TREK GPS Lesson 1.1 - Why Study the Bible

Opening Activity – A Verbal Quiz

 

• Does the word Bible mean ‘library’ or ‘Book of books?’ Yes
• Does the Bible contain errors?  Yes. Didn’t expect that? You have to know the truth so when the atheists come along you are not caught off guard.
• Do we know exactly what they are and where the errors are? Yes.
•  Do errors in our Bible mean it’s not perfect or trustworthy? No, the Bible is literally breathed out by God. He authored perfect documents because He’s perfect. Copiers may have made mistakes, but no two made the same one, and this has allowed us to almost perfectly reconstruct all the text. This is an ongoing process but the discovery of the dead sea scrolls showed us we have a really solid manuscript before us.
• Is the Bible written by men? Yes.
•  Is the Bible only a work of men? No! God wrote the Bible using human instruments.
•  Is the Bible trustworthy? Yes. God cannot lie.
• If the OT was originally written in Hebrew, because God wanted it in Hebrew, then is it okay to make a translation into another language? Yes, Jesus used the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament.
• What is the Bible about? Jesus Christ.

 

The Bible is about Jesus Christ

 

• All our selfish statements can immediately be resolved by remembering this. Can we trust the Bible becomes can we trust Christ? Do we need the Bible, do we need Christ? Why do we evangelize with the Bible when they don’t believe it? They need Christ. Does the Bible give us everything we need to be saved? Doesn’t Christ?
• He’s a God unlike other Gods, so His book is unlike other books. It demands answers out of you. It knows you better than you know yourself. It’s wholly unique.
• In Jerusalem, John 5:39 - “You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me”
• On the Road to Emmaus, Luke 24:27 - “And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.”

 

Who is Christ?

 

• Christ means anointed one. In Greek that’s the word Christ. The Jews would use the word Messiah. It speaks of being set aside for God’s purposes.
• There were three offices you would pour oil to anoint the man to:
  o   priest (Exodus 29:7, Lev 21:10)
  o   king (1 Sam 16:13, 2 Kings 9:3)
  o   prophet (1 Kings 19:16, Is 61:1)
• Jesus is therefore a prophet, a priest, and a king.
  o   He brings the very words and truths of God to us
  o   He intercedes to God on our behalf
  o   He rules over us
•   Christians are anointed, because we are in Christ, and share in His body 1 John 2:20

 

How is the Bible arranged?

 

• The Bible is unfolding revelation regarding Jesus
  o   Old Testament: Christ predicted
  o   Gospels: Christ revealed
  o   Epistles: Christ explained
  o   Revelation: Christ expected
•  In this same way that Jesus is prophet, priest, king, the Old Testament is broken up into the stories of the prophets (predominately the books of prophecy), the priests (the Books of Moses), and the Kings (the histories).
• The New Testament picks this idea up too. For example, Matthew is the gospel very concerned with Jesus Kingship. All of its parables start “the kingdom of heaven is like…” while the book of Hebrews goes on at great lengths about Jesus priesthood.

 

How to read the Bible

 

• The New Testament explains the Old. The Epistles expand and explain the narrative of the Gospels. You have to work backwards as you read forwards.
• Read both halves, new and old testament. It’s a two act play, and just like you can’t really start a murder mystery movie half way through, you can’t really just jump into the middle of the Scriptures.
• Pray before you read, and the Holy Spirit, as promised will give you understanding (2 Tim 2:7).
• More important than everything else however, the key to unlock all doors: Christ is in the Bible. It’s about Him. 

 

Christ in the Bible

 

• Genesis 3:15 – “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”
  Jesus would be born of a woman, not a man (the virgin birth), He would destroy Satan. (See Luke 1:27-34) He's the very first promise.
•  Genesis 17:6-8 - “And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God."
  Jesus would be the reason all the nations will be blessed. He is the source of the covenant. See Galatians 3:16
• That’s pretty big, He’s obviously the center of God’s redemptive work. But He’s at the smallest level. When Abraham went to kill Isaac what happened? Genesis 22:13. Instead of dying, a sheep was killed for Isaac instead. A sheep that was caught in thorns. This is Christ, the lamb of God whom they put a crown of thorns on, who died in our place.
• He’s the real Passover lamb – Exodus
• He’s the true sacrificial offering to God to turn away wrath. He’s also the grounds for our salvation, because He is the one who kept the law perfectly. -Leviticus
• He’s the son of David, the promised King, 2 Samuel 7:12
•  He’s the kinsmen redeemer who saves us from ruin by wooing us. He took on our real flesh and made us His treasured possession. - Ruth
•  Sometimes it’s very, very obvious where He is in the Scriptures. Take for example Psalm 2:7 “I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.” Or Psalm 22, which was about Him on the cross.
•  But He is also in the little passages. He’s the one who ascends the Holy Hill, who may stand in the Holy place, - Ps 24:3.
• He’s the anointed one whom the Lord hears, - Psalm 20:6
• He is the friend who sticks closer than a brother, - Proverbs 18:24b
• He will save us through suffering - Job
• He’s the new and better Job, who intercedes for his friends
• He’s the savor from a far off country who gives up everything to come and restore truth in us –Ezra
• He’s the one who intercedes for us to give us a place, then builds us up – Nehemiah
• The prophets not only predict Him, but demonstrate Him. Jonah for example, lies in a fish for three days to show that Christ in a similar fashion would rise after three days.
• Yet He’s the new and better Jonah who was cast out into the deep, that the rest of his companions may be saved.
• His death is shown in the gospels.
• And what did His death mean? He became sin who knew no sin, that we might become His righteousness. He died for you. The epistles explain it. They explain all the Old Testament too.

 

Summarize

·        

•  Next week we will get into deeper waters and we’ll do a more scholarly, or in-depth treatment of why the books are where they are and what it means.
•   For this week I want you to remember that the Bible is about Jesus Christ. His Kingship, His priesthood, His prophetic work. Prophet, priest, king.

 

Conclude

 

• Does anyone have any question about anything theological? It’s time for payer and small group.