The Reliable Guide of Scripture - Part 1
003 The Reliable Guide of Scripture – part 1
Psalms 19 (1-9)
April 23, 2017
I know we took a week off for Easter and so we’ve had a little break in our study, but tonight I want us to jump back on course.
We are in a study called “500 Years of Reformation”
· Nearly 500 years ago the Reformation began with a Monk and mallet.
· When Martin Luther nailed that 95 thesis on the door of the Castle Church, it marked the beginning of the dawn.
· The darkness was about to crumble and the light of the gospel was about to shine forth.
That is why Reformation is often remembered with the Latin phrase:
Post Tenebras Lux – “After Darkness Light”
Our desire is to study this reformation period
To the point that we understand what this gospel was
Which was rescued from the darkness.
We must understand that the gospel is always under attack
And we must be those willing to defend it, proclaim it, clarify it, and so on.
We are, after all, “the pillar and support of the truth”
We’ve also said that out of the Reformation came 5 definitive statements.
I like to call them “The Five Non-Negotiables”
Sola Scriptura, Sola Gratia, Sola Fide, Solus Cristus, Soli Deo Gloria
We believe that man is saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, as revealed in the Scripture alone, to the Glory of God alone.
Currently in our study we are looking at the very foundation.
This entire reformation stands on one solid rock,
And that is the principle of SOLA SCRIPTURA
I showed you LAST TIME how a commitment to Scripture was actually what drove Luther to his great belief of Justification by Faith.
· He saw the difference between the Latin word for justification “JUSTIFICARE”
which means “to become righteous” and the Greek word for justification “DIKAIOO” which means “to regard as righteous”
· When Luther grasped that, at once the doctrine of justification was opened to
him and his faith was off and running.
Now in that same spirit, let me give you a little more history here.
We credit the beginning of the reformation to 1517 and Luther’s 95 thesis,
BUT it would not be hard at all to back that date up a year
And credit the beginning to the work of another man.
There was a humanitarian philosopher of sorts named Erasmus.
In 1516, Erasmus gave us the first translation of
The Greek New Testament.
Until that day the only scriptures available was The Latin Vulgate and we already saw how that translation had obscured the doctrine of justification by faith.
I can tell you another doctrinal issue the Latin Vulgate obscured
And that was the DOCTRINE OF REPENTANCE.
The Greek word for repentance is METANOIA which refers to “a change of mind” regarding ones sin.
The Latin Vulgate used the word PAENITENTIA which means “to do penance”
Quit a difference isn’t?
You actually had people who thought what God wanted from sinners
Was some sort of self-inflicted painful ceremony.
ALSO, LUTHER WASN’T THE ONLY PERSON WHO
BENEFITED FROM THIS GREEK NEW TESTAMENT.
Luther was certainly the father of the Reformation in Germany,
But the Reformation was more than just German.
Another major area of Reform was Switzerland.
You are probably all familiar with the man named John Calvin who preached in Geneva Switzerland.
But before Calvin the first Swiss Reformer
Was a man named Ulrich Zwingli.
· Zwingli had been a student at Basel under Erasmus from 1514 to 1516 and many think he may have helped Erasmus with the type setting as he printed his Greek New Testament.
· Zwingli was given his first priestly assignment in a pilgrimage church. It was a place where there had been an aspiration of Mary and the pilgrims would come to the site.
· Zwingli only had one job and that was to perform the Mass at 10am every morning and then he was free for the day.
· He began to devote the rest of his time to devouring Erasmus’ Greek New Testament. He even hand wrote his own copies for study.
In January of 1519 Zwingli moved to Zurich where he preached in the Grossmunster. And he began preaching through the New Testament.
And as Zwingli started preaching, he began to notice a few things;
Namely all the traditions of the Catholic Church
Which were not found in Scripture.
The big controversy came in 1521 on a Friday during Lent known as
“THE SAUSAGE SUPPER”.
People doubt if Zwingli ate it, but most agree he helped cook it.
The blowout occurred the following Sunday when Zwingli preached a sermon called: “On The Choice and Freedom of Foods”
Where Zwingli proclaimed that he had read the entire New Testament
And couldn’t find Lent anywhere.
And that was just the starting point.
· He published a tract called “The Freedom For Priests to Marry”
· He later even attacked things like stained glass pictures of saints and even organ music in church.
He had a passion to expose all of the extra requirements
Which had been heaped upon people
Which were not included in Scripture.
Where as Luther is best known for the doctrine of Justification by Faith, Zwingli might well be given the nod for being a champion of grace.
Zwingli’s preaching led to two great debates with the Catholic church, which Zwingli won handily.
· And after these debates Zwingli actually led the town of Zurich in a town vote in which they were the first to vote to become a Reformed city.
