>>Bill: North Americans love
their Bibles. So much so that
00:00:03.13\00:00:05.83
they keep them in pristine,
unopened condition. Or, as
George Gallup Jr. and Jim
00:00:05.83\00:00:11.70
Castelli said in a widely quoted
survey finding, "Americans
00:00:11.70\00:00:16.26
revere the Bible but, by
and large, they don't read it."
00:00:16.26\00:00:21.80
>>Announcer: It has
stood the test of time.
00:00:35.86\00:00:37.76
God's book, The Bible
00:00:38.66\00:00:41.30
Still relevant in
today's complex world.
00:00:42.50\00:00:45.73
It Is Written.
00:00:46.63\00:00:48.50
Sharing messages of
hope around the world.
00:00:49.86\00:00:54.13
Time magazine observed in a 2007
cover story that only half of
00:01:04.16\00:01:05.83
U.S. adults could name one of
the four Gospels. Fewer than
half could identify Genesis as
00:01:05.83\00:01:15.63
the Bible's first book. Jay Leno
and Stephen Colbert have made
00:01:15.63\00:01:23.00
sport of Americans' inability to
name the Ten Commandments.
Christianity Today says .
00:01:23.00\00:01:26.63
According to the website
Christianity.com in an article
00:01:59.66\00:02:03.53
entitled: The Scandal of Bible
Illiteracy: It's Our Problem
00:02:03.53\00:02:05.80
The article goes on to say that
secularized individuals should
00:02:49.70\00:02:53.86
not be expected to be
knowledgeable about the Bible.
00:02:53.86\00:02:58.53
Confusion and ignorance of the
Bible's content should be
assumed in a post-Christian
00:02:58.53\00:03:04.90
society, but that the larger
scandal is biblical ignorance
00:03:04.90\00:03:10.00
among Christians. Choose
whichever statistic or survey
00:03:10.00\00:03:16.00
you like, the general pattern is
the same. Christians know less
and less about the Bible.
00:03:16.00\00:03:23.23
The article then goes on to
make this very sobering point .
00:03:23.23\00:03:25.26
Youth ministries are asked to
fix problems, provide
entertainment, and keep
00:03:59.40\00:04:02.50
kids busy. How many local-church
youth programs actually produce
00:04:02.50\00:04:07.46
substantial Bible knowledge
in young people? Even the pulpit
00:04:07.46\00:04:15.00
has been sidelined in many
congregations. Preaching has
taken a back seat to
00:04:15.00\00:04:19.20
other concerns in corporate
worship. The centrality of
00:04:19.20\00:04:24.50
biblical preaching to the
formation of disciples is lost,
and Christian ignorance leads
00:04:24.50\00:04:29.96
to Christian lethargy and worse.
This really is our problem, and
00:04:29.96\00:04:42.70
it is up to this generation
of Christians to reverse course.
00:04:42.70\00:04:47.26
Recovery starts at home. Parents
are to be the first and most
important educators of
00:04:47.26\00:04:52.66
their own children, diligently
teaching them the Word of God.
00:04:52.66\00:04:59.76
Look at Deuteronomy 6: 4 -9
Parents, we cannot franchise our
00:04:59.76\00:05:40.26
Parents, we cannot franchise our
00:05:49.33\00:05:52.10
responsibility to the
congregation, no matter how
faithful and biblical
00:05:52.10\00:05:54.83
it may be. God assigned
parents this non-negotiable
00:05:54.83\00:05:59.20
responsibility, and children
must see their Christian parents
00:05:59.20\00:06:04.66
as teachers and fellow students
of God's Word. Churches must
00:06:04.66\00:06:11.06
recover the centrality and
urgency of biblical teaching and
preaching. The article
00:06:11.06\00:06:15.56
then concludes with this .
00:06:15.56\00:06:19.40
Wow! That is quite an
indictment. Our viewers tell us
00:06:35.53\00:06:41.40
that one of the things you most
appreciate about our program is
our focus on the Bible. Well,
00:06:41.40\00:06:47.63
we are launching this week a new
series entitled: Let's Ask the
00:06:47.63\00:06:52.23
Bible! In this series we will
look at some of the most
challenging questions you
00:06:52.23\00:06:57.73
and I face on a daily basis,
things like what happens to us
00:06:57.73\00:07:03.46
when we die? When will the world
really end? How will Jesus
return? And if the Bible
00:07:03.46\00:07:09.13
is only one, why are there so
many denominations? In this
series our textbook
00:07:09.13\00:07:14.53
will be the Bible - the
rule of faith for the Christian.
