The Evidence of Truth - Peter Tanchi

greetings in the wonderful name of our lord and savior jesus christ what a joy it is for us to worship the lord together and i praise god that in spite of the typhoon ulysses many of us have been protected and kept safe today i'd like to share with you as a bonus from last sunday's message what should we teach our disciples what should we teach our children about the bible more importantly why should we believe the bible you see the truth is all of us are theologians we all believe in something the only question is this are you believing the right thing my prayer is that today's message will help you and inspire you to know more about the bible to appreciate more about the bible and the bible to place your confidence in the word of god the bible and to apply the bible in your life to experience god's amazing promises [Music] why is the bible important the bible reveals to us who god is are you aware that god has revealed to us in the following ways number one true creation when you see the world of nature when you see the moon the stars the plants the flowers you realize god's amazing power you realize there must be a creator but there's a limitation to our understanding of who god is so god has revealed to us through his word the bible because it is from the bible that you and i understand that god loves us it's from the bible that you understand god's amazing plan for us it is from the bible that you understand what is god's will what is right and what is wrong in the bible it is from the bible that you learn about the promises of god and god has also revealed to us not just through his word but through the living word jesus christ when christ came he told his disciples if you have seen me you have seen the father today i want us to understand the importance of the bible god's word because it is the bible that we will know more and more about who god is what he wants for us the bible is god's love letter for you and for me truth matters and the bible is about the truth it's about who god is truth affects our lives all you need to do is to imagine yourself going to a hospital and negotiate doctor you begin now to understand you want a doctor to tell you the truth if you have cancer you want a doctor to tell you you have cancer you don't want the doctor to misdiagnose what's wrong with you and that's exactly what happened to my friend last year i have a good friend who was diagnosed with kidney stone gallbladder stone regarding the pain in the stomach but that was not the problem the problem was cancer very sad my friend passed away because by the time they realized what is the real problem it was too late truth matters it affects us you can be sincere and sincerely wrong the bible is so important that jesus tells us matthew chapter 4 verse 4 he answered and said it is written man shall not live by bread alone but on every word that comes out of the mouth of god do you notice how important the word of god is is compared to food but jesus tells us man shall not live by bread alone no but by every word notice but by every word that that comes out of the mouth of god the bible is so important you need it for your spiritual life for your well-being the bible tells us your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path you and i take light for granted but imagine complete darkness how will you walk that's why the bible is crucial it is compared to your word is a lamp to my feet and a guide to my path god's word will guide us how to navigate through life in psalm 19 the bible tells us the preciousness of his word my prayers you and i will really appreciate the word of god notice what it says god's word is more precious they are more desirable than gold yes than much pure gold many people long for money they long for gold what can be more important than gold in those days the bible is saying god's word sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb you see god's word is good for you not only is it precious it will sustain us and it's good for us moreover your servant is warned in other words god's word gives us a warning it tells you what to do what not to do it tells you there are consequences we need warnings and more than that in keeping them there is great reward god's word is crucial the bible says there is great reward and you know what i personally experience the importance of god's word hebrews chapter 4 verse 1 the word of god is leaving an active sharper than any two-edged sword even penetrating as far as the division of the soul and spirit of both joints and moral and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart the bible is powerful it can speak to our heart it can transform us my prayer is that you will have a proper high view of god's word the bible second timothy chapter 3 verses 16 and 17. notice how the bible describes itself all scripture is inspired by god all scripture is inspired what is the meaning of the word inspired it is from the word god brief god is involved how did the apostle paul describe the bible to show you how important it is this is what he tells us all scriptures is inspired by god notice the word all all scripture is inspired the word inspired comes from the word breath god is involved it is god brief god is involved in the writings profitable for teaching for the proof for correction for training in righteousness the bible is saying god's word is profitable it is useful for teaching you see it tells us what's right and wrong for reproof it will correct us for correction for training in righteousness today there's a big confusion of what's right and what's wrong who is to determine what is right and what is wrong many people are confused they like to believe there's no absolute morality and that is why people are confused today you know what they say what's true for you is true for you but not for me what is right for you may not be right for me there's a confusion of what's right and wrong you know why there are no standards but god tells us this is very important it is god who made us and it is god who tells us what's right and wrong and that's