WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT THE BIBLE - The Way of Life 8-31-25

WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT THE BIBLE - The Way of Life 8-31-25 

INTRODUCTION

What does it mean to make something “a way of life”?

Growing up we learn actions that should be “a way of life.”

Brushing our teeth

Bathing

Wearing clean clothes

Going to church

The Word is the source of life.

The Word is the certainty of life.

The Word is the beacon of life.

The Word is the discerner of life.

The Word is the equilibrium of life.

The Word is the hope of life.

The Valuable Bible

A story was told of a man who loved old books. He met an acquaintance who had just thrown away a Bible that had been stored in the attic of his ancestral home for generations.

“I couldn’t read it,” the friend explained. “Somebody named Guten-something had printed it.”

“Not Gutenberg!” the book lover exclaimed in horror. “That Bible was one of the first books ever printed. Why, a copy just sold for over two million dollars!”

His friend was unimpressed. “Mine wouldn’t have brought a dollar. Some fellow named Martin Luther had scribbled all over it in German.”

Eric Ferguson, Sermon Central, May 12, 2008.

The Word is truly valuable because the Word is the way of life.

LET US PRAY!

I.  WE SHOULD BE IN THE WORD DAILY

“I was never out of my Bible.”

John Bunyan

A. Warning against neglect

Psalm 119:15-16 NIV

“I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.”

‭‭ Psalm ‭119‬:‭15‬-‭16‬ ‭NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

THE BIBLE IS A COMPASS

Just before the outbreak of the First World War, a small ship named the Endurance set sail from Briton with a crew intent on being the first to cross the South Pole. The ship reached Antarctica, but became ice bound in the Weddle Sea. Soon they had to abandon their ship and the 28-man crew took to their lifeboats.

They were trapped on the ice for over a year. A desperate decision was made to take four men in a 20-foot lifeboat across the roughest sea in the world to a whaling station on South Georgia Island some 800 miles away. At the helm was a man named Worsely. All he had to guide them that 800 miles to South Georgia Island was a map, a watch, a sexton, and a compass, but it was all he needed if he used them well. A mistake as minor as being off by only one degree would have proved disastrous.

The four men in that boat endured seas that raged higher than a ten-story building. They were constantly cold and wet from the waves that constantly drenched the boat. They had only the most meager of rations. The journey did not take days, but two weeks. But Worsley, whose most sophisticated tool was a compass, managed to get that lifeboat the 800 miles to South Georgia Island and eventually the entire crew of the Endurance was saved. As a result, Worsley was a hero.

The whaling captains who sailed those waters considered him one of the wisest navigators in the world. Worsley was brilliant, but all of his brilliance would have been worthless if he not used the compass. Worsley was wise because he used the compass to guide him. Being wise is a matter of using the compass you’ve been given to get where you need to go. Fools choose not to use the compass.

Perry Greene, Sermon Central, November 18, 2011.

B.  Daily

Joshua 1:7-8 NIV

“Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.”

‭‭ Joshua‬ ‭1‬:‭7‬-‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

II.  WE SHOULD INSERT THE WORD INTO OUR LIVES

THE BIBLE IS THE BLUEPRINTS

Can you build a real house without blueprints? Sure you can throw up a square storage shed maybe without them, but do you not need to have some kind of visual plan of the dimensions, how many rooms, where the rooms go, and so on in order to start building an actual house?

I remember when I worked through school with a summer job putting together farm equipment, fertilizer spreaders, tedders, hay mowers and such. My first day all I saw were a bunch of big metal pieces laying around and some bags of nuts and bolts. If I had been told to get building without any written instructions or at least a machine that had already been put together to go by, there’s no way I could have even begun.

You can have the perfectly prepared property, all the materials and building skills necessary, lots of manpower and money, but if you don’t know what you’re building and why, none of it is of any use. This is why Bible intake is the most important spiritual discipline. The Bible is the primary, and to some degree, the only way that God authentically and decisively communicates with us. Do we love to hear from Him through his word, or do we just want to talk to him.

Sean Harder, Sermon Central, August 5, 2011.

A. Hide God’s Word in our hearts

Psalm 119:9-16 NIV

“How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Praise be to you, Lord; teach me your decrees. With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.”

‭‭ Psalm ‭119‬:‭9‬-‭16‬ ‭NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

B.  Ways to hide the Word in our hearts

1. Memorize

2. Meditate

3. Apply

4. Speak

5. Study

III.  WE SHOULD DO WHAT THE WORD SAYS

A.  Do what it says

James 1:22-25 NIV

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.”

‭‭ James‬ ‭1‬:‭22‬-‭25‬ ‭NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

B.  Blessed in the doing

John 13:12-17 NIV

“When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.”

