This is our first lecture on knowing, understanding, and teaching the word of God. And we're meeting here with our Zoom lecture series. So having said that, let's begin by asking God to bless the teaching of His holy, His eternal, His inerrant written word. Shall we? O Lord God, this is your holy word. We are your servants. Give us understanding that we might know your testimonies. You have prayed, O Lord, sanctify them in truth. Your word is truth. Use your holy, eternal, inerrant written word to set us apart to your service and to your glory. show us great and mighty things which we do not know. The sower sows the word. Let not your word go out and return empty, but accomplish that purpose for which you are sending it out and for which you have gathered us together this day. Protect us from Satan who will snatch your word. Protect us from a wrong reaction to difficulties and discouragements and persecutions, which make our hearts hard and unresponsive to your word. Protect us from the world's cares and the delight of wealth and the passion of other interests, which enter in and choke the word, making it fruitless. Rather give us good soil, O Lord. Plow up now the hard ground of our hearts, that your written word might send roots downward and bear fruit upward. Unsheath now the sword of your spirit, O Lord. cut to dividing point of bone and marrow, soul and spirit. Judge this day the thoughts and intentions of each heart gathered here. Spread your word before us as a banquet table, O Lord. Grant grace that we might eat of the rich meat and drink of the sweet milk of the great doctrines of your word. Give us the heart of the prophet who cried to you. Thy words were found and I did eat them. And thy words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart. For I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts. O Lord, we live in a dark and a wicked age. Broad is the way, and many are on it, which leads to destruction. Make your words a lamp to our feet. Make your words a light to our path. Show us that narrow way that you would have us run. And Lord, as we run in the paths of your commandments, enlarge our hearts, that in loving you we might be more obedient. to your written word. Drop your word against our lives as a plumb line, O Lord. Grant grace that we might see how we deviate from its high and its holy purposes. Make your word to us a mirror, O Lord. Grant grace that we might not be as those who look, and go away and forget, but make us active doers, not forgetful listeners of your written word. Oh Lord, because of our fealty to you, because of our undying love and devotion to your Son, our resurrected Savior, We pledge to you this morning our total submission to your holy, eternal, inerrant written word. And we pledge to you this morning our unquestioning obedience to all of its commands. In the name of our Lord and our resurrected Savior, Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen. Okay, let's take a look here at our first lecture on the Word of God. We are going to be emphasizing in this lecture series knowing and applying the Word of God, but also how to correctly teach the Word of God. Now, when we think of the doctrine of the word of God, as it applies to teachers, it is important for us to remember that God is not what we believe. By faith, we believe what God is as revealed in his holy word. I often say when I share with high school or university students on the issue of creationism versus evolution, that evolutionists have a trinity, time, space, and imagination. That any time you present someone who holds to the teaching of evolution and they cannot explain something, they just say there's more time out there. Just give us enough time and we'll have the answer. Or there's more space. The answer is just another billion miles out there. You know, another thousand light years out there, and that's where the answer lies. The answer lies on the surface of Mars, the answer lies on the surface of Moon, the answer lies on the surface of Venus. It's out there. Just more time, more space. Well, unfortunately, with the embracement by evolutionists of what Lehman called the Big Bang Theory, that time is not infinite. And there was a real crisis among evolutionists when they realized that in their model time was not infinite because with the dating of the earth there wasn't enough time for there to be what there is now. That was their first problem. The second problem was that if space may be infinite, but there's no way to get out there. So that left them with imagination. And so we live in an age where imagination is many times substituted for science. That has drifted into our thinking in terms of scripture. where we begin to believe that God is what we believe. And we start to put our faith in belief. If we can just believe hard enough, God will do it. It will happen. We will understand it. We don't put our faith in belief. We put our faith in Christ. We put our faith in God. And we put our faith in the God who is revealed in his holy word. So our imagination is irrelevant when it comes to the written word of God. I know every once in a while I'll message our local weatherman and remind him that feels like is not science. because he will say well it's on ninety two degrees today in houston but it feels like a hundred and five and i'll message him and say well actually it feels like ninety two to me remember it feels like it's not science but we live in an age when feels like is science evolution is based on just a feels like observation We don't feel like unborn babies are human, so they don't have to be human. We don't feel this. We don't feel that. We can imagine this. We cannot imagine that. Well, that's neither here nor there when it comes to who God is and what his will is for us. God is not what we believe. By faith, we believe what God is as