THE BIBLE: GOD'S MESSAGE TO MAN

Jezik Bosnian

1. THE BIBLE: GOD'S MESSAGE TO MAN

"Thy Word is Truth"

Aim

To show that the Bible is the Word of God.

Synopsis

The Bible is a miracle in our hands. It is a book which not only tells us of the past, but it also prophesies, which means it tells us of the future, something which no other book can do. It teaches us all that we need to know about God, what He has done in the past, what He is doing now and what He plans to do in the future. It also shows us the way that we must live to please Him.

2 Timothy 3:14-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21

THE BIBLE

The word 'Bible' means "book". The word 'holy' means "separate" or "set apart". So the Holy Bible is a book set apart from all other books. God has set it apart as the only book which tells the Truth about God and His purpose with men. When we open it we find that it is really a collection of sixty six books bound together into one. The Bible is divided into two parts. The Old Testament and the New Testament.

The Old Testament has 39 books. Moses began to write the first five books about 1,500 years before Christ was born. The last book of the Old Testament was written by the prophet Malachi about 1,000 years later.

The New Testament contains 27 books. It tells us of the life and work of Jesus and how his disciples spread the good news about the Lord Jesus Christ and his coming Kingdom throughout the world. This part of the Bible was written during the first hundred years after Jesus was born.

Learn the names of the books of the Bible off by heart. It will help you in your daily Bible reading and study.

We see then that the Bible was written over a very long time, about 1,600 years in all; yet all the writers tell the same wonderful story. They all tell us in different ways, God's great plan for this earth and man upon it.

HOW THE BIBLE WAS WRITTEN

How is it that the Bible, which was written over such a long period of time and by many different men in different places, tells one special message? The apostle Peter tells us that "holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit" (2 Pet. 1:21). It was God's Holy Spirit power that put the thoughts in their minds and they spoke God's thoughts. So, although *many people wrote the Bible, God Himself is the Author of it.

WHY THE BIBLE WAS WRITTEN

In the Bible we are told all we need to know about God and His plan for the earth and men upon it. He wants us to know and love Him. There are many wonderful and exciting stories in the Bible about faithful men and women who loved and obeyed God. These stories help us learn to be faithful and obedient too. So the more we read the Bible, the more we will love God and try to please Him. Our thoughts will become His thoughts and our ways will be changed to be like His ways.

GOD'S FUTURE PLAN WITH THE EARTH

God's purpose is to fill the earth with His glory. "As truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord" (Num. 14:21). To do this He will send Jesus Christ back again to set up God's Kingdom upon the earth (Acts 1:10-11; Dan. 2:44). He will first raise the dead ones who have known the Truth and give eternal life to all those who have loved and obeyed him. They will then help him teach the world God's righteous ways. He will destroy the wicked and reign in Jerusalem as King over all the earth. Then for a thousand years Christ and the saints will change the world into a place where all creation will give glory and praise to God forever.

WHAT THE BIBLE TEACHES ABOUT GOD

The Bible tells us about God:-

That God is immortal or never dying;
That there is only one God (Deut. 6:4), the Creator of all things;
That God is kind and patient and will help and guide those who trust in Him. He is also righteous and just and will punish the wicked who reject Him and His ways;
That the Holy Spirit is God's power by which He performs His mighty works;
That the angels are His immortal servants or messengers who do His will.

LESSON FOR US

In the Bible we learn what God wants us to do. There are things we must do and things we must not do. The people who do what God wants because they love and trust Him, will one day be given eternal life in God's Kingdom. Nowhere else but in the Bible do we find the way to everlasting life and happiness. We should read the Bible every day and He will guide us through all our life. "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path" (Psalm 119:105).

ADDITIONAL NOTES

What is prophecy? When "holy men of God" prophesied, they foretold the future. We cannot of ourselves say what will happen in the future but God can do this.

The Bible contains many prophecies. Those that have already come to pass have been so accurately fulfilled in every detail that we can confidently believe that those prophecies which are yet to be fulfilled will just as surely come to pass.

Many of the prophecies of the Bible clearly show that Jesus Christ will return to the earth, and they speak of the conditions which will exist in the world just before he returns.

Consider some of these signs:

(1) There will be great trouble and wars among the nations of the earth (Dan. 12:1; Luke 21:25-26).

Wickedness and sin will increase all over the world (Matt 24:37-39).
Children will not respect their parents and elders, and people will be lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God (2 Tim. 3:1-5).
Russia will become a great power, seeking to rule the world (Ezek. 38).
The Jews will return to their own land (Ezek. 38:8,12).

These prophecies are today being fulfilled before our very eyes and are a testimony that the Bible is indeed God's Word and that the day is very near when He will send Jesus Christ back to the earth to set up His Kingdom.

QUESTIONS

Short Answers