The Alex McFarland Show-Understanding and Sharing the Gospel Message-4

The spiritual condition of America, politics, culture, and current events, analyzed through the lens of scripture. Welcome to the Alex McFarland Show. What is the Bible actually about?

Can we really understand the Bible? Hi, welcome to the program here, Alex McFarland, and we're going to talk about a question that college students posed to me this very morning. I was getting ready to come to the studio to record, and I did a Zoom call with a group of college students that were asking me to coach them in their Christian club they're starting. We're helping them start a club called Viral Truth, and we love to help young people, high school, middle school, and college students start a club where they talk about worldview.

And by the way, if you want to be a part of starting a Viral Truth club, you can email me, alex at alexmcfarland.com, and it will be my privilege to help you any way I can. But we went over a list, and we compiled, actually, a list of about 25 or 30 questions that they want to cover, and I said, what are the questions that your peers are asking? And they said, well, those of our friends at college that know that we're Christians, they ask this question a lot. There are a lot of things, a lot of issues, but they said, how can I understand the Bible? And you see, there's like a desire for spiritual truth. There's a desire to know things about God. There is a real desire among many young people to know things about Jesus.

That's wonderful. Well, what is the Bible all about? How can I understand the Bible?

We really do get this question a lot. So I want to talk about why it is important to get a good handle on God's Word. But first, a quote. You know, I love quotations. Ralph Waldo Emerson, now he's not somebody you normally associate with Christianity, but he said something that's very true. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, speech is power. Speech is power to persuade, to convert, to compel. End of quote.

Now, you think about that. If you know what you believe and the reasons why, you know what your convictions are. Not just preferences, but convictions. See, as a believer, we have this conviction that we know Jesus is the Son of God. He rose from the dead. We know the Bible is the Word of God. Not just the idea of man, but the revelation of God. And so when we know what we believe, we can influence others.

Ralph Waldo Emerson was right. We can persuade, convert, compel. Now, I'm going to throw three words out there. And we often, when I do my parenting seminars, we've got this grid, like a tic-tac-toe board, where we've got these nine attributes that we want to see in the life of young people. But I want to give just three of those that you, as a believer, if you're a Christian, you're a born-again believer, these are three things not only that you should be able to do, but really they're part of your assignment, part of your job description as a disciple, as a representative of Christ. You can present, explain, defend.

You think about it. The Gospel. The word Gospel means good news. Can you present the Gospel? Because this is the message of the Bible. The message of the Bible is Jesus, the Savior, the Messiah, and how you can know Him. Our dear friend, Dr. Gary Habermas, he says, really, to summarize the Bible, Genesis through Revelation, 66 books of the Bible, Old and New Testament, Habermas says, here's the message of the Bible, the kingdom of God, and how to get in, the Savior, and how you can know Him.

Isn't that something? So, we need to learn how to understand God's speech, God's word, God's voice. It is the Bible.

So, one of my favorite books by the late, great Dr. Norman Geisler, the famous apologist that I worked with him, and Frank Turek and I were talking just a few days ago about Dr. Geisler and his influence. But Geisler had a book, a great book, he wrote a lot of books, and one was called to understand the Bible, look for Jesus. And it's been said that you can find Christ on every page of scripture. And in those Old Testament passages, the fire by night, and the water from the rock, and the sacrificial lambs, in so many ways, Jesus is pictured in the Old Testament. And it's almost as if in the first century that pious Jews who intimately knew the word of God, might have connected the dots and said, oh my goodness, I get it, born in Bethlehem, rejected by man, nailed to a cross, given vinegar to drink, surrounded by Gentiles who accused and cursed him, and the sky became dark and he rose from the dead.

Okay, I see, I get it. Maybe that was the case with Nicodemus. Maybe that was the case with Joseph of Arimathea. And it does say in the New Testament that after the resurrection, many of the priests believed, but they understood, okay, all of those vague, somewhat veiled promises of the Old Testament, they pointed to Christ, the one who said, I am the way, the truth, and the life.

The one who believes in me will never die. Now, in 1 Corinthians 1.21, Paul said, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save those who believe. You know, the gospel message might sound like foolishness to some people, but listen, it is through the preaching of Christ that people, they comprehend, they can believe, and they are saved. That's why 2 Timothy 2.15, I want to share this, how the Holman Christian Standard Bible renders it.

