## Is the Bible still being written?

## II Timothy 3:16

MY SUBJECT TONIGHT IS THE BIBLE, AND I ASK THE QUESTION, IS THE BIBLE STILL BEING WRITTEN? WHAT IS YOUR ANSWER? ARE YOU SURE?

ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH A SONG WRITTEN SOME TIME AGO BY BILL AND GLORIA GAITHER CALLED THE KING IS COMING? THE SONG GAINED MUCH POPULARITY, BUT ALSO CREATED MANY QUESTIONS BECAUSE OF THE FAULTY THEOLOGY IT PRESENTED CONCERNING THE END TIMES. WHEN ASKED TO EXPLAIN IT THEY RESPONDED:

THE "KING IS COMING" WAS A GIFT FROM GOD. THE SONG CAME QUICKLY AND WE DO NOT CARE TO DISCUSS ITS THEOLOGY. IN FACT, TO DISSECT THE SONG WOULD BE TAMPERING WITH THE INSPIRATION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT WHO INSPIRED THE SONG.

ARE CHRISTIANS STILL RECEIVING, BY THE INSPIRATION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, DIRECT REVELATION FROM GOD WHEN WRITING SONGS OR BOOKS, WHEN PREACHING OR TEACHING, OR WHEN MAKING DECISIONS? SOME WOULD SAY YES, BUT WE SAY NO! REMEMBER WHAT WE SAID EARLIER CONCERNING THE BIBLE "... THE ONLY COMPLETE AND FINAL REVELATION OF THE WILL OF GOD TO MAN..."

I. WHAT IS INSPIRATION?

A. 2 TI. 3: 16 ". . .BY INSPIRATION OF GOD..."

1. LITERALLY IT MEANS "GOD BREATHED"

B. SCRIPTURE IS NOT THE WORKS OF MEN INTO WHICH GOD PUFFED DIVINE LIFE.

C. SCRIPTURE IS THE VERY BREATH OF GOD!

D. SCRIPTURE IS GOD SPEAKING.

1. NOTE THE EXAMPLES:

a. EXODUS 4:12

b. JEREMIAH 1:7,9

c. EZEKIEL 3:4,10-11

d. 2 PE. 1:21, "...HOLY MEN OF GOD SPAKE AS THEY WERE MOVED..."

1) EXAMPLE OF "BOATS"

2) THE WRITERS OF SCRIPTURE WERE CARRIED ALONG UNDER THE COMPLETE CONTROL AND DIRECTION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD.

3) NOT BY THE WILL OF MAN!

4) THE WORDS WHICH THEY WROTE WERE NOT THEIR WORDS, BUT THE VERY WORD OF GOD.

E. SINCE THE BIBLE IS INSPIRED OF GOD,

1. THEN IT MUST BE INFALLIBLE, THAT IS, WITHOUT ERROR!

2. BECAUSE IT IS INSPIRED AND INFALLIBLE, THEN IT IS ALSO THE ONLY AUTHORITY FOR OUR LIVES.

3. NOT ONLY IS IT INSPIRED, INFALLIBLE, AND AUTHORITATIVE.

4. BUT IT IS SUFFICIENT. CF. 2 PE.1:3

a. GOD HAS GIVEN TO US EVERYTHING WE NEED FOR LIFE AND GODLINESS.

b. WE HAVE ALL WE NEED TO PLEASE GOD IN THE BIBLE AND BY THE INDWELLING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

c. WE NEED NO EXTRA-BIBLICAL EXPERIENCES OR RELIGIOUS RITUALS.

II. TWO BASIC APPROACHES TO CHRISTIANITY.

A. ONE EMPHASIZES GOO'S ACTION TOWARD MAN AS RECORDED IN SCRIPTURE.

1. WE BEGIN WITH GOD S WORD AND ANYBODY'S THOUGHTS, IDEAS, OR EXPERIENCES ARE VALIDATED OR INVALIDATED ON THE BASIS OF HOW THEY COMPARE WITH THAT WORD.

2. THAT MEANS THAT WE HAVE ONLY ONE STANDARD TO MEASURE BY, THE WORD OF GOD AS PRESERVED THROUGHOUT THE AGES IN WRITTEN FORM.

3. THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE IF WE DO NOT BELIEVE IN THE INSPIRATION OF THE SCRIPTURES.

4. IF THE BIBLE I HOLD IN MY HAND IS NOT THE WORD OF GOD, THEN WE HAVE NO STANDARD BY WHICH TO MEASURE AND EVALUATE WHAT ANYONE SAYS OR DOES.

B. THE OTHER APPROACH EMPHASIZES MAN'S EXPERIENCE OF GOD, REGARDLESS OF THE SCRIPTURES.

1. HERE THE TRUTH IS WHAT YOU THINK AND FEEL AND CLAIM.

2. THE TRUTH IS WHAT HAPPENS TO YOU.

3. THE BIBLE IS THEN MADE TO FIT THE EXPERIENCE.

C. CONSIDER TWO MEN WHO HAD EXPERIENCES.

1. PETER.

a. CF. MATTHEW 17:1-4

b. WHAT AN EXPERIENCE!

c. HE RECALLS THIS EXPERIENCE IN 2 PE. 1:16-19.

d. WHAT PETER IS SAYING IS THIS:

1) ALTHOUGH THE TRANSFIGURATION WAS A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE,

2) WHEN IT CAME TO VERIFYING HIS FAITH HE HAD SOMETHING THAT WAS MORE TRUSTWORTHY THAN WHAT HE SAW, HEARD, AND EXPERIENCED.

3) ALL EXPERIENCE MUST BE VALIDATED BY THE MORE SURE WORD OF SCRIPTURE.

2. PAUL.

a. HE CERTAINLY HAD MANY WONDERFUL EXPERIENCES, BUT WHAT DID HE MAKE THE HEART OF HIS MESSAGE?

b. NOTE: ACTS 17:2-3

c. RIGHT UP TO THE END OF HIS LIFE PAUL REASONED WITH EVERYONE OUT OF THE SCRIPTURES. CF. ACTS 28:23

WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE ABOUT THE BIBLE? DO YOU BELIEVE IT IS INSPIRED OF GOD, INFALLIBLE, AUTHORITATIVE, AND SUFFICIENT? IS YOUR APPROACH TO CHRISTIANITY ONE THAT PLACES THE PROPER EMPHASIS ON THE WORD OF GOD, OR IS YOUR EXPERIENCE MORE IMPORTANT?

TONIGHT'S MESSAGE HAS BEEN A FOUNDATIONAL ONE ON WHICH WE WILL BUILD A SERIES OF MESSAGES ON THE MODERN-DAY CHARISMATIC MOVEMENT. HOWEVER, BEFORE WE CAN EVALUATE SOMEONE ELSE'S POSITION, WE MUST MAKE OURS SURE. IT IS ONE THING TO HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE TRUTH, BUT IT IS QUITE ANOTHER THING TO APPLY IT IN OUR PRACTICAL DAY TO DAY CHRISTIANITY. DOES GOD'S WORD HAVE THE PROPER PLACE IN YOUR LIFE? WE BELIEVE IT HAS THE ANSWERS TO ALL OF OUR PROBLEMS. ARE WE APPLYING IT TO GAIN SOLUTIONS OR ARE WE OPERATING BY FEELING?