“What is Truth” | Sunday AM | Alex Green

Original Broadcast of Sunday Morning 10 AM Bible Class, 03/22/2026

Speaker: Alex Green

Message Title: "What is Truth" 

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:04

This morning we are continuing our series of Clashing Kingdoms. And this morning, uh, the topic that I've been given is uh what is truth. So we're going to look at um the idea or um the reality that the Bible is truth and and kind of test why we think that's the case. John chapter 17 records um a record of Jesus' prayer. And I'm going to read verses 14 to 19. Jesus says in his prayer, I have given them your word, and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. And he says, My prayer, not only does Jesus say what his prayer is, but he's very clear about what his prayer is not. He says, My prayer is not that you would take them out of the world, but that you would protect them from the evil one. He says, They, Jesus is saying, My disciples are not of the world. Like me, I am not of the world, he says. And then he says, What is really our core key scripture this morning, sanctify them by the truth. Not just sanctify them generally by things that are true, but sanctify them by the truth, by your word. He says, your word is truth. So there's only one thing that is going to sanctify us. He says, As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified. And so this morning, as I said, we're addressing this question, what is truth? And the clear response from Scripture that we're going to explore this morning is that God's word is truth. And we're going to ultimately endeavor to consider this claim and evaluate it. And what is meant by this is it means that God's word is true. It includes historically factual and accurate information. That's the first thing it means. And it also means when it makes the claim of being the truth, it doesn't just say that it is true, it's claiming to be the truth. So it is claiming to be the authoritative word of God. There is no other written word of God that is going to be received today that is more authoritative than the text of the scriptures. We may have Christian authors who write well and exhort the word of God in a good way, but their writing about the word of God is not more authoritative than the word of God. We have prophets in the church, even today in the 21st century, but the statements that they make are not more authoritative than the word of God. In fact, Paul said that we must test the prophets. We must test each prophecy against prophets with prophets to see what one says, but again and again he praises the church in Thessalonica, or he um he commends them for continually searching the scriptures. Whatever they heard from the apostles in Thessalonica, they would search the scriptures to see if that was the case, because it's the ultimate authority for the church. And I would expect that in any assembly in the church that there is going to be a spectrum of confidence in the word of God. And so I think many of us here today embrace the scriptures as the authoritative word of God and believe it to be factually true and believe that it is profitable for salvation. We think that the plan of salvation to be in heaven is in here. But there are some, and I'm not saying they're within this room, but within Christendom, there are some who believe that the scriptures hold the plan of salvation, but they are not convinced that the scriptures, that every story in the scripture is historically accurate. They would have some uncertainties about the Old Testament, or they would say that they are simply illustrations, or they're maybe even fables. They're fictitious tales that are meant to make a statement or meant to teach a moral. They're read meant to be read metaphorically rather than literally. And these people have a lower, what we would say is a lower view of the authority and the accuracy of scripture. And then certainly we would have those in a third group who would say that the scripture teaches good morals and perhaps teaches good wisdom in some of the wisdom books, but we cannot really trust what is in there. So I think those are the three basic groups. And so wherever you are in your confidence of the word of God, I hope that this morning, over the next few minutes, we can move collectively a little bit further in our confidence in the Word of God being the authoritative truth of Jesus Christ. In 1992, our our the the current superintendent of the UPCI, David Bernard, wrote a book called God's Infallible Word. And if you're going to take only, if you're only going to write down three words in your notes this morning, it's not my title, but I would recommend writing down God's Infallible Word. I am not claiming that the ideas I'm teaching this morning are my own thoughts or they've occurred to me overnight or that I've studied this out, but I've rested and relied heavily upon David Bernard's writing. And I would encourage you if you have interest in studying the topic more. He has a lot in that book that I'm I don't have the time this morning to talk about. That book is available on Pentecostal Publishing House. The ebook is$10. The physical book is$17. I don't get any money for saying that. I get no royalties. I just think that reading good Christian literature is profitable for the church. And the scriptures I'm reading this morning are in the New International Version. It's a literal translation that is also uses modern English. So let's get into it. So the Bible gets its Greek name, or it gets its name from the Greek word Biblios, which means a book or a scroll. The Bible consists of 66 books, and