And we will turn our Bibles to 2nd letter of Paul to Timothy, 2nd Timothy, 2nd Timothy chapter 3, 2nd Timothy chapter 3. given the songs that we have sung and all that we've done this morning, I dare say you know the verse that I'll be going to. But let's start by reading from verse one of this chapter, 2 Timothy chapter three, 2 Timothy chapter three. Let's hear God's holy word. This know also that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemous, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy. Without natural affection, truth breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despises of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof. From such, turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with diverse lusts, ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Now as Janice and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth, men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. But they shall proceed no further. For their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was. But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience, persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra, what persecutions I endured. but out of them all the Lord delivered me. Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and has been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them. and that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect. Throughly furnished unto all good works. This is the Word of the Living God. Let's pray together. Our gracious God, we give thanks for thy living word. And we praise thee that we can be gathered around thy word to hear it expounded. Oh Lord, what a privilege it is that thou has disclosed thyself unto us in these sacred pages, handed to us through these many, many years. And Lord, we thank thee that thou has given us this privilege that we can hold it even together and that we can open it without any fear of being harmed or endangered. O God, we give praise to Thee, and we thank Thee for Thy very presence here and Thy willingness even to help us as we open Thy truth. We plead that Thou would be merciful unto us. Forgive us, O Lord. Without Thee opening our eyes, we cannot see what Thy word says. And so, Lord, we pray that Thou would open our eyes, that we may behold wondrous things out of Thy law. Father, we pray that you'd help us that we would grasp these truths. Oh Lord, we pray that thou would affirm our faith in thee and consolidate it. And God, help us that upon hearing these things, we shall go forth not just being hearers, but even doers thereof. Oh Lord, I pray that if there be some soul here who lacks any assurance in thy word, I pray that thou would specially speak to that soul. And Lord God, may you meet everyone according to thine own will. And Father, we pray that your presence shall be with me as I open for thy truth. Rid me of self. Grant me grace to speak faithfully and fervently. And Father, glorify thy name. In Jesus' name we pray. And I'll start by reading from verses 16 and 17 of 2 Timothy chapter 3. 2 Timothy 3, 16 and 17. All scripture is given by inspiration of God and it's profitable for doctrine. for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works." The title of our message this morning is The Inspiration of the Holy Scriptures. The Inspiration of the Holy Scriptures. Dear friends, we all know that these verses are such a cardinal text in the Christian faith. And I say this because it provides an undergirding support of what we believe as to the word of the living God. This text brings us to doctrines which are so fundamental to the Christian faith that as I was preparing, I must tell you, I felt on one hand that it's probably just unnecessary for me to just rehash these things. Because I would wonder that everybody perhaps knows this verse and knows the teachings of this very truth. But as I read through it, and as I pondered over it, and as I meditated through it, I felt more and more drawn to the fact that we need to be reminded of this truth. And I say this because, dear friends, though these truths are so basic and fundamental, they can't be lost on us. We can somehow just forget about it and take it for granted. And not just that, but the fact is that we live in and are drawing further into the perilous times that Paul speaks of here in 2 Timothy 3. Those difficult times, those hard times described in this text, where corrupt people, hypocrites, and false teachers are rising up with more and more steadiness and worsening resolve in the church. We are in such times, dear friends. We are in times when it's becoming increasingly difficult to believe in the Bible and its credibility, and the vital importance of the Bible as the only inherent and sufficient Word of God. And even in many circles where people claim to believe in the Bible, it is only a theory. Because if you dig deeper, you'd realize that the inspiration and the special place of the Bible as a supreme authority has no bearing in their lives. And so while this is and may be familiar to you, dear friend, I would like, with the help of the Lord, to bring these to your remembrance and to commend to you to depend on the Scriptures, the Bible that we have in our hands today. And I hope that the Lord would use these things to reassure you and to encourage you and to persuade you to hold fast to the Scriptures. And so we may well begin by looking at a text which we read. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God. And it's profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, The text is directed at Timothy. Timothy, as you are aware, was a young pastor. He was Paul's own son in the faith. He is the one that is primarily referred to as the man of God. But we can all understand that this is not just a word for Timothy because it has great application for all of us. Why? Because as I've mentioned, we live in the times that Paul warns Timothy of, the perilous times. But in all this, dear friends, let's not forget that the key term that is being emphasized here is that of the Scriptures. It is the Scriptures. It is what Paul is advocating Timothy to be aware of and to take seriously. Now, when Paul uses the word Scripture, he is using this as a kind of a technical word. Of course, the original word just means document. It means a writing. But what Paul speaks of here is not just any document. It is not just any writing. He is actually specific in what he is directing at. Because you see, that same term is what our Lord Jesus Christ used time and time again in the Gospels when he said the Scripture cannot be broken. The Scripture should be fulfilled. We read this morning in Luke chapter 24 when he