Let's look at part 4...

The fourth thing the Bible can do in your life is it stimulates my growth.

The Bible stimulates our spiritual growth. I always compare reading the Bible to working out and exercising. Many people are probably made that one of their New Year resolutions. When you exercise, you don’t see instant results. You often feel sore so you know something is happening but you don’t see larger muscles or less fat right away. However, over time, as you faithful exercise, you become stronger and more fit. The investment into your health begins to compound and there is change.

In Acts 20 Paul says to the people in the city of Ephesus, “I commit you to God and to the Word of his grace, [He says, I’ve got to leave, I’m getting ready to leave, he’s never going to see these people again.  As he’s leaving the Ephesians he says to them, I’m going to commit you to God and to the Word of his grace] which can build you up [Circle that.  That’s stimulating my growth.  The Word can build you up.]  and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.”

What does that mean: “Give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified?”

You know what an inheritance is.  An inheritance is what you get for being part of a family that’s rightfully yours. 

Let’s say Mike Illitch was your father and he writes a will and he dies.  What if you never, ever took the time to read the will?  The only word that would describe that would be ridiculous.  Because you would not be getting in on what was rightfully yours.  You would not be benefiting from that which belonged to you as a child of Mike Illitch.  You would not be able to enjoy the blessings of the Illitch family because you don’t even know about it.

When you cross the line into a relationship with Jesus, when you put your life in Christ’s hand, when you trust him for salvation, you’re not just a believer.  You’re a belonger.  You become a part of God’s family.  Now you get family privileges.  There are family responsibilities and there are family privileges.  You, the Bible says, have an inheritance, a spiritual inheritance, that you’re going to gain from God.  Not just here on earth but eternally in heaven.  And by the way, God’s richer than Mike Illitch in every area.

What if you go through your entire life not knowing the power, the opportunities, the blessings, the benefits that are available to you as a child of God?  You never even took the time to know what they were. That would be ridiculous.  Because God says I want to stimulate your growth and give you the inheritance that you have as my child, that which rightly belongs to you.

Let me show you another verse.  2 Timothy 3:16-17 we looked at this verse last week.  “All Scripture is God-breathed, [theopneustos.]  and is useful for [notice it says four things, useful for…] teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that [that’s called a hina clause in Greek, here’s one of the main purposes of the Bible] so that the man [or woman] of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 

One of the main purposes of the Bible is to help you live out the purpose God has for your life. That you will be thoroughly equipped, that you will have all you need, you’ll be fully prepared, you’re ready to face life and you’re not ill-equipped.  You’ve got everything you need to take on life.  And he says the way God gets you ready for life, the way God gets you ready for his purpose is through the Bible.  And the Bible does four things.  He says it’s for teaching and rebuking and correcting and training.

Let me explain that in a little different way.  Teaching is God shows me the path to walk on.  That’s teaching. Rebuking is when God shows me how I got off the path, and I’m now in the ditch. That’s called rebuking. Correcting is how I get back on the path, the right path for life, for my life. And training is how I stay on the path and don’t fall off in the ditch again.

That’s what those four things are.  That’s the way the Word of God helps me grow.  As I faithfully read, study, think about and memorize God’s Word, your faith and relationship with God will grow stronger, stronger and stronger. Then all of a sudden you will look back and think to yourself, “Wow, I’ve really changed. I haven’t realized or noticed that this area of my life is completely different. I am stronger now.” That is the power of God’s Word.

Adapted from thoughts from Rick Warren and the 40 Days in the Word Campaign

God's Word builds our faith

We officially continued our new series this past Sunday "40 Days in the Word" with part 2" How does the Bible Change Me? You can listen to the podcast at http://www.wyandottefamily.com/listen.html or you can download it from iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/wyandotte-family-church/id478735158  

We talked about how the Bible Transforms us. The Bible isn't like other books because the Bible is God's Word. It is alive and has power to change lives. We talked about how the Bible recreates our lives. You'll want to check out the link above. Yesterday's blog we talked about how God's Word helps get rid of our guilt. Let's look at part 3...

God's Word helps activates my faith.

