Bible Fundamentas_Having A Foundation

[00:00:00] This audio sermon is provided by AnabaptistSermons.com and may be freely copied and distributed. You may not sell or edit this sermon. Our prayer is that you would be blessed by this ministry. Read in the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 17. Before I read there, for some time I've been reflecting and thinking of the term fundamentalism, Bible fundamentals. [00:00:35] There are the people that are known as the fundamentalists in our day. I don't know if we have meaning for that word or not. The meaning really has something to do with what is foundational. Of or forming a foundation. I think we're all aware and would agree that anything that is going to endure must have foundation, must have basis. So what we're talking about is something that has foundation. [00:01:08] This, in a sense, is not such a practical message. The fact is, there's another interpretation or definition for the word fundamentalism that I wasn't sure if it's a sign of being what some people think is, that's the old people. But the word means this, orthodox. And the definition for orthodox means conforming to the established doctrine. The way it's been. [00:01:41] So fundamentalism is an orthodox or religious belief based on literal interpretation of the Bible. The fundamentalists are known as the people that take the Bible and believe it. As it says, that the Bible is to be believed and it is to do what is taught. And that means, like the scripture says, heaven and earth shall pass away, but my word shall not pass away. [00:02:14] And it says, it's further that one jot or one tittle of the law shall not pass till all be fulfilled. Now that's foundational. It's something that endures, does not change. We recognize that some things do change. And we're not saying this morning that we need to do everything just like other people have done it for ages past. But we are saying that there is teaching in the scripture. And when we go wrong on this particular subject, we are on quicksand. [00:02:50] If we depart from fundamentalism, when we get to the scriptures, foundations, in the book of Hebrews, we do read there that we should go on to perfection. Not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and different things that are mentioned there. We go on beyond that. Does that mean that we should forget repentance? [00:03:23] Never. So, fundamentalism or Bible fundamentals can include a large range of subjects. And we're not saying this morning if we talk about fundamentals that we're saying practical things are not important. But we are saying that a lot of practical teachings, if they are not based on fundamentals, will never stand the test. For instance, we could do everything just right. [00:03:59] We could do it just like the church asks us to do it as far as the standard goes and we could be in perfect harmony. But if we're not doing that out of a heart relationship with God, it will be just pharisaical. So the first thing to do is to get the foundation right. And I think we're all together. I didn't lose anybody this morning so far, I don't think. We are all agreed that we must build on the foundation. [00:04:32] And for that we need to know what the foundation is. So, the first fundamental we'd like to talk about we find here in Deuteronomy chapter 17. And I already know that this message, even the first part, the first subject, first fundamental is going to take more than one message. Let's begin to read at verse 14. There were a number of things that God was instructing the Hebrews about. Now, when we come to verse 14, he's talking about the time when they inherit their inheritance and set up a kingdom, have a king, how they should do this. [00:05:13] When thou art come unto the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, and shalt possess it, and shalt dwell therein, and shalt say, I will set a king over me, like as all the nations that are about me. Then shalt thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the Lord thy God shall choose. One from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee. Thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, which is not thy brother, but he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, [00:05:46] to the end that he should multiply horses. For as much as the Lord has said unto you, you shall henceforth return no more that way. Neither shall he multiply wives to himself that his heart turn not away, neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold. And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book, out of that which is before the priests of the Levites. [00:06:18] and it shall be with him and he shall read there and it shall be with him and he shall read therein all the days of his life that he may learn to fear the Lord his God to keep all the words of this law and these statutes to do them that his heart be not lifted up above his brethren that he turn not aside from the commandment to the right hand or to the left to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children in the midst of Israel. [00:06:49] Now I don't know what you might be thinking is this fundamental that we want to talk about this morning. But the first fundamental that we're thinking of, this fundamental teaching is the word of God. The word of God. What does the king need to do? He says he should not be looking to make himself strong militarily by adding horses. He should not be adding many wives to his harem. He should not be gathering or accumulating silver and gold. [00:07:24] But the thing that he should do is he should take these words and write them in a book and keep them as a guideline for his life so that he knows how to rule. I don't know how you pray for our presidential candidates, or for President Bush, or other people in authority, but I wonder if we can do any better than pray that God would help them to be people of His Word. If we go back further in the book of Deuteronomy, we find that God had renewed the broken Ten Commandments. [00:08:03] In fact, God