The Holy Bible | Essential Christianity
Essential Christianity
The Holy Bible…
Essential: Absolutely necessary; extremely important.
Christianity: Christianity is summarized in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4. Jesus died for our sins, was buried, was resurrected, and thereby offers salvation to all who will receive Him in faith. Unique among all other faiths, Christianity is more about a relationship than religious practices. Instead of adhering to a list of “do’s and don’ts,” the goal of a Christian is to cultivate a close walk with God. That relationship is made possible because of the work of Jesus Christ and the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 15:1-4 (ESV) Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures…
“Remember that reading the Bible is about relationship, not theology, homework, or literary analysis, then it becomes much easier.” (Pastor Chris Hodges, What’s Next)
“For better or worse, our lives are the sum of our physical habits. Bad habits come back to bite us and good habits always come back to bless us.” (Mark Batterson, Do it For A Day)
SOUL TATTOO: Spending time in the Holy Bible is not an obligation, but a privileged way to access the heart of God.
The Journey of the Bible:
1.) The historical tapestry of the Bible.
biblios
Greek city of Byblos
Hagios Biblios
Psalm 119:105 – “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
Time and Place:
What to Read:
Use a Journal:
Luke 4:4 (NKJV) 4 But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’ ”
Deuteronomy 8:3 (ESV) 3 And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.
We need to live by the words that come from the mouth of the Lord.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 (MSG) 16There’s nothing like the written Word of God for showing you the way to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way. 17Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us.
66 Separate Books that point to one subject, JESUS!
John 5:39 (NLT) “You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me!”
39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the Old testament:
Law Books (5) Genesis – Deuteronomy
History Books (12) Joshua – Esther
Poetry Books (5) Job – Song of Solomon
Prophecy Books (17) 5 Major Prophets: Isaiah – Daniel 12 Minor Prophets: Hosea – Malachi
The Gospels (4) Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John
The Book of Acts: The historical record of the first Church
The Epistles (21) Romans – Jude
The Revelation: Prophecy of the last days and eternity
SOUL TATTOO: Spending time in the Holy Bible is not an obligation, but a privileged way to access the heart of God.
2.) The Living Word in my daily life.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NIV) 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God p may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Apply the Bible in daily life:
- Battles: 1 John 4:4, Luke 10:19, Romans 8:37 (We are more than conquerors.”)
- Money: Psalm 1:1-3, Philippians 4:19 (“My God will meet all your needs.”)
- Fear: Psalm 27:1 (“The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?”)
- Sickness: Psalm 103:2-3 (“Praise the Lord…[who] heals all your diseases.”)
- Confidence: 2 Corinthians 3:6 (“He has made us confident.”)
- Safety: Psalm 121:8 (“The Lord will watch over your coming and going.”)
- Dentist: Psalm 81:10 (“Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.”)
Colossians 3:16 (ESV) Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…
- Get a translation I like.
- Word for Word translations – KJV, NKJV, NASB, and ESV
- Thought for Thought translations – NLT, Good News, TEV and NIV
- Paraphrases – Living Bible and The Message
1 Corinthians 13:4 (KJV) Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up.
1 Corinthians 13:4 (NIV) Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
1 Corinthians 13:4 (MSG) Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self. Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have. Love doesn’t strut, doesn’t have a swelled head.
- Get a Study Bible.
- Get in a Small Group.
SOUL TATTOO: Spending time in the Holy Bible is not an obligation, but a privileged way to access the heart of God.
3.) Building a foundation on the Rock.
Matthew 7:24-25 (MSG) “These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit—but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock.
- Embrace the Bible’s authority in your life.
1 Thessalonians 2:13 (NIV) 13 And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe.
- Own and cherish your time in the Bible on a regular basis.
- Get a strategy for how you will read the Bible.
- Don’t just read the Bible, let the Bible read you.
Matthew 4:4 (ESV) 4 But he answered, “It is written, “ ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”
Father give me the wisdom to:
- Understand Your Word.
- Apply Your Word.
- Trust Your Word.
SOUL TATTOO: Spending time in the Holy Bible is not an obligation, but a privileged way to access the heart of God.