00:07:14.53\00:07:20.60
Now this typically raises "the"
big question - Why believe the
00:07:23.46\00:07:29.03
Bible? It is one thing to say
the Bible is true, but how do
you know it is true? We must
00:07:29.03\00:07:34.96
answer that question, before we
go any further in this series,
00:07:34.96\00:07:39.96
because everything I am going is
based on the Bible, so we must
answer the question -
00:07:39.96\00:07:47.66
"Why believe the Bible?" To many
non-Christians the Bible is no
00:07:47.66\00:07:54.40
more than an antiquated
collection of myths and fables.
To others it is a good book,
00:07:54.40\00:07:59.80
but it is not God's book.
Probably the biggest single fact
00:07:59.80\00:08:06.46
that people have to deal with
concerning the Bible is this -
it claims to be not
00:08:06.46\00:08:11.86
the words of men, but the Word
of God. In the Old Testament
00:08:11.86\00:08:16.80
alone, phrases like, "God said"
or "God spoke" or "The Word of
the Lord came" occur nearly
00:08:16.80\00:08:22.06
four thousand times, the Apostle
Paul said this about the Bible .
00:08:22.06\00:08:26.26
Here is what Jesus
said about the Bible .
00:08:39.26\00:08:50.63
Jesus believed the Bible was
totally, completely, absolutely
00:09:00.10\00:09:09.73
true and was indeed the Word of
God. If that is true, then there
should be compelling
00:09:09.73\00:09:15.46
reasons why we ought to believe
the Bible and indeed I believe
00:09:15.46\00:09:20.60
there are. The unity and
consistency of the Bible message
00:09:20.60\00:09:26.40
is a proof of authenticity to
me. Here is a book that is
actually 66 books in one,
00:09:26.40\00:09:35.13
written over a period of 1500
years, by 40 different authors,
00:09:35.13\00:09:41.26
living in 3 different continents
, writing in 3 different
languages , writing on
00:09:41.26\00:09:47.10
many controversial topics and
yet they all wrote on one theme
00:09:47.10\00:09:55.43
and they all said
exactly the same thing.
00:09:55.43\00:10:00.16
The first book of the Bible
begins in a garden in paradise.
00:10:03.23\00:10:07.60
In that garden is a tree called
the tree of the knowledge of
good and evil. When you
00:10:07.60\00:10:12.60
go to the last book of the
Bible, Revelation written 1500
years later, you end
00:10:12.60\00:10:17.36
up again in the paradise of God
where there is also another tree
00:10:17.36\00:10:22.00
- the tree of healing for the
nations. In Genesis, man is
driven out of the garden,
00:10:22.00\00:10:26.40
because of his sin and forbidden
to eat of the tree. In
Revelation, he is invited
00:10:26.40\00:10:31.83
to come in and partake of the
tree that he might live forever.
00:10:31.83\00:10:37.83
In Genesis, there is a river
which flows from the garden. In
Revelation, there is a
00:10:37.83\00:10:42.30
river that flows from the throne
of God. The golden thread that
00:10:42.30\00:10:46.93
runs from Genesis to Revelation
is the redemption of sinful man,
by the grace of God
00:10:46.93\00:10:53.06
through faith in a Redeemer,
named Jesus Christ. The Bible is
00:10:53.06\00:11:01.63
not a science book, but if it is
true and if it is God's Word you
00:11:01.63\00:11:08.40
would expect it to be
scientifically realistic. A
striking evidence that this book
00:11:08.40\00:11:14.96
is truth and it is God's Word is
found in the fact that many of
00:11:14.96\00:11:23.86
the principles of modern science
were recorded as facts of nature
00:11:23.86\00:11:29.40
in the Bible long before any
scientist every confirmed them
experimentally. Thousands
00:11:29.40\00:11:36.33
of years ago scientists thought
that winds blew always in a
00:11:36.33\00:11:43.20
straight direction. Of course,
meteorologists now know that
wind travels within
00:11:43.20\00:11:48.76
circuits. They are called "jet
streams". That is exactly what
00:11:48.76\00:11:54.96
the Word of God
says. Ecclesiastes 1: 6
00:11:54.96\00:12:01.06
In ancient times, doctors saw no
need for washing their hands and
00:12:14.76\00:12:19.56
many people died from the hands
of doctors because they carried
00:12:19.56\00:12:25.80
on those hands the germs that
killed. Later on, doctors began
to wash their hands in still
00:12:25.80\00:12:31.26
water, but people were still
dying. Today, any doctor will
00:12:31.26\00:12:37.60
tell you, you always wash hands
in running water to make sure
that every germ is totally
00:12:37.60\00:12:42.53
washed away. Look at what
it says in Leviticus 15:13
00:12:42.53\00:12:50.70
Herbert Spencer a famous
scientist, one of the most
famous of all scientists.