The Bible not only helps eliminate or eradicate my guilt, it also activates my faith. That is so important because it gives me confidence. The Bible is like a spiritual B12 supplement. Regardless of what situation you find yourself in, you are encouraged and built up when you read the truth of God’s Word.

The reality is that many people today are not very confident. People may put up a smoke screen or front but deep down many people are plagued with insecurities and fears.  Many people would rather play it safe in their comfort zones than be courageous.  Many people  have a fear of failure.  They’re afraid of dying, afraid of losing job along with a plethora of other fears.  They’re not walking confidently because they’re not people of faith.

Faith is Word (Bible) activated.  The Bible says this, Romans 10:17, “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the Word of Christ.” Another translation says “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.”   

If you’ve ever read a verse in the Bible and all of a sudden it hits you and all of a sudden you’ve thought, “I can do this!  I can do this!”  You have just had your faith activated by the Word of God.  If you’ve ever been in a gathering at church where someone was teaching or you’ve been in a Bible study and you heard the Word of God and all of a sudden you thought, “I can do this!  I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!”  You just had your faith activated by the Word of God. That is why so many people describe church as a place where they are refreshed and built up. God’s Word activates faith inside of you. God’s Word strengthens faith.

This is the difference between the Bible and self-help books. Self-help books often tell you some good stuff.  They can tell you the right thing to do, they just don’t give you the power to do it. You read a self-help book that says, “If you really want to succeed in life you need to stop worrying.”  That’s helpful!  “Give up all your bad habits.”  That’s good too.  It’ll tell you all the right things to do and they’re right about a number of those things; stop thinking so negatively… but you don’t know how to stop it.  You don’t have the power, because those books aren’t living.  They aren’t alive. 

But the power of God’s Word not only tells what to do but it gives you the power to do it.  It increases our faith. 

When I read these thousands of promises in the Bible where God says if you do this, this and this, I will do this, this and this, that increases my expectation.  It gives me confidence. It gives me hope. It increases my faith.

My life really began to transform and change when I began to memorize verses from the Bible. When I began to focus on God’s promises and not my problems. When I began to speak God’s truth and not my fears. Why? Because there is power in God’s Word. It is living and active.

I encourage you to take time today to write out some faith statements for your life, marriage, family, job, friends etc. Faith statements are simply prayers based upon Scripture. It is speaking life into every area of your life instead of typical negativity and death. Here are a few examples…

I love You God with all my heart. You are my first priority and reason for living. You are the center of my life from which everything else flows from. I will seek you with all my heart today. I thank you that as I do, I will find you everywhere I am and everywhere I go. Because you are the center of my life, through your power and grace I will obey you and follow you completely! I will follow you today and allow your Spirit to lead my steps.
(Matthew 22:37-39-- Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'^{[a] 38}This is the first and greatest commandment. Joshua 22:5—But be very careful to obey all the commands and the instructions that Moses gave to you. Love the LORD your God, walk in all his ways, obey his commands, hold firmly to him, and serve him with all your heart and all your soul.” Jeremiah 29:13—If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. John 14:15—“If you love me, obey my commandments.

God I hunger for Your Word and memorize Your truths and allow them to renew my life. Your Word dictates and controls my thoughts and actions not my feelings. Your Word is truth, life and the foundation my life is built on. Your word burns like a fire within me.
(Psalm 119:105-- Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. Psalm 119:9-- How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. Psalm 119:11—I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Psalm 119:16-18—I will delight in your decrees and not forget your word.¹⁷ Be good to your servant, that I may live and obey your word. ¹⁸ Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in your instructions. Romans 12:2-- Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.)
The more we can read, meditate on, memorize and speak the truth, the more our fears, lies and confusion will flee. I pray that during 40 Days in the Word your faith will be stronger than ever before. May it continue on even after the 40 Days is done.

adapted from thoughts from Rick Warren and 40 Days in the Word Campaign

Power to remove our guilt

We officially continued our new series this past Sunday "40 Days in the Word" with part 2" How does the Bible Change Me? You can listen to the podcast at http://www.wyandottefamily.com/listen.html or you can download it from iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/wyandotte-family-church/id478735158  

We talked about how the Bible Transforms us. The Bible isn't like other books because the Bible is God's Word. It is alive and has power to change lives. We talked about how the Bible recreates our lives. You'll want to check out the link above.

