To the inspiration of the scriptures.
The Holy Spirit is the one who inspired
the scriptures.
1st Corinthians 2 13 which we looked at
in detail.
We didn't look at 2nd Peter 1 21.
Would you look at that for just a
moment, please?
2nd Peter chapter 1 verse 21 Says knowing
this first That no prophecy of the scriptures
of any private interpretation For the prophecy came
not in old time by the will of
man But holy men of God speak as
they were moved by the Holy Ghost The
usual interpretation of this verse is That no
one has a right to interpret the scriptures
according to his own personal way of thinking
No prophecy of the scriptures of any private
interpretation But that isn't really what it means
This doesn't refer to the way you interpret
the scriptures It refers to the way in
which the scriptures were originally given The rest
of the verse goes on to prove that
When it says no prophecy of the scriptures
of any private interpretation it means when Isaiah
Jeremiah Amos Malachi Matthew John when they wrote
they weren't giving their own private interpretation of
things They weren't using their own wisdom and
what to write down They were speaking writing
as the Holy Spirit moved them Now, of
course, it is true that no prophecy of
the scripture that we don't Individuals don't have
a right to interpret it apart from the
Holy Spirit.
Oh, that's true But that's really not what
the word is saying here This has to
do with how the scriptures were originally given
and the Bible that we have in our
hand doesn't Doesn't consist of men's interpretation of
things.
They were moved By the Holy Spirit and
they speak accordingly Now we believe in the
verbal plenary inspiration of the scriptures When we
say the verbal inspiration of the scriptures We
mean that the very words those men wrote
down were the words of God No question
in the world about that and we saw
that this morning when we were reading in
1st Corinthians 2 13 It Uses that not
in the words which man's wisdom teaches but
words which the Holy Spirit teaches comparing spiritual
things with spiritual when we say the plenary
inspiration of the scriptures we mean that the
Bible is inspired from Genesis through Malik through
Revelation all scripture is given by inspiration of
God just to show you how thorough the
inspiration of the scriptures is Turn to Matthew
chapter 5 and verse 18 Matthew chapter 5
and verse 18 There you read these words
the Lord Jesus is speaking.
He says but verily I say unto you
till heaven and earth Pass away one jot
or one kittle shall in no wise pass
away from the law Till all be fulfilled
one jot and tittle.
What would we say today?
one dotting of the I one crossing of
the T a Jot and a tittle weren't
even letters in the Hebrew alphabet.
They were marks.
They were strokes They were very very minor
When you think of a capital E and
Then think of a capital F the difference
between a capital E and a capital F
Just that stroke at the bottom of the
E The Lord said not one jot or
tittle would pass from the law.
So I'll be fulfilled.
I want to tell you that Inspiration to
the very minutest degree in the scriptures, isn't
it?
Not one jot or tittle would pass until
all be fulfilled Then even the singular and
the plural of words is inspired in the
Bible Galatians Chapter 3 verse 16 I think
this is thrilling when you see this in
the Word of God Paul makes a big
point here between singular and plural It says
in verse 16 of Galatians chapter 3 Now
to Abraham and his seed Where the promise
is made he says not into seeds as
of many that as of one and to
thy seed which is Christ a Difference in
the English between of one letter Adding that
plural F to a word and that shows
you the minute detail in which the Word
of God is inspired Now it's all inspired
to the same degree All the scriptures inspired,
you know, that's one of the problems with
a red-letter New Testament Some of you
may have it don't feel badly if you
do Publishers published the New Testament with all
the sayings of Christ in red letters.
Well, that's alright But it creates the impression
it might create the impression in people's mind
that what's in red letters is More inspired
than what isn't and that isn't true.
Is it what Paul writes in?
In the epistles is just as much the
Word of God as what you see in
red letters in your Testament And because the
Word of God is inspired.
It's infallible.
There are no errors in the Word of
God It's absolutely trustworthy some men today say
well Trustworthy in matters of faith and morals,
but not in other matters.
I say it's trustworthy in all matters that
you can possibly Think of BH Carroll said
it's foolish to talk about degrees of inspiration
He says all the Bible is the Word
of God when I was a boy.
I found a thousand contradictions in the Bible.
I marked them I Had nearly a thousand
more contradictions then than I have now.
