“Absence!” - #2 “The Absence Of Scripture!”

“Absence!” - #2

“The Absence Of Scripture!”

Text: Deuteronomy 6:4-9

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (KJV)

⁴ Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord:

⁵ And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

⁶ And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:

⁷ And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

⁸ And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.

⁹ And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.

** I want us to look at important aspects of the Christian life and what it looks like and means when these things are absent! **

** If there was one thing that I could point to that is lacking amongst self -professing Christians it would be Scripture! The retention of it, the reading of it, the knowledge of it, the understanding of it! **

** Yet we are commanded to read it, study it, love it, cherish it, search it, and teach it! **

** The Bible is filled with warnings to not forsake it, commands to live by it, and promises to be encouraged by it! Yet, we don’t follow! **

** If you quizzed your children on biblical knowledge then secular knowledge, which one will they know more of? Which one do you know more of? **

** Scripture is what we base EVERYTHING off of! Our Epistemology(How we know what we know) as born-again Christians MUST be the scriptures! Not experience, feelings, dreams, visions, teachings, etc.! These ALL must be filtered through the word as well as life in it’s entirety yet we’re lacking because we fail to cherish the Word! **

Hosea 4:6-7 (KJV)

⁶ My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.

⁷ As they were increased, so they sinned against me: therefore will I change their glory into shame.

The King of Israel broke down when the high priest found the book of the law!

2 Kings 22:8-13 (KJV)

⁸ And Hilkiah the high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord. And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it.

⁹ And Shaphan the scribe came to the king, and brought the king word again, and said, Thy servants have gathered the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of them that do the work, that have the oversight of the house of the Lord.

¹⁰ And Shaphan the scribe shewed the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath delivered me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king.

¹¹ And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his clothes.

¹² And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Achbor the son of Michaiah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asahiah a servant of the king's, saying,

¹³ Go ye, enquire of the Lord for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that is found: for great is the wrath of the Lord that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according unto all that which is written concerning us.

** This is the correct response to God’s Holy Word! **

1)                   What It Creates -

a.)  Doubt

How can you believe what you do not know?

How can you trust what you don’t understand?

How can you trust a God that you don’t know who he really is?

b.) Heresy

Most heresy comes from the misquoting and misrepresenting of single verses of scripture!

Most Christians believe lies because they think they remember it in the Bible!

Lack of truth is the only environment that can breed lies and heresy!

c.)  Disobedience and Punishment

You can’t obey what you don’t know!

Ignorance isn’t an excuse!

Acts 17:30 (KJV)

³⁰ And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:

d.) Ignorance

Many people speak of that which they do not know!

You do not know what you believe until you have to defend it and you cannot defend it without scripture!

Many people falsely claim to know Christ yet in reality they know a Christ that doesn’t exist because they don’t know the scriptures which proclaim and illuminate the real divine Christ!

e.)  Legalism and Liberalism

The lack of scripture will ALWAYS make you unbalanced and faulty to one side or the other!

Lacking the inspiration or the continuity and harmony of scripture leads in these directions and you can’t know that without the full text!

f.)   Guarantee for failure!

Without scripture you will ultimately fail in being a true Christian!

You can’t even be saved without it! Romans 10! You can’t believe without knowing, the preacher can’t preach without knowing THE SCRIPTURES!

g.)  Prime opportunity for Satan to deceive!

Satan’s version of what God “said” is very persuasive! Ask Adam!

Satan cannot defeat the man who has hid the Word of God in his heart!

** The Word of God is the foundation upon which all things consist for Christ is the Word and he is also the creator by which all things consist! The absence of scripture is the absence of everything good! **

Psalm 119:105 King James Version (KJV)

¹⁰⁵ Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

2 Timothy 3:16 King James Version (KJV)

¹⁶ All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

Romans 15:4 King James Version (KJV)

⁴ For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

2 Timothy 2:15 King James Version (KJV)

¹⁵ Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Isaiah 55:11 King James Version (KJV)

¹¹ So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

Jeremiah 23:29 King James Version (KJV)

²⁹ Is not my word like as a fire? saith the Lord; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?

Matthew 24:35 King James Version (KJV)

³⁵ Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

Hebrews 4:12 King James Version (KJV)

¹² For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Psalm 19:7-11 King James Version (KJV)

⁷ The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.

⁸ The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.

⁹ The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.

¹⁰ More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

¹¹ Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.

Matthew 22:29 King James Version (KJV)

²⁹ Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.

** Can we see the worth, the necessity, the infinite need for the presence of scripture in our hearts, minds, and lives? **

2.) What It Proves -

a.)  Our allegiance to Christ!

If you love me keep my commandments! Where are the commandments?

We can’t love whom we don’t know! If Christ is the Word and we say we love Him then logically we MUST love and know the Word! Otherwise we’re lying to ourselves!

b.) Our lack of understanding its purpose, power, and preeminence in the life of one who says they are a follower of it!

It’s purpose is to unveil the Christ, to show the perfect imprint of God himself to the believer! It’s purpose is to justify and sanctify us, warn us, encourage us, reprove us, rebuke us, exhort us, unify us, SAVE US!

It’s power is infinite! Tearing down strongholds, divisions, doubts, fears, schisms, sins, and principalities of this world! It’s the only source of knowledge for the believer and knowledge is power!

It’s preeminent! First, foremost, foundational, complete, replete, sufficient, efficient, inerrant, infallible, inspired, and the perfect representation of God in His revelation unto man!

c.)  We aren’t really serious about knowing God and the depths of His grace!

Your commitment to reading, learning, studying, and memorizing scripture is a direct outworking of your commitment, love, and thankfulness unto God the Father and our Lord and savior Jesus Christ!

When you became serious about your spouse you learned them! You cherished them! You chased them! Yet, we profess but never possess!

His love letter to you sits on a shelf and never enters the heart of his beloved! What a travesty!

In Closing:

We know nothing without the revelation of our God through scripture!

Our zeal for the Word is directly related to our love and thankfulness towards Christ!

Without it, we die spiritually and eternally!

Matthew 4:4 King James Version (KJV)

⁴ But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.