The Bible helps gets rid of my guilt.

Guilt is something that we all have felt or currently are feeling. As a child we feel guilty when we told a lie, stole a cookie, or stole our siblings clothes. I remember one time cheating in school and how I couldn’t shake the guilt. I think we all have experienced the feeling of guilt. Guilt has even driven some people to do some pretty desperate things. Guilt can be a dangerous thing if not dealt with.

This is big one.  I don’t have to have any guilt any more in my life.  I don’t have to go around with regrets in my life.  I don’t have to go around with shame in my life. I get let go of the past and move on to the future.   

Most people are stuck with memories from the past they can’t seem to get over. Either people who’ve hurt them and they have resentment.  Or they’ve hurt others and they have guilt.

Did you know that God doesn’t want you going through life carrying a baggage of guilt in your life?  Did you know that God wants you to be free from guilt?  Did you know that the Bible was given so that you can become guilt free?  That God uses the Word to get rid of your guilt?

Being a pastor for over 13 years I have talked with many people who have bet stuck in the quicksand of guilt. There are people who have put their faith and trust in Christ but still walk around burdened down by their past.

What does God’s Word says about guilt?”

1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins to God he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  Some refer to this as the soap-dish verse. God says, I’m going to give you a bath.  I’m not only going to forgive you, I’m going to wipe it out.  We’re going to get rid of all the dirt in your life.  That’s a cleaning verse, that’s a disinfecting verse.

Romans 8:1 says “There is now no condemnation [that means none, zero, zip, none] no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”  This is one of my favorite verses in the Bible. This is what makes the cross of Jesus Christ so amazing. Jesus took the penalty, guilt and condemnation of sin upon Himself at the cross. He took the punishment we deserved. As a result, we are offered hope, forgiveness, and new life. For those who put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ, the Bible says, the guilt and condemnation of their past is removed.

Psalm 103:12 says “God has removed our sins as far as the east is from the west.” WOW! God doesn’t just forgive our sins, he removes them. He gives us total forgiveness. It is truly a powerful, humbling and life changing experiencing. I pray that you get to experience it as well.

Ephesians 5:25-26 “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the Word.” Circle that phrase “through the Word.”  What is he saying?  When I take the Word of God and I fill my mind with it, it washes my mind.  It washes my body.  It cleanses the dirt, the junk, the grime, the grit, the shame, the sin all out of my life.  That’s what God’s Word does.  It makes me clean inside.  It is a spiritual cleansing so that my guilt is eradicated.

There is amazing power in the Bible to renew our minds (Romans 12:1-2). I pray during the 40 days in the Word you will daily spend time reading and meditating on God’s Word. As you do may you experience freedom from guilt as you learn God’s truth.

Can I trust the Bible Part 4 & 5 (Jesus trusted the Bible and it has survived all attacks)

We officially started our NEW series this past Sunday "40 Days in the Word" with part 1" Is the Bible reliable and trustworthy? You can listen to the podcast at http://www.wyandottefamily.com/listen.html or you can download it from iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/wyandotte-family-church/id478735158  

If you have been a part of Wyandotte Family then you know how much we love God’s Word. Every Sunday morning we share God’s Word in creative and fun ways. We believe God’s Word is life-changing, trustworthy and complete truth. I pray that as you continue to follow along on this blog you will learn to build your life more and more on God’s Word.

Last Sunday we talked about the Bible being historically accurate. The past 3 blogs we talked about the Bible being scientifically accurate, prophetically, and thematically accurate. Today we are going to look at the 4th & 5th reason we can trust the Bible.

The fifth way I can trust the Bible is because it’s confirmed by Jesus. 

Jesus trusted the Bible. You may have heard somebody say, you may have even thought, “I trust what Jesus said, I’m just not so sure about those other guys.” Or “I’m not sure about the entire Bible.”  Here’s the challenge to that: Jesus trusted the rest of the Bible.  So if I trust Jesus then I have to trust the rest of the Bible, because Jesus trusted the rest of the Bible.  Jesus proclaimed the Bible as a unique book above all others.

Matthew 5:18, Jesus said, “I’ll tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen will disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished!”
Jesus looks at the Bible and says, it’s going to last until the end of time.  It’s going to accomplish what God wants to accomplish in this world.  It will stand the test of time.

