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Dr. Robert Jeffress | Robert Jeffress - How Can I Know The Bible Is True? (Part 1A) | January 10, 2025
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- ♪♪♪
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- Male announcer: from the pulpit of the first baptist church of
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- Dallas, texas, this is "pathway to victory" with dr.
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- Robert jeffress.
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- Dr. robert jeffress: hi, i'm robert jeffress and
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- Welcome again to "pathway to victory."
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- Just look at the colors in a summer sunset or a field of
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- Spring flowers and you can clearly see the fingerprints of
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- A divine creator.
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- But how can we be certain that this spiritual being is the god
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- Of the bible and not some other religion?
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- The answer lies within the scripture itself.
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- And today i'm going to explain why the bible can be trusted.
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- We're answering the question, "how can i know the bible is
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- True?" on today's edition of pathway to victory.
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- ♪♪♪
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- Announcer: it's okay to have questions about your faith,
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- But you need answers you can trust.
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- In his book "how can i know?"
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- Dr. robert jeffress addresses seven of life's
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- Most important questions.
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- If you've ever wondered how you can know the bible is true or
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- How you can know if you're going to heaven,
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- This book makes a compelling case for answers you
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- Can embrace with confidence.
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- Request your copy of "how can i know?"
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- When you give a generous gift to support the ministry
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- Of pathway to victory.
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- ♪♪♪
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- Jeffress: it's one thing to acquiesce to the claim that
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- Somewhere out there, there's an intelligent being who's
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- Responsible for matter that exists around us and oversaw the
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- Complexity of the universe.
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- But it's a giant leap to conclude that that intelligent
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- Being is the personal god of abraham, isaac, and jacob, a god
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- Who implanted himself in the womb of a teenager in a remote
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- Corner of the earth, and nine months later gave birth to the
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- Son of god, a man who would die on a wooden cross to atone for
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- The sins of all people, who would be raised from the dead on
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- The third day after his crucifixion, and is coming back
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- Again to earth to reward the righteous and punish
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- The unrighteous.
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- I mean, why couldn't the intelligent being who created
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- Everything be allah of the quran of islam?
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- Why couldn't it be the force from "star wars?"
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- Why couldn't it be any number of thousands of gods who are
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- Out there?
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- Well, the answer is the bible.
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- It is through the bible that we have the revelation of
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- Everything we need to know about god: who he is, his name, his
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- Attributes, his plan and purpose for the world, his desire for
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- Your life and my life.
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- Of course, there are a lot of religious books that claim to be
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- The depository of truth about their respective gods.
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- So the real question is, how do we know the bible is true?
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- If everything of importance we know about god comes from the
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- Bible, how can we know the bible is true?
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- Maybe you've asked that question yourself.
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- You've had children or grandchildren who have asked
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- That question.
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- You know, they have normal doubts.
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- I mean, is there any evidence, for example, outside of the
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- Bible that the events of the bible took place?
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- What about the so-called contradictions in the bible, in
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- The gospels and other places?
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- How do you explain those?
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- How do we know that the copyist copied the original
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- Manuscripts correctly?
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- How do we know we have the right books of the bible?
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- Why are there 66?
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- Why not 33 or 107?
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- Who decided what's in the bible?
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- This is not just an intellectual discussion.
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- If satan ever wants to get a foothold in your life, he'll do
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- It by causing you to question the validity, the veracity of
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- The bible.
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- I had that happen in my own experience.
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- Many of you know my story.
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- I grew up in a christian home, grew up in this church, was
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- Called to the ministry when i was in high school, went to
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- College excited, and then i heard some college professors,
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- Religion professors, who sowed seeds of doubt about the
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- Veracity of the scripture, talking about all the errors and
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- Contradictions in the bible.
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- And i was tempted to turn my back, not just on my call to
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- Ministry, but on christianity as a whole.
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- I mean, if you can't trust the bible, why even bother?
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- You may be tempted in that way to doubt.
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- You know, satan's first line of attack, as i said, is to cause
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- People to doubt the word of god.
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- Remember what the serpent said to eve in the garden?
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- "has god really said?"
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- And we all have to ask that question.
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- Has god really spoken through the bible?
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- And, if so, how do i know it can be trusted?
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- That's what we're going to talk about this week and next week as
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- We answer the question, how can i know the bible is true?
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- Now, first of all, we need to define what we mean by "true."