opened their eyes onto the scripture. This is the term that is being used there. In Luke chapter 24, if you read carefully as our brother was leading us this morning, verse 44, he actually showed us what those scriptures were. They consisted of the law of Moses, the prophets, and the sacred writings. And of the sacred writings, he actually highlighted there the Psalms. But this is what Paul primarily referred to as the Scriptures. But you see, dear friends, know that the term that he uses is not just about the Scripture. He says, all Scripture, all Scripture. And this is important because, you see, whilst he was actually primarily referring to the Old Testament, the fact is that the term is not just to be limited to the books of the Old Testament. And I say this because, if you're aware, in 2 Peter 3, verse 15, Peter uses this term scripture to compare it with the writings, the epistles of Paul. He compares Paul's writings, those sacred writings of Paul that we read here, as the scriptures also. And so then the term all scripture is not just referring to the Old Testament books, but it's also referring to the New Testament. Old and New Testament. And this is key. And this is the key thing that Paul is actually calling Timothy's attention to here. But the question that we must settle in our eyes is this. Why does Paul commend Timothy to the scriptures? Why does he say that he should stick to it? And if you read carefully, it seems like that is the only manual that he tells Timothy to stick to. He doesn't mention any other thing. He doesn't talk about his own opinions. He doesn't talk about other people's opinions. No other tradition but the scriptures only. Why is it so? Well, Paul draws Timothy's attention to the Scriptures as the only rule by which he should stick to for two reasons. If you read that text, you realize that he actually draws the attention for Timothy to use the Scriptures only for two main reasons. One is that he states it because he says that the Scriptures were specially given. The reason why Timothy should stick to the scriptures is because of the manner in which it was given. That's the first reason. But there's another reason why he asked Timothy to stick to the scriptures. It's not just because it was given in a special way, but because of the measure of value that it holds. It is profitable unto many things, he mentions. I don't think we'll have time to deal with all these two reasons. And so I'll just limit our study this morning to only the first of the reason, the manner in which it was given. And I hope that God will use these things to help us to also stick to the Scriptures. Note how Paul expresses the first reason why Timothy must speak to the Scriptures. This is given in the opening phrase of verse 16. If you read carefully, it says that all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, verse 16. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God. In other words, this is what Paul is saying. You can and you should stick to the Scriptures because of the very manner in which it was given. It is not just like any ordinary book. This book was given in a special way. It was given by the inspiration of God. By the way, when Paul writes that it was given by the inspiration of God, he does not mean that some way, somehow, it was given by some tingling of high feeling, high ruptured words of stirring encouragement. No, he doesn't mean that. In actual fact, the Greek word from which given by inspiration of God is translated simply means God breathed. God breathed. The scriptures were God breathed. It was as though as where God exhaled the scriptures into being. It was breathed out by God. It was breathed out by God. It doesn't mean that God literally brought the Bible as a complete package and just breathed it into being. No, it doesn't mean that. But it means that the scriptures were written in a manner so direct, so clearly direct and directly from God as though it was God breathing it into existence. And I know that this may seem rather strange because you see, dear friends, While God actually spoke directly many of the words that we find in the scripture, very little were recorded by himself. In fact, if you understand correctly, it was just the Ten Commandments that he himself wrote with his own finger, right? In fact, it may be also argued that It does not seem like all the words that we see in the scripture is a direct quotation of his words also. After all, there are many narratives in the scriptures. There are many portions that it seems like it's quoting what man said, isn't it? And so when we say that all scripture is breathed by God, it may tend to confuse us to think that, as it were, something is wrong here. But we must not misunderstand the meaning of the exhaling analogy. Because you see, dear friends, whilst it may imply direct words from God himself, it does not exclude the very possibility of God directly giving words and expressions through human beings. It does not also exclude God directly influencing and exerting his own superintendence on people to record events and to record words and actions Words and actions by the way of human beings as well, from his own perspective. He doesn't exclude that. After all, God could decide also to give us those perspectives out of his own point of view. And so though this is directly given from God, you would realize that when you read through the scriptures, there are many narratives. There are many quotations of people, even devils. And the reason why we have this is this. God is actually giving us direct information so that we will learn these narratives, some of which may be concerning him and concerning others. Albeit, what he wants us to see is this. This is what I want you to know from my perspective. And this is what God does. When we see the scriptures where God breathed, It implies that God directly moved and influenced and illuminated the hearts and minds of human penmen to write words, often using their own styles, by the way, but to write words, to write expressions, to write messages, so that even though they wrote their own words, yet it was as though God himself was giving his own words. And they wrote those words in a way that God meant them to be. Exactly. Every word and message was of God. And this is what we read of in 2 Peter. If you turn to 2 Peter chapter 2, chapter 1. The apostle Peter makes mention of this. 2 Peter chapter 1, verse 20. He says this, knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. It means that no part of prophecy is of private impulse. People didn't just get up and then spring up with these prophecies, but rather it came out through this way. