01/15/2021 – “Why bother with the bible?” – three part sermon series – 2 Timothy 3: 14-17// Alistair Begg – Parkside Church – Cleveland (audio/text link attached)
https://www.truthforlife.org/resources/series/why-bother-with-the-bible/
2 Timothy 3: 14-17: “But as for you, continue in what you have learnedd and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures,, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be throroughly equipped fro every good work.”
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Alistair notes within this series, paraphrased:
In the Lord Jesus Christ alone , I am able to say: I have been saved from death, the penalty of sin; I am presently being saved from its power; and, I will be saved from its presence in the future.
Contrary to majority opinion, even perhaps amidst self-professed christians, we can’t get to heaven by being a “good” or a “good enough” person. Jesus commanded: “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit –fruit that will last.” John 15:16. In Matthew 7:7-8: “Jesus says: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” Those two verses, on the surface anyway, could be viewed as a paradox but they are not a contradiction.
I believe God calls us as messengers to look at people two ways: 1) current Christians; and, 2) future Christians. He does not discern a difference between those two categories. But for purposes of our question: “Why bother with the bible?”, I will address them separately in succinct fashion with the prayer that you will invest about 90 minutes in this series:
“current” Christians (sanctification):
Alistair recounts being thrown way back in memory suddenly from the voices of the children singing in the classroom as he walked by, to the song they taught him in kindergarten nearly a half century prior:
“Read your Bible; pray every day,
And you’ll grow, grow, grow,
And you’ll grow, grow, grow.
And read your Bible, and pray every day,
And you’ll grow, grow, grow.”
Timothy 3:14-17 – It is God’s breath after all! How much of God’s breath do we get from D.C., CNN, or MSNBC just to name a few of our “world” examples? And how much time do we spend there? (btw, this would include foxnews)
future Christians (justification):
(note: This category would include some self-professed christians that have sat with their butt in the pew every Sunday, for as long as they can remember, having yet to give their life to Christ. Only God can measure a heart.)
Mathematically, I can show why this 90 minutes is an imperative choice through “Pascal’s wager”:
Both sides of the argument, what is the computed value of the choice. I am taking this from the “Pocket Handbook of Christian Apologetics” by Peter Kreeft and Ronald K. Tacelli, pg 93:
“The ‘wager’ argument does not prove that life after death exists, only that it is foolish not to believe in it.
If the Christian claim is true, the only chance for gaining eternal happiness is by believing. ‘Whoever does not believe will be condemned’ (Mk 16:16 NIV). Perhaps that is false — but perhaps it is true. How foolish to ignore the second possibility. ‘For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? (Mk 8:36, NASB).”
back to Jimmy note:
So , mathematically, either:
Choice one is true – The Christians claim is true: Let’s say there is one chance in a million that we are right. Then the computed value is 1/1,000,000 * infinity (an unfathomably joyful life that has no end has by axiom , infinite value) Well, any number , however small times infinity is in fact infinity.
Choice two is true – In both cases, life ends with your last breath. So your “wasted” cost, is the value that you assess on the 90 minutes you wasted. Whatever value you put on it, it can’t be infinite, so choice one is mathmatically the “no-brainer” choice. (Choice One payout > than Choice Two cost)
And, no, we did not prove God here. But I submit , we can go so much further in mathematical/logical proof than the atheists can in “disproving” God. (hint – Discovery Institutes Stephen Meyer’s looking at the odds of there not being a God using scientific knowledge to date. If the number is incomprehensbily remote from a mathematical probability standpoint, then : “there you have it.” Case closed. )
If and when, you are ready to commit your life to Christ, here is the “Jesus prayer” with the three key elements: 1) proclaim Jesus Christ, as your Lord and Saviour (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – Three persons, One God); 2) ask Jesus for forgiveness of your sins through his death on the cross and resurrection. It matters not the sins, the only unforgivable sin is the sin against the Holy Spirit, and you wouldn’t have committed it if you were on your knees in prayer with all of your heart. ; 3) Commit your life to Him. (see Mark 8:35!)
Jesus Prayer:
“Dear God, I know I’m a sinner and I ask for your forgiveness. I believe Jesus Christ is your Son. I believe that he died for my sin and that you raised Him to life. I want to trust Him as my Savior and follow Him as Lord from this day forward. Guide my life and help me to do your will.” I pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.”
If you want me/us to pray for you, email me at: Semikhah7@protonmail.com. (note first “h” instead of second “k” , as is for the website address) Or , if you have any questions and you don’t yet have an account login to send a comment reply on this blog.
So, brothers and sisters in Christ, join us in my “join us” post dated last week,Jan 9th – a three part study and fellowship , with the last part running one year from Ash Wednesday, April 3rd, a 365 day read through the Bible program. Pass the word!
Soli Deo Gloria!
Love,
Your brother in Christ,
Jimmy