I like this rendering of it. It says, be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who doesn't need to be ashamed, correctly teaching the word of truth. Now, you may have heard 2 Timothy 2.15 from the King James. It says, be diligent, study to show thyself approved, rightly dividing the word of truth. Maybe you've been in church and they're praying just before the sermon, and somebody might pray and say, Lord, be with the pastor as he breaks the bread of life. Picture a table for a meal, and maybe there's a loaf of bread, and somebody breaks it and distributes a helping to everybody around the table. Do you know, we as Christians, we are to, as 2 Timothy 2.15 says, correctly teach the word of truth. We are to serve the meal to the people around us.

And what is the nutritious meal, the meat, the nutrition of the word? It's that message of Jesus. Because God will work through you to help bring people to Christ.

God might use your words and your influence to bring somebody back to Christ. Now, Jesus gave us an assignment. The church in every generation has this assignment. Matthew 28, 18, and 19. You've heard the phrase, the Great Commission, right? The Lord said, therefore, go and make disciples of all nations.

Teach them everything I've commanded you. Now, therefore, I want to say this, we'll take a brief break, we'll come back. What does therefore mean? It means in light of this. In light of what? In light of the fact that Christ arose. He paid our sin, he came out of the grave alive, he's alive forevermore.

In light of this good news that our sin debt has been paid by Christ, salvation is possible by faith in Jesus, we go into all the world and we make disciples. Now, we'll talk more about this and understanding the Bible correctly when we come back. Alex McFarland here saying, don't go away, we're back up to this. Fox News and CNN call Alex McFarland a religion and culture expert. Stay tuned for more of his teaching and commentary after this. Christian author and speaker Alex McFarland is an advocate for Christian apologetics. Teaching in more than 2200 churches around the world, schools and college campuses, Alex is driven by a desire to help people grow in relationship with God. He arms his audiences with the tools they need to defend their faith, while also empowering the unchurched to find out the truth for themselves. In the midst of a culture obsessed with relativism, Alex is a sound voice who speaks timeless truths of Christianity in a timely way. With 18 published books to his name, it's no surprise that CNN, Fox, The Wall Street Journal and other media outlets have described Alex as a religion and culture expert. To learn more about Alex and to book him as a speaker at your next event, visit AlexMcFarland.com or you can contact us directly by emailing booking at alexmcfarland.com He's been called trusted, truthful and timely. Welcome back to The Alex McFarland Show. Welcome back to the program.

Alex McFarland here. We're talking about what the Bible is all about. Young people ask me to help them understand the Bible so they can teach it to their friends. And friend, the message of the Bible is Jesus, the Son of God. His coming was prophesied. He proved his identity, his message, his work. What about the credentials of Jesus? Virgin born, sinless life, rose from the dead?

Clearly, he is the option. If you're looking for a Savior, there's one likely possibility. It's Jesus.

There really is hope in none other. And before the break, we were talking about Matthew 28, 18 through 19 and 20, where Jesus says, in light of all this, he's proven himself, he's risen from the dead. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey all things whatsoever I have commanded you. Now, let's unpack another verse. The theme of the Bible is Jesus.

We're going to talk about this in just a moment. I want to give you what I call the nine mega themes of Scripture. And how important is it that we understand Scripture? Well, it's vital. It is the book for faith and practice for the Christian.

So it behooves us. It's imperative that we accurately understand Scripture. 2 Timothy 2.

This is so wonderful. Paul is teaching Timothy, as I'm sure you know, but it's for all of us as well, about this thing that we are to present, explain, defend. You are to be able to present the gospel. As a Christian, we should be equipped to be able to explain the gospel. Now, I know you might not be a theologian or pastor of church, maybe you are, but look, every believer needs to be able, just at least on a basic level, to be able to explain the gospel. We're guilty sinners.

We can't save ourselves. Christ, the perfect, righteous, holy Son of God, he took the punishment. And if you put your faith in Jesus, your sin guilt is removed, because Christ paid our sin debt.

Because on Calvary's cross, Jesus paid the sin debt, we don't have to pay it eternally in hell, separated from God. Hallelujah. Now, Paul says this about the imperative, the assignment, the mandate that we tell the whole wide world. He says, and what you have heard from me, in the presence of many witnesses, commit to faithful men who will be able also to teach others. See, Paul says, look, I didn't tell you anything in secret. All this stuff that I taught you, Timothy, it was in the presence of others.

By the way, parenthetically, let me throw something in here. Christianity is exoteric. Ex, the Greek prefix ex, means out of. The Christian message is way out in the open. It is not veiled, it is not secretive, it's not hidden. Now, there are things in this world that are esoteric. I'm thinking right now of some of the cults that I've written and studied, and we do seminars on how to reach people of various groups. And it seems like in the occultic practices and the cult religions, there's always some secret, hidden knowledge that you can't just as a simple initiate know.

