Scriptures
as the Only Authority of Matters Pertaining to Life and Godliness
A Sermon
Let’s imagine that there was a book, we could buy it in a store, and that within contained everything you need to know about life. That could tell you what was true and what was a lie. That could help you know what to believe, who to date, where to go to school... even what to do for the rest of your life. What if in this book there were section titles like, "What to do when your friend hurts you,” "How to best use your talents," or "How to have a Happy Marriage." There are many books about how to operate computers or how to cook. Maybe we’d call our special book on how to live, "Life for Dummies."
But what if we had such a book? A book whose pages revealed the secrets for life. If you had a book like this, would you read it? How often would you read it? Once a year? When a crises situation occured? Would it lie dusty in your shelves, the cover never even having been cracked open?
No! You would read it every day! Heck, you would probably have a pocket sized version that you carried around with you all the time so you could consult the master plan for your life.
What if I told you this book was not imaginary, but that it was real, and that I owned a copy of it? What if I told you that I was holding one in my very hands? And what if this book not only had secrets for life, but also for relating to God? What if it told you how to be forgiven of your sins? What if it revealed to you the secret of how to get to heaven?
Let me tell you a secret. I do hold this book in my hands, and more than likely you already own a copy. This book is God’s word. It does contain everything we need in life. 2 Peter 1:3 states, "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who calls us." As we look at our theme passage for the weekend, we see that in verse 8 Paul writes, "I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord," and in verse 10, "I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings."
We can be given everything we need in life and godliness through knowing God. Knowing God was so important to Paul that he was willing to say that he would give up everything and count it all worthless compared to the amazing fulfillment of knowing Jesus Christ. So the question is, “How can we know him who calls us? How can we know Christ Jesus?”
Ephesians 1:13 says, "And you were also included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation." The key to knowing God is through his Word. Today we are going to look at what God’s word says about itself. My opinion on this subject doesn’t matter, and I’m not here to give you my opinion. If you are a Christian, then you must be interested in what the Holy Scriptures of the Christianity, The Bible, says about any subject. So let’s look and see what Scripture says about Scripture. We are going to go real fast today and cover a lot of material, so I want to pay close attention and take good notes.
There are actually two ways to know God revealed to us in scripture. Psalm 19 will be the meat of our text today. We’re going to camp out here for the remainder of this message. Psalm 19 reveals two ways we can know God, let’s look there now.
Psalm 19 is broken up into three sections. The first six verses of this Psalm make up one of these sections. This section of the Psalm is dealing with what is called, “God’s general revelation to mankind.” General revelation is what God reveals about himself to everyone, all over the world. Let’s read it now.
èRead Psalm 19:1-6 (1-7 in Slovak Biblia)
So according to this passage of scripture, God declares his glory in all of creation for all to see. Verse one, “The heavens declare the glory of God.” Verses 3 and 4, “There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth.” So this is the first way we can know God, through his creation. There is a parallel passage in the New Testament to this, Romans 1:18-25. Let’s look there now.
èRead Romans 1:18-25
Here we see very similar words, don’t we? The Apostle Paul agrees here that people can know God through creation in verses 19 and 21, but what kind of knowledge is it? It’s a knowledge that condemns all of mankind to perish in hell. Verse 18, “The wrath of God is being reveled from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men.” In verse 22 Paul calls mankind foolish, “Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools.” Man tried to invent a way to God, and failed miserably (vs 23), “[Mankind] exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.” And in verse 25, “[Mankind] exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the created things rather than the Creator – who is forever praised.” What do we learn from this? We can’t come to God on our own terms. We can’t make ways to God. God has prescribed the way to Him, and it is through his Son Jesus Christ. All other attempts fail, and doom you to the eternal punishment of God’s wrath. We can’t just worship God any way we desire either. God has prescribed the way He is to be worshiped. You can’t worship Him with idols or statues of any living thing or creature. You can only worship him they way He says He is to be worshiped. The first three commandments of the 10 commandments in Exodus 20 show how God is to be worshiped. We won’t look there now, but I encourage you to look there later.
So what do we learn from this? Yes we can know God through creation, but the knowledge of God gained through creation is not to be desired, as it damns you to eternal punishment. So maybe the second way to know God will be a little more helpful. Let’s look back at Psalm 19 verses 7 through 9.
