For Thou Hast Magnified Thy Word Above All Thy Name

Temple Baptist Church - 11-30-2025

Psalm 138:2

 

Introduction: 

 

A.  We, as Bible believers, hold to this truth.  If at the name of Jesus, every knee will bow in heaven, on earth, and under the earth, we see the biblical importance of this verse.

 

B.  By magnifying the Word of God above all His name, it shows the character of the Word of God.  God’s eternal honor is firmly attached to God’s Word!  God’s reputation is firmly attached to God’s Word.  God’s glory is connected to God’s Word.

 

C.  This statement shows the impeccability and immutability of the Word of God.  It is eternally pure and unchanging.  Jehovah God said, “I change not!”

 

D.  Having said this, the Word of God has a supreme place in both the work of God and the life of the believer.  Therefore, if God magnifies His Word, how can we do less?

 

E.  Magnifying God’s Word:

 

1.  Because it is pure and perfect in its nature.  I find no verse of Scripture where it says that any part or word of Scripture will either corrupt or pass away. 

 

a. It is pure – Psalms 12:6  The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. 

 

Not one flaw, not one error, not one mistake. Pure in origin, pure in doctrine, pure in intent.

 

b.  It is preserved – Psalms 12:7  Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.

 

God magnifies what He preserves. His Word has not faded, failed, or fallen—because He sustains it.

 

c.  It is powerful – Hebrews 4:12  For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

 

It does what nothing else can do—discerns the heart, exposes sin, heals the soul.

 

2.  Because of the Person, Jesus Christ, who it reveals.

 

a.   The Word reveals God’s holiness - His purity, His justice, His righteousness.

 

b.  The Word reveals God’s will – Psalms 119:105  NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

 

c.  The Word reveals God’s Son - John 5:39  Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

 

Hebrews 10:7  Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.

 

3.  The Word accomplishes God’s purpose.

 

a.  It will not return void because it works – Isaiah 55:11  So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

 

b.  It produces salvation – 1 Peter 1:23  Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

 

c.  It brings righteous judgment – John 12:48  He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.

 

4.  We are also to magnify God’s Word!

 

a.  By simply believing it.  God magnifies it, and so should we. Psalms 56:10  In God will I praise his word: in the LORD will I praise his word.

 

b.   By obeying it – James 1:22  But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

 

c.  By defending it – Jude 3  Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

 

Conclusion:  We need to:

 

1.  Love the Word of God.

 

2.  Learn the Word of God.

 

3.  Live the Word of God.

 

4.  Lift up the Word of God.

Bibliology: The Doctrine of Scriptures - Part 3 - Why Do We Need a Perfect Bible?

Temple Baptist Church - 11-2-2025

2 Timothy 3:10-17

 

Introduction: 

 

A.  I cannot overstate the importance of God’s Word.  God magnified the Word of God above all His name!  The reason for this is simple: all that we know about God is found in two ways:

 

1.  We know God through His Creation. 

 

Psalms 19:1-3  To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.  (2)  Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.  (3)  There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.

 

Everyone here has heard the “Voice of the Lord” in Creation.

 

Everyone in the world has heard the “Voice of the Lord” in Creation.

 

a)  The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament His handiwork.  Only God could have created this world and the universe that we see.  To observe these things and reject them, one becomes a ultimate fool.

 

Psalms 14:1  To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.

 

b) Though we can know that there is a Divine Creator through observation, creation does not identify who God is.

 

2.  We know and understand God through His Word.  The Word of God is vital to our knowledge and understanding of God.

 

a)  Though we do not totally understand God in this life, we will know Him when we see Him as He is.

 

b)  Through the Word of God, we can have a relationship with God, thus the importance of the greatest Doctrine: Bibliology.  The Doctrine of the Bible.

 

B.  Because our relationship with God depends upon the Word of God, we need to have full assurance that we have it. 

 

1.  There has been a “chipping away” at the Doctrine of God’s Word from the beginning of time, because to destroy our faith in the Bible is to undermine our faith in God, therefore, in Christ and His finished work of the Gospel. 

 

2.  If the Bible is not inerrant, then it can err. If the Bible is not infallible, then it can fail. If the Bible is not inspired, it cannot be of God. If the Bible is not divinely preserved, it is the work of man.

 

3.  Therefore, we must have the Word of God in purity, and we have it in the King James Bible.

 

C.  Why our unyielding stand on the Word of God?

 

1.  Our salvation depends upon it.  How do we know that we are saved?  BECAUSE the Bible tells us we are!

 

Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

 

James 1:18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

 

James 1:21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.

