God’s Own Defense of Scripture, Part 2 B

Word is sufficient for salvation is sufficient for skill in living sanctification is sufficient to produce lasting deep down joy and rejoicing is sufficient to give us a clear understanding things otherwise not understood. We have at least in fact found out that nearly 90% of Americans, whether Christian or not own a copy of the Bible, of course, owning a Bible and tapping into its life-changing power. Those are two different things.

So how can you be sure you're taking full advantage of Scripture, recognizing its value reading at the right way and applying biblical truth correctly.

John MacArthur's going to answer those questions today on grace to you as he continues his series from Psalm 19 titled God's own defense of Scripture.

And here's John now with today's lesson here is God's own witness God's own revelation as to the sufficiency of Scripture.

Psalm 19 and were looking at verses seven through 14. Let me read them for you love the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul.

The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever. The judgments of the Lord are true.

They are righteous altogether, they are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover by them by servant is warned in keeping them there is great reward who can discern his errors acquit me of hidden faults also keep back thy servant from presumptuous sins. Let them not rule over me, then I shall be blameless, and I shall be acquitted of great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight oh Lord my rock and my Redeemer. First of all, the sufficiency of Scripture verses 7 to 9, then the value of Scripture verses 10 to 13 and finally our subsequent commitment to Scripture in verse 14, the law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul that is to say that Scripture can be viewed as God's law for man's conduct. The second point we made here is to look at verse seven.

Again, the testimony of the Lord views Scripture is God's own personal testimony, God's own self revelation.

Thirdly, in verse eight Scripture is seen as the precepts of the Lord, precepts, meaning doctrines, if you will statutes.

Some translations have that is principles for life and godliness. Divine principles number four is in verse eight, the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The commandment indicates that Scripture is a mandate.

These are not negotiable. They demand obedience were to sufficient for salvation is sufficient for skill in living sanctification is sufficient to produce lasting deep down joy and rejoicing is sufficient to give us a clear understanding of things. Otherwise not understood. Number five in verse nine the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever. Fear is a term in Scripture that is synonymous with all reverence, wonder, respect, worship this book is not only the law of the Lord testimony the Lord precepts of the Lord commandment of the Lord, but it is the fear of the Lord is the manual on worship and instructs us how to worship the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Scripture calls for and instructs us in the true worship of God and do you remember Jesus said the father seeks true worshipers who worship him in spirit and in truth, the habit of the human soul is to worship you see that the habit of the human soul is to worship people worship they worship themselves. They worship things they worship heroes.

They worship adventures experiences whatever humans are made to worship. Only in Scripture. Are we instructed as to who we are to worship and how we are to worship is the manual on who to worship and how to worship your to worship the true and living God. God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ revealed in Scripture incarnated in his son and where to worship him in spirit and in truth.

We are not to make idols and worship them. We are instructed how to worship in Scripture as a source of worship. He says it's clean without evil without corruption, without error.

This is is in contrast to the evil imaginations of men who worship other things. The root of this word clean to horror in Hebrew has the idea of the absence of impurity. The absence of defilement. The absence of filthiness, the absence of imperfection it's unsullied Psalm 12 verse six the words of the Lord are pure words like silver tested in a furnace of earth, purified seven times its words are wholly separated, hallowed that's why David says that word I hid in my heart that I might not sin. The word has a cleansing effect Jesus in John 15 says we are pruned, purged, cleansed by the word because of its purity. By the way, here's the effect it endures forever. It endures forever because of its purity in endures forever. What what you mean by that sin kills the Bible last forever.

Jesus said, my word will never pass away.

Never it has no principle of sin in it. No error in it, no death to it. It endures forever. It needs by the way, no updating it needs no editing, no refining, no aid, no assistance is eternally pure, eternally relevant, eternally powerful we supposed to believe that all of a sudden today it's no longer true. It's no longer relevant. It's no longer able to be understood. All of a sudden the lights gone out. It's a dark book. It has inadequacies errors shortcomings.

It's inexplicable. It needs correction. It needs addition, we can't trust or do we need some people to vote on whether something in the Bible is true by rolling out colored balls know it is without error. It is without staining it is without pollution. It is without corruption and because of that it is on changing it is unaffected by the fall, if you will get. It endures again is Psalm 119 and and I don't want to go through all of the verses there, but just to remind you that many of them address this. Many of throughout this Psalm. Verse nine how can a young man keep his way pure by keeping it according to thy word. If you want a pure way then applied a pure instrument to your heart. Then verse 11. I've treasured thy word in my heart that I might not sin against the verse 38 establish thy word to thy servant is that which produces reverence for the. The word cleanses me makes me wholly makes me reverent in my thoughts toward you for verse 67 says I was afflicted I went astray. Now I keep by word.

