The Bible: Our Divine Guide for Life

### Bible Study Discussion Guide

#### Bible Reading
1. **2 Timothy 3:16-17**: "All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip His people to do every good work."
2. **Hebrews 4:12**: "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."
3. **Luke 21:15**: "For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict."

#### Observation Questions
1. What analogy did the pastor use to describe how people often treat the Bible, and what was the main point of this analogy? ([27:55])
2. According to the sermon, what are some of the dangers of altering the teachings of the Bible to fit personal preferences? ([31:01])
3. How does the pastor describe the Bible's ability to transform lives? ([36:20])
4. What evidence does the pastor provide to support the Bible's literary and historical consistency? ([51:30])

#### Interpretation Questions
1. Why is it important to trust the Bible in its entirety rather than altering its teachings to fit modern sensibilities? ([31:01])
2. How does the Bible's transformational power serve as evidence of its divine origin? ([36:20])
3. What does the pastor mean when he says the Bible is a "living, active Word"? How does this concept affect our daily lives? ([36:20])
4. How does the Bible's consistency and harmony, despite being written over 1,500 years by more than 40 authors, point to its divine inspiration? ([51:30])

#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on a time when you might have been tempted to alter or ignore a part of the Bible's teachings to fit your personal preferences. How did that impact your spiritual life? ([31:01])
2. The pastor mentioned that the Bible is a "living, active Word" that can transform lives. How has the Bible transformed your life, and in what areas do you still seek transformation? ([36:20])
3. Considering the Bible's literary and historical consistency, how can you use this knowledge to strengthen your faith and share it with others? ([51:30])
4. The pastor emphasized the importance of approaching the Bible with reverence. What practical steps can you take to ensure you are treating the Bible as a divine manual for life? ([41:55])
5. How can you cultivate a habit of reading and studying the Bible regularly, given that only 15% of evangelical Christians read the Bible consistently? ([38:13])
6. Think of a specific area in your life where you need guidance. How can you turn to the Bible for wisdom and direction in that area this week? ([29:56])
7. The pastor invited those who haven't surrendered their lives to Christ to do so. If you haven't made this decision yet, what is holding you back? If you have, how can you help others take this step? ([41:55])

Day 1: Trusting God's Complete Recipe
The Bible offers divine guidance for living a righteous life, much like a recipe book provides specific instructions for cooking. Altering its teachings to fit personal preferences undermines its divine authority and leads to spiritual malnutrition. Trust in the Bible's completeness and follow its instructions faithfully. [29:56]

The Bible is often compared to a recipe book, providing specific instructions for living a righteous life. Just as altering a recipe can lead to disastrous culinary results, changing or ignoring parts of the Bible to suit personal preferences can lead to spiritual malnutrition. The Bible is divinely inspired and complete, offering all the guidance we need for a fulfilling and righteous life. Trusting in its entirety is crucial for spiritual health and growth.

Many people, including some within mainline denominations, are guilty of altering the Bible's teachings to fit modern sensibilities. This practice is dangerous and undermines the integrity and divine inspiration of God's Word. The Bible should be trusted in its entirety, as it is God's complete recipe book for life. By following its instructions faithfully, we can ensure that we are living in accordance with God's will and experiencing the fullness of His blessings.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (ESV): "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work."

Reflection: In what ways have you been tempted to alter or ignore parts of the Bible to fit your personal preferences? How can you commit to trusting and following God's complete recipe for your life today?


Day 2: The Transformational Power of the Bible
The Bible is not just a historical document; it is a living, active Word that transforms lives. When you submit to its teachings, it penetrates your heart and mind, guiding you toward righteousness and away from darkness. This transformation is the ultimate evidence of its divine origin. [36:20]

The Bible is more than just a collection of historical documents; it is a living, active Word that has the power to transform lives. When individuals submit to its teachings, the Bible penetrates their hearts and minds, guiding them toward righteousness and away from darkness. This transformational power is the ultimate evidence of the Bible's divine origin and its ability to change lives for the better.

The Bible's teachings are not just theoretical concepts but practical guidelines that, when followed, lead to a transformed life. The Word of God is alive and active, capable of discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. By submitting to its authority and allowing it to guide our lives, we can experience profound personal transformation and spiritual growth.

Hebrews 4:12 (ESV): "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart."

Reflection: How has the Bible transformed your life in the past? What specific areas of your life do you need to submit to its teachings today to experience further transformation?


Day 3: The Bible's Literary and Historical Consistency
Despite being written over 1,500 years by more than 40 authors from different backgrounds, the Bible maintains a remarkable consistency and harmony. This diversity and unity are unparalleled in any other literary work, pointing to its divine inspiration. [51:30]

The Bible is a unique literary work, written over a span of 1,500 years by more than 40 authors from various backgrounds. Despite this diversity, the Bible maintains a remarkable consistency and harmony in its message and teachings. This unity amidst diversity is unparalleled in any other literary work and points to the Bible's divine inspiration.