revealed in his holy word. That means that God's will is not what we believe. By faith, we believe God's will as revealed in his holy work. Now, there was a time when I would be sharing Christ with people and they would say, well, I don't believe a loving God would send anyone to hell. And of course, Christians would kind of snicker at this because God's will isn't based on our belief system. What we believe God will or will not do has nothing to do with what God will or will not do. And yet now when I'm teaching the Bible, I find people who are mature Christians who will just say, well, I just don't believe God would do that. Talk to them about the balance between the doctrine of election and free will. I just don't believe a loving God would would embrace the doctrine of election. I don't believe the loving God would create a hell. Many mature evangelical Christians are walking away from the doctrine of hell because they just don't believe a God would put someone in hell for eternity. John Stott is an example of this. But God's will is not what we believe. I just believe it's God's will for me to marry this person. I just believe it's God's will for me to do this or that. Well, God's will is never arrived at apart from his holy word. And I have to stop and say now that I will actually have to add something here, which I didn't use. With the degeneration of the authority of the Word of God, I find myself having to more and more having to add statements in my discussion. So we have to add written word there. Because I will be giving this lecture and during one of the breaks or at a pause, someone will raise their hand and say, you know, from your lecture, it sounds like you are equating God's word with the Bible, the written word of God. And I'll say absolutely yes. Because we live in a mystical age, and those of you who attended the Holy Spirit study last semester will remember that we live in a mystical age where God's word is not limited to the written word. People have a word of knowledge, people have a word of wisdom, people have a word of prophecy. God told me to tell you this. God's will is revealed to us through his holy written word. I used to say the word of God. Then I had to say the holy word of God. Then I had to say the eternal word of God because people would say, well, you know, who knows what was changed as The Word of God was handed down orally through generation after generation, which is not true. Then I had to say the inerrant written Word of God, because they would say, well, it was inspired by God by Paul, but, you know, we don't know that we have the inspired Word of God. So, holy, eternal, inerrant, written Word now. So, but that's true. It's not what we believe. God's will is not what we believe. It is not God's will because we believe it's God's will. It is God's will because God has revealed it in his written word. Well, that brings us to the fact that God does not do what we believe. Rather, by faith, we believe what God does as revealed in his holy, eternal, inerrant written word. As I was saying before, they would say, I don't believe a loving God would send anyone to hell. Well, a modern-day evangelical mystic or charismatic or Pentecostal would say to me, I don't know the Bible like you. I can't quote all the verses like you can quote them. I don't know all this cold doctrine and theology. But I know what I've experienced. Well, no, you don't. If you don't know the Word of God, you don't know what you've experienced. Because 1 John 4.1 says there are many spirits in the world and the only way you can sort out what is of God the Holy Spirit and those many other spirits is from the Word of God. I had a young man tell me, well, marriage is just a piece of paper and I'm living with this girl and I'm a better Christian when I'm living with her than when I'm not. And I just believe this is what God wants us to do. But that's not what God wants them to do. And he's not a better Christian by sinning. And by the way, they didn't get married. God's will is not what we believe. God's will is revealed in His Holy Word. God does not do what we believe. Rather, by faith, we believe what God does as revealed in His Holy Written Word. By a word of faith command, God does not do our bidding. Rather, by faith in the commands of His Holy Written Word, we do His bidding. You see, faith is not the ability to get God to act on our behalf. Rather, by faith, we believe that He has acted and is acting on our behalf and trust in His good and holy will. But faith is not the ability to get God to do things for you. Turn with me to Romans 1, if you will. Romans 1.5, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of God. Is that what it says? Are we going to bring about the obedience of God? No. The obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His namesake. By faith, God does not do our will, by faith we do His will. When did faith become the power to get God to do what we tell Him to do, as opposed to the power to bring about obedience in our lives? Well, Paul opens with this, and he closes with this. Turn to Romans 16, 26. but now is manifested and by the scripture of the prophets according to the commandment of the eternal God has been made known to all the nations leading to the obedience of faith." The commandments of God, the Holy Scripture, lead us to the obedience of faith. It does not bring about the obedience of God to us. God can do anything, but he doesn't. He only does his good and holy will as revealed in the holy, eternal, inerrant written word of God. And by faith, God will not do something that is not his will. Our prayers are not that God would conform to our will. Our prayers are that we will conform to God's will. And we can only do that if we can know and master the word of God. God can do anything. He can. But he only does his good and holy will. And