I now have a half dozen in the
Bible I cannot explain Satisfactorily to myself, I
think if I had a little more sense
I could explain them That's what he said
That's very good.
Isn't it?
When he ever when he was a boy
at a thousand contradictions in the Bible today
He has only about six and he says
if I had a little more sense, I
think I could explain those six.
I Think we want to mention that inspiration
when we hear about the Spirit of God
inspiring the scripture Inspiration doesn't guarantee the truth
of what for instance Satan says in the
Bible it Guarantees the authenticity of the record,
but if Satan tells a lie in the
Bible doesn't mean it's true Does it if
man says something in the Bible?
It isn't true.
It's inspired because God wanted it to be
in the Bible Even if it isn't true,
for instance the book of Ecclesiastes The book
of Ecclesiastes represents Solomon's search for meaning to
life under the Sun the Expression under the
Sun is found 29 times in the book
of Ecclesiastes Now a lot of his conclusions
under the Sun aren't true at all He
says, you know man dies and goes into
the grave and the dog dies and goes
into the grave and man has no advantage
Over the dog.
Well, that's not true Is it It's not
true at all, but that man's wisdom under
the Sun dear friends You have to get
above the Sun to get true wisdom But
I'm glad it's in the Bible I'm glad
it's part of the inspired word of God
because God is saying McDonald Don't go through
that dreary search the meaning under the Sun
Solomon the wisest and richest man who ever
lived went through that search and he couldn't
find it Don't think you can find it.
So I'm grateful for the book of Ecclesiastes
But just remember not everything in it is
true It represents man's search under the Sun
incidentally the cult love Ecclesiastes because they don't
put the key in the door.
That's why that's why they love it Now
here's a problem when we speak of the
inspiration of the scriptures.
We're thinking of the original documents the original
documents as they were written down by the
various men Moses the Pentateuch But you know,
we don't have the original documents today as
and that presents a problem to some people
They say well you believe in the inspiration
of a book and you don't have the
original document No problem.
There are so many copies of the Old
Testament and So many copies of the New
Testament Handed down transmitted down through the centuries
It's just as good as if we had
the original document, let me put it this
way Supposing there were a fire back in
Philadelphia and the Declaration of Independence were burned
Would we be any the loser just because
the original copy was written, but we'd know
everything that was in it Wouldn't we we
know everything that was in it and that's
true of the sacred scriptures Let me just
give you some little facts about that The
book of Isaiah we've had for centuries, you
know, is that the right book of Isaiah,
is that the way it should be?
Well, not too many years back.
They found the Dead Sea Scrolls and in
the Dead Sea Scrolls Among them they found
a copy of the book of Isaiah.
Oh so they were going to cut they
were going to take this copy of the
book of Isaiah that they just found and
Compare it with what they had assembled as
the true book of Isaiah down through the
years It represented a hundred pages of manuscript
the book of Isaiah and a Jewish scholar
Found 13 problems.
There were 13 words in The Dead Sea
Scroll Isaiah that seemed to be a little
different From they didn't affect any doctrine, of
course of the faith 13 words.
Let's think of that a few years passed
and he said That in his considered opinion,
he was hasty on 10 of those 13
problems They were all small problems problems like
this the difference in the spelling the British
spelling of judgment J U D G E
M E N T and the American spelling
of judgment J U D G M E
N T What was comparable in the Hebrew
things like that?
The difference is between Isaiah as we have
it and Isaiah as it was in the
Dead Sea Scroll copy only 13 Changes that
this scholar thought of and he says it
while I was a little hasty about 10
of them.
I Want to tell you that marvelous when
a copy can be transmitted down through the
centuries and only three I would like anybody
in the room to typewrite a hundred pages
of manuscripts And have only three type of
graphical errors in it.
I'd like to see it.
I don't think anybody in the room could
do that.
I Know something about editing and copywriting and
all the rest, but I want to tell
you we make more mistakes What about the
New Testament?
Scholars today will tell you that the New
Testament the text of the New Testament as
we have it today is 99 and 9
10th percent pure the thing that one tenth
of one percent and that one tenth of
one percent Represents very minor problems.
Not one of those things represents a doctrine
of the Christian faith What does that mean
it means I can hold this book up
before you tonight and say that is the
Word of God And I really believe it
with all my heart the differences are minor
and they have nothing to do with doctrine
Somebody says to me how can you prove
that the Bible is the Word of God?
