How Do We Know the Bible Is True? | Our Guide and Weapon

Hey everybody, Greg Laurie here. Let me ask you a question. Are you eager to make a difference in the spiritual lives of others? When you give to Harvest, you become a part of our mission to make God known through unique avenues like television, radio, and large-scale evangelistic events.

Support us today at harvest.org slash donate and help us to continue to spread the gospel around the world. What is your life built on? Build it on the Word of God because the storms are going to come and the streams are going to rise and the fires are going to rage. But if you're built on God's Word, you will stand strong.

So much of what we cling to can disappear in a plume of smoke. Pastor Greg Laurie says we need to anchor ourselves to the bedrock of Scripture. Open the Bible. Read the Bible.

Absorb the Bible in your life. This is the day when the lost are found. This is the day for a new beginning. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound. Again you hear whom the angels are singing.

This is the day, the day when life begins. The Bible isn't just a collection of wise sayings. It's not a letter-bound fortune cookie. The Bible is our spiritual food. It's our sword, our only offensive weapon. It's the tool that helps us discern truth from error, and it tells us of God's love for us and our need for a Savior. It deserves a place on our bookshelf, or better yet, sitting right in our laps.

Today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie helps us consider the trustworthiness of Scripture. Quick question. How many of you go to the gym or a health club or you work out on a regular basis? Raise your hand up. You work out.

Okay. You're a pretty fit bunch. That's pretty impressive. You know, interesting people show up in gyms, don't they? There's the headphone guy. That's the guy who's oblivious to the grunts and odd noises he's making as he's doing his reps. That's the guy that drops the weight on the ground and doesn't even know how loud it is. Then there's the guy who dominates certain places, like they're on the bench and they won't get off the bench and you're waiting. And then there's the perspirator, the person that sweats on everything, but they don't wipe the equipment down after they get up. I saw one guy in a treadmill and he was running and there were literally puddles of perspiration next to the treadmill.

No one wanted to use it after that. And then there are the people that just go to the gym and stand around and talk. They may even go four times a week and they wonder, why don't I lose weight?

Why am I not getting in better shape? That's because you stand around and talk. There's a saying, no pain, no gain. I think there's some truth to it. And the Christian life can be that way too. The Bible compares the Christian life to various forms of discipline. We are to be disciplined like a farmer who patiently sows his crops and waits for them to grow. We are to be like soldiers that endure hardship. In fact Paul wrote to Timothy, endure hardship as a follower of Jesus Christ. And we don't like that word discipline.

You know we're looking for the shortcut, the hack, the faster way to get something done. But some things just take commitment and regular discipline. Just as physical discipline is necessary for bodily fitness, spiritual discipline is essential for spiritual growth. The Bible tells us in the book of Philippians to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. Now that verse doesn't say work for your salvation because salvation is a gift from God to us. The Bible says it's not by works of righteousness that we have done, but according to His mercy He has saved us. By grace you have been saved through faith, not of works.

That's in Imangibos. But yet we are told to work out our own salvation. And the idea of that is, carry it to the goal and complete.

Sort of the idea of going into a mine and getting that silver out of the mine. So working it out in your life. And then it goes on to say for it is God who works in you both to will and do of His good pleasure. So we need these disciplines in our life.

And listen to this. You never outgrow these spiritual disciplines. Starting with having a prayer life. Learning to spend time with the Lord. Listen to the Lord. Call out to the Lord. And then there is the importance of being involved in church.

Not going sporadically or occasionally or when it occurs to you but having a discipline. The Bible tells us to not forsake the assembling of ourselves together as a matter of some is. But to exhort one another or encourage one another or correct one another.

Both definitions of exhort. Daily. And it is something we all should be doing. And being active in our church. So when we are here and we are worshipping, worship. Don't just stand there like a statue.

You know that is why we put the lyrics on this screen. Engage. And when opportunities come to serve, volunteer.

Say I will do that. And when the opportunity comes to give, invest in the work that God is doing. And that brings me to another very important discipline that I want to focus on in this message. And that is the discipline of consistent Bible study.

It is so very important. Listen to this. Success or failure in the Christian life depends on how much of the Word of God you get into your life on a daily basis and how obedient you are to it. Let me say that again. Success or failure in the Christian life depends on how much of God's Word you get into your life on a regular basis and how obedient you are to it. And we are told in Scripture how important that is. The Sermon on the Mount.

You have all heard of that. At the conclusion Jesus said this, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain came down and the streams rose and the winds blew and beat against that house yet it did not fall because it had its foundation on the rock. Then he went on to say but whoever hears these sayings of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.