In John 10:35 Jesus said “Scripture is trustworthy & cannot be altered.”  Jesus proclaimed the truth of the Bible.  And when Jesus talks about the truth of the Bible, I’ve got to listen to that in my own life.  When Jesus says that every sentence and word of the Bible is true, that’s why I believe that every sentence and word of the Bible is true.  When you read how Jesus talked about the Bible with people, he would often base his argument about the truth of the Bible on a single sentence or even a single word from the Bible.  So he believed every single sentence, every single word.  So why wouldn’t I, because I trust Jesus?

When Jesus talks about the Bible, he doesn’t just talk about poetry and history.  He talks about it as something that is life changing.  Luke 11:28 Jesus said: “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”  Do it.  Not just read it like poetry.  But obey it because God wrote it to our lives.

Jesus, as he talked about the Bible, he talked about it as a real book, talking about real people, and real places by a real God who’s really at work in our lives.

Just a real quick list of some of the people and places that the Bible talks about as real and Jesus also confirmed as he taught that were real. 

 Jesus believed in the prophets.  He talked about all the prophets being real.  He talked about Daniel being real.  Jesus believed in Noah, everything that happened with the flood.  He talks about that.  He believed in Adam and Eve.  Jesus believed in the tragedy of Sodom and Gomorrah and what happened there.  He taught on that.  He believed in Jonah and what happened there.

Here’s the interesting thing, particularly of those last four – Noah, Adam and Eve, Sodom and Gomorrah and Jonah.  Those are the most disputed stories in the Bible by people who say, “It’s just a bunch of fables.  They’re good stories, good moral stories, but they didn’t really happen.”  Jesus believed they really happened.  In fact he used some of these as illustrations of what was going to happen in his resurrection.  If Jesus really believed in Jonah, I believe it happened.  I don’t know how God created a fish who could swallow a guy, but he did. I don't know why Adam & Eve chose to disobey God in the garden, but they did.  I trust in it because Jesus trusted in it. 

It sort of makes me smile when two thousand or three or four thousand years later we look back at the Bible and go, “I’m going to trust that part and I’m not going to trust that part.  Based on my subjective or emotional feelings, I’m going to accept that part and I’m not going to accept that part.”  Jesus trusted it.  Jesus trusted it, so I trust it. 

Augustine said, If you believe in the Bible what you like, and you don’t believe what you don’t like, it’s not the Bible you trust, but yourself.  I don’t know about you, but I’ve found that my emotions, my opinions are not always trustworthy. They have lied to me and let me down on numerous occasions.  I trust Jesus.  He trusted the Bible. That’s another main reasons why I trust the Bible.

The sixth reason that you can trust the Bible…It has survived all attacks. 

That makes it an unusual book. The Bible is the most despised book, the most derided, the most denied, the most disputed, the most dissected, the most debated, the most outlawed, the most destroyed, the most banned book ever in history.  Millions of people have died because they refused to give up their Bible.  People were killed.  It was illegal.  It’s still illegal in some countries.  Today if you take a Bible into North Korea you can get killed for it.  South Korea is a Bible country.  But North Korea, if you take a Bible in you can get arrested and thrown in jail and you can be killed for it.

This Bible has been under attack for century after century after century by everything you can imagine.  Yet it is still the most read book in the world, the mot published book in the world, the most translated book in the world, the bestselling book in the world and it is still making a difference in people’s lives. 

 The Bible is the greatest source, single source of music.  The Bible is the greatest single source of art.  And the Bible is the greatest single source of architecture throughout history.  If you take the Bible out of culture, you have basically destroyed most of the major music, most of the major art, and most of the major architecture for almost two thousand years.  It is the source of our culture. 

 You speak the English language you do because of the King James Version of the Bible.  If the King James Version of the Bible had not been written, you would not be speaking the way you speak right now.  About four hundred years ago they published the King James Version and the words you use today, most of those words – many of them – most of those words came out of that book, out of the Bible.

Jesus said this in Mathew 24:35 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”  The only thing on this planet that’s going to last is the Word of God.  It’s eternal. Everything else is going to burn up, but the Word of God is eternal, because truth is lasting forever.