The consistency of the Bible is evident in its themes, prophecies, and teachings, which align perfectly despite the vast differences in the authors' backgrounds and the time periods in which they wrote. This remarkable unity is a testament to the divine guidance that inspired the authors and ensured the coherence of the Bible's message. The Bible's literary and historical consistency is a powerful evidence of its divine origin and reliability.

2 Peter 1:20-21 (ESV): "Knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit."

Reflection: How does the Bible's consistency and harmony strengthen your faith in its divine inspiration? What steps can you take to deepen your understanding of the Bible's unified message?


Day 4: The Bible's Popularity and Influence
The Bible's widespread popularity and influence are undeniable. It has been the best-selling book for decades, and its teachings have shaped civilizations. This popularity is not just a matter of tradition but a testament to its enduring relevance and divine wisdom. [46:02]

The Bible is the best-selling book of all time and has had a profound influence on civilizations throughout history. Its teachings have shaped laws, ethics, and cultural norms, demonstrating its enduring relevance and divine wisdom. The Bible's widespread popularity is not merely a matter of tradition but a testament to its transformative power and the truth it contains.

The influence of the Bible extends beyond individual lives to entire societies. Its principles have been the foundation for justice, compassion, and moral integrity in various cultures. The Bible's teachings continue to inspire and guide people around the world, proving its timeless relevance and divine origin. The enduring popularity of the Bible is a powerful evidence of its impact and the truth it conveys.

Isaiah 40:8 (ESV): "The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever."

Reflection: How has the Bible influenced your personal life and the society around you? What can you do to share its enduring relevance and divine wisdom with others?


Day 5: Approaching the Bible with Reverence
To truly understand and benefit from the Bible, one must approach it with reverence and a willingness to submit to its authority. It is not just another book of stories but a divine manual for life. By accepting Jesus, you unlock the Bible's true potential as a guide for your existence. [41:55]

Approaching the Bible with reverence and a willingness to submit to its authority is essential for truly understanding and benefiting from its teachings. The Bible is not just another book of stories; it is a divine manual for life, offering guidance and wisdom for every aspect of our existence. By accepting Jesus and submitting to the Bible's authority, we unlock its true potential as a guide for our lives.

Reverence for the Bible involves recognizing its divine origin and treating it with the respect it deserves. This means approaching it with an open heart and mind, ready to be transformed by its teachings. When we submit to the Bible's authority, we allow it to shape our thoughts, actions, and decisions, leading us toward a life that is aligned with God's will and purpose.

Psalm 119:105 (ESV): "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."

Reflection: How can you cultivate a deeper reverence for the Bible in your daily life? What steps can you take to submit more fully to its authority and allow it to guide your decisions and actions?

Good morning. Good morning. Good... Huh? Let's do that again. Good morning. Good... Oh, praise God. Good to have you here this morning. I want to welcome you and all those who are joining us on the Internet. My name is Ben. I'm one of the pastors here at the Father's House. I give oversight to the safety and the men's ministry. And if you want to be a part of a ministry in the church, just check safety, and I will call you, and I will bring you in.

Now, I'm not supposed to be doing little notes like that, so you didn't hear that. Okay? I want us to... We just had a time... That worship was dynamite. I mean, I'm standing over here wondering, how am I going to look when my mascara runs? You know? I mean, it was moving to me. And we have filled this house with praise.

So what I'd like to do, I'd like us to also fill it with God's Word. All right? All right? So I want you to... Read with me, loudly. Now, listen. This is the text that we're using as the cornerstone for this series, Bible Boot Camp. All right? It's from 2 Timothy 3, verses 16 and 17. I want you to read this loud enough to where your ears hear your voice. Okay? Because your ears need to hear you praying God's and giving out God's Word. Amen?

Let's start this. Ready? Ready? All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip His people to do every good work.

Right there is not only the source, but the why. Right? There's the who and the why of what we believe in in God's Word. I'm going to... Well, when I left the house today, I picked up a book. This here is a cookbook. It has recipes in it. I have thumbed through this twice and gained a pound and a half. Right? But this is a pretty good book. This is my wife's favorite recipe book.

Anybody here cook from a recipe? No one? The rest of you aren't going to admit it? You think... I just saw a lady raise her hand and look over. I wanted to see if her children were watching because they thought she's the one that came up with it. This book has just marvelous things in it. But I was watching Roberta cook the other day, and she was putting something together with a recipe. And I noticed that she actually added something to it that wasn't in the recipe. I mean, isn't that sacrilege? I mean, she actually added something to the recipe book.

And I asked her about it, didn't I? I asked her. I said, why do you do that? And she said, well, I'll sometimes even take things out. I may put a little more, a little less in what it calls for. And I do that because I know what I want from it. You know? I know what I'm looking for. I thought, oh, okay. Then I asked her, I said, so that means basically you don't trust this cookbook. She said, oh, no, no, I do. I do, but I just, I don't always think that the recipe in it is exactly what I'm looking for.

And it's what I'm looking for. It's what I want as a result. So in other words, you don't trust it. And she admitted, well, yeah, okay, completely maybe I don't. But it's a good start. I have another recipe book. This is God's recipe book. And in here there is a recipe for each and every one of you. There's a recipe in here for every man, woman, and child that has ever walked or ever will walk this planet.

