Dr. Jack Graham's mission is to glorify God by introducing Jesus Christ as Lord to all people.
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Closed captions
Show Timecode
Power Point with Jack Graham | Jack Graham - The Jesus Book | May 25, 2025
- ♪♪♪
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- There is no person that god cannot save!
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- There is no promise that god will not keep!
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- There is nothing that our god cannot do!
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- Living hope in a hostile world. that's because we are born
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- Again according to peter unto a living hope because of the
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- Resurrection of jesus.
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- In my book the jesus book i have a chapter on the bible and
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- World view, because what this really is, is a war of world
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- Views; a biblical world view and a secularist world view.
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- That's the battle that's going on in our world and in this
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- Culture. a war that is a spiritual war. supernatural
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- Things are going on here behind the scenes. and the battle is
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- Really not against republicans or democrats or denominations
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- Or various kinds of cultures; it is a battle between truth
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- And untruth; a battle between truth and lies.
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- Last week we preached on the blood of christ from 1 peter
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- And it occurred to me what the old preachers used to say... we
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- Were built on the blood, the book and the blessed hope of
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- The lord jesus christ. and that's what 1 peter is about...
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- The blood and the book and the blessed hope of jesus christ.
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- I'm calling this sermon "the jesus book" because jesus and
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- The bible, though not the same, are one. and the more you get
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- To know your bible, the more you get to know jesus... who he
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- Is and what he can do to change your life.
- 00:02:11.554 --> 00:02:16.092
- This book, beyond the book, the living, breathing word of god.
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- And no penny ante politician can destroy this [tap] book.
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- They can defame it, they can deny it, they can dilute it,
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- But they cannot destroy it. because as we're going to see
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- In this message, the word of god... well, let's just look at
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- Our text. it says "since you have been born again (verse 23
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- In 1 peter 1)
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- 23) since you have been born again, not of perishable seed
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- But of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of
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- God; 24) for “all flesh is like grass and all its glory like
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- The flower of grass. the grass withers, the flower fades, but
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- The word of the lord remains forever.”
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- And this word... what is this word? this word is the good
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- News that was preached to you. the good news that jesus is
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- Lord; that christ is king; that he died for you; that he rose
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- Again; that he's coming again to receive all who trust in
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- Him. and there is no grave that can hold him back and there's
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- No grave that can bury this book! because this book is
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- Alive forevermore. what this country needs more than
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- Anything is a revival of the bible... a revival of the
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- Bible, and it starts in the pulpits across this nation and
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- With christians.
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- I heard about a little boy who went to sunday school. his
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- Parents didn't go with him for some reason on this occasion
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- But when he was in sunday school, he heard about the
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- Revival that was going to be at the church. there were going to
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- Be some meetings... revival meetings [sniff] and he went
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- Home and his mother said, "well, what did they teach in
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- Sunday school today?" "well", he said, "i learned that we're
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- Going to have a re-bible at the church." [laughter] she said,
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- "a re-bible." he said, "yes, we're going to have a
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- Re-bible." well, i think he was close to what we really need.
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- Revival is a re-bible. we need a rebirth of the church and a
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- Renewal and a revival of the bible, god's word.
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- Francis dixson, the bible teacher said, "it has been
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- Hated..." talking about the bible... "it's been hated and
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- Hounded as no other book has ever been and yet
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- Indestructible, despised and yet honored, derided and yet
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- Highly esteemed, declared dead and yet alive. mighty emperors
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- And kings and queens has shunned, no toil and no guilt
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- In order to exterminate it. wise and scholarly men have
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- Thoroughly refuted it and now that higher criticism lords
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- Over it and science has done away with it, it is spreading
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- Still over the whole earth and millions of copies in hundreds
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- And hundreds of languages. you can't stop the word of god. it
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- Is indominable, it is indestructible, it is
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- Unstoppable. why? because it is the living, breathing word of
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- God."
