Sermon Tone Analysis

Pray

Introduction

Review:

Over the past two weeks, we have been discussing the bible as the Breath of God.

It is His word to all of humanity, written with his divine authorship in concert with holy men of old as they were moved by the Holy Spirit to put pen to paper and record for all time the revelation from God about Himself.

This book is no less than the portrait of our Lord and King, our creator, our ruler, our God.

Over the last two weeks, we have examined several reasons to trust in the infallibility of the scriptures…that is the accuracy and truthfulness…the trustworthiness...of the scriptures.

And we can reasonably and rationally conclude that the bible passes the test.

It passes the logic test, and the history test.

It passes the prophetic test and the scientific test.

The bible passes.

The bible can be treated as true and trustworthy…not just some made up folklore…even the fantastic, far out parts.

The garden of Eden was a real place

The Great flood actually happened

The tower of Babel was a real thing

The parting of the Red Sea actually happened

Goliath was a real giant

And David was a real king.

Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Jeremiah, and all the rest were real prophets

Mary was actually a virgin

Jesus was really the son of God

He was really crucified on a cross

and He raised himself from the dead…for real.

He is alive today, and he is actually seated at the right hand of the Father

and he is really coming again to judge the living and the dead....for real.

And all of that that is what the apostle Paul is telling us in 2 Timothy 3:16 when he says:

All scripture is God-breathed, and all scripture is useful.

You can TRUST the scriptures to do what the scriptures were given to do....for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness.

The bible tells us what to believe, how to behave, and how to please God

But all of those things can be humanly, carnally discerned.

There is no work of grace required to see that the bible is a book filled with instructions, and corrections, and laws, and thoughts and stories about God and how to live.

Just like with any other literary work, the contents are humanly discerned

There is no special work of God that is needed to verify the bible’s historical reliability.

And if you accept the historical accuracy of the bible, then a reasonable person could conclude that where the bible touches science, that it is scientifically accurate.

And to test it prophetically, you only need to look once more at the historical record.

If you read the bible from cover to cover, and analyze all of the arguments and themes brought up in the scriptures…You can conclude that the bible is logically consistent.

The Holy Spirit is not needed in order to test the bible’s logical consistency…all you need is a sharp mind.

So while I believe that everything I have told you over the last couple of weeks is true and accurate…it is good information to have in your arsenal, and hopefully it is strength for your faith, it is not necessarily spiritually discerned.

Carnal to Spiritual

But look at verse 17 in 2 Timothy 3:

The bible is given…breathed by God, and it is useful for all those things…doctrine, reproof, correction, instruction…THAT…SO THAT…IN ORDER THAT…TO THE END THAT

This man…this man of God…The one who is made perfect…which in this case means complete, whole…not lacking.....this man of God…this is the man who has submitted himself to the things he has read in this book.

He has seen the doctrine and said in his own heart, This is what I will believe.

He has seen the reproof and correction and said this is how I will behave.

He has seen the instruction in righteousness, and has said in his heart, I will live to please God.

He IS a man of God.

THAT does not happen without the Holy Spirit working in you.

THAT is a change that knowledge cannot bring…that change only comes by faith.

This is where God, himself, reaches out of the pages of this book to touch the dead, stone cold hearts of men to make them beat with new life.

This man, who has surrendered his life to what is in the bible, is fully equipped for ALL GOOD WORKS.

Why trust this book?

Because without it, you are not equipped.

First Principal - God has spoken

The bible makes no less than 1500 claims that it is in fact the word of God…the same God that is revealed to be God in the pages of His Holy word.

This God, our God, spoke, and it was.

The God revealed in this bible, our God, brought all things into being.

The God of this sacred text, our God, set the moon in its orbit.

The God in this book, Our God, raised the mountains and filled the oceans, and he did it…all of it…for the glory of his own name and by the power of his own word!

This is a God like no other.

He sits High and Righteous on his lofty throne, yet he is closer than a brother.

The heavens are his throne, and the earth is his footstool.

He vengeance is severe, judgments are sure, his law is delight, and his word is forever.

In his presence is fullness joy, and at his right hand are pleasures forevermore.

He has spoken … and his word is ultimately wise and it is ultimately sufficient to equip you for all Good works.

God has spoken on faith, salvation, forgiveness, restoration, work, study, recreation, marriage, relationships, service, sacrifice, finances, government, taxes, conflict resolution, anger management, parenting, dating, eating, health and wellness..and on and on.

God has spoken and his word is true.

His Word is True

If we take the bible as true and trustworthy, then this truth ought to be treasured.

The problem is that what is treasured isn’t always truth.

In this country…and in pretty much all of the modern, industrialized world, our values are driven by self.

“You do you” “Follow your own truth.

You work to gain and spend and have…you satisfy the desires of your heart”

But Jesus said “no…it’s not about you....it’s about me....deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me…give of yourself....give of your substance…give of your time and your talent”

That’s the opposite of out cultural wisdom.

But lot God be true, though every man is a liar.

When we treasure those things, we are not treasuring truth…God’s word is truth, and his word says your ultimate joy and satisfaction and fulfillment comes in the form of service and sacrifice.

His Word is Sufficient

What God has given us is TRUE, and it is sufficient and able to equip you.

We don’t need any additional revelations in order to know how to live righteously.

Scripture alone stands as the authority against which all other “truth” is measured and tested.

Scripture stands alone in its authority.

But I must caution that scripture alone does not mean scripture only.

There is truth and wisdom in the natural world.

Even the Proverbs tell us to do things like “consider the ant”.

Paul said that creation itself declares the glory of God so that no one has an excuse…even without the scriptures…even without a personal witness form someone else…you can see the fingerprints of God all around you.

Scripture alone means that the bible stands alone in its authority…in it’s status as “the word of God”

So be careful and cautious with people who come to you saying “thus saith the Lord”…especially when someone tells you “you know, the Lord told me to tell you...” “I feel like God wants you to...”

Let everything be established by two or three witnesses, and the first and most credible witness is the word of God written in the pages of the bible.

Always take those “words from the Lord” back to the scripture.

If it doesn’t line up with what God has already said, then God didn’t say it, and you would do well to ignore it.

No other work claims the same authority

No other work of man can claim the same authority of Scripture.

They must all fall under submission to the bible, or they are to be rejected as false.

Let me give you an example: It is a hot issue these days, but in growing numbers, and in very prominent circles, the gender debate has been settled.

Agenda-driven pseudo-scientists have declared that there are dozens .. if not hundreds.. of genders.

They have taken words hostage and changed definitions in order to support their self-serving assertions that gender is fluid and not tied to biology.

But God has spoken on the issue.

He made them male and female, and any discussion about gender or gender roles must fall under submission to biblical truth…period

Same goes for discussions of marriage, divorce, sexuality, drunkenness, idolatry, and a host of other issues.

Scripture alone is the final authority…not culture, not the shifting opinions of the times.