America has had a long history with the Bible. One of the more enlightening examples from our nation’s past is Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), the principal author of the Declaration of Independence and the third President of the US. Jefferson regularly read the Bible. He revered Jesus as a reformer and moral example. Yet he did not see Jesus as His Savior. Nor did he believe that the miracles attributed to Jesus were more than pious exaggerations. As a result, Jefferson used scissors and razor to excise from his New Testament the corruptions that he believed its writers had placed upon the original teachings of Jesus. Because Jefferson’s God was a God of reason, not of irrationality, Jefferson removed from the gospels anything that appeared unreasonable. The sage of Monticello cut out the prophecies and miracle stories and focused instead on Jesus’ ethical teachings and parables. His edited version of the New Testament ends with the death of Jesus.
Against the backdrop of America’s history with the Bible, we continue a series of messages entitled Creed: 9 Essentials to the Christian Faith. We are exploring the beliefs that form the theological center of Christianity. Each of these beliefs are lynchpins to the Christian faith, so that if you were to remove one of them you would see the Christian faith crumble. Much like the spine serves as the center of the human anatomy, there are fundamental beliefs that serve the Christian faith as its strength. This morning as we celebrate our nation, I want devote our time to a story where the lines of Patriotism and God’s Word intersect. I want to direct your attention to third essential belief, “We Believe in the Bible.”
This series, Creed, is designed to identify the “bottom-line” of Christianity’s central concerns for both believers and non-believer’s alike. The reason for this series is that beliefs matter. Beliefs fundamentally alter the shape of our lives.
Last week, I asked: Why Do Your Beliefs Matter? And I gave quickly named four reasons why your beliefs matter.
1. Beliefs Matter to God (June 24)
2. Beliefs Matter to Your Church Family
3. Beliefs Matter to Your Family (June 17)
4. Beliefs Matter to You
Beliefs Matter to Your Church Family
Today’s Scripture
In the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the LORD: “Take a scroll and write on it all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel and Judah and all the nations, from the day I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah until today. 3 It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the disaster that I intend to do to them, so that every one may turn from his evil way, and that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.”
4 Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah, and Baruch wrote on a scroll at the dictation of Jeremiah all the words of the Lord that he had spoken to him. 5 And Jeremiah ordered Baruch, saying, “I am banned from going to the house of the Lord, 6 so you are to go, and on a day of fasting in the hearing of all the people in the Lord's house you shall read the words of the Lord from the scroll that you have written at my dictation. You shall read them also in the hearing of all the men of Judah who come out of their cities. 7 It may be that their plea for mercy will come before the Lord, and that every one will turn from his evil way, for great is the anger and wrath that the Lord has pronounced against this people.” 8 And Baruch the son of Neriah did all that Jeremiah the prophet ordered him about reading from the scroll the words of the Lord in the Lord's house.
9 In the fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, in the ninth month, all the people in Jerusalem and all the people who came from the cities of Judah to Jerusalem proclaimed a fast before the Lord. 10 Then, in the hearing of all the people, Baruch read the words of Jeremiah from the scroll, in the house of the Lord, in the chamber of Gemariah the son of Shaphan the secretary, which was in the upper court, at the entry of the New Gate of the Lord's house.
11 When Micaiah the son of Gemariah, son of Shaphan, heard all the words of the Lord from the scroll, 12 he went down to the king's house, into the secretary's chamber, and all the officials were sitting there: Elishama the secretary, Delaiah the son of Shemaiah, Elnathan the son of Achbor, Gemariah the son of Shaphan, Zedekiah the son of Hananiah, and all the officials. 13 And Micaiah told them all the words that he had heard, when Baruch read the scroll in the hearing of the people. 14 Then all the officials sent Jehudi the son of Nethaniah, son of Shelemiah, son of Cushi, to say to Baruch, “Take in your hand the scroll that you read in the hearing of the people, and come.” So Baruch the son of Neriah took the scroll in his hand and came to them. 15 And they said to him, “Sit down and read it.” So Baruch read it to them. 16 When they heard all the words, they turned one to another in fear. And they said to Baruch, “We must report all these words to the king.” 17 Then they asked Baruch, “Tell us, please, how did you write all these words? Was it at his dictation?” 18 Baruch answered them, “He dictated all these words to me, while I wrote them with ink on the scroll.” 19 Then the officials said to Baruch, “Go and hide, you and Jeremiah, and let no one know where you are.”
