Ep. 1 The Bible is Our Story

Title: The Story That Rules Them All: Why Scripture Matters 

Sermon Summary:

This sermon launches a 31-week journey through the biblical narrative, emphasizing that Scripture is not merely words on a page but the authoritative story that should shape our lives. Using the movie "Hook" as an illustration, the pastor explores how we all live according to various competing narratives—some from childhood, some from experience, and some from cultural metanarratives. The sermon argues that only by immersing ourselves in God's story through Scripture can we displace false narratives and live according to truth. Drawing from Hebrews 11's "hall of faith," the message demonstrates how biblical heroes participated in God's larger redemptive drama by trusting His word. The sermon concludes with a challenge to read through an abridged Bible together as a congregation over the coming year, allowing Scripture to become so deeply embedded that it transforms our instincts and reflexes. The Latin phrase "norma normans non normata" (the rule that rules all rules) encapsulates the sermon's central point: Scripture is our ultimate authority and the story that should trump all other narratives competing for our allegiance. 

Key Points: 

-We are surrounded by competing stories and narratives that shape how we see the world and ourselves 

-There are two fundamental ways of seeing reality: one that strips the world of meaning (empty plates) and one that recognizes divine significance (full plates) 

-Scripture presents the one true metanarrative—God's story of creation, fall, and redemption 

-Like the heroes in Hebrews 11, we are called to participate in God's larger drama by faith 

-Stories become powerful through repetition and immersion—we must marinate in Scripture's story 

-The Bible is "norma normans non normata"—the rule that rules all rules, our ultimate authority 

-A 31-week sermon series will walk through the biblical storyline to help embed this narrative deeply 

-When Scripture's story becomes our instinct, it will emerge naturally in everyday moments and decisions 

Scripture Reference: 

-Hebrews 11:1-40 (primary focus—the "hall of faith" passage listing biblical heroes who lived by faith) 

-Genesis (creation narrative referenced) 

-Acts 19 (seven sons of Sceva mentioned as cautionary example) 

Stories: 

-The movie "Hook" (1991) - Peter Pan forgetting his identity and the imaginary food scene where he must use imagination to see what's really there 

-Don Quixote - a man living according to the wrong story, tilting at windmills and mistaking reality 

-The seven sons of Sceva from Acts 19 - using Jesus' name without understanding the true story, resulting in a demonic thrashing 

-Hebrews 11 biblical heroes: Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses and his parents, the Israelites at the Red Sea, the fall of Jericho, Rahab, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and unnamed prophets and martyrs 

-Personal illustrations about army brats, poor people and delayed gratification, and how childhood messages create persistent narratives