You've got to be led by some guru into some depths. And the word is esoteric from the Greek prefix eis, e-i-s, into. Look, the Christian message is not esoteric or hidden or something for the deep initiate.

No, it's exoteric. We say it's exegetical, exegesis. We bring out the meaning of the Word of God. Paul says, look, Timothy, what you've heard from me, the death, burial, the resurrection of Christ, you share that with others, impart that, instill that in faithful people who will teach others. Those of us who have been reached, we reach out. Those of us that have been taught, we try to pass it on. Those of us whose lives have been transformed by Jesus, we let God use us to impact others. Now, it says, I want to pull these words out, heard, commit, teach.

Oh, this is vitally important. Folks, listen to this, about our assignment to know the Word and to show the Word to others. Paul says, what you have heard from me. The word heard there is ecosas, e-c-o-u-s-a-s. It's from, we get the word acoustic, an acoustical engineer or acoustic properties. In other words, to properly listen, to audibly grasp. In other words, Paul says, what you've heard from me, the acoustic you got from me, all right, commit to others. The word commit there is an interesting Greek word. It means to set something close beside.

If you put the plant up against the wall on the shelf, you've committed it. You've set that thing close beside. And the teachings of Christ, not only salvation belief, but loving Jesus, praying, communication with Jesus, all that it means to be a Christian, the fully-orbed Christian experience. Set it close beside. Beside what?

Your heart, your priorities, your behaviors, your attitudes, your plans. Let me say this. Jesus ought to inform everything that we do and all that we are. And then teach, and I'm sure you've heard the word didactic. It means to impart knowledge or to disseminate information. Now, I realize 2 Timothy 2, 2, we're kind of unpacking this.

It's a lot here. Paul says, what you've heard from me, which is the Christian message, commit to others. Set that thing close beside their life. Make it who they are. And then teach others that will teach others.

In other words, to impart knowledge and disseminate information. Now, let me say this, folks. We're talking about the question, what is the Bible all about? It's all about Jesus. It's all about Christ's kingdom.

Jesus bought our salvation on Calvary's cross. He rose from the dead. He will return.

It may be very soon. He will set up his kingdom here on earth. These are the big themes of Scripture. We've got a break coming up. When you come back, I'm going to give you basically the mega themes from creation to eternity. In the next segment, after this brief break, and I know it's a lot to cover in a short amount of time, we're going to talk about the nine themes that are Scripture. Now, Jesus, that's what Scripture's about. But even delving down a little more deeply, there are several other themes. And we'll talk about how to know the Bible, how to grow in the Bible, and how to teach and impart and live the Bible for the impact on other lives as well. When we come back, don't go away. Fox News and CNN call Alex McFarland a religion and culture expert.

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He's been called trusted, truthful, and timely. Welcome back to the Alex McFarland Show. Welcome back to the Alex McFarland Show.

Alex McFarland here, so glad you're listening. By the way, when we come back, I want to return and talk a little bit more about the Bible, but I do want to remind everybody of some very, very special things coming up on the calendar. I will be at the Cove, the Billy Graham Training Center in Asheville, North Carolina. I'll be there July 8 through 10, and I'll be teaching the book of 1 Peter this year.

Next year, I'm to teach the book of 2 Peter. The Cove, I know time is short, but there are a few more spaces. It generally always sells out, but if you go to thecove.org, Angie and I will be there with people from all over North America. It's going to be great.

The Cove is amazing. I'd love for you to be there as we go through 1 Peter, talk about apologetics, biblical apologetics. But then our summer youth camp, and I give God the glory, we have had so much interest in the youth camp, and that's going to be summer of 2022, July 17 through 22.

Now, how amazing is this? We're going to do five days of biblical worldview. The theme is unashamed building your biblical worldview. Hey, if the teens in your life, you think about middle school, high schoolers, do they need to really know what it means to be a disciple? Of course they do. Do they need to know how to stand up for God and country? We don't want them to become socialists or atheists or Darwinists and believe in evolution and reject God. At our camps, we go over the data, the information, the evidence to show young people that this is real. At our camps, look, Christianity is real.

It is relevant. Now, there's going to be music, great food, hiking, fishing, swimming, all the fun camp stuff. But the best part of all, we're teaching these youth to stand strong for God and country.

Go to my website, alexmcfarland.com, for complete information. But back to the subject of what the Bible is all about. Do you know you can be a well-equipped, powerful, fruitful handler of God's Word? You can.

Now, I'm just going to say this. Don't psych yourself out. It's not that the Bible can't be understood.