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man, But holy men of God speak as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. That Greek word there, translated moved, could also be translated as they were born along. It was as though God was bearing them along. So that every word, every thought, every expression that they wrote, it was God's word. Even though it seems like they used their own styles, they wrote in such a manner that what was produced was exactly what God meant it to be. Now, of course, I have made reference to this, but you realize that what Peter is mentioning here, he's primarily referring to the prophetic books of the Old Testament. But the fact is that all the books of the Bible, whether they were Old or New Testament, were given by the inspiration of God. It was as though God bore them along by his spirit to record his words. And we can prove this. We can prove this from the Bible's own testimony. In the Old Testament, this inspiration of God cannot be missed because, you see, time and time again, we see this witness resounded. It's been pointed out that there are about 3,000 and over instances in which claims of those words being given by God is evident. Thus saith the Lord. The Lord said this many times over and over again. God gave them. And God also instructed that these words that were given should be recorded. In fact, one of the foremost that we see recorded is in Exodus 17 verse 14. In Exodus 17 verse 14, if we read carefully, we would realize that at that time, the Israelites had just conquered the Amalekites. In Exodus 17 verse 14, this is what the Lord said. And the Lord said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the years of Joshua, for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under the heaven." And here is one of the foremost records of God giving words, and not just giving words, but actually instructing that these things be written down. Exodus 24 verse 4 is also another one. In Exodus 24 verse 4, God also instructs Moses. We are told Moses did this. And Moses wrote all the words of the Lord. You see that? Moses wrote all the words of the Lord. And rose up early in the morning and built an altar under the hills. and 12 pillars according to the 12 tribes of Israel. I just wanted to just pick these to show you that there are samples of texts that we can look at which shows clearly that God gave this word. And God didn't just give this word, but God also instructed that these be written. And these were written by the express grace and power and moving of the Holy Spirit. And we could similarly turn to other books of the Old Testament where similar references are made. But we are told that over 400 expressions identified with Jeremiah, over 300 of them identified with Ezekiel, 53 times with Amos, 27 times with Haggai, over 50 of them with Zechariah, All of these sum up internal evidences found in the Bible that shows, that confirms, that proves that the things that were written were the word of the living God. The New Testament also bears similar witness. Perhaps some of the clearest statements upon which we can attest to this inspiration of the New Testament are found in John Chapter 14, 15 and 16. I just want to point to you three of them. John 14 is one of the texts. John 14. In John 14, particularly in verse 26, here the Lord is speaking to his apostles. And he's speaking about the Holy Spirit that he will send for the comforter. This is what the Lord says in John 14, 26. by the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, from the Father will send in my name. He shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." Here, the Lord Jesus Christ is actually promising that he will send for the Spirit. You remember, this is the same Spirit that we've read of in 1 Peter. which we are told that the Spirit himself bore along those prophets of old. God the Son here is promising his apostles that he will send forth his comforter. And what would a comforter do? He would teach all the apostles, he would teach the apostles all things and bring all things to their remembrance. All things, all things. All those necessary things that he said. All those necessary things that he did. All those necessary things that he acted upon. And that's why we have the gospels. Matthew and John were apostles, weren't they? And they were led by the Holy Ghost to understand and remember all the necessary things regarding our Lord Jesus Christ in those gospel records. Mark and Luke were not apostles, but they were prophets. They were companions of apostles. And they were used by God through the apostles to deliver also the other gospels. Another promise of our Lord is found in John chapter 15. In John chapter 15 verse 26, the Lord also promises something. But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth which proceeded from the Father, he shall testify of me. And look at this. And ye also shall bear witnesses, because ye have been with me from the beginning. Ye shall bear witnesses. Ye shall bear witness, because ye have been with me. And this witness, by the way, is going to be done by the power of the Spirit. It's going to be recorded. And that is why we have the Acts of the Apostles. Because the Acts of the Apostles show how God, by His Spirit, used these apostles to bear witness of the Lord, not just in Jerusalem, but in Judea, in Samaria, and other parts of the world. There's another text, John chapter 16. In John 16 verse 12, 13, we see the Lord Jesus Christ making another promise concerning the New Testament. And by the way, this is one of the texts that shows that the epistles and the book of Revelation are also given by the spirit of God bearing along his apostles. John chapter 16, 12 and 13. I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. How be it when He the Spirit of Truth is come, what will He do? He will guide you into all truth. He will guide you to all truth. For He shall not speak of Himself, but also He shall hear whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak, and He will show you things to come. All truths. and things to come. All truths. What are all those truths? Don't we find them in the epistles? Don't we see those wonderful explanations of the glorious gospel of grace found in epistles like the epistles to the Ephesians and to the Romans and to the Hebrews and others? Don't we see them there? It's because God promised that He would use His apostles, He would use them as vessels, He would use also His prophets through the apostles to bear forth His Word. In fact, we know That when the apostles wrote these things, they knew that they were actually speaking the Word of God. They knew that they were writing the Word of God. They