sorry for being lax the past couple months in posting. These are the sermons for the summer sermon series Bible Mythbusters. Check out the videos at www.kdve.com/Nazarene.htm I am sure you will enjoy them. Jesse

Dan Brown makes some interesting claims in his book the Da Vinci Code in regards to the Bible. He asserts Constantine financed a rewriting of the Bible and at the council of Nicea got rid of the books he did not like. Therefore the Bible we have today is not accurate.
In contrast 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”
So which one is right? Can you trust the Bible?
MAPS + CL = Bible is more than another book.
M= Manuscript evidence about the Bible.
Historians use three criteria to evaluate reliability of a text.
1) They look at the number of manuscripts available.
2) Time interval between the date of original writing and the date the particular manuscript was made.
3) The quality of those manuscripts.
Historians are confident that Julius Caesar conquered Gaul. We have ten ancient manuscripts of Caesar’s writings on the Gallic Wars.
Consider the following:
Author: When Written: Earliest Copy: Time Span #of copies
Caesar 100-44 B.C 900 A.D. 1,000 years 10
Plato 427-347 B.C 900 A.D. 1,200 years 7
Tacitus 100 A.D. 1,100 A.D. 1,000 years 20
Thucydides 460-400 B.C. 900 A.D. 1,300 years 8
Herodotus 384-322 BC 900 AD 1,200+ years 8
Aristotle 450-385 BC 900 AD 1400 years 49
Homer 900 BC 400 BC 500 years 643
New Testament 40-100 AD 125 AD 25 years 24,000
In terms of quality of manuscripts the OT manuscripts is excellent, that of the NT is very good – considerably better than the manuscript quality of other ancient documents.
What this means is, by standards of scholarly accuracy and reliability, the Bible stands head and shoulders above all other literature. In the entire NT, only 400 words are in question (.5%). No doctrine of Christianity is affected. The manuscript evidence is overwhelming in favor of the Bible being more than another book. But consider…
A= Archaeological evidences
“Archaeology is a powerful witness to the accuracy of biblical documents… For years, critics dismissed the book of Daniel, partly because there was no evidence that a king named Belshazzar ruled in Babylon during that period. Later archaeological research, however, confirmed that the reigning monarch, Nabonidus, appointed Balshazzar as his coregent while he was waging war away from Babylon.” (pg 45 of The Da Vinci Code Fact or Fiction)
“In U.S. News and World Report, Jeffery Sheler highlights the significance of the discovery of the remains of a man crucified during the first century. This discovery calls into question the scholarship of liberals who contend that Jesus was tied rather than nailed to the cross and that his corpse was likely thrown into a shallow grave and eaten by wild dogs rather than entombed and resurrected.” (pg 46 of The Da Vinci Code Fact or Fiction)
Archaeology continually proves the Bible accounts of history are correct. Archaeology says the Bible is more than another book.
P= Prophecy versus Chance
Consider what Peter Stoner in his book Science Speaks (Moody Press 1963) wrote; if only 8 prophecies were fulfilled by Jesus the chance of it happening is 1 to 10 to the 17th power. In other words it would be like covering Texas 2 feet deep in silver dollars marking one and blindfolding a man and asking him to find the right one. By just fulfilling 48 prophecies it is 1 to 10 to the 157th power. Now consider there are 456 prophecies that Jesus fulfilled all written at least 400 years prior to his birth. Is it Chance or God’s divine insight?
S= Scriptural Proof:
Luke 1:1-3 how Luke went about to write the gospel.
1 John 1:1 what John was doing in his writing.
2 Peter 1:16-21 Peter’s testimony to his eyewitness account
2 Timothy 3:16-17
2 Peter 3:15-16 shows Paul’s letters were considered Scripture around 70 AD.
Romans 15:4 Why it was written
Hebrews 4:12 It is able to convict
CL = Changed Lives BOB FLETCHER

Closing thought: Deuteronomy 32:46-47 The Bible is not just another book. It is far more than another book. Here in lies the power of life. We can attempt to deny it, but the truth is the truth. Submit your life to the Bible.