Rob Vandebelt continued the “Foundations of Faith” series by moving from the first foundation stone—knowing the living God—to the second: Scripture as God’s speaking, self-revealing Word. Using Jesus’ confrontation with the Sadducees in Mark 12, the message warns that it is possible to know religious texts yet miss both the Scriptures and the power of God. The sermon explains classic evangelical convictions about the Bible—divine inspiration, inerrancy, authority, and verbal precision—while highlighting the mysterious cooperation between God and human authors (e.g., 2 Peter 1 and 2 Timothy 3). It argues that ultimate confidence in Scripture rests not only on internal and external evidences, but especially on the testimony of Jesus, who affirmed the Old Testament and anticipated the New. Finally, it applies three principles to avoid the Sadducees’ error: we must live by God’s Word (Matthew 4), recognize it as living and active (Hebrews 4), and humbly obey it (James 1). The key takeaway: because God is living and speaking, believers must not merely affirm Scripture in a statement of faith, but listen and do what it says.

Bible Verses

• Exodus 3 (burning bush)
• Luke 12
• Mark 12:18-27 / Matthew 22
• Matthew 4:4 / Deuteronomy 8:3
• John 16:13
• Acts 5 (reference to high priest being a Sadducee)
• 1 Peter 1:10-11
• 2 Peter 1:20-21
• 2 Timothy 3:14-17
• Hebrews 4:12
• James 1:21-22