Schooled: Revelation

Who is God? This is the most important question we could ever ask. How do we learn stuff about God? Is it passed down through oral tradition? Do we have to go to a Holy man or a spiritual guru for answers? Is God interested in us? Does He even care? Since God is a person and has personal attributes, He must personally reveal himself. God has a mind, will, emotions, and relational abilities. Therefore, He can be known personally. If we want to answer the personal questions about God, we need him to answer the questions himself.

The opening book of the Bible comes out swinging, "In the beginning GOD!" There is no pause for apologetics or a debate concerning the existence of a higher being, just God.

People often ask how they should convey truth to a group of postmodern students. Easy. People need revelation, not speculation. Let's break that down.

Speculation- Man looking up at the sky and guessing about God and His character. Out of this we create false religions, philosophies, and spirituality (which is actually demonology). We find people who seek to discover and claim to know who God is apart form God's own self-revelation.

Revelation- God speaks.

There are two types of revelation worth noting:

General Revelation- God has revealed himself as an artistic, good, and holy Creator through what has been made and what has been experienced and through the conscience.

General Revelation reveals the following about God: existence, power, creativity, and wisdom. The fact that we have and inward sense of right and wrong speaks to our being made in God's image. Psalm 19:1 tells us that everything about creation declares the glory of God. General Revelation is enough to reveal God's existence, but it is not enough to save. Every person on the planet is impacted by general revelation.

Specific Revelation- God has shown the way of salvation through sending Jesus and inspiring the Bible which explains Him.

The Bible is God's written revelation of who He is and what He has done.

Bible- More copies in print than any other book. It is also the most stolen book of all time (I personally don't mind if a sinner steals my bible). The Bible contains 66 books. It is a library of God's inspired word. It was written in 3 original languages: Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. The opening verse of the Bible reveals its hero: God! The last book of the Bible, Revelations, reveals its hero: Jesus! The entire Bible is the redemptive narrative of God radiating His glory through the death, burial, and resurrection of His son, Jesus. Every verse in the Bible is about Jesus.

The Old Testament offers many prophetic promises of Jesus' coming. No other religion can match this claim. No other religion can produce specific prophecies of their messiah. Old Testament prophecies of Jesus' coming predate His birth by hundreds, even thousands of years. This includes the prediction of Jesus' death by crucifixion, before crucifixion had been invented.

The characters of the Old Testament foreshadow the coming of a greater messiah. For example:

Adam- Adam failed his garden test, thus causing the fall of all humanity. Jesus passed His garden test, thus redeeming humanity.

Moses- Moses served as the mediator between Israel and God. Jesus is our great mediator. Jesus is the better Moses.

Job- Job suffered and was tormented even though he was innocent. Jesus suffered and was tormented even though he was the only sinless man who ever lived. Jesus is the better Jonah.

David- David was the shepherd boy who could slay giants. He reigned as the king. Jesus still slays giants today. Jesus took on the greatest giants we could ever imagine. Jesus still reigns as King today. The eternal King, Jesus, never steps off his thrown.

Jonah- Jonah spent 3 days in the belly of the fish. Jesus spent 3 days in the tomb only rise.

Jesus is in every verse of your Bible.

What do we believe about the Bible?

Verbal Plenary Inerrancy- this simply means that one believes every word of scripture is inspired by God through the Holy Spirit. Essentially, God's Word is truth. It contains no errors. John 17:17 simply states, "Your word is truth."

Let's be honest, some parts of the Bible may be hard to understand. If a passage seems hard to understand, it isn't because the Bible isn't true. It's because sin has corrupted our ability to think logically and reason according to truth.

Is the Bible necessary?

General revelation is enough to reveal the existence of God and our need for God, but it is not enough to redeem us from sin. General revelation is enough to condemn but not enough to save. We need more than general to set us free. In Hebrews 10:13-17 we find the answer we're looking for. We need a specific revelation of the person and work of Jesus Christ in order to come to a saving faith. We find this in God's word. Let me remind you of Jesus and his recorded forty day fast. While in the desert kicking it old school with the Father, Jesus is approached by none other than Satan (Not the guy from Looney Toons with the horn, tail, or pitch fork; nor am I referring to the Mormon Satan, who they claim to be the biological brother of Jesus. I'm actually referring to the Satan mentioned in the Bible.) Satan knows Jesus has been fasting for forty days. So, he offers Jesus some food. (note-Satan will offer you whatever it is that you want if it will distract you from worshipping God.) Jesus then rocks Satan's face and we find His response in Matthew 4:4, "Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word of God." The Bible is absolutely necessary if we hope to have a deep relationship with God.

Are you reading the Bible?

The point of reading the Bible is not to know all the rules or to become a better person. The purpose of reading the Bible is to know Jesus. There is something seriously wrong when you have a greater desire to read the Twilight saga or play XBOX or _______________ (insert favorite hobby) more than you desire to read God's Word. A Christian has a real desire to know God on a much deeper level. If you don't have a desire to know God or read the Bible, you may not be a Christian. Examine your heart. What is your true desire?

Psalm 119:11-16

"I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Blessed are you, O LORD; teach me your statutes! With my lips I declare all the rules of your mouth. In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches. I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word."

Psalm 119:105

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."

-Daniel