Lamoille Valley Grace Brethren Church
March 3, 2024

      • Psalm 96:8NASB95

  • Let Everything That Has Breath
  • How Firm A Foundation

      • 1 Peter 1:16–21NASB95

  • The Bible was written over 1600 years, over 60 generations, by 40+ authors.

    I. Biblical Reasons

    ​
    2 Timothy 3:16–17 NASB95
    16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
    2 Peter 1:20–21 NASB95
    20 But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, 21 for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.
    moved by the HS — used of a child in a mother’s womb being carried along, a ship carried by the wind, or a horse carrying someone on it back.
    Psalm 19:7–11 NASB95
    7 The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. 8 The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. 9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the Lord are true; they are righteous altogether. 10 They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb. 11 Moreover, by them Your servant is warned; In keeping them there is great reward.
    ​

    II. Non-Biblical Reasons

    A. Dead Sea Scrolls

    How the Dead Sea Scrolls Were Found By Harry Thomas Frank The most sensational archaeological discovery of the last half century was made entirely by accident. On a morning in the winter of 1946–1947 three shepherds of the Ta’amireh tribe of Bedouin watched their nimble-footed goats skip across the cliffs just north of an old ruin on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea The ruin, known as the City of Salt is mentioned in the Old Testament (Joshua 15:62), and from time to time archaeologists had shown interest. But from the middle of the nineteenth century, when they first worked in the area, until those days in winter, they had said that there was not much at that desolate site. Possibly it was a minor Roman fort. Perhaps, some of the more fanciful said, it was even Gomorrah! About a mile to the south of the ruin is one of the larger of the numerous freshwater springs that surround the Dead Sea. This place known as Ain Feshkha, is where these three Bedouin watered their animals. Then it was up the cliffs and into the forbidding wilderness where shepherds, like David, let their flocks wander in search of food. And so on that fateful day the immemorial scene was repeated, with black beasts defying gravity on steep inclines, leaping, stopping to nibble here and there. A seemingly disinterested shepherd moved leisurely below, but his eye missed nothing. Some of the goats were climbing too high up. It was getting late and time to get them down. Jum’a Muhammed—that was the name of the fellow—now showed his own nimbleness in getting up the cliff face. As he climbed something caught his attention. There were two small openings in the rock. They were caves, or maybe two openings into the same cave. But they were so small. A man could not get through the lower one but might just squeeze through the upper one. He threw a rock into the opening and peered in. The rock had broken pottery, and what else would be in these remote caves but treasure? Maybe his days of following the sheep were over. He peered into the black depths of the cave but nothing could be made out. He yelled down to his two cousins. Khalil Musa was older. Muhammed Ahmed el-Hamed was younger, a teenager. They came up and heard the excited tale. But it was now getting very late and the goats had to be gathered. Tomorrow would take them to Ain Feshkha. In the afternoon they would return for another look at this intriguing cave. But they did not visit the cave the next afternoon, returning somewhat later than planned from Ain Feshkha. At dawn of the next morning Muhammed Ahmed el-Hamed, who was nicknamed “The Wolf” (edh- Dhib), woke first. Leaving his two cousins sleeping on the ground, he scaled the 350 or so feet up to the cave Jum’a had found two days before. With efort the slender young man was able to lower himself feet first into the cave. The floor was covered with debris including broken pottery. But along the wall stood a number of narrow jars, some with their bowl-shaped covers still in place. Edh-Dhib scrambled over the floor of the cave and plunged his hand into one of the jars. Nothing. Frantically he tore the cover from another, eagerly exploring the smooth inside of the empty container. Another and yet another with the same result. The ninth was full of dirt. The increasingly desperate young Bedouin at last closed his hand around something wrapped in cloth. He extracted two such bundles and then a third, which had a leather covering but not cloth wrapping. The cloth and the leather were greenish with age. These were all edh- Dhib took from the cave that morning. He wiggled himself out of the opening and half-ran, half-fell down the hillside to show his sleepy cousins what he had found. Treasure indeed! Scholars who later interviewed edh-Dhib think that this boy had in his hands on that winter morning nothing less than the great Isaiah Scroll, the Habakkuk Commentary and The Manual of Discipline!
    https://library.biblicalarchaeology.org/article/how-the-dead-sea-scrolls-were-found/
    How the Dead Sea Scrolls Were Found - The BAS Library 3/2/24, 6:42 PM
    The Isaiah scroll contained the whole book of Isaiah and it was found to be 1000 years older than any other copy of Isaiah. When they compared it to the modern copies that are in existence it was nearly identical.
    There is almost universal concensus that the 39 books of the OT Bible are the inspired revealed Word of God.

