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David Mays Updated: October 10, 2007
"What's the Bible All About?" - Sunday morning
message to Eagle Church, July 22, 2007
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"What
is the Bible All About?" David Mays An Old Professor asked his
class, "What is the Bible All About?" Or is it all about anything? The Bible was written by about 40 people in
more than 60 different documents over a span of about 1500 years. Is it reasonable to think that it is about
any one thing? Well, the Bible is one
continuous story. And this morning,
rather than give a message, I'm going to tell the story of the Bible. It's a story you all know. At least you know parts of it. Many people know pieces of the story, but
they don't know how it fits together. The story is not about you. It's bigger than you. But you are part of it. It is a mystery story. It is the grand story, the over arching
story. The Bible is a story with
an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. Stories begin with
"Once upon a time…" This is
a true story and it starts with "In the beginning…." Four major things happen in the
Introduction. The first thing is that
God starts with nothing and creates something. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Gen 1:1 He created the cosmos and
the human race and announced it was good.
He put humans in charge of his creation. And right off the bat we come to one of two
pivot points in the story. The man and
woman disobey God. Recognizing their
guilt, they tried to hide from God.
This has been the story of the human race since that time. Having rebelled, man tries to hide from God
and blame others. Very early in the story we
have the first dilemma. A great
barrier has been created. God created
man to have fellowship with him and by man's disobedience the fellowship is
broken. Holiness cannot become
contaminated by sin and sin cannot exist in the presence of Holiness. There is a great chasm. How will the holy, just God respond to the
rebellious man? He could have said,
"Well, that experiment failed.
I'll destroy it and begin another." But he didn't and here, in the 3rd
chapter of the Bible, the story takes a turn.
God goes looking for the man.
The Lord God called to
the man, "Where are you?" Gen 3:9 I don't think God was
asking for information. God initiated
reconciliation. This is the first
step, taken by God the initiator, who comes seeking sinful man. Here is the beginning of the mystery. How will God work out a means to bring
back, to restore fellowship, - to redeem - sinful man? The story goes on with
Adam and Eve having children, those children getting into trouble until the
earth is so evil God decides to destroy it with a great flood. But he saves righteous Noah and his family to
give mankind another start. Noah's
family has children and they have children and eventually those children,
ignoring God, build a great tower to dedicate to themselves. God comes down and confuses their language,
creating many different languages and scattering them over the earth. (We have had communication problems ever
since.) Now God has created a
dilemma for Himself. He wants to
provide a way to draw mankind back to himself - to reestablish fellowship
with man, to give him life - but He has created many different cultures and
scattered them over the earth. The
mystery continues. How will God reach
out to all these different groups of people?
This is the end of the introduction of the story. Four great events:
Body The body of the story
begins while we are still in the first book.
In Genesis chapter 12, God begins to reveal the "seed" of
his plan to bring mankind back to himself, to restore fellowship with the
human race. The plan gradually unfolds
throughout the Bible until it is completely revealed in the New
Testament. But here's how it begins. God calls a man named
Abram and asks him to go to a country he's never seen. He makes him a promise. I will make you into a
great nation and I will bless you. I
will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. …and all
peoples on earth will be blessed through you. Gen 12:2,3 Here's the first
clue. God is going to give Abraham
descendants so numerous that they become a nation and, somehow, out of this
process blessing will come to all the peoples of the earth. This is not an isolated notion. God repeats this promise to Abraham, to his
son Isaac, and to his son Jacob. So as
we walk through the story, we want to watch for how this works out. As you recall, Abraham's
family grew very large and prosperous.
Abraham had two sons, Ishmael and Isaac. (These are the fathers of the nations that
are warring in the Middle East yet today.)
Isaac had two sons Esau and Jacob.
Jacob had 12 sons, including Joseph who was sold into slavery because
his brothers were jealous of him. When
famine struck the land, the sons of Jacob went to Egypt to buy grain. The son Joseph, whom they had sold to slave
traders, had become number 2 in command and he invited the tribe to come live
in Egypt. They were in Egypt for 400
years and grew into a large nation of slaves to the Egyptians. God's promise to bless all nations through
them looks like a lost cause. But God raised up Moses to
deliver them from Pharoah. Moses'
interactions with Pharoah reveal some new hints of how the story is going to
work out. Moses asks Pharoah to let the
Israelites go into the wilderness to worship their God. But Pharoah doesn't want to give up his
slave labor. Pharoah counters, "Who is the Lord,
that I should obey him and let Israel go?" Exodus 4:2 God tells Moses, "Then I will lay
my hand on Egypt and with mighty acts of judgment I will bring out my
divisions, my people the Israelites. And the Egyptians will know that I am the
Lord when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring the Israelites
out of it. Exodus 7:4-5 After more plagues, God
tells Pharoah (through Moses), "…this time I will
send the full force of my plagues against you and against your officials and
your people, so you may know that
there is no one like me in all the earth." Exodus 9:14 The last plague kills off
the firstborn son of all the Egyptians.
However, the sons of the Hebrews were spared when they killed a lamb
and sprinkled the blood above their door.