· And all of this came about because Zwingli found access to the truth of God’s Word.
The basic point is this: When Zwingli discovered the word,
He found in it the unbreakable foundation for faith and doctrine
He found what he believed to be the “more sure word”
And was dedicated to teaching it.
He believed that everything he needed in order to be found pleasing to God was contained in the Scriptures.
Now, that was certainly Peter’s point.
2 Peter 1:1-4 “Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.”
There Peter reminds that everything we need for faith and godliness
Is found in these precious promises of God.
But Peter wasn’t even the first to make that observation.
One of the best places that observation was ever made
Is in the 19th Psalm.
Now before we get into it,
I want to make sure you understand the DESIRE OF THE PSALMIST.
Once you understand the desire of the Psalmist
Then you can better understand why he loves God’s word so much.
That desire is articulated in the last verse of the Psalm.
(14) “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer.”
It’s a verse you’ve probably quoted many times.
It is one of the great statements of Scripture.
And it reflects the all-encompassing desire of the Psalmist
To be “acceptable” to God.
Isn’t that the goal?
That I may be accepted by God.
We do all this talking today about asking people if they will accept Christ.
That’s a horrible way to put it.
The real question is what must be done that God would accept me?
Well, that’s the desire of the Psalmist.
I want to be acceptable, how does that happen?
Well the purpose of the Psalm is to reveal how that takes place,
And the answer is through the revelation of the very word of God.
It is God’s word which works in us to make us acceptable to God.
As you will see, it does so by:
· Converting the Soul
· Giving Wisdom to the Foolish
· Revealing the standards which satisfy the Conscience
· Giving Discernment to the eyes
· Creating a Fear of the LORD
· Warning against Dangerous Temptations
· Revealing Hidden Faults
· Guarding against Presumptuous Sins
All of these are the work of the word.
Paul said to the Thessalonians:
1 Thessalonians 2:13 “For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.”
That is what we are talking about.
The word which the word accomplishes in our lives.
The writer of Hebrews said:
Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
It is the word of God which does the work to make us acceptable.
And tonight I want to show you how reliable it is to do just that.
If you want to divide the Psalm into points, we can make two.
#1 THE MORE SEEN REVELATION
Psalms 19:1-6
But what we have here in the Psalm is an acknowledgment of
GENERAL REVELATION.
Remember we talked about what General Revelation is a few weeks ago.
It is that revelation which the whole world is privy to,
And that which is binding enough to condemn all men to hell.
Let’s look at General Revelation and some of the things we learn from it.
(1) “The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.”
Here David is looking to the heavens and while different men may gain different knowledge by looking at the stars, David learned one main thing.
“the glory of God”
There is little doubt that whoever created the universe
Must have in fact been a majestic being.
We have no trouble giving credit to a painter who paints a masterpiece.
We have no trouble giving credit to a craftsman who builds a great item.
Then certainly we should have no trouble giving glory to a God
Who could create such a tremendous display as the heavens.
There is more we learn from general revelation.
(2) “Day to day pours forth speech, And night to night reveals knowledge.”
David says that there is a message being proclaimed by creation
And that is seen in the phrase “Day to day” and “night to night”
And if you’ve examined creation for any time at all,
You must be amazed by the CONSISTENCY which it exhibits.
This ball we call earth has been running like clockwork.
We learn something of the CONSISTENCY of God.
He is not fickle, nor is He unreliable.
This consistency is clearly portrayed.
(3-6) “There is no speech, nor are there words; Their voice is not heard. Their line has gone out through all the earth, And their utterances to the end of the world. In them He has placed a tent for the sun, Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber; It rejoices as a strong man to run his course. Its rising is from one end of the heavens, And its circuit to the other end of them; And there is nothing hidden from its heat.”
We could also say we learn of the tremendous POWER of God,
Since it is He who created the sun which “rejoices as a strong man”
We could talk about the OMNIPRESENCE of God
Since “there is nothing hidden from its heat.”
And that is really just the Tip Of The Iceberg,
If we wanted to do a study on all the things we learn of God from creation.
HOWEVER, THERE IS AN AREA IN WHICH
GENERAL REVELATION IS TOTALL SILENT.
General revelation tells us quite a bit about our great God,
But there is one thing general revelation doesn’t tell us about
US
· General revelation doesn’t tell me what the Creator wants from me.
· General revelation doesn’t tell me what to do about the mistakes I’ve already
made.
· General revelation doesn’t tell me how I should go forward.
In short, General Revelation does not tell me how to make “the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart…acceptable” to God.
WHERE DO I FIND THAT?
That is what David shows us next.
The More Seen Revelation
#2 THE MORE SURE REVELATION
Psalms 19:7-14
What is the more sure revelation?
It is the revealed word of God of course.