There's a recipe in here that if you find yourself in a lack of hope, it will bring that hope to your life. There's a recipe in here if you are in the midst of conflict, it will bring peace to your heart. There is a recipe. Now, I'm not kidding. I guarantee it. There is a recipe in this book for each and every one of you that find yourself walking in a really dark place because this has a recipe that will shine a light onto that path and guide you through it. That's what this recipe book can do.

But unfortunately, today, there are many who are taking this recipe book. They are lifting it up and they're calling it holy, but they're changing the recipes. They're adding a little something or maybe they're taking something away. Mainline denominations. I'm talking about organizations that have sway over literally hundreds of thousands of people are changing the recipes in that book while they call it holy.

You cannot change anything out of this book. There is nothing that you are allowed to remove from this book. And if you walk out of this place without hearing a single thing, hear this and don't forget it. God loved you so much and never had one of you. He always wanted one of you and whoop, there you are. Right? And he gave you an owner's manual. A recipe to eat life and wholeness and health and happiness. He provided that to you.

And he did not tell you, now I change it so it fits your life. Because your life, your life, your life was given by God to fit it, not it to you. You with me? I just want to make sure we have all of our Jesus cleats tightened up here when we get going. All right? I'm going to ask you a quick question. Why do you think, why do you think that we want to change the recipes in this book? Why do we think that even we have the right to do that?

Could it possibly be that we don't trust it? We don't trust it. We don't trust it to give us like, just like the recipe. We don't trust it to actually give us the final result. Oh, we've got all the ingredients and it's a really good start, but we're not really sure it's going to result in what we want. So what do we do? Well, if we don't get what we want, particularly here in Western society, then we either go out and get what we want, ignoring what we already have, or we take what we have and rebuild it.

That is what's happening today, more than any other time in human history. Now it has happened before, but never globally like it is now. We are actually redefining this work. One time, a long time ago, I preached a message about getting rid of the things in the scripture. And I found tithing in here and tore it out and threw it. Then there were a few other things I saw and I didn't like those either, so I just tore them out. You know what's really good about that Bible? It's quite a bit thinner than it started out to be, but I found that it actually fit my life now.

I also found about two-thirds of the people in the back rows were about ready to head out and get out of town. Fortunately, I did tell them I wasn't tearing out a Bible, I was tearing out a dictionary. They just didn't know that. You know, we need to come to a place of recognizing that the Bible is much more than a book of stories. It is a narrative. It is a historical narrative. This is a book of stories. And they're pretty good stories.

It's called Grimm's Fairy Tales. Anybody know what I'm talking about? You ever hear of these? Yeah. See, I just like the Bible. People know this. They don't read it, but they know it. Grimm's Fairy Tales, a lot of stories in here. Also has a lot of stories in it. And you see, the problem we have with the word stories is that we tend to look at stories as something that, well, we can just look at and not really hold on to, and call it important.

If you don't think that's true, think about this. The Christmas story has been regulated to only be addressed once a year. And yet it is probably the single, with the exception of the death and resurrection of Christ, probably one of the most powerful, really life-changing, world-changing events that ever took place. But we only take it once a year. And you know what? We've heard the story so many times, we're really getting tired of hearing it.

There's a difference between this and this. They both have stories. This one has stories in it to entertain you. This one has stories in it to inform you. You see the difference? Just stories. But the problem is, as we keep walking up to the Scripture, and our perspective is, is just to simply look at it as just another story. It's not just another story. It's a historical narrative of actual events.

And when you approach this Bible, walk up to it as you go to read it, and read it just that way. You certainly are going to read this that way. You're going to read this hoping to get whatever's taking place, and you're going to expect it to be true. Right? Don't make the Bible any less than that. Let the Bible be the same. Listen to what it does. And this is in the book of Hebrews, chapter 4, verse 12.

For the word of God is alive and active. Stop there real quick. When I was reading this the other day at home, my dog was asleep. Now we have a dog that thinks she's a German Shepherd, but she's actually a long-haired doxy. But she woke up. That dog never wakes up, and just looks at you like, yo. That dog goes nuts. That dog is alive and active. You with me? The word of God is alive and active.

It was never intended to be sitting there, sitting on your shelf. It was intended to be given the life through you, into the world around you. For the word of God is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword. It penetrates even to the dividing of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and the attitudes of the heart. Isn't that amazing?

Anybody here got cutlery at home that can do that? Here's my knife. And you know what? It works better on me than it does on anyone else. The book of Luke. It says this. Luke 21 says, I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. Wouldn't it be comfortable for you to be able to walk up? I mean, just an example for myself right here. I have to step out here and not say what I'm going to say and hope that you understand it and like it.

I have to just sit back and recognize I don't have that right. God is going to speak through me. Anything that I say to you, God is choosing to speak through me. To do that. Because what you're hearing is not necessarily what you're hearing. And what you need in your life isn't at all what they need in their life. But God is speaking both to you through His Word.

