The Authority of Scripture The authority of Scripture means that all the words in Scripture are God’s words in such a way that to disbelieve or disobey any word of Scripture is to disbelieve or disobey God.

Matthew 4:4  Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’  Proverbs 30:5 “Every word of God is proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.  Matthew 24:35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

God’s Word is Truth itself  John 17:17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth (aletheia- truth not true)  This statement encourages us to think of the Bible not simply as being ‘true’ in the sense it conforms to some higher standard of truth, but rather to think of the Bible as being itself the final standard of truth-the reference point from which every other claim to truthfulness is to be measured.

The Clarity of Scripture Deuteronomy 6:6-7 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

Know Word, Talk about Word, Apply to ordinary situations in life.  Psalm 119: The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.  Simple (Hebrew: peti) one who lacks intellectual ability or sound judgment, one who is prone to making mistakes, one who is easily led astray.  When Jesus speaks to scholars and untrained common people: Mt. 22:29 Jesus replied, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.

Epistles are to the CHURCH not church leaders! 1 Cor. 2:14 The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.

The Sufficiency of Scripture wise for salvation 2 Timothy 3:15 …and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

The Bible equips us for living the Christian life!  16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful (profitable) for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

How important is the Bible in our daily lives?

What if the Bible was as important as our cell phones… And we make sure we have it everywhere we go?

What if the Bible was as important as our morning coffee… And we couldn’t start our day until we read it?

What if the Bible was as important as our favorite TV shows… And we created our schedules around reading it?

What if the Bible was as important as our computers… And we used it as our primary source of information.

What if!!!! We are creatures of habit!

We need to create a positive addiction to daily Bible reading  Usually when we hear the word addiction, we think of negative addictions, which is another word for bad habits…  When something bad for us becomes ‘second nature’ we do it without much effort or thought.  We become dependent on it, either emotionally or physically  When we try to do without it, we experience various degrees of discomfort.

Positive addiction is when you become dependent on a good habit  A positive addiction is a habit which is good for you, either physically, mentally, or spiritually.  A source of pleasure and satisfaction  One that should you neglect it, begins to give you ‘withdrawal pains’.

2 Timothy 4:13  13 When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls, especially the parchments.  John Piper: “The more of God’s Word you know and love, the more of God’s Spirit you will experience”.

Ravi Zacharias The Christian stands in the position to proclaim and live the truth that reaches the mind, stirs the heart, and purifies the imagination. The regenerative power of the Word is what makes it indispensable to every culture and every generation in every century.