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- What do we mean when we say, the bible is true?
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- There are two words i want you to write down.
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- One is the word inerrant.
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- Inerrant.
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- That word simply means without error.
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- Dr. charles ryrie, who was a great theologian and was a
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- Member of this church for many years, defined it this way.
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- He said, when we say the bible is inerrant, we're simply
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- Saying the bible tells the truth.
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- It tells the truth.
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- Now, you have to define "truth."
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- You have to make sure enough you've got a broad enough
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- Definition of truth.
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- Truth includes approximations.
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- For example, if you said, 10,000 people came to the game last
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- Night and somebody counted, and said, well, it was really
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- 10,007, did you tell a lie?
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- No, you were giving an approximation.
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- The bible includes things like that.
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- Free quotations.
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- Sometimes writers of the bible paraphrase other scripture.
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- They don't quote it word for word.
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- That's not untruth.
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- We do that all the time.
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- It includes languages of appearance.
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- When the bible talks about the four corners of the earth,
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- It's not saying that the earth is flat.
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- Today we use the language of appearance.
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- Your meteorologist, weatherman on your favorite tv channel,
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- Talks about the sunrise and the sunset, the time.
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- Is he lying?
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- We know the sun doesn't rise or set.
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- It's the language of appearance.
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- You find that in the bible as well.
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- The controlling verse of scripture that talks about the
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- Bible being inerrant is 2 timothy 3, verses 16 and 17.
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- We read those verses just a few moments ago.
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- "all scripture is inspired by god and profitable for teaching,
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- For reproof, for correction, for training and righteousness, so
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- That the man of god may be adequate and equipped for every
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- Good work."
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- "inspired by god," that greek word is theopneustos.
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- Literally, all scripture is god-breathed.
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- Every word came from the breath of god that you have in
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- Your bible.
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- And as dr. criswell used to say, "god doesn't have
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- Bad breath.
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- Everything he says is good and can be trusted."
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- That's what inerrancy is.
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- The bible tells the truth, that describes the product, the
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- Product you have, the bible is without error.
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- There's a second word, and that is "inspired."
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- And that word describes the process by which god
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- Communicated his message to us.
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- Maybe you've wondered, how could imperfect people produce a
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- Perfect bible?
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- Well, peter answers that question in 2 peter 1:21, "for
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- No prophecy of scripture was ever made by the act of the
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- Human will, but men moved by the holy spirit spoke from god."
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- God oversaw the process of inspirational.
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- And that leads to the definition of inspiration
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- I want you to look at.
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- I've put it on your outline.
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- Inspiration, and this came from dr. ryrie,
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- "inspiration is god's superintending of human authors
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- So that, using their own individual personalities, they
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- Composed and recorded without error in the words of the
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- Original autographs, his revelation to man."
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- That's a mouthful right there.
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- Now, we're gonna do something.
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- For the next five minutes, we're all gonna go to seminary, okay?
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- Would you like to go to seminary just for five minutes?
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- We're gonna have a seminary course, crash course, on
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- Bibliology, the study of the bible, and we're gonna use
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- This definition.
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- Let's take it phrase by phrase.
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- Inspiration, first of all, involves "god's
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- Superintending men."
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- When we say the bible is perfect, we're not saying the
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- People who wrote it are perfect.
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- Moses, peter, paul, all the writers of scripture were
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- Imperfect people.
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- So how did they produce a perfect bible?
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- God oversaw.
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- He superintended the process.
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- Secondly, god used "their individual personalities."
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- That refers to the dual authorship of the bible.
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- God's the one who initiated scripture, but he communicated
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- Through the individual personalities of those who wrote
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- The bible.
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- He used the emotional outburst of king david, the angry rebukes
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- Of moses, the skepticism of solomon.
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- He used the systematic reasoning of the apostle paul.
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- He used the individual personalities to produce
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- The bible.
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- And how did he do it?
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- He had these men "compose and record."
- 00:10:06.629 --> 00:10:11.434
- God composed and recorded the message.
- 00:10:11.434 --> 00:10:15.571
- Now, let's look at that word "recorded."
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- That means dictation.
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- Did you know some parts of the bible were literally dictated
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- From god to those who wrote the scripture?
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- Think about the ten commandments in exodus 20, or think about in
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- Revelation 2 to 3, the message that jesus sent to the
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- Seven churches.
