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So every Sunday morning, we're going to be going through this doctrinal statement and you know, I want your feedback. If you guys are in agreement or if you're in disagreement, let me know what you have to say and of course the doctrinal statement must be based on the Bible. Amen? Of course. And so it says there in 2 Timothy 3 verse 15, it says and that from a child that has known the Holy Scriptures, the title for the sermon this morning is the Holy Scriptures which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. Notice that the Scriptures are so important that it is through the Scriptures that you are made wise unto salvation. You cannot be saved without the Scriptures. You know, you cannot go to an individual and just paraphrase the salvation message and for someone to just believe in Jesus Christ. You must have the Scriptures. You must quote the Scriptures. This is the Word of God. This is the seed which is planted in the hearts of individuals which then adds faith. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. We must have the right Scriptures. And so if we're going to start with the statement of faith, the very first thing of course we must speak about are the Scriptures because we come to church to hear the Scriptures. We come to church to hear the Word of God. Let's continue there in verse number 16. It says all Scripture is given by inspiration of God. Do you believe that? Do you believe that every single word, every single sentence, every paragraph, chapter, book in this Bible is under the inspiration of God? This is not just the words of mere men. Okay? When you open this, these are God's words. This is God speaking to you. You say, I wish God would speak to me. He has and he continues to. This is a living book. God's words are powerful. He speaks to you as often as you want it to happen. Hey, if you leave this Bible on the shelf collecting dust, you can't complain that God does not speak to you. You must open the Scriptures. You must open God's word. It says, and it's profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. Isn't that why we come to church? To be reproved, to be corrected, to be given instructions in righteousness? If we come to church for these things, we must obviously be hearing from the word of God. Not the opinions and traditions of men which might be contrary to God's word, but we must be hearing from God's word. Let's continue there, verse number 17. Why is this necessary? That the man of God may be perfect, freely furnished unto all good works. What's going to make you perfect, freely furnished? You know, if you go and rent a house and they say this house is fully furnished, it's saying that it's just ready for you to just walk in and live in there. You don't have to add anything to it. It's all done for you. Hey, if that's the purpose of God's word, that you would be fully furnished, that you would have everything necessary for you to get through and to live through a life which is full of wickedness, which is full of a world which is seeking to deceive you, contrary to God's word, but we must have his word. So as I said, the title of the sermon this morning is the Holy Scriptures. And now I'm going to read to you what our doctrinal statement of faith is going to say about the Holy Scriptures. Now, I haven't reinvented the wheel. I want you to understand this. What I've done is I've gone back to my old churches, you know, all the churches that I've been part of, as far as independent fundamental Baptist churches goes, and I've looked at the doctrinal statements and I've taken what I liked, I mixed some of it together, I removed some portions that I felt were unnecessary, I maybe added a few words here and there, but primarily it's going to be similar to many of the other doctrinal statements that you see in other churches. Okay, but it's not just a copy and pasting. Okay, I've reviewed this and I agree wholeheartedly with what this teaches. So under the Holy Scriptures, part of our doctrinal statement, it's going to say these words. We believe that the Holy Bible was written by men, supernaturally inspired by God. That's what we just read, didn't we? Inspired by God. That it is truth without any admixture of error, and therefore is and shall remain preserved as the only complete and final revelation of the will of God to man. Okay, it's saying it's the only complete and final revelation. Please don't come up to me and say, I know you preach that, I know the Bible says that, pastor, but God spoke to me. The Holy Spirit told me this and that. No, no, no. The Word of God, the Holy Bible, is the complete and final revelation. This is everything that God has to say to us to live in this world, to live in this life. And then it has three points under this paragraph. Point number one, it says, by Holy Bible we mean that collection of 66 books from Genesis to Revelation, which as does not only contain and convey the Word of God, but is the very Word of God. Okay, it doesn't just contain God's Word, it is God's Word. Okay, that's number one. Number two, by inspiration, we mean that the books of the Bible were written by holy men of old as they were moved by the Holy Spirit in such a definite way that their writings were supernaturally and verbally inspired word for word and free from error. We exclude all other writings, past or future, to claim divine inspiration. So obviously I'm not going to be preaching from the Catholic apocrypha. Okay, we're not going to be preaching from the Book of Mormon. Okay? I'm not going to say to you, guys, you better read the Book of Enoch because they forgot to add that to the Bible. That is not God's Word. Okay, it's not God's Word. Alright, we have God's Word in our hands. Okay, we're not going to receive any of the books when it comes to the preaching behind this pulpit. And then point number three, it says, by preserved, we mean that the words of God have been preserved in the English language in the form of the authorized version, the King James Bible. The authorized version is therefore the Word of God without error and the only source of authority for preaching and ministry. You say, really, an English Bible without error? Yes. There's a reason why we preach from the King James Bible. You say, about past, maybe it's better to go back to the Greek and Hebrew. Look, if I knew Greek and Hebrew, I'd teach from the Greek and Hebrew. If you could all understand Greek and Hebrew, we'd read from the Greek and Hebrew. But we live in Australia, did you know that? We live in an English speaking country. I doubt there's any of you that know Greek and Hebrew. Enough to fully understand the reading and understand the preaching directly from that language. So we use English, because this is the country that God has put us in, an English speaking country. And not only do we have an English speaking country, but we have a perfect preserved Word of God in the English language, which is the King James Bible. That is the position of our church. That is the only Bible that we will teach from, okay, behind this pulpit. And it's the only Bible that I strongly recommend that you have in the house. I mean, I can't control your house, but, you know, if you need a King James Bible, come and tell me. In fact, just take one, okay? Just take one. They're on the shelf there, they're free of charge. Just go ahead and take one, if you need a King James Bible for yourself. But this is going to be the statement of faith. I hope, I think, I believe most of