knew that they were being used by God to deliver His Word. And that's why Paul, by the way, says in 1 Corinthians 2, verse 12, that now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God, that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God, which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Ghost teaches. comparing spiritual things with spiritual. So you see, dear friends, the New Testament books were given also by the inspiration of God. So that whether it's the Gospels, whether it's the Acts of the Apostles, whether it's the letters, whether it's the Book of Revelation, we can categorically claim without any wavering that they were given by God's Spirit. Primarily through the apostles as we've seen the passages that the Lord Jesus Christ himself promised. But also through the prophets. In Ephesians chapter three verse five, Paul makes mention of this. Ephesians three and five, Paul says he speaks of the apostles and the prophets being used of God to reveal those truths that were hidden. To expose to us those things that were before hidden. And they are the word of God. Oh, there's so much more that we can say. But these and many other statements should prove that the internal testimony of the scripture is that every word, every word, every word of it, and it as a whole, it as a message, is God-breathed. They are the very word of God. All scripture, whether old or whether the New Testament, is given by inspiration of God. They don't just contain the Word of God. They are the Word of God. They are the very Word of God. And they are exclusively, by the way, they are exclusively the Word of God. How do we know that? Because, you see, at the close of the canon, in Revelations chapter 22, God, as it were, closes the chapter to all those written words when He Himself the addition of any other, or the subtraction of any other from the book of prophecy, Revelation 22 verse 18. For I testify unto every man that heareth the word of the prophecy of this book, if any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the place that are written in this book. What a threat. And it was given there so as to, as it were, close the chapter to the canon of scriptures. So then the scripture is exclusive, an inspired word, written word of God. It's not me saying it, it's the scriptures itself saying it. And so no wonder the scripture is such a remarkable book, because even the qualities and the evidences of it show that it's a divine handiwork. It's only the work of a divine hand that can write such a wonderful compilation, taking over a period of over 1,000 years, using multiple men at different locations, different styles, different perspectives, and yet it has a united message. It has a central focus. This morning we looked at it. That focus is the Lord Jesus Christ. And it can be remarkably lined up. And there is no contradiction or confusion that cannot be reconciled. It's wonderful. If it were the hand of man, it would go through all sort of revisions. Revision one, revision two, edition one, edition two, three, four. But not so of the scriptures. And that's because it's the word of God. It's only the work of a divine genius that can compile such a book, a book that has such great depth, a depth of disclosure and wisdom and knowledge about God. Dear friends, we could not know God if God did not disclose himself to us. And so the scriptures must be of God, because it speaks of God. Because it speaks of the excellences of God, which we could never have known. And not just that, it speaks also of man. Oh, the studies of psychiatry and psychology has come with all sort of theories of man. But in this world, we see who man truly is. Man is not just made up of a body. He's also made up of an inward man, the spiritual component. And these two are important. And he speaks to us about the things that man needs to know. The things that man needs to do. The highest things that he should do in honor of his maker. This book speaks of grace. Dear friends, where would any man have thought of this concept of grace? Such a remarkable thing. That a great high and holy God can in his mercy, in his grace, receive humankind so guilty and worthy, and yet through unmerited favor. And yet he will still keep his holiness, his justice, his perfect attributes, grace. And think also of the concept of salvation. That God, God would think so well of man, man unworthy as he is, and yet would come and save man and draw him to himself and give him a new heart and change his life and make him fit for heaven. Holiness. If we were to draw our standards of holiness, what would we write? Everyone would come with a different style, a different method, a different way, a different standard. But God gives us his rules of holiness, summed up in the 10 commandments, that wherever you go, these things are so clear. The conscience bears witness in every man that this is so. And these are yet recorded in the word of God. He speaks about life, what life truly is. If we were left on our own, we would think that life amounts to nothing. Because after all, we live, and we die, and we go away, and there's nothing else, that's what we would think. But God tells us that the life of man is worth so much that even if you are to sell your whole soul, the world cannot compare to it. What shall it profit a man if he should gain the whole world and lose his own soul? The Bible speaks about the afterlife. That life is not as we just see it. That when we die, there shall be an afterlife. You would either be in a place of blessing or a place of great punishment. All these and many can we glean from it. We can glean from it each moment, each hour, each day, each week. Each month, each year, all our lives, and yet there'll be so much more to glean from. And that proves to us that it comes from God. It's only God who can write a book that can outlast our lives and outlast many lives for thousands and thousands of years so that there's always something fresh to keep us on moving. It's only God that can write a book that can pierce through the conscience and discern the thoughts and intents of the heart. Oh beloved, if this was a work of man, or of men, or even a country, there would no doubt have been a biased review. You didn't want to paint yourself in a bad light. You didn't want to speak about those embarrassing things that you do. But the Bible speaks so honestly, even about those that God used as bad men, even about David and what he did. The Bible exposes the heart of that prophet Jonah. The Bible shows it all, even of Peter, that apostle. And yet he shows us so honestly. And it's because God is the one giving this whole word. It is his own perspective about what