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- Let's talk about it for a few moments. the total perfection
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- Of god's word... the total perfection of god's word. we
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- Are told that this new birth of ours comes as a result of not a
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- Perishable seed, but an imperishable ... a living and
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- Binding word of god. the imperishable seed is the seed
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- Of god's word. and just as the seed of man coupled with the
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- Egg produces life, the word of god when it arrives in the
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- Power of the holy spirit in the hearts of men and women, it
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- Produces life. martin luther said, "the bible is alive; it
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- Speaks to me. it has feet; it runs after me. it has hands; it
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- Lays hold of me. the bible is not antique or modern; it is
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- Eternal." in fact, the psalmist said, "your word, o lord, is
- 00:06:19.435 --> 00:06:25.708
- Forever settled (fixed) in the heavens." in eternity past and
- 00:06:25.708 --> 00:06:32.315
- Eternity future the word of god lives! before moses ever laid
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- Down the law, before the psalmist ever wrote a hymn,
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- Before jesus ever walked on the earth, before peter or paul
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- Ever wrote a letter from prison, the word of god was
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- Formed and fixed in the heart of god forever and ever!
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- This book is inspired, meaning it is breathed out. you've
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- Heard of john 3:16: "for god so loved the world..." that's the
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- Bible in a sentence. "for god so loved the world that he gave
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- His only begotten son that whoever believes in him would
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- Not perish but have everlasting life." that's john 3:16. and
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- John 3:16 is coupled with 2 timothy 3:16, another great
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- Verse in the bible, which says, "all scripture is given (it's a
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- Gift from god... what a gift!) is given by inspiration of
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- God." that is, the word which means to breathe out, breathe
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- Out. god breathed out his word. the breath of god is in this
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- Book and cannot, therefore, cease to exist no more than god
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- Himself can cease to exist. god has preserved and protected his
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- Word through the generations. truly amazing. and in the
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- Inspiration of the bible, the book is not just an inspiring
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- Book. there are many inspiring books and inspiring stories.
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- And you can listen to inspiring sermons. i hope this is one of
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- Them!
- 00:08:07.643 --> 00:08:08.911
- But the bible is inspired in a different sense, not inspiring
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- As in human inspiration, but divine. divinely inspired...
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- Breathed out. just as i am speaking, out of my lungs comes
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- Breath. and through my larynx and my vocal cords, the breath
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- Comes and over my tongue words are formed and my breath
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- Therefore, creates these words and what you're hearing today.
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- And so it is when god breathed out his life into this book. we
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- Have the veritable very word of god.
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- ♪♪♪
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- Thanks again for tuning in to powerpoint today. and we just
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- Want to take a little break because, we want you to have
- 00:09:02.865 --> 00:09:05.735
- Something very important at powerpoint. we like to put
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- Resources in people's hands that, encourage you to know
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- Christ and to know him more and more in your life. and, of
- 00:09:12.108 --> 00:09:15.544
- Course, that's always god's word, the scripture.
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- And my friend o.s. hawkins, doctor o.s. hawkins has
- 00:09:17.680 --> 00:09:21.250
- Written, a devotional book that we are offering. in fact, this
- 00:09:21.250 --> 00:09:24.854
- Is one of many devotional books that doctor hawkins has written
- 00:09:24.854 --> 00:09:28.290
- There. over 2 million in print and sold and more to come. but
- 00:09:28.290 --> 00:09:32.561
- This one is called the jesus code, and it is a companion to
- 00:09:32.561 --> 00:09:37.299
- Your personal bible study and for your gift of any amount, we
- 00:09:37.299 --> 00:09:40.936
- Want you to have it.
- 00:09:40.936 --> 00:09:42.171
- But o.s. is here with me in the studio today. tell us, o.s.
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- What the jesus code is all about.
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- [o.s. hawkins] well, it's just a devotional book, jack, that,
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- You know, reading devotional through the new testament some
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- Years ago, i was astounded at how many times jesus asked
- 00:09:53.416 --> 00:09:57.720
- Questions in the bible. he was always asking questions. 150 of
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- Them escaped his lips that are recorded in john. and we know
- 00:10:02.925 --> 00:10:06.262
- The bible says at the end of the book of john that if
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- Everything jesus said and did had been recorded, all the
- 00:10:09.065 --> 00:10:12.234
- Books couldn't contain him. but we have 150.
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- So i picked 52 questions, one for a week of devotional
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- Throughout the year, 52 questions that i think every
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- Believer ought to be able to answer before they get to
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- Heaven. for example, job ask, if a man dies, will he live
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- Again? in the book, in the gospel of matthew, who do you
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- Say that i am?
- 00:10:35.524 --> 00:10:36.726
- There just 52 questions that all of us should be able to
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- Answer before we get to heaven.