· More sure because it contains the answers for life and godliness.
· More sure because it contains the answer of how to made acceptable to God.
And this is what David wants you to see.
Let’s look at what David has to say about God’s word.
(7a) “The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul;”
Now when talking about “the law of the LORD” here,
We are not just referring to the Mosaic Law.
Rather we are talking about God’s revealed commands and laws.
Granted David didn’t have all of the Scriptures that we possess when he wrote this,
But he did have more than just the Mosaic Law
And he did have enough to understand its work and value.
And he said “The law of the LORD is perfect”
“perfect” there the Hebrew word TAMIYM (tie-meem)
And it means “without blemish”
Genesis 6:9 “These are the records of the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God.”
Genesis 17:1 “Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, "I am God Almighty; Walk before Me, and be blameless.”
It was the standard God expected for the sacrifice.
Exodus 12:5 “Your lamb shall be an unblemished male a year old; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats.”
So we would say that God’s word is literally “without blemish”.
That is to say that it is everything God intends for it to be.
Sometimes we might write a letter or a post online,
And after we send it we realize we didn’t really say what we meant to say.
That is NOT the way God looks upon His word.
His word is without blemish. It is precisely what He meant to say,
And precisely what He wanted to reveal.
And because that is the case, His word is used for “restoring the soul”
Many read this in a sort of “encouraging sense”,
That God can use His word to encourage or “lift up” the depressed heart.
That is not what is meant here.
The word “restoring” is a Hebrew word that means “to turn back”
We are talking about “restoring” like one might do to an old piece of furniture.
It is to restore what is ruined back to its originally intended state.
This is what God’s word does in the life of the sinner.
It works a restoration.
It points out what is broken and out of place
And begins to put the pieces back in order.
The King James translates it “converting the soul”
Which is a more telling translation.
God’s word has within it the power to turn back a sinner from his sin and restore him to the condition which God originally intended.
Charles Spurgeon wrote:
“The practical effect of the Word of God is to turn the man to himself, to his God, and to holiness; and the turn or conversion is not outward alone, “the soul” is moved and renewed. The great means of the conversion of sinners is the Word of God, and the more closely we keep to it in our ministry the more likely are we to be successful. It is God’s Word rather than man’s comment on God’s Word which is made mighty with souls. When the law drives and the gospel draws, the action is different but the end is one, for by God’s Spirit the soul is made to yield, and cries, “Turn me, and I shall be turned.” Try men’s depraved nature with philosophy and reason, and it laughs your efforts to scorn, but the Word of God soon works a transformation.”
(Spurgeon, Charles H. [The Treasury of David Volume 1; Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody, MA] pg. 272)
It is everything God wanted it to be to accomplish that task.
2 Peter 1:3-4 “seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.”
While general revelation can show you God is glorious,
It cannot show you how to please Him.
But God’s more sure revelation of His word most certainly does.
AND THAT’S NOT ALL.
(7b) “The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.”
Here is another interesting word.
“Sure” translates AMAN (a-man)
It means “stands firm”
It might surprise you some of the places it shows up.
Genesis 15:6 “Then he believed (AMAN) in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.”
Numbers 12:7 "Not so, with My servant Moses, He is faithful (AMAN) in all My household;”
2 Chronicles 20:20 uses it three times.
2 Chronicles 20:20 “They rose early in the morning and went out to the wilderness of Tekoa; and when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, "Listen to me, O Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, put your trust (AMAN) in the LORD your God and you will be established (AMAN). Put your trust (AMAN) in His prophets and succeed."
So when we say that God’s word is “sure” what are saying?
That it is resolute, faithful, established.
And as such David says it “makes wise the simple”
How is that?
Have you ever made a decision based upon unreliable information?
· It can make you look foolish can’t it?
God’s word will never do that.
God’s word is always “sure” and reliable.
You can tie your boat to this dock, it will not let you down.
If you don’t know what to do, or how to do it,
Then simply put your trust in God’s word, and do what He says,
You won’t be a fool for doing it.
This statement could be the entire theme of the book of Ecclesiastes.
· In that book the old preacher is writing to the young man to take off his rose
colored glasses, because there are many things in this life that just won’t
add up.
· There are many things you will be confronted with that won’t make sense.
But wisdom is not measured in understanding.
Wisdom is found in doing what God says
Even when you don’t understand it.
That is why the writer of Ecclesiastes ended his book with this statement.
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 “The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.”
Let’s face it, in this life we are all fools.
None of us knows how to live or what to do.
But God’s word guides us, and if we simply obey, it makes us wise.
For Example:
· “Husbands love your wives”
· “Wives submit to your husbands”
· “Forgive your enemies”
· “Pray for those who persecute you”
· “abstain from immorality”
Those are commands which can at times seem unpractical, outdated,
And may not even make much sense.