It can. But a lot of people, they feel intimidated, and maybe the idea of you talking with somebody about Scripture, that's just overwhelming. But I want to give you the themes of Scripture so that you can know what to share. And again, the theme of the Bible is Jesus, how he would come from heaven, pay for our sins, rise from the dead. But I want to give you some other themes. And let me explain these, because I think this really will summarize everything you find in the Bible.

Here are the nine, I call them, mega-themes. Number one, God is the creator of this world, and he providentially reigns over his universe. It's true, that's creation. God created, God reigns.

He really does. Now, point two, big theme of Scripture. Humans, though fallen, are valuable to God, so much so that he sent Jesus to offer salvation and eternal life. That's the fall, and that's redemption. Now, we're sinners. We chose to do wrong. That ushered sin in, but God still loves us, and we're valuable to God.

He made it possible for us to be saved by sending Jesus. Point three, big theme of Scripture. Human life, therefore, has purpose.

And even in this fallen world, there is hope. Right now, there's just a rumble going on about Roe versus Wade. Can people abort babies? Is there a right to kill another human being? In this case, the unborn.

No, there is not. This is a mega-theme of Scripture. Every life is created by God, therefore ordained by God, every life has value and purpose.

And even in this fallen world of sin, there is hope, and there is a reason to live. Okay, point four, the fourth major mega-theme of Scripture. God instituted three things to preserve order in this moral world. The home, the church, and the government.

That's civility. God ordained the home, the church, the government. Now, point five, throughout history, evil governments run by evil men have opposed God, his church, and even the family. Alexander Hamilton in the Federalist Papers, he said, If men were angels, government would not be necessary. But because we're fallen, we need good, moral, just government. And that must be based on the Word of God. See, the Founders understood what many people today don't, that we're valuable to God, we're made in God's image, we have rights from our Creator, but we're not angels, we're sinners. Therefore, we need moral boundaries.

Okay, point number six. Ultimately, those who hate God, his followers and Jesus, and those who hate truth in general, will not prevail. That's God's providence. It's a world of spiritual warfare, but God providentially will not allow evil and falsehood to prevail. Number seven, God judges unbelievers in time and in eternity. Now, we know the lost world will be judged in eternity, but you know, even unbelievers, they suffer some judgment here in time. The Bible says the way of the transgressor is hard. Yeah, sin has consequences eternally, but even in this life. Another big mega-theme of Scripture.

Point number eight. Satan and the fallen angels will be judged and will be eternally condemned. Really, the word anathema, damned. And I don't say that colloquially or as a curse word at all, but no, the fallen angels and those that reject Christ will be judged and eternally damned. Really, that's restitution. God rewards those who have believed in him and followed him. And for those that have rejected and those that have done evil, yes, there is a payoff.

In fact, Romans 6.23 says you have a paycheck coming, and you get to pick which paycheck you take home. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. The final mega-theme, God rewards believers who will joyfully live in his kingdom forever.

So these are the big mega-themes. Creation, the fall, redemption, civility, spiritual warfare, God's providence, judgment, restitution, and eternally. Now, we're living in a time, and I think anybody would know this, that we've witnessed the marginalization of God and his followers, the cultural costs of our pervasive secularization, but there's deadness and carnality, but there is hope for revival.

Let me share this quote from Robert Weber. He wrote a great book before he passed away about evangelism. He says this, quote, The church in this period of history, between the cross and the return of Christ, witnesses to an accomplished fact. The church witnesses to the reign of Christ over all of creation, and the church lives in the hope of its final realization in the second coming of Jesus.

The church is to call people to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and to live a life of obedient discipleship under his reign in their lives. Now, when you know the Bible, it's all about Jesus, you can, as Emerson said, use speech, that power of communication, to persuade, convert, compel. And we're here to help you do that in any way. Reach out to us. My website, AlexMcFarland.com.

Learn how to present, explain, and defend, and we'll encourage you in that regard. May God bless you. And today, tell somebody about Jesus who is the theme of Scripture. Alex McFarland Ministries are made possible through the prayers and financial support of partners like you. For over 20 years, this ministry has been bringing individuals into a personal relationship with Christ and has been equipping people to stand strong for truth. Learn more and donate securely online at AlexMcFarland.com. You may also reach us at Alex McFarland, P.O. Box 10231, Greensboro, North Carolina, 27404, or by calling 1-877-Yes-God-1. That's 1-877-Y-E-S-G-O-D-1. Thanks for joining us. We'll see you again on the next edition of the Alex McFarland Show.