Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction - It’s no accident I had the Gideon’s share their incredible ministry today.

While we were on vacation visiting our family, on our way home from Maryland, Cheryl & I went to the Museum of the Bible in Washington DC.

It is an amazing museum that testifies of the importance of Scripture and it’s world wide impact on whole countries, societies, cultures and people groups.

It really should be on your “bucket list” to go visit there.

It is the most technologically advanced museum in all of Washington.

They have interactive presentations telling the story of the Bible, a working life-size replica of the Gutenberg printing press which revolutionized the speed the Bible could be reproduced and distributed when it was put into service in 1450 AD.

Up until that printing press, the Bible was produced on parchment scrolls, and painstakingly copied by hand by scribes!

We saw fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls, in one case part of the book of Isaiah that stretched out as long as this auditorium is lengthwise, all in the Hebrew language!

It was moving to me to see the scrolls the museum has collected in darkened rooms, on specially designed racks, behind glass holding a huge hand-copied scrolls of the Word of God.

Honestly it was overwhelming on so many levels.

The sheer amount of work one scroll represents, with poor lighting, quill pen, ink, and the laborious task of copying letter by letter, symbol by symbol, God’s Word.

Then I was overwhelmed thinking about how God has seen fit to preserve His Word so you and I have accurate translations of the Scripture in our own language today.

We are so blessed here in the United States to have multiple translations of the Bible in English, we have the King James, the New King James, the NASB, NIV, ESV, CSB, NLT and many more!

It was convicting to see a display of how believer’s in closed countries have to go to extreme measures to have portions of the Bible in their own language on a scrape piece of paper.

In one case, a paper cut in the shape of a shoe, and they would place it inside their shoe face down to hide it in case they are searched and if found would mean certain painful death!

Can you imagine?

And we have bookshelves full of the Word we don’t even read, much less obey.

The last display we looked at was a room much like a library, but with volumes of books where the Bible has been translated into a known language.

Did you know there are 7100 known languages in use in the world today?

Yet there are only 707 languages with complete translations of the Bible or 9% of all languages.

There are 2535 languages that have partial translations of the Bible or only 35% of the languages of the world.

That means there are 4565 languages in the world with nothing of the Bible in their language!

I believe the Gideon Bible app has 1700 languages on it!

Many of those languages don’t even have a written language, they are oral learners and for some people groups, the first written version of their language was actually a Bible that was the tool to give them a written language!

I saw this years ago on a mission trip to WA and the importance of Bible Storying.

Transition - As I was standing there trying to wrap my mind around the fact so many people groups in the world don’t have access to the Word of God, Romans 10:17 kept coming to my mind: “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” Read Text - Romans 10:14-17.

This comes in the immediate context of Romans 10:13 “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

But there’s a problem that Paul poses in vs. 14 where he asks the question “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed?

And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard?

And how shall they hear without a preacher?

Now think about that for a moment.

“Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.”

But if you don’t have access to the Word of God, you can’t have faith in Yahweh, the one true God.

But God has given the human race His Word to reveal the way of Salvation!

The Bible: What it is – An unknown author has described the Bible this way: “This Book contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners and the happiness of believers.

Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable.”

“Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, and practice it to be holy.

It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you.

It is the traveler’s map, the pilgrim's staff, the pilot's compass, the soldier’s sword and the Christian’s character.”

“Here paradise is restored, heaven opened, and the gates of hell disclosed.

Christ is its grand object; our good is its design, and the glory of God its end.

It should fill the memory, rule the heart, and guide the feet.”

“Read it slowly, frequently, and prayerfully.

It is given you in life and will be opened in the judgment and will be remembered forever.

It involves the highest responsibility, will reward the greatest labor, and will condemn all who trifle with its sacred contents.”

(Wilmington’s Guide to the Bible).

The Bible is comprised of 66 different books, 39 OT & 27 NT written by 40 different authors over a 1500 year time span.

These authors come from every walk of life including: kings, military leaders, peasants, philosophers, fishermen, tax collectors, poets, musicians, statesmen, scholars, and shepherds.

Examples:

(1)  Moses – political leader and judge, trained in the universities of Egypt.

(2)  David – King, poet, musician, shepherd, warrior.

(3)  Amos – a herdsman

(4)  Joshua – military general

(5)  Nehemiah – Cupbearer to a pagan king

(6)  Daniel – prime minister

(7)  Solomon – King & philosopher

(8)  Luke – physician and historian

(9)  Peter – Fisherman

(10) Paul – A rabbi

The Bible was written in different places – in the wilderness, in dungeons, in palaces, prisons, while traveling and on islands that span 3 continents – Asia, Africa & Europe.

Written in different times and moods – David in times of war and sacrifice, Solomon in times of peace and prosperity.

Some writing at the height of joy, others writing in the depths of sorrow and despair; some during times of certainty and conviction, others during days of confusion and doubt.

While written in lots of different styles it is significant to notice the Bible addresses a variety of controversial subjects including: marriage, divorce, remarriage, homosexuality, adultery, obedience to authority, truth-telling and lying, character development, parenting, and the nature and revelation of God.

Yet throughout the entire Bible, even though written over a 1500 year span of time and cultures, the Biblical writers demonstrate amazing harmony on these subjects.

In spite of its diversity, the Bible presents a single unfolding story: God’s redemption of human beings.

Among all the people described in the Bible, its main character throughout is the one true and living God, made known through the person of Jesus Christ.

Applications: Standing there in that “library” at the MOB where there are lots of empty spaces for peoples and languages that don’t have any part of the Bible in their language, the Lord impressed on my heart that Bible translation & distribution ministries are a vital ministry for us to get behind and support both financially & with volunteer labor.

1.

We must support the work of the Gideons!

Maybe God wants you to become a Gideon?

Retired?

They need men.

2. We must support the work of groups like Wycliff Bible Translators, laboring to translate the Bible into 1800 strategic languages without the Bible in their language.

I’ll be exploring ways for our church to get involved.

3. We must study & internalize the Word of God personally, daily!

Close - Tell about Dr. Maurice Robinson.

A self-described Florida redneck from a pagan, godless family.

The first member of his family to go to college.

Challenged by his college English professor who happened to be a Methodist, that to be well educated you need to read the Bible as it’s the most influential book of all time.

Well, Maurice Robinson wanted a good education so he got himself a Bible and began to read through it.

He gave is life to Christ in the middle of the Gospel of Mark! Went on to get his PHD and became a Greek/Hebrew Scholar & NT professor at SEBTS.

He had the misfortune of having to teach your pastor NT & Greek at SEBTS and read my painful attempts to translate Greek on his exams.

God’s word is quick, powerful & sharper than any two-edged sword!

(Heb.

4:12)

God’s Word will not return void but will accomplish all of God’s purposes!

Do you know Jesus Christ today?

I would be remiss in my duties as a minister of the Gospel if I didn’t tell you that becoming a Christian is as simple as ABC.

For the rest of us as believer’s, I challenge you to read your Bibles!

Memorize it, be saturated with it.

There may very well be a day where the only Bible you have available to you is what you’ve hidden in your mind and heart!

Could you survive?

SOAP Bible journaling!

We’re working through Colossians!

I’m behind but it doesn’t matter, I’m working on it & you can too!

I’ll guarantee when those two strangers shared a hotel room in 1908 & had their quiet time in the Word together, they had no idea God would birth a world-wide Bible distribution ministry through them!

Download the Gideon Bible app and listen to it while driving or working out!

It’s awesome.

Share the Gideon Bible app with others!