- 00:10:34.523 --> 00:10:35.891
- He told john, the apostle, john, basically, get a pen and a piece
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- Of papyrus and write this down word for word.
- 00:10:39.595 --> 00:10:43.466
- That's how the message was communicated.
- 00:10:43.466 --> 00:10:45.601
- But not all the bible.
- 00:10:45.601 --> 00:10:46.936
- In fact, most of the bible wasn't dictated.
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- It was composed.
- 00:10:49.939 --> 00:10:51.774
- For example, in psalm 51, david cried out, "be gracious to me,
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- O god, according to your lovingkindness."
- 00:10:56.846 --> 00:11:01.517
- He was desperate.
- 00:11:01.517 --> 00:11:02.885
- "be gracious to me" after this great sin i've committed.
- 00:11:02.885 --> 00:11:06.255
- "be gracious to me, o god, according to your
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- Lovingkindness."
- 00:11:08.591 --> 00:11:10.226
- Now, was he taking dictation when he wrote that?
- 00:11:10.226 --> 00:11:12.995
- God said, "be," be, "gracious," gracious, "to," to, "me," me.
- 00:11:12.995 --> 00:11:18.300
- "lord, is there a comma after 'me' or not?"
- 00:11:18.300 --> 00:11:20.469
- You think that's how it happened?
- 00:11:20.469 --> 00:11:21.871
- No, he used the personality of the psalmist to produce that
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- Message, and that's what we have in the bible.
- 00:11:27.143 --> 00:11:29.411
- Some of the bible's recorded.
- 00:11:29.411 --> 00:11:31.113
- Some of it is composed.
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- But it is all used communicate his revelation.
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- Now, pop quiz in our seminary crash course.
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- Are there any lies in the bible?
- 00:11:42.458 --> 00:11:46.128
- How many of you would dare to say yes?
- 00:11:46.128 --> 00:11:50.699
- How many of you would say, "no, i'm absolutely sure there are no
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- Lies in the bible?"
- 00:11:54.336 --> 00:11:55.671
- Raise your hand if you're convinced.
- 00:11:55.671 --> 00:11:57.807
- Now, let me show you why you're wrong.
- 00:11:57.807 --> 00:12:00.309
- There are lies in the bible.
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- The first lie came from satan when he told the woman, "you
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- Shall not die if you eat of the tree."
- 00:12:06.882 --> 00:12:09.785
- Now, that was a bald-faced lie.
- 00:12:09.785 --> 00:12:12.555
- But god's message included the lies of satan.
- 00:12:12.555 --> 00:12:16.325
- So when we talk about god's revelation, his message, that
- 00:12:16.325 --> 00:12:19.662
- Has to be broad enough to include the lies of satan.
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- It has to include research.
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- For example, luke didn't see jesus up close and personal.
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- His gospel wasn't based on eyewitness experience.
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- He researched, he tells us, his material.
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- He went to the best sources to get his information.
- 00:12:38.047 --> 00:12:41.217
- So god's message has to include research, has to include
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- Emotional outbursts, like paul in romans 9, verses 1 to 2.
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- It even includes quotations from non-biblical sources.
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- You know, every now and then, i'll quote from somebody, and
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- I'll get an angry email.
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- How could you quote from that person?
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- Don't you know they're a pagan philosopher?
- 00:12:58.400 --> 00:13:00.536
- Well, guess what?
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- Even paul quoted pagan philosophers.
- 00:13:01.904 --> 00:13:04.039
- In titus 1:12, he quoted a pagan poet of his day to talk about
- 00:13:04.039 --> 00:13:10.512
- How worthless the cretans were.
- 00:13:10.512 --> 00:13:13.415
- God's message included quotations from
- 00:13:13.415 --> 00:13:16.352
- Non-biblical sources.
- 00:13:16.352 --> 00:13:17.686
- It includes approximations, paraphrases of scripture, the
- 00:13:17.686 --> 00:13:21.023
- Language of appearance.
- 00:13:21.023 --> 00:13:22.558
- God communicated his message through these men.
- 00:13:22.558 --> 00:13:26.061
- He did so, next, "without error."
- 00:13:26.061 --> 00:13:29.064
- That means there's no mixture of error with the absolute truth of
- 00:13:29.064 --> 00:13:33.602
- The bible.
