Two Roads Two Destinies 01 Ireland st.chapel — Worth Ellis

The Inspiration and Authority of Scripture

We'd like to turn our Bibles, please, to Paul's letter to Timothy, the second one, 2 Timothy chapter 3. 2 Timothy chapter 3, we'd like to read from verse 16. Shall we pray? O God our Father, in the name of Jesus Christ the Lord, the Savior of sinners, that name, O Lord, in which we had salvation and access into thy presence, we open thy word, and beseech thee to speak to every heart of thy holy city.

Amen. 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, or perfected, or completely furnished unto all good work.

Of all the doctrines connected with the Christian faith, I think it goes without saying that none could possibly be more important than the one that has to do with the very foundation upon which all spiritual knowledge rests.

And this foundation, of course, which is the basis of all Christian knowledge and all spiritual knowledge, and the only reliable authority in the world today is the Bible, the Word of God. This book is the only source of information in existence today regarding spiritual truths and things that are to come, and in the matters of faith and practice, it is the only recourse that genuine believers have.

I am firmly committed to the belief, through the very rugged conviction that the Bible is inspired by the Spirit of God, it is absolutely infallible, inerrant, and is absolutely dependable, and it is trustworthy.

The Word of God is the medium through which God works in every stage of the Christian experience. As a matter of fact, there is no salvation apart from the scriptures, and when you become a Christian there is no spiritual progress and growth in the Christian life apart from the Word of God.

The importance of the Bible and the authority of the scriptures is seen simply in that, in every stage of the Christian life, this inspired volume is absolutely indispensable. And, it reads in chapter 2, verse 8, the Bible says, By grace are you saved through faith, that not of yourselves, it is a gift of God.

In Romans 5, verse 1, the Word of God declares that, therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Now, let us be clear on one thing, that faith does not save.

Jesus Christ is the Savior of sinners. However, God declares that faith is that, and don't ask me to explain it. I am not called to explain it, but proclaim it and announce it, that faith is that mysterious thing which is departed through the soul, the conscience, the heart, and mind of a dead sinner that enables him to believe on Jesus Christ for the salvation of his soul under the transformation of his life.

By grace are you saved, not by faith, but through faith. Faith is that which enables me to believe that Jesus died for me. Faith is that which enables me to trust Christ in a way that changes my life.

For, I am sure that by now all of us are aware that there is a so-called intellectual faith in Jesus Christ that has no effect whatsoever upon the life. And so, there is a belief that is not worth believing.

There is a kind of a faith that is false. But, the faith that enables you to receive Jesus Christ, to trust him, and to trust him in a way that makes you a believer comes through the hearing of the Word of God.

Here in our chapter, notice in Romans 10 -17, your Bible says, "...so then faith comes by hearing, and hearing comes by the Word of God.". And so, we learn that salvation comes only through the Bible.

Now, there may have been a time, and there may pleasantly be in some spheres of the world and some localities where people have not access to the Bible. I have no argument at all with those who claim that a sovereign God can impart eternal life to anyone whomsoever he pleases on the basis of whatever life he gives them.

I believe that. However, the Bible teaches that in this enlightened society of ours where the Word of God is available, there is no salvation apart from the Scripture. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing comes by the Word of God.

Then, whenever I receive Christ, whenever you receive him as your Savior, the only way to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is through the Word of God. You show me a genuine believer who has been saved in a leap of time, and who has made no progress in their Christian life, and I'll show you a Christian who has never learned the importance of the Bible in Christian growth.

It is absolutely impossible to develop the new life that God gives, and to be spiritually sound and enjoy spiritual good health apart from the inspired Word of God. In John chapter 17, verse 17, when the Lord Jesus was praying for his followers, he said to the Father, Father, sanctify them through thy truth.

Thy Word is truth. In Ephesians 5, verses 25 and 26, Paul wrote to the brethren in the church at Ephesus, Husband, love your wife even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of the water by the Word.