All right? And you take, when you walk into church, you don't walk in and take every single thing that any person standing in front of you says. You take it, wash it down with vinegar, make sure that it's in the Scripture and accept only what comes from this Word. My responsibility is to train you and teach you and provide to you because the Bible says, woe unto you who teach. And I don't need God's woe.

So I've got to do the best that I can that I walk rightly before God in this Word to you. Your responsibility is to take home what I give you and make sure it is of God. You can't, most people don't even, do you know that only 15% of evangelical, professing Christians actually read the Bible? That's 15 out of 100. That means that roughly, this room seats a little more than 400 people.

So that means just about this section right there, we read the Bible. The rest of us are going to go home and the only time we're going to see the Bible is when we show up next Sunday. Do not put a Marlin on the back of your car and call yourself a Christian. Leave all that kind of stuff off. Sit down and read God's Word and watch the recipes feed your soul.

I'm going to, I got to thinking about how I was going to approach this and one of the things that I realized is that there isn't enough time today unless of course we lock the doors and you know, make you stay. Hey, that's a good idea. No, well, that's right, maybe not. I wanted to figure out how I was going to be able to present this to you and then I realized, you know, the best way to present this isn't necessarily to say, the Bible is true and trustworthy. It is credible.

You know how I know? Because it says so. That doesn't work. That doesn't work for people who look at this as just one more fairy tale, just one more group of stories and most of us, that's exactly what we do. Well, the Bible says, I got to be honest with you, there's a lot of things the Bible says and some of it are kind of hard to accept. Imagine this, imagine for a moment that you have never read the Bible or heard about, heard from the Bible.

You've never read anything from the Bible. Nobody's ever told you any of the Bible stories? Nothing, ever, right? And believe it or not, there's a lot of people in our country, in this city, that that's true. Now I come to you and I say, hey, I got this on Good Report. No kidding, really. There's this guy, well, he was going to eat fish, but can't this, the fish ate him? No kidding, yeah. Suck that guy right up and he was inside that minnow for close to three days.

I guess, I guess the fish was an uber guy with an, because it spit him upon the beach he was supposed to be at. I mean, I think that's a good story. How many of you would buy that story? How many here believe in the Word and you say that Bible's true, that story's true? Look at that. Now how did you come to that conclusion? You read God's Word. And why did you do that? Because the first thing you did was submit yourself to the authority of God's Word.

Then, truth starts to bear. When my wife gave her heart to the Lord, I thought she'd lost her mind, but I told her, didn't I not say to you, well, when you get over this, I'll still be here for you, honey. My life got changed. Now how did that happen? Well, I read the Bible, but it didn't make a lot of sense to me. It really didn't. And I started reading stories in it that I realized, you know, they're just stories and I got bored with them after a while. I just stopped reading them.

Then I gave my heart to Christ. And I was amazed. This is a different book now. Suddenly it starts talking to me because I'm starting to be willing to listen to the author. You know? Guys, if you don't know Christ, I want you to know it's just a book. It's just a book. When you know Christ, you find out it isn't a book. It is the manual of your life. It is the recipe of your existence.

Okay, here's what I want to do. I want to approach this not by judging the Bible's credibility from a Christian viewpoint, but from a secular viewpoint. And I want to answer it from a secular viewpoint because they're not going to, I can't just read Scripture and say, well, there it is. So I want to do this, and I thought about the five things that I, over the 40 years of ministry I've had, these are five things that pretty much stand out in people who don't believe in the Scripture.

And I thought maybe what we'll do, I'll try to answer it in that fashion. Here's the first one. No one really is interested in the Bible anymore. You ever hear that? Oh, the Bible's old hat. Nobody does that. You know, right? Nobody reads the Bible. The number one characteristic in those that we place our trust in is popularity. Now, that's not new for us, but it's far more now that we've got the internet and all these other various ways to communicate.

But it's always been that way. Popularity is the number one. The greater the attention that something is given or someone is given, the more trustworthy we seem to think they are. Where do we get to that place? Think about it. Excuse me. I have a... is not coffee. This is some elixir that was made for me. I'm just kind of worried about it. But it's good. And it's helping my throat. I've been dealing with a little bit of... I think I was riding the motorcycle the other day and I think I got a bug and it's still there.

Has anybody ever heard that before? No one is really interested? All right. Celebrities. Think about this. These are people, actors, that simply regurgitate somebody else's writing. They don't even write up the story. It's not even their story. And yet for some reason, because they're on a big screen and enough people see them, we actually see them as authorities over everything from global warming to family care.

And how much do we pay? We're willing to pay. Well, I saw a young golfer that I liked a couple years back and he finally started really coming out pretty good. And I'm not going to name the company, but a company paid him 25 million dollars just to wear their hat for two years. I'd have worn that hat in bed. But all they had to do was wear it to the... you know, to go out and play golf. 25 million. Doesn't that seem... that seems wrong.