why you know it is wrong to kill because god says thou shalt not kill it is wrong to steal because god says thou shalt not steal it's wrong to commit adultery because god says thou shalt not commit adultery it is wrong to tell a lie because god says you are not to lie the bible tells us so that the man of god may be adequate equipped for every good work it is so crucial that we pass on this proper high view of the bible god's word and we allow our disciples including our own lives to submit to god's authority god's word now you see why satan wants to cast doubt to attack the bible so that we will not place our confidence in god's word today i want to share with you the importance of understanding why we believe what we believe the uniqueness of the bible what makes the bible so unique written over 1600 years more or less by 40 different authors from different spheres of life from kings peasants soldiers philosophers fishermen and above all there is one common theme the redemption of humanity how god loves us from genesis to revelation you'll see the heart of god over 25 percent is about prophecy where can you find a book like the bible and where can you find a book that has no geographical error no factual error miraculously preserved unless it was written inspired by god this is what ii peter chapter 1 verse 20 21 says but know this first of all that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will but man moved by the holy spirit spoke from god in other words man inspired by the holy spirit god was involved in the writings of the bible my question to you is this what do you really believe what do you believe about the bible and second if somebody asks you why do you believe the bible what will you tell them think about it what do you believe about the bible and if you believe the bible why do you believe the bible why is this important what the bible tells us in first peter chapter 3 verse 15 but sanctify christ as lord in your hearts always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you yet with gentleness and reverence this verse tells us be ready always being ready to make a defense the word to make a defense is from the word apologia that's where you have the word apologetics be prepared to explain to the people why you believe what you believe but notice the warning gentleness and reverence as i share these principles with you my prayer is you will understand god's heart god wants us not only to believe in god in his word that he loves us but he wants us to be able to share with our loved ones but notice first sanctify christ as lord in your heart you must put christ first and then you'll be able to explain the gospel clearly you have to live out god's word why do i believe the bible can i share with you 10 principles what are these ten principles you can have more but for me number one science number two bibliographical tests number three internal tests number four external tests number five archaeology number six prophecy number seven look at the nation of israel number eight look at the prophecy about jesus christ and his life number nine look at how lives are transformed the power of god's word and number ten my own personal story let's begin with number one science what do we mean many people think that science and faith cannot go together there's this myth that science and christianity do not mix that science contradicts the bible nothing can be farther from the truth the reality is this science and the bible go together in fact science supports the bible in job chapter 26 verse 7 job said the world the earth is hanging on empty space isaiah chapter 40 verse 22 the bible says god sits above the circle of the earth the word circle is from the hebrew word sphere the bible is amazing inspired by god many people think faith in god fate in the bible is only for the uneducated and the ignorant it is not true there are many committed followers of jesus who believe in the bible and they are scientists not just ordinary scientists famous scientists nobel prize winners do you realize for the last 100 years up to up to the year 2000 more or less there are over 65 percent nobel prize winners who are christians let me give you example dr william daniel phillips an american physicist who won the nobel prize in physics for his work on laser now this is what he said i believe that the observations about the orderliness of the physical universe and the apparent exceptional fine tuning of the conditions of the universe for the development of life suggests an intelligent creator who is responsible i believe in god because of a personal faith a faith that is consistent with what i know about science another famous nobel prize winner by the name of joseph taylor jr an american astrophysicist who won the nobel prize in physics also his discovery opened up new possibilities for the study of gravitation this is what he said there is no conflict between science and religion our knowledge of god is made larger with every discovery we make about the world in other words science and the bible do not contradict it's amazing how the bible is so advanced when it comes to hygiene and health in leviticus 13 46 he talks about quarantine he shall remain unclean all the days during which he has infection he shall live alone he shall live outside the camp amazing and even astronomy the bible talks about you cannot count the number of stars for many years people thought you can count the number of stars now with the latest discovery of the telescope they've discovered there are billions and billions of stars in its galaxy and there are billions and billions of galaxies in our known universe in other words the bible is amazingly advanced in many ways bibliographical tests what do we mean by bibliographical tests bibliographical test means was it copied and transmitted accurately what is the time difference between the original copy and the earliest copy now remember we don't have the original copy today we have copy of the copy of the copy of the original so what is the time gap and how many manuscripts are available when you say bibliographical tests