Read: Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow 1 Peter 1:10-11
He(Jesus) was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. 1:20
All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever.” And this is the word that was preached to you. 1 Peter 1:24-25
We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty….Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. 2 Peter 1:16, 20-21
Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction. 2 Peter 3:15,16
Q1: What are some questions you have had about Scripture? (why so many translations? How were the books were selected? How can I trust it? etc.)
Q2: What have you done with those questions? How have those questions impacted your confidence in Scripture? (If they have)
Q3: If you read the notes or can remember the sermon, briefly define these terms:
Inspiration, Dissemination, Recognition, Translation, Transformation.
Read: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” 2 Tim. 3:16
Explain: Inspiration means that Scripture originated in the mind of God not in the minds of men. God used their unique personalities and histories as they wrote Scripture, but in the end, it is God-breathed not mere human words.
Q4: There are manifold evidences for the inspiration of Scripture, can you recall some of them?
Q5: Everyone begins with presuppositions. What are the presupposition for the atheist who believes they have reason to disbelieve in God?
Q6: There are evidences for the reality of God, but the Bible simply begins with the presupposition of God. Why do you think this is so?
Q7:Why don’t evidences (sometimes called “proofs”) for God’s existence work for everyone? Try to answer in line with what the Bible says about this. (See Romans 1:18-25)
Q8: What do you think it means, “God determined and the church Discovered what is Scripture”?
Read: In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
Judges 17:6
Explain: The time of the Judges was full of rebellion and disruption for Israel. They were in the promised land but they continually broke the promises of God and had ongoing trouble with enemies. They eventually got their king but this did not fix the real problem, which was their hearts. It is always disaster when people do what is “right in their own eyes.”
Q9: When have you suffered for doing what is right in your own eyes or when someone close to you did what was right in their own eyes?
Q10: Do you think you treasure the Bible? Why or why not? For many people the answer is “yes” and “no.” If this is you, what do you believe is behind your ambivalence?