“Total Authority” Sword of the Spirit – Part Two
OPEN: Today I want to piggyback if you will on the message from last week. If any of you can remember back that far – let me remind you of what we talked about. Last week we talked about the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God.
For quite some time now I’ve been talking about spiritual warfare. I might imagine that some of us are probably getting rather sick and tired of hearing about spiritual battles and spiritual armor and spiritual warfare. Certainly there are other great themes we can explore and learn. Why are we spending so much time on this one topic? - The great battle of our lifetime really centers around this book that we hold in our hands and what we believe it to be. The most serious and intense struggle in which the Christian Church has ever engaged is the war over the Word of God. We need this incomparable and indispensable Book for a right understanding of the origin of the universe and man, the great redemptive work of God culminating in the Advent, Atonement, Ascension, and Second Advent of His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. We need the Bible to teach us how to live right and to prepare for death and eternity. We need this Book to tell us of future events, how this age will end, the final overthrow of evil and destructive powers, and the coming Kingdom of Jesus Christ.
The great battle of our time is over whether or not we should be sold out and whole-heartedly committed to the Bible – the Word of God. I keep feeling as if the Lord is saying, “No, don’t move on until everyone get’s this – too much depends upon it – It needs to sink in deeper.” So this morning the question that I want us to focus on is
“Why Should the Bible Have Authority Over Our Lives?”
In the book “The Day America Told the Truth” 91 % of Americans admit to lying regularly. 86% ofAmericans routinely lie to their parents. 75% admit to lying to their friends. 73% admit lying to their siblings. And 75% admit lying to their spouse.
None of this is new news to anyone - we live in a society where just about everyone considers it normal to lie. In fact I’ve found that one of the more difficult things to accomplish in discipling new adult believers is to get them to abandon lying as a normal acceptable way of life. Before coming to Christ most people embrace lying as a necessary survival skill in today’s world. And I think that everyone knows this. We all know that just about everyone lies. So as a result our nation has developed a healthy sense of skepticism. No one accepts anything at face value. If it sounds too good to be true – it probably is. And when promises are made to us, we’re told not to get our hopes up because we will likely be disappointed.
On the screen there is a statue you will see if you visit Harvard. After you get over the thrill of saying “You can’t pahk your cah in Hahvahd Yahd,” about 30 bazillion times, tourists love to walk through the Yahd and have pictures of themselves taken with the statue of John Harvard whose foot you are supposed to rub for good luck. The statue stands right in front of University Hall. What many people don’t know, however, is that it’s really “the statue of three lies.” The inscription beneath the statue reads John Harvard, Founder, 1638. Not of word of it is true. Despite what the plaque on the statue says, Harvard didn’t actually found Harvard. The college – it was a college back then – was founded in 1636 – not in 1638 – by the Massachusetts Bay Colony in what was then the village of Newtowne and later became Cambridge. John Harvard was a benefactor for the college and it was named for him in 1639 after he donated his library to the school. Even worse, that’s not actually John Harvard sitting there. There were no pictures or images of him so in 1844, the sculptor, Daniel Chester French randomly chose a student as his model and dressed him in seventeenth-century garb. French did give the statue skinny legs - because that was one symptom of tuberculosis, which Harvard had. So in spite of what the inscription claims, John Harvard was not the founder of Harvard, the university was not founded in 1638 and the statues likeness is not even of its namesake! All this in front of Harvard’s University Hall where the motto is ironically – “Veritas” - truth. Things are not always what they seem.
Like the Harvard motto – the Bible also claims the title “Truth” But unlike the statue of John Harvard, the Bible does not give us a false impression of who God is.
- Foundational to understanding the authority of the Bible is the reality
– God is and He is not silent.
God has made himself known to us. It is His own self-revelation and the claims that he makes are not stretched or imagined or misleading. Rather – they are absolutely certain. His attributes as described in His word are not human inventions or mythical enhancements, there are the essence of who He really is. His Word is true because He is true, and w can wholeheartedly trust in Him. The hope God offers His children is much more than just wishful thinking – the promises he has made to us are certain. They cannot be hindered, because he is always in control. They cannot be broken because He always keeps his word. We have true hope. You can embrace the Bible with confidence because of the God who guarantees it.
“I am the LORD; those who hope in me will not be disappointed.” (Isa. 49:23)
Why Can we Trust in the Authority of the Bible?
God Has Made His Word Indestructible. It has been established by God to last forever.
