Kenny Moorer - Why Did God Write The Bible The Way He Did

7:32PM May 26, 2024

Speakers:

Kenny Moorer

Keywords:

jesus

people

sheep

morning

shepherd

parable

called

verse

heart

yoke

books

question

coach

preach

heal

god

gospel

told

listen

passage

Good morning. There you go, three people are alive. That's good.

Oh, Verbo just lift and Pam. You may have seen that. He came up and told me that his oxygen tank was about to empty. And he thought it was important find some oxygen. And I agreed with him 100%. So that's where he's going. So I wanted, he didn't say let you know. But in case you wanted to know, I wanted you to know that. So that's why they have gone. We're glad to have all of you today. We have several visitors, even in our family there are visitors today. And we're glad to have them and others of you have visitors with you. And we're certainly glad to have you. Others are watching online. It's good to have you with us today, as well. This is one weekend where we, as a nation, honor those who have given their lives. And we would remiss I think if we didn't remember that. There's a lot of people who have given their life through the years for our freedom. There's one that we've already celebrated today who's given his life for our freedom, our spiritual freedom, and I'm grateful for him as well.

If you're able to come back and be with us tonight, we're going to have a prayer service along with a few songs that will be specifically for efforts that we're about to make. VBS, which begins next Sunday, and then our lectureship which is in the latter part of June. And there'll be other things for which we'll pray tonight and our elders will lead those prayers tonight. But every single one of us will be praying. So I hope you'll come back and be encouraged by that. Wednesday night, in preparation for our Vacation Bible School, I'll ask all the kids to sit up front. And if parents need to do that with them, then we'll be glad to have you. If not, we prefer to keep you in the back or not up here with us. I say that in all kindness you understand. But if you can come back and be with us as we began that. If you've not yet signed up kids for VBS please try to do that. That would help.

Almost everyone in this audience knows that my background, part of my background has to do with coaching. I coached a lot of years. And some of you are coaches. Trent Randolph's just got through coaches baseball program; a baseball team. They were undefeated, which I find surprising, considering Trent was their coach. I say that in jest. Others of you here this morning are baseball coaches and basketball coaches. I could write a book about my coaching experiences. But that wouldn't mean much to anybody but me. But I'm gonna share a couple of things with you this morning as I begin this lesson.

One night coming back from Miami. It was after a rare win in Miami. But the bus was pretty happy. And I noticed that some of the players were; they asked me to turn the light on in their area. And so I did. And they were trying to study for a test the next day and in the test, they had to memorize the books of the New Testament. And it was; it was almost funny just listening to them try to remember the books. About half the team had some spiritual background that would have offered the possibility for them to learn those books. But about half the team didn't and the ones who didn't, didn't really know hardly anything about. And so about 15-20 minutes in, I made a suggestion. I said Why don't y'all learn a song. I'm going to teach you a song. So the whole bus for about the next 30 minutes sang "Matthew, Mark Luke and John, Acts and the letter to the Romans" and we went over this. Well, that was funny enough, but when we got out at the next convenience store, all those guys got off that bus singing that song and people were a little confused about it.

But they eat more easily understood and memorized the books of the New Testament. A little bit later that night, because it was a long ride home, I don't remember that and made it several times. Later that night I had a player named Steve Parks. Steve Parks is from Huntsville, some in my family especially my older son Sam, who's here this morning; Sam remembers him well. Steve is not only funny, but he could be serious. And so little later that night, Steve swapped seats with whoever was sitting up front with me and said, I want to sit with coach. And he did. He had a few questions about that test that he wanted to ask me. But then he asked me this question. He said, Why are there so many books in the Bible? He just learned, he just memorized the 27. He knew there were, I think he knew there were 66. But he didn't have to memorize the Old Testament, they needed to memorize the New Testament. He said, Why are there so many books? And as a about-a-45-year-old coach, driving in the middle of the night, very tired, I don't know exactly what my mind was thinking, but it was hard for me to determine what I wanted to tell him and how I wanted to answer that. But he asked me, you know, why are there so many books? And I'm sure I gave him an answer. But I didn't give him an answer, probably that I should have given him that I want to talk to you about this morning.

