Taking the Bible Seriously
Series: Your Word is Truth
Speaker: Steve Jeffrey
Date: 12th May 2024
Passage: Luke 1:1-4
00:00:00 --> 00:00:11 In 2016, the Oxford Dictionary selected post-truth as its word of the year, as it does every year.
00:00:11 --> 00:00:19 It selects a word that sort of captures Western civilisation's vibe at that time.
00:00:19 --> 00:00:21 So post-truth was 2016.
00:00:21 --> 00:00:39 And it defines post-truth as an adjective relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal beliefs.
00:00:39 --> 00:00:53 It's a word that dates back to 1992, but its usage exploded by 2000% in 2016.
00:00:53 --> 00:00:55 Sorry, 2016.
00:00:55 --> 00:00:57 In 2016.
00:00:59 --> 00:00:59 Why?
00:01:01 --> 00:01:06 The US presidential election, which saw Donald Trump elected as president.
00:01:06 --> 00:01:18 An election campaign marked by so many competing and false claims, allegations of fraud and proven mistruths.
00:01:19 --> 00:01:31 Voices across the political spectrum were quick to condemn the opposition with little or no facts and quick to defend their stance regardless of facts.
00:01:31 --> 00:01:41 Fake news allowed agendas to advance regardless of and often contrary to the actual facts, the truth.
00:01:42 --> 00:01:48 It's hard to think of a better word suited to the spirit of our age than that of post-truth.
00:01:49 --> 00:01:55 Post-truth has now blossomed into a culture of confusion.
00:01:55 --> 00:02:04 In a post-truth world, answers to life's big questions no longer need to correspond to reality at all.
00:02:05 --> 00:02:10 They only need to cater to whatever we personally desire.
00:02:11 --> 00:02:16 The question is, as a society, are we better off?
00:02:18 --> 00:02:22 You see, confusion only gives birth to more questions.
00:02:22 --> 00:02:24 That's the nature of confusion.
00:02:26 --> 00:02:32 And more questions only builds anxiety and uncertainty.
00:02:34 --> 00:02:38 So we need answers, not just questions.
00:02:38 --> 00:02:44 And so the title of this series that we're currently in, Your Word, is Truth.
00:02:44 --> 00:02:55 Now, I understand that we exist in a culture that many people would think that the Bible fits in that category of fake news.
00:02:56 --> 00:03:01 It was written thousands of years ago over a long period of time.
00:03:01 --> 00:03:05 And it makes some incredible, in fact, startling claims.
00:03:06 --> 00:03:09 It claims that there is a God who made the universe.
00:03:09 --> 00:03:15 It claims that this God sent his son into the world to die on a cross for humanity.
00:03:16 --> 00:03:22 It claims that Jesus, the son of God, performed miracles, that he was raised from the dead,
00:03:22 --> 00:03:29 and he is now present with his followers by the Holy Spirit through his word right now.
00:03:29 --> 00:03:36 It claims that he will come back to this earth one day as the universal judge and king,
00:03:36 --> 00:03:40 wind up history, right every wrong that has ever happened,
00:03:40 --> 00:03:44 and with his people exist forever in eternal bliss.
00:03:45 --> 00:03:47 They're extraordinary claims.
00:03:48 --> 00:03:49 Extraordinary claims.
00:03:50 --> 00:03:53 And we need some pretty serious evidence to believe them.
00:03:53 --> 00:04:02 And yet, on the other hand, billions of people over time have believed these claims,
00:04:02 --> 00:04:09 including some of the smartest people in our world to this day.
00:04:10 --> 00:04:13 And, in fact, smartest people throughout history.
00:04:13 --> 00:04:18 They have believed the claims, and from all different cultures,
00:04:19 --> 00:04:22 have believed the claims of the Bible are true,
00:04:23 --> 00:04:26 and that they are authoritative over their lives.
00:04:28 --> 00:04:31 And so today, if you've got the St. Paul's app in front of you,
00:04:31 --> 00:04:33 I encourage you to open it up, open up your Bibles.
00:04:35 --> 00:04:38 We've got really three points here to kind of,
00:04:38 --> 00:04:41 each point's got, well, the first two have got three sub-points,
00:04:41 --> 00:04:49 but to build on last week's assertion that the Bible is true,
00:04:49 --> 00:04:54 and it is reliable for everything in life and faith.
00:04:54 --> 00:04:59 And the three points are, it's historically reliable, culturally reliable,
00:04:59 --> 00:05:00 and it's personally reliable.
00:05:01 --> 00:05:03 So, first of all, historically reliable.
00:05:03 --> 00:05:06 One of the common accusations today is that the Bible,
00:05:06 --> 00:05:10 and particularly the New Testament accounts about Jesus,
00:05:11 --> 00:05:15 are written by, if you like, the winners in history.
00:05:16 --> 00:05:19 And therefore, because it's written by the winners in history,
00:05:19 --> 00:05:24 no one can really know the original Jesus, what he was really like.
00:05:24 --> 00:05:32 In fact, the claim is that the claims about his miracles
00:05:32 --> 00:05:37 and the fact that he was divine and that he rose again
00:05:37 --> 00:05:43 were all written much later in history by church leaders
00:05:43 --> 00:05:47 in order to try and get Christianity to spread.
00:05:48 --> 00:05:52 In other words, it's an attempt for them to build their power base.
00:05:52 --> 00:06:00 There are, in fact, multiple reasons
00:06:00 --> 00:06:05 why those particular modern accusations are simply not right
00:06:05 --> 00:06:07 and, in fact, unfair.
00:06:08 --> 00:06:11 But I want to just give you three, very briefly,
00:06:11 --> 00:06:14 three reasons why you can trust the Bible historically
00:06:14 --> 00:06:16 about what it says about Jesus.
00:06:16 --> 00:06:22 Firstly, the New Testament accounts about Jesus
00:06:22 --> 00:06:26 are written way too early for them to be legends.
00:06:27 --> 00:06:30 Take the beginning of Luke that Anne just read out for us.
00:06:31 --> 00:06:34 Luke has written a biography about Jesus
00:06:34 --> 00:06:37 and he points out to his readers in verses 2 and 3,
00:06:37 --> 00:06:39 many have undertaken to draw up an account
00:06:39 --> 00:06:42 of the things that have been fulfilled among us
00:06:42 --> 00:06:44 just as they were handed down to us
00:06:44 --> 00:06:48 by those who from the first were eyewitnesses.
00:06:48 --> 00:06:52 I myself have carefully investigated everything
00:06:52 --> 00:06:54 from the beginning.
00:06:54 --> 00:06:58 I too decided to write an orderly account for you.
00:06:58 --> 00:07:03 Now, Luke is writing 30 to 40 years after Jesus
00:07:03 --> 00:07:06 and he makes the point
00:07:06 --> 00:07:09 that lots of people
00:07:09 --> 00:07:13 who were eyewitnesses of Jesus
00:07:13 --> 00:07:15 post his resurrection
00:07:15 --> 00:07:18 are still alive
00:07:18 --> 00:07:21 and you can check the facts with them.
00:07:21 --> 00:07:26 Now, writing even closer
00:07:26 --> 00:07:28 than Luke,
00:07:29 --> 00:07:31 closer to the events of Jesus' life
00:07:31 --> 00:07:32 was the Apostle Paul.
00:07:33 --> 00:07:35 He wrote letters only 15 to 20 years
00:07:35 --> 00:07:37 after the events of Jesus' life
00:07:37 --> 00:07:38 and he says this
00:07:38 --> 00:07:40 in 1 Corinthians 15 verse 6
00:07:40 --> 00:07:42 about the resurrection of Jesus.
00:07:42 --> 00:07:44 He appeared to more than 500
00:07:44 --> 00:07:46 of the brothers and sisters
00:07:46 --> 00:07:47 at the same time,
00:07:47 --> 00:07:49 most of whom are still
00:07:49 --> 00:07:51 living.
00:07:53 --> 00:07:55 Paul could not have possibly written
00:07:55 --> 00:07:57 a public document
00:07:57 --> 00:07:59 promoting Christianity
00:07:59 --> 00:08:02 and make a statement like that
00:08:02 --> 00:08:04 unless it was, in fact,
00:08:05 --> 00:08:07 provable by other eyewitnesses
00:08:07 --> 00:08:08 apart from himself.
00:08:10 --> 00:08:12 Or in Philippians chapter 2,
00:08:13 --> 00:08:14 Paul quotes a hymn
00:08:14 --> 00:08:16 of Jesus' divinity
00:08:16 --> 00:08:19 and if Philippians is written
00:08:19 --> 00:08:20 so close,
00:08:20 --> 00:08:20 in fact,
00:08:21 --> 00:08:23 potentially his very first letter
00:08:23 --> 00:08:23 that he wrote,
00:08:24 --> 00:08:25 so close to the events
00:08:25 --> 00:08:26 of Jesus' life
00:08:26 --> 00:08:28 and Paul is quoting
00:08:28 --> 00:08:29 in Philippians
00:08:29 --> 00:08:31 something that Christians
00:08:31 --> 00:08:32 have been declaring
00:08:32 --> 00:08:35 from outside of Philippians,
00:08:36 --> 00:08:38 right from the very early days
00:08:38 --> 00:08:39 as the gathering
00:08:39 --> 00:08:40 of the early church,
00:08:41 --> 00:08:43 Christians have been worshipping Jesus
00:08:43 --> 00:08:45 as God himself
00:08:45 --> 00:08:46 from the very beginning.
