THE WAR ON THE WORD
TEXT: Genesis 3:1-7
Genesis 3:1-7 KJV Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? [2] And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: [3] But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. [4] And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: [5] For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. [6] And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. [7] And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
I. INTRODUCTION
-Three events in the last two weeks:
• Conversation with the gentlemen
• Preparation to preach a class on the Life and Times of Christ
• Questions concerning an avowed atheist who had a spiritual crisis in 1999-2000 or so.
-There is a war on the Word. It is not new! It has been going on for a long time and there are always people who will attempt to tear down the Bible, the life of Jesus Christ, and the existence of God.
-A few weeks ago, I was studying and ran across a lecture of a man who was addressing what he felt like was the main problem that the American church was facing—biblical illiteracy.
-An uneducated pulpit is disastrous for those in the pew! We as ministers are called to be workmen of the Word (2 Tim. 2:15). We are to be teachers of the Word! You cannot do that effectively if all you ever preach is “life-app” preaching!
II. GENESIS 3—THE BEGINNING OF THE WAR
-In the Garden of Eden. After the initial creation, the serpent (the devil) approached Eve in the garden and attacked the word of God.
Genesis 3:1 KJV Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
-That question, “hath God said. . .” immediately opened up the Pandora’s box for Eve and led to her failure, the failure of Adam, and ultimately the failure of man. Eve is not the only one who had the attack from the devil. We often have the same sort of thing to take place in our lives as well.
-Our own thought patterns become either Satan’s allies or his enemies. It depends on what you have located in your own mind. What is deposited there has the great capacity to build or destroy our walk with God.
A. God’s Word Has Authority
-God’s word has divine authority. God’s authority gives Him the right to rule and by His power, He makes things happen. So when God speaks to us, we are obligated to do as He says. When His Word states facts, we have an obligation to believe those facts just as he has stated them. When He commands us, we have a duty to heed them.
-The story of the Bible is that God speaks to human beings, who respond in obedience or disobedience, whereupon God sends consequences: blessings for obedience, curses for disobedience.
-In Genesis 1:28, our first parents hear their fundamental task on the earth: fill it and subdue it.
Genesis 1:28 KJV And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
-But then there is something else that is added, God gives a negative command:
Genesis 2:16-17 KJV And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: [17] But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
-That becomes the job of man: Fill the earth. Subdue the earth. Don’t eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
-Then in Genesis 3, there is a rival word, the word of a talking snake. The contest between two words that claim supreme authority: God’s and the Devil’s. Satan’s attack is on the Word of God. That is still an ongoing battle.
-The authority and accuracy of Scripture have been attacked in every generation since Satan spoke those three words of doubt to Eve. . . Hath God said? If you think the epidemic of unbelief and hostility today seems more aggressive and widespread than ever, that is because it is. But we knew that was going to happen:
2 Timothy 3:13 KJV But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.
2 Peter 3:3-4 KJV Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, [4] And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
B. The Devil’s War on the Word
-The devil interjected four distinct lies about God’s Word:
• Genesis 3:4—You Will Not Die
• Genesis 3:5—You Will Be Enlightened
• Genesis 3:5—You Can Be God
• Genesis 3:5—You Are Good as You Are (Moral Relativism)
-All four of those lies are still appealing to mankind today. The devil is using every one of them in his arsenal to cause men to lose their soul.
-For instance, turn on a TV talk show and hear a big star make authoritative comments like, “I think you ought to live out your dreams. Go after your passion. Live your own life. Do your own thing. Have your own faith.” The audience bursts into applause and someone who has been filled with the Spirit starts thinking that all of the answers between the covers of the Bible seem awfully outdated.
-The world’s value system has decidedly camped out on all four of the lies of the devil. We allow it to intimidate us. The Bible has absolutes in it and we live in a world of relative thinking that goes against that. The Scriptures are the Word of God not man’s opinions, human philosophy, somebody’s ideas, nor a polling of society’s best answers. The Bible is the Word of God!
