Sunday, February 15th, 2026 | Why You Can Trust the Bible

Devotional

Day 1: God reveals His power and character through creation.

The world around us is not a random accident but a deliberate and intricate design. Every detail, from the vastness of the cosmos to the complexity of a single cell, points to a Creator. The existence of beauty, color, music, and love are not necessities but gifts that reflect the goodness of their Giver. By thoughtfully observing creation, we can perceive the invisible qualities of God, His eternal power and divine nature, making His existence plain to all. [10:45]

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. (Psalm 19:1-4a NIV)

Reflection: As you go about your day, what is one specific part of creation—a sight, a sound, or a sensation—that causes you to pause and consider God’s power or goodness? How can you become more intentional in noticing these daily testimonies?

Day 2: The historical reliability of the Gospels invites our trust.

The accounts of Jesus' life were written within the lifetime of His contemporaries, including eyewitnesses and opponents. These narratives include details that would have been easily verifiable and challengeable by many people still alive at the time. Furthermore, the Gospels contain counterproductive stories that make the early disciples look faithless and flawed, which would be an unlikely inclusion in a fabricated legend. This historical groundedness provides a firm foundation for faith. [22:38]

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. (1 Corinthians 15:3-6 NIV)

Reflection: When you consider the historical claims of the Gospels, which aspect—the number of witnesses, the embarrassing details, or the public nature of the events—most strengthens your confidence in their truthfulness? Why does that particular point resonate with you?

Day 3: The resurrection of Jesus changes everything.

If the resurrection is true, it validates all of Jesus' claims about Himself and forces a re-evaluation of every other objection one might have. This single event moves Jesus from the category of a mere moral teacher or a lunatic into the category of Lord. The reality of the resurrection means that God’s power to intervene in our world is not just a theory but a historical fact, and it confirms that the message of the cross is the true means of salvation. [30:52]

And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. (1 Corinthians 15:14-17 NIV)

Reflection: How does the truth of the resurrection specifically address a current doubt or fear you have about God’s ability to act in your own life or in the world today?

Day 4: Scripture is God’s breathed-out word to humanity.

The Bible is not merely a human book about God, but is itself a revelation from God. It is inspired, or "God-breathed," meaning it carries His authority and purpose. This divine origin makes Scripture completely sufficient for teaching us what is true, correcting what is wrong, and training us to live in a way that honors God. It is the reliable guide that equips us for a life of faith and good works. [33:12]

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17 NIV)

Reflection: In which area of your life do you most need the Bible’s function of teaching, rebuking, correcting, or training right now? What would it look like to actively invite Scripture to speak into that area this week?

Day 5: To trust the Bible is to personally encounter God.

Engaging with Scripture is meant to be more than an intellectual exercise; it is an opportunity for a transformative meeting with God Himself. When we open His Word, we are not just collecting data but listening for the voice of our Creator, Savior, and Friend. This encounter is where true healing and change begin, moving us from groping in the darkness to walking in the light of His truth and grace. [45:11]

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12 NIV)

Reflection: As you read the Bible, what practical step could you take to shift from simply gathering information to actively listening for God’s voice speaking to your heart?

Sermon Summary

Trust in the Bible centers on two kinds of revelation: what God displays in the world and what God has spoken in words. Miracles draw many objections, but skepticism about miracles rests on hidden assumptions — that natural causes exhaust all explanation and that no Creator could intervene. The natural world itself argues otherwise: beauty, complexity, purpose, and human capacities for joy and meaning point to a powerful, wise, and good Designer whose attributes become visible when people thoughtfully observe creation. Those observations prepare the ground for special revelation, because the visible world cannot tell anyone how to enter a personal relationship with God or how divine justice and mercy meet.

The written Scriptures supply precisely what creation cannot: clear instruction about God’s will, the gospel, and how sinners find reconciliation. The four Gospels win credibility because early eyewitnesses still lived when the accounts circulated, the events remained public and disputable, and the narratives include embarrassing or costly details that inventors would have omitted. Jesus’ radical claims force a sharp choice about his identity: liar, lunatic, or Lord. If the resurrection stands as a real event, then Jesus’ teachings and the Bible’s core claims demand reconsideration as trustworthy truth rather than clever invention.

Scripture bears marks of divine origination: varied modes of revelation, reciprocal recognition among early writers, and a long process of collection and preservation that produced the Bible available today. Believing Scripture does not mean merely collecting data; it means opening to a personal encounter with God that transforms heart and life. Rejecting Scripture leaves people without a reliable compass for moral life or eternal hope. The Bible functions as a revealed, coherent basis for trust — one that both explains the world and tells people how to be reconciled to its Maker.