- 00:13:33.602 --> 00:13:34.937
- And, finally, he did so "in the words of the original
- 00:13:34.937 --> 00:13:38.540
- Manuscripts" or autographs.
- 00:13:38.540 --> 00:13:40.943
- When we say, the bible is without error, we're talking
- 00:13:40.943 --> 00:13:45.014
- About the original manuscripts, that original letter paul sent
- 00:13:45.014 --> 00:13:49.251
- To corinth, that original letter that john penned on the island
- 00:13:49.251 --> 00:13:54.290
- Of patmos.
- 00:13:54.290 --> 00:13:56.058
- But here's a problem.
- 00:13:56.058 --> 00:13:57.960
- We don't have those original autographs anymore.
- 00:13:57.960 --> 00:14:01.597
- We have copies of them.
- 00:14:01.597 --> 00:14:03.299
- In fact, i'm gonna talk next week about the amazing fact that
- 00:14:03.299 --> 00:14:06.802
- There are over 25,000 manuscripts of the
- 00:14:06.802 --> 00:14:10.072
- New testament.
- 00:14:10.072 --> 00:14:11.573
- There are more manuscripts of the new and old testament than
- 00:14:11.573 --> 00:14:14.443
- Of any other work of antiquity in history.
- 00:14:14.443 --> 00:14:18.113
- And they proved the accuracy of the bible.
- 00:14:18.113 --> 00:14:20.182
- We'll get into all that next week.
- 00:14:20.182 --> 00:14:21.517
- But the fact is we don't have the original manuscripts.
- 00:14:21.517 --> 00:14:24.720
- So isn't this kind of a worthless argument to say the
- 00:14:24.720 --> 00:14:27.323
- Bible is without error, but we don't have the
- 00:14:27.323 --> 00:14:29.625
- Books that were without error?
- 00:14:29.625 --> 00:14:30.960
- We don't have the manuscripts?
- 00:14:30.960 --> 00:14:32.361
- Not at all. it's very relevant to us today.
- 00:14:32.361 --> 00:14:35.497
- For example, let's say you've got a $50 bill in your wallet
- 00:14:35.497 --> 00:14:39.201
- Or purse right now.
- 00:14:39.201 --> 00:14:40.536
- You didn't give it an offering. you've got that $50 bill.
- 00:14:40.536 --> 00:14:46.275
- Now, that $50 bill was produced by a plate, an engraved plate,
- 00:14:46.275 --> 00:14:54.817
- According to the government specifications.
- 00:14:54.817 --> 00:14:57.453
- Where is that plate right now?
- 00:14:57.453 --> 00:14:59.021
- Well, you've never seen it.
- 00:14:59.021 --> 00:15:01.123
- It's stored in the treasury department.
- 00:15:01.123 --> 00:15:02.891
- It may have even been destroyed by now.
- 00:15:02.891 --> 00:15:06.328
- But whether or not that original plate that you don't have,
- 00:15:06.328 --> 00:15:09.932
- Whether it was legitimate or counterfeit, has great relevance
- 00:15:09.932 --> 00:15:14.403
- To whether your $50 bill is any good or not.
- 00:15:14.403 --> 00:15:18.273
- It is impossible to have an errant, or illegitimate
- 00:15:18.273 --> 00:15:24.213
- Original, and have a perfect copy.
- 00:15:24.213 --> 00:15:26.949
- You just can't do it.
- 00:15:26.949 --> 00:15:28.484
- It makes all the difference in the world whether or not the
- 00:15:28.484 --> 00:15:31.854
- Original manuscripts were produced without error.
- 00:15:31.854 --> 00:15:36.225
- Is there any evidence that the original manuscripts from which
- 00:15:36.225 --> 00:15:39.928
- Our copies were derived are without error?
- 00:15:39.928 --> 00:15:44.633
- Let me share with you several of the strongest evidences for the
- 00:15:44.633 --> 00:15:48.437
- Inspiration of the bible, that we can trust the bible.
- 00:15:48.437 --> 00:15:52.007
- We're gonna talk about three of those evidences today and a
- 00:15:52.007 --> 00:15:55.144
- Final one next time.
- 00:15:55.144 --> 00:15:56.512
- First of all, consider the bible's claims about itself.
- 00:15:56.512 --> 00:16:01.383
- The bible claims to be inerrant.
- 00:16:01.383 --> 00:16:03.385
- Now, you say that's circular reason.
