OUR FINAL AUTHORITY
Hebrews 4:12-13
First section of our Doctrinal Statement says: “We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be the verbally inspired Word of God, the final authority for faith and life, inerrant in the original writings, infallible and God-breathed.”
The article speaks to various issues concerning God’s Word.
It makes two major statements 21st century Christians need to keep in mind:
1. GOD’S WORD IS WITHOUT ERROR
In the Bible GOD HAS SPOKEN
God’s very nature is Truth
God’s Word is Truth
There can be no errors in what He has said.
His Word is true whether we believe it or not.
His Word is true whether scientists accept it or not
His Word is true whether historians accept it or not
I’ve struggled with enough supposed errors to realize that when I find an “error” or contradiction in the Bible, the problem is my understanding, not the Bible!
Paul says in Rom 3:4: “Let God be true and every man a liar.”
When it appears that God’s Word doesn’t add up for some reason,
the problem is always on man’s side; NOT God’s!
God’s Word is trustworthy.
It isn’t a scientific textbook.
And it isn’t a history book.
But when God speaks on science, or history, or any other issue–and He has spoken in the Bible–He speaks truth.
God’s Word is without error.
2. GOD’S WORD IS OUR FINAL AUTHORITY.
It’s the ultimate court of appeals; the last word.
The old maxim gives us a worthy basis for faith and for daily living:
“God said it. I believe it. That settles it!”
In fact, God said it, that settles it! (Whether I believe it or not!!)
We live in an age when even God’s people, though we affirm His Word is our final authority, don’t always accept what it says!
Something else is our final authority.
It often takes the form of what is acceptable to my way of thinking.
Seminary classes: We are to surrender our rights for the good of others.
Don’t do things we know are O.K. for us, because we might cause someone to stumble. “That’s not reasonable! You can’t live that way!”
God’s Word tells us to submit to one another.
Wives submit to your husband; husbands love your wife as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it; sons and daughters obey your parents; submit to government and to your employer.
We again respond, “but that’s not reasonable!
You can’t live that way! You don’t understand my situation!”
He tells us: love our enemies—forgive those who wrong us.
We respond that He’s asking too much.
They don’t deserve it!
He says give a tenth of everything to Him and He’ll reproduce it.
“We can’t afford it. You don’t understand my situation!”
And on and on it goes.
I may not have hit your particular hot button this morning but we all have them!
Last week, 4:1-11 exhorted us to stop churning, stop trying to work it all out ourselves, stop struggling, and TRUST HIM. Enjoy His rest!
“But we can’t just leave it all in His hands! We have to do something!
Certainly God sometimes asks us to take action.
But OUR problem is we’re prone to take matters into our own hands!
We have to help God out; otherwise He might “blow it!”
God says “Trust me with this.”
We respond that’s not reasonable. It costs too much!
Too often in reality we have another source of authority.
So, how does this relate to our study of Hebrews 4?
Hebrews speaks to people about to throw in the towel because of affliction.
He reminds us that God’s Word is the final authority. We should listen to Him.
God has spoken.
Therefore, we had better pay attention to what He has said.
[ The writer to the Hebrews has been demonstrating that . . . ]
JESUS’ REVELATION OF THE FATHER IS SUPERIOR TO MOSES’ 3:1-4:13
3:1-6 His revelation is superior because He is greater than Moses.
3:7-4:13 Since Jesus’ revelation is superior,
it’s more important that we hear and obey His Word.
The warning based on Israel's experience 3:7-19
That generation missed the blessing God wanted to give them.
They didn’t experience His rest.
They died in the wilderness.
Because they didn’t believe Him, they hardened their heart and refused to enter His place of blessing and rest.
The promise concerning God's rest 4:1-11
If Israel failed to believe and missed God’s rest,
it’s even more important that WE trust Him and obey.
Our revelation is superior; the consequences of unbelief are more significant.
Last week we considered the first part of Heb. 4, the rest God has provided for His children. We noted how to enjoy His peace and rest.
