Biblical Authority

Vision & Values
Biblical Authority
James 1:19-25

(To download and print blank sermon notes to complete while you listen, click HERE.)

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16–17)

We Believe...

That the Bible is the inspired Word of God - a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. We believe it is authoritative in every dimension of our lives (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

Since God’s Word is the only completely reliable and truthful authority, we accept the Bible as our manual for living. Our first question when faced with a decision is “What does the Bible say?” The Bible is the basis for all we believe.

How to Build My Life on the Bible

1. Receive it with my ears (19-21)

Four Attitudes That Improve My Reception:

• Be Quiet
• Be Calm
• Be Clean
• Be Humble

2. Read it with my eyes (22-25)

Two Qualifiers:

• “Looks intently” – Glance vs. Gaze
• “Continues to do so” – Consistency/Perseverance

The mirror of God’s Word helps us to evaluate ourselves, to see what we look like on the inside

3. Research it with my hands and mouth

“Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” (Acts 17:11)

Research is Bible Study

Two Vital Aids to Studying the Bible:

• Write it down
• Talk it over

4. Review and Remember it with my mind

• Memorization
• Meditation

“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” (Joshua 1:8)

5. Respond to it with my actions (22 & 25)

I only believe those parts of the Bible I actually do!

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.” (Matthew 7:24–25)

Making It Personal

From the points above, how can I grow in my capacity to build my life on the Bible? What steps can I begin to take this week to put this into practice?

Do my actions reveal any area of my life where I am struggling to accept the authority of the Bible? What is that area? What actions do I need to take to align my life with the truth of God’s Word?