Sermon Cloud

No other doctrine sustains such consistent attack throughout the history of the world, than the doctrine of Scripture. Even in the Garden of Eden the first thing Satan attacked was the reliability of God’s word, which was in fact an attack on the character of God Himself.

All attacks on God’s Word are designed to undermine His absolute authority and trustworthiness.

Today these attacks come in a variety of forms:

Liberalism: attacks authority by rejecting the supernatural and imposing the wisdom and agenda of man on Scripture.

Charismatics: attack authority by making experience ultimate authority.

Emergents: attack authority by denying the existence of absolute truth.

The Jews of Jesus’ day attacked the authority of God’s Word by elevating the authority of their tradition, much like the RCC church does today.

However, in a few short verses (5:17-20) Jesus demolishes and destroys these strongholds set up against the knowledge of God and establishes the absolute authority of the Word of God and His Person and work as Messiah.

5:19-20 Authority as it relates to man’s *Accountability. In 5:17-18 Authority from God’s Side; He will do this in primarily three ways:

(1) God’s Word sits in judgment on false, man-made religion.

(2) He fulfills all of God’s Word by His Person & work as Messiah.

(3) The permanence of God’s purposes as revealed in the written Word.

READ: Matthew 5:17-18.

(3) Permanence of God’s Purposes [18]

(A) Divine Declaration.

“For truly I say to you” - Amazing statement! This phrase is used approx. 45x in the gospel of Matthew alone (11x in Sermon on Mount).

Notice the word “truly” (lit: “AMEN”) Now, it is significant that He places this first. Usually, we put it after a statement of prayer with the meaning of “Let it be so,” or “confirm our words, Lord.” Jesus places it before the statement, establishing the certainty, authority, and reliability up front - “Take this to the bank.” People clearly caught this authority (7:29).

Now, if Jesus isn’t really God, then this is a very dangerous statement to make. The prophet Isaiah warned: Isaiah 8:20 “To the Law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn.” Look, if someone in the OT claimed to speak a message from God, but it was not, Deut. 18:20 says, “that prophet shall die!”

To say this, and not be God would be blasphemy. It is not the fact that He is giving an authoritative message from God; but that He is giving an authoritative message as God. He is not saying, “Thus saith the LORD,” but “Thus I saith!”

He is grounding His teaching in His own authority by placing His Words on the same level as the written Word of God. He is also indirectly establishing His claim to be God, for only God can speak with the same authority as God!

Matt. 24:35 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away“ (could you imagine a mere man saying this?!?).

When Jesus speaks here, He speaks with absolute authority. He speaks as God Himself. This is extremely important for whenever God speaks we want to be sure to listen. So, what does He say in this Divine declaration? He, in no uncertain terms, establishes the absolute authority, reliability, and permanence of the written Word of God.

Trans: If you have ever wondered how you can have confidence in God’s Word,, How you can be sure that God’s Word will come to pass - here it is; here is your verse. Here is the statement that should forever banish all doubt.

(B) Grounded in the permanence of Creation

“Until heaven and earth pass away, not one iota or keraia will pass away from the Law” - this is an absolute statement.

“from the Law” - He is simply abbreviating what was spelled out in 17. Thus, He is referring to the entire OT.

Jesus Christ makes no apologies, no excuses, no qualifications regarding the absolute authority & reliability of the Scripture.

Beloved, if Jesus is not ashamed, or in anyway lessens the absolute authority of God’s Word, then neither should we. And if Jesus stands on absolute, authoritative, propositional truth, so must we.

“But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the Law to fail” (Luke 16:17).

The Lord is making a direct parallels here between the permanence of Creation with the permanence of God’s written revelation.

That is to say that the word of God is so sure, so absolute in its authority and reliability, that it would be easier for the entire universe to pass away than for the smallest stroke of the inspired word of God to pass away.