that is revealed in the holy, eternal, inerrant, written word of God. Can you imagine the chaos if by faith God would do anything? And somebody would say, well, by faith, if you have the faith of a mustard seed, God, well, you can say to this mountain, move, and it'll be moved. And, you know, we are so fortunate that high school and college students do not have the faith of a mustard seed. Because can you imagine if some high school student in Houston or Oklahoma or Colorado suddenly wanted Pike's Peak to be moved just to evidence his faith? How many hundreds of thousands of people would die, if not millions, if that happened? The chaos and the cataclysmic events that would take place if God would allow you to move mountains? But in our selfish desire to be miracle workers rather than obedient Christians in action, causes us to not even consider the deaths of millions, but rather our ability to do miracles. The rivers that would change course, the earthquakes that would result, the volcanoes result, and plus when you put that mountain down, upon Denver, that would be a million deaths right there. God can do anything, but He doesn't do anything. He only does His good and holy will as revealed in His written word. And so it behooves us to know and understand and be able to teach His will. Now it's our personal responsibility to know that. Let's look. Turn with me. That should be 2 Timothy 2. 15 It's a study to show yourself approved a workman who has no cause to be ashamed correctly interpreting The Word of God or the message of the truth. That's our responsibility Matthew 28, 19, and 20, Christ commissioned the disciples, go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all of I commanded you. So, it is the personal responsibility of all disciples to be teachers, whether you have the gift of teaching or not. What we learned in the Holy Spirit seminar was that gifts make certain activities easier, but they do not free those who do not have those gifts from doing it. If I don't have the gift of mercy, that doesn't mean I Do not have to be merciful. If I don't have the gift of administration, that doesn't mean that I don't have to keep track of my finances and my time schedule, keep my home and my ministry in order. If I don't have the gift of evangelism, it doesn't mean I don't have to witness. It just means those things will be more difficult for me. We're all responsible to teach. Husbands are responsible to be able to teach their wives, fathers their children, mothers their children, older women the younger women, single men and women are responsible to make disciples and teach one-on-one or small groups or large groups depending on their gifting, as are all people. When we do evangelism, teaching is a part of that. One of the great verses, and I would encourage you to memorize this verse, is Ezra 7.10. Ezra disciplined himself to study the Word of God and to do it and to teach its statutes and ordinances in all of Israel. So what is our response in terms of that personal responsibility? Well, in Ephesians 4, Verse 14, as a result we are no longer to be children tossed here and there by every wave and carried around by every wind of doctrine by the trickery of men by craftiness and deceitful scheming. We are to be stable. It is possible to know things. and wants to know them, not to be moved from that knowledge. On the midnight study tonight, which will be the morning study in Europe and Africa, when we cover eternal security, 1 John 5 says, these things I have written that you might know you have eternal life. We can know that. We don't have to say, well, if I die tonight, I hope to go to heaven. No, you don't even have to pray that prayer. If you want to pray, thank you, Jesus, if I die tonight, because I'll be with you in heaven, that's fine. But we can know things. But there are some people, I can share with them 50 verses on eternal security, that they can't lose their salvation. And somebody will share with them one verse, that not even that person really understands and they'll lose their salvation because every wind blows them about. The Bible talks about unstable people who are always trying to learn but never able to come to our knowledge of the truth. But by God's grace we will not be in that class. Colossians 2.4 says, I say this so that no one will delude you with persuasive argument. God has said specific things in his word so that we will be protected from these delusions. But we fall back on not what we can imagine or believe, but the fact that we believe what God's word is said. Colossians 2.8, see to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. And people are taken captive. And they're taken captive because they don't know the Word of God. Now, an example of this, it is important for us to belong to a church, attend church, and to be a faithful member of a church. Hebrews 10, 24, and 25. Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together. as it is the habit of some, but encouraging one another and all the more as you see the day drawing near. So it's important for us to be active in a church, not neglectful, and to not simply be sitting in a chair or a pew, but be actively involved in it. The Bible does not say that people can put us under the law and that we have to attend every church meeting or we lose our salvation. The Bible says, don't neglect. So when you think of people who are classified as those who are always neglecting their relationship with the body of Christ, don't be among those people. But we also are not going to be held captive by authoritarian pastors who are going to have meetings seven days a week. Or who are going to take authority over the wife and take that away from her husband. Or authority over the children and take that away from the parents. And the word of God protects us from that. But we have to know