Well, I want to tell you something There
are many evidences that the Bible is the
Word of God It would take more than
the time we have tonight to go over.
Let me just get this to you You
accept the Bible by faith and then God
proves to you that it is the Word
of God years ago Billy Graham many years
ago Billy Graham was down in Southern, California
He was at a conference at Forrest Home
and He was up there in the hills
and he was about having a duel with
God he had been hearing all these doubts
and denials about the Bible and He was
beginning to be a little bit affected by
those doubts and Denials, let me just read
it to you the way he tells it
in August of that year.
I'd been invited to Forrest home Conference that
are high in the mountains outside, Los Angeles.
I remember walking down a trail Tramping into
the woods and almost wrestling with God.
I dueled with my doubts and my soul
seemed to be caught in the crossfire Finally
in desperation, I surrendered my will to the
Living God revealed in Scripture I knelt before
the Bible and said Lord Many things in
this book.
I do not understand but thou has said
the just shall live by faith All I
have received from thee.
I have taken by faith Here and now
by faith I accept the Bible as thy
word I take it all I take it
without Reservations where there are things I cannot
understand.
I will reserve judgments until I receive more
light if this pleases thee Give me authority
as I proclaim thy word and through that
authority Convict men of sin and turn sinners
to the Savior and within six weeks He
started the Los Angeles crusade and that's when
Billy Graham started to say the Bible says
And he noticed a new authority in his
preaching That was the beginning of the great
ministry.
How did it happen?
He accepted the Bible by faith?
That's what we have done You can't argue
people into the kingdom of God but you
can get them to read the Bible and
find that they're dealing with living materials and
They will find that he who has felt
the force of it is not likely to
doubt the source of it That's true.
Once you felt the force of the Bible.
You're not likely to Deny the source of
it But having said that let me say
this It's possible to believe in the inspiration
of the scriptures Be a hundred percent clear
about the scriptures and Yet when we come
to a verse in the scripture, we don't
like we explain it away But this is
one of the sins of evangelicalism How do
we explain it and we say Number one
it couldn't mean that literally you ever heard
that We Come to some version it says
lay not up for yourselves treasures on earth
Where moth and rust doth corrupt where thieves
break through and steal lay up to yourselves
treasures in heaven where moth and rust is
not corrupt Where thieves do not break through
and steal?
They have to have prudence don't you have
to have common sense don't you and We
take that verse of Scripture and we ring
the meaning out of it So there's not
enough left to make soup for a sick
grandpa We don't It's one of the sins
of the thing a Second rationalization We've never
done it that way That's what we say
we come to a word of God And
it's really not the way we've done it
and that's what we say We've never done
it that way and you know, that's exactly
what the Jews did in the time of
the Lord You read about that in Matthew
chapter 7 verses 9 through 13 Matthew 7
just let me tell you the story there
if you want to turn to it you
may Matthew 7 verses 9 through 13 The
law of God says honor your father and
your mother that your days may be long
upon the earth The Jews developed a tradition
Here's a Jewish father and he comes to
his son and his son I'm bankrupt.
I have nothing.
Can you help me out?
All that son had to say was Corbin
it's all you have to say just a
word Corbett and that meant dad Anything that
I might have given you at this time
has been dedicated to the Lord It didn't
mean the Lord would ever get it You've
had to say that all you had to
say was Corbett Anything that I might give
you to help you out of your financial
distress at this time been dedicated for the
Lord He said to them here By your
traditions you make void the law of God
Isn't that what he said Matthew chapter 7
verses 9 through?
13 No, I don't have the right reference
there, but anyway It's mark, it's mark chapter
7.
Sorry about that mark chapter 7 verse 9
Just let's read it verse 10 But Moses
said honor thy father and thy mother and
whoso curse of father or mother let him
die the death But he say if a
man shall say to his father or mother
it is Corbin that is to say a
gift by whatsoever Thou mightest be profited by
me.
He shall be free He suffered no more
to do art for his father as mother
Making the Word of God of none effect
through your tradition and we do that we
come to some hard verse of Scripture and
may say Corbin And the verses of Scripture
that we like the least are those that
have to do with money The most sensitive
part of modern man's anatomy is his pocketbook
The hardest job the Holy Spirit has is
to cut the nerve between a man's brain
and his wallet Do you know that Jesus
talked more about money than he talked about
heaven and hell He talked more about money
than he talked about personal salvation You don't
like it.