Do you want to enjoy God’s blessing in your life?
Stop churning and start resting!
Stop trying to fight the battle ourselves.
Entrust ourselves and our battles to Him.
We decide that we will trust Him and enter His rest.
We can trust Him with the stressors in our life.
We have to learn to trust Him with our concerns, and enjoy His peace.
“Jesus, I am resting, resting In the joy of what Thou art;
I am finding out the greatness Of Thy loving heart.”
A number of us have had opportunity to practice that principle this week!
(Helen urged me to stop preaching this way!)
As we consider verses 12-13, note that it begins with “for.”
It explains the truth in 4:2-3 and 4:9-11.
Israel learned the hard way that it’s dangerous to take God’s Word lightly.
They suffered the severe consequences of disobedience.
They knew all too well that His Word is living and effective
—it’s not something to play around with!
Now he builds on that idea . . .
If WE want to enjoy His rest, WE must pay attention to His Word
and make it our final authority in every area of our life.
It isn’t the word of this preacher, or any other human person we need to hear.
When we’re facing the stressors of life, we need a word from God.
His Word makes the difference; His Word gives peace and rest.
That’s the point in the next few verses of Hebrews 4:4:11-13
The danger of disobedience:
For Israel, the danger came from not trusting God, and not entering the land.
It resulted in not entering the place of blessing and rest.
For us, the danger comes from not remaining faithful.
–Not “hanging in there” in the face of opposition.
–Not living by His revealed Word and standing firm for Him.
It results in churning and struggling, fighting to have our way, but NOT in rest!
If we refuse to obey His Word,
God judges His people today as He did in Moses’ day.
In the wilderness, when Israel failed to trust God and obey Him, they missed His rest.
But even worse, when they tried to go ahead on their own,
Numbers 14 says that they fell by the sword.
Now people who fail to enter His rest, face His Word,
which is sharper than any two-edged sword.
The sword, however sharp it may be, only deals with the body.
God’s Word penetrates the innermost part of our being. It cuts deep.
[ To help us see how important that warning is, he reminds us of . . . ]
SEVEN THINGS WE KNOW TO BE TRUE CONCERNING GOD’S WORD:
1. God’s Word is alive.
In Matt. 13, Jesus compares God’s Word to a seed that a sower goes out to sow.
When it lands on good soil, it produces fruit.
The life is in the seed–in His Word.
It bears fruit when properly planted in good soil, and cared for.
Spurgeon: “There is a . . . vividness never found elsewhere. No other writing has within it a heavenly life whereby it works miracles and even imparts life to its reader. It is a living and incorruptible seed. . . .Solomon saith concerning it, “When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee, and when thou wakest, it shall talk with thee.” Have you ever known what that means? Why the Book has wrestled with me; the Book has smitten me; the Book has comforted me; the Book has smiled on me; the Book has frowned on me; the Book has clasped my hand; the Book has warmed my heart. The Book weeps with me, and sings with me; it whispers to me, and it preaches to me, and it maps my way, and holds up my goings . . . . It is a live book; all over alive..
2. God’s Word is active (energetic) Root <= “energy.” => It is effective.
God’s Word vibrates with power as it rushes to fulfill the purpose for which it was spoken.
Is. 55:11 God says His Word will not return to Him empty, “but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I have sent it.” It is effective!
It produces change, a transformation in the life of the person who receives it.
Preachers may prepare carefully, uncover wonderful insights, speak powerfully and with impeccable logic, but the power to transform lives comes from God’s Word!
Whether you are a child, a high schooler, or a senior citizen,
if you listen to God’s Word, it will change your life. It is powerful!
3. God’s Word is sharper than any double-edged sword
It has a sharp edge—sharper than the sharpest instrument they could think of.
It is able to cut through anything that stands in its way, and bring conviction.
Kent Hughes: “God’s Word cleaves through our hard-shelled souls like a hot knife through warm butter.”