 

1 Peter 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

 

2 Timothy 3:15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

 

John 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

 

Psalms 119:50  This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me.

 

Psalms 119:130  The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.

 

2.  Sound doctrine demands it.  How do we know that our doctrine is correct?  Because our doctrine agrees with the Bible.  We do not alter the Bible to conform to our doctrine.

 

2 Timothy 3:16-17 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

 

2 Timothy 4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

 

1 Timothy 1:3 As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine,

 

1 Timothy 1:9-10 Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, 10 For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;

 

1 Timothy 4:16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.

 

1 Timothy 6:1-5  Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honour, that the name of God and [his] doctrine be not blasphemed. 2  And they that have believing masters, let them not despise them, because they are brethren; but rather do them service, because they are faithful and beloved, partakers of the benefit. These things teach and exhort. 3  If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; 4  He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, 5  Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.

 

3.  Christian maturity necessitates it.  How can we grow spiritually without it? 

 

Acts 20:32 And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.

 

1 Peter 2:1-2  Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, 2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:

 

2 Peter 3:15-18 And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; 16  As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction. 17  Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. 18  But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.

 

  4.  Our daily walk counts on it.  How do we know how to walk in the light?  We have to know what spiritual light is.

 

Colossians 2:6-8 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: 7  Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. 8  Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

 

John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

 

Psalms 119:9 Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed [thereto] according to thy word.

 

Psalms 119:11   Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

 

Psalms 119:104  Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.

 

Psalms 119:105  Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

 

Psalms 119:133  Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.

 

Psalms 119:165  Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.

Matthew 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

 

  5.  Exposing false teachers requires it.  How do we identify wolves in the church?  By how they line up with the Bible, which is God’s standard.

 

Isaiah 8:19-21 And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead? 20 To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. 21 And they shall pass through it, hardly bestead and hungry: and it shall come to pass, that when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and curse their king and their God, and look upward.

Romans 16:17  Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.

 

Romans 16:17-18  Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.  (18)  For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.

 

2 Thessalonians 3:14 And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed.

 

1 Timothy 6:3-5 If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, [even] the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; 4 He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, 5 Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.

 

1 John 4:1  Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

 

  6.  The proof of our love for Christ is found in the keeping of God's words. 

  

John 14:21-24 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. 22 Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? 23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. 24 And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.

1 John 5:2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.

Bibliology: The Doctrine of Scriptures - Part 2 - Inspiration and Preservation

Temple Baptist Church - 10-26-2025

Exodus 13:18; 32:15-19; 34:1

 

Introduction: 

 

A.  Bibliology is the branch of systematic theology that studies the facts and doctrines concerning the Bible as God’s revelation to man, including its inspiration, inerrancy, authority, canonization, illumination, preservation, and interpretation.

 

B.  This morning, I want to take a biblical look at two things that guarantee our Bible’s authority: Inspiration and Preservation.  These two doctrines MUST always be tied together because Inspiration without Preservation makes the Word of God, we hold in our hands the “word of man,” an imperfect Word of God.  Imperfection and God do not go together!

 

C.  Now, having said that, I want to look at these two words to explain what they are and why they must be used together.

 

D.  So-called “theologians” in our day separate Inspiration from Preservation.  This causes confusion and doubt among many who read their Bibles shallowly.  It is a ploy of Satan as he always tries to divide and conquer God’s people.  I think that everyone knows that “God is not the Author of confusion, but of peace, as in ALL churches of the saints.”

 

1 Corinthians 14:33  For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.

 

E.  And please do not say that King James Bible believers are the culprits in confusion.  We still hold to the old Authorized King James Bible of our forefathers.  We follow the Old Paths wherein is the good way.

 

F.  First, we will look at the Doctrine of Biblical Inspiration, which Paul said pertained to “All Scripture.”   Does “All Scripture” apply to Paul’s day, Timothy’s day, and our day?  That question needs to be answered.

 

G.  I believe that we all would agree that God inspired the Original Autographs, but no one owns or has seen one.  I know of no one who owns the two original “Tables of the Law” which were written by the “finger of God.”

 

H.  But, what about the Scriptures that Paul had other than what he wrote?  What about the “holy Scriptures that Timothy was saved by?  What about the King James Bible that we hold in our hands?

 

J. To understand what Biblical Inspiration is, we need to go to the Book of Genesis, often called “The Book of the Beginnings” or “The Seedbed of the Bible.”  Genesis is also the Book of First Mentions.