00:08:48 --> 00:08:49 Not hundreds of years later,
00:08:50 --> 00:08:52 from the very beginning,
00:08:53 --> 00:08:54 they saw him as divine.
00:08:58 --> 00:09:00 The documents of the New Testament
00:09:00 --> 00:09:01 are way too early
00:09:01 --> 00:09:03 for people just simply to say
00:09:03 --> 00:09:05 that they just said
00:09:05 --> 00:09:07 whatever they wanted about Jesus
00:09:07 --> 00:09:10 while thousands of people
00:09:10 --> 00:09:11 witnessed him in person
00:09:11 --> 00:09:12 were still alive.
00:09:12 --> 00:09:14 You just simply cannot do that
00:09:14 --> 00:09:15 historically.
00:09:17 --> 00:09:18 Secondly,
00:09:18 --> 00:09:19 the documents of the New Testament
00:09:19 --> 00:09:20 are too counterproductive
00:09:22 --> 00:09:23 to be legends.
00:09:25 --> 00:09:26 Remember that the accusation here
00:09:26 --> 00:09:27 is the Bible
00:09:27 --> 00:09:29 is what the early church leaders
00:09:29 --> 00:09:31 wanted people to believe
00:09:31 --> 00:09:33 in order to build their own power base
00:09:33 --> 00:09:34 and spread Christianity.
00:09:34 --> 00:09:38 So imagine you're one of those church leaders
00:09:38 --> 00:09:40 living, you know,
00:09:40 --> 00:09:43 70, 80, 100, 300 years afterwards
00:09:43 --> 00:09:48 and you make up stories about Jesus
00:09:48 --> 00:09:50 so that people will believe
00:09:50 --> 00:09:51 your stories about Jesus.
00:09:53 --> 00:09:55 Would you put in those stories
00:09:55 --> 00:09:56 when you're trying to convince people
00:09:56 --> 00:09:58 that Jesus is divine son of God,
00:09:59 --> 00:10:00 saviour of the whole world,
00:10:01 --> 00:10:02 a person of perfection,
00:10:02 --> 00:10:03 would you put in there
00:10:03 --> 00:10:05 stories of Jesus,
00:10:05 --> 00:10:05 for instance,
00:10:05 --> 00:10:06 in the Garden of Gethsemane,
00:10:07 --> 00:10:09 asking his father
00:10:09 --> 00:10:10 if there's any other way,
00:10:10 --> 00:10:10 take,
00:10:10 --> 00:10:11 I don't want this plan,
00:10:12 --> 00:10:13 come up with another plan.
00:10:15 --> 00:10:16 Sweating tears of blood.
00:10:17 --> 00:10:18 Would you put in there
00:10:18 --> 00:10:20 Jesus on the cross
00:10:20 --> 00:10:21 crying out to God,
00:10:21 --> 00:10:24 why have you forsaken me?
00:10:27 --> 00:10:29 Those accounts make look,
00:10:29 --> 00:10:30 Jesus make look like he's,
00:10:31 --> 00:10:32 he wants a different way.
00:10:32 --> 00:10:33 He wants something,
00:10:33 --> 00:10:34 some other option.
00:10:35 --> 00:10:36 Makes him look weak.
00:10:38 --> 00:10:40 Would you include
00:10:40 --> 00:10:41 in your first century stories
00:10:41 --> 00:10:45 that all of the first eyewitnesses
00:10:45 --> 00:10:46 to the resurrection were women?
00:10:47 --> 00:10:48 You know,
00:10:48 --> 00:10:48 I know this is Mother's Day,
00:10:49 --> 00:10:50 so bear with me on this one.
00:10:52 --> 00:10:53 This was a time
00:10:53 --> 00:10:55 when women's evidence
00:10:55 --> 00:10:57 was not admissible in court
00:10:57 --> 00:11:00 because of their low social status.
00:11:02 --> 00:11:03 And so on today,
00:11:03 --> 00:11:04 we want to give thanks
00:11:04 --> 00:11:06 to the New Testament documents
00:11:06 --> 00:11:07 and early Christianity
00:11:07 --> 00:11:08 that changed that.
00:11:10 --> 00:11:12 Does not oppress women at all.
00:11:12 --> 00:11:17 all the gospel accounts
00:11:17 --> 00:11:19 say that the original eyewitnesses
00:11:19 --> 00:11:20 were women?
00:11:20 --> 00:11:21 And not only that,
00:11:22 --> 00:11:23 but when you get into
00:11:23 --> 00:11:24 the New Testament,
00:11:24 --> 00:11:26 you see that the apostles themselves
00:11:26 --> 00:11:29 are far from glowing figures.
00:11:29 --> 00:11:31 They're cowardly,
00:11:31 --> 00:11:33 they're slow to believe,
00:11:33 --> 00:11:34 they're self-interest.
00:11:34 --> 00:11:35 Why would you include
00:11:35 --> 00:11:36 any of that
00:11:36 --> 00:11:38 if you're making it up?
00:11:39 --> 00:11:40 These stories
00:11:40 --> 00:11:41 are totally
00:11:41 --> 00:11:43 counterproductive
00:11:43 --> 00:11:44 for consolidating power
00:11:44 --> 00:11:46 for the early leaders
00:11:46 --> 00:11:47 of the Christian movement.
00:11:48 --> 00:11:49 Thirdly,
00:11:50 --> 00:11:51 they're also too detailed
00:11:51 --> 00:11:53 to be legends.
00:11:54 --> 00:11:55 Ancient myths and novels
00:11:55 --> 00:11:57 were never written like this.
00:11:58 --> 00:12:00 Never written like this.
00:12:01 --> 00:12:02 That is the current form
00:12:02 --> 00:12:04 that we have with novels today,
00:12:04 --> 00:12:04 I think, for instance,
00:12:05 --> 00:12:06 the Da Vinci Code,
00:12:06 --> 00:12:07 where it mixes
00:12:07 --> 00:12:09 a little bit of history,
00:12:10 --> 00:12:12 historical facts,
00:12:12 --> 00:12:14 with a completely
00:12:14 --> 00:12:17 a bunch of legends in there
00:12:17 --> 00:12:19 to make people think
00:12:19 --> 00:12:20 that it's written as history.
00:12:21 --> 00:12:25 That is a very modern phenomenon
00:12:25 --> 00:12:27 in terms of a writing style.
00:12:28 --> 00:12:29 Ancient legends
00:12:29 --> 00:12:31 were never written in that way.
00:12:34 --> 00:12:35 The New Testament doctrines
00:12:35 --> 00:12:36 of Jesus
00:12:36 --> 00:12:37 don't have the forms
00:12:37 --> 00:12:38 of legend.
00:12:38 --> 00:12:39 They are written
00:12:39 --> 00:12:40 too early to be legends
00:12:40 --> 00:12:42 and they are too
00:12:42 --> 00:12:43 counterproductive
00:12:43 --> 00:12:44 to be legends.
00:12:47 --> 00:12:48 You need to be able
00:12:48 --> 00:12:49 to trust them.
00:12:51 --> 00:12:51 You go,
00:12:51 --> 00:12:52 hang on a bit, Steve,
00:12:52 --> 00:12:52 you haven't seen anything
00:12:52 --> 00:12:53 about the Old Testament.
00:12:54 --> 00:12:55 I haven't got time
00:12:55 --> 00:12:56 to go into that detail.
00:12:56 --> 00:12:57 There are plenty of books
00:12:57 --> 00:12:58 written about that as well
00:12:58 --> 00:12:59 in terms of the reliability
00:12:59 --> 00:12:59 of the Old Testament.
00:12:59 --> 00:13:01 But briefly,
00:13:01 --> 00:13:02 let me just say,
00:13:03 --> 00:13:04 if you can trust
00:13:04 --> 00:13:05 what the New Testament
00:13:05 --> 00:13:06 says about Jesus,
00:13:07 --> 00:13:07 you can trust
00:13:07 --> 00:13:08 what Jesus says
00:13:08 --> 00:13:09 about the Old Testament.
00:13:10 --> 00:13:10 And Jesus saw
00:13:10 --> 00:13:11 the Old Testament
00:13:11 --> 00:13:13 as authoritative.
00:13:15 --> 00:13:16 And it was true.
00:13:17 --> 00:13:19 He quoted virtually
00:13:19 --> 00:13:20 every book
00:13:20 --> 00:13:21 of the Old Testament
00:13:21 --> 00:13:24 and called them
00:13:24 --> 00:13:25 the Scriptures,
00:13:26 --> 00:13:26 God's Word.