It will cut to the heart so quickly you hardly know what happened
until you sense its effect in your life.
4. God’s Word penetrates to the depth of our being.
It penetrates our innermost parts.
No knife can reach the soul, but God’s Word even reaches our innermost self.
5. God’s Word judges our thoughts and motives.
It discerns our thoughts and attitudes correctly.
It knows what’s going on in our mind and deals with the root of the problem.
When we turn away from following God,
His Word continues to hound us and show us where we turned aside.
6. God’s Word is impossible to hide from; it finds us, wherever we try to hide!
We can’t get away from His Word. Hiding is futile.
We may think we’re going underground; but we can’t hide from God’s Word.
Sometimes people are upset that somebody told me about your problem!
How do I know? I don’t.
God’s Word knows exactly where we’re hiding and goes after us.
We can’t hide from it!
7. God’s Word uncovers everything.
“Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”
“Uncovered” lit. means “naked.”
Everything is stark naked before Him.
There is nothing to hide in or behind.
We can’t keep secrets from His Word.
It finds out exactly where we are and speaks to exactly what we’re doing.
The second expression lit. means “to twist the neck” or “take by the throat.”
It provokes images from the slaughter of animals by cutting the jugular vein.
All creatures are in God’s grip, totally vulnerable, helpless, defenseless,
totally exposed before Him and in His hands.
That is true of His Word.
We are totally exposed and defenseless before it.
We can’t fool it. Duplicity and hypocrisy won’t work.
Years ago, a Chinese businessman, visiting England, was fascinated by a powerful microscope. Looking through its lens to study crystals, and flower petals, he was amazed at their beauty and detail. He purchased one to take back to China. He enjoyed it until one day he examined some rice he was planning to eat. He discovered tiny creatures crawling in it. Since he was fond of his staple food, he wondered what to do. Finally he concluded there was only one way out of his dilemma: he smashed the microscope. People do that with God’s Word. We want to get rid of it because it reveals our nature.
God’s Word uncovers every area of our life.
It works on us, poking and prodding,
until we’re transformed into what God wants us to become.
In the Word we see God, and we see how God sees us.
We see ourselves as we really are.
God’s Word won’t leave us alone.
Since God’s Word is living and effective,
we ought to listen to its message and respond in faith.
We’d be wise to listen, to conform to God’s plan, and enjoy His peace,
before it cuts in and penetrates to do it’s corrective surgery in our life.
Do we wonder why we’re uncomfortable when we get off the path?
If we’re God’s children, His Word is going to pursue us
no matter where we try to hide, or what secrets we try to hide from it.
The only way to find rest is to recognize the authority of God’s Word and live by it.
A popular saying from Isaiah captures the idea: “There’s no rest for the wicked.”
Israel discovered: they couldn’t find rest apart from God’s Word.
Is the Bible our final authority this morning?
Saul of Tarsus was reminded:
“It hurts to kick against thorns when you’re walking around in sandals!”
Are WE avoiding God’s Word because WE don’t like what we hear?
We’ll never find rest that way!
The struggle goes on. Stressors increase.
It’s going to keep getting worse—until we stop fighting and surrender to Him.
Have we had enough? Are we ready to stop and rest?
It’s time to surrender to God and His Word—to let Him have His way in our life.
Then—we’ll know what it means to enter into His rest.
Are WE ready for that this morning?
Holy Bible, book divine,
Precious treasure, thou art mine;
Mine to tell me whence I came;
Mine to teach me what I am.
Mine to chide me when I rove;
Mine to show a Savior's love;
Mine thou art to guide and guard;
Mine to punish or reward.
Mine to comfort in distress,
Suffering in this wilderness;
Mine to show, by living faith,
Man can triumph over death.
Mine to tell of joys to come,
And the rebel sinner's doom;
O thou Holy Book divine,
Precious treasure, thou art mine.
In the midst of the storm, isn’t the time to flee from the book!
That’s the time to cling to it! . . . to trust the Author and DO what He says! 4:12-13