Who is the authority?
Lesson 1:
I. Are there physical evidences that God is our authority?
· Does the God of the Bible Exist?
· Let us examine creation.
o Every creation has a creator. Every design has a designer.
Hebrews 3:4 4 For every house is built by someone, but He who built all things is God.
Romans 1:20-21 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
o Consider the mountains of the earth, the powerful and mighty oceans, the fruit and vegetables that are a product of the soil and the rain,
the stars above, the beautiful sunsets, etc.
Genesis 1:1 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
· God commanded circumcision.
o God spoke directly to Abraham commanding that he and his descendents be circumcised.
Genesis 17:9-12 9 And God said to Abraham: “As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. 10 This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised; 11 and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you. 12 He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised, every male child in your generations, he who is born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not your descendant.
o God told the Israelites, through the law of Moses, that they needed to be circumcised.
Leviticus 12:3 3 And on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.
o About 4 thousand years after God first commanded circumcision, scientists proved that a baby’s immunity and blood system peeks on
the eighth day to about 120%. The eighth day is the only day that the body’s blood system adjusts to levels 20% above normal immunity
allowing those in the days of Abraham to successfully circumcise without medical technology.
· The Earth is round.
Isaiah 40:22 22 It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.
o In this passage, circle is also translated into sphere in the Hebrew language.
o About 2,000 years later Magellan (explorer/sailor) proved the world was round by sailing around it. Today, people of the “Flat Earth
Society” still believes the world is flat even though the Bible had stated it was cylindrical thousands of years ago.
II. Are there any prophecies that were given to men by inspiration of God that prove God is the authority?
· The birth, life, and sacrificial death of Jesus were originally prophesied by Isaiah approximately 700 years prior to His coming.
o The birth of Christ was a prophecy given to Isaiah by God.
Isaiah 7:14 14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.
o The virgin birth of Christ did indeed occur and was later recorded in Luke’s inspired account of the gospel.
Luke 1:26-31 26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.28 And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”29 But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. 30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS.
o The details surrounding the trial of Christ prior to His crucifixion were prophesied by Isaiah as he was inspired by God.
Isaiah 53:3 3 He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
o In Matthew’s account of the gospel, Matthew was inspired by God to record the details of Christ’s trial as they had happened. Isaiah’s
prophecy had been fulfilled almost 700 years later.
Matthew 27:20-23 20 But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitudes that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. 21 The governor answered and said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” They said, “Barabbas!” 22 Pilate said to them, “What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said to him, “Let Him be crucified!” 23 Then the governor said, “Why, what evil has He done?” But they cried out all the more, saying, “Let Him be crucified!”
o Isaiah was also inspired to write about the sacrificial death of Christ and what His death would mean to the world.
Isaiah 53:5-7 5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth.
o We have record of the prophecy being fulfilled in John’s account of the gospel. John was inspired by God to write the importance of
Christ’s sacrificial death.
John 1:29 29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
o The burial of Christ’s body was an additional prophecy given to Isaiah by God.
Isaiah 53:9 9 And they made His grave with the wicked— But with the rich at His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was any deceit in His mouth.
o In Matthew’s account of the gospel, Matthew was later inspired to record the details surrounding the actual burial of Christ.
Matthew 27:57-60 57 Now when evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. 58 This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be given to him. 59 When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 and laid it in his new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb, and departed.
III. The Bible is the authority.
· God’s word contains 66 books that were written by 40 different authors from 3 different continents and cultures and in 3 different languages
over a period of 1600 years, yet His word never contradicts itself.
1 Corinthians 14:33 33 For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.
· God’s word, the Bible, is truth.
John 17:17 17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.
· The Word is from God.
John 1:1 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
· The word is God breathed.
2Timothy 3:16-17 16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
· God inspired Peter to teach us that there is only one interpretation of God’s word.
2 Samuel 23:2 2The Spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word was in my tongue (King James Version)
Jeremiah 1:9 9Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth (King James Version)
2Peter 1:19-21 19We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: 20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. (King James Version)
· Christ has been given all authority and has supplied us with His words through the New Testament.
Matthew 28:18 18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
Hebrews 1:1-2 1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;
John 14:26 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.
John 16:12-14 12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you
o Those who wrote the New Testament were inspired by the Holy Spirit in order to speak and write the words of Christ.
Acts 1:8 8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Acts 2:33 33 Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear.
· The New Testament word is what we will be judged by.