00:13:29 --> 00:13:29 Secondly,
00:13:30 --> 00:13:31 my second point
00:13:31 --> 00:13:32 is that we can trust
00:13:32 --> 00:13:33 the Bible culturally.
00:13:34 --> 00:13:34 Now, I think it's true
00:13:34 --> 00:13:35 to say that modern people
00:13:35 --> 00:13:37 care less about
00:13:37 --> 00:13:38 historical reliability
00:13:38 --> 00:13:40 of the Bible
00:13:40 --> 00:13:41 because they're more
00:13:41 --> 00:13:42 troubled by the cultural
00:13:42 --> 00:13:44 aspects of the Bible.
00:13:45 --> 00:13:46 That's more of a problem
00:13:46 --> 00:13:47 for the modern person.
00:13:47 --> 00:13:48 They consider the Bible
00:13:48 --> 00:13:49 offensive,
00:13:49 --> 00:13:49 primitive,
00:13:50 --> 00:13:51 backward,
00:13:51 --> 00:13:52 in its views.
00:13:53 --> 00:13:54 The Bible offends
00:13:54 --> 00:13:56 Sydney-siders
00:13:56 --> 00:13:58 in multiple ways.
00:13:58 --> 00:13:59 Multiple ways.
00:14:00 --> 00:14:02 And it's a long list
00:14:02 --> 00:14:02 of ways
00:14:02 --> 00:14:04 that's constantly
00:14:04 --> 00:14:06 moving
00:14:06 --> 00:14:07 and changing.
00:14:08 --> 00:14:09 So here's
00:14:09 --> 00:14:10 three considerations
00:14:10 --> 00:14:11 of any bit
00:14:11 --> 00:14:12 of the Bible
00:14:12 --> 00:14:13 that might offend you.
00:14:13 --> 00:14:14 Three considerations.
00:14:14 --> 00:14:15 Firstly,
00:14:15 --> 00:14:17 consider the possibility
00:14:17 --> 00:14:18 that it isn't teaching
00:14:18 --> 00:14:19 what you think
00:14:19 --> 00:14:20 it's teaching.
00:14:20 --> 00:14:22 when you read it.
00:14:23 --> 00:14:23 For instance,
00:14:24 --> 00:14:25 I could never understand
00:14:25 --> 00:14:27 why some of the
00:14:27 --> 00:14:29 great spiritual heroes
00:14:29 --> 00:14:30 of the Old Testament
00:14:30 --> 00:14:32 had so many wives.
00:14:33 --> 00:14:34 When I first read it,
00:14:34 --> 00:14:35 and I see in the New Testament,
00:14:36 --> 00:14:36 you know,
00:14:36 --> 00:14:39 the leaders of God's church
00:14:39 --> 00:14:39 must have been
00:14:39 --> 00:14:40 a husband
00:14:40 --> 00:14:41 of one wife.
00:14:41 --> 00:14:42 And it's like,
00:14:42 --> 00:14:43 polygamy didn't seem
00:14:43 --> 00:14:44 to be a New Testament thing,
00:14:44 --> 00:14:45 but was in the Old Testament thing.
00:14:46 --> 00:14:47 And I could never understand
00:14:47 --> 00:14:48 why
00:14:48 --> 00:14:50 that was the case.
00:14:50 --> 00:14:52 Until I realized
00:14:52 --> 00:14:53 that the Bible
00:14:53 --> 00:14:54 was not in any way
00:14:54 --> 00:14:55 endorsing it.
00:14:56 --> 00:14:57 It was actually,
00:14:57 --> 00:14:59 when you read the accounts
00:14:59 --> 00:14:59 in the Old Testament,
00:15:00 --> 00:15:00 the Bible
00:15:00 --> 00:15:02 is actually
00:15:02 --> 00:15:03 subverting it.
00:15:04 --> 00:15:05 In every case
00:15:05 --> 00:15:07 where polygamy
00:15:07 --> 00:15:08 is practiced,
00:15:08 --> 00:15:10 it goes bad.
00:15:10 --> 00:15:11 And the Bible
00:15:11 --> 00:15:12 records it
00:15:12 --> 00:15:13 going bad.
00:15:14 --> 00:15:15 There's never a case
00:15:15 --> 00:15:16 of polygamy
00:15:16 --> 00:15:17 in the Old Testament
00:15:17 --> 00:15:18 where it,
00:15:18 --> 00:15:19 and they lived
00:15:19 --> 00:15:20 happily ever after,
00:15:20 --> 00:15:22 husband with 700 wives.
00:15:23 --> 00:15:24 Never
00:15:24 --> 00:15:25 do you see that
00:15:25 --> 00:15:26 in the Old Testament.
00:15:27 --> 00:15:28 Families break down,
00:15:29 --> 00:15:29 lives are ruined,
00:15:30 --> 00:15:30 physically,
00:15:30 --> 00:15:31 spiritually,
00:15:31 --> 00:15:31 emotionally,
00:15:32 --> 00:15:32 relationally.
00:15:33 --> 00:15:34 The Bible shows us
00:15:34 --> 00:15:36 consistently how bad it is,
00:15:36 --> 00:15:38 even as it records it.
00:15:40 --> 00:15:41 That is,
00:15:42 --> 00:15:42 the Bible
00:15:42 --> 00:15:43 wasn't endorsing
00:15:43 --> 00:15:44 something that I
00:15:44 --> 00:15:45 thought it was endorsing.
00:15:45 --> 00:15:46 It wasn't teaching
00:15:46 --> 00:15:46 something that I
00:15:46 --> 00:15:47 thought it was teaching.
00:15:48 --> 00:15:48 Secondly,
00:15:49 --> 00:15:50 please consider the
00:15:50 --> 00:15:51 possibility that you
00:15:51 --> 00:15:52 are misunderstanding
00:15:52 --> 00:15:53 what the Bible
00:15:53 --> 00:15:54 teaches because of
00:15:54 --> 00:15:56 your own cultural
00:15:56 --> 00:15:57 blind spots
00:15:57 --> 00:15:59 and personal
00:15:59 --> 00:15:59 preferences.
00:16:01 --> 00:16:02 Luke 24,
00:16:03 --> 00:16:04 verses 20 and 21.
00:16:04 --> 00:16:05 Anne just read that
00:16:05 --> 00:16:05 out to us on the
00:16:05 --> 00:16:06 road to Emmaus.
00:16:06 --> 00:16:07 Sorry,
00:16:07 --> 00:16:08 it's the account
00:16:08 --> 00:16:09 of the road to Emmaus.
00:16:09 --> 00:16:09 Anne wasn't there.
00:16:10 --> 00:16:12 We see these early
00:16:12 --> 00:16:14 disciples
00:16:14 --> 00:16:16 had misunderstood
00:16:16 --> 00:16:18 the prophecies
00:16:18 --> 00:16:19 about the Messiah,
00:16:20 --> 00:16:20 the Old Testament
00:16:20 --> 00:16:21 Messiah.
00:16:21 --> 00:16:23 As Jews,
00:16:23 --> 00:16:26 their blind spots
00:16:26 --> 00:16:26 were they were
00:16:26 --> 00:16:27 only thinking
00:16:27 --> 00:16:29 about the redemption
00:16:29 --> 00:16:29 of Israel,
00:16:30 --> 00:16:32 not the whole world.
00:16:33 --> 00:16:35 They had a cultural
00:16:35 --> 00:16:36 blind spot
00:16:36 --> 00:16:36 that meant
00:16:36 --> 00:16:37 that they in fact
00:16:37 --> 00:16:38 misread
00:16:38 --> 00:16:39 scripture
00:16:39 --> 00:16:41 and couldn't
00:16:41 --> 00:16:41 therefore
00:16:41 --> 00:16:43 understand
00:16:43 --> 00:16:43 Jesus.
00:16:46 --> 00:16:46 And the modern
00:16:46 --> 00:16:47 person does the
00:16:47 --> 00:16:48 same thing
00:16:48 --> 00:16:49 on so many ways.
00:16:49 --> 00:16:50 So many ways.
00:16:50 --> 00:16:51 That long list
00:16:51 --> 00:16:52 of offensive
00:16:52 --> 00:16:53 to Sidneysiders.
00:16:53 --> 00:16:54 Let me just
00:16:54 --> 00:16:56 raise one.
00:16:57 --> 00:16:57 Slavery.
00:16:59 --> 00:17:00 One accusation
00:17:00 --> 00:17:01 is that the Bible
00:17:01 --> 00:17:02 condones slavery
00:17:02 --> 00:17:04 when we clearly
00:17:04 --> 00:17:05 know as modern
00:17:05 --> 00:17:05 people that it's
00:17:05 --> 00:17:06 wrong.
00:17:06 --> 00:17:06 wrong.
00:17:07 --> 00:17:08 And therefore,
00:17:08 --> 00:17:09 if it's wrong
00:17:09 --> 00:17:10 on this issue,
00:17:10 --> 00:17:11 then how can we
00:17:11 --> 00:17:12 trust the Bible
00:17:12 --> 00:17:13 on any
00:17:13 --> 00:17:14 moral and
00:17:14 --> 00:17:15 ethic issue?
