TO SHOW THE PEOPLE

That Bible can be safely trusted as the rule of

DOES life.
Samuel Amirtharaj

BELIEFS
MATTER?
Placing my trust on the solid ground
 Does Beliefs matter?
Introduction:
Every person has a world view. The word world view simply means the overall perspective
from which one sees and interprets the world, A collection of beliefs about life and the
universe held by an individual or a group.i A persons world view shapes the way he sees the
world and according to the definition world views are a collection of beliefs about life and the
universe. Notice the word Beliefs. What a person belief has a great impact on the way they live
their lives. For example, it is estimated that there are about 4,200 religions in the world.ii
Every one think that their faith/religion is superior or their religion is true. Why so many
division? It is because their beliefs is different. A person belief on God, on life, etc., shapes the
way they look the world.
What is your belief on life? Why were you brought into existence? Who brought you into
existence?
If you know NFL history youll know that the dominant team in the 60s and 70s was the Green Bay
Packers. They were coached by the great Vince Lombardi. It was said that Coach Vince Lombardi
began every new season with a lecture to both the veterans and the rookies on the basics of football.
He literally held up a football and said, "This is a football." He talked about its size and shape, how it
can be kicked, carried, or passed. Then he took the team out onto the field and said, "This is a football
field." He walked them around, describing the dimensions, the shape, the rules, and how the game is
played. He did that every year -- even after the Green Bay Packers became NFL champs and then won
the first two Super Bowls ever played. Can you imagine how "basic" and "fundamental" that must
have sounded to his veteran players? And yet maybe that explains why Vince Lombardi was such a
successful coach, because he began with the basics. Fundamentals were the foundation of my
fathers coaching philosophy, Vince Lombardi, Jr. wrote in his book The Essential Vince
Lombardi
Next 20 day we will be looking at some fundamental beliefs of our lives.
For any subject we study we need a text book. I want to introduce to you our text book for our next 20
nights. Why Bible?
In the year A. D. 303, the roman Emperor Diocletian issued a decree which he hoped would
extinguish the spreading flames of Christianity. One of his primary objectives was the seizure and
destruction of the Christian Scriptures. Later that year, officials enforced the decree in North Africa.
One of the targets was Felix, Bishop of Tibjuca, a village near Carthage. The mayor of the town
ordered Felix to hand over his Scriptures. Though some judges were willing to accept scraps of
parchment, Felix refused to surrender the Word of God at the insistence of mere men. Resolutely, he
resisted compromise. Roman authorities finally shipped Felix to Italy where he paid for his
stubbornness with his life. On August 30, as the record puts it, with pious obstinacy, he laid down
his life rather than surrender his Gospels.
What is in this book or in this faith that millions died for? Lets start our adventure
Body:
How was the Bible written?
o 2 Peter 1: 21 God spake to holy men of God as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
o Note: - Bible was not written after mans own thought but God lead the holy men and
they wrote the message God wanted to convey. Bible is a divine-human combination.
God inspires the author and he writes it in his own words.
What does the Bible say about itself?
o 2 Timothy 3: 16 All scripture is given by the inspiration of God.
o Note: - The Greek word for inspiration of God can also be translated as God breathed.
The Bible claims to be the word of God.
What makes Bible distinct? Is it trustworthy?
o Prophecies
Unique among all books ever written, the Bible accurately foretells specific
events-in detail-many years, sometimes centuries, before they occur.
Approximately 2,500 prophecies appear in the pages of the Bible, about 2,000 of
which already have been fulfilled to the letterno errors.iii
(The remaining 500 or so reach into the future and may be seen unfolding as
days go by.) Since the probability for any one of these prophecies having been
fulfilled by chance averages less than one in ten (figured very conservatively) and
since the prophecies are for the most part independent of one another, the odds
for all these prophecies having been fulfilled by chance without error is less than
one in 102000 (that is 1 with 2,000 zeros written after it)!iv
Some amazing Bible Prophecies
Nearly 150 years before Cyrus was born, the prophet Isaiah foretold his
birth, his name, and the tasks that the Creator God had predetermined
for him to accomplish. Isaiah 45: 1
Bible predicts the overthrow of Babylon and also its present state.
Isaiah 13: 17 20.v
The great superpowers predicted Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, & Rome
Daniel 2.
The 70 years captivity of Israel predicted by Jeremiah the prophet
Jeremiah 25:11; 29: 10.
And there are many more such prophecies mentioned in the Bible, but the
most amazing, the one that crowns every other prophecies are the one
pertaining to the messiah.
o Some say that there are over 300 prophecies that relates to the
messiah.vi The Old Testament, written hundreds of years before
 Jesus birth, contains over 300 prophecies that Jesus fulfilled
through His life, death and resurrection.
o Mathematically speaking, the odds of anyone fulfilling this amount
of prophecy are staggering. Mathematicians put it this way: 1
person fulfilling 8 prophecies: 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000 1
person fulfilling 48 prophecies: 1 chance in 10 to the 157th power 1
person fulfilling 300+ prophecies: Only Jesus! It is the magnificent
detail of these prophecies that mark the Bible as the inspired Word
of God. Only God could foreknow and accomplish all that was
written about the Christ. This historical accuracy and reliability
sets the Bible apart from any other book or record.vii
o Some amazing prophecies of the many others
Birth of Jesus Micah 5: 2 Matthew 2: 1 6.
Called Immanuel Isaiah 7: 14 Matthew 1: 22 23.
Betrayed by a friend Psalms 41: 9 John 13: 18 27.
Sold for 30 pieces of silver Zechariah 11: 12 Matthew 26:
14 15.
Crucified with thieves Isaiah 53: 12 Matthew 27: 38.
o Archaeology
The Dead Sea scrolls had fragments of every book of the Hebrew canon (Old
Testament) have been discovered except for the book of Esther.viii
The Cyrus Cylinder, discovered in 1879, records Cyrus' overthrow of Babylon and
his subsequent deliverance of the Jewish captives.
The Cyrus Cylinder, discovered in 1879, records Cyrus' overthrow of Babylon and
his subsequent deliverance of the Jewish captives.
The Rosetta Stone, discovered in 1799 in Egypt by Napoleon's scientists, was
written in three languages: hieroglyphics, demotic, and Greek. It unlocked the
mystery of the hieroglyphics which have helped confirm the authenticity of the
Bible.
The Moabite Stone discovered in 1868 at Dibon, Jordan, confirmed Moabite
attacks on Israel as recorded in 2 Kings 1 and 3.
The Lachish Letters, discovered in 1932-1938, 24 miles north of Beersheba,
described the attack of Nebuchadnezzar on Jerusalem in 586 BC.
Archeological Excavations: - The Bible's authenticity is also evidenced by
archeological excavations that prove the existence of names of people and cities
found in the Bible. The discovery of the city of Petra, for example, helped confirm
the authenticity of the Bible's record.ix
o Science
Biblical Statement Science Then Science Now