Salvation Through the Word of God

I don't think we can overemphasize this truth that it's absolutely and unequivocally no salvation apart from the Word of God. Now, you see, my friends, I've been in your home visiting recently, and you remember the night I encouraged you to read, and maybe you don't like to read.

You see, this is what it's all about. Salvation comes from the Word of God. We encourage you to read the Bible. We encourage you to come to church. Not that we're going to cut another notch in our belt and say we've got so-and-so to church, but so we can have the joyous privilege of proclaiming to you the Word of God.

And, without the Word of God, you cannot be saved. You understand what we mean? You see, the Bible is absolutely indispensable to salvation. It is that wonderful medium of regeneration. Peter distinctly declared that we are born again of incorruptible seed by the Word of God that lives and abides forever.

And that's why the Bible, you see, if it is not in error, if it is not divinely inspired, if it is not infallible, then what hope have we? So, let's remember this, that every stage of the Christian life is inseparably associated with the Word of God.

And so, all rest upon the authority of the Bible. I've noticed it become in black covers, in red covers, in white covers, and in blue covers. But we must not get so occupied with the book that we forget that it is a revelation from God, that it is inspired by God.

Some people have some strange and weird ideas about the Bible. I was speaking to a lady on one occasion, and she had such a healthy respect for the Bible, she was afraid to even pick it up. Consequently, it had three inches of dust upon it, and she was perishing and going to hell with the way of salvation right under her nose.

Now, anybody who has such respect for the Bible is absolutely a duplicate devil. The Bible is a book that God has given to us. But, my friend, listen, it is a revelation of God to me. And, you see, he who claims to be a servant of God and speaking the words of God and the words of eternal life must, of course, have an authority from which to speak.

It is absolutely impossible to speak with authority unless you have an authority from which to speak. I believe that one thing that appeals to people today, and this is why so many false teachers are suffering poor sinners on the way to hell by the millions with their false doctrines, is because they speak with such absolute authority.

The world's number one apostate, the greatest false teacher in America and the entire world today that's preaching on the radio in countries throughout the whole world, speaks with such authority that multitudes both of sinners are falling into hell, and ignorant Christians are even sending men into the court whose doctrine, though it denies every blessed truth of the Christian faith.

And, it all stems from the fact that he speaks with authority. So, I believe, Ed, that if we are to give a message that commends itself to those who hear, we must, by all means, speak with authority. But, then you see the blessed thing about this?

God has given us an authority from which to speak. You see, what we're talking about this morning, dear friends, is the foundation for everything that's to be said on this chart. There's such a babble of human voices in the world today, reviving the doctrine of so-called soul sleep, that says, whenever a person dies, the spirit and soul goes to the grave and sleeps in the fire until the resurrection.

There are those who do not believe that the spirit and soul of a Christian immediately goes to be with the Lord Jesus when they die. There are those who do not believe there will be a thousand years' reign of peace on the earth when Jesus sits upon the literal throne of David in the city of Jerusalem.

And, if you listen to this cacophony of voices, this din of voices, everybody propagating his own particular view, it's enough to run you crazy. So, when you turn away from that, and turn to the Word of God, we discover that in 1 Peter 4 .11, and don't ever forget this, Peter says, if any man speak, let him speak as of the oracles of God.

Now, I give you the New American International Version. It says, if anyone speak, let him speak as speaking the very words of God. The New American Standard Bible says, whoever speaks, let him speak as it were the oracles of God.

So, you see, there's a sole responsibility laid upon all of us who stand behind this so-called sacred desk and open the Word of God to speak. And, what a terrible, what an awesome responsibility it is.

How it makes a man feel so little to have not only this privilege, but this terrible responsibility. That man is absolutely responsible to God that every word that he speaks when he's signing this book is like a word coming out of the literal mouth of God Almighty.

That's the meaning of that passage. If any man speak, let him speak as of the oracles of God. And, how foolish it is, and I have been so guilty of this in my ministry, of going off into sidetracks and saying things that are not necessary and unrelated to that upon which we are speaking.

If any man speak, let him speak as an utterance of God. Now, I ask you a question. How can a poor sinner like me, or anyone else, speak utterances of God if he hasn't the utterances of God from which to speak?