Your word, O LORD, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens. (Psalm 119:89)
One of the interesting things that seems to occur when atheists or agnostics want to spout off about the non-reality of God is that they habitually ignore the Bible. Critics might talk about evolutionary theories and philosophical theories and ontological theories – but one interesting argument that they often seem to conveniently sidestep is the Bible. It is here. It is real. It is unique. God has spoken through it. Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible, its out¬standing feature being that all but six of the one hundred and seventy six verses speak directly about the Word of God. What the inspired writer is saying in verse 89 is that God’s Word was established in heaven before He revealed it to men and reduced it to writing. He meant it’s authority to last.
“the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever.” (1 Peter 1:24)
The Bible is not the “book of the month”, it’s the book of the Ages! No book has been the object of more attacks/more scorn than the Bible. No book has ever been despised and rejected like the Word of God. It’s been burned/ridiculed/outlawed, but amazingly, the more it is attacked, the more it multiplies! Ill.—Voltaire in his day said, “in 100 years the Bible will be a forgotten book, only to be found in museums.” 100 years later, Voltaire was dead, and his house was purchased by the Geneva Bible Society for the printing and distribution of Bibles! Bob Ingersoll, a well-known atheist of last century, used to travel a circuit delivering messages on why the Bible is not true, said, “in 15 years I’ll have the Bible in the morgue……he died 15 years later to the day! He was in the morgue, but the Bible lives on! Many a man has preached the funeral of the Bible, only to find out that the corpse outlives the pallbearers! One author said, “the empire of Caesar is gone, but the Word of God still survives, the legions of Rome are moldring in the dust, but the Word of God still survives, the avalanches that Napoleon heaped upon Europe have melted away, but the Word of God still survives, the pride of the Pharoahs has fallen, but the Word of God still survives. Tradition has dug for it a grave. Many a Judas has betrayed it w/ a kiss. Many a Demas has forsaken it, but the Bible still survives!” The very fact of the Bible's continued existence and influence should convince any person that this Book is indestructible.
God Doesn’t Make Empty Promises
Praise be to the LORD, who has given rest to his people Israel just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses. May the LORD our God be with us as he was with our fathers; may he never leave us nor forsake us. May he turn our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways and to keep the commands, decrees and regulations he gave our fathers. (1 Kings 8:56-57)
When Solomon was dedicating the temple, he stood before Israel and reminded them of this great truth. God keeps His Word. Our Lord is the original promise keeper. And that’s what Solomon reminds them – God keeps His word – every promise. Unlike the broken and empty promises of so many people all around us, God’s Word never fails. In fact I will issue a challenge to any one here right now – I challenge to you to point to a promise that is included in the Bible that has not been kept. Find one - Look from Gen. to Rev. Search every book and every chapter you want – you will not find one single empty promise in the entire book. Now you will find conditional promises in which the conditions that accompanied the promise were not met – but that’s not the same as a broken promise. You might find some promises that haven’t met their fulfillment as yet – because their fulfillment is still prophesized in the future. But a promise that is yet to be fulfilled is not the same as a broken promise.
- I never read a book without first learning something about the author. That makes sense right? Before I turn to the pages I look to see who published it – and who wrote it. And if I’m not familiar with the author I read the short little biographical sketch of the author that is normally on the fly leaf or inside the back cover. If that information is included in the book, I am immediately skeptical – “What’s he/she trying to hide? Why won’t they tell me something about themselves? I want some basic information about the author so I can at least have some perspective of who they are and from what perspective they are writing. Ill During seminary field experience of being asked to teach a class in church on prayer. The class wanted to read a book along with the class. I was under a lot of pressure between classes, church activities, family, work. I read the first half of the book – and it was right on the target. It wasn’t an author I was familiar with at that time but the first half of the book as right on target. So I recommended it to the class and ordered the books and passed them out. About three days later I started getting phone calls asking why I had recommended a book to this very conservative Baptist Church that advocated and promoted speaking tongues in the church? I later did a little research on the author and learned that he included that teaching in nearly all of his books – it was a little agenda of his. I learned my lesson – before I trust a book – I learn something about the author.
You can trust the Bible completely because
God’s Word is a Reflection of God’s Character.
We can place our hope in the promises of God because God is absolutely trustworthy. You can trust His word because you can trust God. His personality backs up the reliability of everything he says. I think that it is wise for us to be skeptics when it comes to listening to politicians. Have you ever heard any candidate running for president or the Senate or the Congress actually keep all their promises? Even one? I think it is wise for us to doubt the sincerity of the advertisements and the commercials and the used car salesmen on our television sets. Ill I received an ad from my oil company a couple of weeks ago telling me that they are so glad that I am part of their “oil company family.” What exactly is an “oil company family?” It’s nothing more than sales shtick. Because I bought black goo from some company to heat my home does not mean I am part of their family. We should be skeptical when we listen to salesmen. We don’t have to be skeptics when we come to the Bible. We can have complete confidence that every aspect of his word will ultimately come to past – right down to the smallest detail. Rejecting the authority of the word is the equivalent to rejecting God.