C. A Variety of Responses to the Word of God
-In our day, there are three basic responses to the Word of God.
• 1st Group—The Bible is just another book. It has some wise sayings in it here and there but it is mixed in with a lot of genealogies, myths, and crazy visions.
• 2nd Group—The Bible is important, at least my pastor says so. He is always waving it around and quoting it. But I don’t read it too much because I can’t understand it too well.
• 3rd Group—The Bible is not just a book for a dying man, it is the only book for a living man, because it is the Word of God.
-The responses of those groups are the general reactions that we find in our world today. The first group is the one that commonly comes from the secular world although they are increasingly becoming more and more hostile to those who hold its truths to be sacred. It has little importance and less authority.
-The second group includes a lot of church members and even some Christians. They know the Bible is important and that it should have the priority and authority in their lives but they don’t make much personal use of it.
-The third group sees the Bible as something that is alive and is literally popping with eternal truth. They are consumed by a passion for it and feel like it is the only way to really gain spiritual direction for their life.
D. How We Should View the Word of God
-How should we view the Word of God? It is found in 2 Timothy 3:16-17:
2 Timothy 3:16-17 KJV All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: [17] That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
1. Infallible
-The Bible is God’s infallible Word, the only rule of faith and practice. This statement is simply stating the Bible in its totality makes no mistakes. The original autographs (the absolutely first copies) were without error.
-Copiers have made minor mistakes over the centuries but none of these are serious enough to challenge the Bible’s infallibility.
Psalms 19:7-11 KJV The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. [8] The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. [9] The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. [10] More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. [11] Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.
-The Bible is flawless because it was authored (inspired) by a God who is flawless.
-If God is our ultimate authority and His character is flawless, and if He inspired the writers of Scripture to put down His thoughts while still allowing them freedom of personal expression, then the Bible is flawless and it becomes our ultimate authority—our only rule of faith and practice.
-Notice that thought of “faith and practice.” There must be a connection between your faith and your practice or you will never effectively serve the Lord.
2. Inerrant
-Not only is the Bible infallible in its totality but it is also inerrant in all its parts.
Proverbs 30:5 KJV Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.
Proverbs 30:5 NIV Every word of God is flawless; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.
-Inerrant is a bit different from infallible:
• Infallible signifies the quality of neither misleading nor being misled and so safeguards in categorical terms the truth that Holy Scripture is a sure, safe, and reliable guide in all matters.
• Inerrant signifies the quality of being free from all falsehood or mistake and so safeguards that Holy Scripture is entirely true and trustworthy in all its assertions.
-Another way to look at it is to establish the idea of truthfulness.
• Isaiah 65:15—The God of truth.
• Jeremiah 10:10—The Lord is the true God.
• John 3:33—God is truthful.
• John 17:3—That they may know you, the only true God.
• 1 John 5:20—He is the true God.
-Also there are three times in Scripture where it is stressed that God cannot lie:
• Num. 23:19
• Titus 1:2
• Heb. 6:18
-If we cannot accept the concept that God is truthful and we cannot accept His testimony, His Word, we will wind up in Group 2 (those who know the Bible is supposed to be important, but who remain apathetic and listless about what it says. That kind of apathy can lead to real despair.
-If people fall into the category of believing the Word of God has errors in it, there is no real power or remedy for them. We have to believe the Word of God is absolutely inerrant. (This is the problem that Bart Erhman uses to destroy young minds in his class room.)
3. Authoritative
-The third matter is the Bible is authoritative. If it is infallible and inerrant then it has to be authoritative in our life.
-The writers of the Old Testament make more than 2,000 direct claims to be speaking the very words of God. Phrases like appear like:
• The Spirit of the Lord has spoken to me.
• The Word of God came unto me.
• For the Lord has spoken.
-When God speaks, everyone is to listen to what He has to say. All of God’s Word is authoritative.