I wear a hat and nobody even notices I got hair. Had hair. Okay, forget that. Celebrities. If celebrity is it, do you know... let me put it for a book. Eighty million books are on the market today, right now. Eighty million. Of the books that come out every year, they say the average book will only sell between two and sixteen copies. Why? That's usually the number of family that you have that are willing to buy the book. Seriously. That's how many.

So in other words, it's very rare to get those people who actually write something that hits the New York bestseller list. But once it hits that, they may have only sold just enough to reach it, but once it hit, bam, now they're on their road. What happened? Popularity. It got popular. If popularity is it, if the number of clicks is it, if the number of sales is it, consider the Bible.

This is the one we just got finished saying nobody was interested in. There are more than three Bibles being sold every second, every minute, every hour, of every day, of every week, of every month, for every year for the last 20 years. That is over 100 million Bibles every year being sold. I would say, does that actually mean that because those Bibles are being sold that the Bible is God's word? No. But it certainly says it's popular.

And it is being said that it's being read. I would have to say if clicks count, it's a pretty trustworthy book. Okay? How about this one? The Bible isn't seen as good literature. I always liked that one. Because the people that always bring that to me have never even read the Bible. They're usually just simply parroting something that someone else said. They went someplace and someone told them that, oh, you know the Bible, it's not really good literature.

Guys, you may know how to read a book, but there's very few people who really can tell you whether something is good literature or not. When it comes to the assessment of literary value, go to those who know. Right? Let me give you a little of this. Now, by the way, let me preface it with this. These are not people, these are not people who are pastors or Christians or leaders in the church. These are secular skeptics.

All right? The Department of Journalism and Literature, Cambridge University, qualifies the Bible in its entirety as being the single greatest literary endeavor in human history. That's a pretty good vote. Harvard University accredits the Book of John as being the most encompassing single work ever produced. It contains every form of literary style and is an expression of perfect harmony.

The Academy of Science of American Poets identifies the Book of Psalms as, quote, transforming the substance of life into the amber liquid of poetry, intelligent, restrained, joyful, sorrowful, appearing to have been engraved by a master's hand. Go figure. How about the Nobel Peace Prize winner, Eli Wiesel, said, and this is a gentleman who is an Orthodox Jew. Obviously, he's not talking about what he feels.

Listen to what he says. Its impact has no equal. Whether or not the social or ethical plane or on that literary creation, we forget too often that the Bible pertains equally to the artistic domain. Its characters are dramatic. Their drama is timeless. Their triumphs and defeats overwhelming. In other words, that sounds pretty good written right there.

Now, this doesn't, these literary experts, it doesn't make the Bible, it isn't proof that it's God's Word, but it is proof that you cannot stand on the concept that it's bad literature. Because if the best of the best say it is, well, who are you? You know why you would think it's not good literature? Because you keep falling asleep in it. Really. If you don't believe me, read those first five books of the Old Testament. They're great nap time.

Put you out just like that. What's nice about it is when you wake up, it's still there to read. How about this one? See how many hands go up when they heard this or had brought to you? Maybe you haven't said it. The Bible is just like every other book. Hmm? The Bible is just like every other book. Nothing, absolutely nothing could be further from the truth on this one.

For no other book in history of journalism compares in its diversity and in its harmony. If I were to pull somebody up from this side of the room and give them something to write about and give them a topic and say give me something to write about, I'm going to pick you when I pull up somebody from this room. It's not going to be the same.

It's not only not going to be the same, they may even conflict. In fact, there's a very good chance by the time it works its way through this crowd, they're not going to agree at all. In fact, they might even start having an argument about their position, which is what we do today. Dialogue is out of the window. We don't dialogue. We don't talk. We don't interact. We just battle. Kind of sad.

But let me tell you, some of these things you've already heard, but it's worth going over again. This book, this book is not a book. It's 66 books. And of those 66 books, they were written over 1,500 years by over 40 authors on three different continents, Asia, Africa, and Europe, and in three different languages, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.

And we can't get a different language in there in this room unless we could probably get three or four interpreters to do it, and then we'd probably end up saying something different than the guy next to us just said to their audience. We don't harmonize anymore in our world. We battle. We just shout until we can get our voice loud enough to be the winner. Doesn't matter if we're right. Just loud.

The Scripture is telling us very clearly that it is different than any other book. Think of the differences in the people. The writers were not the same. They didn't all go to the same college or sit in the same dorm or write this all out together. There are kings, literal kings, tent makers, military leaders, philosophers, peasants, fishermen, physicians, tax collectors, poets, historians, musicians, rabbis, statesmen, scholars, and, of course, shepherds.

You know, if you get a lawyer in the room and a pastor in the room, you might be able to say how the weather is, but you're not going to be able to talk on the same plane. But they did. They wrote in different environments. Moses was in the wilderness. Jeremiah was in a dungeon. Daniel was in a palace. David was out in a pasture someplace. Paul was in prison. Luke, well, Luke was on the road. John was exiled to the Isle of Patmos.

They were in different environments. They were being affected differently by the world around them. These men struggled with, they struggled with things that we will never face or even be able to comprehend. Some were in the heights of joy when they were writing. Some were in the depths of despair when they were writing. Some had absolute certainty and conviction of what they were about to write while others expressed some confusion and even doubt.