things ought to be. And he inspired it all. And yet again, it's only a book written by an omniscient and a sovereign divine that can write a book that is full of prophecies. prophecies, prophecies throughout the ages, even hundreds of them, prophecies, many of which have been verified to have been fulfilled with remarkable accuracy. And it's because it comes from the Lord, the God who knows it all, who knows the end from the beginning. Oh, did I just say he knows? He is the one who assigns it. The one in control of all things. All these and many others prove that it was a special hand of God that was upon the writing of the pages of scriptures. It must have been God breathed. There is no other book that can properly claim this right or even compare to the Bible in any of these evidences. No other book. Not the Koran. Not those words that we see in the book of the Mormons. No other book. But the problem is that we no longer have the God-breathed originals. And so the question is that how do we trust, even if this is a word that is breathed of God, how do we trust that it has been accurately passed on to us? How do we trust that these pages have not changed with time? How do we trust that people have not inserted their own little, little thoughts over time? We don't have the originals. We don't have even one of the originals of the Hebrew or Aramaic. We don't have even one of those Greek manuscripts. The originals, we don't have. We have only copies. And here's where we need to comment briefly on the transmission of the text of scripture. Because you see, dear friends, whilst the scripture in its original writings, in the original languages, where God breathed, God breathed, we've just looked at the witnesses. The fact is that its transmission was only done through copying. God himself laid out this rule of transmission in many texts. When you go, maybe you can review Deuteronomy 17 verse 18. It's one of those. But God himself showed by example that these things would be copied. You remember that when Moses broke that law, God himself wrote a copy of those laws, right? They had to be written out again. This is one of them. And in Deuteronomy 17 verse 18, God instructed that a copy of the law be written for the one whom the people, whom God will choose as a king for the people. But the truth also is that we can very well claim God's providential care in keeping the scriptures intact and pure over the passage of time. Why do I say so? Well, because God himself promised that. God promised to preserve his word. Not just for a passing time, but throughout all ages. And there are many verses to show this. I am not going to point out all the verses. I'll just point out the common ones, the fundamental ones. In Isaiah chapter 40 verse 8, God made a promise. This promise is, by the way, re-quoted. It's re-quoted in 1 Peter chapter 1. In 1 Peter chapter 1, Peter quotes the promise made in Isaiah 40 verse 8. 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 24. Listen to what the Lord says. And by the way here, what Peter is inspired to do is to talk about the fact that Christians have been purified and they've been brought to know the truth. And by that, they should love one another with a pure heart, fervently. And that they had been born again. And the reason why they've been born again is that God has used his incorruptible word. Did you see that term there, incorruptible? Word that cannot be corrupted. It's a seed. It's the word of God. which liveth and abideth forever. Look at verse 24. This is what I want to point to you, dear friends. Here, God wants to make this so clear, and he does this by contrast. He says, all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man is as a flower of grass. The grass withereth, the flower thereof falleth away. But, you see, The grass would fall off. The glory of man would fade off. The glory of man, however big and strong, no matter how big his discoveries may be, no matter how big he might be, he will fade in glory. It will just be for a period of time. And some other time, nobody would ever remember. But, but, but the word of the Lord endureth forever. You see, this is an implicit promise that God will preserve His Word. It is not just going to fade for time. He will preserve His Word. He will preserve all of His Word. The flower and the grass fills and falls and withers away, but not so of the Word of God. It is going to be preserved. It endures forever. It will endure through time. This is what God promised here. There's another promise that people don't often talk about. Isaiah 59 verse 21. In Isaiah chapter 59 verse 21, the Lord makes a promise. You know Isaiah 59, don't you? Maybe I'll just point out to a verse that you are probably familiar with, but your iniquities have separated between you and your God. And here what the prophet here is doing is speaking about the sins of the people at the time. It seems almost so distressful that there seems to be no hope and there seems to be no measure of blessing. But the Lord promises in verse 20 that there shall be a Redeemer, and that Redeemer shall come. Who is that Redeemer, by the way? It is the Lord Jesus Christ. That Redeemer shall come to Zion, Zion, Zion. The word Zion is very important because it's a word, a term for the church, right? That Redeemer shall come to Zion and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob. That is going to be the characterization of those in Zion. They are people who will be marked by repentance. They will turn from their sins because God, by His grace, would work a wondrous work of the new covenant in them. But God promises one more thing. He says that, as for me, this is my covenant with them. This is my promise. This is my solemn promise to them, saith the Lord. My Spirit that is upon thee. Who is that thee? Some people say that is the Redeemer. Some people say that is the Prophet. It may be the Redeemer, I think. But whether it's the Redeemer or the prophet, this is what the Lord says. My spirit that is upon thee, it is the spirit of the living God, dear friends. He says that spirit and his words, which he has put in that mouth, shall not depart of his mouth, nor out of the mouth of his seed, nor out of the mouth of the seed's seed, saith the Lord from henceforth and forever. You see what God is doing here? He's promising that His Word shall not depart from His people. He's going to keep His Word. His people will always have His Word. We are not entitled to have God's Word, dear friends. But God graciously promises this. And that's one of the reasons why we believe. that God has preserved His Word. And not only did God promise to preserve His Word, but He actually did. And