- 00:16:03.385 --> 00:16:05.087
- We say, i know the bible is true because the bible says
- 00:16:05.087 --> 00:16:07.723
- It's true.
- 00:16:07.723 --> 00:16:09.091
- I will admit, it's the weakest argument, but it's important
- 00:16:09.091 --> 00:16:13.395
- Because we have to know, are we claiming something about the
- 00:16:13.395 --> 00:16:16.432
- Bible that the bible doesn't claim about itself?
- 00:16:16.432 --> 00:16:19.735
- Are we hyping the bible to say it's inerrant?
- 00:16:19.735 --> 00:16:23.005
- I had seminary professors, college professors, who said,
- 00:16:23.005 --> 00:16:26.375
- This idea of inerrant, the bible nowhere claims to be inspired
- 00:16:26.375 --> 00:16:30.546
- And without error.
- 00:16:30.546 --> 00:16:31.914
- That's just some man-made claim.
- 00:16:31.914 --> 00:16:34.016
- No, let's look at the old testament.
- 00:16:34.016 --> 00:16:36.218
- First of all, the old testament itself claimed that the old
- 00:16:36.218 --> 00:16:39.788
- Testament was inspired hundreds of times.
- 00:16:39.788 --> 00:16:42.324
- I have some of those times written on your outline.
- 00:16:42.324 --> 00:16:44.860
- The bible says, "and god spoke these words," or "thus sayeth
- 00:16:44.860 --> 00:16:48.330
- The lord," or "the words of jeremiah, to whom the word of
- 00:16:48.330 --> 00:16:51.733
- The lord came."
- 00:16:51.733 --> 00:16:53.302
- Over and over again, the old testament says this is the word
- 00:16:53.302 --> 00:16:56.038
- Of the lord.
- 00:16:56.038 --> 00:16:57.406
- In psalm 95, we read these words, verses 7 and 8, "today,
- 00:16:57.406 --> 00:17:01.844
- If you would hear god's voice, do not harden your hearts as
- 00:17:01.844 --> 00:17:05.914
- They did at meribah in the days of massah in the wilderness."
- 00:17:05.914 --> 00:17:10.719
- Now, that psalm was written about 900 bc, 900 bc.
- 00:17:10.719 --> 00:17:16.425
- We don't know who wrote that psalm, but it's included in the
- 00:17:16.425 --> 00:17:19.428
- Old testament.
- 00:17:19.428 --> 00:17:20.829
- A thousand years later, the writer of hebrews in the new
- 00:17:20.829 --> 00:17:23.866
- Testament quoted from psalm 95.
- 00:17:23.866 --> 00:17:27.136
- Listen to how he quotes from it.
- 00:17:27.136 --> 00:17:29.071
- "therefore, just as the holy spirit says, 'today, if you hear
- 00:17:29.071 --> 00:17:33.709
- God's voice,'" and so forth, "'don't harden your hearts.'"
- 00:17:33.709 --> 00:17:36.678
- We don't know who the human writer was.
- 00:17:36.678 --> 00:17:38.881
- The writer of hebrews says it doesn't matter.
- 00:17:38.881 --> 00:17:41.517
- It was the holy spirit who wrote those words.
- 00:17:41.517 --> 00:17:45.487
- The apostles themselves claimed that the
- 00:17:45.487 --> 00:17:48.090
- Old testament was inspired.
- 00:17:48.090 --> 00:17:49.424
- We've already looked at what paul said in 2 timothy 3, "all
- 00:17:49.424 --> 00:17:52.995
- Scripture is theopneustos."
- 00:17:52.995 --> 00:17:55.230
- He was talking primarily, but not exclusively, about the
- 00:17:55.230 --> 00:17:58.367
- Old testament.
- 00:17:58.367 --> 00:17:59.701
- Peter, in 2 peter 1, talked about, "no scripture came about
- 00:17:59.701 --> 00:18:03.839
- By act of human will, but men carried along by the holy spirit
- 00:18:03.839 --> 00:18:08.377
- Spoke from god."
- 00:18:08.377 --> 00:18:09.745
- Jesus himself believed in the inspiration of the
- 00:18:09.745 --> 00:18:13.148
- Old testament.
- 00:18:13.148 --> 00:18:14.483
- The old testament was complete by the days of jesus.
- 00:18:14.483 --> 00:18:17.019
- He knew it. he studied it.