Go outside tonight and look at the stars, think of the Hubble images of deep space and the unfathomable size and power in the universe and think, “God’s Word is more sure and stable!” The same God who spoke them into existence, is the same God who breathed out His Word, and it is the same God that stands before that crowd and us this morning.

(1) “Heaven and earth will pass away” - that is to say, they will cease to exist in their present form.

He does not say, “Heaven and earth will not pass away, therefore My words will not pass away,” but rather, “Until heaven and earth pass away.” This earth & this universe has a Divine expiration date!

Listen to the word of God in 2 Pet. 3:10: “But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief, in the which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.”

When will this happen? [Turn to Rev. 20:1f - be brief/remember time!]

1f - note the duration (1k), reign of Christ, binding of Satan.

9-10 - note the final judgment of Satan

11-15 - Note the passing away of current heavens & earth, entrance into eternal state: eternal judgment (“lake of fire”); eternal joy (“New heaven”)

Heaven and earth will pass away; there is eternal judgment and salvation in this statement. This, then, is a subtle reminder not to get too attached to the things of this world. It is also a reminder that for a person to reject Christ for love of the things of this world, is the most foolish decision a person could possible make.

(2) But “until” that happens know this: “not one iota or keraia will pass away from the Law”

God did not simply reveal general thoughts or ideas, but actual words; specific words; authoritative words; written down and preserved in a book.

ouv mh. strongest negative possible in the Greek language. It is unbreakable, unalterable, and assured.

What is the “iota … keraia”? The “Iota” is a small Greek letter that resembles the English “i”, however the Lord is here equating that to the Hebrew yod; while the “keraia” refers to the Hebrew extension at the bottom of certain letters, also known as serif. (Look in notes for example)

(3) The Lord is affirming here the reality of: verbal inspiration: Means that the written words of Scripture are the very Words of God.

This is crucial to understand, this has everything to do with how we view Scripture and the role it plays in our lives as individuals and as a church. Many give lip service to verbal inspiration, but then deny it, by adding to it, or simply ignoring the Word in their ministry - or easily compromise.

Let’s understand this a bit better:

(a) God has always spoken to His people (Heb. 1:1-2).

(b) Beginning with Moses they words were written down and preserved (Deut. 31; Josh 1:8; 2 Kings 22).

(c) So that, what was given by God, recorded by man, preserved through the ages, recognized by God’s people as authoritative words of God (“Thus saith the LORD …”; also: Deut. 4:2; Rev. 22:18 “Don’t add … subtract”; 2 Kings 22 [Josiah]).

Scripture does not simply “contain” God’s Word, it is God’s Word

[Turn to] 2 Tim. 3:16:

“God-breathed” - Affirms that God is the SOURCE, Man is the AGENT, Scripture is the PRODUCT.

(a) To say that the Word of God is inspired is to say that it is inerrant - without error - in the original documents.

(b) It is also to say, that God providentially preserved His Word throughout the ages, so that the copies of God’s Word available to the people - in Jesus’ day and ours - were an accurate, trustworthy, representation of His authoritative Word (derived inspiration).

Some say that the Bible is true in matters of faith, but is full of errors in areas of history, science, and general facts.

“How does it help us to say that the Bible is the inerrant word of God if in fact we don’t have the words that God in errantly inspired? … We have only error-ridden copies, and the vast majority of these are centuries removed from the originals.” (Ehramn).

“Ehrman makes the provocative case that many of our cherished biblical stories and widely held beliefs concerning the divinity of Jesus, the Trinity, and the divine origins of the BIble itself stem form both intentional and accidental alteration by scribes.” (Promotional cover of Ehrman’s book).

However, if God cannot be trusted in historical matters how can He be trusted in spiritual matters. *Cannot divorce authority from accuracy.

If the written words of God are not accurate then it has no authority, but in fact man then becomes the authority that sits in judgment of God, rather than God’s Word sitting in judgment of man.