there are these are divided into two testaments, what we call them, but really the better word is covenant. There's the old covenant and then there's the new covenant that was initiated by Jesus Christ. And so an important question for us to consider before we even consider what the Bible says or what the Bible does in our lives when it's applied to us is how we know that the Word of God includes these 66 books rather than some other books that might be included in the Apocrypha or some of the books that came later, some of the supposed Gospels or the Gospel of Thomas in books such as those. And so this requires us to talk about the canon. So that's what we refer to. The canon is the list of books that through history have been accepted as Scripture. And so, by definition, the books that belong in the canon are those that are inspired by Jesus. That's the simple point. In other words, inspiration of God determines the canonicity. The church does not determine what is inspired by God. The church, through history, putting a stamp of approval on the book of Jude doesn't make Jude authoritative. And it doesn't make Jude inspired. Jude is authoritative because it was inspired by God. So that's what we first have to understand. Some have the misconception, no, the church councils in the fourth and fifth century, they'll say they determined what is the scriptures, and they decided and they made it up and they chose what they wanted. No. We'll look at it a little bit more, but the scriptures that are accepted are accepted by the church because they were authoritative because God inspired them. Geisler and Nix broadly classified the qualities of the books included in the canon. I think this is a good list. They say, here are the five things that all of the books of the Bible basically have in common. Whether the book was written by a man of God. Because if you're going to be inspired by God and moved by the Spirit of God, God is going to need someone who is sensitive to Him. And second, it is someone, they're all authored by someone who was confirmed by an act of God. There was miracles and signs and wonders that were active in the lives of all of the writers. Third, they all told the truth about God, and this is a very important piece. It was very obvious when certain apocryphal books or when there were certain gospels, I mentioned the Gospel of Thomas, it was very obvious when these popped up much later, and people began to read them. The doctrines were different, the theologies were different, they didn't align with what the early church had accepted as truth. And so it was very easy for the church councils to say, first of all, this popped up 200 years later. This popped up 300 years later. The people who are claiming to be Thomas could not have written this. There is no record of Thomas living for 300 years. The early church historians took note, and we mentioned I mentioned this in an earlier one, they took note that in the early second century that some of the apostles were still alive. And they mentioned that. But some of these other books did not tell the truth about God. And we know that because they were inconsistent with the character of God that had been revealed in all the rest of the Old Testament, in all the rest of the gospels, and all the rest of the epistles. And okay, so that's number three. Four, they came with the power of God. And so it was received by the church, and it was received by the church in a way that was profitable, and the preaching of these texts came with the power of God. And finally, and this is very important, they were accepted by the people of God. It was very obvious when to the church in the early first century when they received a letter from Paul to Ephesus, and these began to circulate throughout the churches. It was accepted by the church, and they received it as the word of God. And so the Old Testament writers were prophets primarily. And even some of the authors, such as David and Solomon, who were not prophets, they were kings. If you read the text, you will see that they were used in prophetic ministries. So they're not prophets in a traditional sense. They're not Levites offering up sacrifices in a temple. They're not priests and they're not prophets like Samuel was a prophet, but they're used in a prophetic ministry. And the New Testament writers were apostles and prophets. And God confirmed the ministry and message of the biblical writers through miracles, signs, and wonders. You see this with the Old Testament prophets. People knew they were a prophet because what they said became true. The books in the canon speak consistently about God, about his nature, and about his plan. And the various books that are not included in the canon often had unknown authorship, fanciful accounts which deviated from God's known nature, and it expressed questionable and contradictory doctrinal positions. And furthermore, the books that are excluded from the 66 books that we have in the Old and New Testament were never widely accepted by the people of God. There was never a case where the councils in the fourth and fifth century said, you know what, we're going to get rid of these, we don't like them. That was never the case. As lists began to be circulated, almost all the lists had all of the books in common, and then they were accepted into the canon. And so that brings us to the fact that we need to acknowledge the guidance of the Holy Spirit in the formation of the canon. It is obvious, it's very clear, going back to the days of Moses, that God desired to speak to his people through generations. Well, what was the form of communication