00:17:16 --> 00:17:17 It just needs
00:17:17 --> 00:17:18 to update itself.
00:17:20 --> 00:17:20 So the question
00:17:20 --> 00:17:21 is,
00:17:21 --> 00:17:22 does the Bible
00:17:22 --> 00:17:23 actually condone
00:17:23 --> 00:17:23 slavery?
00:17:24 --> 00:17:25 Now there are
00:17:25 --> 00:17:26 parts of the New
00:17:26 --> 00:17:26 Testament
00:17:26 --> 00:17:27 when Paul tells
00:17:27 --> 00:17:28 slaves to obey
00:17:28 --> 00:17:28 their masters
00:17:28 --> 00:17:29 and we go,
00:17:29 --> 00:17:30 ah,
00:17:30 --> 00:17:30 there we go,
00:17:30 --> 00:17:31 there it is,
00:17:31 --> 00:17:31 right there.
00:17:31 --> 00:17:35 In the New
00:17:35 --> 00:17:36 Testament letter
00:17:36 --> 00:17:39 of Philemon,
00:17:39 --> 00:17:41 Paul is
00:17:41 --> 00:17:42 addressing a
00:17:42 --> 00:17:43 relationship between
00:17:43 --> 00:17:44 a master and
00:17:44 --> 00:17:44 his servant.
00:17:45 --> 00:17:46 And as Paul
00:17:46 --> 00:17:47 unpacks this
00:17:47 --> 00:17:48 relationship,
00:17:49 --> 00:17:50 it is clear
00:17:50 --> 00:17:51 that it's not
00:17:51 --> 00:17:52 the same kind
00:17:52 --> 00:17:53 of relationship
00:17:53 --> 00:17:54 that we would
00:17:54 --> 00:17:55 call slavery.
00:17:55 --> 00:17:55 slavery.
00:17:56 --> 00:17:58 When we read
00:17:58 --> 00:17:58 the word
00:17:58 --> 00:18:01 slave in our
00:18:01 --> 00:18:02 cultural context,
00:18:02 --> 00:18:04 we automatically
00:18:04 --> 00:18:05 turn our minds
00:18:05 --> 00:18:06 back to the
00:18:06 --> 00:18:07 17th,
00:18:07 --> 00:18:07 18th and
00:18:07 --> 00:18:08 19th century
00:18:08 --> 00:18:10 and modern
00:18:10 --> 00:18:10 slavery.
00:18:12 --> 00:18:14 Race-based,
00:18:15 --> 00:18:16 ethnic minority
00:18:16 --> 00:18:17 slavery.
00:18:17 --> 00:18:17 slavery.
00:18:19 --> 00:18:19 And we
00:18:19 --> 00:18:20 import our
00:18:20 --> 00:18:21 cultural blind
00:18:21 --> 00:18:22 spot into
00:18:22 --> 00:18:24 every time we
00:18:24 --> 00:18:24 read the word
00:18:24 --> 00:18:25 slavery.
00:18:26 --> 00:18:27 When we read
00:18:27 --> 00:18:27 the Bible with
00:18:27 --> 00:18:28 those cultural
00:18:28 --> 00:18:29 blinders on,
00:18:29 --> 00:18:30 we are
00:18:30 --> 00:18:31 misunderstanding
00:18:31 --> 00:18:32 what the
00:18:32 --> 00:18:32 Bible is
00:18:32 --> 00:18:33 teaching.
00:18:34 --> 00:18:34 In the
00:18:34 --> 00:18:35 Greco-Roman
00:18:35 --> 00:18:36 world,
00:18:36 --> 00:18:37 slaves were
00:18:37 --> 00:18:37 not
00:18:37 --> 00:18:38 distinguishable
00:18:38 --> 00:18:39 from everyone
00:18:39 --> 00:18:40 else by race
00:18:40 --> 00:18:41 or by the
00:18:41 --> 00:18:42 way that they
00:18:42 --> 00:18:42 spoke or by
00:18:42 --> 00:18:43 the clothing
00:18:43 --> 00:18:43 that they
00:18:43 --> 00:18:43 wore.
00:18:44 --> 00:18:45 They looked
00:18:45 --> 00:18:45 and lived
00:18:45 --> 00:18:46 like everyone
00:18:46 --> 00:18:47 else and
00:18:47 --> 00:18:47 were not
00:18:47 --> 00:18:49 segregated off
00:18:49 --> 00:18:50 as part of
00:18:50 --> 00:18:50 society.
00:18:51 --> 00:18:52 Slaves were
00:18:52 --> 00:18:53 often quite
00:18:53 --> 00:18:54 educated and
00:18:54 --> 00:18:54 even more
00:18:54 --> 00:18:56 highly educated
00:18:56 --> 00:18:57 than their
00:18:57 --> 00:18:57 masters and
00:18:57 --> 00:18:58 therefore they
00:18:58 --> 00:18:59 held high
00:18:59 --> 00:18:59 positions.
00:19:00 --> 00:19:00 Therefore you
00:19:00 --> 00:19:01 see that in
00:19:01 --> 00:19:03 Luke 16.
00:19:04 --> 00:19:05 High
00:19:05 --> 00:19:05 managerial
00:19:05 --> 00:19:06 positions.
00:19:07 --> 00:19:08 Slaves also
00:19:08 --> 00:19:09 made the same
00:19:09 --> 00:19:10 wages as
00:19:10 --> 00:19:11 free labourers
00:19:11 --> 00:19:12 and therefore
00:19:12 --> 00:19:13 over time
00:19:13 --> 00:19:14 they were able
00:19:14 --> 00:19:15 to save
00:19:15 --> 00:19:15 themselves,
00:19:15 --> 00:19:16 save the
00:19:16 --> 00:19:17 money up and
00:19:17 --> 00:19:17 to buy
00:19:17 --> 00:19:18 themselves out
00:19:18 --> 00:19:18 of slavery.
00:19:18 --> 00:19:19 The average
00:19:19 --> 00:19:21 slave worked
00:19:21 --> 00:19:22 for a master
00:19:22 --> 00:19:23 in the first
00:19:23 --> 00:19:25 century for
00:19:25 --> 00:19:26 less than 10
00:19:26 --> 00:19:26 years.
00:19:27 --> 00:19:28 It was not a
00:19:28 --> 00:19:30 lifelong oppressive
00:19:30 --> 00:19:31 relationship.
00:19:32 --> 00:19:32 It was the
00:19:32 --> 00:19:33 purpose of
00:19:33 --> 00:19:34 paying back
00:19:34 --> 00:19:34 debts.
00:19:36 --> 00:19:37 So as soon
00:19:37 --> 00:19:38 as we get
00:19:38 --> 00:19:38 our modern
00:19:38 --> 00:19:39 mindset of
00:19:39 --> 00:19:40 slavery and
00:19:40 --> 00:19:41 impose it on
00:19:41 --> 00:19:41 the Bible,
00:19:42 --> 00:19:43 we have
00:19:43 --> 00:19:43 completely
00:19:43 --> 00:19:44 misunderstood
00:19:44 --> 00:19:45 scripture and
00:19:45 --> 00:19:46 what it's
00:19:46 --> 00:19:46 actually teaching
00:19:46 --> 00:19:47 in that
00:19:47 --> 00:19:47 moment.
00:19:52 --> 00:19:53 So and I
00:19:53 --> 00:19:54 want to add
00:19:54 --> 00:19:55 those who
00:19:55 --> 00:19:56 historically have
00:19:56 --> 00:19:57 to use the
00:19:57 --> 00:19:57 Bible to
00:19:57 --> 00:19:58 defend the
00:19:58 --> 00:19:59 practice of
00:19:59 --> 00:20:00 kidnapping and
00:20:00 --> 00:20:03 enslaving people
00:20:03 --> 00:20:04 such as in the
00:20:04 --> 00:20:06 slave trade of
00:20:06 --> 00:20:07 the modern era,
00:20:07 --> 00:20:10 they have read
00:20:10 --> 00:20:11 the Bible through
00:20:11 --> 00:20:12 their own cultural
00:20:12 --> 00:20:13 blind spots as
00:20:13 --> 00:20:14 well and they
00:20:14 --> 00:20:15 are wrong.
00:20:16 --> 00:20:17 In the same
00:20:17 --> 00:20:18 way we are
00:20:18 --> 00:20:20 wrong if we
00:20:20 --> 00:20:21 read the Bible
00:20:21 --> 00:20:21 through our own
00:20:21 --> 00:20:23 cultural blind
00:20:23 --> 00:20:23 spots now.
00:20:25 --> 00:20:26 Thirdly,
00:20:27 --> 00:20:28 consider the
00:20:28 --> 00:20:29 possibility that
00:20:29 --> 00:20:29 you are being
00:20:29 --> 00:20:30 offended by the
00:20:30 --> 00:20:32 Bible because of
00:20:32 --> 00:20:33 an assumption
00:20:33 --> 00:20:34 that your cultural
00:20:34 --> 00:20:35 moment is in fact
00:20:35 --> 00:20:36 superior to all
00:20:36 --> 00:20:37 others.