what does it mean the bible has even higher tests not only bibliographical tests i call it the test of canonicity the standards impose by itself for example the authoritative test who wrote the new testament are they apostles are they eyewitness account are they consistent are there any factual errors what about the date of writings is it near enough when the event happened and are they recognized and received by the early church fathers that is the meaning of canonicity of scriptures now you begin to understand why this books that became famous by the movie the vinci code is not included in our scriptures the gospel of thomas the gospel of judas the gospel of mary magdalene and others why look at the date they were written it does not qualify because they were written 100 years later in contrast if you look at the bible written by paul james john peter they were contemporaries of jesus so it matters who wrote the bible let me give example of how ridiculous those gospels that became famous through the writings of the vinci code for example the gospel of thomas it says simon peter said to them let mary leave us for women are not worthy of life jesus said i myself shall lead her in order to make her male so that she too may become a living spirit resembling you males for every woman who will make herself male will enter into the kingdom of heaven this is ridiculous it contradicts the very clear teachings of the disciples of jesus and the teachings of jesus that's why it is important that you understand how we have our bible and can i share with you why you can have confidence in the bible look look at the difference between other ancient manuscripts and the bible famous manuscript history by pliny written around 61 a.d first copy 850 a.d what is the time span 750 years number of manuscripts available seven you have anas written by tacitus from the first copy to the earliest copy we have 900 years republic by plato metaphysics aristotle garlic war caesar history by herodotus notice the time gap almost a thousand years but look at the new testament the new testament was written in around 48 i would say even less than 80 80. if you ask me it was written before the temple was destroyed however for the sake of computation the first earliest copy we have is 130 a.d what is the time gap 80 years and how many ancient manuscripts do we have floating 24 000 in other words you have so many copies and when you compare all of these copies they are not radically different they say the same thing doctrinally there's no difference that's why you can place your faith and confidence in the bible what do we mean by internal tests it means whether or not the document as a written record is credible by analyzing the ability of the writer or the witness to tell the truth that's called internal tests for example this is amazing if you look at the bible look at how it says about the author itself david second somewhere says the spirit of the lord spoke through me jeremiah the word of the lord came to me paul for you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the lord jesus christ the book of revelation john the revelation from jesus christ to his servant john notice how these authors talk about it's a direct revelation of god peter himself said in second peter chapter 1 verse 16 we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our lord jesus christ we were eye witnesses peter is saying these are not legends we were eyewitnesses look at first john chapter one what was from the beginning what we have heard what we have seen with our eyes what we have looked at and what we have touched the word of life and then the next verse says i make known to you in other words the internal test is so important in acts chapter 2 verse 32 this jesus god raise up again which we are all witnesses firsthand witnesses no wonder i believe in the bible look at what happened to the authors look at what's happened to the disciples what happened to them they were all martyred they all died for their witnesses for their faith james beheaded nathaniel bartholomew crucified matthew killed by sword in ethiopia andrew crucified on an x-shaped cross in greece thomas truster with spear in india philip crucified in turkey peter crucified upside down jude crucified james beaton stone simon the seal crucified paul beheaded why will these people die for something if they know it is not true you see men are willing to die if they sincerely believe it is true if you deceive somebody and they sincerely believe it is true they may die for it but nobody will ever die for something knowing it is not true this man wrote the bible they tell us jesus died and rose again now let me ask you did they lie did they make up the story if they did why would they suffer and die for what they wrote think about it external tests what does it mean are the individuals places events mentioned are they confirmed by history or archaeology are there other bases of confirming what was written that is the meaning of external tests what i'm happy to tell you there are external sources there are writings not written by christians but by unbelievers that confirms the reality of jesus the reality of christians what are these external sources for example one of the most famous was josephus josephus was a historian he was a jew now this is what he wrote about jesus at that time there was a wise man who was called jesus pilate ordered him to pick on them and to die and those who had become his disciples did not abandon his discipleship they reported notice the grammar they reported he appeared to them again three days after his crucifixion and that he was alive josephus is not saying i have become a believer he simply said this is the story that is going on that he died and rose again secular sources confirmed the narrative of the new testament pliny was the governor of bethinia he wrote a letter to his good friend the emperor by the name of trajan and this is what he wrote about christians because trajan was very curious about these christians and this is what he said they were in the habit of meeting on a certain fixed