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- [jack graham] yeah. questions like, what are you doing here
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- To elijah? and in the beginning, in genesis, has god
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- Said and on and on. so, so many questions that people have are
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- Answered in the bible. in fact, all of our questions are
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- Answered in god's word. that's what this book is about. right
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- Out of scripture is full of god's word.
- 00:10:58.514 --> 00:11:00.449
- It's not just nice thoughts or, good ideas. this is god's word,
- 00:11:00.449 --> 00:11:04.487
- The questions of the bible for your gift of any amount. we
- 00:11:04.487 --> 00:11:08.057
- Will send you right away that jesus code - 52 scripture
- 00:11:08.057 --> 00:11:11.494
- Questions every believer should answer.
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- ♪♪♪
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- The word of god is perfect and it is pure, every word of it. i
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- Believe in what we call the verbal plenary inspiration of
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- The bible. [you say] what does that mean? verbal- that
- 00:11:39.088 --> 00:11:42.224
- Obviously means words. so the bible is not just inspired in
- 00:11:42.224 --> 00:11:46.395
- Parts or paragraphs, but in words. you can't have
- 00:11:46.395 --> 00:11:51.901
- Mathematics without numbers and you can't have truth without
- 00:11:51.901 --> 00:11:56.238
- Words. you can't have the bible without words. it was... when
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- It comes to the word of god, jesus said, "man shall not live
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- By bread alone, but by every... (what?) ... word that processes
- 00:12:03.846 --> 00:12:09.118
- Out of the mouth of god." it is foolish to say that the bible
- 00:12:09.118 --> 00:12:12.822
- Was inspired in just the big picture kind of way. no, the
- 00:12:12.822 --> 00:12:16.525
- Bible is inspired... truth without any mixture of error.
- 00:12:16.525 --> 00:12:20.763
- It is a verbally inspired book. the word of god says... over
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- 2000 times in the bible phrases like "and god said," or "the
- 00:12:25.801 --> 00:12:31.140
- Word of god said..."
- 00:12:31.140 --> 00:12:34.276
- And then, of course, the bible as the word of god. my favorite
- 00:12:34.276 --> 00:12:39.882
- Term for the bible these days is the jesus book. and the
- 00:12:39.882 --> 00:12:46.488
- Reason i say that is because all of the bible, the verbal
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- Plenary (and that word plenary means all of it) inspiration
- 00:12:52.194 --> 00:12:57.433
- Means god breathed. the verbal plenary inspiration, the bible.
- 00:12:57.433 --> 00:13:01.570
- But it has one theme. though it was written over a period of
- 00:13:01.570 --> 00:13:04.106
- 1600 plus years, 40 different human authors breathed upon by
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- God, led by the spirit to write. and yet, one central
- 00:13:08.644 --> 00:13:13.849
- Theme. there are many subjects in the bible. so many subjects.
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- I've spent a lifetime preaching on the various themes and
- 00:13:18.787 --> 00:13:21.757
- Subjects of the bible!
- 00:13:21.757 --> 00:13:24.293
- But there is one central theme, and that theme is that god
- 00:13:24.293 --> 00:13:30.165
- Loves you. and yet man sinned against god and broke god's
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- Commandments. but god had a plan and that plan was to
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- Redeem us. and so through the centuries god was working out
- 00:13:40.976 --> 00:13:45.147
- His plan in order to deliver us his son, the savior, jesus. and
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- All of the old testament in preparation for the new
- 00:13:51.220 --> 00:13:54.290
- Testament message of the apostles... all of that was
- 00:13:54.290 --> 00:13:57.026
- Written so that you can know god... so that you can know
- 00:13:57.026 --> 00:14:01.864
- God! and the way you know god is through the message of the
- 00:14:01.864 --> 00:14:05.100
- Gospel he said which is the message of jesus.