00:20:38 --> 00:20:39 This is
00:20:39 --> 00:20:40 offence
00:20:40 --> 00:20:42 because I
00:20:42 --> 00:20:43 am superior.
00:20:45 --> 00:20:46 Often that
00:20:46 --> 00:20:47 assumption has
00:20:47 --> 00:20:48 never been tested
00:20:48 --> 00:20:49 and it's actually
00:20:49 --> 00:20:50 never been
00:20:50 --> 00:20:51 personally
00:20:51 --> 00:20:51 acknowledged.
00:20:52 --> 00:20:53 The reason we
00:20:53 --> 00:20:54 are offended by
00:20:54 --> 00:20:55 some biblical
00:20:55 --> 00:20:57 passages is
00:20:57 --> 00:20:58 because it is
00:20:58 --> 00:20:59 culturally offensive
00:20:59 --> 00:21:00 in my own
00:21:00 --> 00:21:01 cultural moment.
00:21:03 --> 00:21:04 But
00:21:04 --> 00:21:06 in other
00:21:06 --> 00:21:08 cultures in
00:21:08 --> 00:21:09 this moment
00:21:09 --> 00:21:10 and in other
00:21:10 --> 00:21:11 cultures from
00:21:11 --> 00:21:12 the past,
00:21:13 --> 00:21:14 they have no
00:21:14 --> 00:21:15 problem with
00:21:15 --> 00:21:16 the exact same
00:21:16 --> 00:21:17 text.
00:21:21 --> 00:21:22 On the other
00:21:22 --> 00:21:22 hand, the
00:21:22 --> 00:21:23 passage we think
00:21:23 --> 00:21:24 is fine today,
00:21:25 --> 00:21:26 we're happy
00:21:26 --> 00:21:26 with,
00:21:29 --> 00:21:30 they have a
00:21:30 --> 00:21:31 problem in
00:21:31 --> 00:21:31 their culture
00:21:31 --> 00:21:32 right now with
00:21:32 --> 00:21:33 those texts
00:21:33 --> 00:21:34 and in the
00:21:34 --> 00:21:34 past.
00:21:36 --> 00:21:36 You see, in
00:21:36 --> 00:21:37 our progressive
00:21:37 --> 00:21:39 individualistic
00:21:39 --> 00:21:40 Western society,
00:21:40 --> 00:21:40 what the Bible
00:21:40 --> 00:21:41 says about
00:21:41 --> 00:21:43 sex is like
00:21:43 --> 00:21:44 such a
00:21:44 --> 00:21:44 problem.
00:21:46 --> 00:21:46 But what it
00:21:46 --> 00:21:47 says about
00:21:47 --> 00:21:47 forgiveness,
00:21:48 --> 00:21:49 that's pretty
00:21:49 --> 00:21:49 good.
00:21:51 --> 00:21:51 Love each
00:21:51 --> 00:21:51 other.
00:21:54 --> 00:21:55 Go to the
00:21:55 --> 00:21:55 Middle East
00:21:55 --> 00:21:57 today and
00:21:57 --> 00:21:57 what the Bible
00:21:57 --> 00:21:58 says about
00:21:58 --> 00:21:59 sex is pretty
00:21:59 --> 00:22:00 good, probably
00:22:00 --> 00:22:01 not strict enough
00:22:01 --> 00:22:01 but pretty
00:22:01 --> 00:22:01 good.
00:22:02 --> 00:22:03 What it
00:22:03 --> 00:22:03 says about
00:22:03 --> 00:22:04 forgiveness,
00:22:04 --> 00:22:05 that's a
00:22:05 --> 00:22:05 problem.
00:22:07 --> 00:22:07 That's a
00:22:07 --> 00:22:08 problem in
00:22:08 --> 00:22:09 a shame and
00:22:09 --> 00:22:09 honour culture
00:22:09 --> 00:22:10 and particularly
00:22:10 --> 00:22:11 a shame
00:22:11 --> 00:22:11 culture.
00:22:12 --> 00:22:12 That's a
00:22:12 --> 00:22:13 problem.
00:22:14 --> 00:22:15 If we are
00:22:15 --> 00:22:16 offended by
00:22:16 --> 00:22:16 something in
00:22:16 --> 00:22:17 the Bible,
00:22:18 --> 00:22:19 I'd want to
00:22:19 --> 00:22:20 ask, why
00:22:20 --> 00:22:21 should your
00:22:21 --> 00:22:21 cultural
00:22:21 --> 00:22:22 sensibilities
00:22:22 --> 00:22:23 trump everyone
00:22:23 --> 00:22:24 else's?
00:22:24 --> 00:22:29 it's a
00:22:29 --> 00:22:29 little bit
00:22:29 --> 00:22:30 arrogant?
00:22:35 --> 00:22:36 Could even
00:22:36 --> 00:22:37 say it's a
00:22:37 --> 00:22:37 little bit
00:22:37 --> 00:22:37 racist.
00:22:40 --> 00:22:41 Why get
00:22:41 --> 00:22:42 rid of the
00:22:42 --> 00:22:43 Bible because
00:22:43 --> 00:22:45 it offends my
00:22:45 --> 00:22:46 culture at
00:22:46 --> 00:22:47 certain points?
00:22:47 --> 00:22:48 After all,
00:22:49 --> 00:22:50 for the
00:22:50 --> 00:22:50 liberal
00:22:50 --> 00:22:51 progressives
00:22:51 --> 00:22:52 amongst us,
00:22:52 --> 00:22:53 the young
00:22:53 --> 00:22:54 ones who
00:22:54 --> 00:22:55 sit over
00:22:55 --> 00:22:55 the authority
00:22:55 --> 00:22:56 of the
00:22:56 --> 00:22:56 Bible,
00:22:56 --> 00:22:56 the old
00:22:56 --> 00:22:57 ones who
00:22:57 --> 00:22:57 sit over
00:22:57 --> 00:22:58 the authority
00:22:58 --> 00:22:58 of the
00:22:58 --> 00:22:58 Bible in
00:22:58 --> 00:22:59 this moment,
00:23:00 --> 00:23:01 just a
00:23:01 --> 00:23:01 little bit
00:23:01 --> 00:23:01 of a tip.
00:23:02 --> 00:23:02 Your
00:23:02 --> 00:23:03 grandchildren
00:23:03 --> 00:23:03 and great
00:23:03 --> 00:23:04 grandchildren
00:23:04 --> 00:23:04 are going
00:23:04 --> 00:23:05 to find a
00:23:05 --> 00:23:05 lot of
00:23:05 --> 00:23:06 what you
00:23:06 --> 00:23:06 think today
00:23:06 --> 00:23:09 is very
00:23:09 --> 00:23:09 embarrassing.
00:23:11 --> 00:23:12 They're going
00:23:12 --> 00:23:12 to think
00:23:12 --> 00:23:13 exactly the
00:23:13 --> 00:23:13 same of
00:23:13 --> 00:23:13 you.
00:23:15 --> 00:23:15 Your
00:23:15 --> 00:23:16 cultural
00:23:16 --> 00:23:17 progressiveness
00:23:17 --> 00:23:17 is going
00:23:17 --> 00:23:18 to be seen
00:23:18 --> 00:23:19 as conservative
00:23:19 --> 00:23:20 and traditional.
00:23:20 --> 00:23:21 in about
00:23:21 --> 00:23:22 50 years.
00:23:23 --> 00:23:23 Of course,
00:23:24 --> 00:23:24 you don't
00:23:24 --> 00:23:24 know which
00:23:24 --> 00:23:25 bits,
00:23:25 --> 00:23:26 but it
00:23:26 --> 00:23:26 will be
00:23:26 --> 00:23:26 true.
00:23:29 --> 00:23:30 Don't
00:23:30 --> 00:23:30 miss out
00:23:30 --> 00:23:31 on all
00:23:31 --> 00:23:31 the Bible
00:23:31 --> 00:23:32 and the
00:23:32 --> 00:23:32 Christian
00:23:32 --> 00:23:33 faith has
00:23:33 --> 00:23:33 to offer
00:23:33 --> 00:23:34 just because
00:23:34 --> 00:23:34 you won't
00:23:34 --> 00:23:36 let go
00:23:36 --> 00:23:37 of some
00:23:37 --> 00:23:38 cultural
00:23:38 --> 00:23:39 truth
00:23:39 --> 00:23:41 that in
00:23:41 --> 00:23:42 50 years
00:23:42 --> 00:23:42 will be
00:23:42 --> 00:23:43 considered
00:23:43 --> 00:23:43 a joke.