that he had in that time in history in order to speak to all the generations? It was written language. Yes, there are some oral traditions that some people believe, some scholars believe had a place, but ultimately God speaks to his people through the generations, through the millennia, through the written word. F. F. Bruce once wrote, in reaching a conclusion on the limits of the canon, they were directed by a wisdom higher than their own. And so the councils in the fourth and fifth century and the people of God in the first century and the Jews in the Old Testament, God was working. If you think that God allowed his people to mess up the canon and to mess up what is authoritatively his word, then you don't have enough trust in God. If we trust God and we think he's all powerful and all able to do anything, and if you think one scribe or a few scribes throughout history could thwart his plans and mess up his word, then we have too small a view of God. William Barclay wrote that the books, these 66 books, became a part of the canon because no one could stop them doing so. And I think that's the ultimate truth that the Holy Spirit was active. The decisions of the church councils, Geisler and Nix wrote this, the decisions of the church councils in the fourth and fifth centuries did not determine the canon. They only discovered, no, they did not even discover or recognize it. In no sense was the authority of the canon contingent upon the later church councils. All they did was give broader recognition to what was already a fact, that God had inspired them and that the people of God had accepted them. Another scholar remarked, the church no more gave us the New Testament canon than Sir Isaac Newton gave us the force of gravity. Newton did not create gravity, but he recognized it. And with the New Testament, the canon is complete. No one in subsequent generations ever has received the authority or inspiration to write the scriptures. In fact, the claim of Scripture itself is that it is finished. It's done. If anyone takes away a word from this book, or if anyone adds even a word to this book, their name will be taken from the book of life. And so the Bible makes an internal claim that there is no more scripture to be received. And Brother Bernard makes the point that not only do we have the historical witness that it's the word of God, but when you study this and you memorize it and you pray it and you hide it in our heart, our hearts which are filled, are us who are filled with the Spirit of God, our own hearts testify that this is the Word of God, that its truth is powerful, that it is true, that it is profitable for salvation, that it makes claims that are accurate, that there can be miracles like it says, and there can be uh prophetic words that come like it says, and our hearts testify that this is the word of God. Um next, it's important to recognize that there is more evidence, and I'm going to focus on the New Testament because the Old Testament, in terms of the available manuscripts for the Old Testament, are many, and and that canon was effectively, it was it was considered finished and it was accepted by the Jews. So there's not a lot of work to go back and do there. The Jews um had processes with their scribes that were unmatched in their day. But regarding the New Testament, which are much more contested, um there is more evidence for the New Testament than any ancient book that we obtain our knowledge from. So of Herodot's history, Herodotus is is considered the first historian. So rather than in his uh, it's his book is just called The Histories or Histories. In his book, he he's considered the first historian because he didn't just write the facts, but he began to comment on them, and he had a side, and he's considered the first historian. But of his histories, there are only eight manuscripts. And the manuscripts that we have today are dated approximately 1,300 years from the original autograph. So the first copy that Herodotus wrote, we don't have a manuscript until about 1,300 years after. And people still trust those accounts to today. Of Plato's Tetrologies, we only have seven manuscripts, and they're dated approximately 1,300 years after the original autograph. Of Caesar's Gallic War, there are only 10 manuscripts, and they're dated approximately 900 years after the original autographs. Of Pliny's natural history, there are only seven manuscripts, and they're dated 750 years after the original autograph. You ready for the New Testament? There are 5,306 manuscripts with fragments dated as soon as 30 years after the original autograph. And we have copies of the full New Testament. We have partial copies of the New Testament, almost complete, 150 years after the original autograph. And we have the first manuscript of a complete New Testament just 250 years after the original autograph. It is the most well-documented ancient document in the history of the world. No book from the ancient world comes with more integrity than the Bible. And the authenticity of the Old Testament text has been upheld by extreme care taken by the Jewish scribes. And even those things that were brought into question or the dating was brought into question, this discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls vindicated all of the claims of Scripture and all the datings that came before. And the New Testament is upheld by the large quantity of manuscripts and the short time lapse between the original autographs and the manuscripts that we have availability today. And so it is evident that God's hand was in was in this process of transmitting the scriptures to us