The bottom line is when you obey the word it leads you in the path of obedience and righteousness. Verse 101. I restrain my feet from every evil way, why because I keep your word is sufficient to cleanse your life. It sufficient to purify your life any person in any culture in any age, in any location does need to be updated does need to be edited not become irrelevant. It is as alive and powerful. Now, as ever and finally the judgments of the Lord are true. They are righteous all together judgments. How interesting is that word the judgments of the Lord are true. How does that view Scripture that view Scripture as divine adjudications from the bench of the judge of all the earth verdicts when the Bible renders a verdict. It is true it's verdicts are true judicial determinations by the judge of all the earth from the heavenly bench, the one who is the ultimate and only final judge renders true verdicts in contrast to the injustices that prevail in human life. In contrast to the lies of this world. God's justice God's judgments are always perfectly true. Absolutely true, absolutely dependable in that last phrase what's the effect it produces what it means is it produces comprehensive righteousness. That's a summation. It produces the total product.

A righteous soul righteous in the sense saved, sanctified, joyful understanding clearly the truth about everything because the mind has been enlightened by Scripture worshiping embracing the truth. A comprehensive, complete soul before God is sufficient for salvation. It is sufficient for all the skills of spiritual living. It is sufficient to produce lasting deep-seated unassailable joy that overcomes the sorrows of life. It is sufficient for understanding of all the things that are hard to see it cast its light on all the darkness.

It is sufficient to purify all sin and it is always true true true true.

One television evangelist was very popular said this anything coming through man is contaminated to some extent. Therefore, since the Bible came through man. There must be some errors in it. So we must never equate the Bible with the perfect Jesus is the Bible less-than-perfect when God in his own word says it is perfect. Can God give us a perfect tax and not preserved and protected.

Such statements depreciate the word of God.

Any depreciation of the word of God is a dishonor to God himself. When it says the words of Scripture are righteous altogether. It means comprehensively right and comprehensively producing what is right.

I think it sufficient based on this text. I don't how you would argue anything else.

This is reminiscent of second Timothy three Scripture is able to make you wise under salvation. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable so that the man of God may be thoroughly or completely perfect. Same thing exactly it meets all spiritual needs.

That is the sufficiency of Scripture, and that leads to a second thought in the text. The value of Scripture.

Since this is true since this is true. Listen to the value verse 10 they meaning the judgments of the Lord that are completely altogether righteous and true.

They the words of Scripture are more desirable than gold, yes, and much fine gold sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honey comb that is to say they are more precious more valuable than any thing else for that ancient world gold was it. This is better than that better than fine gold sweet drippings of the honeycomb delicious to the tongue. This is sweeter than that, we could say it this way is our most valuable possession more valuable than gold. It is our most valued pleasure, sweeter, more desirable than any other thing is supreme in its value. It is supreme in its sweetness, which I had time to take it through Psalm 119 on this do-it-yourself must be 20 verses in Psalm 119 that say that one way or another. It is our greatest possession. It is our greatest pleasure. Thirdly, it is our greatest protector. Moreover, verse 11 buy them, thy servant is warned. Moreover by them, thy servant is warned.

Scripture is the source of warning in the face of temptation, sin and ignorance. We need the Scripture to warn us our greatest possession. Our greatest pleasure. Our greatest protector is our greatest provider.

Verse 11. At the end and keeping them there is great reward obedience to Scripture produces reward in this life and the life to come. Obedience to Scripture brings the believer his greatest provision, or if you will, his greatest prophet. The word is the source of reward the true reward comes not through self-seeking, it comes not through imagining, visualizing, trying to speak it into existence as the positive confession, people tell us the true reward comes to the one who keeps the Scripture reward is literally and he brewed the end, the end, the eternal reward is in view. Always the proper goal, you obey the Scripture and it impacts your eternal reward shouldn't even be looking for what you can get now here and now, like the Christian cultic preoccupation of health, wealth and prosperity and success and happiness.

Now we look to that eternal reward and obedience to Scripture produces that eternal reward is our greatest possession. Greatest pleasure greatest protector greatest provider and then our greatest purifier verse 12.

Who can discern his errors were not really very good at examining our own hearts. Unless we have some kind of plumb line in some kind of standard right or what most people do when they compare themselves with other people. Right. I'm not as bad as most people are basically good person like Paul described the false teachers in second Corinthians, and compared themselves with themselves. You can always find somebody worse than you some mass murder were all better than those people. So who really can assess his own errors on your own. Your pride yourself will your self-preservation instincts.