- 00:14:05.100 --> 00:14:08.570
- One day after the resurrection, shortly after the resurrection
- 00:14:08.570 --> 00:14:12.041
- Two people were walking on the road to emmaus, their hometown,
- 00:14:12.041 --> 00:14:16.278
- Having been in jerusalem. they were despondent and hopeless
- 00:14:16.278 --> 00:14:19.548
- Because they thought it was all over. they had believed in
- 00:14:19.548 --> 00:14:21.750
- Christ the messiah, but now he appeared to be dead and gone
- 00:14:21.750 --> 00:14:25.354
- Forever. jesus came out of the grave and he's walking with
- 00:14:25.354 --> 00:14:32.127
- These two. they didn't recognize him. we don't know
- 00:14:32.127 --> 00:14:34.596
- Exactly why they didn't realize they were walking with the
- 00:14:34.596 --> 00:14:37.800
- Risen redeemer. but jesus asked them some questions about what
- 00:14:37.800 --> 00:14:41.937
- Was going on and why they were so sad. and they said, "haven't
- 00:14:41.937 --> 00:14:44.573
- You heard?" and they said, "we thought he was the messiah but
- 00:14:44.573 --> 00:14:47.443
- He wasn't." and then it says, "jesus began with moses and the
- 00:14:47.443 --> 00:14:52.614
- Prophets... moses is the human author of the first five books
- 00:14:52.614 --> 00:14:57.920
- Of the bible. we call it the pentateuch... the five books.
- 00:14:57.920 --> 00:15:00.889
- And then the prophets which carry on the message of the
- 00:15:00.889 --> 00:15:04.793
- Gospel in the old testament. so patriarchs and prophets.
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- Jesus began with moses and the prophets and showed them in all
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- The scriptures those things concerning himself. he walked
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- With them, talked with them and explained to them. can you
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- Imagine this bible study? he explained to them those things
- 00:15:23.679 --> 00:15:28.217
- In the old testament that applied to him. he, no doubt,
- 00:15:28.217 --> 00:15:32.054
- Took them to the garden of eden and spoke of adam and eve's sin
- 00:15:32.054 --> 00:15:36.091
- And the animal that was slain that covered their shame, and
- 00:15:36.091 --> 00:15:40.462
- The blood that began to flow. he, no doubt, would have taken
- 00:15:40.462 --> 00:15:43.232
- Them to mount moriah with abraham when the hand of god
- 00:15:43.232 --> 00:15:47.302
- Stayed abraham from taking his son, and a ram was provided in
- 00:15:47.302 --> 00:15:51.507
- The thicket. he, no doubt, took them into egypt and spoke of
- 00:15:51.507 --> 00:15:54.043
- The passover and the blood. he, no doubt, took them to isaiah
- 00:15:54.043 --> 00:15:57.913
- 53 when he spoke of the suffering servant. he walked,
- 00:15:57.913 --> 00:16:01.183
- He talked, he showed them in all the scriptures. it doesn't
- 00:16:01.183 --> 00:16:04.119
- Say he showed them all the things in the scripture
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- Concerning himself or they'd still be out there walking! but
- 00:16:06.722 --> 00:16:10.793
- It says “in all the scriptures”"
- 00:16:10.793 --> 00:16:12.294
- And again, this is the old testament scriptures. if you're
- 00:16:12.294 --> 00:16:15.164
- Missing christ in the old testament, you're missing the
- 00:16:15.164 --> 00:16:18.233
- Meaning of the bible! because christ is present always on
- 00:16:18.233 --> 00:16:24.807
- Every page in some way in type, in symbol, in form, in
- 00:16:24.807 --> 00:16:28.477
- Prophecy, in teaching, in truth. and the old testament is
- 00:16:28.477 --> 00:16:33.115
- Saying someone is coming. and the new testament... the gospel
- 00:16:33.115 --> 00:16:35.951
- Says someone has come. and the new testament book of acts
- 00:16:35.951 --> 00:16:39.988
- Shows us how to get this gospel to the world. and then the
- 00:16:39.988 --> 00:16:42.424
- Epistles ... the letters that are written tells us who jesus
- 00:16:42.424 --> 00:16:46.762
- Is and how we are to grow in our faith. and then the
- 00:16:46.762 --> 00:16:49.264
- Revelation that christ is coming again.
- 00:16:49.264 --> 00:16:52.768
- Yes, this is the jesus book. and as i said at the outset of
- 00:16:52.768 --> 00:16:56.672
- This message, the more you get to know your bible, the more
- 00:16:56.672 --> 00:17:00.976
- You get to know jesus. and that's the goal. as the apostle
- 00:17:00.976 --> 00:17:07.483
- Paul said, “to know him and to love him more and more. so
- 00:17:07.483 --> 00:17:14.089
- There is this perfect book, god's total perfection.