day before it was light when they sung an anthem to christ as god notice that divinity of jesus was already practiced as early as the first century and notice they bound themselves by a solemn oath not to commit any wicked deed to abstain from all fraud death and adultery never to break their word this is a reputation of christians what about archaeology archeological discoveries do not dispute the bible all archaeological discoveries support the bible one of my favorite is the taylor prism what is the taylor prism the taylor prism is an account of king sennacherib's battle including the one in jerusalem this was discovered some time ago in assyria modern day iraq and there were shock at this amazing prism it has eight sides and today you can visit that in the british museum my wife and i personally went there to examine the prism in that prism it talks about many things he talks about king hezekiah and he talks about the story of 2nd kings chapter 19. what is the story of second kings chapter 19 it talks about how king seneca wanted to attack jerusalem but god promised king hezekiah they will never conquer jerusalem they will never even shoot an arrow and above all king senacary will go back i will protect the city and the prism describe what happened how they did not conquer jerusalem and how the king went back defeated but it does not explain to you what will happen unless you read second kings and this is what exactly happened in second kings the bible tells us why king senate did not conquer jerusalem because it says in 2nd kings chapter 19 verse 35 36 it happened that night that the angel of the lord went out and struck 185 000 assyrian soldiers and when the men rose up in the morning behold all of them were dead so seneca king of assyria departed returned home and lived in nineveh you see they don't tell you what really happened and now you begin to understand why king senator after returning back in shame defeated was eventually assassinated you see archaeology confirms the bible there was a time when people don't believe that pilate was the one in charge of judah jerusalem until they saw this amazing inscription of pilate right in caesarea every time we go to israel i show them these amazing tablets erastus one of my favorite why because i personally took this picture in the pavement in corinth it talks about erastus why because many many years ago scholars attacked the bible it says there is no position called city treasurer there's no such person called erastus guess what romans chapter 16 ii timothy chapter 4 when he talks about erastus is confirmed by this amazing inscription it talks about erastus the city treasurer the most important is a dead sea scroll why to me it's the greatest discovery in the 20th century because the dead sea scrolls are parchments these are documents preserved miraculously by the hot weather by the dry weather in the dead sea it contains manuscripts that is dated over 2000 years ago why is that so important because many skeptics would like to tell us the copy of the copy of the copy of the bible is not accurate so they were so excited to compare the book of isaiah why isaiah because in the dead sea scroll the book of isaiah was complete completely preserved you have to know the dead sea scroll contains almost all the books of the old testament except the book of esther so they were so excited to compare the book of isaiah and our current day isaiah the world of archaeology and those who are criticizing the bible they were shocked when they compared word for word isaiah 53 in isaiah 53 you have 166 words out of 166 words there are only 17 letters that are slightly different imagine 166 versus 17 letters that are different 10 jude spelling 4 due to writing style only 3 letters is the word light but you know what it does not change the meaning in short our bible today is the same as the bible that was being read by jesus 2 000 years ago what about prophecy prophecy is one of the greatest proof that the bible is god's word can i tell you why because god tells his people in isaiah 46 god says so that you will know i am god and there is no one like me this is what god says in isaiah 46 10 i will declare the end from the beginning from ancient times things which have not been done god says i will tell you what's going to happen so let me give you example of bible prophecies remember over 1 4 of the bible is prophecy prophecy about tire tire at that time powerful very rich the bible says they will destroy the walls of tyre break down her towers and i'll scrape her debris from her and make her a bear rock how can this famous city of tyre become a bear rock impossible until you study history after it was conquered by babylon another conqueror came by the name of alexander the great why he wanted to enter tire but they won't allow him and alexander the great got so mad he decided to make a causeway he got all the rocks and the stones to make a causeway from the sea to reach the island city the bible is amazing when it says the city will be devastated it will be devastated egypt my goodness what does the bible have to say about egypt the bible tells us you must remember this prophecy was impossible to believe because egypt was a world power it was like the united states advancing civilization once upon a time but the bible says the land of egypt will become a desolate and a waste place then you will know i am the lord why because you said the nile is mine god says i'm going to humble you and more than that god says it will be the lowest of the kingdoms it will never again lift up above the nations i will make them so small they will not rule over the nations if you street some more and god says egypt will never be the trust of israel again israel will never put its hope in egypt again and my friend you visit egypt today you'll understand how amazing god's prophecy is once upon a time one of the most amazing kingdom almost unconquerable you know why because their cities are built on the rocks but you know what the bible says though you build up like the eagle though you set your nest among the stars from there i will