In these past two weeks we have been talking about the past, present, and the future of NABC. Most of us have not been here long enough to remember back more than a few years. Others of you would remember many of the things in a more distant past the church had been engaged in for the glory of the Lord and His Kingdom. We have talked about how the Great Commandment and the Great Commission played a primary role in who we are and what God has led us to be and do. We are thrilled that we can look back and see how God has led this congregation to seek to love Him first and foremost and then to love our neighbors. But, He has not stopped there, He has clearly led us to reach out to others with the Gospel. He has told us to “go,” and in going, to share the most important message of Jesus’ love, forgiveness and the gift of eternal life, by presenting the Gospel: Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection.

We have also majored in teaching believers to observe all the things Jesus taught us and, I believe, we have done a very good job with the help of wonderful teachers of the Word of God through our Bible study hour and the Small Groups, that we have.

God gave us mission work to do and there are lost people throughout “Jerusalem, and in all Judea, Samaria” as well, as to “the ends of the world.” As we spoke of last week, we have gone to many of these places or sent others there.

Today, we are going to look at the Scriptures and why we believe what we read is trustworthy for life and action.

1. The Scriptures are Eternal and Trustworthy

Xerox Corp. says it has found a way to create temporary images on paper that would self-erase in 24 hours or less. The special pages theoretically could be used again and again—as much as 50 times.The idea started in the early 2000s when researchers discovered 40 percent of printed pages are used for the day, then thrown away. With that in mind, Xerox decided there was clear demand for paper that could be reused, but not recycled, on a daily basis.The team designed paper covered with special chemicals. Once the paper goes through the printer, the chemicals are exposed to a light source that causes the text on the paper gradually to fade. It disappears completely in 16 to 24 hours, but can be quickly erased by running it through the printer again.Though documents are not yet printed on this paper, in reality, all printed material is temporary. Except, Christians have a more sure Word. The Word of God has been settled in heaven forever. (SermonNews.com newsletter)

Things of this world are temporary and will eventually be forgotten, the words of man can vanish and never be remembered but the Word of God is eternal according to the Psalmist found in Psalm 119:89, “Your word, Lord, is eternal…”and, in Isaiah 40:8 and 1 Peter 1:25 the Bible says, “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.” God’s Word, the Scriptures, will be here until we enter eternity with Jesus in our home, the New Heaven and the New Earth. Since the Scriptures are eternal, then without question they are trustworthy for you and me. (Psalm 19:7, “...The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy…”) You and everyone else can count on their reliability and what they say about God, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, mankind, sin, worship, satan and hell, salvation and heaven, how to live a godly life and how to love. There is so much more, but that gives you some idea of what the Scriptures talk about. The Scriptures tell us of our origin from “the beginning” of life itself and the life of the chosen people of God, the Jewish nation. The Word of God shares with us a “Cord of Crimson” from the sacrifice God made to make the garments of Adam and Eve, to the sacrifices of the Children of Israel as they worship God throughout their years, until the pure and undefiled sacrifice on the Cross of the Messiah, the Son of God, born to redeem all mankind from their sin. Also the Bible tells of the final “blood-bath” of the Tribulation in the last days, as preparation for the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Scriptures tell the history of the people of God and how God delivered them from slavery in Egypt to giving them The Promised Land. It documents the disobedience of the Children of God until and after their exile, showing the coming of the long awaited Messiah and His life, death, resurrection and ascension. It documents the coming of the Holy Spirit and the church of Jesus Christ, the inspired missionary journeys of Paul and the apostles of Christ and all the church letters written to believers in the first century. Its final triumph is the Revelation of Jesus Christ and the last days until the eternal home in heaven is revealed. You can trust the Bible and all that is in it! So, the Scriptures are eternal and trustworthy but they are also

2. The Scriptures are God-Breathed

2 Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is God-breathed ...:”These Scriptures were given by the inspiration of God Himself. His method of revelation is seen in 2 Peter 1:20-21,

God explains here that He is the Author of the Scriptures but He did it with humans writers. Notice, He says, they spoke as He carried them along by the power of the Holy Spirit. They wrote in their own style but all they wrote was fore ordained by God to be what He wanted written. The writers weren’t even self-starters, God had to put into their heart and mind what He wanted them to write about. If God wrote the Bible, then we can trust all that is written to be the Word of God! Amen!