Authority, my friend, is derived from the reliability of the Bible. Now, do you remember that interesting occasion, those of you who read your Bibles? In Matthew, chapter 7, verses 28 and 29, the Lord Jesus was teaching, and we read this, that the people were astonished at his teaching.

You know why? For he taught them as one having authority, and not like the scribes. So, you see, there were religious leaders in the days of the Lord who taught, and were just rattling, just talking to be heard.

But, when it comes along Jesus Christ, the Son of God, they marvel at him because this man speaks with authority. Where did he get his authority? Well, of course, you say Jesus Christ is God in the body of human flesh, or the authority needed.

Absolutely true. But, let me give you his reasons why he spoke with authority. In John 14, verse 10, Jesus said, "...the word that I speak unto you I speak not from myself.". In John 17, verse 18, Jesus said, "...of his own intention, the Father," listen, "...said to his Father in heaven, he says, Father, I have given unto them the word that thou gavest me.".

You see, my friends, the authority with which the Lord Jesus himself taught came from the fact that he spoke the oracles, the utterances of God. Every word he spoke came from the lips of his Father in heaven.

Revelation, Inspiration, and the Accuracy of Scripture

And so, authority is based upon the reliability of the Bible, and for that reason, and I'm not going to apologize for that overextended introduction, we're going to kick up the subject this morning and this evening at 630, known as the Doctrine of the Inspiration of the Scripture.

Is the Bible the Word of God, or does the Bible contain the Word of God? Is the Bible the Word of God? Is it inspired by the Spirit of God? Is it trustworthy? Is it dependable? Can I, as a poor sinner, believe the message of this inspired volume, do what it tells me to do, be saved and rest implicitly and peacefully in the assurance that my sins are all forgiven?

Is it a leap in the dark and a guess, or does the Bible speak with such absolute authority? Is it inspired in such a way that we can depend upon it without any fear and trembling whatsoever? Now, here in 2 Timothy 3, in verse 16, and before we get into this verse a little, it might be well just to give you a very brief distinction between revelation and inspiration, because they are so closely allied.

We need to know both of them. Revelation, as I understand it, is that direct divine influence by which God communicates the knowledge of himself to his preachers. I repeat, revelation is that direct divine influence by which God communicates the knowledge of himself to his preachers.

But, in the communicating of that knowledge, the doctrine of inspiration is of paramount importance, because the doctrine of inspiration determines whether we get an accurate revelation or an inaccurate one.

This is the value of inspiration, and the inspiration is that same direct divine influence that secures for us an accurate transfer of this knowledge. Could you imagine that if God was pleased to reveal himself to us poor sinners, and he did it in such an indistinct and clouded manner that we were seeking and seeking after God and groping around in darkness, and we should be left in a state of confusion?

What profit would it be if God said, "'Those poor sinners down on earth, they need me, they need my salvation, and I'm going to reveal myself to them.'". And then, he gives us a revelation of himself that leaves us groping around in the dark like the heathens on the light of the stars and the sun and the moon.

Know, my friends, God gives to us his word inspired by his Spirit, and this guarantees us an absolutely accurate transference of the knowledge of God from himself to us. This is the value of the doctrine of inspiration.

All Scripture, notice here it says, is given by inspiration of God, and it's profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. This word, inspiration, is found only two times in the entire Bible.

It is found once here in this passage that we have read. It's found again in Job, chapter 32, and verse 8. In the Old Testament, Job says this, "'There is a spirit in man, and the inspiration of the Almighty gives him understanding.'.

There's a spirit in man, and the inspiration of the Almighty gives him understanding. But, if you've ever read a Good Revised Version, you'll notice that they change the word in the text, and it says in all the Good Revised Versions that there is a spirit in man, and the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding.".

The breath of the Almighty. Now, in the Orthodox Version here, this word inspiration is not the very best choice of words. It doesn't give us the true meaning or the force of this tremendous passage. For the word inspiration comes from two Latin words it means to breathe into.

