Sufficiency of Scripture
1) 7-7-02….BBC…..PM 2) 11-4-07.....SBC…..AM
“Biblical Butterflies”
Psalm 19:7-11
Intro: #1 – You have not been having a good day. On the way to work you got rear ended by some 16 year old that just got their license. At work your boss yelled at you. On the way home you are get caught in rush hour traffic longer than normal. When you get home your wife tells you that the refrigerator quit working and all the food in the freezer is bad. Then, you find out that the jobs you gave you kids to do while you were at work didn’t get done. What do you do now? How do you react? How should we handle this? Can we go to the Bible for help in this matter?
#2 – Your born- again son or daughter comes home from college and said they have met someone and they have been dating for the past six months. They tells you that they think this could be the one. After meeting him you really like him, he treats your daughter well. But, after some inquiry into his spiritual life you find out he is not a believer. What do you do now? What do you tell your daughter? Would the Bible have any guidance in this area of life?
#3 – Your father has just been diagnosed with cancer and given one year to live. Over the course of that year all the common treatments are administered and now you find your dad in a lot of pain. So much pain it hurts you to see him suffer like this. Then the doctor tells you of someone he knows that would not allow you father to suffer any longer. He explains that this man can your father die and not suffer anymore pain. What do you do? Is this ethical according to the Bible? What does the Bible have to say about this matter?
As we encounter many situations in life we must remember to let our feelings dominate Scriptural truth. We must realize that God’s Word is sufficient for all our actions and reactions in life. Psalm 19:7-11 gives us a pattern of what God and His Word can do for our lives if we only let it.
READ Psalm 19:7-11 and Pray
Ø 6 statements of Scripture – in this passages we find…
- 6 titles for Scripture
- 6 characteristics of Scripture (two in each verse)
- 6 benefits of Scripture
- 6 uses of hvhy reminding us that the source of special revelation is God Himself
· v1-6 is about General Revelation – God’s revelation of Himself as see through creation
· v7-11 is about Special Revelation – God’s revelation of Himself in His Word
Ø these verses are God’s own witness and testimony to the total adequacy of His Word for all our spiritual needs.”[1]
Purpose Statement: Our purpose today is to see from God’s point of view that His Word is trustworthy to dictate
all our actions and reactions in life
Transition: Truth #1 about God’s Word is that…
1) The Word of God is perfect v7a
Perfect for what? Restoration of the soul
A- Transformation of the inner person
1- We as believers must realize that everything we are as Christians came from the transforming power of Scripture
3- Perfect = whole, complete, lacking nothing
- something so complete that it covers all aspects of something
Ill) Bob Villa is the guru for home improvements – you wouldn’t go to the local hair stylist
Acts 4:12 “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
Ø Scripture teaches that you are incomplete without Christ
Ill) blind people can’t give themselves sight
Ø Are you seeking to apply Scripture to the life situations you face?
Ø v7 teaches that Scripture is completely sufficient for conversion, transformation, restoration, spiritual birth and growth and this statement is made with absolutely exceptions
Transition: Truth #2 about God’s Word is that…
B- God’s Word revives our soul
1- Without Scripture we are as hopeless as a non-responsive person with no EMT available
2- Only the Bible can bring us back from the spiritual dead
Transition: Truth #3 about God’s Word is that…
2) God’s Word is sure or trustworthy v7b
A- it is reliable and dependable
Illustration: God’s Word is the opposite of most Church buses and vehicles – it is reliable
2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. So that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
B- God’s Word makes the person who lacks wisdom wise
1- You want to intelligent or wise, make yourself an adhesive to God’s Word – like superglue
2- How wise or intelligent are you?
How much do you follow God’s Word will be answer to that question.
· if our church is going to founded on God’s Word then we must be people whose minds are open to God’s way of living and closed minded to the world’s views on daily living
Transition: Truth #4 about God’s Word is that…
3) God’s Word is right and when obeyed it brings joy to our lives v8a
- Jeremiah 15:16 “When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight…”
- to Jeremiah they were not just a set of do’s and don’ts
- they were to greatest thing in his life and most valuable possession
Proverbs 13:15 “…the way of the unfaithful is hard.”
- Does the drug addict have a joyful life? - this may bring some joy
- Does the adulterer have a joyous life? - false joy
- Does the millionaire have a joyful life? - not full & complete joy
- Does the backslidden Christian live a joyful life?
- The only true joy in life comes from knowing God’s Word and then doing it
James 1:22-25 “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what is says.”
- Don’ be happy with your level of obedience right now, do more and obey more!
Ø we are not left to wander in the fog of human opinion
Ø God’s Word illumines our path Ill) Ever run in to something in the middle of the night?
Transition: Truth #5 about God’s Word is that…
4) God’s Word is radiant and a guiding light v8b
A- radiant = authoritative, pure and nonnegotiable
B- God’s Word brings direction to a life of chaos and confusion
C- Only God’s Word can provide direction for life
Psalm 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in al your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.”
| - pray that God gives you the faith to break down the habits already formed so we can apply God’s Word abundantly to our own lives first and then to the lives of others |
Application: God’s Word can guide us in:
- child rearing - husband/wife relationships
- anger management - homosexuality
- mid-life crisis - separation from the world
- alcohol - birth control
- sexuality - language
| Fear of God: reverence in worship - we are all worshippers- we were all created toworship- the Bible confronts us with what we worship and gives instruction about Who to worship and how to worship Him |
Transition: Truth #6 about God’s Word is that…
5) God’s Word is pure and forever
A- it is clean & uncontaminated
B- Scripture is eternally relevant
1- never outdated
2- doesn’t need to be changed
3- no additions or corrections
4- they have been preserved down through history
a- men have tried to destroy God’s Word without any success
1- Jehoiakim – Jeremiah 36
2- Roman Emperor Diocletian burned all Bibles in 303 AD
3- In the 1500’s a French infidel named Voltaire campaigned against the Bible
4- 1524-1525 the Bishop if London burned al the English NT that were being smuggled in from Germany
- The bottom line is that at any time in human history, in any culture, in any philosophical climate, we will find the Bible completely accurate
6) God’s Word is more valuable than the most precious and purest valuables v10
A- It is a formula for guaranteed success
Read Psalm 1:1-3
Conclusion:
#1- Not having a good day and on the verge of losing your temper
Proverbs 14:17 “A quick tempered man does foolish things…”
1 Corinthians 13:4-5 “Love is not easily angered”
Proverbs 15:18 “a hot tempered man stirs up dissension, but a patient man calm a quarrel.”
#2 – Your daughter is going marrying and unbeliever
2 Corinthians 6:14-16 “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?”
Amos 3:3 “Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so
#3 – Assisted suicide / Euthanasia
Job 14:5 “Man’s days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits that he cannot exceed.”
Genesis – made in the image of God and God is the author and finisher of life
We must not only say that Scripture is our only source of direction and life, but we must pray to God for the faith to live it out.
----
[1] MacArthur: Intro to Biblical Counseling p27