 

1.  Genesis chapter one.  In the beginning, God spoke or breathed out.  In the first six days of Creation, God spoke everything into existence, and it was “very good.”  What God breathes out is perfectly perfect, no fault at all.  Impeccability is a divine attribute of God alone. 

 

a)  God speaking is expiration or breathing out. We use this term when a person dies; their last act is to breathe out or expire. In fundamentalism, we used this term to explain the Word of God: “God Breathed.” I have seen it printed on the front cover of Bibles.

 

b)  Inspiration means to breathe into something. God breathed out, but also breathed into or infused.  The infusing is both Inspiration and Preservation. 

 

3.  The best illustration is a biblical one.  Genesis 2:7  And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

 

a)  God formed man of the dust of the ground, but he had no life.  God made a body.  God infused the life of God into Adam's body.  The life God infused into Adam was eternal life.  Therefore, we find preservation in the same act.

 

b)  God never had to infuse life into anyone since that day, as that eternal life remains preserved in reproduction.

 

K.  All Original Manuscripts are both Inspired and Preserved.  These original writings did not just “poof” into existence.  God spoke, and men wrote, through divine preservation, His words down.  They were perfect through preservation.  These men, in their humanity, could have made a mistake by altering, omitting, or adding to the Word given, BUT they did not because preservation is God’s work, even though He uses men.

 

Psalms 68:11  The Lord gave the word: great was the company of those that published it.

 

What did this great company publish?  The Word that God gave!

 

L.  The first written Scriptures were approximately 3,500 years old and are found in the Book of Exodus, chapters 31-34. 

 

1.  Inspiration and Preservation.  God provided the tables of stone and wrote upon them the perfect Word of God with His finger. 

 

Exodus 31:18  And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God. 

 

(Testimony – Inspiration and Tables written with the finger of God – Preservation)

 

a)  In this verse, we find the First Mention Principle of Bible Interpretation concerning both Inspiration and Preservation: “The first time a word, doctrine, or concept is mentioned in Scripture, it establishes the foundational meaning and usage of that word or truth throughout the rest of the Bible.”

 

b)  Simply stated: When God introduces a subject in His Word, He does so in a way that reveals its basic, essential meaning. Later mentions of that subject will build upon, expand, or illustrate that first introduction — but never contradict it.

 

2.  The Man of God’s Mission.  Again, a First Mention of the work of the Man of God concerning the Scriptures.  Moses then carried the perfect Word of God down to the people. 

 

Exodus 31:18  And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.

 

Exodus 32:15-16  And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, and the two tables of the testimony were in his hand: the tables were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written.  (16)  And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables.

 

3.  The Destruction of the Original.  In anger, Moses broke the tablets.

 

Exodus 32:19  And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount.

 

4.  The Preservation of the Word of God.  Moses hewed the tables of stone but God wrote upon These tables the exact words as the first!

 

Exodus 34:1  And the LORD said unto Moses, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first: and I will write upon these tables the words that were in the first tables, which thou brakest.

 

5.  What God Inspired, God Preserved!  He did not leave either inspiration or preservation in Moses' hands.

 

M.  The New Testament confirms that inspiration and preservation are both simultaneous acts of God. 

 

1 Peter 1:23-25  Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.  (24)  For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:  (25)  But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.

 

a. The Apostle Peter declares that the same principle holds true today:

 

1 Peter 1:23–25 – Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever... But the word of the Lord endureth for ever.

 

“Incorruptible” – Not subject to corruption, decay, or death; enduring forever.

 

1 Corinthians 9:25 – “Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.”

 

1 Corinthians 15:52 – “...for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”

 

b. Just as God breathed life into Adam, so He breathed His Word into writing — and that Word still lives and abides forever.

 

c. Therefore, the Scriptures we have today — preserved in the Authorized King James Bible — are as living and incorruptible as the day God first gave them.

 

Conclusion:  Men may reject the truth of what God said in these last verses, but I thank Him every day for His precious Word that saved my soul many years ago.  Believe what you want, but I still believe the Bible is the inerrant, infallible, inspired, preserved Word of God in the King James Bible for English-speaking people.

Bibliology: The Doctrine of Scriptures - Part 1 - The Bible

Temple Baptist Church - 10-19-2025

2 Timothy 3:10-17

 

Introduction:  Introduction to Bibliology.