I want us to talk about why God wrote the Bible the way God wrote the Bible. I think that's a legitimate question. You ever asked yourself that question? I probably made a stab at it when Steve asked me that question. But my guess is I probably said something like, well, that's what he wanted to do. And I'll tell you that right up front today. That's one of my answers today. He wrote that because that's exactly what he intended and wanted to do. And thats not gonna be the only time you're gonna hear me make that statement this morning. But I think there's a little bit more to it than that. Have you ever thought about that question? Have you ever thought about this question? You know, if God wanted us to come together on the first day of the week and saying, and pray and give and have somebody preach, take the Lord's Supper? Why didn't he just say that one verse? Why didn't he just do that? Why didn't he just list everything he wanted us to do and then be done with it? Why did he do it the way he did it? We got all this confusion throughout the world about what should a person do to be saved? Why not? Why not just; why didn't the Lord just say, Look, folks, I know what's gonna happen, there's gonna be all sorts of this confusion. Here's what I want you to do "da da da" and you'll be done with it. And we just follow that. You ever thought about why God didn't do that? I have. I thought about it. I've thought a lot of times when I've been talking to people about the gospel, we've had discussions about that. I thought it meant a lot. And Lord, why? Why didn't you just be done with it say this? I think it's a legitimate question. I want us to look at why did God do what he did? I think if we have a better understanding about that. I'm not gonna answer all your questions, but I'm gonna take I'm gonna give you a better answer than I gave Steve Parks about 2002. I'm gonna give you a better answer. I'm gonna give you a biblical answer. I'm gonna give you an answer that I think the Lord gave to some other people. Now, there's some other people may not have asked it the same way. But I think they asked it. And I want you to ask yourself the question, I want you to try to answer for yourself right now. Why did God do what he did? What does that leave you with this morning? When I asked you that question, what does that leave you with? Does it leave you with That's a good answer; it's a good question, Kenny. I'm glad you're gonna talk about this one. Or is it clear in your mind what God did what he did? Let's talk about that.

I want you to turn some passages. I want you to turn first to Matthew 13. Matthew 13 is Matthew's account of the parable of the sower, or the parable of the soil or the parable of the seed. It's probably better suited to be the parable of the soil, because that's really what it's about. It's about when the seed fell, the seeds clear. The Sower can be anybody. I think clearly. The seed is the Word of God. And he talks about that in the explanation of the parable that he's going to give. But the issue is the soil. The issue is where the seed falls. We're familiar with this. And so verses three through nine is the parable, verses 18 through 23 is the explanation which is not always given. Most of the time when Jesus spoke a parable it's understood. This is what; you ought to be able to get this. But when you get to Verse 10, the disciples asked Jesus our question. Let's read. "And the disciples came and said to him, Why do you speak to them in parables?" See? That's our question. That's our question. Why'd God write the Bible the way he did? His disciples said, "Why do you speak to them in parables? He answered and said to them, because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them, it's not been given. For whoever has, to him more will be given and he will have abundance, but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables because seeing they do not see and hearing they do not hear and do not understand." Now, I'm not gonna read the rest, because you can read that for yourself. But that's the point that Jesus makes. They asked him the question, they didn't ask it the way I've asked it this morning. But they asked him why do you do that? Why do you teach them in parables? And Jesus said, "to you, it's been given." I've been talking to you about it, but I'm not talking just to you. I'm talking to them. And I'm telling them because that's what they need to hear. And the gist of Jesus saying, so I want you to listen carefully. This is not anything profound, or brilliant, but this is simple. The gist of what Jesus said, is I teach him in parables, because that's what I wanted to do. I teach him this way, because; he didn't say it this way but this is what he said: I'm the son of God, and it's the way I want to teach them. Thanks for asking.

And Jesus says, people who want to understand it, can understand it. Everybody has eyes. Everybody has ears. Everybody has a heart, but not everybody gets it. Who gets it Lord? The people that want to get it. People that want to get it. That's what he said. Right? Vese 15, "The hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears. Lest they should understand where their hearts and turns so that I should heal them." Why don't they get it Lord? Because they don't want to get it. They've got eyes like everybody that've got ears like everybody, they have hearts like everybody, but some don't understand it. Why? Because they don't want to understand.

The problem was not his teaching. The problem was not what he said. The problem is how they received it. And that's the point that Jesus made. He's talking about all these soils on which the seed falls, some of them get it for a while, and then these cares and, and all these things that hinder them and then they're distracted. And the seed doesn't take. In all the story that we could talk about Jesus said some people they, they get it for a while and then they don't get. They don't want to get any more. What's the point? It's not the sower. Not the seeds. The soil. Jesus said in verse 15, if they want to be healed, I'll heal them. Let that sink in folks. You want to be healed this morning from the thing that most bothersome to you and that is that you're a sinner. If you want to be healed this morning you need to hear what Jesus said. Need to let him heal you. And if you don't want him to heal you, if you don't want to listen to what he says that's not his problem, not your problem. Because he said I'm teaching so that all can understand. I'll heal them. I just want you to let that sink in. Why do many people today not; why are they not healed? Why are they not healed spiritually from the thing, from this sin. Why then? It because they don't see. They have eyes but they don't see. They have ears but they don't hear. They have hearts but they don't understand I love Ed Harrel. Told the story years ago and I've heard him tell the story several places. You did too he's told here. He's talking to a guy, you know, about what he needed to do to be saved. And kept showing passages and showing passages and showing passages. And the guy finally said, You know, I just don't see that. And Ed said finally I figured out what his problem was. His problem was he just didn't see thatnd that was his point. It's not hard. But you got to see it. Got to look at it. You got ask What did Jesus say about that? What is it that he wants me to do? A good heart is the only good soil. The seed works in good soil. Seed won't work in bad soil. But seed always works in good soil. The problem isn't the seed. It never is. The problem is not this book. The problem is this heart. And that heart. That's the problem. Don't forget it.