Consider the wide variety of the styles of literature: poetry, historical, narrative, song, romance, educational thesis, personal correspondence, memoirs, satire, biography, autobiography, law, prophecy, parable, and allegory. Whew! And yet it all fits. It all fits. You have a family. You love your family. You speak to your family. Sit down and write something on the same topic and watch just how different you might be.

But yet, it fits. And that's another thing. The men that wrote this did not sneak out and avoid controversy. They weren't fearful of offending someone. They stood up and walked into it head on and they're doing it even today. Then they gave their lives and people are giving their lives today for this work. And they're, why is it that they have, why is it affecting people so much?

Because it comes contrary to the life that the enemy of your soul wants for you. It tells you exactly what it's all about. They talk about marriage in this book. They talk about divorce in this book and remarriage in this book. They talk about homosexuality in this book. They talk about all the things that right now we kind of dance around and don't want to just simply address what God says.

Do we want to agree with it all the time? No, I got to be honest with you. It would really be nice if we could kind of mold it into something that fit. And then we wouldn't have to actually deal with these things. But ladies and gentlemen, we don't have a choice if we're called by God to live in this world, breathe his air and speak his word. Stand up for truth. Stand with love.

That's the part that always I find interesting. I just don't understand. I don't understand how anybody who demands diversity without conformity expects unity with inclusion and always, always says, well, I believe in love. How can we not run into this book? Here's the question. Here's the question I ask you. I believe in love. I'm glad you do. I hope you do.

But here's the question. I want you to think in your mind right now of that one person, and you know who it is, that person that hurt you deeply, stole from you, took from you, maybe even changed your life negatively. Think of that one person that stabbed you in the heart. Imagine their face. And real quickly, answer this question. Do you love them? Yes. That's a good call because you are walking in the right path.

Why? Most of us will see their faces and be real honestly going, you know, there's nothing in here that says you have to like anybody. But it does say you have to love them. We don't have an option when it comes to love. It is not a statement of a really cool belief system. It is a simple command from God. And a command. It's not a request. It's not a suggestion. It's a command.

It's a command that you are to love. If you cannot love the one who is least lovable in your life, then you're not fulfilling God's word. And you know what love requires? That you serve them, that you care for them, that you pray for them, that you bend your knees and you weep for them. When really what you want to do is beat them into the dirt. But that's not what God called us to do.

That makes this Bible, this book, rather interesting, doesn't it? Because it's a challenge to believe in this word. Now this, these various differences do not necessarily confirm that this is God's word. But it does challenge any thinking person who is willing to look for truth, to look into the diversity and unity of this word and recognize what it is.

Okay? How about this one? How many have heard this? Or how many have said this? Today's Bible isn't the same as the original. Huh? 2,000 years. I mean, come on. 2,000 years it's out there and you're telling me that it's... The only way you can confirm that is by going back to where the original is and see how it compares to what we have that we're dealing with today.

There exists more manuscript evidence for the Bible than any other book of antiquity. Because no other book, no other document, no other letter, nothing is required to prove itself the same way this Bible has been expected to prove itself. It's never happened. It just simply isn't. Let me give you an example. How many have ever heard of Homer's Iliad? Okay.

Homer's Iliad is considered one of the oldest documents we have available that has manuscript evidence. The manuscript evidence consists of 643 pieces of manuscript. But here's the interesting part. This book that's never been questioned, this book that nobody even brings up the authority of it or the authenticity of it or the authorship of it, doesn't say any of that.

This book was written, supposedly, in 800 B.C. The first reference to Homer's Iliad is in 600 A.D. That's a reference. That is 1,400 years after it was written, it is now being referenced. The first part of a manuscript that has been found are dated back to the 13th century. Now, those are all pretty interesting to say that this document quite possibly exists.

And most likely has an author, obviously. And we can accept that fact. But why would we not question its existence and how it got written and who wrote it? Why don't we really question that? Well, because we just accepted it for what it is. How about accepting this book the same way? Let me give you a little bit of, if that's what it's going to take, let me share this with you.

The New Testament's transcripts we have are dated back to the second century, running between 100 to 120 years, roughly. Some of them, I find, are dated earlier, but they're in question. Of those, 24,970 actual parchments have been interpreted. Not 600, 24,000, almost 25,000. And there's 70,000 remaining yet to be investigated.

F.E. Peters, professor of antiquities at Oxford University, said this, on the basis of manuscript tradition alone, the works that made up the Christian's New Testament were the most frequently copied and widely circulated books of antiquity. In other words, it was a bestseller right off the bat and it's going everywhere. Everywhere.

Now, the discoveries, these discoveries are great, but that, again, doesn't necessarily affirm that the Bible is written by God. But it does affirm that whatever the original writers wanted to place, that's what I am reading. And it hasn't changed. It hasn't changed. And I love when people say, well, that's true. Find me where it's true.

Because this next one, this next one you've had to have heard before. This is number one on the list. This is one that I get all the time. And I'm not even going to give the whole thing. I'm going to let you fill in the gap. The Bible is just full of contradictions. Most of you didn't want to say that, did you?