bring you down declares the lord if you look at these pictures you'll be so amazed how this amazing fortress on the rocks and the only way you can enter is through a narrow path unconquerable but you know what god says i'm going to bring you down israel why should you believe the bible look at what the bible says about israel there is no other nation like israel in the bible prophesied in the bible for example the bible says that israel will be dispersed but in the end times the bible says before the end times our gather israel our gathered dispersed people back to their homeland that is unthinkable you see the bible says in ezekiel 36 i will take you from the nations and gather you from the lands and bring you into your own land your land will become cultivated i will multiply men on you the house of israel the cities will be inhabited notice the waste places will be rebuilt i will multiply you and then god says they will increase and be fruitful i will cause you to be inhabited as you were formerly and then treat you better than i did at first then you will know i am the lord the first time i went to israel years ago there were only less than 3 million people i've been going there for over 20 years every year and today the population has more than double it's almost triple why because when god says something it will happen i don't know of any other nations i don't know of any other country that disappeared for 2000 years think for 2000 years no flag no land no boundaries no language how can that country become a nation again i've seen filipinos i've seen chinese they go to the states after one generation they do not speak tagalog after one generation they've forgotten their motherland but god says before the end will come i will bring my people the jews back to their promised land guess what happened in 1948 the most amazing thing happened the united nation made the decision to give israel its homeland how can that be when god says something it will happen and the philippines was used by god the only asian country that voted in favor of the united nation resolution giving israel back to its people the homeland god is amazing when god says something it will happen and that's why i believe the bible my friend prophecy is being fulfilled right before our eyes there are many more prophecies about iraq about iran about the middle east but i don't have time to exhaust all of them however i like you to develop a hunger and a thirst to study god's word prophecy about jesus christ this is amazing why do i believe the bible you just have to study all the prophecies about jesus there are over 2500 prophecies 2000 have already been fulfilled there are many other prophecies that have not been fulfilled about the second coming about what will happen to israel about what will happen to iraq however there are over 300 prophecies about jesus now here are examples of those prophecies about jesus remember i told you the bible is one book the theme of the entire bible is god's redemption how he will save his people again here are examples of prophecies about jesus notice why are these prophecies important god knows there will be many false claims there will be many people who claim to be the messiah and god says i'll give you signs i'll give you marker so that you will know who is the true messiah and who is not the true messiah so here are examples of markers to show you who is the real messiah example he will be born in bethlehem micah chapter 5 verse 2. this was written hundreds of years before jesus was born the bible tells us born of a virgin my goodness how can the messiah be born of a virgin you will not understand the old testament until you connect with the new testament descendant of david god made sure that we will know who is the real messiah and do you realize after the birth of jesus many years later the temple was destroyed you can no longer trace your ancestry jesus had to be born before the temple was destroyed why so that they can trace his ancestry that's why jesus is called the son of david riding on a donkey the time when the messiah will come now by the way you should spend time analyzing daniel 9 24 26. the bible tells us the exact date when the messiah will enter jerusalem this is amazing there are many other prophecies about jesus how he'll be wounded how they'll crucify him this is amazing example isaiah 53 verse 5 and 6 he was pierced for our offenses he was crossed for our wrong doings the punishment for our well-being was laid upon him you notice how this amazing book written almost 700 years before christ was talking about how he will die how he will be pierced how he was crossed by his wounds we are healed all of us like sheep have gone astray each of us has turned to his own way the lord has caused the wrong doing of us all to fall on him notice the principle of substitution how jesus took our place on the cross amazing prophecy why should you believe the bible because of the prophecy about jesus and most important don't forget his death and resurrection the bible talks about the messiah will die and rise again from the dead a famous scientist by the name of peter stoner computed the probability of how all of these prophecies will come to one person he used this science called the law of probability what does that mean well for you to understand the law probability he says you put all of these coins and put it in the state of texas i like to believe probably three feet deep but you see you and i don't understand the size of texas so i will bring it down to our country luzon luzon is much smaller than texas so my son-in-law did the competition he said it is like putting coins five peso coins in the zone 13 feet deep and then you blindfold somebody but you must mark a five peso coin with an x and then tell this man brian folded to ride the helicopter and go all over the zone and drop him down and the first coin he picks up should be the one that you mark x what is the probability of course it's impossible unless god is involved and that's why i said i believe the bible i believe in jesus because of the evidences transform lives you