Church doesn't like it.
Everybody ought to be profit Nothing too good
for the people of God live high off
the hog.
Not what you read in the New Testament
Explanation number three.
I know that's what it says in the
Bible.
But in my case God wants to make
an exception Isn't that sweet Here's a girl
who falls in love with an unsaved police.
Look my friend.
You can't marry that fellow He's unsaved and
you're a believer.
I know that's what the Bible says But
in my case God wants me to marry
him so I can lead him to Christ
We make void the Word of God with
excuses like that Number four that was just
for Paul's day or the days of the
early church This is the cultural argument and
it's very very strong today But I want
to tell you something if you use the
cultural argument at all, you can get rid
of anything in the Bible If you use
it with regard to women's place in the
church You can get rid of baptism and
the Lord's Supper for the same argument.
This is just for Paul's day We do
that.
Men do that Number five God knows I
have to live doesn't he?
When the stern demands of Jesus discipleship are
pressed upon people That's a great thing.
A young man said that to Spurgeon once.
God knows I have to live doesn't he?
Spurgeon said I don't grant that We have
to obey God Who said we had to
live?
Six you have to be prudent you have
to use common sense If you put common
sense above the Word of God it becomes
rat poison The Word of God is supernatural
sense not common sense It's above common sense
Number seven those scriptures reveal Paul's prejudices.
Paul was a male chauvinist Paul was a
woman hater and those scriptures reveal his prejudices.
Yeah, well, then if you if that's true
You don't have the Word of God Basic
if that's true.
The Bible is not the Word of God
the inspired Word of God Number eight.
I can hardly believe that anybody would say
that you shouldn't do it if it would
offend somebody You shouldn't obey the Word of
God if it would offend somebody yes do
it whether it offends people or not Number
twelve those teachings are just for the kingdom.
Oh, that's convenient Anything you don't like Relegate
it off to the kingdom, but God is
not deceived by all of these things At
the coronation of a British king or queen
the but the Bible is Presented to him
or to her with this word.
We present you with this book the most
valuable thing the world affords Here is wisdom
This is the royal law These are the
living oracles of God Wonderful, isn't it?
There's just one more point on that little
outline there And that is this the final
ministry.
I don't say this is a final one,
but final one on this outline The Holy
Spirit transformed believers into the image of Christ.
I think that's a nice note To end
on 2nd Corinthians chapter 3 verse 18.
It says but we all With unveiled faith
Beholding us in a glass the glory of
the Lord are changed into the same image
from glory to glory Even as by the
Spirit of the Lord Let's go over it.
Just take the verse apart and put it
together again, but we all all Believers with
unveiled faith What's an unveiled faith a faith
where there's nothing between the soul and the
Savior no unconfessed sin Perfect communion between God
and the believer unveiled faith beholding as in
a glass.
What is the class the class is the
Bible?
What do you behold in the Bible the
glory of the Lord?
What happens when you go to the Word
of God not for an occasional glance?
but for a concentrated gaze Beholding as in
a glass the glory of the Lord what
happens I changed into the same image.
What does that mean?
It means we become more like Christ.
That's what it means from glory to glory
What does that mean means from one degree
of glory to another it's a progression.
It's an upward climb How does that marvelous
change take place take place even as by
the Spirit of the Lord?
This is a secret to becoming like the
Lord Jesus being occupied with him The gaze
it's the gaze That's sanctified.
It's the look that fades, isn't it?
You take that look of faith to the
Lord Jesus Christ.
He saved you I tell you it's the
gaze That's sanctified.
We all with unveiled faith beholding as in
a glass the glory of the Lord are
Changed into the same image from glory to
glory Even as by the Spirit of the
Lord, may we all go forth from the
conference With this prayer in our hearts to
be like Jesus To be like Jesus All
I want To be like him Shall we
pray father we would pray this all through
life's journey From earth to glory all I
want To be like him May this be
the great ambition of our souls day by
day But as we go to the Word
of God and feed on the Word of
God and behold the glory of the Lord
The Holy Spirit will have his wonderful way
in Transforming us into his image we ask
in his worthy name Amen