- 00:17:14.089 --> 00:17:20.262
- And then there's the saving purpose of the bible which
- 00:17:20.262 --> 00:17:24.733
- Really, i've already talked about, but verse 23 says,
- 00:17:24.733 --> 00:17:28.137
- “since you've been born again by the living word of god.” we
- 00:17:28.137 --> 00:17:35.043
- Have new birth because the word of god and the testimony of
- 00:17:35.043 --> 00:17:41.984
- Jesus has transformed our lives. “faith comes by hearing
- 00:17:41.984 --> 00:17:47.556
- (romans 10:17) and hearing through the word of god.”
- 00:17:47.556 --> 00:17:52.528
- Now i have loved the bible since i was a little boy. i
- 00:17:52.528 --> 00:17:59.835
- Really have. and the reason that i have known the scripture
- 00:17:59.835 --> 00:18:04.673
- Like timothy, since i was a child is my parents, my
- 00:18:04.673 --> 00:18:08.443
- Brother... older brother, but my grandfather taught me the
- 00:18:08.443 --> 00:18:11.480
- Scripture as a child. in fact, i learned how to read reading
- 00:18:11.480 --> 00:18:18.554
- My bible as a little boy on my grandfather's lap. virtually
- 00:18:18.554 --> 00:18:23.792
- Every evening i would crawl up in his lap and he would read
- 00:18:23.792 --> 00:18:29.565
- The stories of the bible or read the bible itself. i didn't
- 00:18:29.565 --> 00:18:33.669
- Learn to read with dick and jane and spot. i learned of
- 00:18:33.669 --> 00:18:40.409
- Moses and david and goliath and samson and i reveled in those
- 00:18:40.409 --> 00:18:45.547
- Old testament stories... i loved them... all the adventure.
- 00:18:45.547 --> 00:18:49.384
- If you think the bible is boring, you must not have read
- 00:18:49.384 --> 00:18:51.687
- It. i think you're boring if you think the bible is boring.
- 00:18:51.687 --> 00:18:54.790
- It's not the bible; it's you that boring. because the bible
- 00:18:54.790 --> 00:18:59.094
- Is so exciting and so full of adventure and excitement. but
- 00:18:59.094 --> 00:19:04.166
- At some point in my life, like those two walking along with
- 00:19:04.166 --> 00:19:07.636
- Jesus on that road to emmaus, jesus stepped out of
- 00:19:07.636 --> 00:19:12.074
- The pages of those stories and the message of the gospel, the
- 00:19:12.074 --> 00:19:15.877
- Good news became real to me. and that's the reason as a
- 00:19:15.877 --> 00:19:19.281
- Small boy i professed my faith and confessed myself to be a
- 00:19:19.281 --> 00:19:23.518
- Follower of jesus christ.
- 00:19:23.518 --> 00:19:26.121
- Now flash-forward to seven decades later. dr jerimiah
- 00:19:26.121 --> 00:19:33.295
- Johnston and i, along with our two sons, jason and josh... we
- 00:19:33.295 --> 00:19:36.832
- Were in england and for the first time i got to go to
- 00:19:36.832 --> 00:19:41.003
- Oxford to see that. and because dr. johnston had studied at
- 00:19:41.003 --> 00:19:46.475
- Oxford, he still had his library card and he still knew
- 00:19:46.475 --> 00:19:51.013
- The librarian. you're not surprised by that, are you? and
- 00:19:51.013 --> 00:19:55.884
- So he got us into the bowels of the library, down deep where
- 00:19:55.884 --> 00:20:01.290
- They kept the most precious artifacts and books and
- 00:20:01.290 --> 00:20:04.693
- Materials.
- 00:20:04.693 --> 00:20:07.095
- And we're there, waiting as the librarian, the specialist in
- 00:20:07.095 --> 00:20:13.268
- The archives came forward with a piece of plastic, and in that
- 00:20:13.268 --> 00:20:18.407
- Plastic were fragments, four pieces of parchment penned in
- 00:20:18.407 --> 00:20:29.084
- Letters of greek. this piece here, there, there, there. it
- 00:20:29.084 --> 00:20:33.955
- Was the gospel of matthew... a portion of it. it's called the
- 00:20:33.955 --> 00:20:39.895
- Jesus fragment because in it are the words of jesus in this
- 00:20:39.895 --> 00:20:44.566
- Portion of god's word.