3. The Scriptures are a Benefit for the Believer

16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Everything that Paul talks about is based on what we just said, it is what God wants us to know. The Scriptures can help us live a full, Godly life, but it gives us great guidance as well. We are:
(1) Taught by what is in the Word of God. The Scriptures teach us much as we read them and are taught by others, too. You can learn everything you need to know regarding how to live the Christian life, have wisdom, be a father or mother, and obedient child, or how to walk with God daily. We can learn about what spiritual gifts we have or whether we are called to be a minister of God or a missionary or what a pastor is supposed to be like. There is so much more to learn from the Word of God.
(2) But, we also can learn from the Bible rebuking our life or lifestyle, the way we talk, or how we think and even more. We are rebuked when we read the Scriptures or they are shared with us about our wrong doing.
(3) Correcting our thoughts or behavior is a way the Scriptures helps us become more like Christ. When we read and study the Lord, through the Holy Spirit, enlightens our hearts and corrects our errored ways. If we are to be rebuked and corrected when we are taught or when we read God’s Word, we will have to cooperate with the Holy Spirit, otherwise we would not come to the place the Lord desires for us.
(4) The Scriptures are to train us in righteousness. As we read or as we are taught, we are to begin to grow as a believer in righteousness. To become a righteous Christian is the goal, to be like Jesus is the end product of the training through the Word of God.
(5) All of these 4 things are to be used of God to help us become the servant that He can use, as we are doing the good works of our Father in heaven. Each Christian, through the training from the Word, is supposed to become more like Christ and do good deeds while we are living on this earth so that we can glorify and honor the Lord with all that we are and all that we do.To become the believer God desires is “to be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fulness of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:12-13)

Unfortunately the Bible or the Author of the Bible becomes something that not everyone believes in.

After Mark Twain had made his triumphant tour through Europe, where he was honored by great universities and kings, his daughter said: "Daddy, I guess pretty soon you will know everybody except God." The truth is, it doesn't matter who you know or how many you know. Ultimately, knowing God is the only relationship that matters for eternity. (Story from Franklin Kirksey)

4. The Scriptures are To Be Preached

2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.

It was Sunday evening, and Harry Ironside had preached five times that day. He was weary, and on the way home his wife asked a question to which he responded with irritation. Immediately, he felt conviction and apologized to his wife. Saying: "Forgive me, I am quiet tired. Remember, I have preached five times today."
His wife responded, "Yes, Dear, I know; but remember, I have had to listen to you five times today!" (Moody Monthly)

Preach the Word! This is what we have been attempting to do for the last 28 years, plus! Since the first days of this church, that was called Northside Baptist Church, from 1939 starting with J. Harold Smith until this morning, every preacher of this church has faithfully preached the Word! Our preaching is to be encouraging and instructive from the Word of God. But at times their need to be sermons that correct or rebuke the members of the church and all the Christians that are in the service. Sometimes we don’t want to hear the Word from God because it penetrates hard into our heart and we are convicted by the Holy Spirit of some sin or something that God has been trying to tell us. (Hebrews 4:12, For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.) Regardless, pastors or preachers, are to preach with patience and tenderness knowing it is the Lord God who convicts His children and the preacher is just the instrument He chooses to use to get His message across.

A visitor came into a church service in the middle of the sermon. He took a seat in the back row. Getting a bit bored, he leaned over to an older man and asked, "How long has he been preaching. The older member said, "Thirty or 40 years I guess."
"I'll stay," said the visitor, "He must be almost finished."

The last part of this verse is here in our society and culture now. “People will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” Unfortunately that is true in some places in our nation, and all over the world. That is why we need to preach and teach the doctrines of Scripture, so people can know the truth and the truth will set them free from the lies and misrepresentation of the true Word of God. There are many who want to hear only what is good today and there are teachers who are willing to give that message to them; they never want to hear or deliver the truth of sin and hell. Our God has given us the whole Word of God and we will preach the full counsel of the Lord. One day, we will be gone and when it is time for you to call another man of God to lead you, you want a man who is not ashamed of, but who believes and preaches this Book!

Lastly, let me tell you...

5. The Scriptures are To Be Shared

5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.

First of all, when God calls you to Himself to be a Christian, a Christ follower, He wants you to tell others and bring them to Jesus. Just like Andrew did to Peter in John 1:40-42,

The Scriptures call for you and me to be “evangelists” which means, “a person who seeks to convert others to the Christian faith, especially by public preaching.” Now this is the dictionary version of this word. Sure, it is the ministry of public preaching but if you look at the definition, it really is any person who seeks to convert another person to Christ or share the Gospel in order for them to come to faith in Jesus Christ. You don’t have to be a preacher to do that. We have talked so many times about that. You and I are to share the Gospel and then leave the results up to the Holy Spirit.

Let’s remember that Paul was talking to Timothy, who was the preacher at the church of Ephesus, therefore he was talking to him about being that preacher, evangelist, leading others to Christ. But it is clear that the Word of God calls for all of us to do just that, lead others to Christ.

So, the Scriptures are trustworthy in so many ways and you and I are to read and listen to them taught or preached, and take the Words of God to heart and become what God wants for us to become in Him.

Conclusion

Here at NABC we believe the Bible is God’s Holy Word. We believe it so much that we teach it, we preach it, we live what it says, and we support others, like the Gideons International, who give it away. The last service of this month, Sunday, October 27, our own, Paul Ehrlich, will be our Gideon Speaker this year. We will hear him gladly and then we will give generously to support the work of the Gideons as they give away Bibles all over the world to the lost and dying people who need Jesus and eternal life.

Now is the time to by faith come to Jesus and receive Him and Lord and Savior by repenting of your sins and by faith trust Jesus to forgive your sins and come into your life and give you eternal life. Won’t you come now?