    B. The New Testament

    Gilbert J. Garraghan and Jean Delanglez (1946) divide source criticism into six inquiries:[3]
    When was the source, written or unwritten, produced (date)?
    Where was it produced (localization)?
    By whom was it produced (authorship)?
    From what pre-existing material was it produced (analysis)?
    In what original form was it produced (integrity)?
    What is the evidential value of its contents (credibility)?
    ​
    Craig L. Blomberg quoted in the case for Christ by Lee Strobel
    “The earliest biographies of Alexander the Great were written by Arrian and Plutarch more than four hundred years after Alexander’s death in 323BC yet historian consider them to be generally trustworthy.”
    Other historic figures have similar or even larger time gaps between the time they died and when authors recorded their actions.
    The historical evidence for Alexander the Great is good, but the evidence for Jesus as recorded in the NT is far greater. There are over 5000 copies of full or partial portions of the NT dating back to as early as 125 AD which is less than 100 years after the resurrection of Jesus.
    Papyrus 52 - Gospel of John - 125AD
    Papyrus 46 - Colossians 1:16-20 - 125-150AD
    Papyrus 66 - John 1:1-3 - 200AD
    Not only that, but we have other evidence that verify the NT books were written even earlier than the copies that we have.
    So Jesus died in 33AD. Mark wrote his gospel in the 70s AD which is only 40 years after the events took place.
    How do we know that is true?
    Papias (AD 60-135) confirms the Gospel of Mark:
    "This also the presbyter said: Mark, having become the interpreter of Peter, wrote down accurately, though not in order, whatsoever he remembered of the things said or done by Christ. For he neither heard the Lord nor followed him, but afterward, as I said, he followed Peter, who adapted his teaching to the needs of his hearers, but with no intention of giving a connected account of the Lord's discourses, so that Mark committed no error while he thus wrote some things as he remembered them. For he was careful of one thing, not to omit any of the things which he had heard, and not to state any of them falsely." These things are related by Papias concerning Mark.”
    But we can confirm that the book of Acts was written even earlier than that. Acts was written by Luke and it ends with Paul in under house arrest in Rome. The story of Paul ends there. That means that the book of Acts was written about 62AD when those events took place.
    You can’t 100% prove historical figures or historical events existed or did not exist like you can prove a scientific fact, but you can show evidence that dispels reasonable doubt. The evidence for the historicity of Jesus through the NT exceeds the evidence of all other ancient historical people or events.
    Lee Strobel Video
    Origen, who died 254AD, wrote that there were 3 classes of writings of the NT Bible.
    Undisputed books: Matt, Mark, Luke, John, Paul’s letters, 1 Peter, 1 John, Acts, Revelation.
    Disputed books: 2 Peter, 2 & 3 John, Hebrews, James, Jude.
    Spurious books: Gospel of the Egyptians, Gospel of Thomas, etc.
    ​
    1 Corinthians 15:1–8 NASB95
    1 Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; 7 then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; 8 and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.
    ​
    Brethren, set your hearts at ease. Everyone has moments of doubt, but the evidence is overwhelming that the Bible is accurate and reliable and that our faith is not blind. And, if the Bible is accurate and reliable, then Jesus is who He said He is, He did what He said He did, and your faith is not in vain.

      • 2 Timothy 3:16–17NASB95

      • 2 Peter 1:20–21NASB95

      • Psalm 19:7–11NASB95

      • 1 Corinthians 15:1–8NASB95

  • Good Good Father
  • Indescribable
Lamoille Valley Grace Brethren Church
pastorethan@lvgbc.net
8028883339
http://www.lvgbc.net
25 members