today. Okay, let's look at what the Bible claims to be. If we look at 2 Timothy 3.16, it says, all scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and in training for righteousness. So it's making the claim that it is the inspired word of God. In fact, Peter writes, for prophecy never had its origin in human will. No human sat down to write the scriptures with a personal agenda or with a personal good idea. But the prophets, he said, though they were human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. So these passages affirm that the Bible is the inspired word of God. And the Bible doesn't include human opinions or earthly teaching, but they are authoritatively the Word of God. And so this is here's what this means. Because I've talked with some people who are very happy to accept the New Testament and say that I believe in Jesus, and I think it's possible. Well, the Bible's claim is that it's all true. And Jesus came and affirmed the Old Testament. He said he did not come to abolish the law. In fact, it says he came and he opened the scriptures and taught them. So that was his standard. That was the book that Jesus used to teach his disciples and his followers. And so that brings us to the fact that we must either accept all of it as being the truth, or we must throw it all out the window and say that none of it is true. Because Scripture says that it is all God's word, and it's all been inspired for him, by him, and it is all profitable for teaching. And Jesus affirmed that it's true, and he was the word who came and was made flesh. And so Jesus didn't try to distance himself from Old Testament passages. In fact, we find that in 1 Peter 3, Peter references Noah's ark as a historical event. He says, God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. He doesn't say, well, metaphorically, that ark, that the the fictitious character Noah. He accepted the Old Testament as historical fact. Jesus. He referenced Moses. He said, just as Jesus lifted up the snake in the wilderness, Jesus chose a very unusual story to reference. One that people might be might want to dismiss as just a tale, but Jesus used that as his example, just as that snake was lifted up, so the Son of Man will be lifted up. And Jesus not only affirmed that the Old Testament was scripture. But he also commissioned the authors of the New Testament to proclaim his gospel to the world. This is written in John 16. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own, he will speak only what he hears. And he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I have said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you. So Jesus had asked his disciples and apostles specifically to proclaim the gospel to the world and to preach to all generations. And he said that when the Spirit comes, it's going to teach you all truth. And whatever you receive from me, it's been received from the Father. For if you've seen the Father, you have seen, if you've seen me, you have seen the Father, and I am sending the Spirit, which is my Spirit. He's talking about His unity, His oneness. But He's also making it clear that He commissioned the disciples to set the gospel straight for the generations to come, to record the words of Jesus and to record the plan of salvation for the generations who are afar off. Jesus commissioned the apostles in the early church and the prophets in the early church to write the gospels. And he said that they were not, they would not need to write of their own thoughts, but that the Spirit would lead them into all truth. And so Jesus and the Apostles both embraced the Old Testament as historical accounts of God's people. And the apostles were obedient to Jesus in the writing of the New Testament. And again, we can see a clear consistency between the New Testament and the Old, and God's promises in the Old coming true in the new. And this in our hearts is evidence that we have the authoritative Word of God. And so the consistent claim of Scripture is that it is the authoritative and inspired Word of God that communicates historically accurate accounts and has words that are forever settled in heaven. Now regarding the Bible's content, the Bible teaches about God, human nature, sin, salvation, judgment, eternity. And beyond just addressing these questions, people throughout history, even those who do not believe in God or do not confess a belief in God, do not believe in Jesus, even those throughout history cannot find themselves able to peel themselves away from the words of Scripture and from the deep lifelong study of Scripture. Even those who do not believe that the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament is real and true, they still spend time in that study because there's something about this book. The Bible teaches us about holiness, morality, love, justice, truth, mercy in a way that no other book does. No other religious book so identifies God with love. No other ancient book has the scripture's emphasis on strict monotheism, having only one God, and on ethical conduct. It could be said that the Bible contains the highest moral standard of any book that's ever been written. Certainly the law was a high moral standard, but then Jesus came and said, Well, if you are even angry with your brother, then you are guilty. If you even lust with your eyes and think about it, it is the highest moral standard that has ever been written. The Bible is unique from all other religious texts. It's been written by approximately 40 authors, and they are from all kinds of backgrounds. And it's written over a period of about 1,500 years. And despite having 40 different