considered it important enough that He took these tables of stones and He wrote on the tables of stone with His finger. Why did God write the Ten Commandments? There's something about these books, but I have 66 books right here. But the thing that we don't see this morning, the real thing here, is that it's the Word of God. [00:08:34] How come we have these books? As I was reflecting on this, it became a real inspiration in my heart to think about it, that here I have a message from God. God is wanting to tell us something. So he had these things written in a book. He even took his finger and wrote the Ten Commandments. Why did he do that? Because he wanted us to get the message. [00:09:06] The message from heaven. This is not a compilation of a lot of wise men's ideas and sayings. It is God telling us something. Every time we read in this book, we have the opportunity to be hearing from God Himself. We get letters, we write letters to each other. I like to get letters from different people and it's always enjoyable. But there is no place that I can go that I get a message like I do here. Nobody ever sent me a letter from heaven. [00:09:40] I've gotten letters from across the world. But I've not gotten a letter from heaven except this message. But that's enough. This is the message. So let us think a bit about the Word of God this morning as foundational. If we are going to ever know the mind of God, it is through this book. And I want to point out what the scripture says about that a little later. About the importance of that very thought. [00:10:13] The Bible is called the Scriptures. Scriptures means the writings. The Bible is called the writings themselves. If we go to John, the fifth chapter, we find that word used. And I'd like to do quite a bit of reading as I look at this subject. John 5, verse 46. For had you believed Moses, you would have believed me, for he wrote of me. How shall you believe my words? [00:10:46] That's what Jesus said to the Pharisees, I believe it was. If you had believed Moses' writings, you would believe my writings. So we find there something we talked about a little bit in our Sunday school class is that the purpose of the Old Testament, what really is God's message to us? Why did God write all those genealogies? How many of you like to read the genealogies in the Old Testament? Do you think that's part of God's message to us? [00:11:23] Well, the Bible says all scripture is given by inspiration of God. The Bible says as well, holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. Now, were those men that wrote the genealogies moved by the Holy Spirit? I think so. You know, the reason that we talk about fundamentals is if we are not clear on the scripture, [00:11:54] if we are not clear that this book is foundational, we have lost all sense of direction for life. Because there is no other word from God. Now, what do we know today about God that we don't learn here? What do we know about creation? Well, the scientists have discovered quite a few things. At least Ken Ham and a few like him have discovered God in creation. But our knowledge of God is very limited. [00:12:27] I don't know if we'd ever got on the track if the Bible would not say, And in the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. Where man comes out is that we evolve by chance, which is ridiculous. But the Bible says, in the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. And now I'm getting close to that vast realm where I don't know where to begin. But I'd just like to ask you, what was the beginning he's talking about? [00:12:57] that in John the first chapter he says in the beginning was the word the word was with God and the word was God and the same was in the beginning with God and by him were all things created and without him was not anything made that is made in the beginning where's the beginning? what's he talking about? how do we know something about that? how do we know that God before the creation of the world If God already had a plan for man that he was going to create, that he knew that would fall, and that did fall, how would we know anything about the fall of man if it wouldn't be for this book? [00:13:42] How would we know that, well, we could ask dozens of questions like that. What would we know about God's plan if we didn't have this book? Very, very little. And so, you begin to see the unfolding of the purpose of the book, the word of God, is to reveal himself to mankind. And really, just for our information, the reason that I understand at least that the genealogies are in the scripture is because they are a part of God's plan of how he's going to fulfill the provision for man's salvation. [00:14:24] And it was important that we understand that God had all things arranged beginning back there already with his promise to Adam that he was going to provide and that's why he chose Abraham to be a lineage through which to do what? Send the Savior. And every one of those people was important in that lineage because it was part of God's plan [00:14:54] so that when the Lord Jesus would be born it would be the fulfillment of God's plan. It was not a matter of chance or happenstance. It was a matter of divine arrangement. The Bible also calls itself the Word of the Lord. It calls itself the Law and the Prophets Let's read in 2 Peter the first chapter That scripture that we've already alluded to In verse 15 he says like this [00:15:26] Moreover, I will endeavor that you may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance What did Peter do to fulfill that endeavor? However, Peter said, I'm going to try to make sure that even once I'm gone, you're still going to know these things. What did he do? He wrote them down. He wrote a letter to the believers that were scattered abroad. For we have not followed cunningly devised fables when we made known unto you the power and the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. [00:16:03] but were eyewitnesses of his majesty for he received from God the Father honor and glory when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased and this voice which came from heaven we heard when we were with him in the holy mount how would we know that God the Father said this is my beloved son if we didn't have this book how would we know that Jesus raised the dead It made the blind to see if we didn't have this book. It is our exclusive revelation of God. Then we go on. This voice, no, verse 19, we have also a more sure word of prophecy. He said, I was there, I saw it, I heard it, but he says we have a more sure word of prophecy. [00:16:58] Whereunto you do well that you take heed as unto a light that shineth in a dark place until the day dawn and the day star arise in your hearts knowing this first that no prophecy of the scriptures of any private interpretation for the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost He's saying none of this book is made up by man We talk sometimes about the author of different ones of these books. [00:17:32] How many authors are there of these 66 books? One author. There is one and only one. There are different writers and you see some characteristics about those writers. But there is one author. It is one message. We can talk about that later perhaps. Lord willing, what he is saying, it is not man's idea, it is God's revelation. Is this book important? It is our only revelation of God's plan. [00:18:06] And God doesn't just write books for human interest. Just a little side note. I would encourage that we learn the value and the blessing of digging deeper and not reading just for human interest. A lot of things I read today that are very interesting to read. And I'm not saying that we should never do that. God can speak to us through other people's experience. But a lot of the shallow romance and mystery trash of our day is a distraction from this revelation instead of an enhancement. [00:18:42] It does not feed the soul. It can only cater to the entertainment mentality of life. So there we have a principle. Now the Bible doesn't say anywhere that I know of, Thou shalt not read romance books. But friends, we have something that goes a lot farther than that. We have a revelation from God. You can read, what are those books? [00:19:13] The Hardy Boys and the Nancy Drews and the Grace Livingston Hill and those things. You wonder how I know about those names. But the real thing is, God has a message to give to us. And that message is for our eternal good. The Bible uses terms like this. The Word of the Lord came, thus saith the Lord. [00:19:46] The words that I speak unto you, over 3,800 times someone has said, do you find terms like that in the Bible? Where does this book come from? From the Lord. The Word of the Lord came, thus saith the Lord. The Lord God spoke over 3,000 times. So the message is clear, I trust this morning, that this is the word of the Lord. [00:20:23] And God has done us the great blessing of recording his message so we would have it down through the centuries. Some of these books have been written for thousands of years and they still stand and they've never had to change their message because they were applicable then, they're applicable now they were applicable to one type of people and they're applicable to all people of all the earth of all time [00:20:54] That correct and perfect was this message We have then here a message of the Holy, Sovereign, All-Wise God. Paul said to Timothy, let's notice just a few things about the Word of God that Paul wrote. 2 Timothy 3, verse 14 [00:21:26] but continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of knowing of whom thou hast learned them now notice and that from a child boys and girls Timothy was a boy like you one time his grandmother and his mother what do you think they read to him? do you think they read Richard's scary books? probably not there weren't any to begin with But what they really did read was the Holy Scriptures. [00:22:00] From a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures, which are able, what can the Holy Scriptures do? Which are able to make you wise unto salvation. Can you read any of those other books that I mentioned this morning? and they'll help you get wise to salvation. Did you ever read how to get to heaven in one of those books? [00:22:36] Well, we all know that answer. That was just a sideline. I hadn't thought about that. But what we do want to notice this morning is what the book of God, the word of God can do. The word of God is revealed to mankind to make us wise, to help us to learn how to get back to God in heaven, to get back into harmony and fellowship with God after that great fall. [00:23:07] He goes on to say that all scripture is given by inspiration of God. Scripture is the writings, the books. Inspiration is that it came from God. It was God breathed. Now many good books have been written. Many good thoughts have been written. And they serve their purpose just like teaching does verbally. But not all those books qualify to be included among these 66. [00:23:41] There were many good books written back there in the Old Testament and in the New Testament times that aren't in this book. Does that mean then that our Bible is too thin this morning? Lord willing, we want to look at that yet just a little bit later. Unless we are settled on this fundamental that of the authority, the inerrancy, that is the fact that there is no mistake in this book, that it is authoritative, it means what it says, what it says is going to happen, will be so done, evaluated by God. [00:24:27] and the inspiration of this book. Unless we are convinced that this book comes from God, we won't make right choices in life. We can't make right choices in life because it is the revelation of God's will for us. We won't take its message seriously. Jesus said one time to the Jews, you do error. How did they error? He said, you're wrong in what you're saying. [00:25:00] You do err not knowing the Scriptures. You see, when we don't know the Scriptures, we err. But when we know the Scripture, we know how to live in a way that is not an error. That is not a mistake. That is not