- 00:18:17.019 --> 00:18:18.754
- He believed it was inspired by god.
- 00:18:18.754 --> 00:18:21.190
- You know what's really interesting?
- 00:18:21.190 --> 00:18:23.192
- Is that jesus seems to have gone out of his way to put his stamp
- 00:18:23.192 --> 00:18:27.496
- Of approval on stories that are ridiculed by liberals the most
- 00:18:27.496 --> 00:18:31.667
- In the old testament.
- 00:18:31.667 --> 00:18:33.202
- For example, biologists scoff at the idea that humanity came from
- 00:18:33.202 --> 00:18:37.940
- One man and one woman.
- 00:18:37.940 --> 00:18:39.942
- And, yet, in matthew 19, jesus affirmed that.
- 00:18:39.942 --> 00:18:42.811
- He was talking about the issue of marriage,
- 00:18:42.811 --> 00:18:44.746
- But he said in matthew 19:4, "have you not read that he who
- 00:18:44.746 --> 00:18:50.018
- Created them from the beginning made them male and female?"
- 00:18:50.018 --> 00:18:55.390
- Singular, one man, one woman.
- 00:18:55.390 --> 00:18:58.760
- By the way, who assigns gender to people?
- 00:18:58.760 --> 00:19:02.431
- God does.
- 00:19:02.431 --> 00:19:03.765
- He's the one who makes them male or female.
- 00:19:03.765 --> 00:19:07.202
- What a foolish, ludicrous, stupid idea to think you can
- 00:19:07.202 --> 00:19:11.440
- Wave a surgeon's scalpel over somebody and turn them from a
- 00:19:11.440 --> 00:19:15.577
- Man into a woman or a woman into a man.
- 00:19:15.577 --> 00:19:18.413
- No person can do that. only god gets to do that.
- 00:19:18.413 --> 00:19:26.188
- The key part of this is god made them one man, male and female,
- 00:19:26.188 --> 00:19:31.727
- Jesus said, or think about his resurrection.
- 00:19:31.727 --> 00:19:36.231
- Jesus attached his resurrection to the story of
- 00:19:36.231 --> 00:19:39.768
- Jonah and the great fish.
- 00:19:39.768 --> 00:19:41.103
- Again, skeptics say, "in the belly of a fish for three days?
- 00:19:41.103 --> 00:19:45.240
- No way."
- 00:19:45.240 --> 00:19:46.575
- But listen to what jesus said.
- 00:19:46.575 --> 00:19:47.943
- "for just as jonah was three days and three nights in the
- 00:19:47.943 --> 00:19:50.779
- Belly of the sea monster, so shall the son of man be there
- 00:19:50.779 --> 00:19:55.183
- Three days in the heart of the earth."
- 00:19:55.183 --> 00:19:58.820
- Other people scoffed at the idea that there was ever a man named
- 00:19:58.820 --> 00:20:02.758
- Noah who built a giant arch in the middle of the desert and
- 00:20:02.758 --> 00:20:07.329
- Called for repentance.
- 00:20:07.329 --> 00:20:08.664
- And god eventually sent a flood and destroyed the earth except
- 00:20:08.664 --> 00:20:12.968
- For those who were in the ark.
- 00:20:12.968 --> 00:20:14.803
- And yet in matthew 24, verses 37 to 39, jesus attaches his second
- 00:20:14.803 --> 00:20:20.575
- Coming to the story of noah.
- 00:20:20.575 --> 00:20:23.478
- "for the coming of the son of man will be just like the days
- 00:20:23.478 --> 00:20:26.682
- Of noah.
- 00:20:26.682 --> 00:20:28.016
- For as in those days there were before the flood they were
- 00:20:28.016 --> 00:20:31.019
- Eating and drinking, and marrying and giving and
- 00:20:31.019 --> 00:20:33.722
- Marriage, until the day that noah entered the ark, and the
- 00:20:33.722 --> 00:20:36.892
- Flood came and took them all away; so shall the coming
- 00:20:36.892 --> 00:20:40.462
- Of the son of man be."
- 00:20:40.462 --> 00:20:42.431
- "just as it was in the days of noah, so shall it be in the
- 00:20:42.431 --> 00:20:46.802
- Coming of the son of man."
- 00:20:46.802 --> 00:20:48.603
- Jesus attached his second coming to noah.