authors, and despite them never meeting up in a writer's group, and despite them, many of them never having met each other, it you it communicates a unified theme, a unified message, and a unified history. Presents a coherent morality, one basic plan of salvation, and one program for the future. And there is only one other book of the major world religions that claims to be the word of God. There's only one other one, and that is the Quran. However, its content does not support its assertion. It claims that Gabriel dictated the words of the Quran to Muhammad. But this seems fanciful, for by his own admission in the Quran, Muhammad could neither write nor read. And so it seems unusual that he was able to read and write what someone was dictating. On the other hand, the claim of the Old and New Testament is that there were scribes who were there with the authors. Many of Paul's letters were written by groups of people. Not that they all had opinions, but Paul was dictating oftentimes. And Paul identifies when he wrote in his own hand, because it was very large, he says. It has exhortations to warfare, revenge, and extension of Islam by force. And while the church did have various crusades throughout history, those were not instructed by Scripture. Those were instructed by church organizations that wanted to extend it. But the Word of God, while it has, there are examples in the Old Testament of the people of God destroying other peoples. It is because those other nations were occupying the land that God had promised them and given them. And when you look historically at the accounts, you will find that very rarely did the Israelites completely wipe out. They wiped out the armies very often, but when a nation would surrender, they often allowed the woman and children to live. And so when we look at Islam, though, we see antagonism towards unbelievers, harsh suppression of women, including wife beating, sensual descriptions of heaven with wine and maidens for the men, unlimited concubinage, unlimited rites of divorce for men only, and rape of women captives. Furthermore, the Quran contains special provisions for Muhammad. So whatever it teaches, Muhammad put some some there's some wiggle room for him to not to violate certain moral uh commands that are binding on everyone else, justifying questionable actions of his, and imposing special controls upon his own wives. In contrast, the Bible stands apart in its moral excellence. While the people of Scripture did not always uphold morally excellent lives, the God of the Bible was consistent in his holiness and consistent in his desire to consecrate a holy people unto himself. Far from destroying those who opposed him, Christ died for the ungodly while they were yet sinners. Furthermore, God came into the world in flesh, and in order for the world to know him and to know his name, Jesus. And he was fully God and fully man, and he upheld the law, living a perfect life on earth that was free from sin. The book of Hebrews records in chapter 4, verses 14 and 15. Seeing then that we have a great high priest that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast to our profession, for we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace and help in our time of need. And so all scripture is God breathed, and it is all given by the inspiration of Jesus. Yet when Jesus came into the earth, he didn't ask for exceptions, and he didn't say, Well, I'm just gonna deviate a little bit because I'm God, but he set an example for those that his people would write to, that it was possible to live victoriously in an overcoming life. Okay. Pastor said, I have as much time as I need. Okay, let's consider very briefly here whether the scriptures contain historically accurate information. So there's two ways that we can figure that out. One, we can read writings from other nations in that time. We can read Egyptian writings, Assyrian writings, Babylonian writings, and we can see if they agree in names and historical events. And uh the second way that we can that primarily we rely on is archaeology. The Bible says this place is here or near to here, and it's not, then we know it's not true. Um so those are the two ways. Um one of the things that we can look at is that almost every ancient historical account agrees that there was a global flood. Almost universally. They all say that there was a flood, and and they they differ certainly in their accounts or in the details of their story, but ancient history from that time agrees that there was a global flood, and so that's one of the ways that we can look at it. Furthermore, again, the Egyptian, Assyrian, and Babylonian history, when we go back to that time, they agree on the names of the pharaohs, the customs of the day in Egypt that we read in the in, primarily in the count of Joseph, and the biblical name of kings and emperors. They agree on these things when we look at other histories. Um, archaeology has proved the accuracy of biblical details such as the antiquity and genuineness of proper names in Genesis, the legal and social customs of the patriarchs, and the customs of the ancient Egyptians in the story of Joseph. It also corroborates, the the archaeology corroborates the water tunnel David used to conquer Jerusalem, the war between Israel and Moab, Hezekiah's aqueduct, the military campaign of Nebuchadnezzar against Judah in 597 BC, the judgment seat where Jesus was tried, the accuracy of Luke and Acts in historical, geographical, political, and social matters, and also the temple of Diana at Ephesus. And these serve as just a few examples. On several significant historical