John 12:48 48 He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him--the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.
· Does the God of the Bible Exist?
· Let us examine creation.
o Every creation has a creator. Every design has a designer.
Hebrews 3:4 4 For every house is built by someone, but He who built all things is God.
Romans 1:20-21 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
o Consider the mountains of the earth, the powerful and mighty oceans, the fruit and vegetables that are a product of the soil and the rain,
the stars above, the beautiful sunsets, etc.
Genesis 1:1 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
· God commanded circumcision.
o God spoke directly to Abraham commanding that he and his descendents be circumcised.
Genesis 17:9-12 9 And God said to Abraham: “As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. 10 This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised; 11 and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you. 12 He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised, every male child in your generations, he who is born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not your descendant.
o God told the Israelites, through the law of Moses, that they needed to be circumcised.
Leviticus 12:3 3 And on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.
o About 4 thousand years after God first commanded circumcision, scientists proved that a baby’s immunity and blood system peeks on
the eighth day to about 120%. The eighth day is the only day that the body’s blood system adjusts to levels 20% above normal immunity
allowing those in the days of Abraham to successfully circumcise without medical technology.
· The Earth is round.
Isaiah 40:22 22 It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.
o In this passage, circle is also translated into sphere in the Hebrew language.
o About 2,000 years later Magellan (explorer/sailor) proved the world was round by sailing around it. Today, people of the “Flat Earth
Society” still believes the world is flat even though the Bible had stated it was cylindrical thousands of years ago.
II. Are there any prophecies that were given to men by inspiration of God that prove God is the authority?
· The birth, life, and sacrificial death of Jesus were originally prophesied by Isaiah approximately 700 years prior to His coming.
o The birth of Christ was a prophecy given to Isaiah by God.
Isaiah 7:14 14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.
o The virgin birth of Christ did indeed occur and was later recorded in Luke’s inspired account of the gospel.
Luke 1:26-31 26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.28 And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”29 But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. 30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS.
o The details surrounding the trial of Christ prior to His crucifixion were prophesied by Isaiah as he was inspired by God.
Isaiah 53:3 3 He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
o In Matthew’s account of the gospel, Matthew was inspired by God to record the details of Christ’s trial as they had happened. Isaiah’s
prophecy had been fulfilled almost 700 years later.
Matthew 27:20-23 20 But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitudes that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. 21 The governor answered and said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” They said, “Barabbas!” 22 Pilate said to them, “What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said to him, “Let Him be crucified!” 23 Then the governor said, “Why, what evil has He done?” But they cried out all the more, saying, “Let Him be crucified!”
o Isaiah was also inspired to write about the sacrificial death of Christ and what His death would mean to the world.
Isaiah 53:5-7 5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth.
o We have record of the prophecy being fulfilled in John’s account of the gospel. John was inspired by God to write the importance of
Christ’s sacrificial death.
John 1:29 29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
o The burial of Christ’s body was an additional prophecy given to Isaiah by God.
Isaiah 53:9 9 And they made His grave with the wicked— But with the rich at His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was any deceit in His mouth.
o In Matthew’s account of the gospel, Matthew was later inspired to record the details surrounding the actual burial of Christ.
Matthew 27:57-60 57 Now when evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. 58 This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be given to him. 59 When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 and laid it in his new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb, and departed.
III. The Bible is the authority.
· God’s word contains 66 books that were written by 40 different authors from 3 different continents and cultures and in 3 different languages
over a period of 1600 years, yet His word never contradicts itself.
1 Corinthians 14:33 33 For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.
· God’s word, the Bible, is truth.
John 17:17 17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.
· The Word is from God.
John 1:1 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
· The word is God breathed.
2Timothy 3:16-17 16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
· God inspired Peter to teach us that there is only one interpretation of God’s word.
2 Samuel 23:2 2The Spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word was in my tongue (King James Version)
Jeremiah 1:9 9Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth (King James Version)
2Peter 1:19-21 19We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: 20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. (King James Version)
· Christ has been given all authority and has supplied us with His words through the New Testament.
Matthew 28:18 18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
Hebrews 1:1-2 1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;
John 14:26 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.
John 16:12-14 12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you
o Those who wrote the New Testament were inspired by the Holy Spirit in order to speak and write the words of Christ.
Acts 1:8 8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Acts 2:33 33 Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear.
· The New Testament word is what we will be judged by.
John 12:48 48 He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him--the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.