Then another passage that we talked about, in John 10. W,hen the parable is talked about the shepherd, and the sheep fold and the sheep and all that, listen to what in the first seven verses. Jesus said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheep fold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same as a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him, the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear His voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him and they know His voice. Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers. Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them. Then Jesus said to them again, Most assuredly, I said to you, I'm the door of the sheep." He said, Listen, I've told you, they didn't understand. He tells him again. What's the parable? It's the parable of a shepherd. And the shepherds in Judea, they would bring their flocks at night, and they would put them in the sheep folds. And it wasn't just for one persons flock, it was for several shepherds flocks. They would bring them in, put them in the sheep fold, they would protect them overnight. And then when the shepherd called in the morning, the voice of the shepherd called his sheep, and when a shepherd said, It's time for you to come, his sheep knew his voice. They would come out of the sheep fold, other people's sheep wouldn't do that. It's interesting. They knew the voice of the shepherd. Jesus said, I'm the Good Shepherd. People who know my voice, people who know what I say, when I say, they come out. They're my people. Verse three says, "the sheep hear His voice." Verse four says, "they know His voice." And verse five says, "they do not know the voice of strangers." Strangers are speaking. A stranger would come and say, It's time to go this morning. But they didn't know the voice of a stranger. They knew the voice of their shepherd. That's what Jesus says. That's why he said to them again, because they didn't get it. Tell you again, tell you again, tell you again. Don't we see that? Are you a sheep of Jesus? Is he your good shepherd? Do you hear His voice? That's the issue. That's not hard, is it? Are you listening to your own voice? Are you trying to come up with what it is that you, or how it is that you want to follow Him the way you want to follow him? You're not listening to the right voice. Your voice is not the voice. You're the sheep. He's the shepherd. Listen to his voice. Later on, in this same chapter in verse 22. This is a passage that was read for us earlier by Josh. "Now it was the feast of dedication, and it was winter. Jesus walked in the temple and Solomon's porch, then the Jews surrounded him and said to him, how long you keep us in doubt? If you are the Christ tell us plainly." See, that's our question. If you're the Christ, tell us plainly. Why are you doing this? Why are you telling us like; why have you done what you've done? Why are you telling us all this? Just tell us plainly just say, Are you the Christ? Or are you not the Christ? I love what Jesus says. "Jesus answered them, I told you." Can't you hear this? "I told you, and you did not believe." Now we don't have how; we don't have in Scripture how Jesus said things. I may be exaggerating this but just looking at the language; can't you see Jesus saying the "I told you! I told you and you didn't believe!" What did he tell them? "The works that I do in my father's name, they bear witness to me." Have you not seen what I've been doing? "But you do not believe because you're not of my sheep." There we're coming back to the imagery right? "I said to you, My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life and they shall never perish neither shall anyone snatch him out of my hand. My Father who has given them to me is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch him out of my Father's hand. I and my father are one." Jesus was not gonna let them snatch them and they may snatch themselves out, they may rebel against God, but he said, as far as I'm concerned, you're good to go. If you listen to what I say, because I am the shepherd. I am the shepherd but you did not listen to me. Why? You don't want to. You don't want to listen.