- 00:20:44.566 --> 00:20:47.502
- And i looked at it, held it in my hands, and it was a very
- 00:20:47.502 --> 00:20:54.109
- Moving, emotional moment for me because i truly did just flash
- 00:20:54.109 --> 00:21:01.717
- Back to my grandfather's chair and how i read the word of god
- 00:21:01.717 --> 00:21:11.360
- And learned to love god's word as a little boy. now here i am
- 00:21:11.360 --> 00:21:15.864
- All these years later, not just still believing, or barely
- 00:21:15.864 --> 00:21:22.604
- Hanging on, but believing god's word now more than ever! my
- 00:21:22.604 --> 00:21:29.611
- Childhood faith is now matured over a lifetime of study and
- 00:21:29.611 --> 00:21:34.950
- Devotion and commitment to understanding what this book is
- 00:21:34.950 --> 00:21:37.853
- Talking about, what this book is saying. and as my friend and
- 00:21:37.853 --> 00:21:41.723
- Mentor adreian rogers used to say, “i'm not finding hidden
- 00:21:41.723 --> 00:21:45.594
- Flaws in the bible; i'm finding hidden beauties!” what a beauty
- 00:21:45.594 --> 00:21:51.199
- That was to hold that ancient fragment in my hands and
- 00:21:51.199 --> 00:21:57.739
- Remember this is the jesus book. this is what the bible is
- 00:21:57.739 --> 00:22:02.177
- All about. it's the word of god that brought to me and to you
- 00:22:02.177 --> 00:22:07.749
- The salvation in jesus christ.
- 00:22:07.749 --> 00:22:12.154
- And then the transforming power of god's word. talk about that.
- 00:22:12.154 --> 00:22:18.059
- It is the word of god who satisfies us... which satisfies
- 00:22:18.059 --> 00:22:21.563
- Us. it is the bread of heaven that meets our deepest needs;
- 00:22:21.563 --> 00:22:27.135
- It strengthens us for the daily challenges of life. it is god's
- 00:22:27.135 --> 00:22:33.508
- Word that saves us, strengthens us, satisfies us. it's the word
- 00:22:33.508 --> 00:22:39.648
- Of god stored in our hearts that meets our very need. so
- 00:22:39.648 --> 00:22:43.785
- How should we respond?
- 00:22:43.785 --> 00:22:46.087
- Number one, let's start with: you are to hear god's word...
- 00:22:46.087 --> 00:22:50.559
- Hear the word of god. that's what you're doing right now,
- 00:22:50.559 --> 00:22:53.795
- Isn't it? that's what you're doing, those of you who are
- 00:22:53.795 --> 00:22:56.097
- Watching online. you connected so that you get worship and
- 00:22:56.097 --> 00:23:00.001
- Then hear the word of god. and so throughout the bible you
- 00:23:00.001 --> 00:23:04.406
- Have instances in which people gather to hear the word of god.
- 00:23:04.406 --> 00:23:08.977
- When jesus would gather people, he said, "he who has ears, let
- 00:23:08.977 --> 00:23:12.414
- Him hear." so it starts there; it starts with our opening our
- 00:23:12.414 --> 00:23:16.551
- Ears and hearing with the ears of our heart the word of god.
- 00:23:16.551 --> 00:23:22.691
- And in hearing the word of god... that's just... there's
- 00:23:22.691 --> 00:23:25.627
- Power in simply hearing it, just hearing it. that's why you
- 00:23:25.627 --> 00:23:32.667
- Showed up today. you know, a lot of reasons to come to
- 00:23:32.667 --> 00:23:35.770
- Church, a lot of good reasons... the community, the
- 00:23:35.770 --> 00:23:39.474
- Connection, the family, the friends, the worship. and we do
- 00:23:39.474 --> 00:23:45.580
- All of these things.
- 00:23:45.580 --> 00:23:48.316
- But the one thing we do [tap, tap, tap, tap] is to stand in
- 00:23:48.316 --> 00:23:52.687
- This pulpit and teach and preach the word of god. and
- 00:23:52.687 --> 00:23:56.691
- That's why god has chosen to bless this congregation! that's
- 00:23:56.691 --> 00:24:01.463
- Why god has chosen to keep this church going and growing with
- 00:24:01.463 --> 00:24:08.069
- The message of hope to the world! it's all [tap]
- 00:24:08.069 --> 00:24:10.839
- Represented [tap]by what [tap] stands here, the pulpit [tap],
- 00:24:10.839 --> 00:24:14.309
- The proclamation of the gospel, so that you come and you hear
- 00:24:14.309 --> 00:24:18.580
- The word of the lord!