Anybody hear that? Have you ever said that? I mean, come on. As long as it's been going on, contradictions. That is the most used and least supported assault on the Bible's credibility in all time, is that the Bible contradicts itself. And that really, I want you to know, hear this. If this book contradicts itself, we cannot trust it.

I'm telling you straight up. If it's contradicting itself, we cannot trust it. Because God would not contradict himself. Right? And if God is in fact the author, then it shouldn't contradict itself. But yet, for some reason, we tend to think that contradiction is present. But I want you to know, if you are a true studier of the Word, if you've, I mean, hear me out.

Most of us have an opinion that somebody else gave us. All right? Get your own. Take the time to look it up yourself. Right? Look it up, because you're responsible for you. Don't show up in heaven going, well, that's not what he said, Lord. That ain't gonna work. You make sure that you are on target. Do I hear an uh-huh? It's all I ask for.

A true student of the Bible will find, and no doubt, will find statements that appear to be inconsistent. You're going to, if you really get into the Word. And understand what I'm talking about. Studying God's Word is not simply reading God's Word. It is investigating God's Word. You with me? Read it with the same energy that you would read something you were really interested in. You'd be amazed how interested you'll get.

Let me give you an example of a contradiction. Here's a pretty standard one. Judas Iscariot, the betrayer of Jesus. It says in the book of Matthew that Judas Iscariot went out and hung himself. That's what it says. Out of remorse, he went out and hung himself. In the book of Acts, it says that Judas Iscariot died falling into a field and bursting open. Yes.

Well, there it is. Before you make an assumption that this is a contradiction, that one is contradicting the other, then simply do these four things in your investigation. One, investigate the testimony. Investigate the evidence. Investigate the circumstances. And investigate the environment. Look into it and ask yourself, don't look into it to make sure that it does fit.

Look into it that if you see a contradiction, study it out. Find out what it says. And in this instance, it's real simple. The environment answers it. The condition of the ground. What happened here, if you go to Israel, you will find that where Judas hung himself is still there. Now the trees aren't there, but the land is still there.

There was a field that leads up to a cliff. There's a cliff above it. And it's just outside of Jerusalem. And it's a place that historically has been perceived as where others had gone and taken their own lives. We investigate. What is a common sense answer to this dilemma? Judas went out to hang himself and he didn't go out to try to hang himself and leave himself an option like bringing a chair that he could step back on if necessary.

He went to a cliff that had a tree and he took a garment or possibly a rope and he hung himself on a branch on that tree. And instead of giving himself the out, a lot of people start to commit something that they're not sure they want to do, but they always leave themselves an out where they can stand back up if necessary or call a doctor or whatever the case may be.

No, this man was not making himself an option with an out. He wanted to be gone. So he hung himself from this branch and stepped off a cliff that he could not step back from. Now, I don't know how long he was there. He could have been there for a few minutes, a few hours, maybe a few days. I don't know. Maybe a week.

But something would presume to have taken place to put him in that field. Either the branch broke, his tie broke, or he broke. And where did he end up? In a field. Everyone, if you, I was going to show this as an example of how that, what I want to talk about. I'm going to have everybody, don't do this, but have everybody stand up. I was going to say, oh, I always stand up and all of you just fall down real quick.

And let's see how many of you burst open. You get my point? There had to have been some distance for that to happen. So for him to be, this is a natural, it's a reasonable answer. Well, why, why don't we ever think about those things? Because our mind and the enemy of our soul is quick to tell us, oh, there he is. There you go. There's a problem. Look into it.

And here's what I'm going to propose to you. If you are in this room this morning and you say, I know of a contradiction, you send it to benrandall@bensquill.com and we will talk. Okay? Or call the church. They'll get a hold of me and we'll talk. Because there are no contradictions in God's word because if there were, I can't trust it and I trust my life to it.

All right? All right. So in closing, let me just share this with you. I just thought about it. How come we don't give the same expectation of honesty and truth to the news media, to politicians, to whoever? How come we don't expect that from them? Because don't we go to them and want to hear the truth? Huh? Ask yourself that also about your home. How does your family look at you?

Do they know that when they come to you, they'll always get the truth? I hope so. But I want you to know the only thing it's going to affirm to you from that is in this book. The Scripture's popularity, its approval by the finest literary minds, its unique diversity, its miraculous harmony, and the abundance of manuscript evidence and the lack of contradiction, all these things do not prove that this is God's word.

But it does prove that there's not much of an argument out there against it. But what I will share with you is this. There is evidence that this is God's word. The evidence is the transformational power that this book gives to a life that surrenders themselves to Jesus. I've seen it, and it's sitting in this room.

How many have submitted yourself to the power of God and found His word to be something that changes your life? You know? If not, then you are either not walking with God, you have not surrendered yourself to the Holy Spirit, and to Christ Himself. You have actually just simply read the stories and didn't read the reviews.