you, just by reading that, would already agree with what I've just read there, okay? But of course, you know, the purpose of this sermon is to reinforce these beliefs from God's Word. So if you can start with, let's turn to Luke, chapter 4, verse number 4. Turn to Luke, chapter 4, and verse number 4. So we're saying that the Holy Scriptures is the very Word of God. Okay? The very Word of God. We're not looking for the words of men this morning. We're seeking the Word of God. And the Bible says in Luke 4, 4, these are the words of Jesus. And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written that man shall not live by bread alone, look at this, but by every word of God. You know, some people don't believe we have the Word of God available to us. Or they believe this book is just the words of men. Jesus Christ said, in order for us to live a spiritual life, we must feed on every word of God, not by bread alone. Listen, we eat a meal every single day, pretty much. Well, that's how much you need to consume the Word of God. So it must be readily available. Jesus Christ expects that the Word of God is available to us. And of course, we know this as the Holy Bible. You know, if you can turn with me to Romans 15. Turn to Romans 15. Romans 15. And I'm going to read to you. Look, I've got a lot of scriptures. Okay, I got a lot of scriptures this morning. But you turn to Romans 15. I'll read to you from Proverbs, chapter 30, verse 5. Which reads, every word of God is pure. Brethren, if I read something to you from God's Word, and you think, ah, that shouldn't be read. That's a little bit offensive. They may have passed it. You shouldn't say that's a sin. Listen, every word of God is pure. Everything that gets taught from this Bible is pure teaching. Okay, you know, if you get uncomfortable, the Bible does not need to change. You need to change. You need to say, hey, these are the pure words of God, and I need to accept it as coming from God's Word. Okay, every word of God is pure. He is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Then it says these words in verse number six, Proverbs 36. Add thou not unto his words. Hey, don't add to God's words. Again, don't come to me and say, pastor, God told me in a vision or in a dream, X, Y, and Z, if it's not in God's Word, add not unto God's Word, the Bible says. Add not thou unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar. I'm sure you know several people that have come up to you. I had a word of God for you today. God has spoken to me and is contrary to God's Word. God says they are liars. They are liars. Every word of God is pure without corruption. We don't need man coming up to us. It's almost what God says. We have the words themselves. Telling us what God has to say. Romans chapter 15 verse four says, for what sort of things were written a fore time, look at this, were written for our learning that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. Notice the scriptures are to give us comfort. So when you get offended at the scriptures, the problem is with you because it's meant to give you comfort. Okay? It's meant to show you your sins. It's meant to show you your failings and go well thank you God for showing me, for speaking to me from your word because I feel comforted. I realize God that you care about me, that you want me to profit in life, you want me to do well in life and so God you're showing me my sins. Thank you for comforting me. That's the right approach when something slaps you in the face according to God's Word. I'm going to read to you from Hebrews 4 12. You guys know this passage. For the word of God is quick, again that's from that living. Okay? The word of God is quick or living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the divided asunder of soul and spirits and of the joints and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the hearts. Brethren this Bible, these words, they know your heart. It knows your mind. I don't know your heart. I don't know your mind. Okay? I mean I didn't know as far as what I know about myself and because we're made of the same flesh and blood, I know some elements of what you think about and what you struggle with because I would struggle with some of those things as well. Okay? But really I don't know much. I mean besides what you show me on the outward, what you speak to me on the outward, I don't know really what's taking place in your heart or in your mind but God's Word does because it's living. It's speaking to you. It's powerful. You know it's a two-edged sword as it were, cutting you know aside. You know it really digs deep into the heart and soul of man revealing what is true, revealing the problems and the defects and the struggles that you have in life. I'm going to turn to Romans 15. Turn with me to Acts chapter 20. Please turn with me to Acts chapter 20. I'll continue to read some other passages to you. You turn to Acts chapter 20. The Bible says in Psalm 119 verse 9, it says, wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? Young men, young children, teenagers, pay attention. How should you, what do you need to clean your way? How do you know that you're walking in a righteous path? How are you going to determine what is right and wrong? The Psalm continues. It says by taking heed, paying attention, listening, by taking heed thereto, according to thy word, according to God's Word, young people, church is not just for the adults. Church is not just for older people. Church is for you. God's Word is for you. You know, I hope your parents are reading the Bible to you, but at some point, you need to pick up the Bible yourself and read it. Okay, hey, learn. Hey, when you're in school, learn how to read, learn how to pronounce words. I struggle with pronunciation sometimes. Okay, learn grammar. I'm much more stronger at grammar than I am with pronouncing words. Learn these things. Say, why do I go to school and learn these things? I get bored learning about English. So you can better understand and read the King James Bible. That's why God's given you the perfect Word of God. And the more you understand the language, the structure of the English language, the better you understand God's Word as well. Okay, these things are beneficial to you, young people. It'll help you clean your way. It'll give you direction in life, the Word of God. John 17, 17 says, sanctify, these are the words of Jesus, sanctify them through thy word. Thy word is truth. You notice that we constantly in these passages, we see the thy word or God's Word. You know, if Jesus Christ himself speaks of these things, then God's Word must be available to us today. Where is it? Where is it? If you know where it is, put it in my hand. And I know you guys stay seated, but of course, you're going to pick up your Bibles and put this in my hand. Okay, this is God's Word. It's available to us today. Don't think it's just man's interpretation of God's Word. Don't think it just contains some of God's Word, but it also contains lies and confusion. No, this is God's Word. It must be available to us today, and it is. Even in 2022, even 2000 years after Christ, you know, even how many thousands of years after Moses, who was the first five books of the Bible were written by Moses. It's still available to us. It's still accessible to us. You know, this Bible has blessed thousands of generations, and it blesses us today. We must have God's Word available to us. If we don't have God's Word, brethren, then just church is canceled. Church is finished. I don't want to come