00:23:47 --> 00:23:47 If the
00:23:47 --> 00:23:48 Bible really
00:23:48 --> 00:23:49 is God
00:23:49 --> 00:23:50 revealing
00:23:50 --> 00:23:50 himself to
00:23:50 --> 00:23:51 creation
00:23:51 --> 00:23:53 and it's
00:23:53 --> 00:23:53 not the
00:23:53 --> 00:23:54 product of
00:23:54 --> 00:23:55 any specific
00:23:55 --> 00:23:56 culture as
00:23:56 --> 00:23:57 I have said
00:23:57 --> 00:23:58 multiple times
00:23:58 --> 00:23:59 over the last
00:23:59 --> 00:23:59 five to ten
00:23:59 --> 00:23:59 years,
00:24:01 --> 00:24:02 wouldn't it
00:24:02 --> 00:24:02 therefore
00:24:02 --> 00:24:04 contradict
00:24:04 --> 00:24:06 every culture
00:24:06 --> 00:24:07 at some
00:24:07 --> 00:24:07 point
00:24:07 --> 00:24:10 and even
00:24:10 --> 00:24:11 have to
00:24:11 --> 00:24:11 offend
00:24:11 --> 00:24:12 every culture
00:24:12 --> 00:24:13 at some
00:24:13 --> 00:24:13 point?
00:24:13 --> 00:24:18 So if
00:24:18 --> 00:24:18 you read
00:24:18 --> 00:24:19 it and
00:24:19 --> 00:24:20 find some
00:24:20 --> 00:24:20 things
00:24:20 --> 00:24:20 beautiful
00:24:20 --> 00:24:21 and other
00:24:21 --> 00:24:21 things
00:24:21 --> 00:24:22 offensive,
00:24:23 --> 00:24:25 then it's
00:24:25 --> 00:24:25 probably
00:24:25 --> 00:24:26 true
00:24:26 --> 00:24:27 and from
00:24:27 --> 00:24:28 God.
00:24:30 --> 00:24:31 Lastly,
00:24:31 --> 00:24:31 it's
00:24:31 --> 00:24:32 personally
00:24:32 --> 00:24:32 reliable.
00:24:35 --> 00:24:35 A
00:24:35 --> 00:24:36 completely
00:24:36 --> 00:24:36 authoritative
00:24:36 --> 00:24:37 Bible is
00:24:37 --> 00:24:38 the prerequisite
00:24:38 --> 00:24:39 for a
00:24:39 --> 00:24:40 warm
00:24:40 --> 00:24:41 personal
00:24:41 --> 00:24:42 relationship
00:24:42 --> 00:24:42 with God.
00:24:43 --> 00:24:43 It is
00:24:43 --> 00:24:43 not the
00:24:43 --> 00:24:44 enemy
00:24:44 --> 00:24:44 of a
00:24:44 --> 00:24:44 warm
00:24:44 --> 00:24:45 personal
00:24:45 --> 00:24:46 relationship
00:24:46 --> 00:24:46 with God.
00:24:47 --> 00:24:47 As I
00:24:47 --> 00:24:48 said last
00:24:48 --> 00:24:48 week,
00:24:48 --> 00:24:48 in fact,
00:24:48 --> 00:24:49 you cannot
00:24:49 --> 00:24:49 have a
00:24:49 --> 00:24:50 relationship
00:24:50 --> 00:24:50 with God
00:24:50 --> 00:24:51 without
00:24:51 --> 00:24:51 his
00:24:51 --> 00:24:51 word.
00:24:55 --> 00:24:55 It's
00:24:55 --> 00:24:56 like for
00:24:56 --> 00:24:57 you who
00:24:57 --> 00:24:57 are Christian
00:24:57 --> 00:24:58 and you
00:24:58 --> 00:24:58 are not
00:24:58 --> 00:24:59 regularly in
00:24:59 --> 00:25:00 your word,
00:25:00 --> 00:25:01 it's like a
00:25:01 --> 00:25:01 wedding day
00:25:01 --> 00:25:02 where you
00:25:02 --> 00:25:03 make promises
00:25:03 --> 00:25:04 and don't
00:25:04 --> 00:25:04 communicate
00:25:04 --> 00:25:05 with your
00:25:05 --> 00:25:05 spouse from
00:25:05 --> 00:25:05 then on
00:25:05 --> 00:25:06 in.
00:25:06 --> 00:25:11 have a
00:25:11 --> 00:25:11 look at
00:25:11 --> 00:25:12 Luke 24
00:25:12 --> 00:25:13 32
00:25:13 --> 00:25:14 where the
00:25:14 --> 00:25:15 disciples
00:25:15 --> 00:25:15 reflect back
00:25:15 --> 00:25:16 on their
00:25:16 --> 00:25:17 journey along
00:25:17 --> 00:25:17 the road to
00:25:17 --> 00:25:18 Emmaus.
00:25:18 --> 00:25:19 Were not
00:25:19 --> 00:25:20 our hearts
00:25:20 --> 00:25:21 burning within
00:25:21 --> 00:25:22 us while
00:25:22 --> 00:25:23 he talked
00:25:23 --> 00:25:24 with us on
00:25:24 --> 00:25:25 the road and
00:25:25 --> 00:25:26 opened the
00:25:26 --> 00:25:26 scriptures to
00:25:26 --> 00:25:27 us?
00:25:28 --> 00:25:29 In the
00:25:29 --> 00:25:30 Bible,
00:25:31 --> 00:25:32 the heart
00:25:32 --> 00:25:32 is the
00:25:32 --> 00:25:33 centre of
00:25:33 --> 00:25:34 the whole
00:25:34 --> 00:25:34 person.
00:25:34 --> 00:25:35 It's not
00:25:35 --> 00:25:36 just the
00:25:36 --> 00:25:37 seat of
00:25:37 --> 00:25:37 the emotions.
00:25:38 --> 00:25:39 Hearts
00:25:39 --> 00:25:40 burning here
00:25:40 --> 00:25:40 in Luke
00:25:40 --> 00:25:42 24 means
00:25:42 --> 00:25:43 a full
00:25:43 --> 00:25:44 life-changing
00:25:44 --> 00:25:45 personal
00:25:45 --> 00:25:46 encounter with
00:25:46 --> 00:25:47 God.
00:25:49 --> 00:25:50 And they
00:25:50 --> 00:25:50 experienced
00:25:50 --> 00:25:51 something here
00:25:51 --> 00:25:52 in this
00:25:52 --> 00:25:52 moment that
00:25:52 --> 00:25:52 they have
00:25:52 --> 00:25:52 never
00:25:52 --> 00:25:53 experienced
00:25:53 --> 00:25:54 before.
00:25:54 --> 00:25:55 And when
00:25:55 --> 00:25:56 did they
00:25:56 --> 00:25:56 experience
00:25:56 --> 00:25:57 it?
00:25:59 --> 00:26:00 When he
00:26:00 --> 00:26:01 opened the
00:26:01 --> 00:26:02 scriptures to
00:26:02 --> 00:26:02 us.
00:26:02 --> 00:26:04 when the
00:26:04 --> 00:26:05 Bible,
00:26:05 --> 00:26:05 its meaning
00:26:05 --> 00:26:06 was properly
00:26:06 --> 00:26:07 open to
00:26:07 --> 00:26:07 them,
00:26:08 --> 00:26:08 when they
00:26:08 --> 00:26:09 understood
00:26:09 --> 00:26:09 what it
00:26:09 --> 00:26:10 meant,
00:26:11 --> 00:26:12 that is
00:26:12 --> 00:26:12 the way
00:26:12 --> 00:26:14 into this
00:26:14 --> 00:26:14 deep
00:26:14 --> 00:26:15 relationship.
00:26:16 --> 00:26:16 And notice
00:26:16 --> 00:26:16 how it
00:26:16 --> 00:26:17 happens.
00:26:17 --> 00:26:17 Verses
00:26:17 --> 00:26:18 20-21,
00:26:18 --> 00:26:18 they say
00:26:18 --> 00:26:19 Jesus died,
00:26:20 --> 00:26:21 but we had
00:26:21 --> 00:26:22 hoped that
00:26:22 --> 00:26:22 he would be
00:26:22 --> 00:26:23 the one who
00:26:23 --> 00:26:24 would save
00:26:24 --> 00:26:24 us.
00:26:26 --> 00:26:26 And Jesus
00:26:26 --> 00:26:27 calls them
00:26:27 --> 00:26:27 out for
00:26:27 --> 00:26:28 being foolish
00:26:28 --> 00:26:30 and slow
00:26:30 --> 00:26:30 to believe
00:26:30 --> 00:26:31 the Bible.
00:26:31 --> 00:26:32 way to
00:26:32 --> 00:26:33 win friends
00:26:33 --> 00:26:33 and influence
00:26:33 --> 00:26:34 people.
00:26:35 --> 00:26:35 Why did
00:26:35 --> 00:26:35 they
00:26:35 --> 00:26:36 misunderstand?