And, you see, in the light of this word that's left in the King James of the Orthodox, it seems indicative of the fact that God allowed men to write the Bible, and as they wrote, He breathed something divine into it.

But, that's not the thought at all. That is not the thought. It isn't that God breathed something divine into the words that men wrote, but that the very words of the Bible are the creative product of the very breath of God.

And, to back this up, you'll notice very interestingly in the Bible, and I'll call a number of them to your attention, how often the breath of God is associated with everything that God made. Just an example, it starts in Genesis, chapter 1, and in verse 1.

In the beginning of the word, the word was with God. I'm sorry, I've only done one. That's another beginning. There's a number of beginnings in the Bible. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

And, we mean that the heavens and the earth, they were without form and voice. And then, notice this. It says in Genesis 1, verse 2, that the Spirit of God brewed it over the face of the world. Now, get this picture.

God created the heavens and the earth, and, for some reason or another, they became without form and without voice. Some believe it's associated with the downfall of Lucifer, which would be one of our subjects in the coming sun, in the will of God.

And, that brought about the cataclysmic destruction of God's original creation. We're not going to get sidetracked into that long-drawn-out controversy, but the point remains that whatever happened, that which God made was without form.

It had no substance and no shape. There was no order to it, no real design. And, we read that the Spirit of God brewed over the face of the deep, and God said, Let there be light, and there was light.

And, the word spirit in Genesis 1 -2 is the Hebrew word for breath, for breath. Come to chapter 2, verse 7, and you'll find God created man out of the dust of the earth, Genesis 2 -7. And, there lay Adam upon the earth, an adamant being, no movement.

He had all of his power. He was a whole person, but he had no means of communication with God. He had no life from God. He had form, and he had substance, but no relationship, no communion. And, we read in Genesis 2 -7, God breathed into man's nostrils a breath of life, and man became a living soul.

And, just as breath from God gave life to creation, and gave life to man. While I cannot explain it, I believe it, and I'll tell you I rejoice in a lot of things I believe I can't explain, that life, listen, life inherent in the Word of God comes from the very breath of God, just like man got his life, and like the world in which you and I are living, was created by the very breath of the mouth of God.

Now, let me give you some other passages in Psalm 33, verse 6. By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. In Isaiah 45, verses 22 and 23, look unto me, and be ye saved all the ends of the earth, for I am God, and there is none else.

I have sworn by myself the word of God out of my mouth. In Matthew chapter 4, verse 4, Jesus said, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. And, over and over, I give you one totally unrelated passage that illustrates the truth of the association between speaking and the mouth, or breathing.

In the ninth chapter of the book of Exodus, you read that Saul of Tarsus, yet breathing out threatenings and sloke against the disciples of the Lord. He wasn't breathing on them, trying to kill them of Herodotus.

It's simply a manner of speech that he was threatening them with words. Yet, the Spirit of God says he was breathing out threatening and sloke. So, throughout the word of God, you'll learn this, that the breath of God is associated with that which God has made.

And, again, I say, while I can't explain it, I believe that just as the very creation originated with the divine influence of the breath of the Spirit of God, just as Adam laid from the dust of the earth God's life from which you got yours, whether you believe it or not, he got it because God breathed into his muscles a breath of life, and man became a living soul.

The Living and Everlasting Word

And so, this classic book, the Bible, my friends, from which we offer the salvation of God, and from which we preach the gospel, in Psalm 119, verse 130, your Bible says, "...give it life, and give it understanding to the sense.".

In Hebrews 4, 12, the Bible declares that the word of God is living and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing assembly of the soul and the spirit, and of the jaunts of the mouth.

It is a discerner of the thoughts and the intents of the heart. Neither is there anything hid from Him with whom we have to do, because everything is naked and open under the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.

And there, the word of God declares that the written word and the living word are one and the same. And, you see, my friends, what we're trying to impress upon you this morning is this, that if you have been somewhat reluctant to believe the message of the Bible and receive Jesus Christ, you have appeared to Him a way.

This is a book that can be trusted. This is a word that you can rely upon. It is absolutely without error. You can depend upon it, but you have to act upon it. You have to believe this message that God has given to us.