up here and just give you my thoughts. It's not going to help you in life. It barely helps me in life. I need to go to God's Word myself and figure out what is true. Okay, I mean, look, if we don't have God's Word, forget church, go to the beach, go enjoy yourself. Okay, we must have God's Word available to us today. And this is the word by which is going to be preached in this church. Okay, now you're there in Acts chapter 20. So because we have God's Word available to us, this is the preacher's responsibility. It is most definitely the pastor's responsibility because the pastor is going to the majority of the preaching. Okay, but any preacher that gets behind the pulpit, or if you're a parent and you're teaching and instructing your children, hey, you're preaching as well. Okay, this is the instruction. In Acts chapter 20 verse 26, it says, these are the words of Paul. Wherefore I take you to record this day that I am pure from the blood of all men. Well, Paul, how are you pure from the blood of all men? It says, for I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. All the counsel of God. Brethren, if I want to be clear of your blood, okay, what does that mean? You know, if I shun, if I hide elements of God's Word and you go and commit some sin, you go and commit some wickedness, it's on me. God's going to hold me accountable as the preacher for the mistakes you make as a church. If I hide certain parts of the Bible, you say, pastor, I don't think that should be preached. Well, then you're going to make me guilty of your sins. If I don't preach that topic, okay? You see, it's the preacher's responsibility to teach the whole counsel, all the counsel. So we need it all. All 66 books of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation must be preached, okay? If I say to you, brethren, we're studying a new book, which is not your favorite book, let's say, don't be like, ah, I think I'll just skip church. You know, that's not my favorite book. You know, it's my responsibility to preach at all. And look, if I'm preaching at all and you just say, I'll skip that book, well, then I'm no longer guilty, okay? Your sins are upon yourselves, okay? And look, I have a clear conscience. You know, you guys know that we, I often preach chapter by chapter, verse by verse, okay? As best as I know how. And then some topical sermons from the, we're doing a topical sermon right now, okay? We cannot be ashamed of anything that is contained in God's word. Even if society says that's wrong, even if society says that's hate speech, it doesn't matter. You know, I'd rather be called a hate preacher than be guilty for your wickedness and sins. I want to have a clear conscience before God. We must preach what is true, okay? So all 66 books, all chapters, all verses, okay? As far as much as God allows the church to continue. Hey, it's going to take us at least 20 years to get through every verse, every chapter of this Bible, okay? And if God allows us another 20 years, I'll preach it all over again and we're still going to learn new things, okay, from God's word. You'll never get to the end of it, but it's my goal to not shun, not to hide anything, okay, to you from God's word. That is the preacher's, especially the pastor's responsibility. So is the Bible a special book? Of course it is, okay? And you know, the best selling book of all time should be no surprise. It's the Bible, by far. It can't even be, it's considered, who knows, six billion copies of the Bible distributed, you know, since it's been published, okay? That's just a guesstimate. No one knows, because how many Bibles get printed and distributed that you have no sale records? You've got nothing to show. You know, there are so many, it's the most popular book of all time. And if God's going to give human beings a book to read, wouldn't it be the most popular book of all time? Even in 2022, it's still the most popular book of all time. I looked this up and they said, well, did you know the Harry Potter series of books they say is the most, the series, I'm not talking about one book in particular, that it's the most popular, it's the most distributed or the most sold series of all time. But that's wrong, because this isn't just one book. This is a series of books. There's six books in here. Not only is it the best seller, but it's the best series of all time as well. Harry Potter doesn't even come close. I mean, this is God's word. Amen. It's available to us. I mean, if God was going to give the human race a word, it would be the best seller of all time. Okay. Because it's beyond, it's superior to the word of man, superior than all things. You know, the Bible, the 60 books, they'll compile together over about approximately 1,600 years from the time of Moses, that wrote the first five books of the Bible, to the apostles that wrote books of the New Testament, of course, after Christ, resurrected to heaven. You know, ascended to heaven, I should say. Okay. From that period, it's about 1,600 years. Think about that. This, it took 1,600 years to put this together in your hands. Okay. Let alone the translations that happen later on in other languages. It's got 40 different authors, 40 different confirmed authors, maybe more, that I may not be sure, but definitely 40 different authors. Think about that. Authors that are kings to fishermen, all kinds of trades, all kinds of experience, all different times. Could you put a Bible, could you put a book together today? Stretch it 1,000. Okay. It's going to take 1,600 years to put together. We get 40 different authors, all kinds of backgrounds, and it's all about God. It's all about salvation. It's about faith. It's about religion. Do you think there's going to be consistency if you were to do that today? Or anytime really? Why do I believe in the Bible? Why do I believe in the Bible? Well, number one, God has confirmed to my spirit that this is truth. Okay. But that's not going to satisfy everybody. The main reason I believe the Bible is because it is an impossible book. It is impossible to get 40 different authors, 1,600. Some of these people could speak to one another. Some did, some could not, obviously. Okay. And they write about God, and it's all perfect. There's no contradictions. No contradictions in God's word. Could you do that? You know, I've used this example before, but what's the date today? Today is the 16th of October. Now, there's about 40 of us here, potentially. I'm not sure. All right. Let's say we all decided to write one book that we're going to collect all together, all right, about the events of church this morning. Just one day. Just a few hours, actually. Who was in first? Who came in last? What hymns did we sing? What verses did the pastor use? Okay. You can't cheat and go back on YouTube. And okay. But we all just decided to write just a few pages each. Just one page each about the events of church service today, and then we'd compile it all together. Do you think there's going to be contradictions? Okay. Okay. Yeah, of course there would be. Okay. The only copy that would be correct is mine. Okay. And the rest of you are wrong. That's wrong. But you know, that's why the Bible is an impossible book. 1,600 years put together, 40 different authors, 40 different authors, all kinds of background, because it's not the word of man. It's the word of God. There's one voice speaking through all 60 books of the Bible. There's no contradictions. It's perfect. You know, you read Genesis and you read Revelation, and you'll find parallels. It's amazing in the