00:13:10.06\00:13:16.73
He was the one who
discovered really and identified
00:13:16.73\00:13:23.43
classifications for all knowable
matter. All that is knowable can
be classified, he said.
00:13:23.43\00:13:30.76
And he was hailed as a genius
for this development. He found
00:13:30.76\00:13:36.13
that all knowable things, or
whatever, could be put into five
00:13:36.13\00:13:41.93
classifications and he listed
them for the scientific world.
They are these: time, force,
00:13:41.93\00:13:48.36
action, space and matter, and he
put them in that order... time,
00:13:48.36\00:13:55.73
force, action, space and matter,
the scientific world hailed that
00:13:55.73\00:14:03.83
as a great discovery. What he
didn't know what that that's
exactly how the Bible
00:14:03.83\00:14:10.50
begins. IN THE BEGINNING--that's
time--GOD--that's force--
00:14:10.50\00:14:25.06
CREATED--that's action--THE
HEAVENS--that's space--AND
00:14:25.06\00:14:32.46
THE EARTH--that's matter." Right
at the very beginning of the
00:14:32.46\00:14:40.73
Bible. Let me give you another
one. There is in science what is
00:14:40.73\00:14:44.93
called the second law of
thermodynamics - it is the law
that says all matter is breaking
00:14:44.93\00:14:52.53
down. And it's interesting that
that's exactly what the Bible
00:14:52.53\00:14:59.20
says. Prior to the Fall that
wasn't true, but as soon as the
Fall came, death entered the
00:14:59.20\00:15:07.10
scene and everything began to
follow the law of
thermodynamics, it's
00:15:07.10\00:15:11.13
breaking down. In Romans 8 it
says the whole creation groans
00:15:11.13\00:15:18.83
verse 22 . The study of
hydrology which is the process
of the cycle of water. In
00:15:25.43\00:15:33.10
Isaiah 55 : 10 It says this,
00:15:33.10\00:15:38.73
Now what does that say? Isaiah
is saying the rain comes down
00:15:54.00\00:16:00.30
and then goes back up again.
What is that? That's
evaporation, isn't it? That's
00:16:00.30\00:16:05.90
part of the process of
hydrology. How did Isaiah know
that? How did he know that? You
00:16:05.90\00:16:14.10
go to Psalm 135: 7
00:16:14.10\00:16:18.26
You've got it coming down,
ascending in the vapor, held in
00:16:25.26\00:16:30.66
the clouds again. You've got it
coming down, ascending in the
vapor, held in the clouds again.
00:16:30.66\00:16:30.70
You've got it coming down,
ascending in the vapor, held in
00:16:35.90\00:16:38.83
the clouds again. That
is exactly the way it works.
00:16:38.83\00:16:43.06
I want you to understand exactly
what I mean when I tell you why
00:16:47.40\00:16:50.80
I believe the Bible is true.
When I say the Bible is true,
obviously I mean the Bible
00:16:50.80\00:16:55.46
is factual, that is, it
accurately records historical
00:16:55.46\00:17:01.06
events. It is scientifically
true. It is prophetically true,
but truth goes beyond
00:17:01.06\00:17:07.66
accuracy. Something can be true
and factual, but have no
significance. I can
00:17:07.66\00:17:15.30
tell you the truth about
how many buttons I have on this
00:17:15.30\00:17:20.30
shirt that I am wearing right
now, but who cares? When I talk
about the Bible being true, I
00:17:20.30\00:17:25.70
mean it is significantly true,
because it answers the three key
00:17:25.70\00:17:32.30
questions of life itself.