Voltaire, the famous French philosopher, was a brilliant man, a flat-out brilliant man.  He was an atheist but he was flat-out brilliant.  He wrote a number of tracts deriding the Bible.  Voltaire made a very famous statement in which he said “One hundred years from today the Bible will be a forgotten book.” 

Everybody’s forgotten that quote!  After Voltaire died, for nearly one hundred years, his homestead was used as the book depository for the French Bible Society.  They sold Bibles out of his house.  It’s now a museum.  People have forgotten Voltaire.  Nobody forgets the Bible.  “Heaven and earth will pass away; my word will never pass away.”

1 Peter 1:24-25 “The grass withers and the flowers fall, [in other words temporary stuff just wilts.  Today’s news is worthless tomorrow.  You don’t read last week’s newspaper.  It isn’t worth anything.  The temporary stuff doesn’t last.  The grass withers and the flowers fade…] but the word of God stands forever.”

 And the truth will always be the truth.  Whether I believe it or not, it’s the truth.  I could say I believe the moon is made of cheese.  We know and it’s proven that the moon is made of rock.  We’ve brought rocks back from the moon.  And no matter how much I say I believe the moon is made of cheese, it doesn’t change it.  It’s still made out of rock.

There is a bumper sticker that says, “God said it, I believe it, that settles it.”  That’s really a backwards way to say it.  Because really what we ought to say is “God said it, that settles it, whether we believe it or not.”  Because whether you or I believe it or not doesn’t change it at all.  The fact is there are a lot of things that are true; I don’t want them to be true.  So I can say, I don’t believe it, because I don’t want it to be true. It doesn’t make it not true. 

I don’t want that to be called immoral.  It doesn’t matter whether I want it or not. What God says is moral is moral and what God says is not moral is not moral.  It’s not my choice.  He’s God and we are not. The amazing reality is that when we align ourselves with His Word and His truth, we discover and experience the very things we long for (peace, strength, purpose, and life). We look for these things in so many other things hoping to find true life. Yet, God has shown us in the Bible how to have a close relationship wit Him and experience true life!!

 I could say to you, I don’t believe in the law of gravity.  Its fine for you and you may be a religious person but I don’t need the law of gravity.  

So you and I go up on the Empire State Building.  I say, I don’t believe the law of gravity applies to me because I don’t believe in it.  So I jump off the Empire State Building.  As I’m floating down at a rather rapid speed, about the hundredth floor down a guy looks out the window and says, “How’s it going, Jeremy?”  And I say, “So far, so good.” 

And that’s the way many people are living their lives.  God gives you the freedom to totally thumb your nose to him and rebel against him your entire life.  But that’s not the end of the story.  You can run from God the rest of your life, but then you can’t run anymore.  Sorry.  You’re going to come face to face with God one day whether you believe in him or not.  And all of the “I don’t believe in him!” isn’t going to stop that event from happening.

 The truth is at some point my face is going to hit the ground.  And the truth is we don’t break God’s laws; they break us.  When we ignore what God says in his inspired and trustworthy Word (The Bible), when we ignore what it says and say we don’t like that part, we only hurt ourselves. 

As we read the entire Bible from cover to cover we realize that God has our best interest in mind. Everything He asks us to do and everything He asks us not to do is simply because He loves us, wants us to walk closely in relationship with Him and with others. When we trust His Word, we will be living life the way He intends it to be. When we live life the way He intends it, we experience His life. Is it easy…NO! Is it worth it…YES!!

Join us Sunday at 10:30am as we continue “40 Day’s in the Word” with part 2 “The Bible changes us.”

 Don’t forget to follow us on facebook for up to date information Http://www.facebook.com/wyandottefamily and subscribe to our youtube channel. Simple go to youtube and search Wyandotte Family Church

 

This Blog has been adapted from Rick Warren and 40 Days in the Word Campaign

How is the Bible thematically unified?

We officially started our NEW series this past Sunday "40 Days in the Word" with part 1" Is the Bible reliable and trustworthy? You can listen to the podcast at http://www.wyandottefamily.com/listen.html or you can download it from iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/wyandotte-family-church/id478735158  

We talked about the Bible being historically accurate. The past two days we talked about the Bible being scientifically accurate and prophetically accurate. Today we are going to look at the 4th reason we can trust the Bible.