In the book of John, in this book that I believe is true, it says that no one, no one, I don't care how good you are, I don't care how many rewards of generosity you've received, no one will enter the kingdom of God except through Him. That's what He said. And I believe it. He said that if you believe in Him you walk in darkness, open your eyes because He has made the way clear for you.

You don't have to be there anymore. I look around this room, I don't know many of you. I don't. I hope to, but I don't. But I know in this room there's an awful lot of neighbors of mine that are going to show up in the kingdom and we live on the same block. But there may be somebody here who doesn't. And you want to know this book, but it hasn't made a lot of sense to you.

Surrender yourself to the author. Close your eyes for just a moment. Listen to what I want to share with you. One of the most wonderful things a pastor can do is offer you the opportunity to give your heart to Jesus. One of the most difficult things a pastor will do is give you the opportunity to give your heart to Jesus.

The most wonderful thing is that the things that you do in your life change and you see that there is peace in the midst of the turmoil of your life. The darkness is not that dark anymore. And truth really reels. But I'm going to ask, if you've not given your heart to Christ, don't assume for a moment that the Bible will ever become anything more than a doorstop in your home.

It is designed, it is designed to be filled with a menu of life. If you're here, and you just, maybe you feel God's gotten further away from you. I want you to know He never goes away. He never leaves you. If you feel distance from God, maybe it's because, well, maybe you walked away. Time to make a commitment. Time to change your life.

Not walk outside this place and just simply repeat everything again. Time to make a difference. We're not going to embarrass you. We're not going to ask you to stand or do anything. I am going to ask you though, with every eye closed and every head bowed, that you simply raise your hand. If you know it's time for this Word to become real in your life, if you know it's time to surrender your heart to the author of this book, if you are tired of living the life you have lived or done the things that you've done over and over and over, it's time to give it up.

I'm going to ask you to just raise your hand so that I might see you. Nobody's looking at you. Yes, yes, yes, yes. I see you over here. Keep going. Yes, I see you in the back. I see you right here. Yes, sir, I see you. Great. Ma'am, I see you.

Let's pray this prayer together. And take note. What you're praying, you're handing your spiritual passport to God and say, I'm ready for a trip. Let's go. Let's say this together. Heavenly Father, I come before you humbly. I am a sinner. And I need a Savior. Enter into my heart. Forgive me of my sin. And open my eyes that I might see you and you alone in the name of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Hallelujah. God bless you all. Whoo. Whoo. All right. We're going to head out. They're going to got a few things to say to you. We're going to continue in our worship. And oh, yeah. Come here. Come here. Come on quick. For those of you who are joining us, maybe for the first time, this is the true boss. This is Pastor Terry's wife, Anita, and she's in the front row giving me signals.

So what I want to share with you is right over here. You'll see first steps and right over here. You'll see first steps. Thank you. And when we get up to leave, I'm going to ask you folks. Yes, we do. Praise God. If you've raised your hand, I want you to go over here and meet them. We've got some information for you and something to help you out.

OK, stand with me. God bless you. Let's have a wonderful week in the Lord.

1. "There is a recipe in this book for each and every one of you that find yourself walking in a really dark place because this has a recipe that will shine a light onto that path and guide you through it. That's what this recipe book can do." [30:24] (14 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




2. "God loved you so much and never had one of you. He always wanted one of you and whoop, there you are. Right? And he gave you an owner's manual. A recipe to eat life and wholeness and health and happiness. He provided that to you." [31:01] (18 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




3. "The word of God is alive and active. It was never intended to be sitting there, sitting on your shelf. It was intended to be given the life through you, into the world around you. For the word of God is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword. It penetrates even to the dividing of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and the attitudes of the heart." [36:20] (21 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




4. "Do not put a Marlin on the back of your car and call yourself a Christian. Leave all that kind of stuff off. Sit down and read God's Word and watch the recipes feed your soul." [38:35] (13 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




5. "The Bible is true and trustworthy. It is credible. You know how I know? Because it says so. That doesn't work. That doesn't work for people who look at this as just one more fairy tale, just one more group of stories and most of us, that's exactly what we do." [39:22] (18 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




6. "If you don't know Christ, I want you to know it's just a book. It's just a book. When you know Christ, you find out it isn't a book. It is the manual of your life. It is the recipe of your existence." [41:37] (14 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




7. "The evidence is the transformational power that this book gives to a life that surrenders themselves to Jesus. I've seen it, and it's sitting in this room. How many have submitted yourself to the power of God and found His word to be something that changes your life?" [01:08:46] (23 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




8. "If you feel distance from God, maybe it's because, well, maybe you walked away. Time to make a commitment. Time to change your life. Not walk outside this place and just simply repeat everything again. Time to make a difference." [01:11:51] (20 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




9. "If you are tired of living the life you have lived or done the things that you've done over and over and over, it's time to give it up. I'm going to ask you to just raise your hand so that I might see you. Nobody's looking at you." [01:12:18] (12 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




10. "The most wonderful thing is that the things that you do in your life changes and you see that there is peace in the midst of the turmoil of your life. The darkness is not that dark anymore. And truth really reels." [01:10:40] (14 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)