And the rain came down and the streams rose and it fell with a great crash. What is your life built on? Build it on a relationship with Christ and build it on the Word of God because the storms are going to come and the streams are going to rise and the fires are going to rage. But if you are built on God's Word you will stand strong. Don't build your life on your fickle emotions. Don't build your life on the opinions of other people or what is culturally popular. So we are in this hot button series.

Hot button issues. We have talked about sexuality. We have talked about why we believe Jesus is the only way to God. Why there is a hell and a judgment. We have talked about Christian liberties and what we should and should not do as followers of Jesus. And what is this all based on?

It is based on what the Bible teaches. And there is nothing more controversial than the Bible. If you don't believe me just pull it out in public and watch the reaction of people. Do you ever travel and you get that dreaded middle seat on the plane.

Oh those are the worst. And you think I think I will read my Bible and reach into your little backpack you know. If there is a little space in front of you and your person next to you didn't take it over. Some people take over all the space and you pull it out. Watch the reaction of people when you pull out a Bible. It is like you pulled out a live rattlesnake.

They will visibly recoil from it. Because that offends people. But I think it speaks to the power of the Scripture. The authority of the Word of God. So if you carry a Bible you are called a Bible thumper. I don't really thump my Bible that much do you? Or you are called a fanatic. But listen to this. When life comes to an end the thing that is going to bring comfort and solace and focus and encouragement is going to be the Word of God.

Not anything else. Here is what the Bible says of itself. Psalm 19 verse 7. The law of the Lord, or we could just as easily say the Word of God, is perfect converting the soul to testimony of the Lord is sure making wise this simple. This phrase converts the soul means it revives. It restores. It transforms.

And it refreshes. That is what study of the Word of God will do for you. I can think of times in my life when I have been overwhelmed with grief or worry. And how the right passage just helped me and refreshed me and refocused me and encouraged me. And that is why we need to be familiar with God's Word. One of the things that a young believer is going to face is doubt. Don't forget in the first temptation in the Garden of Eden Satan came to Adam and Eve and said, did God really say what you thought you heard him say?

Immediately trying to instill doubt into their minds. And that is why we need to know the Word of God. Remember when Jesus was tempted by the devil in the wilderness for 40 days every time a temptation came his way he responded by saying, it is written. It is written.

It is written. Why don't you turn that stone into a piece of bread. Jesus says, no because it is written man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. And we need to learn to do that as well. We need to open the Word of God and love the Word of God. A growing believer will delight in the study of Scripture. Someone says, happy is a man that does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly. But his delight is in the Word of the Lord. Do you delight in God's Word?

Let me put it another way. Do you love to go and hear a sermon? Well that depends how long it is Greg.

Yeah I get your point. I have heard some boring sermons too. But what I am saying is do you look forward to opening Scripture? Sort of like a meal. You know we are going to get lunch after church if he doesn't go too long. And you are already thinking about what you are going to order. You are looking forward to what you are going to eat.

That is fine. Can you look forward to opening the Word of God in the same way or is it something you kind of dread like oh really again. Oh no.

We need to change that. We need to open this book. I heard about a man that took his wife who was not feeling well to the doctor. And they are sitting in the waiting room and the doctor calls her into his office. A few moments pass by and the doctor comes out and says, does anyone have a screwdriver?

Someone happened to have one and gave it to the doctor. He goes back into the room. He comes out a few moments later. Does anybody have a wrench? A wrench.

Takes a wrench. Goes back in the room. Then he comes out for the third time and says, does anyone have a hammer? Now the husband is alarmed. What is going on in there? What is wrong with my wife? He says, oh I haven't seen her yet.

I am just trying to get my medical bag opened. The Bible is not a prop. Open the Bible. Read the Bible.

Absorb the Bible in your life. Master Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment. Hey everyone. I want you to know about our app called Harvest Plus. Think of it as a Harvest version of Netflix.

We have all of our resources in one place. We have our movies like Steve McQueen, The Salvation of an American Icon, Johnny Cash, The Redemption of an American Icon, A Rush of Hope and much more. Then we have our television program, daily devotions and much more.

So go and download the Harvest Plus app. Well, we're getting some good perspective today on the importance of God's word to the healthy Christian life. Let's continue. Tim Allen, the actor best known for being the voice of Buzz Lightyear, tweeted just the other day, never have I taken the time in all my years to ever really read the Bible. Currently almost through the Jerusalem Bible Old Testament and almost done with the prophets. Next up the New Testament. So far amazing.

Not at all what I was expecting. So I tweeted back to Tim. I said, that's fantastic Tim. The Bible is God's very word to each of us. And the message of the Bible is how we can come into a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. I hope you'll read John 3.16.

God bless you Tim. Then I told him to go to KnowGod.org. Okay, so I think that's great when someone is reading the Bible for the first time. People will dismiss the Bible. And they've never read the Bible. I don't agree with the Bible. What is it you don't agree with? I don't know. But I don't agree. It's time to open it and decide for yourself. Because the Bible tells me who God is.