book. It's an impossible book. This is the number one reason why I believe it's God's word, because it's impossible for man. It's only possible with God to have such a book. Now, please turn with me to 2 Timothy chapter, sorry, 2 Peter, 2 Peter chapter one. Turn with me to 2 Peter chapter one. We already read 2 Timothy chapter 3 16, which says that all scripture is given by inspiration of God. So we can see that God inspired man to pen these words. God did use men as instruments. Okay, praise God for that. It just teaches us that God can use us as well. God can use you for his work as well. Okay, but what we're going to look at here is how were the scriptures recorded? Well, we know by the inspiration of God, yes. But 2 Peter chapter one verse 16, 2 Peter chapter one verse 16, it says, for we have not followed cunningly devised fables. All right, I should not come here. Cunningly devised fables. Those stories that teach you things about life. I could not tell a story. I can't even tell jokes that well. I mean, you come and listen to me. Just burn this place down. It's going to be horrible. But we want to hear from God's word. Not cunningly devised fables. When we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. Peter was saying, look, we saw the power of Jesus. Peter, the apostle, right? One of the main apostles that we read about. He saw Jesus. He walked with Jesus. He saw the miracles. He saw the power of the Lord. Then he says in verse number 17, 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. We know the Father said that about the son. At what point he said it at the baptism, but he also said it at Christ's transfiguration, which has been referred to here in verse number 18. He says, and this voice which came from heaven, we heard when we were with him in the holy mount. Peter says, I heard the Father's voice. Could you imagine that? I heard the Father's voice. Say, this is my beloved son. You say, man, that would have been experience. I wish I was there. But brethren, you've got more than that. You've got all 66 books of the Bible. Peter did not even have all of that, because the Bible's still being put together as is writing his words. You've actually experienced more by reading this cover to cover than what Peter experienced at the transfiguration of Christ. Let's keep going there. It says, verse number 19, because even Peter then continues by saying this, we have also a more sure word of prophecy, even more sure than what I experienced. I have the word of prophecy. You know, people come up to you sometimes, right? Oh man, I've had this experience with God. You know, I'm sure you've all heard stories like this. You go door to the soul when you hear about everyone's experience with God. You know, I was looking at the sun, and there I saw Jesus right there in the midst of the sun. And I experienced experiences, and you know, it's all contrary to God's word. This is the more sure word. This is more correct than what anybody can recollect from their experiences. And look, Peter walked with Jesus. He saw the miracles. He saw the transfiguration. He heard the voice of God. He goes, but this is even more sure than that. Amazing. Verse number 19 again, we have also a more sure word of prophecy, where unto ye do well that ye 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 scripture is 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. Moved by the Holy Ghost. These rhymes is not the will of man. One of the most powerful kings that we read about is King David. And we know that many of the psalms were written by him. Hey, you know, he spoke to many prophets. Okay, King David. And yet the Bible records his adultery. You think if David had his will, that all Christians of all time would have forever recorded his sin in God's word, if it was the will of man, even though it was the most powerful man in the nation at that time. Okay. This is not the will of man. If this was written by man's will, it would show man in a positive, perfect light. Okay, no. It doesn't show that man is in a perfect light. It shows God's perfection. It shows that God is righteous. And it shows that man are sinners. That's why it's God's word to us, revealing to us what we really are with a sinful nature. This is God's word. And this is more sure than any religious experience that lies speak about, but even godly men like Peter, even their religious experience is subpar to the word of God. What a powerful word that we've been given. All of it, brethren. All of God's word available for man today to live our life. There's nothing missing that we need. Okay. The only thing missing is you're reading the Bible. That's what's missing. You say, I don't think the Bible covers my issue. Yes, it does. You just sort of read it again. Okay. Pray to God, ask him to reveal to you through his word what you need in life. Now, please turn with me to Jeremiah 36. Jeremiah 36. In the book of Jeremiah, we're going to see like how this takes place. How is it that men were moved by the Holy Ghost? How is it that men were inspired by God to write these words? Jeremiah 36, verse number four. Jeremiah 36, verse number four. And it's not complicated, brethren. It's not complicated. Jeremiah did not have to go to the highest mountain, Mount Everest or something. Okay. To hear from God. All right. It's quite simple. Okay. It says here in Jeremiah 36, verse four. Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Nariah. Look at this. And Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the Lord, which he had spoken unto him upon a roll of a book. That's it. Jeremiah spoke. Baruch wrote it down. So complicated. Look, he did not write down Jeremiah's words. It's the word of the Lord that he wrote down. Do you see that? That's it. That's how the Bible is put together. God will take a man, speak through him, and someone else will be there writing those things as he was spoken. God be utilizing more than one man. Okay. Be using at least two. At least two. And we even read about it in the New Testament when Paul says that others, like I think it's Silvanus from memory. I might be wrong. That penned some of the epistles. You know. Where he speaks about one epistle where he actually wrote it by his own hand. Okay. Because the vast majority, it's not. Others are there witnessing the word of God being preached and proclaimed, and they're pinning down these words. You know, God is using the one that he's speaking, and God is using the one that he's writing as well. Let's drop down to verse number 17. So Baruch ends up taking these words of God to the temple, starts preaching, actually just starts reading God's word from Jeremiah there. And the question gets asked in verse number 17. And they ask Baruch saying, tell us now, how didst thou write all these words at his mouth? Like people are so surprised. Like these are not just the words of man. How did you Baruch write these things? Verse number 18. Then Baruch answered them. He pronounced all these words unto me with his mouth, and I wrote them with ink in the book. Isn't that complicated? Like Baruch, how did you do this? Why are you spoken? I just wrote it down with ink in a book. You say, you know, pastor, is this maybe just the words of Jeremiah? Could it really be the words of the Lord that have been recorded? Well, as we continue in this chapter, the king, I think it's King Jehoiachim, I believe from memory, did not like the words of Jeremiah, because if you remember the story, you know, God is passing judgment upon Judah, you know, that they were