Dovecot Evangelical Church

424 East Prescot Road, Liverpool, L14 2EH

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Is the Bible really true?

• The world’s bestseller: the most translated book ever
• In two main parts: Old testament and New testament
• A ‘library’ of 66 different books
• Written by about 40 different authors
• Over a period of  about 1500 years
• One Message !

What is the Bible about?

• How did we get here?
• What has gone wrong?
• What is God’s answer?

 

• It is not a textbook about science or history but wherever the bible touches on these areas it has been shown to be correct…
• 'There is no scientific fact that is out of agreement with the Bible.'

G. Campbell Morgan

The Gospel of John dated approx 200AD on Papyrus.

What does the Bible teach about itself?

• ‘Thus says the LORD’ : used about 3600 times in the Old Testament
• In the New Testament:
• ‘All scripture is given by inspiration of  God… (2 Timothy 3:16)
• ‘Your Word is truth’ (John 17:17)

The dead sea scroll, the book of Isaiah writen 100 BC,  8m long.

How can we know it is true?

• Many prophecies fulfilled…
• For example concerning Jesus Christ:
• The place of his birth (Micah 5:2)
• His death by crucifixion (Psalm 22)
• His resurrection from the grave (Psalm 16)
• His worldwide Church (Matthew 24)   

Is today’s Bible genuine?

• We have over 100 scrolls of Old Testament material & nearly 25,000 copies of all or parts of the New Testament!

 

• By contrast we have…
• 10 copies of Caesar’s Gallic War (58-50 BC)
• 10 copies of Tacitus’ histories (born c.52 AD)
•  643 copies of Homer’s Iliad (born c.850 BC)

 

“It cannot be too strongly asserted that in substance the text of the Bible is certain: especially this is the case with the New Testament… This can be said of no other ancient book in the world.”

 

Sir Frederick Kenyon

The Bible…

 

• Is completely self consistent:  infallible
• Is accurate historically/scientifically: inerrant
• Claims to be the Word of God: inspired
• Has been fulfilled prophetically: confirmed
• Kept the same throughout history: preserved
•  Contains 4 eyewitness accounts of the life, death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ

But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.

The other disciples therefore said to him: ‘We have seen the Lord’. But he said to them, ‘Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.’

John 20:24-26

The doubting disciple...

 

The risen Lord

 

And after eight days the disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst and said, ‘Peace to you!’

Then He said to Thomas, ‘Reach your finger here and look at My hands; and reach your hand here and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.’

And Thomas answered and said to Him, ‘My Lord and my God!’

Jesus said to him, Thomas, because you have seen Me you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.

John 20:27-29

Resurrection: the greatest miracle

The reason for the Gospel…

• All of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God – we are not what we should be
• If Jesus Christ rose from the dead, then he was who he said he was
• In Him we see God’s answer to the problem of sin and death

What should you do?

 

“To me the evidence is conclusive, and over and again in the High Court I have secured the verdict on evidence not nearly so compelling.”

Sir Edward Clarke

 

 

“I know pretty well what evidence is; and I tell you, such evidence as that for the resurrection has never broken down yet.”

Lord Lyndhurst

And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book;

But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.

John 20:30-31

Why does it matter?

• Jesus said: ‘Repent and believe the gospel’
• Repent = be sorry for your sin and turn away from it
• Believe = turn to Jesus Christ and commit your life to Him.

 

Dovecot Evangelical Church