00:26:36 --> 00:26:37 Verse 27,
00:26:38 --> 00:26:39 beginning with
00:26:39 --> 00:26:41 Moses and
00:26:41 --> 00:26:41 all the
00:26:41 --> 00:26:42 prophets,
00:26:42 --> 00:26:42 in other
00:26:42 --> 00:26:42 words,
00:26:43 --> 00:26:44 Old
00:26:44 --> 00:26:45 Testament,
00:26:46 --> 00:26:47 he explained
00:26:47 --> 00:26:47 to them
00:26:47 --> 00:26:48 what was
00:26:48 --> 00:26:49 said in
00:26:49 --> 00:26:49 all the
00:26:49 --> 00:26:50 scriptures
00:26:50 --> 00:26:51 concerning
00:26:51 --> 00:26:52 himself.
00:26:53 --> 00:26:53 He is
00:26:53 --> 00:26:54 saying that
00:26:54 --> 00:26:55 every single
00:26:55 --> 00:26:55 thing in the
00:26:55 --> 00:26:56 Bible is
00:26:56 --> 00:26:57 about him.
00:26:59 --> 00:27:00 Too many
00:27:00 --> 00:27:01 people have
00:27:01 --> 00:27:01 walked away
00:27:01 --> 00:27:02 from the
00:27:02 --> 00:27:02 Christian
00:27:02 --> 00:27:04 faith and
00:27:04 --> 00:27:04 the Bible
00:27:04 --> 00:27:05 because they
00:27:05 --> 00:27:06 have misunderstood
00:27:06 --> 00:27:07 that central
00:27:07 --> 00:27:08 point in
00:27:08 --> 00:27:09 verse 27.
00:27:10 --> 00:27:11 It's all
00:27:11 --> 00:27:12 about Jesus.
00:27:13 --> 00:27:14 If we think
00:27:14 --> 00:27:15 the Bible is
00:27:15 --> 00:27:16 somehow about
00:27:16 --> 00:27:18 us and
00:27:18 --> 00:27:19 what we
00:27:19 --> 00:27:20 must do
00:27:20 --> 00:27:21 and how
00:27:21 --> 00:27:21 we must
00:27:21 --> 00:27:22 live,
00:27:24 --> 00:27:25 then we
00:27:25 --> 00:27:26 don't need
00:27:26 --> 00:27:26 it as a
00:27:26 --> 00:27:27 saviour who
00:27:27 --> 00:27:27 will die
00:27:27 --> 00:27:27 for us.
00:27:27 --> 00:27:30 all we
00:27:30 --> 00:27:31 need is
00:27:31 --> 00:27:32 simple rules
00:27:32 --> 00:27:32 and a
00:27:32 --> 00:27:32 code of
00:27:32 --> 00:27:33 conduct
00:27:33 --> 00:27:35 and therefore
00:27:35 --> 00:27:36 in the
00:27:36 --> 00:27:36 modern times
00:27:36 --> 00:27:37 it is
00:27:37 --> 00:27:38 regressive.
00:27:40 --> 00:27:40 There are
00:27:40 --> 00:27:41 only two
00:27:41 --> 00:27:41 ways to
00:27:41 --> 00:27:41 read the
00:27:41 --> 00:27:42 Bible.
00:27:43 --> 00:27:44 Read it
00:27:44 --> 00:27:45 as if it
00:27:45 --> 00:27:45 was all
00:27:45 --> 00:27:46 about us
00:27:46 --> 00:27:46 and what
00:27:46 --> 00:27:46 we must
00:27:46 --> 00:27:48 do or
00:27:48 --> 00:27:48 we can
00:27:48 --> 00:27:49 read every
00:27:49 --> 00:27:50 part of
00:27:50 --> 00:27:51 it as
00:27:51 --> 00:27:51 if it
00:27:51 --> 00:27:52 is about
00:27:52 --> 00:27:52 him.
00:27:53 --> 00:27:53 It is
00:27:53 --> 00:27:54 about
00:27:54 --> 00:27:54 Jesus
00:27:54 --> 00:27:56 and what
00:27:56 --> 00:27:56 he has
00:27:56 --> 00:27:56 done.
00:27:57 --> 00:27:58 And if
00:27:58 --> 00:27:58 you're in
00:27:58 --> 00:27:59 a community
00:27:59 --> 00:27:59 group right
00:27:59 --> 00:28:00 now,
00:28:00 --> 00:28:01 you're
00:28:01 --> 00:28:02 working
00:28:02 --> 00:28:02 through that
00:28:02 --> 00:28:03 process of
00:28:03 --> 00:28:04 understanding
00:28:04 --> 00:28:04 how the
00:28:04 --> 00:28:05 whole Bible
00:28:05 --> 00:28:07 is connected
00:28:07 --> 00:28:08 to Jesus.
00:28:08 --> 00:28:09 If you're
00:28:09 --> 00:28:09 not in a
00:28:09 --> 00:28:10 community
00:28:10 --> 00:28:10 group,
00:28:11 --> 00:28:11 jump into
00:28:11 --> 00:28:12 that space
00:28:12 --> 00:28:13 and have
00:28:13 --> 00:28:13 your eyes
00:28:13 --> 00:28:14 opened.
00:28:15 --> 00:28:16 The whole
00:28:16 --> 00:28:17 Bible points
00:28:17 --> 00:28:17 to Jesus
00:28:17 --> 00:28:18 and explains
00:28:18 --> 00:28:19 Jesus and
00:28:19 --> 00:28:20 everything is
00:28:20 --> 00:28:21 achieved for
00:28:21 --> 00:28:21 us in
00:28:21 --> 00:28:22 dying in
00:28:22 --> 00:28:22 our place
00:28:22 --> 00:28:23 for our
00:28:23 --> 00:28:24 sin.
00:28:24 --> 00:28:24 The
00:28:24 --> 00:28:25 exodus from
00:28:25 --> 00:28:27 slavery in
00:28:27 --> 00:28:27 Egypt,
00:28:27 --> 00:28:28 where Jesus
00:28:28 --> 00:28:29 started with
00:28:29 --> 00:28:30 these guys
00:28:30 --> 00:28:30 on the road
00:28:30 --> 00:28:31 to Emmaus,
00:28:31 --> 00:28:32 the sacrificial
00:28:32 --> 00:28:32 lamb and
00:28:32 --> 00:28:33 the passing
00:28:33 --> 00:28:34 over of
00:28:34 --> 00:28:34 God's
00:28:34 --> 00:28:35 judgment is
00:28:35 --> 00:28:36 all about
00:28:36 --> 00:28:36 Jesus.
00:28:37 --> 00:28:38 When the
00:28:38 --> 00:28:38 Bible is
00:28:38 --> 00:28:39 all about
00:28:39 --> 00:28:40 Jesus and
00:28:40 --> 00:28:40 what he's
00:28:40 --> 00:28:41 achieved for
00:28:41 --> 00:28:42 us out of
00:28:42 --> 00:28:42 his love
00:28:42 --> 00:28:43 for us,
00:28:43 --> 00:28:44 that's when
00:28:44 --> 00:28:45 the Bible
00:28:45 --> 00:28:45 gets personal.
00:28:47 --> 00:28:48 That's when
00:28:48 --> 00:28:49 it becomes
00:28:49 --> 00:28:49 an encounter
00:28:49 --> 00:28:50 with him,
00:28:51 --> 00:28:51 a deep
00:28:51 --> 00:28:52 relationship
00:28:52 --> 00:28:52 with him.
00:28:52 --> 00:28:54 And so
00:28:54 --> 00:28:55 my conviction
00:28:55 --> 00:28:56 from both
00:28:56 --> 00:28:57 experience and
00:28:57 --> 00:28:58 the teaching
00:28:58 --> 00:28:58 of the
00:28:58 --> 00:28:59 Bible itself
00:28:59 --> 00:29:00 is that the
00:29:00 --> 00:29:01 most effective
00:29:01 --> 00:29:03 means for
00:29:03 --> 00:29:04 bolstering
00:29:04 --> 00:29:06 confidence in
00:29:06 --> 00:29:08 the Bible is
00:29:08 --> 00:29:09 not so much
00:29:09 --> 00:29:11 what I'm doing
00:29:11 --> 00:29:12 right now and
00:29:12 --> 00:29:13 did last week,
00:29:14 --> 00:29:15 building arguments
00:29:15 --> 00:29:16 about the
00:29:16 --> 00:29:17 authority and
00:29:17 --> 00:29:18 the truthfulness
00:29:18 --> 00:29:19 of the Bible,
00:29:19 --> 00:29:21 but in fact
00:29:21 --> 00:29:21 to spend time
00:29:21 --> 00:29:22 in the Bible,
00:29:23 --> 00:29:24 reading the
00:29:24 --> 00:29:24 Bible with
00:29:24 --> 00:29:25 Jesus at
00:29:25 --> 00:29:26 the centre.
00:29:27 --> 00:29:27 Put it like
00:29:27 --> 00:29:28 this,
00:29:29 --> 00:29:30 I could tell
00:29:30 --> 00:29:31 you right
00:29:31 --> 00:29:33 now that
00:29:33 --> 00:29:34 honey is a
00:29:34 --> 00:29:35 substance made
00:29:35 --> 00:29:36 from several
00:29:36 --> 00:29:37 bee species.