going to be taken into captivity by the Babylonians. Babylonians are going to come in and destroy the entire place. So the king of Judah, of course, was not happy with this. And then he seeks to destroy the writings of Jeremiah. And it says here in Jeremiah 36 verse 22. Now the king sat in the winter house in the ninth month, and there was a fire on the hearth burning before him. And it came to pass that when Jehoiachim had read three or four leaves, that's of Jeremiah's book, he cut it with the penknife and cast it into the fire that was on the hearth until all the road was consumed in the fire that was on the hearth. So man, this king did not like God's word. I'm destroying this original manuscript. Say, Pastor Kevin, can you be sure this is still God's word? Where are the original manuscripts? All the original manuscripts are destroyed. They could not survive this long. Even if you had a copy of it, the moment you try to pick it up, it's gonna fall apart in your hands, okay? This is why we had scribes in the Bible. They would copy the Bible, okay? Copy the Bible over and over and over again. There are literally thousands upon thousands, I believe, over 9,000 copies of the Hebrew scriptures available to us. You know, those 9,000, they all agree one with another, okay? This is not just one copy being passed down. I mean, the king appears to have destroyed a portion of Jeremiah's book, but then what takes place? Look at verse number 27. Just in case you thought these are the words of man, Jeremiah 36 verse 27, it says, Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, after that the king had burned the roll, and the words which Baruch wrote at the mouth of Jeremiah, saying, these are the words of God, take thee again another roll, and write in it all the former words that were in the first roll, which Jehoiakim, the king of Judah, hath burned. Listen, you cannot destroy God's word. Even if you take the only manuscript and you burn it with fire, God will make sure it returns. It's God's business to preserve his word. We have copies upon copies, thousands upon thousands upon thousands of copies of manuscripts, and these were taken for us and translated into English into the King James Bible that we read today. I mean, Jehoiakim tried to destroy your Bible. God made sure it was still available for you to read today. You go and read it today. So we talked about how the scriptures were recorded. How did God use inspiration? And see that the word of God would come upon these prophets, they would speak, and another would write, okay? And when it was destroyed, God did not rely on the remembrance of Jeremiah and Baruch because it is not God's word, it is his word. God knows what he spoke, and he just makes sure another copy is made, okay? So an argument for original manuscripts is pointless. God does not care about the original manuscripts. He'll give you another copy if he has to. All right, can you please turn with me to 2 Peter 3? 2 Peter 3. Like I said, I've got a lot of verses, but I hope it's a blessing. 2 Peter 3 now. I've heard it said, I don't know if this is catching on. Sometimes things appear on the internet and all of a sudden everyone's saying these things. So I don't know if it's a fad, I don't know, okay? But I've heard it said for a few people that, well, the Old Testament writings, that is the word of God. Those are the scriptures, those are the holy scriptures, but not the New Testament writings. Have you heard that before? Okay. Usually people that don't like, especially Paul, they will turn around and say, well, that's not really, that's just his, that's Paul's interpretation of the scriptures or whatever. But we can't really hold it to the same level as what Moses wrote, for example, or what Jeremiah wrote, for example. Okay. And what's wonderful about this, we have this in 2 Peter 3 verse 15, and these are the words of Peter, Apostle Peter, who walked and talked with Christ for three years, that saw the transfiguration, that heard the voice of God the Father, that says that we have a more sure word of prophecy. He says these in, these words in 2 Peter 3 verse 15. He says, an account of the long suffering of our Lord is salvation, even as our beloved brother Paul, who wrote most of the New Testament books, all right, also according to the wisdom given unto him have written unto you. Look at verse number 16. As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable rest, look at this, as they do also the other scriptures unto their own destruction. So if the rhymes of Paul is being compared to the other scriptures, what does that make Paul's writings? The scriptures. Okay. You've got other scriptures and you've got the scriptures. You see, the New Testament is not some inferior product. God still moved men, okay, to say these words, men to pen these words. Please don't follow this fad. I don't know. I don't know if it really is catching wind or not. I don't know. But the New Testament, brethren, in fact, the New Testament sheds light. The New Testament is like a commentary. It helps us better understand the Old Testament. Okay. It is the word of God as well. God used men, you know, Peter, Paul, okay, John, to pen these words in the New Testament. So we know how it is to live in New Testament times under this new covenant. So the scriptures were recorded from us by God. It is given by inspiration of God. It is not the work of mere men. All right. Please turn with me to Psalm chapter 12. Turn with me to Psalm chapter 12. Not only do we have God's word, not only did God use men by inspiration to pen these words, but God promised us to preserve his word. To preserve. How many people have you heard say, well, the Bible's been translated so many times, been copied so many times, there must be inconsistencies. There must be mistakes by now. Well, there are mistakes. Those are your modern translations. Okay. Hey, this is why we hold to the King James Bible. I'll show you a bit later on. But I want to first prove to you that God promised us to preserve his words. Before we go to Psalm 12, I'll read to you quickly the words of Jesus. In Matthew 24, 35, Jesus Christ says, heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. It is easier for heaven and earth to pass than it is for God's words to pass. Even if heaven and earth were destroyed, God's word will not pass away. It will still exist in some form. Isaiah chapter 40 verse 8 says, the grass withereth, the flower fadeth, but the word of God shall stand forever, forever, the words of God. That tells me that when I go to heaven, I can still read God's word. In fact, I'm going to have a better preaching, Jesus Christ right there. Any passages that we kind of like, hey, what do you think about this brother? And we might have like free opinions on what that might mean. And we'll be like, hey, in heaven, let's just go ask Jesus. Let's go ask Jesus what he has to say about his word. How wonderful is that, right? To learn from God himself. But you're there in Psalm 12 verse 6. It says, and by the way, your modern versions, your NIV, New International Version, okay, the ESV, English Standard Version, and I'm pretty sure the vast majority of English translations have messed up these passages. They've really messed it up. You won't find what you're reading here in these other Bibles. But it says in Psalm 12 verse 6, the words of the Lord are pure words. We've seen that before. As silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. It's like taking silver and putting it under fire, under a furnace to