the word of God to be protected. You see, because we already know what the response of other people is going to be. That God has prophesied that. In 2nd Timothy 4.3, God says, for the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires. And we live in a day and an age when that is true. People desire to be told what they already want to hear. And we have to, the fact that other people are thinking that way does not mean that we have to think that way. The Word of God is clearly the Word of God. 2 Timothy 3.16, all scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness. Why? Why has God done that? So that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. The Word of God first is inspired. The Greek word there is God-breathed. It's as if when we are reading the Bible, God in His intimate conversations with us is talking with us so intimately, so closely, that we can actually feel the breath of God upon our face as He speaks to us. That is no little thing. Moses came down from Sinai and the first thing he said is God speaks yet we live and When we open the Bible and read it we should all burst into flames and blow away as ashes Because of the holy righteous words of God But God in his grace gives us his holy eternal in there and written word it is inspired and and has been protected by Him. The Word of God is not, as liberal theologians claim, made into a fourth member of the Holy Trinity by evangelicals, by Reformed Christians. However, It is revered and loved. And David in the Psalms says, how I love thy Lord, thy word, O God, it is my meditation day and night. So it's perfectly acceptable to love the word of God. It's as if someone, I said to someone, You know, I just love to hear Eleanor talk. You know, when I was in Nigeria, we talked every evening for about 30 minutes, and I just loved to hear her voice when we would talk. Well, it'd be nonsensical for someone to say, well, you're committing adultery. I say, what do you mean? I say, well, you love to hear her talk. You're just supposed to love Eleanor. Well, how can I separate the two? You can't separate, you can't say that there are two people, one is Eleanor and the other is her words, and if I love to hear Eleanor's voice, then I'm committing adultery, I'm having an affair. No, that's not true. So, the Word of God is not a fourth member of the Holy Trinity, but the Word of God is the words of God. The words of God the Father, the words of God the Son, the words of God the Holy Spirit, and as a result inseparable from the will of God. So it is inspired, it is God's breath, it is God breath. So what is the working definition of inspiration? I know as a young Christian, I viewed inspiration as something that anybody could have. I viewed it as the small I inspiration. A painter could be inspired and paint a painting. A poet could be inspired and write a poem. A man of literature could be inspired and write a great story or a short story, you could be inspired by listening to music or a concert, but that's not what this is talking about. This is talking about all scriptures inspired, all scriptures God breathed. 2 Peter 1, verse 21, No prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men, moved by the Holy Spirit, spoke from God. So, God did use men to write the Word, but we do not have men's decisions in what was written. Whether they knew it or not, that which is in the Word of God is the decision of God. It is inspired. It is not only inspired, but it is sufficient that the man of God may be adequate and equipped. If there were no other resources, the word of God would be sufficient. And early in my Christian life, I was taught the KISS principle. Keep it spiritually simple. Boil it down so if all a person had was the Bible, a pencil, and a piece of paper, he could meet with God every day. And one of the things, ways I teach people to have a daily quiet time is read the passage and ask what God would have me know, what God would have me be, what God would have me do. That's very simple. Now people can meet with God and they don't have to have a DVD series. They don't have to spend $15 on a devotional workbook. All they need is a Bible, a piece of paper, and a pencil. What would God have me know? What would God have me be? What would God have me do? So we're always thinking about how to keep it spiritually simple. How can we boil it down so that anybody, anywhere can do it? And the Word of God is sufficient. If we had no other resources, But the word of God, we could live the Christian life and do the ministry. By sufficient, we also mean it is complete. Look at, turn with me, if you would, to first Corinthians chapter four, verse six. I'll give you a second to catch up with me. You know, I've always been threatening to do this and I've made a note in my calendar to do this, uh, this coming Sunday. We're going to have a Bible drill in my Sunday school class, and we're going to have the paper people and the device people, and I'm going to give them Bible verses. And we're going to see who can get there first, the paper people or the device people. I'm just curious. Both are, both are completely legitimate, but it would be interesting. Okay. First Corinthians 4.6, Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively applied to myself and Apollos. So let's stop there. Paul, who is arguably the most prolific writer of New Testament scripture, has applied something to himself. And Apollos has joined with him. And if you read the book of Acts, Apollos could be arguably the greatest expositor or preacher of New Testament scripture. Now both these men, the greatest writer and the greatest preacher, have applied something. They have submitted themselves to a discipline so that in us you might learn not to exceed what is written. Both Paul and Apollos have said that the Word of God is complete. We do not go beyond