A.  This morning, we will continue a series on Sound Doctrine.  We have seen the doctrines of Theology (The Doctrine of God), Christology (The Doctrine of Christ), Pneumatology (The Doctrine of the Holy Spirit), Hamartiology (The Doctrine of Sin), and Soteriology (The Doctrine of Salvation).

 

B.  Today, we begin a series on Bibliology, The Doctrine of the Scriptures. 

 

1.  The greatest of all doctrines!  More than all the fundamental truths that we have studied, because if the Bible does not stand, if the Bible is not perfectly correct, if the Bible is not totally a “God Book,” then all other “ologies” will fail because their foundation is found in the Bible! 

 

2.  Bibliology is the fundamental foundation of Truth, as it is through the Bible that we find all the previous truths recorded.

 

3.  The local church is to be the pillar and the ground of the Truth. The Truth will make you truly free, free indeed.

 

1 Timothy 3:15  But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

 

John 8:32  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

 

John 8:36  If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

 

4.  The Pastor/Teacher is the most critical herald of the Truth!  God did not place a college professor in charge of preaching and teaching the Truth of God’s Word.  God gave the Pastor/Teacher to the local church! 

 

Ephesians 4:12-15  For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:  (13)  Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:  (14)  That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;  (15)  But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

 

a)  For the perfecting of the saints.  “For the perfecting of the saints”

 

b)  For the work of the ministry.  “for the work of the ministry”

 

c)  For the edifying of the body of Christ.  “for the edifying of the body of Christ”

 

d)  For the unity of the faith.  “Till we all come in the unity of the faith”

 

e)  For the knowledge of the Son of God.  “and of the knowledge of the Son of God”

 

f)  For the perfection of the people of God.  “unto a perfect man”

 

g)  For the fullness of Christ.  “unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ”

 

h)  For the maturity of the believers.  “That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine”

 

i)  For the protection of the flock.  “by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive”

 

j)  For speaking the truth in love!  “But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ”

 

2 Timothy 4:1-5  I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;  (2)  Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.  (3)  For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;  (4)  And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.  (5)  But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.

 

5.  Thus, the importance of knowing, preaching, teaching, and following the Truth.  I am not “beating my drum” this morning. 

 

a)  God did not call a college professor, TV preacher, or self-proclaimed Bible teacher to overshadow the man of God who stands in the pulpit of the local church! 

 

b)  Universities and Colleges do not “trump” the Local Church!  Every major denomination along with conventions have fallen into liberalism through their institutions of “higher learning.”  No learning should be higher than the pulpit of the local church.

 

c)   And, if calling standing for the Truth of God’s Word “majoring on a minor,” then so be it!

 

C.  First, let me reiterate that I am a fundamental Bible believer, or Biblicist.  It matters not what men say concerning doctrinal truth unless they are in complete agreement with the Scriptures.  The Bible is the final authority for both faith and practice!

 

D.  There is much confusion concerning the myriads of false manuscripts and “bibles” that now flood the market.  Liberal preachers, pastors, and teachers have rejected the King James Bible as they now use anything but it.  I stand unapologetically for the Authorized King James Bible!   I believe that the Authorized King James Bible is the inerrant, infallible, inspired, perfectly preserved Word of God for the English-speaking people!  No apology is needed nor extended.

 

E.  So, what is all the “fuss” about?  Satan has attacked the Word of God from the beginning in the Garden of Eden when the serpent asked, “Yea, hath God said?” followed by “Ye shall not surely die!”  Satan hates God, God’s Word, God’s Work, and God’s people.  It is his intent to confuse, discourage, and defile all that God has blessed with His approval.

 

F. Fundamental Bible believers have not caused today’s confusion.  The confusion is by the non-fundamental, non-Bible disbelievers!  We who stand for the Word of God are not confused; we just believe what it says.  We who believe God’s Word and stand upon the same have become “public enemy #1.”

 

G. The far left has maligned fundamental men of God.  This is a ploy of the devil in politics as well as in Theology.  We have been called ignorant and unlearned men, cultic, divisive, and worshippers of paper and ink. 

 

H.  I believe the Bible!   I am unapologetic and unbending, so to the liberal non-Bible believer, please just let this poor old, misguided preacher alone!  Let me preach, teach, and live by the King James Bible.

 

J.  If I read no other text in the Bible, our text for this morning would be a Full Mention Principle of Bible Interpretation. It says all that will ever need to be said on the subject of the Scriptures.

 

a.  Every few years, I preach a series on the Bible for various reasons. 