points in the biblical record, the um the secular sources were silent. They didn't say anything. And so for a long time, scholars said, Well, we have no other evidence that these things have happened or that these things are true, and so we just doubt them. But 20th century archaeological discoveries have proved the scholars wrong. Examples of this include the existence of the Hittites, the existence of Nineveh, domesticated camels in the time of Abraham, writing in the time of Moses, and official titles of various rulers in Roman times. And similarly, for years, scholars were very confused about the Greek that is written in the New Testament. It didn't look like the Greek that they were familiar with until the discovery of ancient papyra documented, proved that the New Testament was written in the commoners' dialect very often of the first century. It was a different dialect, and there was evidence that they found to corroborate this. Of course, archaeology doesn't prove that the word of God is true, but it does corroborate or it does prove the facts that are in the Bible. William F. Albright, considered one of the leading biblical archaeologists, said this, and he moved from a fairly skeptical view of whether the Bible was accurate, but his work in archaeology moved him to a very conservative view of Scripture. He concluded, there can be no doubt that archaeology has confirmed the substantial historicity of Old Testament tradition. A contemporary archaeologist named J. A. Thompson summarized the current state of research. Biblical archaeology has done a great deal to correct the impression that was abroad at the close of last century and in the early part of this century, that biblical history was of doubtful trustworthiness in many places. If one impression stands out more clearly than any other today, it is that on all hands the overall historosity of the Old Testament tradition is admitted. That's a very scholarly way of saying that there is never, and another Jewish scholar put it in simple terms, there has never been a modern discovery that has proved the scriptures false. And so all available historical and archaeological, archaeological evidence affirms that the Bible is true. Of all the holy books of all the world's religions, the Bible is the only one that is largely a prophetic book. There are contained within the scriptures a large number of prophecies, some that are meant literally and some that are meant metaphorically. And in fact, God makes this claim in Isaiah about his scripture. If you read Isaiah 41, 21 to 23, this is what God says to the other religions and the other gods. He says, Present your case, says the Lord. Set forth your arguments, says Jacob's king. He says, Tell us, you idols, what is going to happen. He challenges the other religions and the other false gods, or these other false gods. He says, Can you tell what is going to happen in the future? He says, Tell us what the former things were, so that we may consider them and know their final outcome. Or declare to us the things to come. Tell us what the future holds, so we may know that you are gods. Do something, whether good or bad, so that we will be dismayed and filled with fear. This is our God that challenged all the other religions of the day. And all the contemporary religions of the Jews in the time of Isaiah are no longer. They don't exist. The others that are here today are contemporary religions that originated much later. And so God expresses confidence in his own word. He is saying that it is set apart from any other book. Some fulfilled prophecies include in Scripture the naming of King Josiah over 200 years in advance of him being named king. It has a description of the manner of Queen Jezebel's death before her demise. It predicts the dispersion of God's people, and that the northern kingdom of Israel would be overthrown, that Judah and Jerusalem would escape from the Assyrians but would later fall to the Babylonians, that the Medes and the Persians would overthrow Babylon, that the city of Jerusalem and the temple would be restored through the edict of Cyrus, and that Israel would be regathered in the last days. And in one of the most remarkable fulfillments of Old Testament prophecy, Israel became a nation again in 1948. In the New Testament, Jesus accurately foretold the judgment upon various cities, as well as the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple by the Romans. Daniel chapter 11 describes the conflict between Syria and Egypt. It described it in such accurate detail that scholars afterwards said this must have been written after. This must be a history that was written after, not a prophecy. Well, then we received the Dead Sea Scrolls, which were dated even further back, which had these same predictions. They had these same prophecies. And scholars had to admit, well, I guess they just got it all right. The Old Testament predicted, among other things, Christ's lineage from Judah and David, his miraculous conception, Galilean ministry, rejection by the Jews, time of birth, place of birth. I wish I'd have known that for my kids. Triumphal entry into Jerusalem, betrayal for 30 pieces of silver, and it predicted many of the details relating to Jesus' trial and burial and resurrection, including the unbroken bones, burial with the rich, casting of lots for his garments, crucifixion, piercing, mockery, offering of gall and vinegar, and his resurrection and ascension. In another remarkable example of prophecy, Daniel chapter 9, verses 24 to 27, it says that there will be 69 weeks from the time of the command to rebuild Jerusalem until the coming Messiah