èRead Psalm 19:7-9 (8-10 in Slovak Biblia)
Here we see six statements about the word of God. Each statement has a name for God’s word, a characteristic of God’s word, and a benefit of God’s word. The synonyms for scripture here are: the law of the Lord, the statutes of the Lord, the precepts of the Lord, the commands of the Lord, the fear of the Lord, and the ordinances of the Lord. The characteristics of the Holy Scriptures are: it is perfect, it is trustworthy, it is right, it is radiant, it is pure, and it is sure. Its benefits are: it revives the soul, it makes wise the simple, it gives joy to the heart, it gives light to the eyes, it endures forever, and it is altogether righteous. Six times we see the word Lord (Hospodinov) in this small passage. When we see the word Lord in all capital letters in the English Bible, we know it refers to YHWH, which is a name for God. This shows that these six statements represent things that come from God. Six times the covenant name for God, YHWH is used to identify the source of the sufficient word. So here we have in Psalm 19 through the Psalmist David, God’s own testimony to the sufficiency of scripture for all spiritual needs.
Before we go deeper into each of these six statements, I would like to first look at a parallel passage in the New Testament, 2 Timothy 3:15,16. Put your finger in Psalm 19 and flip over to 2 Timothy.
I wanted to first make the distinction about what the word of God is. I have already used the word scripture as a synonym for the word of God, but I want to explain this to you a little more. Some would say that the word of God is Scriptures plus something else. Scriptures plus traditions. Scriptures plus what church leaders say. There is a Latin phrase that has been a part of the church for quite sometime that describes this, “sola verbum Dei,” which means “The Word of God alone.” This is the idea that God’s word is Scriptures plus other things. There is another idea in the church, and it has also been around for a very long time. This idea is that the word of God is only scriptures, The Holy Bible, and that this is our sole authority on matters pertaining to life and godliness. There is also a Latin phrase, which has been a part of the church for just as long as the other phrase, that describes this view toward God’s word. This phrase is, “sola scriptura,” which means, “The Scriptures Alone.” I’m not going to tell you which one I agree with, or what I think about either one of these, but let’s look at what the bible says on the subject. Let’s read 2 Timothy 3:15,16.
èRead 2 Timothy 3:15,16
There are two key statements in this passage. The first: scriptures are able to make you wise unto salvation. Verse 15, “…you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through Jesus Christ.” The Scriptures are able to save you. The Holy Scriptures, this book, can show you the way to God. Secondly: that all the words in this book, The Holy Bible, are God-Breathed, God inspired, God wrought, written by God himself. Verse 16, “All Scripture is God-Breathed and is useful….” Paul makes the distinction here and says Scripture is authoritative. Scripture is able to make you wise for salvation. Through the teachings of this book, you can be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Let’s go back to Psalm 19 and look more in depth at verses 7-9 and let’s start with verse seven.
èRead Psalm 19:7a (19:8a in Slovak Biblia)
“The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul.”
The Hebrew word for law here is Torah, which was the name the Jews used for their Old Testament scriptures. The word, in Hebrew, literally means law, direction, or instruction. So this statement refers to the nature of the Bible that teaches us. Through this law God instructs man. That’s what the law is, God instructing man in matters of life. This has in view Divine Instruction relating to creed (what we believe), character (who we are), and conduct (how we live). This is teaching from God for life.
This teaching, which comes through the pages of the Bible, it says here is perfect. James calls the bible "The Perfect Law."(James 1:25) Perfect here is a common word, and it means perfect or whole, complete, comprehensive, or sufficient. In the original Hebrew language, this word means, "all sided" so as to cover completely every aspect of a thing. It covers everything. It lacks nothing. It is a comprehensive source of the teaching of God that covers everything that we need pertaining to life and godliness.
Its perfection here is related to the fact that it has power to revive or convert the soul. The Hebrew word for revive means to turn back to God, or to be restored, refreshed or repaired. In short, it can transform your life. It gives full life in all aspects to your soul. Soul here means the heart or inner person - the real you. God cares about your inner person and has given his word in order that you might be changed. Let’s look at some New Testament Scriptures that back this up.
è2 Timothy 3:15
“and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.”
è1 Peter 1:23
“For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.”
èRomans 1:16
“I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes”
The Old Testament and New Testament scriptures agree that the word of God is powerful, and able to save you from hell and convert your soul.
Now to the second statement about God’s word found in verse 7b (8b).
èPsalm 19:7b (19:8b)
“The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the
simple.”
The synonym for the Holy Scriptures here is statutes. Statutes in the original language means testimony or witness, and it refers to who God is, and what He requires.
èMicah 6:8
“[GOD] has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
God shows us what is good, He shows us who He is, and He tells us what He requires of us through the Bible.
