God’s Word Is Truth

Introduction:  This week’s lesson focuses on the Bible and the truth therein.  This is a summary of my journey the past five years in learning why I believe the Bible and that it is the Word of God, it is Truth.

Handout: God’s Word Is Truth

Outline:
1. There have been several discussions among friends lately on Hebrews 1:8.  I thought I would share with you this week on the research that I have done as far as why I believe the way that I do.  I was talking to an 18 year old kid a few years ago.  They told me that never in the Bible does Jesus say that he is God or God say that Jesus is God.  (It does by the way, but anyway.)  This person was challenging my belief.  I know in whom I believe but it made me think.  Ok why do I believe the way I do?  One, just like most I was raised to believe this way.  Second, I have read the Bible and I believe it.  However, I decided to research further.  I decided I did not want to be the kind of person that just believes because I was raised a certain way or just because someone said so.  I wanted to find out why I believe the way I believe. I had no doubts about God.  I wanted to confirm what I believe for myself and to be able to tell others why I believe, and not to simply say, well that’s what I was raised to believe. 

After the past 5 years of reading different books on different religions, and re-reading the Bible, talking to many people with different beliefs and religions, and being much in prayer and getting to know God.  After this quest of doing all this with an open heart and an open mind, this is why I believe the way I do.  Please keep reading and I will explain more of my belief.  On this quest, I have been heart broken, I have been elated, I have sinned, I have been forgiven, I have found mercy and grace, I have learned so much about myself even and I have found a love in God that I never experienced before even.  I have a stronger bond to my God that will never be broken.  It's been an amazing learning experience.   

With all my heart, soul, mind, and strength, I sincerely want to be led by God and believe what He says because that is the ultimate truth.  I’m more concerned with knowing truth rather than being “right.”  Where we spend eternity is of utmost importance.  To important to let pride or wanting to win a discussion get in the way.  Eternity, that is forever, something that we think we can understand but really I think we can’t even fathom how long that is.  Will you take the time to read and ask yourself why you believe the way you do?  Is your soul and your eternity important enough to you?  I pray that it is.

I have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.  I have experienced that.  I know it.  He hears my prayers and answers them, and he speaks to my heart and leads me daily.  However, this is not to prove anyone wrong or right.  This is not about being right or wrong.  This is about truth. 

2. Please for a moment, clear your heart and your mind and ask yourself these very important questions. Why do I really believe the way I do?  Have I really taken time to know for myself that my beliefs are truth?  Have I done the research to see for myself?  What if I was raised to believe wrong?  People raise their children with certain beliefs in love and trying to do the right thing, however, people can be wrong, even people we love.  This is why it is so important to ask yourself these questions in total honesty.  It’s why I have taken so much time to research and learn about different beliefs and spend many hours in prayer.   Is it more important to you to be right, or to believe truth?  You can do your own research, this is what I found. 

I have talked to many people with many different beliefs and religions.  This isn’t about religion.  It’s about truth.  There are three main “religions” in the world today that I focused on.  I won’t mention the names.  I have read the Bible of course, I have also read one of the other religions books, and am now reading the other.  Why am I?  I want to be knowledgeable about different beliefs so that I can better understand and teach truth.  I would be a bad teacher if I talked of things I knew nothing of.  I would not ask you to read with an open heart and mind if I did not do it myself.  I want to teach facts, not opinion.

The three main beliefs in the world today agree there is one God.  They agree that He created the Heavens and the Earth.  We know this because of the writings of Moses, this is in the Book of Genesis in the Bible.  The other Books in the other two main beliefs agree that God created the Earth.  We all agree that God created man and the first man was Adam.  There are many other things agreed upon such as the recording of Noah and the flood, the recording of Abraham and his life as well as others.  We know that these happenings were written down by men of God to record history.  We know Moses wrote the first book in the Bible.

However, Moses wrote more than one book.  He also wrote the book of 1 Chronicles.  We find in that book that Moses writes about Jesus and his coming.  

1 Chronicles 17:11-14  “And it shall come to pass, when thy days be expired that thou must go to be with thy fathers, that I will raise up thy seed after thee, which shall be of thy sons; and I will establish his kingdom.  12.  He shall build me an house, and I will stablish his throne forever.  13.  I will be his father, and he shall be my son: and I will not take my mercy away from him, as I took it from him that was before thee:  14.  But I will settle him in mine house and in my kingdom for ever: and his throne shall be established for ever more.”

Why would Moses write the truth about the creation of the earth and other things he recorded and then write a lie in another book?  He wouldn’t.  Just as all the other many prophets in the Bible wrote about the coming of Christ and his being the Son of God.  Writers such as David, and then the prophets that wrote about the things that would come to pass which are happening today and will happen in the future.
The writers such as Daniel, Jeremiah, Isaiah, John, Paul who all agreed on the same things, and recorded the past, present and future things that are all true, and about Jesus being the Son of God come to redeem people from their sin.

