God's Word Pt 2
Notes
Transcript
God’s Word Part 2
God’s Word Part 2
Good Morning. Would you turn with me to 2 Timothy chapter 2. Let me read verse 15 to us this morning as we begin our time in God’s very Word.
15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.
Some of your versions say be diligent to present yourself approved to God. The Bible is the revelation of God, that God has written His Word for us. It is the only rule we have for life. In fact, it is the only standard we have for our behavior. And it is the final authority for all things in this life. When the Bible speaks, that is the voice of God. And when we pick it up to present ourselves to the Lord we will see just how much it changes our lives.
Someone once said, “A Bible that is falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn’t. There are many people today who are living proof of this.
Last week we began this series on Foundations. My point in all of this is helping us to understand there must be some godly and firm foundations under us in this ever so crazy world that we live in. When so many things and people are falling apart, we need something that is true and firm and that will last forever. That is God’s Word!
8 The grass withers, the flower fades,
but the word of our God will stand forever.
35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
So, we are looking at the firm foundations of our faith, the Christian faith. Today we are continuing to look at God’s Word. This is Part 2 of the message that we started last week.
My goal is that you as a believer would know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Bible is true and trustworthy. That you would understand that God’s Word is authoritative, inspired, infallible and sufficient. While God’s Word is under heavy assault from liberalism and academic circles we as believers must trust in the truth of God’s Word more than ever.
There are many churches today who encourage their people to be concerned about the styles and preferences of this world so much so that there is no teaching of God’s Word anymore. What happens is that the church becomes weak and ineffective wherever the truth of God is not being proclaimed with boldness.
2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.
Our lives should be anchored in the solid truth of God’s Word. We should desire it and love it and study it because it will direct us and guide us, as we wait for the Lord to come. My prayer is that God’s spirit would give you an understanding of His Word and help you to then go and live in obedience the things that you know.
So, how can we really know that God’s Word is true? This is a question that many people wrestle with. How can we prove it to be true? How do we know that it is inspired, and is there anything to add to God’s Word as many people are doing today thru special revelations and dreams.
With all of these questions I want to begin by asking how important is God’s Word to you? I think that there are many folks in our world who would say that God’s Word is overall a good book, but that is all it is. It’s just another good book with some interesting stories and genealogies and weird visions from some prophets. For people who are not believers God’s Word is of no importance and even less authority. For a lot of believers they know God’s Word is important, but they do not make personal use of it. They seldom open up their bibles for personal use because that is what the pastor and other speakers are to do for them. So, God’s Word remains a mystery and often a very confusing book for them. There is another group of people who have and hunger and thirst for God’s Word. They want to read it and study it and hide it in their hearts and minds because they understand it to be God’s very Word to them. They understand what the gospel of Matthew says about God’s Word.
4 But he answered, “It is written,
“ ‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”
So, in a world that has gotten farther and farther away from God’s Word, and views relative thinking with no absolutes as the right way of thinking there is a big time battle happening. God’s Word church is the absolute authority for us as Believers. It is not man’s opinion, human philosophy, or the polling of the best minds in our world. God’s Word is exactly what we need and we see several characteristics that make it important for our lives. Here is the first quality that I want you to see.
1. God’s Word is Infallible.
1. God’s Word is Infallible.
This means that the whole Bible from the very first verse in Genesis all the way to the last verse in Revelation 22:21 makes no mistakes. The original manuscripts that were the first copies were without error. Copiers down through the ages made minor mistakes in their copying however none of those were serious enough to challenge the Bible’s infallibility. We see this to be true when in 1946 some Bedouin shepherds found the Dead Sea Scrolls throughout 12 caves near the north shore of the dead sea. They found a complete scroll of Isaiah that is almost identical with what we have in our Bibles today with only a few grammatical differences.
Here is what King David said about God’s Word in the book of Psalm.
7 The law of the Lord is perfect,
reviving the soul;
the testimony of the Lord is sure,
making wise the simple;
God’s Word is flawless because it was authored or inspired by God himself who is perfect and flawless. If God himself is our ultimate authority and his character is flawless, and if the writers of Scripture put down His thoughts then God’s Word is our only rule for faith and practice. God’s word is infallible, because it is the only book that never makes a mistake.
2. God’s Word is Inerrant.
2. God’s Word is Inerrant.
Of course God’s Word is infallible in all parts but God’s Word is also inerrant in all its parts. The author of Proverbs says this.
5 Every word of God proves true;
he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
God’s Word is pure and flawless. The point here that the author is trying to make is that of purifying metal. God’s Word is trustworthy and there is nothing deceitful or false in it. The back half of this verse explains that it is safe to take refuge in the Lord. So, the inerrancy and infallibility go together here.
Back in October of 1978 pastors and biblical scholars came together in Chicago and put together the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy. Here is what they wrote. Inerrant signifies the quality of being free from all falsehood or mistake and so safeguards the truth that Holy Scripture is entirely true and trustworthy in all of its assertions.
But what does God’s Word help us to see here? Turn with me to Isaiah 65.
16 so that he who blesses himself in the land
shall bless himself by the God of truth,
and he who takes an oath in the land
shall swear by the God of truth;
because the former troubles are forgotten
and are hidden from my eyes.
The Lord calls himself God of Truth and so too is His Word. The New Testament backs this up as well.