00:29:38 --> 00:29:39 Bees produce
00:29:39 --> 00:29:40 honey by
00:29:40 --> 00:29:42 gathering and
00:29:42 --> 00:29:43 then refining
00:29:43 --> 00:29:45 the sugary
00:29:45 --> 00:29:46 secretments of
00:29:46 --> 00:29:47 plants or
00:29:47 --> 00:29:48 secretments of
00:29:48 --> 00:29:49 other insects.
00:29:49 --> 00:29:51 this refinement
00:29:51 --> 00:29:52 takes place
00:29:52 --> 00:29:52 within the
00:29:52 --> 00:29:53 individual bees
00:29:53 --> 00:29:55 through regurgitation
00:29:55 --> 00:29:57 and enzymic
00:29:57 --> 00:29:58 activity.
00:29:59 --> 00:30:00 And honey
00:30:00 --> 00:30:01 is sweet
00:30:01 --> 00:30:04 because of
00:30:04 --> 00:30:04 its high
00:30:04 --> 00:30:05 concentrations
00:30:05 --> 00:30:06 of simple
00:30:06 --> 00:30:07 sugars like
00:30:07 --> 00:30:08 fructose and
00:30:08 --> 00:30:08 glucose.
00:30:09 --> 00:30:10 In fact,
00:30:10 --> 00:30:10 it has the
00:30:10 --> 00:30:11 same relative
00:30:11 --> 00:30:12 sweetness as
00:30:12 --> 00:30:13 white sugar.
00:30:14 --> 00:30:14 One standard
00:30:14 --> 00:30:15 teaspoon of
00:30:15 --> 00:30:17 honey provides
00:30:17 --> 00:30:19 over 190
00:30:19 --> 00:30:20 kilojoules of
00:30:20 --> 00:30:21 food energy.
00:30:22 --> 00:30:23 It is a
00:30:23 --> 00:30:24 remarkable,
00:30:24 --> 00:30:25 remarkable
00:30:25 --> 00:30:28 sweet bit
00:30:28 --> 00:30:28 of food.
00:30:29 --> 00:30:30 And I
00:30:30 --> 00:30:30 could tell you
00:30:30 --> 00:30:31 that.
00:30:32 --> 00:30:32 It's all
00:30:32 --> 00:30:33 true,
00:30:34 --> 00:30:35 but the best
00:30:35 --> 00:30:35 thing I could
00:30:35 --> 00:30:36 do for you is
00:30:36 --> 00:30:37 not tell you
00:30:37 --> 00:30:37 about the
00:30:37 --> 00:30:38 sweetness of
00:30:38 --> 00:30:38 honey,
00:30:38 --> 00:30:38 honey,
00:30:39 --> 00:30:41 but to
00:30:41 --> 00:30:42 get some
00:30:42 --> 00:30:43 and to
00:30:43 --> 00:30:44 put it
00:30:44 --> 00:30:44 on a
00:30:44 --> 00:30:45 spoon
00:30:45 --> 00:30:49 and taste
00:30:49 --> 00:30:49 it.
00:30:49 --> 00:30:53 And of
00:30:53 --> 00:30:53 course,
00:30:54 --> 00:30:55 then do
00:30:55 --> 00:30:56 something with
00:30:56 --> 00:30:56 your insulin
00:30:56 --> 00:30:57 pump.
00:31:02 --> 00:31:03 I'll do
00:31:03 --> 00:31:03 that in a
00:31:03 --> 00:31:03 moment.
00:31:05 --> 00:31:05 Make some
00:31:05 --> 00:31:06 adjustments for
00:31:06 --> 00:31:06 that.
00:31:09 --> 00:31:10 In other
00:31:10 --> 00:31:10 words,
00:31:11 --> 00:31:12 if you
00:31:12 --> 00:31:13 don't get
00:31:13 --> 00:31:13 it then,
00:31:14 --> 00:31:14 I could sit
00:31:14 --> 00:31:14 here and do
00:31:14 --> 00:31:15 a lecture
00:31:15 --> 00:31:16 about the
00:31:16 --> 00:31:17 sweetness of
00:31:17 --> 00:31:17 honey,
00:31:18 --> 00:31:18 and you
00:31:18 --> 00:31:18 can walk
00:31:18 --> 00:31:19 away with a
00:31:19 --> 00:31:19 bunch of
00:31:19 --> 00:31:19 facts.
00:31:21 --> 00:31:21 Reliable
00:31:21 --> 00:31:22 facts.
00:31:24 --> 00:31:24 But what
00:31:24 --> 00:31:25 you need to
00:31:25 --> 00:31:25 do to
00:31:25 --> 00:31:26 really get
00:31:26 --> 00:31:27 the facts,
00:31:27 --> 00:31:28 you need to
00:31:28 --> 00:31:29 stick it on
00:31:29 --> 00:31:30 a spoon,
00:31:30 --> 00:31:30 you need to
00:31:30 --> 00:31:31 taste it.
00:31:32 --> 00:31:33 Taste that
00:31:33 --> 00:31:33 it is,
00:31:33 --> 00:31:34 in fact,
00:31:34 --> 00:31:35 good.
00:31:36 --> 00:31:37 And if at
00:31:37 --> 00:31:37 that point,
00:31:38 --> 00:31:39 that is,
00:31:39 --> 00:31:40 you don't get
00:31:40 --> 00:31:40 it until you
00:31:40 --> 00:31:41 taste it,
00:31:41 --> 00:31:41 and if you
00:31:41 --> 00:31:42 don't get it
00:31:42 --> 00:31:43 once you've
00:31:43 --> 00:31:43 tasted it,
00:31:45 --> 00:31:46 there's
00:31:46 --> 00:31:46 nothing more
00:31:46 --> 00:31:46 I can do
00:31:46 --> 00:31:47 for you.
00:31:49 --> 00:31:50 there's
00:31:50 --> 00:31:50 nothing more
00:31:50 --> 00:31:50 I can do
00:31:50 --> 00:31:51 for you.
00:31:52 --> 00:31:52 And so,
00:31:52 --> 00:31:53 as King
00:31:53 --> 00:31:54 David invited
00:31:54 --> 00:31:55 others to
00:31:55 --> 00:31:55 join him
00:31:55 --> 00:31:56 in Psalm
00:31:56 --> 00:31:56 34,
00:31:56 --> 00:31:57 verse 8,
00:31:57 --> 00:31:57 so I
00:31:57 --> 00:31:58 invite you
00:31:58 --> 00:31:58 to taste
00:31:58 --> 00:31:59 and see
00:31:59 --> 00:31:59 that the
00:31:59 --> 00:32:00 Lord is
00:32:00 --> 00:32:00 good.
00:32:02 --> 00:32:03 God
00:32:03 --> 00:32:03 promises to
00:32:03 --> 00:32:04 bless the
00:32:04 --> 00:32:05 reading and
00:32:05 --> 00:32:05 teaching of
00:32:05 --> 00:32:06 his word.
00:32:07 --> 00:32:08 The word
00:32:08 --> 00:32:09 of God
00:32:09 --> 00:32:10 itself is
00:32:10 --> 00:32:10 more than
00:32:10 --> 00:32:11 enough to
00:32:11 --> 00:32:11 accomplish the
00:32:11 --> 00:32:12 work of
00:32:12 --> 00:32:13 God in
00:32:13 --> 00:32:13 the people
00:32:13 --> 00:32:14 of God.
00:32:14 --> 00:32:14 God
00:32:14 --> 00:32:15 and there
00:32:15 --> 00:32:16 is no
00:32:16 --> 00:32:16 better way
00:32:16 --> 00:32:17 to understand
00:32:17 --> 00:32:18 and come
00:32:18 --> 00:32:19 to embrace
00:32:19 --> 00:32:20 the truth
00:32:20 --> 00:32:20 and the
00:32:20 --> 00:32:21 authority
00:32:21 --> 00:32:22 and the
00:32:22 --> 00:32:22 goodness
00:32:22 --> 00:32:22 and the
00:32:22 --> 00:32:23 rightness
00:32:23 --> 00:32:23 of scripture
00:32:23 --> 00:32:24 than in
00:32:24 --> 00:32:25 fact to
00:32:25 --> 00:32:26 open it
00:32:26 --> 00:32:26 up
00:32:26 --> 00:32:28 and let
00:32:28 --> 00:32:28 it out
00:32:28 --> 00:32:28 in your
00:32:28 --> 00:32:29 life.
00:32:34 --> 00:32:34 And as
00:32:34 --> 00:32:35 you do,
00:32:36 --> 00:32:38 as you
00:32:38 --> 00:32:38 do,
00:32:39 --> 00:32:39 pray,
00:32:39 --> 00:32:41 Lord,
00:32:42 --> 00:32:42 help me
00:32:42 --> 00:32:43 to taste
00:32:43 --> 00:32:43 and see
00:32:43 --> 00:32:44 that you
00:32:44 --> 00:32:44 are good.
00:32:44 --> 00:32:44 Amen.