HOLDING ON TO TRUTH - THE RELIABILITY OF THE BIBLE - PART 3
We trust today’s message encouraged and guided you in your journey of following Jesus. These notes are meant to help you remember and reflect on the message, help you go deeper into study on the subject, or be used for a sermon group discussion.
Sermon Title: THE RELIABILITY OF THE BIBLE - PART 3
Main Scripture: MATTHEW 5:17-19; JOHN 5:39-40; MATTHEW 22:37-40
If you’re going through this discussion with a community group this week consider taking the time to read the provided scripture to catch everyone up!
Summary:
Pastor Ryan has been establishing a foundation for the trustworthiness and reliability of the Bible so we can frame our worldview by the Bible with confidence. We may have never noticed how much Jesus quotes and mentions scripture, particularly the Old Testament since that’s all He had at that time. Jesus affirms the scripture again and again as factual. Jesus submitted to and lived by the Scriptures and encourages us to do the same. Of course, we can take Jesus’ word for it but the critics and skeptics (a small amount) argue that Jesus wasn’t even a real figure who even existed. It seems silly to address it but Pastor Ryan decided to give us evidence for Jesus’ true existence so we can know without a doubt that Jesus lived but He also affirmed Scripture. We are once again left with the powerful conclusion to believe the Bible truly is the infallible Word of God.
Notes:
Jesus Affirms Scripture
What about Jesus? Did Jesus affirm and validate that Scripture is from God? Can Jesus validate the reliability and authority of the Bible as God’s Word? Absolutely!
Matthew 5:17 NIV “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19 Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”
Jesus trusted, relied on, and submitted to Scripture.
Objection: “But here you go again Ryan, using circular reasoning. That’s like saying, ‘The Bible is true because it says it’s true…or…the Bible is truth because Jesus who’s in the Bible says it’s true.’”
Well, Jesus is not confined to the Bible like a made-up character in the pages of a fictional book. Jesus is real and really said what He said in the Bible. If you don’t believe Jesus was real then you have not researched the historical data brought to us by both non-Christian and Christian historians. I have already shown that the New Testament manuscript evidence brings forth incredible veracity for the historicity of the New Testament where Jesus is the main subject. We also have overwhelming external archeological evidence for places Jesus visited and ministered in the NT.
Is Jesus a Myth? NO. But Let me share evidence, in case anyone is still on the fence…
A very small fraction of people try to equate Jesus’ existence to a myth rather than a true historical figure who lived in the 1st century.
NT Scholar Craig Blomberg said, “An inordinate number of websites and blogs make the wholly unjustified claim that Jesus never existed. Biblical scholars and historians who have investigated this issue in detail are virtually unanimous today in rejecting this view, regardless of their theological or ideological perspectives.” McDowell, 144.
On the same subject, Atheist Agnostic, Bart Erhman says, “I should say at the outset that none of this literature is written by scholars trained in New Testament or early Christian studies teaching at the major, or even the minor, accredited theological seminaries, divinity schools, universities, or colleges of North America or Europe (or anywhere else in the world). Of the thousands of scholars of early Christianity who do teach at such schools, none of them, to my knowledge, has any doubts that Jesus existed.”https://strangenotions.com/skeptic-bart-ehrman-on-whether-jesus-really-existed/
Non-Christian historians verify the existence of Jesus
Roman Historian-Cornelius Tacitus (AD 56-120).
Generally considered the greatest Roman historian. According to modern historians, Tacitus is our best source of information about this period. -McDowell, 150
Arnaldo Momigliano, one of the foremost historiographers of the 20th century, considered Tacitus "a writer whose reliability cannot be seriously questioned."
Historian Ronald Meller refers to him as "the most accurate of all Roman historians." In short, Tacitus can be trusted. McDowell, 153
What did Tacitus record?
In AD 64 there was a devastating fire for which many people believed Nero was responsible. In order to put a stop to the public outcry, Nero blamed the Christians. Tacitus writes:
“Therefore, to squelch the rumor, Nero created scapegoats and subjected to the most refined tortures those whom the common people called "Christians," hated for their abominable crimes. Their name comes from Christ, who, during the reign of Tiberius, had been executed by the procurator Pontius Pilate. Suppressed for the moment, the deadly superstition broke out again, not only in Judea, the land which originated this evil, but also in the city of Rome, where all sorts of horrendous and shameful practices from every part of the world converge and are fervently cultivated.” -Tacitus, Annals
In regards to this statement, NT scholars Eddy and Boyd write: "Tacitus's report provides solid, independent, non-Christian evidence for the life and death of Jesus, the remarkable resolve of his earliest followers, and the astounding growth of the movement he founded." (McDowell,152-153 [Eddy and Boyd,JL,184])
Jewish Historian-Flavius Josephus (AD 37-100) was a Jewish politician, soldier, and historian. Quoted as the "single most important Jewish historian of the ancient world."
