Word of God

 Word of God. 

This is one of those messages that needs to be given often, because it is a question that Christians get often. Why this? Why the Bible? With so many religious books out there, all claiming to be right and true, what makes you believe that the Bible is any different? What is the reason I should trust the Bible? This is what we will be discussing today. Let us pray.

Father, LORD God, we come before you today with praise and thanksgiving. We come together to discuss your love letter to us. Your Word. The Holy Bible. As we do, we pray for eyes to see, ears to hear, and the ability to not only hear and see, but to receive and digest your Word. In the name of Jesus, amen.

There are many differences. However, there is one that makes it absolutely final. Everything you need to know is right here (Holding up the Bible.) Now, what about those who are going to feel the Bible is nothing more than just another "religious book" and means little to nothing? Some will tell you that the Bible is full of contradictions and false information. Not true. There is not one single contradiction in the Bible. No, not one. There are misunderstandings, differing points of view, and poor translations, but zero contradictions.

As we have talked about before, one of the easiest ways to disprove the Bible is also one of the easiest ways to prove the Bible is the Truth. There are 1,239 prophecies in the Old Testament and 578 prophecies in the New Testament for a total of 1,817. This is according to “The Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy” by J. Barton Payne.

If the Bible makes all these predictions, and even some are proven false, then the Bible is indeed false. However, if the Bible makes all these predictions, some 26 percent of the total Bible is made up of prophecies, then predictions that have been proven correct prove the Bible true. Here are some examples.

Israel itself is a prophecy fulfilled. As we know it today? The exact location and construction sequence of Jerusalem's nine suburbs were predicted by Jeremiah about 2600 years ago. Jeremiah 31:38-40, Ezekiel 37:21-22. Isaiah 66:7-8 describes this taking place in one day. This rebirth became history in 1948, in one day, and the construction of the nine suburbs has gone forward precisely in the locations and in the sequence predicted.

God created animals “after their kind.” Genesis 1:11-13 Nineteenth-century biologists argued that animals evolved from other, very different animals, but today biology confirms that creatures reproduce within their own kind.

Mankind? Genesis 3:20, 1 Corinthians 15:45, The Bible claims that all humans are “one blood” descended from one man and one woman. Some nineteenth-century biologists argued that different races descended from lower animals, but today genetics has verified that there is only one human race.

One of my favorites? How about the flat earth? The flat earth model is an archaic conception of the earth's shape as a plane or disk. Many ancient cultures subscribed to a flat earth cosmography, including Greece until the classical period 323 BC, the Bronze Age and Iron Age civilizations of the Near East until the Hellenistic period 31 BC, India until the Gupta period (early centuries AD), and China until the 17th century. Believe it or not, there are still some today that believes this to be true.

What does the Bible say? Isaiah 40:22

"It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to dwell in."

Wait, it says "he who sits above the circle of the earth." The Circle. No question there. We could go on and on.

Jesus and His life? Isaiah 53. To name one. Who is Jesus? Where does He come from? How does He live? How does He die? How does He rise from the dead? These are all in the Bible, thousands of years before Jesus was even born. In extreme detail.

As a matter of fact, Jesus is in the entire Bible. Yes, the Old Testament as well as the New. Without Jesus, there is no Bible. No other “religious book” can say this. Others are written telling stories of their leaders, teachers, and messiahs. But the Bible IS Jesus. Therein lies the difference. Jesus IS the Bible. He IS The Word of God. He was with God, is with God, and IS God. There is no Bible, New or Old Testament, without Jesus. He has no beginning and no end.

Jesus was there in the beginning.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.” John 1:1-3

"All things were made by him;" The Word is a Him??? "and without him was not anything made that was made." "Without HIM, was NOTHING Made." Then, a little bit later, John makes it clear.

"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:14.

Jesus even tells us directly that the Bible is all about Him.