20 So they went into the court to the king, having put the scroll in the chamber of Elishama the secretary, and they reported all the words to the king. 21 Then the king sent Jehudi to get the scroll, and he took it from the chamber of Elishama the secretary. And Jehudi read it to the king and all the officials who stood beside the king. 22 It was the ninth month, and the king was sitting in the winter house, and there was a fire burning in the fire pot before him. 23 As Jehudi read three or four columns, the king would cut them off with a knife and throw them into the fire in the fire pot, until the entire scroll was consumed in the fire that was in the fire pot. 24 Yet neither the king nor any of his servants who heard all these words was afraid, nor did they tear their garments. 25 Even when Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah urged the king not to burn the scroll, he would not listen to them. 26 And the king commanded Jerahmeel the king's son and Seraiah the son of Azriel and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel to seize Baruch the secretary and Jeremiah the prophet, but the Lord hid them.
27 Now after the king had burned the scroll with the words that Baruch wrote at Jeremiah's dictation, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 28 “Take another scroll and write on it all the former words that were in the first scroll, which Jehoiakim the king of Judah has burned. 29 And concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah you shall say, ‘Thus says the Lord, You have burned this scroll, saying, “Why have you written in it that the king of Babylon will certainly come and destroy this land, and will cut off from it man and beast?” 30 Therefore thus says the Lord concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah: He shall have none to sit on the throne of David, and his dead body shall be cast out to the heat by day and the frost by night. 31 And I will punish him and his offspring and his servants for their iniquity. I will bring upon them and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem and upon the people of Judah all the disaster that I have pronounced against them, but they would not hear.’”
32 Then Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to Baruch the scribe, the son of Neriah, who wrote on it at the dictation of Jeremiah all the words of the scroll that Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire. And many similar words were added to them. (Jeremiah 36:1-32)
As with our third President, so it is in our day, so many people have obstacles believing in the truthfulness and accuracy of the Bible. As the lines of Patriotism and the Bible intersect, I want to explore an ancient story with you. It’s a story about writing, receiving, rejecting, and keeping the pages of the Bible accurately throughout all time. Is the Bible truly God’s Word?
The Story
Jeremiah is an Old Testament prophet who had been preaching for more than twenty years when we encounter him in Jeremiah 36. Jeremiah’s words are recorded when his nation is coming unglued. It’s the end of the road for his country and his book displays its violent end. The scene is set as a day of national crisis for the small nation of Judah. We can see this from verse nine where a fast is called for. The people are called to fast and pray for God’s protection of their small nation.
Judah had been under the protection of the bigger nation of Egypt until now. Now, Egypt had been defeated at the hands Nebuchadnezzar (of Babylon) at Carchemish. This sent shock waves through the small nation of Judah. The scroll is read in December of 604 BC. Jeremiah had instructed his assistant Baruch to write down for him all that God had spoken to Jeremiah (Jeremiah 36:2). And that is a critical point of the narrative you must keep in mind: these are God’s Words and not simply Jeremiah’s words. Jeremiah was prompted to action. Perhaps the people would be in more of a receptive mood with the presence of the Babylonian army in the region. The fast day was most likely well attended, as the nation was anxious over their impending doom. Jeremiah ordered Baruch to go to the Temple and read God’s Word to the people (Jeremiah 36:6). Jeremiah was banned from entering the Temple, as his message was not popular (Jeremiah 36:5). He was seen as a troublemaker by the nation’s authorities. He had spoken judgment upon the nation because they had rebelled against God. Baruch did just what Jeremiah asked of him and read God’s words in “the Lord’s house” (Jeremiah 36:10).
