The Doctrine of Scripture: Believe It!
The authority of Scripture, that it is to be believed and obeyed, does not depend on the testimony of any person, but completely on God, the author.
All Scripture, every book in the Old and New Testaments was written under and directed by the inspiration of God the Holy Spirit.
Rom. 1:18–20 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
God created the world not only to bring us joy through its beauty and sustain us through its resources but also to serve a significant moral purpose.
Everything that exists is a neon arrow that points to God’s existence and glory.
The existence, inspiration, authority, and trustworthiness of Scripture is the doctrinal foundation upon which every other doctrine stands.
One of the devastating results of sin is that it reduces all of us to fools.
Hebrew “nabal” one lacking understanding or even the capacity for understanding.
What is deadly about all of this: a fool doesn’t know he is a fool.
1 Cor. 1:18–31 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.” Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
Consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
No one is hopelessly trapped in their foolishness, because God, who is the source of all true wisdom, is a God of tender, forgiving, and rescuing grace.
To all who confess their foolishness and run to him for wisdom, he offers mercy and grace in their time of need.
Not only do we have the gift of God’s word, but we also have the gift of the Holy Spirit, who guides us, teaches us, and illuminates the word for us so that we can know, understand, confess, and repent. I
God rescues me from my foolishness not just by handing me a book, but also by giving me himself to open the wisdom of that book to me.
The Doctrine of Scripture: LIVE IT!
Transformation is the demonstration that the information of God’s Word has taken root in our hearts.
God’s Word Saves and Rescues:
2 Timothy 3:15 “From childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus”
Because we live in a fallen world, and will continue to battle the sinful nature of our hearts, God has designed the Bible to function as your spiritual first-responder.
God used His Word of the Gospel to save you from an eternal death separated from His presence (justification), He is now using His word to continue to rescue you and grow you (sanctification), and will continue to use His word to save you until that work is complete and we are face to face with our Savior (glorification)
God’s Word Points:
2 Corinthians 5:15 “ And He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again”
The DNA of sin is selfishness.
Every day we need to be reminded that life is not about our comfort or the success of our plans.
Life is about God, His Glory, and the success of His purposes in and through us.
God’s word points us towards His glory and away from self-glory
God’s Word Teaches:
Psalm 119:97-100 “Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day. Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the aged, for I keep your precepts.”
God’s word teaches in ways unlike anything else. It teaches you things that you will learn nowhere else.
You never graduate as a student of God’s word.
If you think you’ve mastered this book, the truth is you haven’t been mastered by it.
God’s Word Warns and Protects:
1 Corinthians 10: 11-12 “Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.”
God gives us His warnings in the same way a tenderhearted parent would do for their child, because He loves us.
As naturally sinful beings we need boundaries.
God’s laws do not rob us of our freedom and joy, rather frees us from the bondage and sadness that always results when sinners choose their own way.
God’s Word Confronts and Convicts:
Hebrew 4:12 “For the word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
The Bible has a power that no other book has, the ability to discern and expose the true thoughts and purposes of your heart.
The constant confrontation from the mirror of God’s word is one of His most loving and gracious gifts because it exposes the lies that hold us hostage from being the person He made us to be.
God’s Word Encourages and Motivates:
Hebrews 13:5 “ I will never leave you nor forsake you”
God knew that in this broken and groaning world, no longer functioning as God intended, we would need daily encouragement.
God works through His word to focus our hope and motivation on Him and assure us that hope in Him will never, ever disappoint us
God has called us to do in the places where he has positioned us.
God Word Guides:
Psalms 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path”
In a world of darkness we desperately need Gods word to guide and illuminate each step we take in our life, to prevent us from stumbling or falling in a ditch.
As a student of His Word we must allow His truth to guide us in everyday decisions. Not our emotions, desires, or circumstances.
Charles Spurgeon “ Happy is the man who personally appropriates God’s word, and practically uses it as his comfort and counsellor – a lamp to his own feet.”
Live it Out
Living out the Word of God means that we carry it out of the devotions, small groups, and sermons where we receive it and into those places where we live, decide, speak, act, and react.
Transformation is the demonstration that the information of God’s word has taken root in our hearts.
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