clean any impurities, okay, but done like seven times again and again and again. You're like, man, by now, third time, surely it must be pure. But God, not again and again and again, seven times. God's word is so perfect. It is so pure. Then it says in verse number seven, thou shalt keep them, O Lord. Hey, who's going to keep the words of God? The Lord keeps it. It's his responsibility. Thou shalt keep them, O Lord. Thou shalt preserve them from this generation forever. Man cannot destroy God's word. Even if this word became so wicked and all the governments of this world tried to rip the Bibles out of your hands to destroy them, God's word will still exist. It cannot be taken away because God is the one that preserves it. It's God's business, okay? So, you know, any arguments that say, well, maybe when the prophets of old wrote down the Bible, it was perfect. But now, you know, I don't really believe that we can have a perfect Bible. Well, then you're saying that God cannot preserve his word, okay? You're saying that God did not keep his word. No, God has given us a preserved word of God for us today. And yes, I do believe you can, if you know Greek, go read the Greek New Testament if you're that fluent in it, okay? You know, if I ever go back to the Greek, you know how it passes through that, let's go back to the Greek. Look, if I ever do that, it's just to add further clarity of what is already written there in English. I'm not going to come to you in the Greek or the Hebrew and say, well, the translator's got that wrong. I can't even speak the language. How many pastors go back to the Greek and Hebrew and are like, well, the translator said this, but it would have been better rendered like this. I guarantee you those pastors can't even say a sentence in Hebrew. And they tried to correct this English Bible. It's ridiculous. It's ridiculous. You say, pastor, I understand that, you know, God would preserve his word in the original languages, the Greek, Aramaic, some passages, the Hebrew, of course. The Hebrew, of course. Not English, come on, English. It's like a modern language. Okay, why would God preserve, because here's the thing, how many people around this world speaks Greek and Hebrew and Aramaic? Do you think that if we just made an Aramaic perfect Bible translation, that it's going to reach the ends of the world? If God were to choose a language today to reach the world, and if you know about the end times, the gospel of the kingdom is going to go out throughout all nations, what language would God have to use to reach all nations? It's not Hebrew, I'll tell you that. It's not Aramaic and it's not Greek. There's only one language that can fit that bill, and it's the English language, okay? English, there's 1.5 billion people that can speak English in the world. 1.5 billion, okay? Now, when it comes to native speakers, there are more native speakers that speak Mandarin or Chinese, if you want to call it that, okay? But many of those that speak Mandarin can speak English as well. See, many of those that have a native language can speak English as well, because English is the international language. If you are going to trade between countries, it must be done in English. That is the international language. That is the language that reaches every nation on this earth. It is the language that is spoken by most people on the earth. 1.5 billion people can speak English. Not only that, English is the official language in 67 countries. 67 countries put down English as one of their official languages. That's where the vast majority of the population can speak English as well as the native tongue of that land, or just English like Australia. Okay, we only got one official language here. All right, now you compare that to Mandarin, okay, or Chinese, the Mandarin language is only official in five countries. Is God going to use Mandarin to reach the countries of this world, every nation, every tongue? No, he must use English. He must use English. And because of that, we've been given a special honor, the word of God preserved in the English language, and it's found in the King James Bible. Okay, it's found in the King James Bible. Now, we said that God's word is pure, is without error, it is preserved, and it must be available in the international language that's going to reach every nation on this earth. It would make sense that in 1611, God would move the heart of King James, okay, to have translators. I can't remember how many translators. Does anyone remember? Was it 70? Okay, I was gonna say 50. Plenty, plenty of translators, okay, that were rich in language. That some of these translators could speak seven, 10 languages each, and at the very beginning of also of the richness of the English language. In the very first steps of this language being put together, you know, structured together in a proper way, God used the King James Bible. You know, there are many phraseologies, many sayings that we use today that come from God's word, that come from the King James Bible. You know, have you ever heard the saying, a little birdie told me? That's from the Bible. That's from the King James Bible. There are many phrases that we use today that you don't even think about. Our language has been shaped by the King James Bible. It's amazing, okay. Now, please turn with me to 1 John 5.7. Turn with me to 1 John 5.7, the very famous passage on the Trinity. Very famous passage on the Trinity. Now, when it comes to, I look this up in 2021, the top five selling English Bibles are what? The top selling in 2021 was the NIV. The second was the King James Bible, okay. And then you have the ESV, I can't remember which order this is in, but the ESV, the NLT, the New Living Translation, and then the New King James Bible, which is not a King James Bible. They call it the New King James Bible to sell more copies. Now, say, well, that's interesting. Wouldn't God use the best selling Bible in 2022 to be used then? Shouldn't it be written from the NIV? That just only means it's the best selling book. Why is the King James Bible not the best selling book? Because it's not copyrighted, okay. In fact, there are more King James Bibles being distributed than the NIV. It's just not supposed to be the best selling book. It's just not sold as much as the NIV, okay. You know, the King James Bible is not copyrighted, all right. Now, if you look at your Bibles, you say, well, hold on, it says copyright there. What is copyrighted is the formatting, maybe the fonts, okay, the way the publisher put the words together, but the words themselves are not copyrighted. You can take the words, change the font to something that is freely distributed. You can make copies and give them out and you won't get in trouble with anybody, okay. In fact, I couldn't find this across the world, but even though the NIV is the best selling Bible today, in the United States, when it comes to professing Christians, 55%, 55% of Christians read from the King James Bible. Think about that, 55%. The second most read Bible in America was the NIV and doesn't even come close. It was like 18%. And then the rest of the percentage are all the other English versions that can possibly be purchased. You know, even the most read Bible is still the King James Bible by far, by far. There is something special about this book. Over 400 years old and it's still being read today. People say, oh, I can't be understood. We need to update the land. Have you had any difficulties understanding what I've preached today? When I go door to door soul