The Miracles of our Bible

I will share a Truth about the Bible, and a Tool for using the Bible Me – Mark Kelley

How many Bibles are in your home? How many times have you read the Bible through?

PopularityWorld wide LibrariesAlmost 100% world wide Languages available 37 Copies sold100 million

PopularityWorld wide LibrariesAlmost 100% world wide Languages available Copies sold100 million total100 million every year Guinness Book of World Records Bible

2.5 million Bible are distributed every year in China 13 million copies of the King James Version of the Bible are sold every year

The Miracle of the Bible’s Inspiration The Miracle of the Bible’s Diversity The Miracle of the Bible’s Unity The Miracle of the Bible’s Historical Accuracy The Miracle of the Bible’s Impact

For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. (2 Peter 1:21, NIV) (Each Wednesday, we will practice one or more tools for using the Bible. Tonight we start with memorization.)

For prophecy never had its origin in the will of _____, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy _______. (2 Peter 1:21, NIV)

For _________ never had its origin in the will of _____, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the _______ _______. (2 Peter 1:21, NIV)

For _________ never had its origin in the will of _____, but men _____ from ________ as they were carried along by the _______ _______. (2 Peter 1:21, NIV)

For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were ______ ________by the Holy Spirit. (2 Peter 1:21, NIV)

What are the key truths in 2 Peter 1:21?

Men God, Holy Spirit Spoke Carried along This is what we mean by “inspiration” of the Bible

Always started with God, not with a human God wants to communicate his truth and love to the people he created God will not leave us in the dark about our relationship to Him.

No one ever set down to “write the Bible” or even “a part of the Bible.” These men (women?) lived lives of obedience What God asked, they did They never asked, “what will be the result?” One day, God asked them to write

“Carried along by the Holy Spirit” The Holy Spirit’s function is to take God’s heart and make it known on earth

Our efforts made some (only a little) impact We were hemmed in by the banks The big facts were determined by a force beyond us.

“men spoke” God was not giving word-for-work dictation David wrote like a song-writer Moses wrote like someone from royal court Paul wrote like a philosopher

We often see scripture more clearly when we understand the human author. Paul calls himself a Jewish Rabbi right to the end – which tells us something about the value of the Old Testament

God Carried; Humans Spoke This is Incarnation, God’s Chief Strategy

For prophecy never had its origin in the _______ of man, but men ________ from God as they were ________along by the ______ _________. (2 Peter 1:21, NIV)

“Bible” comes from the Greek word “biblos” which means “books.” But every Bible book is not a “book” Paul wrote letters David wrote songs John wrote an evangelistic tract Solomon wrote a “love” letter

Written over a span of 1400 years. Written by forty different authors, including kings, peasants, philosophers, fishermen, and poets. Written on three continents (Asia, Africa, Europe). Written in three languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek). It writes about the world’s most controversial subjects.

In Genesis 37:28, Joseph was sold for 20 silver shekels This is exact amount that archaeologists have recently discovered slaves sold for 1800 BC. The price had risen to shekels by 400 BC, when “experts” said Genesis was written.

In 1993, excavators in Dan found part of a shattered stele which celebrates the victory of King of Damascus over several kings, including “King of Israel, from the House of David” (9 th Century BC)

“Genesis 14 is inaccurate, naming towns that never existed,” said “experts.” A tablet from Ebla (found in 1974) mentions all 5 Genesis 14:8 cities in the same order and with the exact same spelling.

Why is scripture authoritative? Because God is so good and so powerful that he uses it to speak to people's hearts. It is authoritative because thousands of years of evidence show that people who read and adhere to these writings, to this story, and to this God, will be changed.

And like any dangerously powerful authority, the way in which you use it matters. If you use it to justify and give weight to your own agenda, proof texting and ignoring context and form to your heart's content, you can use it to ruin your life and other lives around you. But it can also be read humbly, thoughtfully and openly, you will find your heart gradually turned away from selfishness, pride, greed, envy, the desire to use other people sexually and economically,

And you will find your heart turned towards joy, a holy trust of others, a closeness to the creator and with Jesus, and a sudden, almost unquenchable desire to share God’s salvation with the world. The Bible is authoritative because, God has decided to use it to enact his purpose in the world: that of healing and redeeming all of creation, and of drawing us all closer to himself. (Jonathan Roberts)