Now, another thing about the Bible, and I want to show you over a little further. Turn with me to 1 Peter 1, that the word of God is not only God-breathed, and, incidentally, all good revised versions change that text in 2 Timothy 3 .16 to this reading, All Scripture is God-breathed.

All Scripture is God-breathed. And never you forget, friends, today, those of you who prefer to be saved, that the great controversy raging in America today, even among the New Evangelicals, is the authority of the Scripture.

Everything in the Christian life rests upon the authority of the Bible. You rob the Christian of an inerrant book, you rob the Christian of everything he's got. And I don't see the likelihood that you see how anybody can be so plesant to us, can be so, so patient, as Dr. Smith would say, as to set himself up as a man who is smart enough to tell the dirtiness between what is right and wrong in the covers of this book.

Well, one thing about me when I was a heathen yesterday, all the whole junk believed nothing but a bunch of comic books, and that's exactly what I believe. But I thank God that I've got little enough sense to believe that I can't tell you what's right and wrong, so when I accepted it, if you don't mind, I swallowed the whole thing.

Now, if you like what you swallowed, bless your heart, you go on and choke on it and go to hell. But this book gives me eternal life. This book gives me peace with God. This book gives me the assurance that my sins are all forgiven.

And I'll tell you something else I like about it. Not only is it a God-breathed word, but it is incorruptible and it is everlasting. Notice here in 1 Peter chapter 1, it says in verse 23, "...being born again.".

Notice, "...not the corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.". So, you see, my friends, it is the word of God by which you are born again. When you receive the message, the Spirit of God comes into your body to live, and you are made a new man or woman or boy or girl.

Notice in verse 24, "...for all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man is like the flowers of grass. The grass withers, the flower does fall away. But the word of the Lord is pure as forever, and this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.".

Now, notice the everlasting character of the indestructible and fallible and errant word of God. Here, the Spirit of God gives to us, in an inspired volume, one of those interesting comparisons between all man's intellect and all of man's religion and politics, and everything he's got going for him, he contrasts that to the authority and the durability of the word of God.

He does it in a very interesting way. He says in verse 24, "...all flesh is like grass.". All flesh is like grass. Sometimes in the Bible, the word flesh means all humanity in reference to the human race.

Sometimes it means flesh like plain meat, other times it's the depraved principles and the faculties of our poor fallen nature. Here, it is very obviously the human race and mankind in general, and God is saying, for all mankind is like grass and all the glory.

That word glory is from the word doxa, from which comes our English word, doxology. Everybody that goes to church knows what the doxology is. If you don't know anything else, you've seen the doxology.

It is a hymn of praise. And you see, this word doxa has to do with opinion and estimate. That is man's opinion of himself, man's praise of himself. My dear friend, if you don't think a poor sinner will sing his praise, you crank him up and get him started talking about himself.

He'll tell you how good he is, how smart he is, how much money I've got, and everything else. But you see here, God says, listen, "...all humanity is like grass, and all of man's wisdom, all of man's religion, all of man's accomplishments and achievements are like the flower of the grass.".

Now, he says, "...the grass withereth, and the flower doth fall away.". We surely have had a real illustration of how the grass withers in the summer, haven't we? Came up in the spring, and remember, we had a little wet spell.

And up came those little green blades, and little flowers perched on the top of it. And we looked at it, and we said, oh, how beautiful it is. And then just when I got in my garden, standing, laid by, and was looking for the rain so I could fill up everybody's trees over in the triangle section, no rain, no rain, no rain.

I walked out in my garden. I prayed with him, and he ain't rained on me yet. And you see, I've learned this. There God gives me an illustration. "...and soon my corn would I put nitrogen by food time, so I'd have great big ears full of white sweet crumbs, withered and withered and withered and withered.".

And it didn't do anything, hardly, where it should be. And you see, God says, this is what man's brain is like. This is what man's wisdom is like. Now, let man plant something on Mars and let him do that.

