Sermon Tone Analysis

* Tonight we start our theological journey looking at Bibliology (The Bible)

* Recall we are taking a stance on the assumption that 2 Tim 3:16 is true.

The Bible is a unique book because it claims to be the very Word of God.

* To the Muslim the Koran is the word of Muhammad

* To the Mormon it is KJV but with the added bonus of Joseph Smith's Book of Mormon.

* To the Scientologist it's Dianetics by L.Ron Hubbard

* To the Buddhist it's the Tripitaka (more than 100 vol.)

* None of these works make the bold claim that the Bible does.

* The Bible claims to be the Word of God

* There are 4 approaches to the claims that the Bible makes about being the very Word of God.

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The Bible Claims to Be "The Word of God"

* The first is the most obvious.

It makes that very claim over 50 times in the Bible.

#. [[Bible: Matt 15:6]] "So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God".

#. [[Bible: Rom 3:2]] "To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God".

λογια - a valuable collection (of sayings).

#. [[Bible: 1 Peter 1:23]] "since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God"

#. [[Bible: Heb 4:12]] "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart."

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The Biblical Writers Claim: "Thus Says the Lord"

* Don't overlook this phrase in the Bible.

It's very important.

It provided authority and power to whatever was being said, because it was being said by the Lord.

* These phrases (thus says the Lord, the word of the Lord came to me, God said, etc.) occur hundreds of times in Scripture.

* What they serve to do is to leave no doubt as to the confessed source of the message.

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The Bible Claims To Have Divine Authority

* Here are some phrases that point to the divine authority of the Bible

#.

Indestructability.

[[Bible: Matt 5:17-18]] "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished."

#.

Infallibility.

[[Bible: John 10:35]] "and Scripture cannot be broken"

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Final authority.

[[Bible: Matt 4:4-10]]

#.

Sufficient for faith and practice.

[[Bible: Luke 16:31]] [[Bible: 2 Tim 3:16-17]]

* The extent of divine authority in Scripture includes:

#. all that is written - [[Bible: 2 Tim 3:16]]

#. even the very words - [[Bible: Matt 22:43]] [[Bible: 1 Cor 2:13]]

#. and tenses of verbs - [[Bible: Matt 22:32]] [[Bible: Gal 3:16]]

#. even the smallest parts of words - [[Bible: matt 5:17-18]]

* Even though human authors were used, this book has divine authority from God. Think about that next time your memorizing Scripture.

The authority still stands.

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What the Bible Says, God says

* This is the formula we find in the Bible.

It is manifested in that what the OT says, "God said", will be stated as being what Scripture says, in the NT.

* Some comparisons:

#.

God says...[[Bible: Gen 12:3]]...Bible says...[[Bible: Gal 3:8]]

#.

God says...[[Bible: Ex 9:16]]...Bible says...[[Bible: Rom 9:17]]

#.

God says...[[Bible: Gen 2:24]]...Bible says...[[Bible: Matt 19:4-5]]

#.

God says...[[Bible: Ps 2:1]]...Bible says...[[Bible: Acts 4:24-25]]

#.

God says...[[Bible: Isa 55:3]]...Bible says...[[Bible: Acts 13:34]]

* The two are interchageable.

/conclusion/

* We must have a profound reverence for God's Word because it is just that.

This is not some man-made book, but it's the very Words God would say to you, has said to you.

Honor it as such.

* I don't get the impression that we cherish the Word of God the way we should.

Not worship it as we worship God, but cherish it, as His instruction to us.