The Bible : Word of God or Ideas of Man ?

Ever challenged someone with something the bible says and gotten and excuse that goes something like this “But it’s just the words of man” ? in the sermon attached John MacArthur helps us see from the bible that it is far more than the words of man, that the bible is most definitely the word of God, and the way a person responds to it will determine their eternal destiny. Below is a quote from the sermon, and the sermon can be listened to or downloaded below.

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.- 2 Timothy 3:16-17

The Old Testament is the revelation of God to show man what God is like, who God is, what God tolerates and does not tolerate, and how God desires holiness and punishes sin. The New Testament is God revealed by his Son, and in the culmination and the coming of his Son to establish His eternal Kingdom. But in either case, Old Testament, New Testament, God spoke. And what we have is indeed the word of God. This is not the word of man.

So, Men were not inspired, but scripture is. God breathed into them and they worte it down, word by word, what God breathed into them. It was more than dictation. They weren’t just listening to some voice and writing mechanically every word; it was flowing through their heart and their soul and their mind and their emotions and their experiences. But it came out every word the Word of God. As God breathed into them the message and they were carried along by the Holy Spirit, they said it and some of them wrote it down. Miraculous, inexplicable process that yields to us the word of God. – John MacArthur

 

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Can Young Men Serve God ? – JC Ryle Answers!

REMEMBER IT IS POSSIBLE TO BE A YOUNG MAN AND YET TO SERVE GOD. – John Charles Ryle

I fear the snares that Satan lays for you on this point. I fear that he will succeed in filling your minds with the vain notion, that to be a true Christian as a youth is impossible. I have seen many carried away by this delusion. I have heard it said, “You are requiring an impossibility in expecting so much Christianity from young people. Youth is no time for seriousness. Our desires are strong, and it was never intended that we should keep them under such strong Christian control, as you wish us to do. God meant for us to enjoy ourselves. There will be plenty of time for religion in the future.” And this kind of talk is only too much encouraged by the world. The world is only too ready to wink at youthful sins. The world appears to think it a matter of course that young men must “sow their wild oats.” The world seems to take it for granted that young people must be irreligious, and that it is not possible for them to follow Christ.

Young men, I will ask you this simple question–Where will you find anything of this in the Word of God? Where is the chapter or verse in the Bible which will support this talking and reasoning of the world? Doesn’t the Bible speak to old and young alike, without distinction? Is not sin–sin, whether committed at the age of twenty or fifty? Will it form the slightest excuse, in the day of judgment, to say, “I know I sinned, but I was young then?” Show your common sense, I beg of you, by giving up such vain excuses. You are responsible and accountable to God from the very moment that you know right and wrong.

I know very well that there are many difficulties in a man’s way. But there are always difficulties in the way of doing right. The path to heaven is always narrow, whether we be young or old. There are difficulties, but God will give you the grace to overcome them. God is no hard master. He will not, like Pharaoh, require you to make bricks without straw. He will make sure that the path He requires us to walk is never an impossible road. He never gave commands to man which He would not give man the power to perform.

There are difficulties, but many a young man has overcome them in the past, and so can you. Moses was a young man with passions like yourself; but see what is said of him in Scripture: “By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward” (Hebrews 11:24-26). Daniel was a young man when he began to serve God in Babylon. He was surrounded by temptations of every kind. He had few people with him, and many against him. Yet Daniel’s life was so blameless and consistent, that even his enemies could not find any fault in him, except “it has something to do with the law of his God” (Daniel 6:5). And these are not solitary cases. There is a cloud of witnesses whom I could name. Time would not allow me, if I were to tell you of young Isaac, young Joseph, young Joshua, young Samuel, young David, young Solomon, young Abijah, young Obadiah, young Josiah, young Timothy. These were not angels, but men, with natural hearts like your own. They too had obstacles to contend with, lusts to mortify, trials to endure, hard places to travel, like any of you. But young as they were, they all found it possible to serve God. Will they not all rise in judgment and condemn you, if you persist in saying it cannot be done?