There are sixty-six books in the Bible.  With many different writers and most of these writers were born hundreds and thousands of years apart and they did not read each other’s writings, Most of them didn’t know the other even existed, however, they all say the same thing.  They all record that Jesus is the Son of God and that we must accept Jesus in order to have access to God and to Heaven. 

They also agree that this did not change and will not.  The prophets of old foretold of Jesus and his salvation.  Then we have the record of Jesus birth, and his life and the words he taught.  We also have the writings all through the Bible, of what is happening now and what is coming in the future.

Down through time, God had his people, and they recorded what he told them.  Writers such as Jude and Joel, and we have the gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.  They all say the same…they were not made up…they recorded what they saw and what God told them.  There are many other writers that I have not named as well.  Down through the ages God has given his word.  Not just by one but by many.

You may say well there are so many diff versions of the Bible.  They are translated.  The original writings were in Hebrew and Greek.  They have been translated in different languages so that we can all read and understand.  However, they all mean and say the same thing.  One must accept Jesus to have relationship with God, we must have his righteousness because we don’t have any on our own, and God will not be around anything less than.  We can’t be good enough on our own basically. 

3. Now on to where God calls Jesus God.  We know all through the Bible that Jesus says He and God the Father are one, and He is in God and God in him.  You cannot have one without the other.  In Hebrews, we find what God says about Jesus. 

Hebrews 1. 

1.  God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in the time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2. Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; 3. Who being in the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

4. Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.  5. For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee?  And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?  (Psalm 2:7; 2 Samuel 7:14; 1 Chronicles 17:13 Authors include David; and Ezra)

6. And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.

7.  And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.  (Psalm 102: 25-27)

8. But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy kingdom. (Psalm 45:6-7)

9. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity: therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

10.  And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the works of thine hands: 11. They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; 12. And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail. (Psalm 102:25-27)

 (This means that from the beginning to the end God says that Jesus words and his status will be forever.  It hasn’t nor will it change.  Jesus said we all must go through him to get to the Father and receive salvation in order to reach heaven.  Jesus said he was the door to the Father.  He did not say this to exalt himself but simply was telling the truth.
(John 3)

13. But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?  (Psalm 110:1) 

14. Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?”

Think about it.  How could so many writers, most that never read each others writings, never spoke to each other, were born hundreds and thousands of years apart come up with the same thing if it were not of God and truth?   They could not.  It is truth, from God.  You can research this yourself and you will find the same.  The Bible is not one book written by one person.  It is records written by many writers down through the ages.   They were men of God and wrote down what he told them to.  God is the author, they were his messengers.  We know the Bible is truth from the beginning which tells us that God created all things, to the end where it tells of the things that are actually happening now.  They are coming to pass, some has already happened, and are happening now. 

There is one Almighty, all knowing, all present God.  He loves you and wants relationship with you.  He made a way for us to do that and it is through accepting his Son Jesus.  This is truth.  

I love all of you and hope that you will do your own research and see that what I have found is not my words or things someone just told me, but actual facts and recorded in history.  I did this work for myself as well to tell those I love that God’s Word is the truth. 

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Jhn&c=3&v=16&t=KJV#16

Reminder: Remember this week to love one another and serve one another in the attitude of Christ.
 
Prayer…

Dear Righteous Heavenly Father...

We come to you in thanks of who you are and that you are Almighty and all powerful.  We thank you for your love toward us and that you made a way for us to have relationship with you through your Son Jesus.  We thank you that Jesus died on a cross for our sins and we understand that we can never be good enough on our own to be worthy of you, but we try.  We thank you for your grace and that you are faithful to forgive us and cleanse us when we do fall and make mistakes.  We ask you to help us to do better and not to fall into temptations.  Please help us with the mistakes and things we do wrong now and help us to do better for your glory.  We ask that you touch the hearts of all those that read and that you bring them to Your truth.  We ask that your Holy Spirit draw them to you through Christ.  Open our eyes to your truth and give us wisdom that only comes from you.  Please watch over us and those that we love and help us always love one another and have the attitude that you would have us to have.  We ask that you teach us more of you and help us walk always in your paths.  Thank you for all that you are and for the many blessings that you give to us everyday.  Help us to not take those gifts for granted.  We will ever praise and worship you.  You always have been, You are, and You always will be and we bow before you with humble hearts in knowing that we can do nothing without you.  Thank you for this day and for your mercy.  In Jesus sweet, precious, lovely name we pray…Amen.

God Bless you…

~*Cindygirl*~
March19, 2023