Mythbusters-9-The Bible Isn't Relevant Today

This morning Pastor Brad finishes the Mythbusters series with the myth that The Bible Isn't Relevant  Today.

Pastor's Notes:

2 Timothy 3:16-17 NKJV
16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for [a]instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

INTRODUCTION
Good morning, everyone!
My family and I are glad to be back this morning. We had a much needed disconnect and do over trip before school starts back up in a few weeks. I hope that you’ve enjoyed this series. I’ve endeavored to teach some very diverse and controversial topics. I catch flack for doing so, but I do it because I strive to teach the whole counsel of the Word of God. I don’t believe we should run from that which other’s deem difficult.
Today, however, I want to finish this series with a very passionate topic that I pray you will also become passionate about. It’s the reason why next month, we will embark on a reading plan together as a church. I want to bust the myth that “The Bible Isn’t Relevant Today.”
ILLUSTRATION
I believe with all my heart that the church today has a major issue facing it. It’s not the issue of worship. We have great music and songwriters. It’s not service. This generation loves to volunteer and be a part. It’s not community . This generation loves relationship.
So, what is it, you may ask?
I believe the greatest challenge we face today is a good grasp of the Word of God.

Don’t get me wrong—I love technology. You may hate it, but if you aren’t engaging in the electronic world, you are quickly becoming obsolete. In a world full of MP3’s, text messages, social media, and storage in “the cloud”, you have to learn some new things to be efficient in the 21st century.
However, I believe technology has made us dumber concerning the Word of God.
Let me explain...
TRANSITION
I love having the words on the screen. It’s especially helpful to new believers and people who forgot their Bible at home. It’s also great in a day full of different translations and versions of the Scripture to have one version on the screen for everyone to read from.
Yet, what has been a blessing has now crippled us.
Most people don’t know the books in the Bible or where they are located. Likewise, most people don’t know how to find a scripture without Google!
There were days where we were memorizing Scripture, and now we reply upon the search engine to do all of our study.
To top it off, social media is full of meme’s that contact single verse, out of context scriptures.
LifeWay Christian Research reveals some major issues concerning Bible study:

-  9 out of 10 American homes own a Bible. The average however, owns three.
-  Only 1 in 5 people surveyed had read the Bible through at least once.
-  1/3 of Christians read the Bible once a week.
-  Only 85 percent of Christians believe the Bible is the infallible word of God.
- Many millennial believe that Biblical stances on homosexuality, abortion, and drug use are outdated, and culture trumps the Scripture.

If this indeed is true, Houston, we have a problem!
Because of this shift in culture, people who preach the Bible standards of truth are considered bigots, intolerant, and hateful.
As one person said “Truth sounds like hate to those who hate the truth.”
But even against stream in this current culture, we must teach and preach the Word of God. It indeed changes lives!

BACKGROUND
In our passage, the Apostle Paul is encouraging his son in the Lord Timothy to hold fast in preaching the Gospel. Even in his day, there were those who wanted to have their ears tickled with messages that make them feel good.
But notice he said “all Scripture” is given by inspiration of God .
That means ALL of the Word is both practical and relevant to us. The word of God isn’t a buffet. We don’t have the option of picking what we like and leaving what we don’t. We have to take it as a whole.

APPLICATION
1. It gives us foundation
-  He uses the word “doctrine”.
-  Doctrine can be defined as “a defined structure of beliefs”.
-  So why is reading the Bible important? It tells us what we believe and why we believe it!
*The Trinity *The Holy Spirit
*The infallibility of Scripture *Healing*The Name of Jesus* etc
2. It gives us correction
-While the Bible isn’t to be viewed as a book full of negativity, I think we wrongly view correction as negative. The truth is, in this generation, we don't like to be corrected. We get offended when anyone tries to show us any error we may be walking in.
- When we are walking in bitterness, unforgiveness, or unrighteousness, the Scripture can put us back in the right working order.
3. It gives us instruction
- The Scripture is an instruction manual.
- If you want the greatest level of effectiveness out of a product, use it in accordance with the user’s manual!
- It can teach you how to walk with God, love people, handle your money, raise your Children, and anything you could possibly think of.

CONCLUSION
The Bible is not some archaic book that is out of touch. It’s a roadmap to successful living.