- 00:24:18.580 --> 00:24:21.983
- Then read the word of god for yourself; read the word of god.
- 00:24:21.983 --> 00:24:27.989
- We've got all kinds of bibles and bible translations and yet
- 00:24:27.989 --> 00:24:31.192
- Unfortunately too many christians don't read their own
- 00:24:31.192 --> 00:24:36.097
- Bibles. you might admit to yourself, “i just don't read
- 00:24:36.097 --> 00:24:44.105
- God's word.” i can tell you that reading the word of god
- 00:24:44.105 --> 00:24:49.644
- Has been the secret of life for me. reading it every single
- 00:24:49.644 --> 00:24:55.417
- Day. because in reading the word of god, the spirit of god
- 00:24:55.417 --> 00:25:01.456
- Begins to move in your life in ways that you could not expect.
- 00:25:01.456 --> 00:25:05.827
- Hear god's word; read god's word, and then meditate upon
- 00:25:05.827 --> 00:25:12.934
- God's word. memorize and meditate upon the word of god.
- 00:25:12.934 --> 00:25:17.305
- I can tell you the most important discipline in my life
- 00:25:17.305 --> 00:25:20.775
- And i did this before i was a preacher, not just because i'm
- 00:25:20.775 --> 00:25:25.647
- A preacher, and i'll do it for the rest of my days, and that
- 00:25:25.647 --> 00:25:31.086
- Is to memorize the bible... portions of it, passages in it,
- 00:25:31.086 --> 00:25:36.458
- Scriptures, text. and the blessed person, according to
- 00:25:36.458 --> 00:25:43.431
- Psalm 1, is the person who meditates on god's word day and
- 00:25:43.431 --> 00:25:46.968
- Night. so memorization.
- 00:25:46.968 --> 00:25:50.071
- You say, "well, you know, i... i'm really not that good at
- 00:25:50.071 --> 00:25:53.642
- Memorizing, especially now that there's a lot of diet coke over
- 00:25:53.642 --> 00:25:57.579
- My life and i just don't remember things like i used to
- 00:25:57.579 --> 00:26:03.051
- Remember things." i guarantee you if i gave you $100 for
- 00:26:03.051 --> 00:26:06.154
- Every scripture you memorized, you would be a memory machine.
- 00:26:06.154 --> 00:26:10.158
- [laughter] yes, you would, you know you would. it's all about
- 00:26:10.158 --> 00:26:15.263
- Motivation. and so i'm always motivated to memorize
- 00:26:15.263 --> 00:26:21.102
- Scripture. and you can write them on little passages on
- 00:26:21.102 --> 00:26:23.838
- Cards, or do it online, all kinds of ways. but just do it.
- 00:26:23.838 --> 00:26:28.209
- And so when you meditate upon god's word, you will discover
- 00:26:28.209 --> 00:26:31.813
- That the word of god fills you and flows in you and through
- 00:26:31.813 --> 00:26:36.751
- You.
- 00:26:36.751 --> 00:26:37.952
- And the final thing is we are to share the word of god,
- 00:26:37.952 --> 00:26:39.988
- Proclaim the word of god because this is too good to
- 00:26:39.988 --> 00:26:42.357
- Keep to ourselves. this is why we proclaim god's word, this is
- 00:26:42.357 --> 00:26:48.496
- Why we teach god's word. so love god's word. lean upon it
- 00:26:48.496 --> 00:26:53.535
- Hard by faith. love it, learn it, live it and you will find
- 00:26:53.535 --> 00:27:00.575
- That your life is full of jesus. at the end of the day
- 00:27:00.575 --> 00:27:06.548
- The word of god and the testimony of jesus will
- 00:27:06.548 --> 00:27:09.718
- Transform you and in heaven we will have eternity to celebrate
- 00:27:09.718 --> 00:27:17.125
- The living, eternal, abiding word of god.
- 00:27:17.125 --> 00:27:21.730
- ♪♪♪
- 00:27:21.730 --> 00:27:21.730