00:17:32.30\00:17:35.33
The first two chapters of
the Bible begin by answering the
00:17:40.10\00:17:43.73
first key question - Who am I
and how did I get here? The
third chapter of the Bible
00:17:43.73\00:17:48.53
answers the second key question
- What is wrong with this world
00:17:48.53\00:17:54.20
and why is there evil and
suffering? The rest of the Bible
answers the third question
00:17:54.20\00:18:00.46
- What is the solution? How can
this world be made right again
00:18:00.46\00:18:06.56
and how can I be right with God?
If you doubt that this book has
that kind of power, listen
00:18:06.56\00:18:13.80
to what John Adams, the second
President of the United States
00:18:13.80\00:18:18.13
wrote in his diary.
00:18:18.13\00:18:20.00
Who can deny that if every
country in the world did what
John Adams said this
00:18:40.16\00:18:46.16
world would not be a radically
different and far better place?
00:18:46.16\00:18:54.40
Anatoli Shcharansky, a dissident
Soviet Jew, kissed his wife
goodbye as she left
00:18:54.40\00:19:01.73
Russia for freedom in Israel.
His parting words to her were,
00:19:01.73\00:19:05.60
"I'll see you soon in
Jerusalem." But Anatoli was
detained and finally imprisoned.
00:19:05.60\00:19:12.53
Their reunion in Jerusalem would
not only be postponed, it might
never occur. During
00:19:12.53\00:19:18.43
long years in Russian prisons
and work camps Anatoli was
00:19:18.43\00:19:25.80
stripped of his personal
belongings. His only possession
was a miniature copy of the
00:19:25.80\00:19:31.80
Psalms. Once during his
imprisonment, his refusal to
release the book to the
00:19:31.80\00:19:38.30
authorities cost him 130 days in
solitary confinement. Finally,
00:19:38.30\00:19:45.83
twelve years after parting
with his wife, he was offered
00:19:45.83\00:19:52.66
freedom. In February 1986, as
the world watched, Shcharansky
was allowed to walk away
00:19:52.66\00:19:59.36
from Russian guards toward those
who would take him to Jerusalem.
00:19:59.36\00:20:04.90
But in the final moments of
captivity, the guards tried
again to confiscate
00:20:04.90\00:20:10.23
the Psalms book. Anatoli threw
himself face down in the snow
00:20:10.23\00:20:16.56
and refused to walk on to
freedom without it. Those words
had kept him alive during
00:20:16.56\00:20:22.93
imprisonment. He would not
go on to freedom without them.
00:20:22.93\00:20:32.80
Everybody on this planet,
including you, has to make a
decision. Since you have all
00:20:32.80\00:20:38.10
these religious books out there
and they all say different
things about God, heaven,
00:20:38.10\00:20:43.33
hell, creation, and Jesus
Christ, there are only two
options. Option 1 is -
00:20:43.33\00:20:48.43
they are all wrong. Option 2 is
- one is right. The Bible could
00:20:48.43\00:20:54.33
be just a bunch of myths and
fairytales, but based on the
evidence, I don't know
00:20:54.33\00:21:00.16
how you can believe that. Some
other religious book may be the
00:21:00.16\00:21:06.80
real truth and not the Bible.
Based on the evidence, I just
don't believe that. All of these
00:21:06.80\00:21:11.23
books may be wrong, but they
cannot all be right. As for me,
00:21:11.23\00:21:16.13
I am going to go with the man
that came back from the dead,
who said, "Your word is
00:21:16.13\00:21:22.30
truth". I am
going with the Bible.