to Jerusalem, just before his death. The correct date of that prophecy is apparently 444 BC, the date of the decree of Artaxerxes authorizing Nehemiah to rebuild the city of Jerusalem. One scholar, Harold Honer, has shown that if we begin at that date, and we use the biblical calendar of 360 days, and we consider those 69 weeks as 69 sets of seven years, then we would come to the terminal date of prophecy on A.D. 33, the date of the triumphal entry of Jesus in Jerusalem. And so the accurate prophecies contained in Scripture again corroborate that the Bible is not just true, but it is the truth. And Jesus is the way and the truth and the life. Paul would write in Romans and then Galatians, he would say, For the Scripture says to Pharaoh. Scripture says to Pharaoh. So what Moses was delivering when Moses delivered a message from God, Paul later says that was scripture. In Galatians, it says the scripture preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand. So what God says, the scripture says. So if God said this to Pharaoh, Scripture says it to Pharaoh. And if God said this to Abraham, Scripture says it to Abraham. The New Testament writers referred to Scripture as the very Word of God Himself. Jesus and the New Testament writers had a high view of Scripture. They referred to God as the author of the Old Testament, even in places that we would say are man's words. And so, in one case, the words of David are referred to as by Paul as a saying of God. Because it was God's inspired word. It was the Spirit of God inspiring David in that moment. And the writer of Hebrews did the same. People saying things, and then God affirming that I put my spirit upon them and I work through them, and that is my word, and that is my scripture, my word for my church. In the New Testament, Luke refers to the preaching of Jesus as the word of God. In the second uh volume of his gospel, Luke would refer to the preaching of the apostles as the word of God. And so again, they did not have a higher view. They valued the words of Jesus, but they said that Jesus' preaching is the word of God, and they said the apostles' preaching is the word of God, because the Spirit's not going to lead these apostles astray, but Jesus has instructed them to record his word and to uh for all the nations to receive. Regarding the church, Paul writes that it is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the chief cornerstone. Peter writes, I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets. And he says, and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles. That's in 2 Peter 3 and 2. Jesus emphasized the importance of believing all the scriptures. Luke 24 and 25. Oh foolish ones and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken. The Bible does not have differing levels of inspiration. Well, some passages might apply more to you today, and some passages might seem closer to your life circumstances today, but all scripture is God-breathed and is profitable for us. And so the entirety of scripture is authoritative and useful for godly living and leads us into salvation. Paul would write to Timothy The holy scriptures are able to make you wise for salvation. Salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. James wrote, Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and evil that is so prevalent, and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you, and do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Jesus taught his disciples. Again, Jesus spoke, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. Again, Jesus spoke. The flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you, they are full of spirit and life. And Paul exhorted leaders in the church to preach the word. And so we find in Scripture that the Bible's message is both necessary and sufficient for our salvation. The Bible's net message is both necessary and sufficient for Christian living. The Bible is the foundation of our spiritual life. The written word is our strongest weapon against sin and Satan. The written word is the most powerful discerner of the human heart. The Bible is the authority for preaching and teaching in the church. The Bible has the final say and is the final authority in all doctrinal discussions. The Bible is the strongest witness of truth. And the Bible is more authoritative than any experience or any preacher. Preachers are fallible and experience is subjective, but the Bible is objective truth. Paul would say, even if an angel comes and preaches to you a different gospel, do not receive it, for my word is settled. And for all these reasons, Paul would exhort Timothy and say, Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and teaching. He says, watch your life and your doctrine closely, persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers. And so we must allow the Bible to have preeminence in our lives. It has the first say, the second say, and the final say, and there are no others. We must accept it in our beliefs. We must accept the supremacy of the Bible in our beliefs, in our values, in our preaching, in our teaching, in our practices, in our lifestyle. And the Bible teaches that if we sincerely love God, we will obey his word. And the truth is not in that person. But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. And he says, finally, this is how we know we are in him. This is how we know we're in Christ. This is how we know that we are the vine and he is the branches. Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did. May we hold fast to this truth that is forever settled in heaven. Jesus would pray. Sanctify them by the truth.