winning, I'm quoting King James Bible scriptures to the person at the door. You know what I've never had someone say to me? Oh, I don't understand that language. Don't understand what's been read there. I've never had it say, these are non-Christians. These are people that don't even read the Bible. And I say to them, you know, hey, sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved and thy house. I've never had someone say to me, what? You're speaking to me in another language. Is that Russian? What language are you speaking? Hey, excuses that it cannot be understood is just laziness, just laziness. Learn some extra words. Okay, you don't understand that one word. Just pick up a dictionary. Okay, like you do any other time in your life and just figure out what that word means. It's not that complicated. Okay, but where are they in 1 John 5.7? Look at it in your King James Bible. I'm going to read to you from the New Living Translation, one of the top five selling books in English. So this is from the New Living Translation. These are the only times I'm teaching from these other Bible versions, okay? Okay, but New Living Translation, 1 John 5.7. So we have these three witnesses. That's it. That's it. What's missing? What does your King James Bible say? For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and these three are one. Hey, that passage teaches us a beautiful doctrine, the doctrine of the Trinity. The Father, the Word, which is Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost, the Holy Spirit. What does New Living Translation say? So we have these three witnesses. What witnesses? Okay, they removed it from God's Word. It's corrupted. It is not a preserved text, the New Living Translation. If you have a New Living Translation that you prefer to read from it, it's corrupt. It's not preserved. And if it's not preserved, brethren, then it has not been given to you by God, okay? Because God promised to keep and preserve His words from that generation forever. So what word are we going to use? It's not the New Living Translation. Please turn with me to Colossians chapter two. Colossians chapter two, verse number nine. Colossians chapter two, verse number nine. And again, just touch on the New Living Translation. For some reason, this Bible translation hates the Trinity, hates that doctrine. It says in Colossians two, nine, you read it there as I read to you from the New Living Translation, Colossians two, nine. It says, for in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. Is that what your version says? I'll read it to you again from the New Living Translation. For in Christ, think about what this is teaching. For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. This does not teach the Trinity. This teaches oneness theology. That in the body of Christ is the fullness of God. Who is God? We already saw. The Father, okay? The Son and the Holy Spirit. Hey, there is a doctrine that is contrary to the Trinitarian teaching that is called oneness or modalism. And they teach that Jesus is the Father, Jesus is the Son, and that Jesus is the Holy Spirit. This is wrong. Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Hey, Jesus Christ said not my will be done, but thy will be done. Jesus Christ has a Father. The God that we worship is a triune God. It is not Jesus all three. No, Jesus is one person of the triune nature of God. But we still believe in one God. We saw these three are one. What does the King James Bible say? It says for in Him, again in Christ, dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. What is Godhead? It's like an archaic way of saying godhood. It's kind of similar to fatherhood, motherhood. What is this teaching us? That Jesus Christ is not the Father or the Holy Spirit. It's saying that He has the fullness of the Godhead. He has Godhood. He is God. Jesus Christ is God. The Holy Spirit is God. The Father is God. This is teaching us that Jesus Christ was 100% man and also 100% God at the same time. But it is not teaching us that He is the Father or the Holy Spirit. Like the New Living Translation is trying to teach. So you see, if you have a corrupted Bible, it's going to affect your doctrine. It's going to affect your beliefs. In fact, the danger is that you might be led to believe in another Jesus. Another Jesus that does not save. Okay? All right, let's go to 2 Samuel, 2 Samuel 21. 2 Samuel 21, please. 2 Samuel 21, verse number 19. And I'm going to read to you from another popular English translation, the English Standard Version. Do you guys have an English Standard Version at home? Okay, so you can test this out for yourself if you've got a copy at home. English Standard Version, 2 Samuel 21, verse 19. In fact, you know what? Open there, but don't read it. Just listen to what I have to say. Even if you don't have a Bible in your hands, you're going to know this is wrong from the English Standard Version. You're going to know that this is not preserved. You're going to know that this is corrupted. It says in the English Standard Version. 2 Samuel 21, verse 19. And there was again war with the Philistines at Gob. And Elhanan, the son of Jerah Origam, the Bethlehemite, struck down Goliath the Gittite. Who struck down Goliath according to the English Standard Version? Elhanan. Listen, you go to an ungodly, unchurched world, and you ask them, hey, who was that person in the Bible that defeated Goliath? What are they going to say? Oh, David. David and Goliath. Everyone knows David and Goliath. Not the translators of the English Standard Version though. They all say Elhanan. It's corrupt. You know that's corrupt. So stop reading it if you've got a copy. Chuck it in the bin. It is not God's preserved word. So what does the King James Bible say? It says there in 2 Samuel 21, verse 19. And there was again a battle in Gob with the Philistines, where Elhanan, the son of Jerah Origam, a Bethlehemite, slew, not Goliath, slew the brother of Goliath, the Gittite. Now would that make sense? If David slew Goliath or Goliath had a brother, of course, this man went and slew the brother of Goliath. You see, the King James Bible is a perfect translation without error. It's 400 years old, over 400 years old, and no one can find a single error in this book. No contradictions in this book. One more passage, please. Please go with me. Actually, no, I've got so many more passages. I better hurry up. Go with me to 1 Corinthians, chapter 1, verse 18. 