What has he gotten against there? I'll tell you one thing, he'll either pollute it, or if he finds anything alive, he'll put it on federal relief. So I say to God, oh, keep him away. Listen, my friends, we need to learn that pure, pure human man is like a grain of seed on the shore in the sight of God.

All of man's wisdom, listen, all of man's religion, all of man's vaunted powers, and all of his claims to greatness, is like a blade of grass with a little flower perched on the top. The grass grows in the flowers all the way.

That's man. That's man. But, but, the word of the Lord endures forever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you. And in Romans 1, 16, Paul says, the gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes.

And this is the word that brings you the message that God loves you, sinner. This is the word that tells you how to be saved. This is the word that gives you the assurance that you are saved. This is the word that gives you a victory over the fear of death, gives you a victory and saves you, first of all, from your rotten, stinking, no-good self.

Salvation Through Christ Alone

If the Son, therefore, shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. This is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you. God breathes eternal, everlasting, indestructible torment from Almighty God.

He that believes on the Son has everlasting torment. You know what I'm saying? Anybody else here say it's not me? I'll tell you, I want to thank God that my salvation is not resting upon an emotional experience that I had.

But this book, this book. Man, you've got to believe in the inspiration of Scripture, or you're going to sell the whole thing down the creek. The famine's raging. I was in a friend's home on Friday. They loaned me a copy of Harold Lindsell's book on the battle for the Bible.

Get it and read it, Christians, and you'll see the holocaust that's pouring on. Even in the fundamental purpose of the Christian Church in America, Christians are turning away from the doctrine of inspiration of the Scripture.

Look, my friend, what we're trying to get across to you today is this, that we invite you to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, thou shalt be saved. When we tell you that Jesus said, I am the door by me, if any man enter in, he shall be saved.

I don't care whether you're on the beastly, moral, wicked, filthy side, or the dog broke with the drunk from the harlot and the bum, or whether you're on the clean footpath side with baptized church members and young people that grow up in a Christian home and learn the language like a parrot but have never been seen.

I don't care which side the road you're on, the Bible says, Jesus said, I am the door by me, if any man enter in, he shall be saved. And I want you to know he says it in this book. This is the kind of book he says it in.

Listen, for all philosophers and emotionally oriented people, Mr. Hallmark is a must-learn it, and I want you to learn it if you don't know it, that faith never rests in the intellect, nor in the feelings.

It rests in the person, Jesus Christ. You know, I was down in Pembroke just a couple of weeks ago, and those people down there have a real problem getting saved, because many of them have told the Lord what they're going to do and how they're going to get saved, what kind of feeling they're going to have.

And they're looking for some sort of emotional experience to tell them that they're saved. And this dear girl came from a family that had been cursed with this awful plague of emotionalism. And the poor girl, you could have cried if you'd just seen the look on her face.

Why, she looked like somebody was fixing to shoot her. She looked like a criminal going up to gallows. And every time I'd known her and seen her in a meeting, she looked like that for ten years. On Sunday evenings, she wouldn't leave.

She just kept hanging around the front. And I went and said, Mary Lewis, can I help you? Can I help you? Oh, she said, Mr. Worth, I've got to be saved. She said, I've been so miserable, I can't sleep, I can't eat.

I've got to be saved. And I said, Lord, please help her, because I knew what she was hung up on, feelings. So, I took her inside the chapel and opened this book, The Word of God, and showed her step-by-step how Jesus Christ had died for her sins, how that God could not forgive her sins unless they had been punished, that Christ had paid the penalty for her sins, that God had raised Jesus from the dead as proof that he had accepted the death of Christ to take her sins away, showed her what the Bible said about believing, what it meant to receive Christ, had her bow her head in prayer, and said, God, I do believe that Jesus Christ died for me.

I will trust him right now as my Savior. I trust his death alone as the salvation. I receive him. And the moment she said that, I said, Amy, and I looked at her, and she still looked like she was going to the gallows.

And I said, now, Mary Louise, let me tell you what the trouble is. You ain't got the kind of feeling you know you're going to get when you got saved. How did you know she said that? Feelings, feelings, feelings.