Divine Provision- proceeding directly from God.
Talk about the Bible- God’s divine provision for man.
As look at- supernatural nature of this book- hope will ignite a desire to search out hidden truths-
Pr 25:2.
Pray …
Open Your Word to us and open us to Your Word.
Chuck Missler
Important to set aside our prejudices/misconceptions.
A sure barrier to truth is the perception that you already have it. Chuck Missler
Introduction
What have others said about the Bible …
No persons education is complete if they do not know the Bible. Unknown
George Washington-
It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible.
The Bible-
*66 books
*written by over 40 men *written over two thousand years
*yet it is one integrated book that tells one story
The NT is in the OT concealed
The OT is in the NT revealed.
Do not tell me- OT does not apply to our lives today.
It does apply, we need to find out how it applies
The Bible- one complete book- both OT/NT necessary
Mt 5:17-18
Jesus did not come to destroy the OT, but to fulfill it.
Origin of this book- outside- realm of time- records history from before man existed/events took place.
Isa 46:9-10, Isa 57:15 (God lives in eternity)
When talk about eternity- visualize lots of time.
Eternity- not having lots of time- it is outside of time.
*For us life is a series of events.
*God- beginning/middle/end all happen at once
*Look at parade from sidewalk/helicopter
Only two worldviews … everything is the result of …
* some cosmic accident.
* deliberate design by a designer.
Our world view affects how we answer the four basic questions of life …
* Who am I
* Where did I come from
* Why am I here
* Where am I going when I die
A proper understanding of the Bible gives us an accurate world view from which we can live.
Creation …
Bible- provides the answer for all false religions …
Gen 1:1
Atheism- there is no God-
* Bible- we were created by a God.
Pantheism- everything is God-
* Bible- God-distinguishable from creation
Polytheism- many Gods-
* Genesis- there is one God
Humanism- man- the center of the universe
* God not man is the ultimate reality
Evolutionism- life evolved from lower forms
* God created everything we see and know
God- Elohim- plural noun but used as a singular noun
Hint of the trinity.
1 Pet 1:1-2 (Eph 4:4-6)
Here we see the three aspects of the one God.
Gen 1:3-5
How much time did it take God to create the earth?
6- 24 hour days, 6 eras, 15 billion years?
Ex 20:8-11
One part of the Bible brings insights into other parts.
Fall of Man
Man rebels from the ruler ship of his Creator.
Gen 3:1-4
How does Satan deceive Eve (and us today)?
* First he plants doubt- did God really say that?
* Second then comes denial.
First Act of Religion found in Genesis
Gen 3:5-7
After sinned- found they were changed in some way.
* Naked- what was taken away- (Psa 104:1-2)?
* They may have been clothed in light
* Now they were no longer covered by God
(Our only understanding of creation is after the fall)
Act of man trying to cover himself- make himself acceptable to God- reconcile himself to God.
Gen 3:11-15
Seed of the woman- contradiction in biology- the seed is in the man- hint of the virgin birth.
God’s Plan for Redemption
Gen 3:21
Not just giving man clothes to cover his nakedness.
He was teaching them that only by shedding innocent blood would man be covered/acceptable to God.
Foreshadow of another tree in another garden- cross Jesus crucified on- garden of Gethsemane.
Looking at the Bible in the big picture …
* The OT is the account of a nation.
* The NT is the account of a man.
The Creator became a man.
* He died to purchase us and is alive now.
This is the central event/story of the Bible.
The Flood
Riddle: The oldest man in the Bible died before his father. Who is this man? How can this be?
Oldest man- Methuselah- lived 969 years.
Yet he died before his father.
His father was Enoch.
Gen 5:21-27
Methuselah- his death shall bring.
Book of Enoch … (not the canon of scripture)
*God would not bring judgment on the earth until Methuselah died
*Year Methuselah died- flood came, Gen 7:11
*Methuselah- oldest man- picture of God’s grace, a type of His mercy 1 Pet 3:2
Gen 5:29
Noah- to bring comfort, or rest (picture of Christ)
Gen 6:17-18
God makes a covenant w/Noah to preserve his life as we enter into a covenant w/God through Christ.
Gen 7:1-2
Noah- was to bring clean/unclean animals in the Ark.
How did Noah know what was clean and unclean?
These terms do not come up until Moses and the Law.
Some concepts appeared earlier than Moses and were codified in the Law- did not originate with the Law
Like for example the concept of the tithe.
Gen 14:17-20, Gen 28:11-22
Talking about the principle of the tithe, not the law of the tithe- the concept of giving to God 10%.
A concept that existed in the understanding of man long before the Mosaic Law.
Back to the Ark …
Gen 7:9-12
Only one Ark, only one door to that Ark.
Jesus Christ is the only way to know the Father and experience eternal life.
The door sat open for seven days for animals to enter.
Who shut the door on the Ark? God! Gen 7:16
Once the door was shut there was no longer any further hope of salvation.
Everyone one on the Ark lived for over a year- everyone preserved. (371 days)
The Ark is a hint of Christ as our Savior.
Gen 8:4
Some believe that this was the same day on which Christ was resurrected so many years later.
God’s new beginning for mankind in Gen 8 was on the anniversary of our new beginning in Christ.
Abraham’s Sacrifice
God tells Abraham he will be the father of many nations through his son Isaac.
Gen 22:1-8
Abraham represents- the Father, Isaac- the Son.
Many believe that Abraham sacrificed Isaac on the same spot Christ was sacrificed- Golgotha.
God would provide Himself as a sacrifice??
Conclusion
Word of God is incredible- has been given to us to …
*build faith in our hearts and
*give us the knowledge/wisdom we need to live
Rom 10:17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. NASU
Not just talking about reading pages in a book.
We are talking about allowing God to bring those pages alive through personal revelation.
God has a wonderful divine plan for mankind and for your life and mine as well.