1 Corinthians, chapter 1, verse 18. I hope you guys forgive me if I go a little bit over time today. I'll have a shorter sermon this afternoon, all right? I shouldn't make that promise. All right, it's going to be a two-hour sermon in the afternoon. I won't make that promise either. All right, 1 Corinthians, chapter 1, verse 18. You guys read it from the King James Bible? I'll read it to you from the new, the new King James Version. All right, the new one. Maybe this one's good, picking up the new one, because, hey, the English is supposed to be updated. It's meant to be clearer, potentially. Well, I mean, I don't have really any problems with language being clearer. I'm really honest, I don't have a problem with that. But the new King James Bible that claims to do this, says in 1 Corinthians 1, 18, I'll read it to you while you look at the King James Bible. It says, for the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God. Reverend, are you being saved? Are you in the process of being saved? Or are you saved? Past tense. What does the King James Bible say? For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness, but unto us which are saved. It is the power of God. Reverend, salvation is the moment you believe and trust on Jesus Christ. His death, burial, and resurrection, plus nothing, minus nothing, you are saved. There is no process. Okay, it's not, oh man, I messed up the process, then I'm not saved. There is no process. The moment you trust Christ, you're born. You're born again into God's family. You're made a child of God. He can never have that removed from you. You see, the new King James Version, even though they try to update the text to be clearer, they destroy the gospel message. They corrupt the gospel message. So if you've got that in your library at home, throw it out. Unless you're keeping it to just learn about the contradictions, but if you're reading it, look, get rid of it. Just grab one of these King James Bibles, take it home. Okay, and no one will think you're stealing. Just go ahead and take one, all right, if you need it. One more, one more, actually one more book, the NIV, the most popular selling book, currently, sorry, translation of the Bible. Okay, let's have a look at the NIV. Can you please turn with me to Isaiah 14. Turn with me to Isaiah 14. And brethren, as I was a teenager, I had a NIV. I had a new international version, because the Christian school that I went to was NIV only, believe it or not. I once took, I don't know what other version I took to school once, and I got in trouble with the teachers for taking the wrong version. My Christian school was NIV only, believe it or not. But when I learned this truth that I'm about to show you, I threw it straight in the bin. I had some emotional attachments to that NIV, because I had it for so many years, okay. But one thing I found that I could never memorize scriptures from the NIV, just something I struggled with. I have no problem memorizing the King James Bible though. It's strange, okay, but you know, it's not strange. It's God's word, that's why, okay, it's God's word. But this really confused me, this really floored me. I just felt so disgusted, so defiled when I read this passage. Now before we read it, you should be in Isaiah 14. I'm going to quickly read to you from Revelation 22 16. Revelation 22 16, these are the words of Jesus. He says, I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David and the bright and morning star. Reverend, who is the morning star? Jesus himself said, I Jesus. Jesus, one of his titles is the morning star, okay. Hey, even the NIV will say that correctly, okay, in Revelation 22 16. But now read with me, Isaiah 14 verse 12, and I'm going to read it to you from the NIV. You look at it in the King James Bible. In the NIV, Isaiah 14 12, it says, how you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn. According to the NIV, who has fallen from heaven? The morning star. Who's the morning star? Jesus. According to the NIV, Jesus has fallen from heaven. It says you have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations. Christ made low the nations or did he save the nations? Verse number 13. You said in your heart, the morning star said in his heart, I will ascend to the heavens. I will raise my throne above the stars of God. I will sit and throw into the mount of assembly on the utmost heights of Mount Zapoth or Zapon. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds. I will make myself like the most high. Are these the words of Jesus? I will make myself like the most high. Or is Jesus the most high? You see, the NIV says that Jesus was kicked out of heaven because he tried to be like God. He is God. He is the creator of all things. In him, the fullness of the Godhead, bodily, he is fully God, Jesus Christ is. The corruption of the New International Version, the most popular selling English Bible, currently in 2022, and it's telling people that Jesus has been kicked out of heaven. Can you believe that? That Jesus is not God. He's trying to be like God. Of course, what does the King James Bible say? Without error, perfection. Isaiah 14, 12. How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer? Who's Lucifer? The devil. Son of the morning, how art thou cut down to the ground which didst weaken the nations? Of course, it's Lucifer that weakens the nations. I won't keep reading. But the NIV calls Jesus Lucifer. Look, if you read from the New International Version, throw it in the bin. How can you allow these people to tell you that Jesus Christ is Lucifer, has been kicked out of heaven, and is trying to be like God? Okay, are there contradictions in the Bible in the modern versions? In these versions, yes, there are. But God has promised us to preserve his word. The only English Bible that has proven this point over and over and over again for over 400 years is the King James Bible. I'm going to quickly read to you one final passage. I'll just read to you. I need to turn there. Revelation 22, 18. It says, for I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book. If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book. Brethren, we are not to add anything. We already saw this. We're not to add anything to God's word. This is it. It's complete. What a blessing. You can get through this Bible. Read it 15 minutes a day, and you'll read it cover to cover. You have all of God's word. You need to eat of this word every day. It's your daily bread. Okay, it's your daily bread. Please read. Appreciate the Bible that you have. It continues in verse number 19. And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy that we've seen from the NIV, that we've seen from the ESV, that we've seen from the New King James Bible, that we've seen from the New Living Translation. If any man shall take away from the words of this book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life and out of the holy city and from the things which are written in this book. Brethren, these editors, these translators that have corrupted God's word, their part has been taken out of the book of life. These people were never saved to begin with because you can never lose salvation, and they can never be saved because their part has been removed out of the book of life. This is the truth of God's word. This is not to be played around with. God has given us a preserved, thank the Lord, a perfect English translation. Not every language can say they've got a perfect word of God in their hands. And for those that say, well, pastor, I think you're worshiping the King James Bible or something along those lines. Okay, you give me God's word, show me. You know, I've had conversations with people that say, I don't think it's too prideful to say that you've got the perfect translation. Well, ask them questions like, do you believe God promised to preserve his word? Yes. Do you believe God's word is available today right now that we can read? They'll say yes. Put it in my hand. They can't. They cannot put it in their hand. I can put it in your hand. Here it is. The King James Bible, okay? In fact, if you want this copy, it's yours. Come and take it, okay? Come and take it. Get rid of those corruptions that you have at home, okay? And get yourself the word of God. The title for the sermon was The Holy Scriptures. The Holy Scriptures, okay? And as I said to you, every Sunday morning, we're gonna be going through the statement of faith, making a few little changes, teaching from it, reinforcing why do we stand on these doctrines, and these are doctrines that must be preached and never moved away from in the house of God. Let's pray.