And how I can know Him. And I should have a hunger for the word of God. Okay, so let's go to Psalm 19. So we will read the phrase, the law of the Lord, a few times.

You could just as easily substitute the Bible or the word of God in the place of the law of the Lord. Psalm 19 verse 7. The law or the word of the Lord is perfect converting the soul. The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise as simple. The statutes of the Lord are right rejoicing the heart. The commandment of the Lord is pure enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean enduring forever. The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yes than much fine gold.

Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them is your servant warned and in keeping them there is great reward. Point number one if you're taking notes. The word of God is perfect. The word of God is perfect. That's what the scripture says. This is in direct contrast to the flawed imperfect reasoning of humanity. Culture changes but the Bible never does.

So you stand on God's word. Things become dated so quickly. Oh I got the brand new iPhone.

Or I got the brand new Android phone. Who cares. But anyway.

They make some cool stuff. Sort of. But anyway. Oh I got the new this. I got the new that. Oh here comes the new model. Oh you have the old model.

This is the new model. How about yearbook photos? Does anyone ever look good in their yearbook photo? It's almost like they capture us at the most awkward moment of our life. And then these photographers they always pose you in a strange way.

Your head sort of turned or something odd. And you look at it and everybody cringes. It's so dated. But the Bible isn't dated. The Bible is always relevant. The word of God is perfect.

It means it's whole. It's complete. And it's sufficient.

You don't need to add to it. You certainly don't need to take away from it. Second Timothy 3 16 says all scripture is given by inspiration of God. Or another translation of that would be all scripture is breathed by God. There's no mistakes.

There's no contradictions. The word of God is perfect. Everything you need to know about God is in the Bible. Everything you need to know about life and effect is also in the Bible. And maybe that's why the Bible remains the bestselling book of all time. Every hour in America more than 2,000 copies of the Bible are sold. Every year in America more than 20 million copies of the Bible are sold. 5 billion copies of the Bible have been sold and they continue to sell. It is God's word to each of us. Now I want you to grab your Bible for a minute. How many of you have a Bible? Grab the Bible. Hold up your Bible. In fact as a way of honoring God's word I want you to keep it aloft for the entire sermon. No I'm kidding.

Ok. This is an amazing book. It's actually not one singular book in some ways. It's a collection of 66 books written over a 1500 year period of time by 40 authors from so many different walks of life. Kings, peasants, philosophers, fishermen, poets, statesmen, and scholars. Yet all of these authors inspired by God write about one consistent theme which is God's redemption of mankind. Every one of these men was directed by the Lord to write these words because 1 Peter 1 says, it was the Holy Spirit who moved the prophets to speak from God. But back to my initial question. How can we know the Bible is the word of God?

A few thoughts about that. First I would say the Bible is confirmed by archaeology. The Bible is confirmed by archaeology. In fact archaeology has been called the Bible's best friend.

From the discovery of the Cyrus cylinder in 1870 to the pool of Siloam in 2004. Archaeology has confirmed again and again the Bible was right all along. For instance there were critics who would say, you know there is no person named Pontius Pilate. We can't find any historical evidence for that though he plays prominently in the gospel accounts especially in the story of the crucifixion of Jesus. Well once again archaeology reveals in 1961 they find a stone dating back to A.D. 30 with the words Pontius Pilate on it.

And he is identified as the prefect of Rome. So once again archaeology proves the Bible was right all along. Critics would say you know we think David is a fictitious character. There is no historical evidence for David. But then archaeology once again reveals a special stone dating back to the ninth century bearing the name of David saying House of David.

There is much more I could say. But archaeology confirms the Bible. I know the Bible is true because it is confirmed by science. People think that science and the Bible contradict each other.

Many have scoffed at the Bible saying it is so unscientific. Did you know there was a time when our great astronomers thought you could count the stars. They did their very best and determined that there are 850 stars.

One two three four five. And then with a little more sophistication they expanded that number to 1500. But then in the 17th century Galileo took out his telescope and said I think the number is much higher than we previously thought.

Well actually the Bible dealt with this. And if you had just read it you would notice the Bible says of the stars that God stretched forth the heavens into a limitless expanse that can never be measured and filled it with stars which are as numerous as the sands upon the seashore. In other words God is saying they are innumerable. You can't count them all. And it has been proven that we can't assess the number of the stars. The numbers range from 200 billion stars to 76 trillion. You can't count them.

Go down to the beach and pick up the sand and let it slip through your fingers. That is how many stars there are in limitless galaxies. The Bible told us that all along. The Bible has so much to say about so many things. The Bible tells us what the meaning of our life is or at least what it should be. Which is to have a relationship with the Lord discover His will for us.