Note that the killing of an innocent lamb to deliver the Hebrew sons
is a hint toward how God will allow an innocent to be killed to deliver the
human race At that point Pharoah
gives up and lets them go. But after
they have gone, he changes his mind and sends his chariots after them. God said, "But I will gain
glory for myself through Pharoah and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord." Exodus 14:4 This is a sampling of
several similar scripture verses along this line. We see several things in minature
here.
We see here that God wants
to be known among the nations and to receive proper credit from them. A people cannot be in the path of restored
fellowship with God unless they know who God is, and who God is not. After the Israelite nation
had been out of Egypt three months, just before God gave Moses the Ten
Commandments, he revealed to Moses their role among the nations. Now if you obey me
fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured
possession. Although the whole earth
is mine, you will be for me a kingdom
of priests and a holy nation.
Exodus 19: 5-6 A priest is an intermediary,
one who comes before God to represent the people and one who tells the people
what God says. So a nation of priests
is a nation that lives in relation to God in such a way that the nations see
how good and powerful God is and also hear what God says. God desires for Israel to be a great
influence for God among the nations. In the book of
Deuteronomy, this is repeated in slightly different form: The LORD will establish you as his holy people, as he promised
you on oath, if you keep the commands of the LORD your God and walk in his
ways. Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the
name of the LORD, and they will fear you.
Deuteronomy 28:9-10 At the end of the book of Deuteronomy,
after 40 years of living in the desert, Moses leads the nation up to the
Jordan River and hands the leadership over to Joshua. Joshua sends spies across the river into
Jericho where Rahab hides them. Why
would she risk it? I know that the Lord
has given this land to you and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so
that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. We have heard how the Lord dried up the
water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to
Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you
completely destroyed. When we heard of
it, our hearts melted and everyone's courage failed, becaue of you, for the Lord your God is God in heaven
above and on the earth below.
Joshua 2:8-11 The priests led the nation
to walk down into the Jordan River and it dried up and they walked across
into the land on dry ground. Joshua
told them For the Lord your God
dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over…. He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the
Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your
God. Joshua 4:23-24 Unfortunately Israel
didn't do very well. Most of the Old
Testament is the story of a series of cycles of disaster. It goes somewhat like this.
This cycle of obedience
and blessing followed by sin and judgment followed by repentance and
deliverance is much of the story of the Old Testament. God designed Israel's
government so they would follow God as their king. However, they wanted a king like the other
nations had. So God have them a king
named Saul and they became a kingdom.
They were frequently in battle with nearby nations. You will recall the story
of David and Goliath. While Saul and
the army were out fighting a 9-foot Philistine giant roared out a proposal of
one against one, winner take all. The Israelite warriors are all afraid of
him. David is a young shepherd boy who
brings some goodies to his older brothers in the war against the Philistines. He finds this 9-foot giant taunting the
Israelites. David may be a youngster
but he's had his fights with bears and lions defending the sheep and he is
confident in God. Further, he is
senstive to God's power and purposes.
He takes on Goliath with his slingshot: "…I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty…. This day the LORD will hand you over to me…and the whole world will know that there
is a God in Israel. 1 Samuel
17:45-46 When the Kingdom continued
to disobey God, He divided them into two kingdoms. Each one had a series of kings, most of
them bad, and both kingdoms failed to follow God. God raised up a number of prophets who warn
the people of coming judgment but also foresee a time of deliverance and
restoration of Israel and the human race. One of the prophets,
Isaiah, advances on the theme of a deliverer from Abraham in Genesis
predicting … I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the
earth." Isaiah 49:6 Jeremiah predicts a time
when all nations will honor God. Other
prophets make similar statements. At that time they will call Jerusalem The Throne of the LORD, and
all nations will gather in
Jerusalem to honor the name of the LORD. Jeremiah 3:17 For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of
the LORD, as the waters cover the sea. Habakkuk 2:14 The LORD will be king over the whole earth. On that day there
will be one LORD, and his name the only name. Zechariah 14:9 My name will be great among the nations, from the rising to the
setting of the sun. In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought
to my name, because my name will be great among the nations," says the
LORD Almighty. Malachi 1:11 We are beginning to see a
picture developing of a time when God will be known and honored among the
whole human race. Fellowship will be
restored. God finally allows both
kingdoms to be conquered by their enemies.
First the northern Kingdom is conquered by the brutal Assyrians,
deported, dispersed and disappeared.
Later the kingdom of Judah was conquered by King Nebuchadnezzar and
all but the poorest deported to Babylonia.