He bore witness to that. And that's why our Lord Jesus Christ bore witness to all the existing copies of the Old Testament. And He said that the Scriptures, as the Word of God, cannot be broken. It is still in force. That's what He was saying. How can something be in force if that thing has gone out of existence? But he said the scriptures cannot be broken. And by the way, when he referred to those scriptures, those were copies. That is why Paul could also refer Timothy to the copies of the scriptures of his time. And he referred to those as the very word of God, even though those were just copies. The Old Testament scriptures that they had there were just copies. And yet, Paul could say that these were the word of God. He still referred to these as though they were purely transmitted versions of the originally inspired versions, just like the Lord Jesus Christ did. Dear friends, it's upon the basis of the scriptural promises And these precedents, it's upon these basis that we can claim, and we can claim by faith that God has also preserved his word to us today. God has also preserved his word for us today. Now, I know that when we talk of the transmission of the holy text of scripture, sometimes we may tend to scratch our heads. And some people may think that, oh, this is just a plain talk. that if you've been following archaeological findings, if you've been looking at historical sources, you would see that these have even reinforced the fact that God's word is true, that God's promises are yea and amen. The discovery, for example, of the Dead Sea Manuscripts in 1947. has put to rest all those doubts about the certainty of the book of Isaiah. Before then, I read that people thought that Isaiah may have been written by three people, not just one person. Because you see the amazing prophecies and how that they were remarkably brought to fulfillment. And it's, how can it be? How can it be? This must have been written after the fact. And they disclaimed it. Because all that we had were copies that were written by the Masoretic copies. And these were after the death of Christ. But the Dead Sea Manuscripts were found in 1947. And lo and behold, when they tallied out those copies with the copies from which our version is translated from, it was practically 100% conformity. And those Dead Sea manuscripts, by the way, must have been copies of the original, the original that were written when Isaiah prophesied. Those may have been copied sometime before, long before the Lord Jesus Christ's earthly life. And yet, when they compared it, with the copies after the Lord Jesus Christ, it was found to be in conformity. Now, similar proofs can be made with respect to the New Testament. You know it. There's no ancient document represented in numbers of copies of the New Testament. There are about 6,000 of them, we are told. And though there are differences in existing ancient manuscripts, yet their very existence and the numbers and the contents show how miraculously God has providentially cared for the text of scripture. In so much so that when you think about the fact that the experts tell us that it's just some few percentage that seems to be a variation. And even these variations are relatively small. And for the most part, very minor. For the most part. For the most part. And experts tell us that even in all of these, none constitute any distortion of moral precept. Not one moral precept is affected. Not one article of faith is affected significantly. And this proves the divine preservation of the text of scripture. Think about it. It's amazing, particularly given the fact that no book as the Bible has undergone copying for 30 good centuries. No book as the Bible has been a subject of that level of threats of destruction, both by imperial decrees and falsehood. No book. No book has been subject to threats of deadly persecution. People wanted to wipe it out. It's been studied and used in the ordinary languages. It's been subject to unreasonable scorn and false scientific scrutiny. And yet, and yet, and yet, if we compare the manuscripts, it's so close, it's so close. That shows the miraculous hand of God in preserving this. As He promised. As He promised in Isaiah 40 verse 8. As He promised in 1 Peter. As He promised in Isaiah chapter 50 verse 21. And today the faithfully transmitted text of scripture are represented in many translated versions in many languages. Of course, we know that not one of those translations are inspired. I mean, the process of translation, not one of them is inspired. But we also know that Matthew 28, 19 and 20 speaks to the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ told his apostles that they should go into all the world and preach the gospel, teaching them all that the Lord had commanded them. And he promised that he was going to be with them. And we know that the world is made up of so many languages. And so if the word of God were to be published to all these places, then of necessity they should be translated. But the Lord said that he was going to be with them. And so has the Lord been in the translation of the text. The Lord has gloriously and graciously seen to the translation of His Holy Word so that now we are told that more than 1,300 of the 7,000 known languages have access to the New Testament and some portions of the Scripture in their language. Many, these attest to the ongoing care of God in spreading forth His Word. God has not left his people without his word, just as he promised in Isaiah 59 verse 21. And insofar as those translations were faithfully done in a fashion that is based on the fact that God has given an inspired word and that every word, not just phrases or ideas, but every word of that inspired word is pure and he has preserved it providentially through time. Insofar as these have been taken into consideration in the translation, we can rest assured that the translation is the very Word of God. And this is why we can in no doubt say that the version that we use, the authorized version, is the very Word of God. This is the Word of the living God. It's a word of God because it's a faithful translation of the copied text which has been purely preserved throughout ages from those originals that were inspired. Yet it's the very word of God in substance. It's the very word of God in every part. It is the living word of God. It is inspired. It is the word of truth. Let no one deceive you, dear friend, that you do not have the scripture. Let no one deceive you that you don't have the word of God inspired. You have it. You have it. God has given this word. And this is a doctrine that we must understand and believe. I know I've taken so much of your time. But the