The fourth reason the Bible is trustworthy is because it is thematically unified. 

Many people have said over the years that the Bible was conceived by man, manipulated by man and pushed by man to fulfill its own agenda. However, looking at the reality of how thematically unified it is and the astronomical odds that even with all of the time, places and authors, it still fits together perfectly, it strongly points to God’s amazing orchestration and plan.

What do I mean by thematically unified?  It has the theme through the entire book from cover to cover, from Genesis to Revelation.  It is the same theme of redemption from Genesis to the end.  Jesus is the center and main focus of everything.  It is a thematically unified book.

What’s the big deal about that?  I know a lot of books that carry the same theme from beginning to end.  There is one HUGE reality that cannot be ignored.

This book was written over one thousand six hundred years, from the first book to the last, by forty different authors, on three different continents, in three different languages, and they didn’t know about each other.  How do you think they all got the same story?  It wasn’t even collected in one book until a thousand years later after they’d died, in the Old Testament.  How do you think they knew that? 

It’d be one thing if one person wrote this book.  The Quran was written by one person – Mohammed.  The Analects of Confucius are written by Confucius.  The writings of Buddha are written by Buddha.  You would expect them to be uniform since they come from 1 person.

However, the Bible was written by forty different people, in every age and stage of life, as I said on three different continents, in three different languages, over one thousand six hundred years.  And they got the same story.  This book was written by poets and prophets.  It’s written by princes and kings. It’s written by sailors and soldiers.  This book was written by attorneys and a doctor, an M.D.  It’s written by kings.  It’s written by prisoners.  It’s written by common people. 

All kinds of people wrote the Bible.  And it was written in all kinds of locations.  Some of the Bible was written in a cave.  Some of the Bible was written on ships.  Some of it was written in homes.  Some of it was written in palaces.  Some of it was written in prison.  And they all come up with the same theme.  THAT IS UNBELIEVABLE!  It has the same theme of redemption from cover to cover, over one thousand six hundred years.  You couldn’t get a more diverse group – fishermen and tax collectors and scholars and businessmen, and over a period of almost two thousand years, coming up with the same story.

Let me give you an example of this.  If I were to take fifty pieces of paper right now [there are sixty-six books in the Bible.  But let’s just say I were take fifty pieces of paper] and I were to hand them out to people today and I said to each of you, “I want you to tear this piece of paper anyway you want to, in any shape you want to.  I’m not going to tell you how I’m going to use it.  I just want you to tear it in a shape.”  So you tear it up in a shape.  Then I take the fifty pieces back. 

What would be the odds that all fifty of those pieces of paper would form a perfect map of the United States of America?  You wouldn’t believe it.  You’d say it’s a trick.  The odds are too astronomical to just accept that they all unify and fit together.

But the Bible is more than that.  It was many places, many people and many centuries and yet it all fits together with the same unified theme.

Jesus said in Luke 24 “Beginning with Moses [that’s the first five books of the Bible – Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy – the first five books of the Bible written by Moses] and all the Prophets, [that’s the rest of the Old Testament] Jesus explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.”  

 Did you get that?  Most people think the New Testament is about Jesus and the Old Testament is about Israel.  Wrong!  The New Testament wasn’t even written when Jesus said that.  He’s talking about the Old Testament.  It says he went through all the Scriptures and showed what it said about him.  The story is about Jesus from beginning to end.  The pictures, the metaphors, the analogies, the illusions – everything in Scripture from beginning to end is about God’s plan to redeem people and build a family for eternity.  It all began with him.  The star of the story is Jesus.  You can see him in every book.

John 5:39 Jesus says “You search the Scriptures because you believe they give you eternal life.  But the Scriptures point to me!”  Remember: the New Testament hasn’t been written when he said this.  He’s talking about the Old Testament.  All the Scriptures point to me.

The Bible is extremely trustworthy. The more we investigate the more we realize it takes more faith to reject it then to believe it. I pray that you continue to explore and read with an open mind and allow the Creator of the Universe to speak to you through His Word.

adapted from thoughts from Rick Warren and 40 Days in the Word Campaign