However, if you will trust them, and stand upon them
At the end of the day you’ll be found wise
Because God’s word is “sure, making wise the simple”
David goes on.
(8a) “The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart.”
“right” is the Hebrew word YASHAR (ya-shar)
And it means “straight” or “right” or “correct” or “pleasing”
Judges 17:6 “In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes.”
Deuteronomy 6:18 "You shall do what is right and good in the sight of the LORD, that it may be well with you and that you may go in and possess the good land which the LORD swore to give your fathers,”
It is the type of idea which we confess when someone says,
“It’s just the right thing to do”
Or on the flip side
“That’s just wrong”
And what people are referring to with a statement like that is that
A specific action either soothed or offended their conscience.
They were just doing what seemed right to them,
And then as a result they felt better about themselves.
Well here David makes the promise that
· If you want peace,
· If you want joy,
· If you want to be able to lay your head on your pillow and rest without guilt,
Then obey God’s word because it is always “right”,
It is always “correct” it is always “pleasing”.
I’ve had plenty of guilt in my life for poor decisions I’ve made, but I can’t tell you a single time I ever felt guilty for obeying God’s word.
Now, do you see what David is doing?
He is revealing how God’s word leads a sinner
Who doesn’t know how to be acceptable to God
Into that very acceptance.
(8b) “The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.”
“pure” is fairly obvious
Psalms 73:1 “Surely God is good to Israel, To those who are pure in heart!”
It carries the idea of no ulterior motives.
It is sincere.
And that is why David says it is “enlightening the eyes”
That is to say, “it gives light to the eyes”
It is pure. It is the “more sure word”
Psalms 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.”
Peter said:
2 Peter 1:19 “So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.”
God’s word is reliable because it is never deceptive.
God’s word always gives good information,
True information, enlightening information.
IN FACT, that’s one reason people can have disdain for God’s word; Sometimes it gives to much information, and people prefer the darkness.
But if a person desires to please God it is obvious where they should go. God to God’s word it is totally “pure” and sincere,
It will give light to the eyes.
(9) “The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever.”
In this one David actually lists an EFFECT of God’s word,
Rather than God’s word itself.
He refers to “the fear of the LORD”,
It is that fear which is produced through a study of God’s word.
As God’s word reveals Him, the more we see His glory and our sinfulness. This leads to an undoubted awe and fear of the LORD.
But David says that this “fear” is “clean”
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
Ever read Leviticus about all the things that are either considered “clean” or “unclean” (same word)
That which is clean may draw near to God,
That which is unclean must dwell outside the camp.
Here we have a Psalmist who wants to know how to be acceptable to God
And he has learned that God’s word has the ability to produce in him
A “fear of the LORD” which is in fact acceptable to God.
Remember what Jesus said?
John 15:1-4 "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. "Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. "You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.”
David knows that it is God’s word which produces fear of the LORD
And it is this fear of the LORD which makes a person clean.
And this, by the way, “endures forever”
It is not short-lived or ineffective.
And then David closes this descriptive section by saying
(9b) “The judgments of the LORD are true, they are righteous altogether.”
“true” is EMETH
And it doesn’t just mean true, it means “reliable”
Or “truth that has been tested and found true”
Genesis 42:16 "Send one of you that he may get your brother, while you remain confined, that your words may be tested, whether there is truth in you. But if not, by the life of Pharaoh, surely you are spies."
We are talking about that which has been proven true.
And David says that is certainly the case with God’s word,
It is battle-tested and time honored.
It can be rested upon and leaned upon, it will never lead astray.
Now, that is just David’s assessment of God’s word.
It Converts sinners
It gives Wisdom to fools
It gives Peace and Joy to the guilty
It gives Discernment to the blind
It produces Fear and Reverence which God accepts
And it is battle tested and proven to do all of these things
And this is the pathway to learning how to be acceptable to God.
And I so wanted to get through the rest of this chapter tonight, but we’re going to have to wait until next time to make sure I don’t rush through something.
But taking just what we have seen here.
Again I hope you understand why SOLA SCRIPTURA was such a valuable issue in the Reformation and why it continues to be valuable today.
Ulrich Zwingly was only concerned about being pleasing to God,
And it was the Scripture which guided him to that understanding.
And he found from the Scriptures that
It wasn’t through Lent or self-abasement.
It was through simple obedience to God’s word.
Scripture actually set Zwingly free.
In fact, there are two main memorials to Zwingly, one is a statue in Zurich,
But the other is a painting of him.
In the painting he is holding an open bible and it is turned to:
Matthew 11:28-30 "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."
When Zwingly found scripture, he found Jesus,
He found God’s acceptance, and he found rest for his soul.
This is why Scripture is so essential.