it. We do not exceed it. People say, well, you're putting God in a box. No, I'm not. God can do anything. But he doesn't do anything. He only does his holy will and that's revealed in the word of God. We are not putting God in a box. God is putting us in the book. And we are not to exceed this book. This is off limits. This is what we give ourselves to. And why do we do that? So that you will not become arrogant. And there is nothing more arrogant than someone who thinks rather than teaching the Word of God, he can proclaim the Word of God. Now, Matthew knows I can prophesy, don't you Matthew? Yeah, Matthew don't. Yeah, I'll prophesy. I'm gonna prophesy. Y'all like to hear me give Matthew a word of prophecy? Yeah, I'll give him one. Hebrews 9, 27. It is appointed for men to die once, and after that comes judgment. Hebrews 9, 27. Great! Okay? So there's a prophecy. Matthew, you want a word of knowledge? Yeah, I'll give you a word of knowledge. Joshua 1.8, This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you might be careful to do according to all that is written in it. Then you will make your way prosperous, then you will have good success. How about a word of wisdom? I'll give Matthew a word. Matthew, I have a word of wisdom for you. Proverbs 3, 5 and 6. Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Do not lean on your own understanding and all your ways acknowledge Him. He will direct your paths. And if someone, Matthew, you want a word from God? Do you want a word from God? I'll give you a word from God. Romans 1.16, I am not ashamed of the gospel as the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes to the Jew first and also to the Greek. Matthew, God told me to tell you something. You want to hear it? Matthew 6.33, seeks first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be added unto you. Matthew 6.33. So if someone comes to you and says they have a word of prophecy from God, they have a word of wisdom from God, they have a word of knowledge from God, that they have a word from God, just outright, or God told them to tell you something, and they don't quote a verse, that spirit was not the Holy Spirit that was leading them. Because the leadership of God the Holy Spirit will never violate the words of God the Holy Spirit. And God the Holy Spirit commands us in 1 Corinthians 4-6 not to exceed the written word of God. Now, I could say to Matthew, you know, I was reading this passage in the Word of God, Matthew 6.33, and I felt like God brought you to mine, so I just wanted to give it to you as an encouragement, or I wanted to give it to you as a warning, or as an exhortation. There's a lot of chaos in the world today, and I think it'll help you keep you focused. You can say things like that. But if you say it's the Word of God, Anything else than quoting a verse is being arrogant. It'd be my arrogance in my relationship with Matthew that I would think I could say, I have a word of knowledge, a word of wisdom, a word of prophecy, a word from God, or that I know God's will apart from the written word of God. It's very handy not to make it. Proverbs 30 verse 5 and 6 is a good cross reference for that. Alright, go ahead. Every word of God's truth is true. He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. Do not add to His words lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar. Good! I like that. You can go to the head of the class, but I can't move you. Right now, Mrs. Starks is at the head of the class. There's nothing I can do about that. So that's from that's on my feed. Pastor Greg, don't worry, Pastor Greg. The last will be first. You're down at the bottom of my ribbon there. So. OK. Actually, it can be. What's that if you if you You should try, you can actually drag and drop the screen. Oh. And you can move him and you can also force everyone to view the same order that's on your screen. Oh, okay. Well, I'll hang around after the lecture. You can give me a tutorial. So I can just start moving people around, huh? Okay. Well, So, that's an excellent passage, Proverbs 35 and 6. Let me, if you're writing your Bibles, you can add that, oh, to a cross-reference. Okay, so I'll do that. Great. Okay. Excellent. So, by sufficient, we mean that it is complete. So this is very important for us to nail down these principles of the Word of God before we go on. Now there are a lot of different views of scripture. And when we talk about understanding and interpreting the Word of God, it's important for us to know not only the correct view, but the wrong view. The first erroneous view concerning the Word of God is held by cults. A cult will say the Word of God is understood and interpreted in the light of our new religion. For instance, Islam will say that, yeah, we believe the Bible, but Mohammed has the final say. Mormons will say, sure, we believe the Bible, but Joseph Smith has the final say. Jehovah's Witness, Christian Science, the list goes on. Sun, Young Moons, Divine Light, Mission. The list goes on. In fact, if I could recommend a series, it's by John Atkenberg, John Weldon, and Dylan Burroughs. You can find it on Christian book distributors or Harvest Press, either one. And it's called the Facts on Series. Facts on Mormons, facts on Islam, facts on Jehovah's Witnesses, facts on Christian science, facts on Roman Catholicism. And the reason I like this series is it gives the facts on the issue rather than attacking the issue. They're very academic, very concise, but they are short, manageable booklets. There are extensive volumes of hundreds of pages if you want, but these are short booklets. Most of them are about 10 pages. and it's an excellent series if you want to go further. But cults will say that the Bible is fine, but it's understood in the light of our new religion. Deuteronomy 6, 4 says, Hero Israel, the Lord our God is one God. So we