wrong. So, this book is given to us, not, it is given to us to study, to meditate, and to do. [00:25:34] It is not given to us to choose from. It is not given to us to reinterpret. It is not given to us to adjust to our preferences or likes and dislikes. It is given to us to do, to obey. It's the fundamental principle here. It is given to us to submit to. Fact is, we could say it like this. [00:26:09] Maybe we've used this illustration here before when some people over, I believe it was in England, Maybe in London, people would go past a certain clock shop and often in the morning when the people walked past the clock shop, they would get out their pocket watch and you'd see them fiddling with the watch and they'd go on their way. But the time came when a lot of people had the wrong time. What they found out was that the clock in the clock shop was wrong. [00:26:47] Now I don't know for sure what is this clock by which all of the world's time is established. Some scholars here this morning would probably know that. It's some median time. Anyhow, however that word is, you maybe want to look it up at home. There is a clock. There is a time that is always right. [00:27:19] And it is the time by which every clock and watch ought to be set. and not any other clock. Now, sometimes other clocks help us to at least get close. But if you want to get down to the millisecond, you have to go by that, is it greenish, median time, whatever it is. There is one standard. This book is the standard by which everything else must be set. [00:27:52] There are people that come around and they measure, they check the gas pumps and you know how it is today. When you pump gas, you come out with the, I don't know what it is, a tenth of a gallon, less than that. Very small fractions of the whole. How do you know that's correct? There are signs on those pumps, if you look at them, little stickers, that tell you that somebody came around and they had a basis by which that pump was regulated. [00:28:27] That basis was true. There are those things on truck scales and on other scales. There are little tags that says somebody comes around every so often and they have a standard that they put on there and that thing is accurate. and the scales are set by that standard. Here you have the standard. The Bible says that in the end, when men are going to be judged, come to the end of their life, what are we going to be judged by? [00:29:00] Are we going to be judged by public opinion? Are we going to be judged by the times, the changing times? Are we going to be judged by human opinion and by the counsels of men. These words Jesus said. And the Apostle Paul says, if you don't like the Pauline writings, if you think the Pauline writings are not equal to the Gospels, Paul says that we are going to be judged by his Gospel. [00:29:33] The reason Paul could say that is because he said, I have received of the Lord the things that I write unto you. you see they were inspired of God and so it is this book if something has the authority to qualify us or disqualify us at the end of life for our eternal destination then it's something to take notice of it is the God standard Galatians 1 beginning to read in verse 6 [00:30:10] Galatians 1 verse 6. Here is an interesting scripture. It's a significant scripture that could well fit our day very, very well. Galatians 1.6-9 says like this I marvel that you are so soon removed from him that called you unto the grace of Christ unto another gospel which is not another or at least it's not another gospel [00:30:43] or it's not another good news or it's not another standard but there be some that trouble you and would pervert the gospel of Christ But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, what does he say? He does not say, it is because you have become more enlightened. you know it's the enlightenment of the aged [00:31:13] it is interesting to notice young men and women growing up and to have gone through that experience we come to the place where it almost seems that for the first time we have discovered something new you know we're making progress we have come to an understanding of the things of God that's altogether new I come to find out lots of people knew it long ago It was new to us, but not a new revelation. [00:31:45] Now Joseph Smith was a man that felt like he had a new revelation. Remember the story of how this angel delivered to him the golden plates in some cave and he discovered and came out with Mormonism. Lots of good ideas. But friends, it is not a new gospel. It is a perverted gospel. The gospel of Jesus Christ is complete. It is closed. There is not another gospel. [00:32:19] We don't need to find another way to get to heaven. Because there is no other way. Jesus said, there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby ye must be saved. There is one man, Jesus Christ. And that can be said about other people that have had revelations and given them. Here Peter said, Paul said, pardon me, Peter said, but Peter said, If I later come and bring you another gospel, or if an angel from heaven give you a different gospel, [00:32:58] he did not say it is because of the enlightenment of the age, he said, Let him be accursed. It is wrong. It is a misgospel. Now, understand me if I say this. I want to say it correctly if I can. Let me say first what I am not saying. I am not going to say that we should not pray about things. And I'm not going to say that God cannot reveal to us His will for life [00:33:33] because we have many decisions to make that we don't always know what is the best. I had lots of those lately. I didn't know really what I should be doing. And so we do need to pray. But there is seemingly a miss. It feels like the wrong thing. When people's first response is, I must pray about it. I would at least ask the question this morning, should the first step be, I need to pray about it? [00:34:07] The other day I was in conversation with a man, and I asked him a question about some things in the scripture. And he said, he kind of closed his eyes, and he said, I