JESUS AND THE BIBLE

PEOPLE OFTEN MAKE REFERENCES TO THE PERSON WE KNOW AS Jesus Christ OR Jesus OF NAZARETH. IN FACT, EVEN MICHAEL JACKSON HAS USED TERMINOLOGY WHICH USES THE NAME Jesus.

Of all the people who have ever lived, Jesus stands out above all the others.

We have information about the Lord in a variety of places.

One of these places is the Bible.

There are four inspired accounts of the Lord’s life; we know them as Matthew, Mark, Luke, John.

Not only are these four accounts inspired, they are historical records.

We can look at these historical records and draw out a number of facts.

Today we want to look at them and see how Jesus viewed and treated the Bible.

When Jesus came to the earth the only Scriptures were the books of the Old Testament.

Jesus did three very special things with these books.

He believed they were a source of authority, and binding upon men.

He believed the Scriptures were historically accurate.

He also taught people to obey the law contained in these books.

These are three points we want to look at and draw application from this morning.

We begin with the fact that Jesus saw the Old Testament Scriptures as authoritative.

Jesus told people to obey the Old Testament law.

Our first text comes from Mt. 15.

Matthew tells us how Scribes and Pharisees came from the city of Jerusalem.

These men asked why Jesus and His friends violated the “traditions.”

Jesus reminded these religious professionals of God’s law.

Mt. 15:4 – READ.

God had given His law and Jesus said heaven expected it to be followed.

In verse 6 He said the traditions had actually voided God’s law.

A little later in Matthew’s gospel we find an interesting account in the 19^th chapter.

A man came to Jesus and asked a question.

He believed in “eternal life” and wanted to spend eternity with God.

He asked the Lord what He must do.

Jesus’ response is in Mt. 19:17 – READ.

Jesus not only believed in the authority of the Old Testament, He believed it was essential.

He said to a man, “If you want to go to heaven, God’s law is the tool to be used.”

Luke tells us about a similar matter in Lk. 10:26.

There was a “lawyer” who came and “made trial” of God’s Son.

Jesus did what this man did; He asked a question.

He said “What is written in the law?”

Why appeal to the law to answer a question.

The answer is found in the law’s authority.

When we want an important answer, we go to an authoritative source.

Jesus claimed that the law was authoritative.

If these are not enough, consider this expression: “it is written.”

About 19 times Jesus used these words. He repeatedly pointed people to the law.

Then the Lord said, “Have ye not read” (we find these words being used 5 times).

If all this were not enough Jesus said this in Jn. 10:35: the Scriptures cannot be broken.

If the Old Testament were authoritative, what about the New Testament?

OUR SECOND AREA OF STUDY INVOLVES THE HISTORICAL ACCURACY OF THE BIBLE. JESUS BELIEVED THE OLD TESTAMENT STORIES WERE REAL.

As we think about Jesus appealing to the Old Testament, we ought to start at the beginning

In the 10^th chapter of Mark we find another occasion when Jesus met with some Pharisees.

These men (verse 3) were “tempting the Lord.” They wanted to know about divorce.

They wanted to know if a person could get divorced for any reason at all.

If that question were being asked today, many would say “sure.”

The Lord had a different answer.

We want the part of the discussion found in verse 6 – READ.

Jesus said there was a “creation.”

Man and his environment did not arrive on the scene by accident.

We and our universe are not the product of chance or evolution.

What exists was specifically created by God.

Man and women are here because “God made them.”

This is what we read about in the book of Genesis and this is what Jesus affirmed.

After the creation man fell into sin, and things really got bad.

In the book of Genesis we read about a man named Noah, his family, and a big ark.

Is the story about Noah just a great legend and a wonderful child’s tale?

Jesus said it was real.

In Mt. 24:37-38 He spoke about the flood and mentioned several details.

He spoke about the “days” of Noah (this man lived during a certain time period).

Jesus told what the people were doing before the flood.

He then said Noah “entered into the ark.”

Verse 39 adds that the flood “took them all away” (the unsaved).

Another story involving the ancient world revolves around Sodom and Gomorrah.

All kinds of ideas have been circulated about these cities.

Jesus said the information about these places was real.

Back in Matthew’s gospel the Lord spoke of a final judgment.

He said the people of Sodom and Gomorrah will be brought to the final judgment.

Then in the next chapter (Mt. 11:24) He introduced this region again.

After the book of Genesis we read about Israel becoming the people of God.

According to the Old Testament, Israel spent time wandering in the wilderness.

Is this just a long and fascinating story, or is it real?

Here the words of Jesus in Jn. 6:49 – READ.

Three points spring from this text.

Jesus spoke to people who had “ancestors.”

These ancestors had been “in the wilderness,” and they had “eaten manna.”

Jesus confirmed these Old Testament events.

An Old Testament prophet was Jonah.

We know the story of how this prophet was swallowed by a great fish.

A lot of people laugh and say that really didn’t happen.

Jesus believed it was real and said so, Mt. 12:39-41.

BIBLE VERSES HAVE BEEN GIVEN TO SHOW THAT JESUS BELIEVED THE OLD TESTAMENT WAS A SOURCE OF AUTHORITY AND THE INFORMATION IN IT IS HISTORICALLY ACCURATE. BECAUSE OF THESE TWO THINGS HE TAUGHT PEOPLE TO OBEY IT.

There was once a woman who came into contact with the Lord (Lk. 11:27-28).

We do not know who this lady was, but we do know what she said.

She believed Jesus’ mother was “blessed” (happy, well off, fortunate).

Jesus surely had a good mother, but He knew Mary was just a woman.

His response to the lady offering praise was this – verse 28 – READ.

Another time (Mk. 3) there was a matter involving the Lord’s earthly family.

Jesus was told His family wanted to see Him.

Apparently His family heard what He was doing and they thought He was insane.

It seems they were ready to take Him back home.

Perhaps the Lord was embarrassing their family.

Jesus said this in response to His family: Mk. 3:35- READ.

Obedience to the Old Testament was necessary because it was a true & authoritative law.

Today many still teach obedient to some or all the Old Testament system.

We find groups that teach people to tithe, something found in the Old Testament.

Other groups have worship on Saturday, the special day under the Old Testament.

We also find religious people who have special priests.

Whoever wrote the book of Hebrews used some key words.

In the ASV “better” occurs 13 times.

“Covenant” appears 19 times.

“Testament” appears twice.

Whoever wrote this book knew all about the Old Testament system.

He said the Old Testament system, however, has become “old” (Heb. 8:13).

There is now a “New Testament” (same verse).

Christ is the “end of the law” (the Old Testament, Rom. 10:4).

The Old Testament came through Moses; the New Testament has come through Christ.

If the Old Testament (the inferior covenant) was binding, what about the New Testament?

It is certainly binding upon all people.

We have shown how the Old Testament was historically accurate.

This is important because of when we live.

Peter, Paul, Jesus, and all the other New Testament figures are dead.

They have been dead a long time.

Jesus’ miracles are now longer being done.

Jesus is no longer personally giving the kinds of teachings we find in the gospels.

How can we trust the information recorded in the New Testament?

We look to the old.

In Jesus’ day, the Old Testament events were really “old.”

Noah had been dead for a long time. The ark was not in an Israeli museum.

There was no tourist area to go and visit Sodom and Gomorrah.

All these events were historical, but they were historically accurate.

Such is also the case with the New Testament.