Young men, try to serve God. Resist the devil when he whispers it is impossible. Try, and the Lord God of the promises will give you strength in the trying. He loves to meet those who struggle to come to Him, and He will meet you and give you the power that you feel you need. Be like the man whom Bunyan’s Pilgrim saw in the Interpreter’s house, go forward boldly, saying “Write down my name.” Those words of our Lord are true, though I often hear them repeated by heartless and unfeeling tongues: “Seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7).

Difficulties which seemed like mountains shall melt away like snow in spring. Obstacles which seemed like giants in the distance, will dwindle into nothing when you actually face them. The lion that blocks the way that you are traveling and causes you great fear, will prove to be chained and unable to harm you. If men believed the promises more, they would never be afraid of their assigned duties. But remember that little word I press upon you, and when Satan says, “You cannot be a Christian while you are young:” answer him, “Get behind me, Satan: by God’s help I will try.”

 

John Charles Ryle – Bishop of Liverpool – Ten from Thoughts for Young Men

Those Very Sins – John Owen

That even those very sins, that Satan paints, and puts new names and colours upon, cost the best blood, the noblest blood, the life-blood, the heart-blood of the Lord Jesus. That Christ should come from the eternal bosom of his Father to a region of sorrow and death; that God should be manifested in the flesh, the Creator made a creature; that he that was clothed with glory should be wrapped with rags of flesh; he that filled heaven and earth with his glory should be cradled in a manger; that the power of God should fly from weak man, the God of Isreal into Egypt’ that the God of the law  should be subject to the law, the God of circumcision circumcised, the God that made the heavens working at Joseph’s homely trade; that he that binds the devils in chains should be tempted; that he, whose is the world, and the fullness thereof, should hunger and thirst; that the God of strength should be weary, the Judge of all flesh condemned, the God of life put to death; that he that is one with the Father should cry out of misery “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me ? (Mt 27.46); that he that had the keys of hell and death at his girdle should be imprisoned to the sepulchre of another, having in his lifetime nowhere to lay his head, nor after death to lay his body; that, that head, before which the angels do cast down their crowns, should be crowned with thorns, and those eyes, purer than the sun, put out by the darkness of death; those ears, which hear nothing but hallelujahs of saints and angels, to hear the blasphemies of the multitude; that face, that was fairer than the sons of men, to be spit on by those beastly wretched Jews’ that mouth and tongue, that spoke never as man spoke, accused for blasphemy; those hands, that freely swayed the sceptre of heaven, nailed to the cross; those feet, ‘like unto fine brass’, nailed to the cross for man’s sins; each sense annoyed: his feeling or touching, with with a spear and nailed’ his smell, with stinking flavour, being crucified about Golgotha, the place of skulls; his taste, with vinegar and gall; his hearing, with reproaches, and sight of his mother and disciples bemoaning him; his soul, comfortless and forsaken; and all this for those very sins that Satan paints and puts fine colours upon! Oh hows should the consideration of this stir up the soul against it, and work the soul against it, and work the soul to fly from it, and to use all holy means whereby sin may be subdued and destroyed!

After julius Caesar was murdered, Antonius brought forth his coat, all bloody and cut, and laid it before the people. Saying, ‘Look, he you have the emperor’s coat thus bloody and torn’ : whereupon the people were presently in an uproar , and cried out to slay those murderers; and they took their tables and stools that were in the place and set them on fire, and ran to the homes of them that had slain Caesar, and burnt them. So that when we consider that sin hath slain our Lord Jesus, ah, how should it provoke our hearts to be revenged on sin, that hath murdered the Lord of glory, and hath done that mischief that all the devils in hell could never have done?

It was good counsel one have, ‘Never let go out of your minds the thoughts of a crucified Christ’; Let these be meat and drink unto you; let them be your sweetness and consolation. your honey and your desire, your reading and your meditation, your life, death, and resurrection.

Taken from “Precious Remedies Against Satans Devices” by John Owen