question then is that, If the Bible is God's inspired word, if the Bible that we hold is the inspired word of God, what does that mean to you? What does it mean to you? If you claim to have God's holy word, what does it mean then to you? Oh dear friends, it should mean a lot to you. And it means a lot, I'll just point out a few. Firstly, it means that God, the Bible, the Bible must be a special word to us, right? If we claim that this is God's inspired word, then it must be a special word to us. This is a word from the one who is high and holy. It is his word. It is his holy word. It is a sacred text from the living God. And His word cannot be taken for granted. It shouldn't be taken as a common thing. It is not like some textbook or some novel. No, it's a special book. It's not like any other book. That is what it should mean to us. But does it mean that to you? Is it precious to you? Do you hold it dear? Do you cleave to it as some sacred thing given to you from the living God, the living true and holy God? It's a great tragedy that there are many these days who claim to believe in the Bible. They claim to love it, but their actions prove that the Bible is not so dear to them. is not so precious to them. They would fondly read over and over again the newspapers, or their love letters, or their best novels. They would probably look at those movies over and over again and relish over the various scenes of those movies. But they would hardly open the pages of the special word of God. Many do not spend time to look through these precious pages of the sacred scripture. They don't. And when it is conned by people, they don't care to defend it because it's not precious to them. It's not dear to them. It's not a special thing for them. And for some, they treat it disrespectfully and commonly. They use it as a punching bag for their points of arguments, all in the name of some kind of religious endeavor. They use it and abuse it to say what they want to say, not what the Bible is saying, but what they want the Bible to say. Even to the extent that they want to support their own sinful ways and give their own excuses and treat it with a carnal mind and a carnal approach. But dear friends, this is the special word of God. It is precious. It is special. Paul calls it the sacred scriptures, the holy scriptures in verse 15. It is not like any other. And we will do well to hold that in value. Hold that in value in that way by studying it, by defending it, by using it in a manner that befits its glorious value. It's a precious thing. Psalm 19 verse 10 says, it is more to be desired than gold. Yea, that much fine gold, sweeter also than honey and of the honeycomb. Because it's a special word. Secondly, if the Bible is God's inspired word, then it should be a supreme word, shouldn't it? It should be a supreme word. It should be our standard. It should be our ultimate rule. Everything else ought to be subordinate, whether it's man's opinions, or the church's talks, or some scientific theorem, or some pastors' or group of ministers' notions. Whether it's even the apocrypha, it should be, those things should be subordinate to the scriptures. Because this is the word of the one who is high and holy and sovereign and above all and supreme. And his words are supreme. And if his words are supreme, then those words that he has given should be supreme to us. This is the rule by which we must shape our lives. This is the rule by which we must distinguish between right and wrong. This should be the final judge of things that should be true or not true. And this should be especially so, especially at this time when we are engulfed with so much lies. Lies that comes even in the form of Christianity. And yet in all these things, our principles should be like what the prophet says in Isaiah 8 verse 20, to the law and to the testimony. If they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. There is no light in them, and so we should not follow that. But we must follow that which is light, that which is supreme, that which is from the living God, And when we have used it as a rule to discern between right and wrong, we must yield to its authority. It must be authoritative in our lives. It must be authoritative in our lives because it comes from the one who is sovereign, the one who rules over all. Its precepts should be our command. Its counsel should be our supreme guide. Its judgment should be our final arbiter by which we judge all things as true or not true. And by the way, that applies to church life. All that we do in this church should be under the counsel and under the authority of the living God. So la scriptura is the scriptures that should be our guide. It's by the scriptures that we should be reforming ourselves. We should always be reforming in the light of the scriptures because that is a tiring thing that God has given to us. torrenting that comes from the one who is above all. If the Bible is God's word and God is sovereign, then we must submit to his word. His words are not suggestions. They are commands. They are to be obeyed. they are to be submitted to. And this means that we must not just come and listen to what the pastor says and what people say, but we must come and listen to God's word and be submissive, bowing down to it and following it. And not just in church life, but in our own lives. Whatever we do and whatever we say should be in conformity with the scriptures. Wherever we go and whatever we are doing should be in line and under the rule of the Scriptures. And by the way, the Scriptures still speak today. God gave His Word, but God is still giving His Word in the Scriptures. He has not just spoken, He still speaks. It is, thus saith the Lord. Thus saith the Lord. Thirdly, if the Bible is God's word, divinely inspired, then it must be a sure and a certain word. Dear friends, this did not come from a fallible man. It came from the infallible God. If it proceeds from the thrice holy God, the one who is faithful, the one who cannot lie, then the scripture's witness and its teaching is nothing but the truth. It must therefore be a sure and trustworthy guide. A sure and trustworthy guide to all the many mysteries of life, all the problems of life. It is inherent, it is infallible, it is a sure and unchangeable standard for life. And what a comfort this should be to us. Especially in times when we are being told that there's nothing like right and wrong. and that morality is relative. There's nothing like truth. This is really relevant in such a time when it seems like there's so much great moral despair. When where we look upon people that we trust to follow a high level of moral standard, they fail us? But