Earth is a sphere (Is. 40:22). Earth's a flat disk. Earth is a sphere

Number of stars exceeds a billion Number of stars totals Number of stars exceeds a
(Jer. 33:22). 1,100 billion
Every star is different (1 Cor All stars are the same. Every star is different.
15:41).
Light is in motion (Job 38:19-20). Light is fixed in place. Light is in motion.
Air has weight (Job 28:25). Air is weightless. Air has weight.

Winds blow in cyclones (Eccl. 1:6). Winds blow straight. Winds blow in cyclones.

Blood is a source of life and Sick people must bled. Blood is a source of life and
healing (Lev. 17:11). healing.x

The facts of the Bible

o The Bible contains 66 books, divided among the old and new testaments. 39 books in Old
Testament and 27 in the New Testament.
o It was written over a period of some 1,500 years, from around 1450 B.C. (the time of
Moses) to about 100 A.D. (following the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ).
o The Bible was written in three languages: Hebrew, Aramaic, and Koine Greek.
o The Bible was printed in 1454 A.D. by Johannes Gutenberg who invented the type
mold for the printing press. It was the first book ever printed.
o Bible is the best-selling book with over 5 billion copies sold.
o The Bible has many different categories like prophecy, poetry, history, etc.
o But the most amazing fact is The Bible was written under the inspiration of the
Holy Spirit by over 40 different authors from all walks of life: shepherds,
farmers, tent-makers, physicians, fishermen, priests, philosophers and kings.
Despite these differences in occupation and the span of years it took to write
it, the Bible is an extremely cohesive and unified book.
What is the theme of the Bible?
o John 20: 30, 31 The scriptures are written so that we might believe Jesus and have
eternal life.
Some people claim that through the passing of ages, the contents of the Bible must
have been adulterated but Bible says in Psalms 12: 6, 7 that God has preserved his
word from the beginning.
Some say that only some parts of the Bible was inspired but the Bible says in 2
timothy 3: 16 that all scriptures are inspired.
Some say that Old Testament has been done away with and its not relevant, but the
Bible say in Psalms 119: 160 - The Bible is true from the beginning and forever will
be.
 What does the Bible do for me?
o John 5: 39 The Bible reveals to us Jesus and how to obtain eternal life.
o Romans 15: 4 The Bible is written to give us hope.
o 2 Timothy 3: 15 The scriptures make us wise unto salvation.
o 2 Timothy 3: 16, 17 The Scripture is profitable for teaching/doctrines, for training, for
guiding and showing us how to life.
o John 14: 1 3 The Bible promises a better world for those who follow.
When evangelist John Wesley (1703-1791) was returning home from a service one night, he was
robbed. The thief, however, found his victim to have only a little money and some Christian literature.

As the bandit was leaving, Wesley called out, Stop! I have something more to give you. The surprised
robber paused. My friend, said Wesley, you may live to regret this sort of life. If you ever do, heres
something to remember: The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin! The thief hurried away,
and Wesley prayed that his words might bear fruit.

Years later, Wesley was greeting people after a Sunday service when he was approached by a
stranger. What a surprise to learn that this visitor, now a believer in Christ as a successful
businessman, was the one who had robbed him years before!

I owe it all to you, said the transformed man.

Oh no, my friend, Wesley exclaimed, not to me, but to the precious blood of Christ that cleanses us
from all sin!

Our Daily Bread, October 1, 1994xi

Dont you want to be a part of that kingdom? The Bible is able to give us salvation from this
world filled with sufferings, death, and violence. The Bible is able to make us better human
beings.
Are you willing to accept the word of God as your rule of faith?

i www.thefreedictionary.com/worldview
ii http://www.adherents.com/
iii http://www.reasons.org/articles/articles/fulfilled-prophecy-evidence-for-the-reliability-of-the-bible
iv http://www.reasons.org/articles/articles/fulfilled-prophecy-evidence-for-the-reliability-of-the-bible
v http://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/a-prophecy-about-babylon-confirms-the-accuracy-of-the-bible
vi http://www.bibleprobe.com/365messianicprophecies.htm
vii http://www.cbn.com/spirituallife/biblestudyandtheology/jesus_prophecy_fulfilled.aspx
viii http://www.centuryone.com/25dssfacts.html
ix http://amazingdiscoveries.org/S-deception_archaeology_Bible_Cyrus
x http://www.reasons.org/articles/biblical-forecasts-of-scientific-discoveries
xi https://bible.org/illustration/word-pierces-hearts