reject all the other gods. who are not gods. We reject them. Now, for many people, idols, it's very clear to us that idolatry, and we think immediately of idolatry as a wooden or a metal or a stone carved image that people pray to. And it is true, that is an idol. but you know in Colossians 3.5 if you'll turn with me to Colossians 3.5 the Bible says therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire and greed which amounts to idolatry so materialism Greed is considered idolatry by God, and it's something that we need to protect ourselves from. Ephesians 5.5, for this you know with certainty that no immoral or impure person or covetous man who is an idolater. So greed and covetousness is a form of idolatry. John Crawford, who's now with the Lord, who is a missionary to New Zealand and had a great impact on me in my walk with God, used to say, you can put your faith in God to meet your needs, or you can put your faith in your credit card to meet your needs. Now he wasn't against credit cards. He believed in the sovereignty of God and in his view credit cards were provided for us in the case of emergencies. But credit cards were not provided for us to get things that God had not in his sovereignty provided. And many people are wallowing, drowning in debt. Because they've placed their faith in credit cards or in, uh, uh, in debt rather than in Christ. So materialism is idolatry covetousness to want something that God has not provided for you is a form of idolatry. And we should protect ourselves from that. There is one God, 1 Timothy 2.5 says, and one mediator, the man Christ Jesus. There is no other name, Acts 4.12, given among men unto heaven by which we may be saved. And seeking other mediators is a form of idolatry. Praying to saints is a form of idolatry. Praying to the dead is a form of idolatry. Looking to a pastor or a priest to be our mediator rather than one who intercedes for us, which is completely different, is idolatry. So we don't do that. There is one revelation. Looking to other revelatory volumes is a form of idolatry. And in saying this, it is important for us to not stumble over Jesus. 1st Timothy 2.7 This precious value, then, is for you who believe. But for those who disbelieve, the stone which the builders rejected, this became the very cornerstone, and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense. For they stumble because they are disobedient to the word of God. and to this doom they were appointed. So don't stumble over Jesus and His word. when somebody looks at you and says, you're not saying that my sainted aunt, who never claimed to be a Christian, but nevertheless was better than all those other people, those hypocrites in the church, you're not saying that just because she didn't pray to receive Christ, she's burning in hell? And you say, yes. Yes, that's what we're saying. course I say to them but you know I'm not saying it but the Word of God says that. John 5, 25. Truly, truly, I say to you, he hears my word and believes in Him who sent me as eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but passes out of death into life. But that Christ is the only way. Acts 4, 12. There is no other name given among men unto heaven by which we may be saved. And Revelation 20. Verse 15 is clear. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. That's very clear. Don't stumble over Jesus. You can be compassionate in your response, but don't stumble. You're not saying that Christians are right and they're going to heaven and all the other uh... devotees of all the other religions in the world are burning in hell you're not saying that are you And what do you say? Well, yes, of course I wouldn't say it, but that's what the word of God says. They all, they are all burning in hell. And we need to nail down our commitment to the word of God, as it applies to cults and other religions, because that in America, within the next 10 years will be defined as hate speech. And it will be, uh, uh, it will be liable to civil. First, it will be liable to civil prosecution and all Christians who hold to the Bible are just going to go broke because you will be set up. You will be forced to say something, which is classified as hate speech, and you will be sued. Then from there it will be to criminal prosecution. So we have to decide what we believe about scripture and cults and other religions now. Eleanor and I were driving up to North Houston and we passed the building where LifeWay Christian bookstore used to be. And in Houston, all the LifeWay Christian bookstores have been run out of town. And they've been run out of town by a coalition of Muslims and homosexuals. And Muslims and homosexuals everywhere Lifeway Christian Bookstores went in Houston, a delegation of Muslims and also delegations of homosexuals would come to the owner of the building, the strip center, or the bank and say, These people hate Muslims. They have books against Muslims. They hate homosexuals. They're homophobic. And we are going to begin demonstrating in front of your bank, in front of your shopping center, in front of your office buildings. We're going to make life very miserable for you if you don't call in that loan, if you don't cancel that rent agreement if you, unless you refuse to renew their, their rent. And so they're not here anymore. Well, those dominoes are falling. And so we have to have nailed down what we believe about the word of God. We have to have that done. Don't stumble over Jesus. Yes. All Muslims are going to hell. Well, so the Word of God is understood and interpreted by other religions. Well, the next level of biblical interpretation is what I call apostolic or patriarchal Christians. The Word of God is understood and interpreted in the light of our continuing apostolic revelation. And again, an example of that would be the Roman Catholic Church. They