You Can Trust The Bible Because Of Who God Is - God is Wise
– We can put our trust in God because he is perfectly wise.
Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit. (Psalm 147:5)
We are reminded that his power is great and his understanding is infinite.
Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him? For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen. (Romans 11:33-36)
God needs no additional advice or help because He already posses infinite understanding. He knows every situation, circumstance and possibility in complete detail. He is never surprised or caught off guard. As Christians we can place our confidence fully in God’s decisions because he knows exactly what He is doing. Our response to God’s perfect wisdom then must be to trust in him rather than in ourselves or anything else. Even Soloman the wisest man in the world said Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; (Prov. 3:5)
God is Righteous
– God’s perfect righteousness also allows us to trust in Him completely. If the Bible is clear on any topic it is clear on this – God is Holy – He is absolutely holy, morally perfect, without sin in every way.
As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:15-16)
What does God’s righteousness have to do with how we relate to the Bible? The answer is simple – lying is contrary to His character. His righteousness does not allow him to have any part in it. God cannot lie, because God cannot sin. His righteousness means that he will never act in any way that compromises or contradicts his perfect holiness. Politicians may say one thing and mean another – but God always means exactly what he says. He can be trusted because he is pure and breaking His word would violate his character.
God is Unchanging
- In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing you will change them and they will be discarded. But you remain the same, and your years will never end. (Psalm 102:26-27)
His character never changes. The Psalmist is making a contrast between God and His creation. People are always changing- But God remains constant. His character never changes. Hebrews 13:8 says “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.” He is unchanging. He is immutable. HE will not suddenly change His mind about promises he has made. God won’t arbitrarily decide that salvation is no longer found in Christ or that eternal life is no longer available. We can trust him Him because he is still the same as He has always been and will always be. We can cling tightly to His word because an unchanging God can only make unchanging promises.
God is Faithful.
“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” (Hebrews 10:23)
One more great attribute is the faithfulness of our God. Our assurance of the trustworthiness of the Bible is based on the fact that God is faithful. The writer of Hebrews says we are to hold on - hold on unswervingly – don’t go to the left – don’t go to the right – don’t look backward – don’t stand still – you hold on – unswervingly to the promises and the truth of God - for God is faithful – He will do what he says. 1 Thess. 5:24 “The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.”
You can trust God’s Word because He’s never broken a promise. His track record is perfect. He has always kept his word in the past and He will continue to do so in the future.
For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. (Psalm 100:5)
Even if you were Adam and Eve – you really wouldn’t have a leg to stand on when it comes to questioning whether or not God will be faithful. Adam and Eve and no reason to doubt God’s faithfulness to them in the Garden. Even with our original parents had an impeccable track record. He created them, He provided for them in every way, he related to them – there was no reason for them to question His faithfulness to them at all. But here’s the question we have to deal with: How much more evidence do we need? Look at the track record. His faithfulness to his people has been proven throughout history time and time again. We have thousands of years of an unstained pristine track record in which God has been faithful to people - even when every kind of false thing that could be said was said about him – even when in spite of every blessing, every provision – people still rebelled against him – even in spite of hundreds of prophecies spoken beforehand coming true, people doubted – and God still remained faithful Even to the point of sending His only begotten Son to die on that shameful cross – and rise again just as the Scriptures said – How much more can God do to show that He is faithful?
Have you ever pondered that Scripture in 1 Corinthians 15?
“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,”
Why does Paul keep stressing “according to the Scriptures”? He’s reminding us that God has been faithful to His promises – His track record is absolutely untarnished.
- All this goes to say one basic reality - God is Dependable.
You Can Trust The Authority of the Bible Because It Shows He Is In Control - His Power
A second reason we should place our trust in the Bible – is his perfect power. The Bible seems to be very clear driving this point home – God is in control of everything at every moment of every day. His power is infinite, knowing no viable rivals or exclusions. God alone is King and he is King over all.
* Sovereign over Satan and demons
* Sovereign over evil and sin
* Sovereign over the nations
* Sovereign over nature, including natural disasters
* Sovereign over sickness, disease, and death
* Sovereign over people and their decisions.
* Sovereign over our personal plans
* Sovereign over “chance” and “fate”
* Sovereign over everything in the universe.