why should we even be trusting them in the first place? When we have the sure and certain word of the living God, Are you troubled? Are you troubled about the uncertainties of life? Are you searching for a sure word of truth? The Lord Jesus Christ says, Thy word is truth. Don't wonder anymore. God in his kindness has given us his word, the living word of God. It's a sure and a safe ground and guide against the tide of sin and darkness and peril of times. This is a sure word that teaches, it corrects, it comforts, it guides, it guides us even through the most difficult crisis of life. And that is why it's so needful for us to always have that in mind. That this is the sure word of God. I go back to Psalm 19. Look at what the Lord says concerning this word. The law of the Lord is perfect. It is entire. It is complete. Converting the soul. The testimony of the Lord is sure. Making wise the simple. The statutes of the law are right. Nothing else can you say in that way. It's only the statutes of the Lord that can say this is right. And if the law of the Lord is perfect, if the testimony of the Lord is sure, if his statutes are right, what else? What else do we need? This is a sure ground by which we must depend. Lastly, lastly, lastly. Lastly, we must point out that if the Bible is God-breathed, then it must be a spiritual word. It must be. It must be a spiritual word. After all, it's given from the great eternal God. The God who is spirit. The source of not just physical life, but all spiritual life. And if we need knowledge or some disclosure of any aspect of spiritual value, it is His word. It is His word that should matter most. We don't need to go across the canvases of the Grand Cayon. We don't need to go across the East or to the West or the West Indies, we don't need to go to some guru. All what we need is to follow the word. It gives us the spiritual food and spiritual guidance and help that we can ever need. Today, as has been the case in human history, there are many who claim to desire and to look for spirituality. And yet they ignore the Bible. But the fact of the matter is that it is a disclosure about how true spiritual life can be attained. And not just how true spiritual life can be attained, but how it can be lived and lived on sufficiently. 2 Timothy 3, 15, 17 sums the spiritual blessings of the scripture quite clearly. Do you need spiritual life? Well, verse 15 tells us this. concerning Timothy, and that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able, the scriptures are able to make thee wise unto salvation. If you need spiritual life, go to the scriptures. It is able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. In the Bible, we see Christ Jesus as the focus of His message. The only one by whom we must be forgiven of our sins against God. The only one by whom we must be reconciled unto Him and be saved from the penalty and presence and power of sin. And not only does the Word give so much profit unto salvation, but it also heaps us profit. to every aspect of spiritual life. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and it's profitable for doctrine, for teaching, for reproof, proving all the things that we need to know to be corrected about. For correction, not just proving, but leading us on the right path. For instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect. throughly furnished unto all good works. But to spiritually profit from the Bible, it must be spiritually discerned. Oh yes, the scriptures is given and is written in a way that not only adults but children also can read it and benefit from it immensely. But it shouldn't just be read at face value. It must be properly understood. It must be properly interpreted. The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him, the Word of God says in 1 Corinthians 2.14. Neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned. So you cannot properly understand without God's help. That's what I'm just trying to say. And that is why we need to pray and we need to seek God's help by his spirit in understanding and to give us illumination and to grant us all the diligence so that we can rightly divide it. and that we can grasp it. That's why we should come to the Lord and pray to Him. Open thou my eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of the law. Because we cannot properly interpret it except we lean on the spiritual rule of the Word of God. Because it's a spiritual Word, dear friends. It's a spiritual Word. And the only way we can interpret it is to depend on God's own infallible rule of interpretation, which is given in the scripture. The scripture is a spiritual book, and also it should be spiritually received by faith. And that begins with the matters of entering into spiritual life. You've already read in verse 15 on 2 Timothy 3 that it is able to make you wise unto salvation. But how does it make you wise unto salvation? By faith. By faith. Faith in Christ Jesus. And to come to the word of God without believing in it is all but useless. It's useless, that's what I mean to say. It's useless. You must come to it, trusting in God, believing in Him and His promises so that you can profit from it. But don't just come by faith, but come with a desire to pursue it in obedience. Because you see, after all, it's a means by which we are to receive correction and instruction in righteousness. And how can these be of profit to us if we don't follow them? And that is why Paul says to Timothy that he should continue. Continue. Read with me in 2 Timothy 3.14. But continue thou in the things which thou has learned and has been assured of, knowing of whom thou has learned them. Continue. That same word comes to you. All scripture is given by inspiration of God. And it's profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction. for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, truly furnished unto all good works. May the Lord bless these words in our hearts, so that we will value the scriptures as inspired written word of God, inspired in every word as a whole, inspired in every word in its parts, so that we would value it as a special, and as a supreme, and as a sure, and as a sovereign word from God. Let's pray together. Our great God and our heavenly Father, we are grateful for this time that we can look through these things. Lord, have mercy upon us. We have not entirely followed your word as we ought to. Lord, we plead that Thou would cleanse us and purge us and be gracious unto us. Help us then that we would follow Thee. We would follow Thy word and value it as the sure guide for our souls. For we praise You and magnify Your name. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.