The Whole Bible in One Message

Last Saturday I preached a sermon at Missions Globales in Montreal called "The Whole Bible in One Message." When I announced my topic at the Youth Festival on Friday night, the young folks laughed when I said,

"The whole Bible . . . 40 minutes . . . Is it possible?"

I promised that if they would come, I would try to cover the whole story of the Bible in 40 minutes. Because we were in Montreal, that meant I would be speaking through an interpreter, French being the primary language of Quebec. On Saturday morning I gave my manuscript to Christine who was going to interpret for me. She went through it line by line, sometimes checking on a phrase to make sure she knew what I meant. When the time came, she did a terrific job. We made a tape of that message, which I hope we can turn into a podcast eventually.

So how do you summarize the whole Bible in one message? For me it started with a sermon preached several years ago by my good friend Ryan Whitley, pastor of Crosspoint Church in Trussville, Alabama. When I listened to his sermon on the whole Bible, I decided to give it try myself. It's mostly a simple recital of biblical history with an emphasis on Christ as the real theme of the Bible. Working on it reminded me of the days at Redeemer Covenant Church in Downey, California when I taught the Old Testament Walk-Thru at the 7:27 Express on Wednesday nights. 

I am putting the sermon in print because a number of people in Montreal asked for a copy. If you enjoy it, I hope you'll use it yourself. Improve it, change it, add to it, and make it your own.

Here's the link to the sermon: The Whole Bible in One Message.