Pastor Larry Sundin, Rock Springs Church
Do you own a Bible? Better yet, do you ever read, study or understand your Bible?
The Bible, or God’s Word, is the most extraordinary book ever written. It was written over a span of 1,500 years by more than 40 diverse human authors, and yet we are told that the Bible is not the product of man’s will, but is the product of God’s breath, as these men were carried along by the Holy Spirit to bring the story of God to us. In fact, how the Bible has made its way into our hands is quite a remarkable story. Before the advent of the printing press, the Bible was copied by hand. There are still more than 5,900 Greek manuscripts of the New Testament in existence today. In fact, the Bible has been translated from those copies into more than 800 languages. And today, there are more than 5 billion copies of the Bible in circulation. It is still far and away the most read and best-selling book in human history.
But do you understand why it was written? It wasn’t written as a spiritual encyclopedia, as if you could open it and see its subject matter arranged by topics. No, it was written as a narrative, as a story of God’s dealing with humanity from Creation to the end of history. In actuality, it is God’s grand story of redemption. And when you begin to read it from cover to cover, you begin to discover things you need to know about God, about His will and His ways, about His greatness, goodness, holiness, and love. You begin to learn that God’s one desire has been to rescue humankind from the ruin of sin and reconcile every person into a loving and intimate relationship with Him. In this book, we discover the paradox of humanity, how on the one hand we can create such beautiful things, but on the other hand, we can bring so much death, destruction, and evil through our lives. As you read through this book, you can find wisdom for daily living, guidance for healthy relationships, hope for the future, and revelation as to what God is truly like.
This is the book that rescues the perishing, transforms the broken, renews the weary, and brings light to those who are seeking truth. It is the book of truth, where grace, mercy, and love are found in the revelation of Jesus. And it is the book from which I get to teach and help people to learn how to live and love like Jesus. There is no other book that even comes close to revealing the beauty, drama, and hope that’s found in its pages. And it is our hope that you might not just understand it, but come to know its author, who has chosen to make Himself known through every page. So, if you own a Bible and would like to know why David described it as more valuable than gold, and how the truth in its pages have changed millions of people’s lives for the better, why not join Sunday morning, 9 a.m. in the Ballroom as we open its treasures and see why the Bible really is no ordinary book.