know transform lives is something that you cannot argue look at history people don't realize what happened to europe europe was once upon a time very barbaric they allowed children to die in the street we men have no rights slaves rampant it was barbaric what happened christianity was introduced the bible was introduced look at europe today you look at all the major cities you will see churches after churches the only sad thing is they are now empty but i want you to learn something the power of god's word the power of jesus to transform society we owe it to jesus and his word the bible and his people for hospitals orphanages schools charitable works all because of god's word god's people and thus my own personal experience my journey if you know my life years ago i grew up in a non-christian home we don't worship any religion basically it was material things we talk about money and business but god has been working in my heart at a young age i was always afraid to die and the reason is this i was forced to attend funeral services when i was in elementary our principal died so i was forced to go to a funeral service my classmate died leukemia i have to go to the funeral service in high school my classmate died of a car accident a year later another classmate died of a car accident so i was always exposed to funeral services and i kept asking myself what is the purpose of life what happens if i die here i am afraid to die life has no purpose no meaning and then one day i heard the gospel somebody shared with me the bible and somebody shared with me about jesus and when i gave my life to jesus i heard how he died on the cross for my sins and i accepted him as my lord and savior my life was never the same i experienced joy i experienced peace i was no longer afraid my life has meaning my life has purpose and that's why i believe in the bible because it has changed my life jesus in god's word how true it is in second corinthians 5 17 if any man is in christ he is a new creation all things pass away new things have come my friend i hope you will experience the same thing the reality is this your life can have a new beginning if you come to jesus in psalm 19 160 165 this is what it says the sum of your word is truth see truth matters every one of your righteous judgments is everlasting god's word is everlasting those who love your law have great peace and nothing causes them to stumble when i began to study god's word god's truth i experience great peace and peace can only come real peace can come from god alone and god's word gives us assurance you see the bible if false is of no importance and if true of infinite importance the only thing it cannot be is moderately important let me repeat if the bible is not true if it is false forget it it's not important but if the bible is true it is of infinite importance you know why because it will impact your life what it cannot be is moderately important and that's why i tell my friends i tell my children i tell my disciples i tell all of you biblical faith is not blind biblical faith is not a lip in the dark it is the opposite biblical faith is reasonable it is logical and it is compelling you can place your faith in god's word why because of the evidences faith is actually a choice many times people do not want to believe the bible not because of intellectual reasons the truth is they have never studied the reality and the validity and the arguments for and against the bible the problem is prejudice the problem is a world view that says it is impossible to believe in miracles but the root problem is not always the world view the root problem can be your moral life example if you're living in sin if you're not paying taxes if there are some things in your life you don't want to change it's going to impact your attitude or the bible why because to submit to the bible to believe the bible as god's word means you must submit to its authority it means you must obey and that's why many people struggle i hope you are not one of those who are struggling to believe the bible because of moral reasons or because of a close mind a worldview that says miracle is impossible have an open mind study the bible and let the evidence lead you to its conclusion i want to challenge you with this amazing truth that god wants you to know today in psalm chapter 1 verse 1 to 3 blessed is the person who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked nor stand in the path of sinners nor sit in the seat of scoffers the bible tells us you can really be happy you can really be blessed it depends on your choice what choice blessed happy is the person who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked what does that mean when the bible uses the word wicked it does not mean exactly rapist mother the word wicked simply means people who don't believe in god if you follow the council of the unbelievers if you follow the opinion of men that's what the bible is saying you will not be blessed you know why who are the people blessed blessed is the person who does not it tells you don't believe in the counsel of the weakened nor stand in the path of sinners nor sit in the seat of scoffers but his delight you make a choice his delight is in the law of the lord in this law he meditates day and night it's a choice to believe to delight to study god's word look at the promise he will be like a tree planted by streams of water which yields its fruit in its season its leaf does not wither and whatever he does he prospers god is giving us a choice today he is saying will you make a choice to treasure my word to follow my word and live a blessed life if you want to know what will happen psalm chapter 1 tells us what will happen to those who don't follow the bible the bible says the wicked are not so they are like chaff which the wind blows away in other words no legacy no permanence no future notice what it says the lord knows the way of the righteous and the way of the wicked will perish so god is giving us a choice a blessed life to be blessed by him or you can do it your way and the ending is not good remember every choice have