need to pray about it. Was there anything wrong with that? At least, I think, of equal importance, and maybe even first, we would do well to say, I must need to see what the book says about it. There are many things today that are recorded, that give us principles and teaching, and we need to see how my situation fits this message from God. [00:34:50] Now, I'm not saying we should not pray about it. But the reason I've raised that question is so many people say, well, I prayed about it and God led me and now it's alright for me to do something different from what God said. That's not true. That's a perverted gospel. If there is a difference chronologically, the first question is, what does God's book say about it? [00:35:26] I don't know how people discern what God is telling them. When God tells them that certain things are alright if they're different from what His book says, what His word says. How do people, how do you, how do I discern what God is saying? I do definitely believe God still does show us his will but I've heard time and again God directed me, God told me [00:35:57] and people do certain things that pretty soon they do something different and God told them again I don't know if God told them to try this if it didn't work then to try that but it seems like maybe our perception of what God is saying is not always directed by what God has said, by his word. I hope I do not, or do I? [00:36:30] Maybe we should unsettle the settled and settle the unsettled. I hope at least that we're not destroying faith and the thought that God can reveal himself to us Give us direction in life. No, that's not the intent. But let us make sure that when God tells us that it is God. And one of those ways is that God always agrees with what he has said. Not how I feel. [00:37:02] It seems, the scary thing for me is that it seems like so many times we discern, we interpret what God tells us by how we feel about something. How often does God tell people to do the things that they'd like to do anyhow? Have you ever noticed that? I just prayed about it and God told me to go ahead and it was the things they were wanting to do, pushing, anxious to do. [00:37:35] Is that the way God speaks to us? First and foremost, God has spoken. The message is closed and if it's contrary to the message in this book, that's why we believe that 1 Corinthians 11 still stands regardless of what people say. when it speaks about God's headship order and the other scriptures as well. We've had great meetings over our land and in other lands to discuss the ordination of gay ministers and many such things. [00:38:14] And whole church bodies have at least in a majority sense agreed and they made changes. Now it's okay. It's not okay. Because it's contrary to this book. God's standard. Well, we had said that not all the good books are in this book. Just a summary of these 66 books. Why do we have these particular 66? The Old Testament, already in the time of Ezra, had pretty well ended up with the 39 books. [00:38:54] of the Old Testament. That is called the canon. Jesus verified a lot of those, approved of those. Did you ever notice how many times Jesus said, it is written, you err because you don't understand or you don't read. And he would quote the Old Testament scriptures. That was a confirmation that Jesus approved. Now he didn't pick out the 66 and name them all. But by the time of Ezra they had come to a common agreement. The New Testament was written in a period of a very relatively short time, about 40 years. [00:39:34] Let me just give you four things that they went by to choose these particular 27 that we have today in the New Testament. There were four principles that they went by. The first one was, well I shouldn't say this one thing yet. Not one of these books was ever added into this volume at the decision of one person, neither of one group of people, but it was rather a common consensus by a number of people from a number of groups from all kinds of settings that went by these four principles. [00:40:15] One is, in the New Testament, it needed to have been written by an apostle. Apostolicity, I think they call it, if I can say the word correctly. That was a criteria to be included in this book. It had to be written by one of the apostles. Now, I haven't followed through on that, but that's the criteria that I found. Another thing was, it depended on the nature of the contents. Was it something that had high spiritual character? [00:40:51] I think there was another one that I didn't find in the history. That one was that it had to be in harmony with the other scriptures. There are some books excluded like the Apocrypha books that weren't all included because there were things found in them that contradicted these things. so they were not included there was a unity there another thing was it was universal universality [00:41:23] it was accepted by the great majority of the Christian people not the exclusive few and the fourth one was there had to be agreement amongst the believers that this book that they were considering was inspired by God that it was a God-breathed book. There are many books today that have inspiration but not in the same sense. [00:41:54] The word apostle in the beginning was used to signify one. Remember what the disciples said when they chose one to replace Judas? One that did what? Walk with us from the beginning. He had to be one of those that was there to get the message direct. Paul said, the Lord spoke to him too, but I was as one born out of due time. God chose him to be the apostle to the Gentiles and God chose to reveal much of his will through Paul. [00:42:34] He could fulfill the role of an apostle from the standpoint that he was one, though he was not one of the twelve, but he was especially called one. Today we use the term apostle more loosely. We call it as a messenger. But this was a messenger that received directly from the Lord. But I trust that we can see that the word of God is fundamental. It must be revered, respected, not just the book, but the message which comes from God.