God’s statutes it says here are trustworthy. They are sure, firm, and reliable. In contrast to the unsure, unreliable notions and ideas of men, God’s statues are trustworthy. They are like a mountain standing firm in the midst of the tossing sea of men’s ideas and strategies, and the worries and torments of this world. You can plant your feet on this rock, and you will not be moved. The word stands firm. It is trustworthy.
Trustworthy - to support, confirm, be faithful, uphold, confirmed, established, sure, verified, and immovable. One of the uses of this Hebrew word is an architectural one meaning pillars, supporters of the door. We get the idea that God’s testimony is strong and supports the heavy weight of the house. We can depend and rely on his statutes to direct our lives.
è2 Peter 1:16, 19-21
“We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, be we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.”
“And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it…. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”
In Scripture, we have a more sure word of truth; it says here a more certain word. The scriptures are reliable, they are trustworthy, they are more certain than the ideas and traditions of men. And the benefit of the trustworthy statutes of the Lord is that it makes wise the simple. The Scriptures can make you wise. Studying the Bible and knowing God through it can make you wise in all matters pertaining to life and godliness, through the divine power of the Holy Spirit.
Simple - the root of the Hebrew word has the mmeaning to be left open, or made open or spacious, like a door being left open. Meaning gullible. A simple person is undiscerning. They don’t know when to shut the door of their mind, or what ideas to close out. They are very naive, and are blown around by every wave of teaching.
èEphesians
4:14
“[Through the teaching of the Bible] we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.”
We see here that the simple are tossed about. Their mind is like an open door, letting everything in. But they can be made wise. The source of this wisdom is the word of God.
Wise - to be skilled in the art of Godly livving. To be skilled in the matters of practical living. It is to master the art of daily living. Accomplished by the knowledge and the application of the word of God. God is always the source of wisdom.
èJames
3:13
“Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.”
Wisdom is the ability to make right choices about the right things in the right moments in life.
The word of God has the power to take the Simple, naive, undiscerning, gullible infant in the faith, and make them Wise, able to live out their lives through the knowledge and application of God’s word, and living a good life with good deeds done according to the will of God. Not gullible but sure, standing firm in the faith that God has established through His word. And able to live practically, making right decisions about life and godliness to the benefit of everyone they come in contact with. The Scriptures can make you wise.
Thirdly we read in verse eight,
èPsalm 19:8a (19:9a Slovak Biblia)
“The precepts of the Lord
are right, giving joy to the heart.”
Where does a believer go to fight anguish or depression? Who do you go to when you are mourning? When your heart is sad? When things just aren’t going right, when we feel like the scum of the earth, where do we, as believers in Christ go?
The Psalmist here says we go to the word of God.
Precept - a word for scripture meaning divine pprinciples, precepts, or guidelines. The scripture is full of guidelines for living from God.
These precepts, David writes, are right. Showing the true path. Showing the correct way to live. Giving us guidelines and precepts for correct and right living. They guide us in the proper way for true understanding.
They show us what to do. Think back to when you first met Christ. Some of you have just met him. But I remember when I was younger in my faith and I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know how to grow, how to live. I questioned when people told me about certain things about right living, because I didn’t know for myself. I was clueless. I had no idea how to live or what to do in life, or even how to grow in my walk with Christ. I was lost in the fog of human opinion.
The answer is here. We have a true Word to follow. The precepts Guide. The Scriptures show the way. The word of God gives us answers for right living and growing in our faith. They show us the truth in the midst of confusion. It is the lighthouse of hope showing us the way home from the depths and darkness of the tossing sea. It is a lantern lighting our path in the time of darkness and despair. It is the thing that we must trust to show us everything we need to know pertaining to life and godliness. The precepts are right, giving joy to the heart.
And David here wisely notes that when the word is followed, and when a person lives according to the guidance and direction of the right and true word from God, it will give you the deepest and truest joy. You will rejoice in your heart.
Let’s look at an example of this happening in someone’s life. Jeremiah was a prophet of God in the Old Testament. In the fifteenth chapter of the book of Jeremiah we see God bringing judgment on Israel, and Jeremiah is supposed to tell the people what God has said. In verse ten, we see Jeremiah’s sorrow, in effect he says, “I wish I were never born.”
èJeremiah
15:10
“Woe is me, my mother, That you have borne me,
A man of strife and a man of contention to the whole earth!
I have neither lent for interest, Nor have men lent to me for interest.
Every one of them curses me.”
Here is a very sad and depressed man. He is low and his heart is broken. He is the lowest of the low. Now let’s look to see the source of
Jeremiah’s Joy in verse 16.
èJeremiah
15:16
“Your words were found, and I ate them,
And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart;
For I am called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts.”