Key Takeaways

1. Miracles do not negate reason Carefully denying miracles imports philosophical assumptions into science: it presumes natural causes exhaust explanation and that a Creator cannot intervene. Recognizing miracles as possible removes the false dilemma between faith and reason and reframes evidence as pointing to a personal intelligent actor beyond nature. This shift changes how one interprets extraordinary claims and reopens historical questions like the resurrection for serious consideration. [06:21]
2. Creation reveals God's character A thoughtful look at color, taste, music, biological complexity, and human enjoyment points toward a Maker who is powerful, wise, and good. Nature supplies cumulative, accessible testimony that orients the mind toward a moral and personal God rather than anonymous force. That testimony demands ethical and existential responses, not mere curiosity, because it frames life as authored rather than accidental. [10:45]
3. Gospels grounded in eyewitness testimony The Gospels circulated while eyewitnesses still lived and described public events opponents could have disproved, which gives strong historical weight to their claims. Their inclusion of unflattering details resists the idea that early Christians fabricated flattering myths. Evaluating the Gospels on these grounds invites careful historical inquiry rather than dismissal on prejudice alone. [22:57]
4. Resurrection validates Jesus' identity Jesus’ self-claims about unique access to God force a decisive evaluation: liar, lunatic, or Lord. The resurrection functions as the pivotal historical event that, if true, confirms Jesus’ authority and the reliability of his teaching. Belief in that event reframes Scripture from human ideology to divine communication with urgent moral implications. [30:52]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:21] - Why trust the Bible?
[02:41] - Miracles as an objection
[05:07] - Enlightenment and skepticism
[08:54] - Creation reveals God
[17:49] - Why words matter: Scripture
[22:11] - Are the Gospels reliable?
[28:15] - Jesus' claims about himself
[30:52] - The significance of the resurrection
[36:43] - Inspiration and preservation of Scripture
[41:05] - Costs of rejecting the Bible
[45:43] - Prayer and application

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading: Romans 1:18-20 (ESV)
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

Observation questions

According to Romans 1:18, what are the two things that God's wrath is revealed against?
What does verse 19 say is "plain" to people and how has God made it plain?
What specific "invisible attributes" of God does verse 20 say are clearly perceived from creation?
What is the stated consequence, according to the end of verse 20, for those who perceive this evidence?

Interpretation questions

The passage says people "suppress the truth" by their unrighteousness. What might that process of suppression look like in a person's life or thinking?
What does it mean that people are "without excuse"? How does the evidence in creation accomplish this?
The sermon mentions that creation reveals God's power, wisdom, and goodness through things like color, taste, and music [13:38]. How do these everyday experiences connect to the "invisible attributes" listed in Romans 1:20?
Why do you think God chose to reveal His eternal power and divine nature through the created world, rather than in another way?

Application questions

When was the last time you thoughtfully observed something in creation—like a sunset, a flower, or the complexity of the human body—and allowed it to point you to God's character? What did you see? [11:55]
The idea that we can encounter God's communication every day through what He has made [17:14] is a shift from treating the world as merely natural. How could you practice being more attentive to God's revelation in creation this week?
If someone were to say that belief in God is just a psychological crutch, how might the truth that God has embedded evidence of Himself in creation change that conversation? [09:35]
The resurrection of Jesus forces a decisive evaluation of His identity: liar, lunatic, or Lord [29:42]. Which of these options have you personally settled on, and what evidence was most important for your conclusion?
The Bible functions as a reliable basis for trust that explains the world and tells us how to be reconciled to God. In what area of your life do you find it most difficult to trust what Scripture says, and why?
Rejecting Scripture leaves people without a reliable compass [42:39]. What is one decision you are facing right now where you need the compass of God's Word to provide direction?
Trusting the Bible is about trusting God for a transformative, personal encounter [45:11]. How is your approach to reading the Bible more about collecting information rather than seeking to encounter God Himself? What would it look like to change that?

Sermon Clips

38s

#AssumptionsOfScience

“But what's going on with that statement? With that that that way of thinking, that that way of thinking has assumptions built into it and let me try to help you see those. The the the assumption behind that claim that that science has proven that there is no such thing as miracles Within that's a within that statement is actually a leap of faith. Several actually. Let me help you see it. Think about this. It's one thing to say that science is only able to account for, you know, the natural causes for things.”

28s

#StopAndObserveCreation

“Because you know what? It's embedded in every detail of the world you and I live in and you and I breathe in every single day. It's embedded in everything around us. We just go about. We just don't notice We're just we're so much in a hurry. We're so much in a we're so busy. We're we're just kind of a inch deep in our observations. We're not thoughtfully observing you. If we stop and ponder it, stop and look at it, think about it,”

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Sunday, February 15th, 2026 | Why You Can Trust the Bible - Part 1