Among those listening to Baruch that day was man named Micaiah (Jeremiah 36:11). In introducing Micaiah to the readers, the Bible gives us both his father’s name and his grandfather’s name. It was Micaiah who told the king’s secretary about the contents of Jeremiah’s prophecy (Jeremiah 36:12). It catches the attention of all who are with the King’s secretary and they ask Baruch to bring the scroll to them so they can hear it in it’s entirety (Jeremiah 36:14-15). Before the king hears the contents of the scroll, a state official must first hear it. We would call these five officials who heard the words of Jeremiah the king’s cabinet in today’s terms. Jeremiah’s message delivered an impact upon these men as the text says they trembled before one another upon hearing it’s content (Jeremiah 36:16). They heard a message of God’s judgment upon the nation’s sin (Jeremiah 36:7). They felt the king must hear Jeremiah’s words but before they read the scroll to the king, they double-checked the scroll’s author (Jeremiah 36:17-18). Once they confirmed that Jeremiah dictated these words, they told Baruch to hide Jeremiah as well as himself as they anticipated the king’s violent reaction (Jeremiah 36:19).
Now, when the king finally listens to the words Jeremiah dictated, the scroll had been read three times (Jeremiah 36:10, 15, 20-21). He listens to the words in his winter apartment where a small fire was going in the middle of the room for warmth (Jeremiah 36:22). He detested Jeremiah’s words of judgment so much that he cut the scroll into pieces and place them in the fire (Jeremiah 36:23). Although the King’s cabinet encouraged him not to burn the scroll, the king destroyed the entirety of its content with no fear of repercussion (Jeremiah 36:24-26).
Having told the story, let’s entertain our question: Is the Bible truly God’s Word?
1. One Book with Two Natures
We have a Bible that purports to be the words of God Himself. “…knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:20-21).
Yet, the Bible is also a human document as it is written by numerous human authors. Our investigation of the Bible begins with the Bible. And today’s text shows just how the Bible is a product of God’s speech and human hands.
Let’s look again at Jeremiah’s words verses one through four: In the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Take a scroll and write on it all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel and Judah and all the nations, from the day I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah until today. 3 It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the disaster that I intend to do to them, so that every one may turn from his evil way, and that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin. 4 Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah, and Baruch wrote on a scroll at the dictation of Jeremiah all the words of the Lord that he had spoken to him” (Jeremiahs 36:1-4).
Verse four records that God first revealed His Word to the prophet Jeremiah. Next, Jeremiah remembered God’s Word. And finally, God’s Word was recorded. That’s important three-step process. First, the Holy Spirit (third Person of the Trinity) reveals the exact words that are later to be recorded. Second, Jeremiah remembers the words of God Third, the prophet’s assistant, Baruch, records the words of God.
This is one book with two natures: divine and human. Scripture has God as its author and He works to preserve His very words. When you read through the OT, you often see the words, “Thus says the Lord” as this appears hundreds of times. You see these very words, “Thus says the Lord,” in verses twenty-nine and thirty in today’s text. When we read these words, they claim to be God’s very own words. “Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
King Jehoiakim worked to ensure no one heard God’s Word ever again. His attempt to rid himself of God’s judgment was no more successful than you getting out of your car to remove a “bridge is out” sign. Removing the sign does not remove the danger. No sooner had the first edition of Jeremiah’s words had been reduced to ashes than the second edition went into production. When Jeremiah replaced the destroyed scroll, King Jehoiakim’s epitaph was written in advance: “Therefore thus says the Lord concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah: He shall have none to sit on the throne of David, and his dead body shall be cast out to the heat by day and the frost by night” (Jeremiah 36:30).
Many years later the Roman emperor Diocletian sought to burn all copies of the Bible in 303 AD. In the 1520s William Tyndale sought to translate the Scriptures into English, the common language of the people. Today, more than half of what is known as the King James Bible is the result of the work of William Tyndale. You might be surprised to note that he was executed for his work. He was strangled and then burned in 1536. His last words where, “God open the eyes of the king of England.”