Josephus writes about the death of Jesus' brother James, instigated by Ananus, the High priest…
"Festus was now dead, and Albinus was but upon the road; so he (Ananus) assembled the Sanhedrin of judges, and brought before them the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name was James, and some others…he delivered them to be stoned." -Josephus, Antiquities 20.200
"The testimonies of ancient historians offer strong evidence against a purely mythical reading of Jesus…It remains difficult, therefore, if not impossible, to deny the historical existence of Jesus when the earliest Christian, Jewish, and pagan evidence mentions him." -Professor Casey Elledge of Gustavus Adolphus College (McDowell, 158)
New Testament writers verify the existence of Jesus
The writers of the four gospels present Jesus in a manner that assumes his existence. The writers were not trying to prove His existence. "Instead, they are trying to convince readers that the man Jesus whom they knew is God and should be followed." McDowell, 158
Luke 1:1-4 Many people have set out to write accounts about the events that have been fulfilled among us. 2 They used the eyewitness reports circulating among us from the early disciples. 3 Having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I also have decided to write an accurate account for you, most honorable Theophilus, 4 so you can be certain of the truth of everything you were taught.
John 20:30 The disciples saw Jesus do many other miraculous signs in addition to the ones recorded in this book. 31 But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have life by the power of his name.
1 Corinthians 15:3-9; 1 John 1:1-4
Did the disciples invent the stories about Jesus? Short answer, no. Long answer…
The following is from Erwin Lutzer’s book, Seven Reasons You Can Trust the Bible:
In History and Christianity, Dr. John Warwick Montgomery gives three powerful reasons why the disciples were incapable of taking Jesus the man and making Him into a Messiah of their liking.
First, Jesus, as He is described in the New Testament, differs radically from the kind of Messiah that was anticipated by the Jews of His era. In other words, Jesus was a poor candidate to be "deified." The Jews of the day expected the Messiah to appear with a sword to break the Roman occupation from the land. Some thought He would bring back the remnant of the ten lost tribes and reunite Israel and Judah. Christ was a bitter disappointment on all counts. The Jews were not about to accept a Messiah who said, "My kingdom is not of this world" (John 18:36). No wonder the Jewish officials arranged His crucifixion. If the disciples had wanted to choose a man to make into a Messiah, Jesus would not have made the list.
(The late Jewish scholar Edersheim of Oxford University has shown that it was incredible for Christ to proclaim that His desire was not to make Gentiles convert to Judaism but to make both Jews and Gentiles "children of one heavenly Father," and not to put the law on the heathen, but rather to deliver Jews and Gentiles from it and "fulfill its demands for all!")
Second, the disciples were psychologically incapable of taking a man and calling him God. The central tenet of Judaism is "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord" (Deuteronomy 6:4 RSV). The greatest blasphemy was idolatry, that is, calling a person or thing, God. For the disciples to deify a mere man would be contradicting the most basic point of the Law, "You shall have no other gods before Me" (Exodus 20:3). The point is that the disciples had to be convinced that Christ was the Messiah; there was no way they would have taken a mere man and made him into God.
Third, it was the resurrection that transformed these men into convinced followers of Christ. The New Testament accounts reveal their own struggle and doubts about Jesus dying and resurrecting. But after Jesus appeared to them their lives demonstrated a dramatic difference.
Agnostic Atheist Bart Erhman:
If it is hard to imagine Jews inventing the idea of a crucified messiah, where did the idea come from? It came from historical realities. Since no one would have made up the idea of a crucified messiah, Jesus must really have existed, must really have raised messianic expectations, and must really have been crucified. No Jew would have invented him.” (Ehrman, DJE, 162-164)
Jesus, Himself, trusts, affirms and submits to Scripture as the Word of God
As Christians, we believe the Bible to be the authoritative and infallible Word of God. But maybe we take it for granted or just simply do not realize how much Jesus referred to Scripture. Jesus quotes OT or references OT events and people around 100 times…
A few examples:
Jesus affirms the Genesis story (Matthew 19:4-5).
Jesus affirmed the story of Noah and the flood (Matthew 24:37-39).
Jesus affirms a literal 3 days for Jonah in the belly of the fish (Matthew 12:39-41).
Jesus affirms the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah as real events (Luke 17:28-30).
Jesus affirms figures like Moses (John 6:31-32) and David (John 20:41-42).
Jesus affirms the truth of scripture when tempted (Matthew 4:1-12).
Jesus affirms the importance of OT commands to live by (Matthew 22:37-40).
Jesus affirms the authority of the Word of God (Matthew 5:17; 15:3-4).
Jesus affirms God’s Word is truth (John 17:17).
For Christ, the words of Scripture were God's words. Jesus used the Word of God and Scripture interchangeably.
Close
Is Jesus a reliable witness and a reliable source for the historicity of the Bible? Absolutely!
“Why do we believe the Bible to be the infallible “Word of God?” Simple, “Because Jesus did and taught that we should.” -John Stott
“Jesus directs us to scripture, even as Scripture returns us to Jesus.” Morris Inch
John 5:39-40 “You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me to have life.”
Discussion:
What stuck out to you from the scriptures we read?
What stuck out to you from this message?
What was Jesus’ view of scripture?
How can this sermon strengthen our faith in God and His Word?
How do we live and apply this message to our lives so it will impact unbelievers?
The most important decision you will ever make!
Are you ready to experience salvation and be transformed? We encourage you to process this decision with a strong believer and when you’re ready say a simple prayer like this from your heart: Dear God, I acknowledge and admit I have sinned. I see my need for Jesus Christ. I believe in Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I believe I am forgiven and cleansed of my sin by His death. I also believe I have eternal life because of His resurrection from the dead. I repent, I turn away from my old ways and I choose to live my life to worship you and follow Jesus, amen!
We would love to know if you made the decision to accept this wonderful gift from God. Let us know here.
Pray Together
We hoped you found this AFTER THE SERMON discussion helpful for your walk with Jesus. We pray you can find ways to apply it this week!