 

1.  I know that our people are well versed in the Scriptures, but we have young people growing up who need to know what we know. 

 

2.  Also, because of the constant "chipping away" of doctrinal truth through false teaching and peer pressure.  We adults need reinforcement. 

 

3.  What I will preach over these weeks will be what the Bible says and teaches about the Bible.  This series will not be about opinion; it will be about God's truth concerning the Scriptures.

 

b.  In 2 Timothy, the key verse is chapter 2, verse 15:

 

1.  "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."  Here, Paul is admonishing young Timothy to study the Word of God! 

 

2.  Thank God Timothy did not go join a liberal church nor did he go off to Bible College.  He sat under God's man who told him to study the Word of God.  Modern Bible Colleges and Universities have become “cesspools” for doctrinal heresies as they undermine the very Bible that many hold in their hands by teaching errancy and fallibility of the Scriptures.

 

3.  As your pastor, I tell you to study the Word of God!  Forget the “Common Taters,” as they should always be a last resort.  Then, when you read after them, keep in mind that these commentaries are the work of man, not the work of God. 

 

4.  Also, it is hard to find a doctrinally straight commentary.  John Gill was a Calvinist who used other versions.  Schofield was not entirely faithful to the Bible.  J. Vernon McGee would re-translate the Bible.  The list could go on and on but you get the gist of it.

 

5.  The best commentary on the Bible is always the Bible.  Paul told Timothy to study the Bible and the Bible alone.

 

1 Corinthians 2:11-13  For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.  (12)  Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.  (13)  Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

 

2 Peter 1:20  Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.

 

c.  What a perfectly inspired, complex, and perfect unified Bible that we have!

 

1.  It contains 66 Books, 1,189 chapters, 31,102 Verses, app. 783,137 words, and app. 3,116,480 letters in it.  39 Old Testament Books and 27 New Testament Books.

 

2.  It was written over a period of approximately 1,500-1,600 years from 1500 B.C. until 96 A.D.

 

3.  It was written by 40 different men from different walks of life under the Authorship of the Holy Spirit, maintaining one unified message, the redemption of mankind through our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

d.  The translation work of the King James Bible was a once-in-history work in both complexity and perfect accuracy.

 

1.  Commissioned by King James I of England in 1604.

 

2.  Published in 1611.

 

3.  Based entirely on the Hebrew Masoretic Text (the Old Testament) and the Greek Textus Receptus (the New Testament).

 

4.  There were six groups (companies) of translators, totaling about 47 scholars, divided between Oxford, Cambridge, and Westminster:

 

5.  These scholars who translated the King James Bible were linguistic and theological giants, many fluent in Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, Latin, and other languages.

 

e.  The Translation Process was both complex and systematic.

 

1. Each translator first worked individually on his assigned portion.

 

2. The company then met to compare and discuss every verse.

 

3. Once completed, the section was sent to other companies for review and revision.

 

4. A final committee of twelve (two from each company) made final edits for uniformity and accuracy.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

5. The result was a Bible of unmatched beauty, precision, and doctrinal purity.

 

6.  Every verse was carefully examined by multiple scholars, ensuring accuracy and consistency across the entire work.

 

7.  Early printings contained typographical errors (e.g., the “Wicked Bible,” 1631, accidentally omitted “not” in “Thou shalt not commit adultery”).  These were typographical errors which were removed.

 

8.  Standardized spelling and punctuation were updated in 1762 (Cambridge Edition) and 1769 (Oxford Edition) — the latter being the standard King James Bible used today.

 

f.  The Significance of the King James Bible.

 

1.  Linguistically: Shaped the English language; over 257 idioms in modern English come directly from it.

 

2.  Doctrinally: Preserves the pure Word of God based on the Received Texts used by the early church.

 

3.  Spiritually: Revered for its reverence, cadence, purity, and divine majesty, unlike modern translations that alter or omit key words.

 

g.  I gave you this information to show you the greatness of your King James Bible.  The inspiration of the authors and the preservation of those who published it!

 

Psalms 68:11  The Lord gave the word (Inspiration): great was the company of those that published it (Preservation).

 

h.  In the following weeks, we will find out what God says about the Word of God, and, at that point, people can either believe the Bible or reject its clear truths.

 

i. NO PLACE in the Bible tells us that it will ever be wrong at any time or on any point.  The Bible declares itself to be perfect and completely reliable.

 

Conclusion:  Prize your Bible, magnify your Bible, stand on your Bible, live by your Bible, and you will live a life that is both satisfying and pleasing to God.