‭‭ John‬ ‭13‬:‭12‬-‭17‬ ‭NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

The Bounty’s Bible

The English ship Bounty, commanded by Lt. William Bligh, journeyed to the South Pacific in 1787. Many signed on considering the voyage a trip to paradise. Bligh appointed a young friend, Fletcher Christian, to the post of second in command. The Bounty stayed in Tahiti for 6 months and led by the happy go lucky Fletcher Christian enjoyed paradise to the fullest. On April 28, 1789, Fletcher Christian staged the most famous mutiny in history. He and his mutineers set Bligh and his supporters adrift in an overloaded lifeboat.

The mutineers aboard the Bounty immediately began quarreling about what to do next. Christian returned to Tahiti, where he left some of the mutineers, kidnapped some women, took some slaves, and traveled with the remaining crew a thousand miles to uninhabited Pitcairn Island. There the little group unraveled. They distilled whiskey from a native plant. Drunkenness, disease, and murder took the lives of all men except for one. John Adams, a.k.a. Alexander Smith, found himself as the only man on the island surrounded by an assortment of women and children.

Then an amazing change occurred. Smith found the Bounty’s neglected Bible. As he read it, he took its message to heart, then began instructing the little community. He taught the colonists the scriptures and helped them obey its instructions. The message of Christ so transformed their lives that twenty years later, in 1808, when the ship Topaz landed on the island, it found a happy society of Christians living in prosperity and peace, free from crime, disease, murder --- and mutiny. Years later the Bible fell into the hands of a visiting whaler who brought it to America, but in 1950 it was returned to the island. It now resides on display in the church in Pitcairn as a monument to its transforming message. 

Robert J. Morgan, Nelson’s Complete Book of Stories, Illustrations, & Quotes, pp. 53-54.

CONCLUSION

THE BIBLE CHALLENGE

During a question and answer session at a recent speaking engagement, a university student asked, "Why do you believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God?"

What is so special, so unique about the Bible that Christians believe it is literally the inspired word of God? Let us consider the following facts about the Bible:

First, the Bible is not just one single book. This is a more common misconception than many people realize, especially with people who do not come from a Judeo-Christian background. Rather than being a single book, the Bible is actually a collection of 66 books, which is called the canon of scriptures. These 66 books contain a variety of sorts it has history, poetry, prophecy, wisdom literature, letters, and apocalyptic.

2nd, these 66 books were written by 40 different authors. These authors came from a variety of backgrounds: shepherds, fishermen, doctors, kings, prophets, and others. And most of these authors never knew one another personally.

3rd, these 66 books were written over a period of 1500 years. Yet again, this is another reminder that many of these authors never knew or worked together with one another in writing these books.

4th, the 66 books of the Bible were written in 3 different languages. In the Bible, we have books that were written in Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic.

And finally, these 66 books were written on 3 different continents: Africa, Asia, and Europe. Once again, this is a testament to the varied historical and cultural circumstances of God’s people.

So we have 66 books, written by 40 different authors, over 1500 years, in 3 different languages, on 3 different continents. What’s more, this collection of books shares a COMMON STORYLINE, the creation, fall, and redemption of God’s people; a COMMON THEME, God’s universal love for all of humanity; and a COMMON MESSAGE, salvation is available to all who repent of their sins and commit to following God with all of their heart, soul, mind and strength. Also these 66 books contain no historical errors or contradictions.

After the above facts were shared a challenge was given. "If you do not believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God, if you do not believe that the Bible is of a supernatural origin and then try this test. Go to any library in the world, you can choose any library you like, and find 66 books which match the characteristics of the 66 books in the Bible. You must choose 66 books, written by 40 different authors, over 1500 years, in 3 different languages, written on 3 different continents. However, they must share a common storyline, a common theme, and a common message, with no historical errors or contradictions. If you can produce such a collection of books, I will admit that the Bible is not the inspired word of God.

It truly is impossible, for any collection of human writings. However, the Bible passes this test. The Bible contains 66 books, written by 40 different authors, over 1500 years, in 3 different languages, on 3 different continents, with no historical errors or contradictions. The entire Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, bears the mark of Divine inspiration.

The next time you encounter someone who asks you why you believe the Bible is the inspired word of God, try sharing this challenge with them. Better yet, don’t wait until you’re asked, just go ahead and share this challenge with a friend today. You don’t even have to mention the Bible up front; just ask them if they think it would be realistic to assemble such a collection of books. After they say, "But that’s impossible!" you’ve got a ready-made opportunity for sharing the truth of God’s word with somebody!

Ron Carlson, Dec 19th 2008

Dennis Selfridge, Sermon Central, Jul 25, 2009.

We should be in the Word daily. We should insert the Word into our lives. We should do what the Word says.

INVITATION

It is our custom to offer an "invitation" following the preaching of the Word.  You may want to follow Jesus.  You may want to proclaim your faith.  You may want to repent (stop doing ungodly things and start doing Godly things).  Perhaps you want to be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins     and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Possibly, if you have already responded to God’s call in these ways, you would like to become a member of Kenwood Church.  If you have been moved by the Holy Spirit to make a decision in your life, you can come forward now.  If you would like, I would be honored to speak with you following the service about what God is doing in your life.