"And the Father himself, who has sent me, has borne witness of me. You have neither heard his voice at any time nor seen his form. And you have not his word abiding in you: for whom he has sent, him you believe not. Search the scriptures; for in them you think you have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. And you will not come to me, that you might have life." John 5:37-40

What is Jesus saying here? He is saying, you, the religious folks, look to the Bible for salvation, yet reject Jesus Himself. He said you can't do that. Why? Because all Scripture points to Him. He is saying that if you reject Him, then you must reject the very Word of God because HE is the Word of God. He, Jesus, IS the Word of God in the flesh. The Bible IS the very Word of God, who IS, Jesus in the flesh. Are you following? Look at two things that are truly amazing about Jesus. I know, right? Just two? But these illustrate He IS.

Isaiah 53

Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. ... Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.

But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned--every one--to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. By oppression and judgment, he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.

Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

Out of the anguish of his soul, he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore, I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.”

Just picture Jesus when you read these words. There is no other. Remember, this is hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus. You can clearly see where it all lines up. All these predictions, or prophecies, about Jesus and His death came true. Isaiah painted a clear picture of Jesus and His life that Jesus fulfilled.

What about one of those things in the Bible that many consider to be just not possible? Jesus sweating blood. This is mentioned in Luke 22:44. Well? Science has again caught up to the Bible and proved it true.

Commonly referred to as Hematidrosis or Hemohidrosis, this condition results in the excretion of blood or blood pigment in the sweat. Under conditions of great emotional stress, tiny capillaries in the sweat glands can rupture, thus mixing blood with perspiration. This condition has been reported in extreme instances of stress. 76 cases of Hematidrosis were studied and classified according to causative factors. The most frequent causes of the phenomenon were found to be “acute fear” and “intense mental contemplation.” So yes, Jesus, facing all He was about to, including the Cross, did indeed sweat blood.

There is no other figure in history that matches this so exactly.

The Servant came from unimpressive beginnings. “Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” John 1:46

The Servant was rejected by Israel. “He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.” John 1:11

The Servant was condemned via oppression and judgment. Pilate declared Jesus innocent, and an angry mob demanded that Jesus be killed Luke 23:4-25.

The Servant submitted to his sentence without resistance. “But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.” Matthew 27:14

Are you following? Let's keep it going so there is no doubt.

The Servant suffered for the sins of others. “For our sake, he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Corinthians 5:21

The Servant was beaten beyond recognition.

“Then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified.” Matthew 27:26

He was beaten, his flesh was falling off, and he was barely recognizable.

The Servant died. “And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last.” Mark 15:37

The Servant will be raised from the dead. Read Matthew 28:1-10.

By knowing the Servant, many will be accounted righteous. “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9

Every prediction that the Bible has made has come to pass. There are oh so many. If this is true, and it is, then we had better be looking forward to those still to come. Don’t you think?

This (Holding up the Bible) is not a history book. Although there is history in it. This (Holding up the Bible) is not a book of poetry. Yet there is poetry in it. This (Holding up the Bible) is not a religious Book. Yet entire Religions have been built up around it. This (Holding up the Bible) is the very LIVING WORD OF GOD.

“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.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17

With it?

“Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” John 17:17

All those other religious books will be destroyed; they will simply go away. Yet?

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” Matthew 24:35

So the next time someone tells you, "Oh, that is a book of fiction. That is not important to read to be with God. Oh, that is just another religious book, and there are so many." First, you know it is not true. Second, you can use some of this if you choose to prove them wrong. Or just understand this truth as well.

“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.” Hebrews 4:12

Why do you think so many become offended by it? Learn from He who made the world. Use this manual for life, by the one who gave you life. The one who created all that is, or ever will be. Who do you think knows better? The creature? Or the Creator? My bet is on God.

As always, you can check the archives here at TAG.

The email if you want to reach out is Truthbygod1@gmail.com

May the comfort of the Holy Spirit and the peace of our Lord Jesus be with you all. May God bless and be with you always.

Until next time, be blessed, be a blessing, and Jesus is Lord!