God has not miraculously preserved His Word, but in His perfect wisdom He has done so through a process known as textual criticism.

That God did it through a process should not shock us, He always works through means, it should comfort us that in His wisdom He so protected His Word through the ages.

Note example of Isaiah / DSS.

The primary confidence a Christian has: the testimony of the Holy Spirit.

The testimony, accuracy, and reliability of the OT was already defended and trusted by a host of Christians long before the discovery of the DSS. Discoveries like that do not make the OT accurate, they simply affirm what those who have the internal testimony of the Holy Spirit already know. Discoveries like that are nice but not necessary.

But more importantly: Jesus here affirms God’s sovereign providence in preserving His Word through the ages.

Note, that when Jesus makes this statement, over 1400 years have passes since the first book of the Bible was written. The nation of Israel has been in captivity by foreign nations, the temple has been destroyed, rebuilt, fallen into disrepair, and was again being rebuilt. Yet, with absolute authority Jesus declares that the reliability of God’s Word reaches down to the very smallest part of the written word.

It is a false statement to claim that the accuracy of Scripture doesn’t matter.

(a) It mattered to Jesus (Matt. 4:1f).

(b) Jesus demonstrated this view of Scripture throughout His ministry.

Affirmed its historical accuracy: (Adam & Eve [Matt. 19], Jonah [Matt. 12:40], Noah [Matt. 24:37])

Affirmed Holy Spirit as the source (Matt. 22:33-34 [Ps. 110])

Affirmed the detail of its text (Matt. 22:32; [cf. Gal. 3:16]; John 10:35])

(c) If Jesus trusted in the historical reliability, the accuracy of the the text’s transmission, the reality of inspiration as God breathing out the very words of Scripture so that what is written is exactly the words of God, in all of their glory and authority, who are we to question. It is the height of pride to stand in judgment of Scripture, rather than to humbly bow before God by humbling bowing before His word (mention Emergent Church).

(C) Divine Affirmation of God’s purpose.

“Until all comes to be (“is accomplished”)” - This phrase is translated a variety of ways: “all is accomplished” “all is fulfilled” “all comes to be.” Jesus is affirming that God’s purpose and will, will be accomplished, He has revealed this will in His written Word, through His prophets, preserved it through His people, and will bring it all to pass.

“Forever, O LORD, Your Word is settled in heaven” Ps. 119:152.

Genesis - Revelation God has a purpose for all of His creation. From eternity past He determined the way in which He would bring Himself glory by redeeming a people from a fallen humanity through the death and resurrection of God the Son. He has revealed this will in His Word - How the world began, how it will end, and what His means of redemption and judgement are in the meantime.

There is in this promise:

(1) Great deal of encouragement to God’s people

Just as God has always comforted His people with the reminder of His absolute sovereignty over His creation (Is. 40:7-8).

Nothing random in this world; no matter what things look like God is in complete control bringing them to their determined end. He controls the nations, individuals. It is a corrective to our tendency to worry and doubt.

(2) Great deal of warning to those who are not God’s people

Judgement will come and when it does it is inescapable. Acts 17 ‘[God] has overlooked the times of ignorance … [He] has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man He has appointed having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.”

THEREFORE:

(3) We should absolutely trust God’s Word:

Because either God has revealed a perfect, infallible, inerrant, understandable, authoritative Word to His people and preserved throughout the ages so that what you have in your hand is an accurate, reliable, trustworthy, and authoritative representation of God’s Word, or it is not. If it is not, then we deny the testimony of the prophets, of Jesus, of the apostles, of the early church, of history, and the power of God’s word in our own heart and abandon any sense of security and hope in the promises of God - even of our own salvation.

(4) Preach God’s Word:

2 Tim. 4 “Preach the Word in season and out season ... for the time will come when they will not endure sound words.

(5) Submit to God’s Word.

Col. 3:16 “Let the Word of Christ richly dwell within you”