-The problem started occurring when something called postmodernism started creeping in. It began in the 1980’s and by the end of the 1990’s it had started its chokehold on Christianity. When it was mixed with liberalism, it developed a maddening growth. . . The old lie. . . You can be God!
Psalms 119:89 KJV LAMED. For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.
4. Inspired
-Two passages of Scripture determine that God’s Word is inspired:
2 Timothy 3:16 KJV All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2 Peter 1:20-21 KJV Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. [21] For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
-Inspired=God-breathed. It is literally like seeing your breath on a cold winter morning. The exhalation creates a small cloud. The Bible that you are holding in your hand is literally the breath of God.
-Peter further affirms to us that no part of Scripture was of any private origin. That would mean that none of these men simply just made up what they had written.
III. THE LIFE OF JESUS
-Four Gospel writers all gave a description of Jesus Christ in a particular way. By their presentations of the Lord, a different facet of his life and times were displayed. The first three gospels are referred to as the “synoptic” gospels. That means literally “with” plus “seeing.” Matthew, Mark, and Luke have many similarities between them while John’s gospel written many years later has fewer parallel passages and a much higher doctrinal content involving more interpretation. Therefore, the gospel of John is sometimes referred to as the “Fourth Gospel.”
-The Gospels show every sign of being authentic as the following points affirm:
• The writers made no attempt to harmonize the accounts although they are.
• They included material that put Jesus in a bad light.
• They left many difficult passages in their text.
• They retained many self-recriminating details.
• They included many of the demanding sayings of Jesus.
• They distinguished their words from the words of Jesus.
• They did not deny their testimony under the threat of death.
• They claimed their record was based on eyewitnesses.
• They had women witnessing the resurrection before men.
• They challenged readers to check out the facts.
• They discarded long-held Jewish beliefs overnight.
• They include more than thirty historical people.
-The historical accuracy of the gospels is certainly something that all New Testament believers simply would take for granted. However, our age is one that lives in great hostility to the Christian belief system and has very little regard if any for the Bible.
-So another way of finding supporting evidence for the confirmation of Scripture is to look in non-Christian sources outside of the New Testament. Two good sources for this information are F. F. Bruce, Jesus and Christian Origins Outside the New Testament and Gary Habermas, The Historical Jesus.
-They have effectively summarized the non-Christian writers of the times that Jesus was on the earth. These writers are Josephus, Tacitus, Suetonius, Thallus, the Jewish Talmud, and a variety of others.
They confirm some of the following:
• Jesus was from Nazareth.
• He lived a virtuous life.
• He performed unusual feats.
• He introduced new teaching contrary to Judaism.
• He was crucified under Pontius Pilate.
• His disciples believed he rose from the dead.
• His disciples worshiped him.
• His teachings spread rapidly, and the number of disciples grew.
• His disciples denied polytheism.
• His followers believed they were immortal.
• His followers had contempt for death.
• His followers renounced material goods.
-There are those who will continually scoff and mock what God has done in our lives. What should be our response to them? I think Scripture has a wonderful answer to that:
Colossians 2:7-8 KJV Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. [8] Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
Romans 3:3-4 KJV For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? [4] God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.
IV. WHO CAN STUDY THE WORD OF GOD?
-Not everyone can study the Bible or even read it effectively. There are some biblical requirements for those who are desiring to know the Word.
-They have to be born-again:
1 Corinthians 2:14-16 KJV But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. [15] But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. [16] For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
-They have to be hungry for the Word:
1 Peter 2:2 KJV As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:
-It has to be searched with diligence:
Acts 17:11 KJV These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
-They have to be hungry for holiness:
1 Peter 1:14-16 KJV As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: [15] But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; [16] Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
-They have to be Spirit-filled:
Ephesians 5:18 KJV And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
V. CONCLUSION—BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS
-There are a host of good books that you can avail your mind with.
Philip Harrelson
August 7, 2016
