Introduction

• Thomas Campbell: “Where the Bible speaks, we speak; where the Bible is silent, we are silent.” (1800s Restoration Movement)
• Do you have a “book, chapter, verse” faith?

“Book, chapter, and verse”

• Luke 1:1-4; Acts 1:1-3
• The original documents were not divided into chapters and verses. Chapters weren’t added until about 1227 A.D., with verses added in 1555 A.D.
• Chapters and verses aided cross-reference and public reading, which helped knowledge of the Bible to expand during the Reformation.
• II Timothy 3:14-17
• Luke 4:17-19
• Luke 20:27-39 – Jesus used the scriptures to correct their misunderstanding.
• Acts 4:5-11
• Acts 15 – The dispute about circumcision went back to Amos.
• Acts 17:10-12 – Those in Berea searched the scriptures to confirm Paul’s teaching.
• Although the phrase “book, chapter, and verse” is not in the Bible, the concept is present throughout the scriptures.

Where is the authority of your faith?

• Colossians 3:17
• II John 1:9-11 – Don’t go beyond the scriptures. We must have proof for what we practice from the Bible.
• I Corinthians 4:6
• I Peter 4:11 – Speak as the oracles of God – minimize yourself and magnify God.
• I Corinthians 2:4-5; 1:18

Establish the pattern of sound words

• II Timothy 1:13-14
• Hebrews 8:5-6
• Everything we do must follow the pattern set forth in the Bible.

Growing in the knowledge of the truth

• II Peter 3:18
• I Peter 2:2
• Romans 10:17
• If you can find book, chapter, and verse for what you are doing, you know you are on solid ground.
• John 8:31-32
• John 20:30-31
• Matthew 15:7-9

Matthew 19

Matthew 19:1-12 – Marriage and divorce

• Jesus went all the way back to Genesis, to the law before the Law of Moses.
• See Proverbs 17:9. Here is one thing that can separate intimate friends – gossip about a spouse.
• See Acts 2:47. God also adds people to the church. Just like we should not drive a wedge between married people, we should not drive a wedge between a man and God.
• Matthew 19:10 – We must be careful not to try to make rules we think are better than God’s rules.

Matthew 19:13-15 – Jesus and little children

• See Mark 10:16. Jesus blessed the children.

Matthew 19:16-26 – The rich young ruler

• God will require that we do some things we don’t want to do. Jesus told the man a hard thing because Jesus loved him and that’s what the man needed to hear. The man grieved because he knew how much he did not want to do what Jesus told him.
• Zaccheus (Luke 19:1-10) had a similar story to the rich young ruler, yet with a very different outcome.
• What would it look like for me to do what Jesus asked of the rich young ruler?

Matthew 19:27-30

• The disciples certainly had their faults, but in a short time, they had come a long way.

Introduction

• Isaiah 13:11
• Deuteronomy 12:8, 1, 4

What is presumption?

• Proverbs 21:24 – “Pride” can be translated as “presumptuous.”
• Exodus 21:12-14 – To purposely cause a death is different in God’s eyes.
• Numbers 15:22-31 – God’s laws about accidental versus willful sin.
• Deuteronomy 1:43-46 – The Israelites acted presumptuously.
• I Timothy 1:12-14
• Pridefully and deliberately choosing to sin.

Honesty: I need to recognize it in my own life.

• I Corinthians 10:1-13
• We are supposed to learn from the examples in the Bible. The Israelites knew it was wrong to worship idols. Why did they do it? It appealed to their lusts.
• Psalms 19:12-13
• Acts 7:51-58 – Steven was trying to get them to be honest with themselves.

Humility: I need to get over myself and honor God’s word.

• Proverbs 11:2
• Deuteronomy 17:9-13
• Nehemiah 9:9-10, 16, 29
• James 1:21
• Hebrews 10:26-31
• Will I humble myself enough to obey God or will I just do what I want to do?

John 3:16

• John 3:16 – What does “believes” mean? Does that exclude other obligations, like repentance and baptism? Could this be a synecdoche?
• John 3:14-15 is a synecdoche.
• John 12:32-33

What’s the evidence of synecdoche?

Context

• Numbers 21:4-9 – The bronze serpent
• People had to respond to be saved by the serpent.
• John 3:14-21

Harmony

• Mark 16:15-16
• Acts 3:19
• Romans 10:9-10
• James 2:14, 26, 19

Pattern

• Acts 2:44, 41 – They had done much more than just believe.
• Acts 16:29-34 – Belief included baptism here.
• Acts 18:8
• I Corinthians 1:14

Conclusion

• My suggestion is that John 3:16 is another instance of this sort of language (synecdoche), where “believes” is simply a shortened way of referring to everything that comes from that belief and is involved in salvation.

Learning the truth about Jesus

• Matthew 28:18-20 – Jesus sent the disciples everywhere to teach.
• Teaching in the book of Acts
  • Acts 2:14, 42
  • Acts 4:1, 17, 33
  • Acts 5:20, 25, 42
  • Acts 6:7-10
  • Acts 7:51-53
  • Acts 8:3
  • This was a spiritual revolution founded on information.
• Romans 1:16; 10:17 – The power of salvation was in the word of God.
• Acts 17:2, 11
• Don’t just go with your conscience.
  • Acts 23:1; 26:9-11

Introduction

• Romans 8:28-32 – God pulled out all the stops to bless us!

The help of fellow Christians

• James 5:15-16
• Romans 15:14 – Christians help admonish each other.
• Galatians 6:1
• I Thessalonians 5:11
• I John 4:11
• We must be good at both giving help and receiving it.

The Bible as a guide for our lives

• Romans 15:4
• II Timothy 3:14-15; 1:5; 3:16-17 – Timothy was evidently listening and understanding what his mother and grandmother were reading to him.
• The Bible is not just opinions – it is authoritative.

The troubles that mature us

• Hebrews 10:32-34
• Romans 5:3-4
• Matthew 5:10-12
• I Peter 1:7 – How do you find out if a Christian is really a Christian? Test him by fire.
• Revelation 2:8-10 – Be faithful even if it requires your life!
• God has not promised to take away our troubles, but H will give us what we need to get through them.