00:21:22.30\00:21:27.90
I try to reach
out for you but I fall
00:21:35.10\00:21:40.86
Sometimes you seem
so close and yet so far
00:21:42.10\00:21:46.76
Lord I need another chance
00:21:47.80\00:21:51.20
I need to know your mercy
00:21:52.60\00:21:55.43
Just give me the
strength to change within
00:21:56.70\00:22:01.26
I know that I am
not all that I can be
00:22:03.03\00:22:08.56
My weakness seems
to get the best of me
00:22:09.96\00:22:14.56
But as long as you are here
00:22:16.06\00:22:18.96
I know that I can make it
00:22:20.03\00:22:22.86
Every step along the way
00:22:23.80\00:22:25.53
Please hear my prayer
00:22:26.46\00:22:29.16
A heart like yours, is my desire
00:22:30.30\00:22:33.03
A heart like yours, is
what I am searching for
00:22:36.60\00:22:42.43
Full of compassion,
nothing wrong within
00:22:43.93\00:22:49.16
Please help me Lord,
give me a heart like yours
00:22:50.56\00:22:56.23
So much grace, so much kindness
00:22:57.33\00:23:03.03
So much faith, forever true
00:23:04.13\00:23:09.23
Strong as the
wind, soft as the shadows
00:23:10.66\00:23:17.00
If only one day,
I could be like you
00:23:18.46\00:23:23.60
A heart like yours, is my desire
00:23:24.96\00:23:29.96
A heart like yours, is my desire
00:23:31.30\00:23:37.00
A heart like yours, is
what I am searching for
00:23:38.36\00:23:43.70
Full of compassion,
nothing wrong within
00:23:45.06\00:23:50.80
Please help me Lord,
give me a heart like yours
00:23:52.23\00:23:57.63
Please help me Lord,
give me a heart like yours
00:23:59.16\00:24:04.93
A heart like yours, is my desire
00:24:06.06\00:24:10.83
A heart like yours, is
what I am searching for
00:24:12.70\00:24:17.80
Full of compassion,
nothing wrong within
00:24:19.43\00:24:25.00
Please help me Lord,
give me a heart like yours
00:24:26.60\00:24:31.93
Please help me Lord,
give me a heart like yours
00:24:33.23\00:24:46.53
>>Bill: Let us pray. Father in
heaven we want to thank you for
00:24:53.10\00:25:00.46
you love and your mercy. Thank
you for your word contained in
the Holy Scriptures. I
00:25:00.46\00:25:05.50
pray Father that you may reveal
truth to all that are seeking it
00:25:05.50\00:25:11.66
right now, in Jesus name, Amen.
00:25:11.66\00:25:16.13
We want to offer you a couple of
resources to help you deepen you
00:25:34.60\00:25:37.13
knowledge of Bible truth.
One of them is available on our
00:25:37.13\00:25:40.63
Web-site for download, it is the
lesson study of today's message
00:25:40.63\00:25:44.56
at www.itiswrittencanada.ca The
other, is this booklet
"Certainty in an uncertain
00:25:44.56\00:25:51.33
world" - it has some interesting
articles, it is our gift to you.
00:25:51.33\00:25:54.56
Here is the information you
need in order to get your copy.
00:25:54.56\00:25:59.26
>>Bill: We've come to the end
of another program - I want to
00:26:58.26\00:27:00.83
thank you for taking the time to
be with us here. I want to
remind you of our web-site
00:27:00.83\00:27:05.86
www.itiswrittencanada.ca On the
web-site you can see all of the
00:27:05.86\00:27:11.30
programs, they are all archived,
you can send a prayer request,
you can make a donation
00:27:11.30\00:27:16.13
online if you feel so impressed
to do that - knowing that every
00:27:16.13\00:27:20.73
dollar you send helps us keep
this ministry on the air You can
00:27:20.73\00:27:26.76
also find out where the It Is
Written team may be appearing.
And you can participate in our
00:27:26.76\00:27:31.26
new feature which is our live
chat with any of the It Is
Written staff may be
00:27:31.26\00:27:35.13
available at any given moment of
the day. Don't forget to visit
00:27:35.13\00:27:39.70
our Youtube channel
youtube.com/iiwcanada you can
refer a friend so that
00:27:39.70\00:27:45.63
they can see all of our
programs. Well our prayer is
that we will have the
00:27:45.63\00:27:50.73
priviledge of being back
together with you next week.
Until then remember,
00:27:50.73\00:27:54.13
it is written, man shall
not live by bread alone, but by
00:27:54.13\00:27:59.43
every word that
proceeds from the mouth of God.
00:27:59.43\00:28:03.03
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
00:28:05.50\00:28:06.00