Your blindness to reality and your tendency to comparison is going to cause you not to be able to honestly discern your own errors you heard in the testimony of the Baptist dozen tonight, people don't really see the sin in their own lives. Who is going to discern his own and his own errors.

Only one exposed to the word of God acquit me of hidden faults also keep back thy servant from presumptuous sins. Let them not rule over me, then I shall be blameless, and I shall be acquitted of great transgression. What he is saying is I don't even understand my own wretchedness I don't understand my own sinfulness. I don't even know my own secret faults as well as presumptuous sins of deliberate action planned and premeditated and I don't know the rebellion and the apostasy of my own heart unless I know your word is your word purifies me convicts me and finally, what is our response to a sufficient word and a precious word that should be commitment to it. Verse 14. This is just the high point here that her pump to the Germans would say let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight oh Lord my rock and my Redeemer. What is he saying, probably most of us can quote that but the words of my mouth.

Meditation of my heart be acceptable in my saddle Lord, my rock, my Redeemer, that cause me to ask one question. What kind of words and what kind of meditation is acceptable in God's sight enough if you're saying let my words and my meditations be acceptable then the question is what kind of words and what kind of meditations are acceptable. David knew everybody knew David and need to explain any more than it would be like you quoting part of John 316 for God so loved the world would need quote the rest you can talk with the rest. David gives a little bit of a cryptic comment here there's there's a little… Here there's some things left out but everybody knows them. Everybody knows him because he's reaching back to a text of Scripture that everyone knew turn to Joshua chapter 1. Everybody knew this. Everybody in Israel knew this.

Joshua 18 listen. This is after the death of Moses, God speaks to Joshua to lead the people into the new land.

This is what he said, this book of the law. Word of God shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night wall that answers the question. Psalm 19 but the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in eyesight.

And here we are told that the book of the law is to give the words to our mouth and provide the meditation of our heart day and night. So what kind of words and what kind of meditation is acceptable to God that which is centered upon what the book of the law book of the law. This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth. You shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. Then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success you want your life to be success you want your life to be spiritually prosperous than understand the sufficiency of Scripture for all these areas it's comprehensive power, and let your words be words of Scripture and let your meditations be meditations of the Scripture, for this is acceptable in the sight of the Lord, who has by grace, made himself, your rock and your Redeemer. This is the right response. Oh Lord, says David keep me in your word so that when I open my mouth, it comes out and it dominates my thoughts made the word dominate my thoughts and my speech may it saturate my life, for it is this word which causes me to live a life that pleases you, and will be eternally blessed.

Yes, we have a sufficient Scripture. Our father again the testimony of Scripture is so compelling, so rich. Thank you for this magnificent tribute to your word among many in the pages of the Bible, we thank you for again the privilege of hearing it, we now stand responsible Lord help us to know that all that we need is here. All that we need and when we asked the question what does the human heart longed for, what are the D agonizing longings of the human heart.

We might suggest that transformation of the soul real wisdom in all aspects of life, true, lasting joy, the ability to understand the dark things of life, a permanent enduring source of life and truth to go to that is forever true and never wrong.

What satisfaction we find in all those things and all those things are found in the knowledge of your word. Thank you for this precious gift. May we live our lives in it as we have been instructed. We live by every word that proceeds out of your thank you for writing it down for us by the inspiration of the spirit, that we may see it and know it.

Meditate on it and speak it and live it. We trust to the owner of you oh Lord our rock and our gracious Redeemer. Thank you. In your son's name that's John MacArthur here on grace to you. John is a pastor, author and Chancellor of the Masters University in seminary is lesson today as part of his series called God's own defense of Scripture you know there's a clear take away from this study. It's this that the word of God is always fresh, always relevant, and it sufficient for every believer in every era, and Jon, I know you believe that and you build your ministry, on that principle even steak your life on that concept. The word of God is never going to be irrelevant and you don't need to contemporaries that you don't need to bring it into the modern era you need to take the modern people back into the ancient era so they know exactly what the word of God was saying but just think about this.

Phil everything is sort of updated everything in the world is updated right in the fast-paced movement of our world and with all the inventions and all the shifts and changes everything changes but one thing never changes and that is the word of God, because the message of the gospel never changes. God never changes. God is unchanging and so his word, reflecting his nature's equally unchanging and what an incredible thing to have half a century of messages and sermons that we can play in any language any time in any culture across the face of the earth and know it will do the work of God. So this is the commitment of grace to you to feed the folks around the world truth from Scripture and the measure of our reach is really only the collective reach of individual listeners like you. You make it happen.

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