Now God is in a mess
again. He promised to make a great
nation from Abraham and through him to bless all nations. But that great nation has been divided,
conquered, dispersed and deported. So
what happens to the plan? It's quite
fascinating. God is not bound by
circumstances. Further, He is very
creative. One of the most promising
young men deported was Daniel, "to whom God gave knoweldge and
understanding…." King Nebudchadnzzar
brings Daniel and his three friends (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego) into
his service. In a little while King
Nebuchadnezzar decrees that everyone will worship his statue. Daniel's three friend refuse and are thrown
into a furnace. The furnace is so hot
that those who did the throwing were burnt to a crisp. However, God miraculously protects the
three Hebrews. Then this pagan king,
Nebuchadnezzar, trembles with fear at what God can do. He issues a statement and sends it
throughout his provinces: Praise be to the God of
Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego…. I
decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the
God of Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be
turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way. Daniel 3:28-29 This isn't the end. A little later he sends out another decree
to the known world: To the peoples,
nations, and men of every language who live in all the world: …How great are
his signs, how mighty his wonders! His
kingdom is an eternal kingdom; his dominion endures from generation to
generation. Daniel 4:1-3 Nebuchadnezzar sends out
more similar decrees, and the two kings after him, Belteshazzar and Darius
(after the lions den incident) send out similar announcements to all
people! What we see here is God being
powerful and highly creative! When his
people fail him, he is not handcuffed.
He moves the hearts of pagan kings of entire empires to proclaim his
greatness! After 70 years of
captivity, God orchestrates the regathering of his people in Jerusalem. "In the first year
of Cyrus king of Persia…the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of
Persia… Ezra 1:1 …to send his people,
whomever wanted to go, back to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple. Nehemiah and others were allowed to go back
to rebuild the city and its walls. The
remnant of God's people once again assemble in the land they were promised. 400 years pass. God has been silent the whole time. The land of the Hebrews is now ruled by Rome. But God is on the advance again. John the Baptist is born and Jesus is
born. The angels announce: I bring you good news
of great joy that will be for all the
people. Luke 2:10 An old man, Simeon, had
received a vision that he would see the Christ, the annointed one of God, the
deliverer. When he saw Jesus, he took
him in his arms and said, For my eyes have seen
your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles
and for glory to your people Israel. Luke 2:30-32 This all seems like common
knowledge now, but as the story unfolds it is quite a mystery. How will this person fit into God's plan to
bless or redeem all mankind? As he taught and healed,
many of the Hebrew Race recognized him as the deliverer of the Hebrews
promised to Abraham. Except for a very
few they were unaware that he was the deliverer for the whole human race. Those who followed him
seemed to think he was destined for a military victory! They thought they were following the next
king of a great renewed Kingdom. But
after three years of teaching the disciples and the people, Jesus, the one
who is to be the savior of mankind, didn't enter Jerusalem on a great white
horse but on a donkey. What conquering
hero rides a donkey? And then he was
shockingly executed by the most humiliating and excruciating death
possible. He was crucified. Once again, the story seemed to end with a
crash. However, God was way ahead
of the opposition. The apostle John
explained it this way: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world
to condemn the world, but to save the
world through him. John 3:16-17 Here is the second great
pivot point of the story. In the first
pivot point, sin entered the world and the human race was separated from
God. In the second pivot point, the
death of an innocent lamb is the lynch pin of God's promise from the beginning. What appeared to be the
great failure turned out to be the great victory! God raised Jesus back to life! It was Jesus, the son of God, the perfect
sacrifice, who died for the sins of mankind so that God's holiness could be
maintained, God's wrath could be justified, and at the same time his
creatures could be brought back into a right relationship with Him. What glory belongs to the One who could do
this! The mystery is being
revealed! What a magnificent story! Jesus has made restoration
of fellowship with the human race possible. And he gave his disciples - and all his
disciples that came after them - the rather overwhelming assignment of making
restoration available - by taking
this good news to the whole human race.
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. Matthew 28:19 Mankind can be restored to
real life, eternal life, fellowship with God, through the sacrifice of Jesus
Christ. The remainder of the New
Testament is the story of the disciples of Jesus obeying that command and the
spread of the Gospel message. The apostle Paul called it
a mystery, something that is known to God and cannot be figured out by
man. But God gradually revealed it to
us down through the ages through the pages of the Bible. Paul described it in these ways: The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles (nations) by faith, and
announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: "All nations will be blessed through you." Galatians 3:8 He made known to us the mystery of his will…to bring all things in heaven and on earth
together under one head, even Christ. Ephesians 1:9-10 We today are Christ's
disciples and we still live under the assignment and have the great
opportunity to be Christ's ambassadors to bless the nations by living and
teaching the good news of Jesus to people from our neighbors to the ends of
the earth. Conclusion: But there is a conclusion
to the story. We have read the back of
the book. The apostle John was given a
vision of the end of the story which he wrote in the last book of the Bible
called The Revelation. It is a picture
of the outcome. And they sang a new song: "You are worthy to take the scroll
and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every
tribe and language and people and nation.
You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and
they will reign on the earth." Revelation 5:9-10 It declares the judgment
of evil and describes a new city "Now the dwelling
of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself
will be with them and be their God.
Revelation 21:3 This is where we are
headed. The story is much bigger than
you but you have a part in it. The
story is about God and his plan to restore fellowship with mankind. We are about seeing people rescued from the
kingdom of Darkness and restored to the Kingdom of Light. And your life counts -
either for or against. Your commitment
to Christ, your choices, your behaviors, your lifestle, your character, and
your conversations are part of the cosmic conflict. You matter.
We are active players in a cosmic conflict. And what we do in life is significant. Make your life count for God's Kingdom
purpose. Further
reading: Piecing Together the Puzzle of the Old Testament, Bill Jones 56565656565656565656
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