The source of Jeremiah’s joy is to feast on the word of God! He went from the deepest sorrow to the greatest joy by feasting on the word of God. What a wonderful lesson of what to do in times of sorrow and depression. We should follow Jeremiah’s example and go to the Bible, which will make our hearts rejoice!
In the New Testament in 1 John, the apostle writes similarly.
è1
John 1:4
"And these things we write to you that your joy may be full."
The Word of God is the source of joy, and when you follow His Word and obey its guidance your heart will rejoice.
Fourthly we read in verse 8 (9),
èRead Psalm 19:8b (19:9b)
“The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the
eyes.”
The word used for Scripture here is commands. This is yet another way to look at scripture. Scripture is made up of divine decrees and commandments. Here we have emphasis on the authority of the word of God. On the non-optional characteristic of scripture. The Bible is not full of a lot of suggestions, the words within are commands. Binding, authoritative commands. This is what God requires for the citizens of His kingdom. For those that enter in to this covenant with God, and obey his commands there are blessings. For those who do not enter in and disobey His decrees, there will be eternal lasting, fiery judgment.
These commands David notes are radiant. They are clear. They are pure. That is to say they are not confusing or puzzling. They are radiant. They are like a bright light showing the correct way. When things are confusing and unclear the word of God makes them clearer.
Have you ever tried to read in a dark room? Maybe you were outside reading as the sun was going down. Eventually as the darkness approaches and the light dims you can see less clearly the words you are reading. The words become fuzzy and unclear. You have to strain your eyes. Eventually you can’t see them at all, they are just darkened splotches on a page. What would happen if a light were shined on the book you were reading? If you pulled out a penlight or a flashlight from the bag you were carrying with you? What if the Streetlight above the bench you were sitting finally came on? What would happen? The words would become clear. You could read them and understand them again. The word of God is like this in our lives. As we live in the darkness of confusion and man’s opinion, who is altogether blind, the Word of God is a radiant light shining on our path to make the way clear. It shows us the right path. It shows us the difference between right and wrong. It navigates our lives through the times of peril on the stormy seas of doubt and confusion. God’s commands are radiant, enlightening the eyes.
The word of God is all the revelation we need. It is clear, it is easy to understand. It leaves no doubt as to necessary truth.
èProverbs
6:20-23
“My son, keep your father’s commands, and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.
Bind them upon your heart forever; fasten them around your neck.
When you walk, they will guide you; when you sleep, they will watch over you; when you awake, they will speak to you.
For these commands are a lamp, this teaching is a light, and the corrections of discipline are the way to life.”
The commands of the Lord show us the way to live. They will lead us, they will keep us they will speak to us, and they will light our path.
Fifthly we read in verse nine (10).
èRead Psalm 19:9a (19:10a)
“The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever.”
Here David uses the term fear as a synonym for Scripture. This is because the Scripture is intended to convey a fear of the LORD to its readers and hearers. To bring about a reverential awe. To draw us to worship. It is used in the since of what it seeks to produce. The scripture seeks to produce this fear or frightful awe or fearful worship in the hearts of men, so it is said to be the fear of the Lord.
The scriptures instruct us in whom we are to worship and how we are to worship. And this scripture is described here as being pure. Pure means the absence of impurity or imperfection. It is not defiled, it is not polluted; it is pure. This Bible is not just a collection of stories, and commentaries written by the wisdom of men. It has not been polluted by the evils of outside thought. Contrary to popular belief, the bible has not been translated so many times that it lost it’s meaning. It has been translated once. It was written in Greek. And translated into English (and Slovak). It has not been defiled through translation, it is pure.
Another popular misconception is that the scriptures have been defiled through age. That through the years of being passed down they have little by little lost their original meaning through the miscopying of words, or the insertion of their own ideas. This misconception is also untrue. As we compare ancient Hebrew scrolls found recently in archeological studies with the Hebrew manuscripts that we have now, we find that there are almost no differences between the two. The differences between the copies are insignificant. The Hebrew scribes were very careful to preserve every word of the scriptures that were passed down. And if we claim to believe in God, we must have faith in His sovereign power to make sure that His word makes it through the ages with out impurity. The word has not been defiled by time. It is pure.
The Scriptures are also pure in that they are without corruption or error. The Word of God has not even the slightest taint of evil. It is perfect. This again is in contrast with the tainted wisdom of men. The word of God is clean. You can go to it and know that what it says it absolutely pure.
èPsalm
12:6
“The words of the Lord are pure words,
Like silver tried in a furnace of earth,
Purified seven times.”