Is there anything in the universe outside of God’s control? No. Every potential danger we might face in life is under the supervision of an all-powerful God. Because he is in control of all things no circumstance setting or individual exist or acts without God’s permission. When God promises to save us, we can be confidant that nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus” Nothing can frustrate God’s promises, - His power won’t allow it.
What’s that do for you? I’ll tell you what it does for me - it motivates me to come under his authority. It only makes sense right? If nothing is outside of the reach of his power and authority – if nothing is stronger than his power- than why in the world would I want to place myself in a position of resisting him? Or rebelling against Him? When you think of great power what comes to mind? The military might of the USA – we have 1.5 million soldiers in active duty right now with personnel in more than 130 countries. The mightiest military force in the world. That’s power right? OR maybe you think of the power of an earthquake or a volcano. My St Helens was triggered by an 5.1 magnitude earthquake shooting fire and lava 15 miles into the air. That’s a hundred times less powerful than the recent earthquake in Chile by the way. Or maybe when you think of power – you might think of a thunderstorm that parked right over your house and the sound shook the very foundations of your bones. Or how about the power of the ocean – water covers 71 percent of the earth’s surface and at its deepest point goes down 7 miles. When a tsunami is triggered in it there is nothing that man has that can suppress its power. But that’s all small stuff – let’s get really powerful – let’s get off of earth and move further out into creation. Let’s look at the sun – you could fit 1.3 million earth’s inside the sun – and there are innumerable other stars that are way larger than the sun. Or how about spiritual forces? How power is Satan and his minions and the power they possess? - No matter what comes to mind – God is more powerful still . He is the One who names and numbers the starts who regards the nations as a speck of dust who quiets the seas with a word – and who will one day wind a final victory.
–Do we really understand what we are saying when we say that God is our refuge and our strength?
You Can Trust The Bible Because It Shows God Knows Exactly What He Is Doing - His Plan
If God were merely all-powerful, haphazardly wielding brute force at random spurts throughout the universe we might have reason to be anxious. But God is not only all-powerful, He is also all wise. He has a perfect plan that He is faithfully working out in history.
I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please. (Isa 46:10)
The Greeks invented a collection of gods – Aphrodite, Artimis, Athena, Hermes, Nike, Poseidon, Zeus. There were 12 of them that were supposed to rule from Mt. Olympus and several layers of lesser gods beneath them. It was really a very complex system that became a giant guessing game – the Greeks never knew how their imaginary gods were going to interact with them. When Paul arrived in Athens – the city was filled with statues to these manmade idols. Just to cover their bases they even had a pedestal to “an unknown god” “You got to be careful – you never know how the gods might act” Our Lord is not like that – He has revealed his plans in His word – The is the story of God working his plan of redemption – starting at the beginning in the Garden of Eden and ending with a new heaven and a new heart in the last chapter of Rev. God has revealed the end from the beginning. Psalm 33 says the same thing: But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations. (Psalm 33:11)
What Do the Plans of the Lord Reveal?
God’s plan mandates that he receives maximum glory.
Scripture says everyone and everything was created by God to bring him glory and praise.
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. (Psalm 19:1)
The very reason the heavens exist is to declare the glory of God. God speaks through his word – and as we learned last week His word will not return to him void – but will accomplish the purpose he ordained it to do. His creation is like that as well. Creation speaks – it declares a message – of the glory of God. God is passionate for His reputation – and that means something to us. His passion for His reputation means that He will keep the promises he has made to His children. We can wholeheartedly trust God’s Word because His name is at stake. For the sake of His glory – he will follow through on what He has said He will do.
God’s plan mandates that believers receive maximum good.
God’s plan includes the well-being of His people. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28) God uses every circumstance in our lives for our spiritual betterment. More than anything else God wants us to make us more like Christ. That doesn’t mean that everything that God plans or that God allows feels good or is enjoyable. Sometimes there is discipline – sometimes we face trails – sometimes we walk on paths that we might not choose for ourselves – yet we have a confidence that what God allows is for our good. Through repentance – through perseverance and endurance we grow stronger in our faith. God has his best in mind for you. Now listen – that ought to just thrill you – every time you it ought to just thrill our soul because every book, every chapter, every passage, every word – every jot and tittle in this book is given to help lead you and me into God’s very best.
Close:
* Place ourselves under the authority of the Bible without reservation.
* Regardless of age, job, requirements, family activities – Bible study should be a non-negotiable part
of our regular schedule.
* Those who are mature in the faith should become teachers so others can be properly trained and
equipped.