- 00:20:48.603 --> 00:20:51.873
- A few years ago, i was on a popular talk show.
- 00:20:51.873 --> 00:20:54.910
- It was the most popular talk show of its time.
- 00:20:54.910 --> 00:20:58.246
- And the host said, "you know, pastor, i believe the new
- 00:20:58.246 --> 00:21:03.085
- Testament, but i just can't accept that story in the old
- 00:21:03.085 --> 00:21:06.121
- Testament about noah.
- 00:21:06.121 --> 00:21:08.190
- I just think it's a myth.
- 00:21:08.190 --> 00:21:09.558
- That couldn't be real."
- 00:21:09.558 --> 00:21:11.693
- And i said, "well, notice that jesus attached his second coming
- 00:21:11.693 --> 00:21:17.265
- To that story that you think is a myth."
- 00:21:17.265 --> 00:21:20.869
- Just suppose jesus had said instead, just as it was in the
- 00:21:20.869 --> 00:21:25.807
- Days of the easter bunny, so shall it be when the son of man
- 00:21:25.807 --> 00:21:30.278
- Comes again.
- 00:21:30.278 --> 00:21:31.713
- If jesus attached his second coming to the easter bunny,
- 00:21:31.713 --> 00:21:35.016
- Would you have any confidence he's coming back again?
- 00:21:35.016 --> 00:21:38.120
- It makes no sense to try to link reality with a fictitious or a
- 00:21:38.120 --> 00:21:43.225
- Myth of an occurrence.
- 00:21:43.225 --> 00:21:44.893
- It just doesn't make any sense.
- 00:21:44.893 --> 00:21:46.795
- The only way to prove reality is with other reality.
- 00:21:46.795 --> 00:21:51.032
- My point is jesus believed the stories of the old testament,
- 00:21:51.032 --> 00:21:54.603
- But it didn't stop there.
- 00:21:54.603 --> 00:21:56.104
- He believed every word of the old testament was inspired
- 00:21:56.104 --> 00:22:00.709
- By god.
- 00:22:00.709 --> 00:22:02.077
- For example, in matthew 22, jesus was arguing with the
- 00:22:02.077 --> 00:22:04.980
- Sadducees, a sect of the jews about the resurrection.
- 00:22:04.980 --> 00:22:08.750
- They didn't believe in eternity.
- 00:22:08.750 --> 00:22:10.218
- They didn't believe in a resurrection.
- 00:22:10.218 --> 00:22:12.354
- And so jesus proved to them that the old testament taught
- 00:22:12.354 --> 00:22:15.390
- The resurrection.
- 00:22:15.390 --> 00:22:16.792
- Matthew 22, verses 31 and 32, jesus said, "but regarding the
- 00:22:16.792 --> 00:22:21.563
- Resurrection of the dead, have you not read that which was
- 00:22:21.563 --> 00:22:24.900
- Spoken to you by god?
- 00:22:24.900 --> 00:22:27.269
- 'i am the god of abraham and isaac and jacob.'"
- 00:22:27.269 --> 00:22:31.339
- Jesus said, "he is not the god of the dead, but of the living."
- 00:22:31.339 --> 00:22:34.876
- What jesus was doing was going back to exodus 3, verse 6, the
- 00:22:34.876 --> 00:22:39.281
- Story of the burning bush.
- 00:22:39.281 --> 00:22:40.649
- Remember god appeared to moses in the burning bush and told him
- 00:22:40.649 --> 00:22:43.819
- To go to pharaoh?
- 00:22:43.819 --> 00:22:45.153
- And moses said, "if i'm to go to pharaoh, who am i to say
- 00:22:45.153 --> 00:22:48.089
- Sent me?"
- 00:22:48.089 --> 00:22:49.424
- He said, "tell them i am sent you, for i am the god of
- 00:22:49.424 --> 00:22:53.128
- Abraham, isaac, and jacob."
- 00:22:53.128 --> 00:22:54.963
- ♪♪♪
- 00:22:54.963 --> 00:23:00.135
- Jeffress: there's much more we need to cover while tackling
- 00:23:00.135 --> 00:23:02.771
- This relevant question, how can i know the bible is true?
- 00:23:02.771 --> 00:23:07.309
- So, please, make plans to join us again next time on "pathway
- 00:23:07.309 --> 00:23:10.979
- To victory."