hold to the Bible, but they also hold to the Church Fathers and Papal Decrees. And the Church Fathers and Papal Decrees hold authority over or suit and supersede the Holy Scriptures. An example of this would be in 2nd Timothy, I'm sorry, 1st Timothy uh... chapter four says in this the spirit says uh... we're starting with verse one in the latter times some will fall away from the faith paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons and and by means of hypocrisy of a liar seared in their own conscience with a branding ours men who forbid marriage and yet the uh... The Pope, after hundreds of years of priest-marrying, all of a sudden on the basis of a false revelation he had by a false spirit, forbade marriage in the Catholic Church, even though the Holy Scriptures say in the first pastoral epistle, Paul to Timothy, the pastor of the Church of Ephesus, that false spirits forbid marriage, both laymen and full-time ministers. The Orthodox Church, church fathers, church councils, mystics, by Orthodox we mean Russian Orthodox, Greek Orthodox, Episcopal churches, such as Methodist and Episcopalians, Methodist and Episcopalians, a council of bishops, have both decreed that homosexual marriages should be conducted in the church, even though that is specifically forbidden in Holy Scriptures. Pentecostals, Charismatics, Evangelical Mystics, who proclaim a word of prophecy, a word of wisdom, a word of knowledge, a mystical tongue and the interpretation of those tongues. All of these are understood and interpreted in terms of their apostolic authority and revelation. Not according to scripture. When I was in Africa, an apostle slash bishop of a church told his secretary that he had ordained her as a secretary and that when her husband was moved to South Africa, she had to stay there until God released her. Well, no. Genesis 2.18 says that she is her husband's helpmate. Ephesians 5.22-24 says she is to submit to her husband. Ephesians 5.25 says he is her spiritual protector and spiritual leader. So no, he does not have authority over her and we exhorted her to quit her job as this man's secretary and to go be with her husband. We have evangelical, extra-biblical revelations such as after-death experiences, visions, messianic appearances, messages from God. These are common And the word of God is understood in light of continuing apostolic authority and revelation when these Pentecostals and charismatic bishops and false apostles, false prophets, false teachers say these things are true, then that takes precedent over the word of God. Somebody says, you give me a thousand people who say they have died and gone to heaven and come back, and I will stand alone with Hebrews 9.27. It is appointed for men to die one time, and after that comes judgment. Now we're going to go into this a little deeper when we talk about evangelical mysticism. But right now we are saying that in the Catholic Church, the Orthodox Church, and the Pentecostal Church, where they claim to have apostolic authority, and then they teach things, that we reject them, if they are not in conformity to Holy Scriptures. Even if the results are seemingly good, Let's take an example of this. I have a friend in high school who was Uh, on a date and the car was hit by a drunk driver. Somebody was killed in the car. His date was seriously injured. He ended up in the hospital and he said, well, you know, his testimony was, you know, I was, uh, hit by a drunk driver and God used that in my life. So I prayed to receive Christ. And I would say to him, no. That's not what happened. I shared Christ with you. The youth leaders shared Christ with you. I know a number of people who had shared Christ with you. I've taken you to youth meetings where the gospel was shared. Now, God used a cataclysmic event to cause you to receive Christ, but That was not why you received Christ. The reason you received Christ was people were faithful to share the gospel. So what are we going to do if we say, well, he was hit by a drunk driver and therefore he received Christ? Are we going to do drunk driving evangelism? Everybody is going to meet on Wednesday night. We are all going to tank up on liquor and then go out careening around in the streets, crashing into people so they'll receive Christ. No! He received Christ because of the sovereignty of God and the faithfulness of people who witnessed to him, not because of the sin of drunkenness in that other person. In the same way, a vision of Christ resulting in salvation is not a substitute, or does not substitute, does not substantiate, that it was Christ or extra-biblical revelation. People say, Well, and for two reasons. One is you cannot be saved apart from knowledge. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Romans 10 is clear. John 5, 24, truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears my word and believes in him who sent me is clear faith. Our faith is based on knowledge as revealed in the written word of God. And no one can receive Christ without knowing certain things about Christ. And you can't receive Christ simply by seeing something. Then they will say to me, well, why would Satan do that? Well, I think the answer is clear because you have a whole segment of Christians talking about what they've seen or experienced rather than talking about the word of God. I think that's a great coup for Satan. the eternal and inerrant written word of God as presented in a witness is for everyone. Romans 1.16, I'm not ashamed of the gospel as the power of God for salvation to all who believe, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. Whereas these mystical experiences, they are now universal. And I've heard people say, well if that happened to me, I would become a Christian too. Not only that, it's a deception of Satan to make his cults, his pagan religions, like Islam and