The Word of God is Holy. Separated from sin. This is in contrast with the words of men, you can’t trust them. But you can trust the word of God, it has been purified. It has been spoken by Almighty, Most Holy God. It stands firm, and is trustworthy. As a result of this holiness and cleanness, we see that it endures forever.
The word of God is timeless, it endures forever. It is always trustworthy, you can always go to it and know that it is clean, and right and true. It is not just relevant for the time period that it was written. It has no cultural or historical limitation on its reach. It endures forever. It escapes the bounds of time and culture and history and is applicable to men’s hearts forever. It is just as applicable and true today as when it was written. Its significance does not change. Its truth does not waiver. It is absolutely true, and absolutely significant, and absolutely sufficient. It endures forever.
Lastly we read in verse nine (10) that,
èRead
Psalm 19:9b (10b)
“The ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogether righteous.”
The synonym used for the scriptures here is ordinances or judgments, and the word means divine verdicts. So we have divine instruction, the Law of the Lord; divine witness, the Statutes of the Lord; divine principles, the Precepts of the Lord; divine decrees, the Commands of the Lord; divine worship, the Fear of the Lord; and lastly we have divine verdicts from the bench of the judge of the entire universe. And He says that His judgments are true.
How many times have after hearing the news of a verdict in a trial, did we know, or at least have a good inclination that the judgment wasn’t true? That the verdict wasn’t just? That it was in error? Well, God’s judgments are true. His verdicts are just. There is no question, when God makes a ruling that it is not true. And here we have in the Word of God, the Holy Bible, God’s true judgments. We have truth. Stop the presses! Search no longer, we have found truth! Truth! Everyone on this planet, whether they know it or not is searching for truth. The human soul needs truth, it wants truth; it wants to depend on the true words and teachings and judgments of something. Sadly, they almost always turn to things that are not true.
Only the word is true. It is true and dependable and right. It is applicable, and has power to save the soul and transform the mind. To deliver from sin. To give wisdom for life. The word alone is true. Only it can be trusted. Everything that you see and hear must be tested by running it through the filter of God’s word. 1 Thessalonians 5:21 says, "Test all things; hold fast what is good."
If the Word of God is sufficient for salvation, if it is sufficient to perfectly transform the soul of a person, if it is sufficient for all the skills of spiritual living, if it is sufficient to bring full joy to overcome the sorrows and struggles of life, if it is sufficient to bring understanding to the dark things hard to see, if it is sufficient to purify all sin, and if in all of this it’s always true, then it’s got to be the source of everything in spiritual living.
The result of the truthfulness of scripture is that it is altogether righteous. It is totally right. This speaks to its comprehensiveness. It is altogether, comprehensively, totally from cover to cover righteous. It is a complete, comprehensive, sufficient source of truth. And because of this, we are sternly warned not to add things to the teachings of the Bible.
èDeut
4:2
"You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you."
èRev
22:18,19
"For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book."
Are we to believe that we need more revelation? That we need words of prophecy to add to this word to make it sufficient?
Lastly in this Psalm we learn about the value of Scripture and David’s commitment to it. Let’s look at these really quickly.
èRead
Psalm 19:10 (11)
“They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.”
Here in verse 10 we learn that the Word of God is the greatest possession you could ever own, more valuable than pure gold. We also learn that it is the source of the greatest pleasure that you could experience in life, for it is sweeter than honey, even honey straight from the comb.
èRead
Psalm 19:11 (12)
“By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward”
Here in verse 11 we learn that the Word of God is the source of greatest protection, warning you and keeping you from harm. We also learn that it is the source of the greatest profit (money-wise) that man could ever seek, for in keeping the word there is great reward.
èRead
Psalm 19:12-13 (13-14)
“Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults.
Keep you servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me.
Then I will be blameless, innocent of great transgression.”
Here we learn that the Word of God is the source of purity in our lives. It will reveal our faults and sins, and it will keep us from turning our backs on God.
So what do you need in life? Wealth? The greatest wealth is found in the Word of God. Pleasure? The greatest pleasure is found in the Word of God. Protection? The greatest source of protection is found in the Word of God. Glory? Praise? The greatest reward will be gained in keeping the Word of God. Purity? Morality? Right and joyful living? The word of God is sufficient for you in matters of purity, morality, and right living.
Finally and lastly, let’s look at David’s commitment to scripture.
èRead Psalm 19:14 (15)
“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.”
My prayer is that you will pray this prayer with me, that all the words of our mouths, and the deepest thoughts of our hearts would be pleasing to God. For he is our Lord, and he is a Rock, and he is our Redeemer. Praise be to our Glorious God!