- 00:23:10.979 --> 00:23:12.347
- In closing, i wanna give a big shout out to those of you who
- 00:23:12.347 --> 00:23:15.484
- Gave generously in december.
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- 00:23:17.786 --> 00:23:21.423
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- 00:23:21.423 --> 00:23:25.594
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- Stay right there, i'll be back in a moment
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- With more "pathway to victory."
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- Announcer: if a friend or one of your children came up to you
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- 00:24:16.711 --> 00:24:18.914
- Is the right religion?"
- 00:24:18.914 --> 00:24:20.482
- Could you give a clear and credible answer?
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- Containing answers to life's seven most important questions.
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- It's titled "how can i know?"
- 00:24:29.891 --> 00:24:32.093
- Jeffress: if we're honest, every one of us has questions
- 00:24:32.093 --> 00:24:34.729
- About our faith, questions like:
- 00:24:34.729 --> 00:24:36.631
- How can i know the bible is true?
- 00:24:36.631 --> 00:24:39.000
- Or: how can i know god exists?
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- In my book "how can i know?"
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- I tackle seven important questions and provide
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- Biblically-based answers
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- You can embrace with confidence.
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- Announcer: seven straightforward answers
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- To seven pressing questions.
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- The book "how can i know?"
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- Is yours today when you give a generous gift to support the
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- Jeffress: it's not a sin to have doubts.
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- Sometimes doubt is a prerequisite to genuine faith.
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- Biblical teaching of god's word.
- 00:25:38.360 --> 00:25:40.662
- Jeffress: today we looked at the bible's claim that it is both
- 00:25:44.532 --> 00:25:47.335
- Inspired and inerrant.
- 00:25:47.335 --> 00:25:49.638
- And while i realize that doesn't necessarily prove that the bible
- 00:25:49.638 --> 00:25:53.241
- Is true in and of itself, what i want you to understand is that
- 00:25:53.241 --> 00:25:57.212
- When you claim that the bible is inspired and inerrant, you're
- 00:25:57.212 --> 00:26:00.915
- Not claiming any more than what the bible claims about itself.
- 00:26:00.915 --> 00:26:05.920
- Fortunately, there's even more evidence for the inspiration
- 00:26:05.920 --> 00:26:09.057
- Of scripture.
- 00:26:09.057 --> 00:26:10.425
- And next time, we'll look at two more pieces of evidence for the
- 00:26:10.425 --> 00:26:13.695
- Trustworthiness of the bible, including fulfilled prophecy.
- 00:26:13.695 --> 00:26:18.433
- Stay tuned for a preview of what's coming up next in our
- 00:26:18.433 --> 00:26:21.102
- Series, "how can i know?"
- 00:26:21.102 --> 00:26:24.406
- Jeffress: the bible wasn't written by one man.
- 00:26:24.406 --> 00:26:26.241
- It was written by over 40 authors over a span of
- 00:26:26.241 --> 00:26:29.611
- 1,500 years.
- 00:26:29.611 --> 00:26:31.946
- It was written in geographical locations 2,000 miles away, from
- 00:26:31.946 --> 00:26:36.751
- Babylon to jerusalem to rome.
- 00:26:36.751 --> 00:26:39.521
- Those who wrote the bible were from various backgrounds: kings,
- 00:26:39.521 --> 00:26:45.326
- Sheep herders, doctors.
- 00:26:45.326 --> 00:26:48.697
- Male announcer: set your dvr and join us next time for part two
- 00:26:48.697 --> 00:26:51.433
- Of the message, "how can i know the bible is true?"
- 00:26:51.433 --> 00:26:54.936
- Here on "pathway to victory."
- 00:26:54.936 --> 00:26:56.805
- Announcer: join dr. robert jeffress on
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- "pathway to victory's" journeys of paul mediterranean cruise.
- 00:27:01.443 --> 00:27:04.779
- Jeffress: i want to take you to the very places where god's word
- 00:27:04.846 --> 00:27:08.316
- Was written and seek the one who sought us first in his creation.
- 00:27:08.316 --> 00:27:13.221
- Announcer: experience world-class accommodations
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- Aboard the luxurious, "celebrity ascent" in beautiful island
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- Destinations like santorini, mykonos, and crete.
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- To book your reservation now, call...
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- Or visit ptv.org.
- 00:27:26.701 --> 00:27:28.703