consequences you see faith is a response to evidence not the rejoicing in the absence of evidence john lennox and that is the heart of jesus jesus tells us in john 8 31 32 if you continue in my word you are disciples of mine notice the condition continue in my word obey my word then you are truly my disciples i pray that there will not be any counterfeit disciples of jesus listening to me today why look at the next verse and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free free from what free from the bondages of sin free from the addiction of pornography free from fear free from all kinds of anxiety god wants you to be free but you will never be free until your high view of who god is a high view of his word and follow his word you know the heart of god in john 20 30 31 he said saw them many other signs jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples which are not written in this book but this has been written so that you may believe that jesus is the christ the son of god and that by believing you may have life in his name i want you to notice the following our faith is based on evidence many other signs jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples which are not written in this book other signs many other evidences our faith is anchored on truth there are heavy dances it is not blind faith and then it says but this had been written the gospel of john was written not to record all evidences but enough evidences for what purpose so that you may believe that jesus is the christ the son of god and that by believing you may have life do you see the word of god will help you experience security it will help you understand the certainty of going to heaven is possible why it is the promise of jesus is the promise of god and god will never lie my prayer is today you will have a proper view not only of god but of his word the bible and trust the bible and when you trust the bible you will learn to obey the bible but you will not obey the bible nor will you trust the bible if you don't have a proper view of who god is and if you don't have a proper view of god's word the bible why will you delight in studying the bible is it possible that you are not studying the bible today you don't delight in the bible it's because you don't really believe in your heart that the bible is really god's word god's love letter to you and to me think about it if you really believe in your heart that the bible is god's word why are you not studying why are you not meditating on it and why are you not sharing god's word with others my prayer is that you will have a desire to really study god's word and above all to learn to obey god's word and to trust in god's promises i want to give all of us an opportunity to really experience the promise of god's word eternal life if you have not come to that point in your life where you have never embraced the promise of god eternal life through jesus you can pray this prayer with me today let's praise lord jesus today i realize your word is reliable the bible contains promises from you i now humble myself i believe that you are the christ the son of god will you come into my life i accept your gift of eternal life i accept your gift of forgiveness lord jesus give me a new heart and a new desire open my eyes to know your word to love your word and to study your word and above all to obey your word jesus name i pray amen if you have enjoyed our talk today and you want to study further one of the most amazing book that i really highly recommend is the evidence that demands a verdict this is the latest edition by just mcdowell and his son now there are many other books many other resource material that you can see in our website please feel free to pass this to others and click on the space below we will be happy to answer your questions god bless good day ccf welcome to another edition of ccf sunday fast track we're now here with dr peter tanchi who gave a message a while ago and we're going to ask him a few questions about the message dr peter first question i have friends that think that today's church should be progressive to adapt to the times to be more compassionate and tolerant to that culture and that the ideals presented in the bible are outdated the facts prove that it is reliable intellectually and historically but is it relevant emotionally and culturally especially today this may surprise you when jesus and the disciples taught the ethics of jesus it was out of this world because in the time of jesus people divorced to marry they marry to divorce infanticide killing babies was a way of life but jesus brought in something that was so radical it was definitely not in accordance with culture respecting women my goodness that was not in the culture taking care of babies that was not in the culture in fact you can kill babies you can kill children it was so radical god has called us to be radically good to be radically different and i believe the bible is god's truth and if it goes against the culture let us show them there's a better culture so my answer to your question it is nice to be pleasing to people however my allegiance must always be first to my master the teachings of jesus and this is what jesus said heaven and earth will pass away but my words will never pass away so if people would only understand the teachings of jesus may seem difficult but it is life it is transforming it is good so don't be intimidated by culture our advice all of us to love those people who don't exactly agree with what the bible is saying love them show them there's a better way but don't compromise once you compromise you lose the power of the gospel how about pastor for people who really have a genuine desire to get to know the lord through the bible but when they open it they don't understand it seems so difficult to read so they just put it back and they walk away because they're intimidated the good news is this according to jesus according to the bible only the holy spirit can help you understand the scripture that's why the first step in knowing the bible is have a humble heart you pray you say lord help me