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Dovecot Evangelical Church
424 East Prescot Road, Liverpool, L14 2EH
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'Food for thought'
Talks about the basics of Christianity in MP3.

Is the Bible really true ?  MP3               Powerpoint

Is the Bible really true?

This talk is available in MP3 format and can be listened to or downloaded. A powerpoint presentation from the talk is also available.

What is the Bible?

  • 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 !

Johns Gospel on Papyrus
The Gospel of John dated approx 200AD on Papyrus.

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

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)
 Dead Sea Scroll
The dead sea scroll, the book of Isaiah writen 100 BC, 8m long.
Gutenberg Bible


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


Bible




Clay Cylinder

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

The doubting disciple...

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 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

Judge

Old Bailey

Resurrection: the greatest miracle

“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

The reason for the Gospel…

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



A tomb

Why does it matter?

  • 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?

  • 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.