33 Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true.
3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
God is true and His Words are truth and so we praise Him today for this.
3. God’s Word is Authoritative.
3. God’s Word is Authoritative.
Another quality that we must understand about God’s Word is that it is the final word and our highest standard of truth. The writers of the Old Testament make more than 2,000 claims to be speaking the very words of God.
2 Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth;
for the Lord has spoken:
“Children have I reared and brought up,
but they have rebelled against me.
The Lord spoke to prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel and others. When God speaks, everybody is to listen because God is the final authority. In the New Testament we find the same news in the teachings of Christ. When Jesus comes and delivers His famous Sermon on the Mount here is what the Lord says.
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.
James the half brother of Christ said this.
10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.
All of God’s Word is authoritative. The problem however lies in the fact that while God’s Word claims authority over our lives, many people resist this and choose not to recognize God’s authority. Today we hear messages that all truth is relative and liberalism sees the bible as full of errors and the work of men. Liberalism would say that the Bible has no more authority than the works of Plato or Aristotle. The modern day position is that we are all free to choose what we think and believe and so it is really man’s reasons that decide what is right and what is wrong and how to live. So, how do we combat this false ideology?
So, I want to encourage you today with these verses.
105 Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.
God’s Word should ultimately lead us and guide us as believers.
Does God’s word need defending? The great preacher, Charles Spurgeon once said, “There is no need for you to defend a lion when he is being attacked. All you need to do is open the gate and let him out.” You see God’s Word defends itself and is truly authoritative.
4. God’s Word is Sufficient.
4. God’s Word is Sufficient.
But what exactly does that word mean? It means that God’s Word is a perfect guide for all matters in this life that deal with our faith and how we are to live for Christ. In fact, God’s Word gives us truth and dispels the lies of Satan and this world. And yet sadly there are many Christians today who do not believe in the sufficiency of God’s Word. Sure, they say they believe in the Bible, but then they begin to look for other resources outside of God’s Word to direct them or give them advice on how to live. In reality what so many folks are doing is actually denying the Biblical authority of God’s Word. And when people do this they get away from the truth of God’s Word and turn to other places. Today there are so many podcasts and websites about Christian living and parenting and leadership and philosophy and even appointed experts who claim to know even more than what God’s Word tells us because they have become trusted spiritual leaders in our country.
Instead of focusing on God and His Word and letting God’s Word shape our world view on things many have turned to the current or most relevant world view to lead them and guide them.
All of this shows us today that God’s Word, which is our firm foundation is under attack. Even more importantly the sufficiency of God’s Word is coming under attack. In fact, many churches and even church leaders have turned to everything else but God’s Word to help teach their people. Pastors have turned to sports, media, entertainment and pop phycology to help people. They no longer believe that God’s Word is enough or helpful. Sadly, they have missed this truth. 2 Peter tells us:
3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,
Paul is writing to the church at Corinth as he states this.
8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.
17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.
So, we study God’s Word because it is sufficient as 2 Timothy 3:16 tells us. The last thing that I want to do this morning is give you 4 major reasons to know God’s Word.
1. We Must Hear God’s Word.
1. We Must Hear God’s Word.
I would argue that there must be a time in all of our lives where we hear God’s Word personally by the reading and studying of Scripture on our own. And, there must be a weekly time where we come together as the church and hear God’s Word taught corporately.
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
In fact, Jesus tells us that when we read the very word of God and obey it or practice that we are blessed.
28 But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”
2. We Must Read God’s Word.
2. We Must Read God’s Word.
3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.
Church when we get alone and read God’s Word it is a blessing for our lives. It guides us and encourages us and helps us to make wise decisions. But most of all it brings to us eternal life because it helps us to see who Christ is and what He has done for us. So, don’t wait for the right time, make time now and get into the Word of God. In 1 Timothy we see that Paul asks young Timothy to give his attention to God’s Word.
13 Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching.
Later on down in verse 16 Paul explains why??? Here is why. Keep doing this or Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself Timothy and your hearers.
Let me just say this quickly. If you do not have a daily reading plan, start with the Gospel of John and read through a Proverb or a Psalm every morning. If you read 2 chapters a day of the New Testament you will read through the entire New Testament in 19 weeks. We also have devotionals and Bibles in our Lobby area so go check those out after the service.
3. We Must Study God’s Word.
3. We Must Study God’s Word.
In Acts chapter 17 Paul comes to Berea and gives this account of the importance of studying God’s Word.
11 Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.
When Paul left Thessalonica, he came to Berea and shared the gospel with the unbelieving Jews who were there. What he found is that they were more noble-minded than those back in Thessalonica. They loved God’s Word and were eager to read it and study it.
But how should we search for wisdom and understanding?
4 if you seek it like silver
and search for it as for hidden treasures,
God’s Word is this precious and life changing church.
4. We Must Memorize God’s Word.
4. We Must Memorize God’s Word.
9 How can a young man keep his way pure?
By guarding it according to your word.
10 With my whole heart I seek you;
let me not wander from your commandments!
11 I have stored up your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you.
8 I delight to do your will, O my God;
your law is within my heart.”
Hide God’s Word in your heart by memorizing it. When you do this it helps us to actually live by God’s Word and practice it daily in our lives.
(Pray and Lead into Communion)