Jefferson’s attempts to “restore” the New Testament was an attempt to remove the barnacles of corruption from the pages of the New Testament. Yet, He leaves Jesus Christ in the grave by rejecting Christ’s resurrection. By doing this, Jefferson makes the Savior just another teacher. It is significant that none of these attempts were successful.
“Last eve I passed a blacksmith’s door, and heard the vespers chime; then, looking in, I saw upon the floor old hammers, worn with beating years of time.”
“How many Anvils have you had,” says I, “to wear and batter all these hammers so?” “Just one,” said he, and then, with twinkling eye, “The Anvil wears the hammers out, you know.”
“And so, thought I, the Anvil of God’s word, for ages skeptic blows have beat upon; yet, though the noise of falling blows was heard, the Anvil is unharmed—the hammers gone.”
God has worked to preserve His Word down through the centuries. His words outlast His enemies. The Word of God may be despised but it will never be destroyed.
2. Scripture Stands Alone
Christianity begins with the Bible. In its pages, God has chosen to reveal Himself to us; otherwise we would know very little about Him. Another way to say this is that if God wasn’t a talking God when know next to nothing about Him. Had God chosen to remain silent, we would be adrift. If it were not for this talking God whose words have been recorded throughout history and have been given to us as Sacred Scripture, we would know so very little about Him.
It is Scripture that gives us our clarity. Any genuine knowledge we have of God depends on Him being a talking God who is willing to reveal Himself.
Is the Bible truly God’s Word? In the end, your answer to this question depends on the work of God in you. The ultimate conviction comes when the Holy Spirit speaks in and through the words of the Bible. It’s one thing for the Bible to say it is God’s Word. It is another thing to be convinced that those claims are true. The Holy Spirit gives us an inner assurance that these words are the words of God.
Adoniram Judson (1788-1850) learned to read at the age of three. He had a brilliant mind and a personality that attracted others to him. By the time he was a young man many considered him a free thinker. He knew all about the God of his father, the God of the Bible, and at the same time he knew nothing. A Christian home is one of the great blessings of life. Yet it is possible to grow up surrounded by truth without knowing Jesus Christ in a personal way. At some point, every young person must cross the threshold from their parent’s faith to their own. As a freshman at Brown University he began to question everything he had been taught growing up in a pastor’s home. Much of this skepticism was planted in his mind through the influence of a fellow student named Jacob Eames. Eames was an outspoken unbeliever. Adoniram and Jacob spent most of their time in pursuing pleasure. On his return home, he announced to his shocked parents his rejection of Christianity and left for New York to take up a career as a playwright. But success in New York proved to be elusive. Frustrated, he left New York one night silently and set out for his uncle’s home in Sheffield. Desiring to rest for the night, he stopped at an inn, and this, next door to a dying man. The agonizing cries and groans of this sick man wouldn’t allow him to sleep. A question arose in his heart: Is the man in the next room prepared for death? Then, was he himself? He was terrified. And he felt as one mocked at. What would his classmates at Brown say to these terrors of the night, who thought of him as bold in thought? What would Eames say – the clear-headed, intelligent, witty, skeptic Eames? He imagined Eames laugh and felt abashed. When he awoke in the morning, the terrors were no more. He ran downstairs to the innkeeper and asked for the bill. Then, casually, he asked whether the young man in the next room was better. “He is dead,” was the answer. Judson inquired if he knew the man who he was. “Oh yes,” replied the innkeeper, “Young man from the College in Providence. Name was Eames, Jacob Eames.” Judson would spend his life translating the pages of the Bible to the people of then Burma from the original languages of Hebrew and Greek.
I am placing my feet in cement and declaring the Bible to be alone and in a class by itself. I challenge you to read both this book (the Bible) hear THE Creator’s voice speaking in and through the pages of the Bible. I do not ask you to pray for a special whisper from God to decide if Jesus is real and ignore the Bible. Rather I ask you to look at the Jesus of the Bible. Look at Him here. Don’t close your eyes and hope for a word of confirmation. Keep your eyes open and fill them with the full portrait of Jesus provided in the Bible.