Well, this passage in First Corinthians one. You know, there were people who listened to Paul preach that didn't listen too. Sometimes I get discouraged because it seemed like you know, I talk about things. If I can just confess a little bit to you in a good kind of way, man, sometimes it gets frustrating to preach. Sometimes you just don't feel like you're doing any good. But that happened to Paul. Paul said, the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it's the power of God. Paul said, I know what it is. But others don't. He goes on verse 22, says "the Jews request to sign, the Greek seek after wisdom but we preach Christ crucified." Paul says, here's what we do. "We preach Christ crucified. To the Jews, a stumbling block, to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called both Jews and Greeks, Christ is a power of God, and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men and the weakness of God is stronger than man." Stumbling block, foolishness, power of God. Power of God foolishness stumbling block. Where are you at in all of that? He says, Paul says, the cross is, it's at least one of those three things. It's either stumbling block, you just can't get past the fact that it happened. You need to believe it. Or it may be that you think it's foolishness. You know, there are a lot of people who think what we're doing this morning is just ridiculous. And that's not an overstatement. There are people in this town who think you're you're completely wasting your time this morning by coming to a place like this and listening to a lesson like this and doing things of a spiritual nature like this. There's some people think we're a bunch of fools. Are we? I don't think so. I don't think so. And I base that on some pretty good evidence. But as Paul said, some people just don't see it. Because they don't want to see it. I believe that with all my heart. I believe that people who don't want to see the truth of the gospel, can't see it because they don't want to. I firmly believe that because the evidence to me is clear. And it's a lot. Some people just don't see it. Romans eight, Paul says this. "We know that all things work together for good to those who love God to those who called according to His purpose, for whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His son that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom He predestined, these he called; whom He called these He also justified; in whom He justified, these he also glorified." This is a series of sermons for the next six months, but we're not gonna stay here that long this morning. I just want to make a couple points.

Predestination is a biblical doctrine. I preached a lot of sermons against it. There's an idea that's out there that God just predestined, before the world began, he decided everybody that was going to be saved. And there is a sense in which that's true. There's a sense in which that's not true. The sense in which it is true is: it's the ones he calls. That's what this passage said. "He predestined to be conformed to the image of God that he might be the firstborn among many brother, moreover, whom He predestined, these he called. Whom He called these he justified; in whom He justified these He glorified." How's a person called by the gospel? I'm not ashamed, Paul said of the gospel of Christ. It's the power of God. There it is. It's the power of God to salvation to whom? To everyone who believes. Everyone who believes. Did God call everyone who believes? Yes, he did. How? Through the Gospel. Who can be called? Anybody. Anybody. The problem is some people think that it's a stumbling block, some people thinks it's foolishness. But if you believe it's powerful, it'll save you.

God wrote a book that calls people. God said, you read it. You read it with a heart that you need and you can understand it. He wrote a book for the poor in spirit and he wrote a book for the pure in heart. Why did God write the book he wrote? Because he wanted to separate people whose heart was not what it ought to be. So always the question "Is your heart what it ought to be?" It'll be the question till the Lord comes back. Is your heart what it ought to be? What's the gospel to you? What's the gospel of you this morning? Is it something you stumble over? Is it something you think is foolish? I don't think anybody here thinks it's foolish. I know most of you here this morning. I know enough about most of you this morning think it's not foolish. But if you aren't willing to think about what it says your choice is not hard. Listen to this statement. Matthew 11 Verse 25, this is Jesus Prayer. He said "at that time, Jesus answers and said I thank You, Lord, Father of heaven and earth, that you've hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes." You know what Jesus wants? He wants you to be a baby. He revealed it to babes. That's what he said. He said, I thank You God that you revealed it to babes. You didn't reveal it to the wise.. You didn't reveal it to everyone who has an IQ above 150. That's not how he wrote the Bible. That's not why he wrote the Bible. He wrote the Bible so that everybody could understand it if their heart is right. That's the answer. God said, I wrote it so that people understand it. If you don't understand it's not my problem. It's your problem.

In the latter part of that same chapter, Jesus would say this beginning in verse let's say 28, "come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden. I'll give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me. I'm gentle and lowly in heart, you'll find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy. My burden is light." What did Jesus said that? He said, If you want to come to me, it's easy. It's easy to do. You put the yoke, which I think is his authority, you put my yoke, you put what I say on you, you put it on you and you let it direct you. And once it goes on you, it's not a heavy yoke. It's not burdensome. My yoke is easy, and my burden is light. He's not saying that just living as a Christian is just going to be easy for you. He's saying, listening to what I say. Listening, having the heart that you need to have. He says that's what's easy. That's your responsibility. You allow me to put this yoke on you, you will find out that my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Why did God write the Bible like he did? So that when people whose heart was good, read it, they could understand what he wants. I think it's as simple as that. Now, if you think there's more to it than that, I'll suggest something to you. You need to ask Him. You need to search somewhere in scripture where he says something different than that. But I'll tell you, I'll go back to the answer I first gave when I was 45 years old. He wrote it that way because that's what he intended to do. And my 66 year old answer, barely 66, but 66 nonetheless. My 60 year old answer is that's what he intended to do so that heart that are pliable, spirits that were poor and hearts that were pure could understand it.