Hinduism, seem impenetrable to Christians. And I hear Christians who should know better say, well, Islam or Hinduism, there are some cultures that are so dark and so evil that unless Jesus appears to them, people can't believe. That's not true. I've led Hindus to Christ. I've led Muslims to Christ. I've led homosexuals to Christ. I've led communists to Christ. I've led atheists to Christ. And it was the simple word of God presented to them. And so if Satan can get you to think that his darkness is more powerful than the blood of Christ, that's a great coup, isn't it? So in these areas, Satan clouds the issues by helping us to believe that the word of God is understood and interpreted in the light of continuing apostolic authority and revelation, which is not true. We have the word of God and we are adequate. We reject any new information that which adds to or takes away from the Word of God. Turn with me to Revelation 22 and we'll begin with verse 18. I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book, if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in the book. And if anyone takes away from the words of the prophecy of this book, God will take away from him the tree of life and the holy city which are in the prophecy of this book. So, we don't add to or take away from the word of God. We don't take away, it's all right for homosexuals to marry. We don't add to. I saw Jesus, this is what he looks like. I went to heaven, this is what it was like. I went to hell, this is what it's like. An angel appeared to me, this is what he looked like. If you want to know about homosexuality, whether it's allowed or not, you look to the word of God. If you want to know about heaven, hell, angels or demons, you look to the word of God. talking with them in 1st Timothy 4, 1-3 is forbidden. That's not where you learn about these things. You learn from it the written word of God. Now, there's a couple things here. Some people will say, what does this mean? They lose their salvation. No, if it meant they lost their salvation, none of us would be going to heaven because at one time or another we've all misquoted a verse or misread a verse. I was working on my scripture memory, I remember, at Oklahoma State. Starks's husband was checking me and I quoted a verse and he said, that's not right. And I said, yes it is. And I showed him my verse card and Sam said, wait a second. And we looked it up in the Bible and I had written it down wrong. So I had just taken away from the word of God. Does that mean I was going to hell? No, it doesn't mean I was going to hell. So I just meant I need to cross out that word and rewrite it, cross out that, dump that verse card and rewrite it correctly. Be more careful when transcribing. Now I can just cut and paste, so that's nice. But this was in the dark ages when everything was either handwritten or typed, or you used a typewriter. Well, so, it doesn't mean we can lose your salvation. I asked a Christian businessman, Gene Warr, who was very knowledgeable in the scripture, I said, then what does it mean? He said, it means don't do it. He said, I don't know what it means, but I do know it means don't do this. So we don't do that. We don't add to or take away from the word of God. people say well doesn't this just apply to the book of revelation no it doesn't for two reasons first is we have other passages such as first corinthians four six and the passage in proverbs that uh... Matthew shared with us. So we have other passages on this that tell us that we are not to exceed the word of God. First Corinthians chapter four, verse six, Proverbs 30 verse five and six and others. So we do not exceed the word of God. The other reason is that this is not a Bible, and we will be talking about this. The word Bible means library. It's not a sin to call this a Bible as long as you know it's not a Bible. It is a completed volume of Holy Scripture. Bible is a Latin term coined by the Roman Catholic Church and it means that each book of the Bible is a freestanding independent book and the Church Fathers and the Popes can add to it. But no, it is completed. It is finished. It would be as if we were going to put together a football team among the churches and we decided on our rule book. And at the very end of the rule book, the last chapter ended with no team participating in our church league may add to or take away from these rules. And that was, and that was chapter 22. And then somebody, we're playing football, or as Americans call it, soccer, and somebody picks up the soccer ball. They start playing like rugby, knocking down people, and they crash through the goalie and spike the ball in the net. Somebody says, well, you can't do that. We have these rules. And they say, oh, I didn't add to it or take away from Chapter 2 or Chapter 3. All this was talking about was chapter 22. So you can add to a chapter and take away from the other chapters, you just can't add to or take away from chapter 22. Well, we know that's wrong, don't we? It was a concluding statement, and we have to remember that. So we reject that which causes those who rely upon the word of God to have incomplete information. We reject that which is revelatory in knowledge or experience. We reject other mediators, whether dead or alive. Now we're going to stop here. Our time is up. And we will pick up Next week with red letter evangelicals, evangelical mysticism, evangelical pragmatism, then we will look at the evangelical reformation theology. Then we will go on to look at what are the attributes of the word of God. And then we will begin looking at how, what is necessary to understand and interpret the word of God. What are the rules that the holy scripture gives us in doing that? So I want to thank you for your time and we just pray that God will bless you and he would bless the teaching of his holy word.