to understand your word in fact i recommend this prayer if you are not a believer this is a recommended prayer it's a dangerous prayer but it's powerful lord if you are real i want to know you help me to know you make yourself real in my life and i promise to follow you i have never seen a guy who prayed this prayer sincerely that was not impacted by that prayer because god is leaving he hears so if you pray that prayer i can almost predict sooner or later something will happen because god is real god is living amen so pastor where did they begin new testament old testament genesis very good question how should you read the bible i suggest you read the gospel of john it's the easiest book to read and it talks about jesus so read it after john you can read any other books you want maybe after john acts romans then you can go down but i don't recommend you start reading the book of revelation dr peter over the past few years we've seen prominent christian leaders walk away from the faith pastors authors christian singers these people have studied the bible or presented the same evidence as some went to seminary so first is what do you think happened there is it just is it evidence is it the lack of evidence that they see something new then okay i don't believe it anymore or is there something deeper to that and the second is how do we deal with that for those of us who who see this and ask ourselves what do we do now okay and and how do we stand firm so how do we wrestle with this i've met some of them i've discussed with some of them and i realize falling away from the faith is not sudden it's a gradual process i don't want to judge anybody but many times the moral life and the intellectual life and the heart life are all interrelated if you begin to slide into sin the bible says your mind will be darkened but i don't judge secondly is this myth that just because you begin to talk about jesus and just because you say you're a christian means you're a real christian because the bible tells us in first gen they went away from us because they were not really one of us in other words a true christian will persevere to the end because the bible talks about the grace of god that will con that will help us persevere to the end so i'm not here to judge who are real followers who are not but the truth is just because somebody claimed to be a follower just because you go to seminary just because you preach does not make you a christian a christian is somebody that has a relationship with god what kind of relationship a love relationship is it possible and some of them have religion there are many religious people today look at their lives look at their private lives look at their actions that's why many people are not christians because these so-called christians act so unlike jesus so what's our conclusion i don't look at people i learn to fix my eyes on jesus and his word may i ask is it okay to be selective with reading books in the bible like let's say in the old testament i'm so afraid of god because he seems so wrathful he just punishes people or he people just fall down and they're dead but in the new testament jesus is so kind he's so compassionate so can i just choose to read the kinder you know why it's not healthy because the bible is composed of old testament and new testament it's one book you don't have two different books and if you read the old testament in the lands of god in the lands of jesus you will see a loving god for me when i read the old testament i see a loving god i see a covenant giving keeping god and i see a god who keeps his promises and above all i see a holy god god is holy and there will be consequences but you'll notice how god wants his people to repent he keeps asking them why are you so stubborn why are you so stubborn and then you begin to realize the judgment of god is really islam and then the new testament tells us same principle the love of god the holiness of god do you know the cross of jesus reverse to us how holy god is that he is willing to punish his own sons his own beloved son jesus for our sins that is horrible how can god the father offer up his own son what kind of a father will do that now you see the entire bible god loves us he really loves you and he wants you to trust him amen thank you dr peter we are glad to tell you that this message and all of our services are available online you can see the videos via the ccf website youtube channel ccf mobile app and facebook page you can also share this message to your friends and family wherever they may be which part of the world they may be good day and god bless here are some suggested discussion questions you can discuss with your loved ones family members or disciples and you can also add other questions but i suggest you do it together in a small group question number one what do you really believe about the bible how can you grow in your knowledge of the bible what is the evidence in your life that will prove to people your faith and devotion in god and his word the bible i hope you'll have a good time discussing these questions [Music] thanks for watching we would like to invite you to be a christ-committed follower by being part of the movement as we honor god and obey his great commission to find out if there's a csef satellite near you log on to www.ccf.org.ph satellites we also want to encourage you to join a small discipleship group where you can deepen your knowledge and love for jesus and others to sign up log on to www.ccf.org.ph slash discipleship group all of ccf's video resources are available free of charge and are constantly being improved by our team would you consider supporting ccf through prayer in giving so more people can be blessed you can give securely through our website at www.ccf.org.pa give for more videos like this please subscribe to our channel thanks and god bless

Channel: Christ’s Commission Fellowship

Views: 79,559

Rating: 4.8560352 out of 5

Keywords: CCF, Christ's, Commission, Fellowship, Sunday, Service, Sermon, Speaker, Message

Id: 83y_YY_UGks

Length: 71min 50sec (4310 seconds)

Published: Sun Nov 15 2020