Our text this evening is like a flaming sword planted by God to guard the canon of Holy Scripture from profane hands. These are the word of our Lord Jesus Christ regarding his written Word – "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: And if any man shall take away from the words of this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and from the things which are written in this book."
When God had given the law by Moses, he gave strict command forbidding anyone to add a single word to it or take a single word from it (Deut. 4:2). And when he had given the final word of Old Testament prophecy, the Lord placed the same prohibition upon the words of the prophets (Mal. 4:4; cf. Deut. 4:10). And here as he concludes the volume of inspiration, in the most solemn manner possible, our Lord warns all men that none add anything to or take anything from the Holy Word of God. Any who dare to do so shall suffer all the terrible wrath of God forever in hell, without mercy.
The Person speaking in our text in the Lord Jesus Christ himself. In this text our Lord holds the volume of Holy Scripture before us, elevating it to the position of highest possible regard and esteem. It is written in the Psalms, "thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name" (138:2). The warnings given here indicate that God regards nothing more sacred than his Word and looks upon the contempt of his Word as the highest crime and most hideously evil thing in the world.
The Book which God has so highly magnified is The Inspired Word of God. Without question, there is a particular reference in our text to the Book of Revelation of Jesus Christ. This last Book of the Inspired Volume is of equal valve and authority as the other sixty-five. However, because this Book, by the arrangement of divine providence, closes the Sacred Volume, it is reasonable for us to assume that the warnings of this text extend to and include the entire Bible, from the opening Word "In" in Genesis to the final "Amen" in Revelation.
Proposition:The Bible is the Word of God, authoritative, perfect, and holy, a Book to be reverenced, believed, and obeyed.
Divisions:Our text reveals four things to us about the Word of God.
I. First, our text reveals The Divine Authority of The Scriptures.
I cannot stress the importance of what I am about to say enough. It may seem trite and insignificant to some. But this is one of the most profound statements you will ever hear, and one of the most important statements you will ever hear. This Book, The book you now hold open in your lap, is The Word of God! Its every word is inspired, infallible, and holy. It contains no errors, contradictions, or inaccurate statements. It was written by "holy men of God" who spoke "as they were moved by the Holy Ghost" (II Pet. 1:21).
A. This Book Is A Book With One Message.The message of this Book is redemption by the blood of Christ and salvation by his grace. The scarlet thread, which runs through every page of the Book and binds them all together, is the message of blood atonement by Jesus Christ, The Son of God - (Luke 24:27:44-47; John 1:45; 5:39; Acts 10:43; 13:29).
B. This Book Is Able To Make You Wise Unto Salvation – (II Tim. 3:15).
This Book, the Word of God raises and answers every question regarding life and death, eternal life and eternal death.
1. Where did life begin? (Gen. 1:1; 2:7).Everything that is needed for the temporal and eternal welfare of our souls is revealed in the Word of God.
1. The Bible tells us how spiritual life is imparted to the soul by divine regeneration, through the preaching of the gospel, and preserved and carried on to perfection by divine grace.
2. The Bible tells us how to behave in every relationship and circumstance of life – The path of life is plainly marked out for us in the Word of God…
3. And the Bible teaches us how to live in this world in patience, comfort, and hope (Rom. 15:4).
D. This Book Is Alone Is Authoritative In The Kingdom of God.
This Book is our only rule of faith and practice. We have no right to believe any doctrine that is not specifically taught in the Bible. And we have no right to reject any doctrine that is taught in the Bible. We have no right to practice any form of worship that is not specifically taught in the Bible. And we have no right to reject any form of worship that is taught in the Bible.
The first thing revealed in our text is the divine authority of the Scriptures. The Bible is the Word of God. Learn that, truly learn that, and everything else will fall into place.
II. Secondly, our text reveals The Perfection of The Scriptures.
That to which nothing can be added and from which nothing can be taken away is perfect and complete. And when John wrote, "Amen," at the end of verse 21, The Scriptures were perfect, complete, lacking nothing. It is this perfection to which Paul makes reference in I Corinthians 13:8-10. As the Revelation of God The Scriptures are perfect.
There are many things about God, which are, for the present, hidden from us. And these secret things belong to the Lord. But everything needful and useful for our souls is revealed in this Book, revealed fully, and revealed perfectly. There is nothing to be known about God in this world, which is not revealed in his written Word.
There is nothing lacking in the Word of God, nothing to be added to it, no additional visions, prophecies, or revelations are needed. Our text declares the perfection of the Scriptures as the revelation of God.
III. Thirdly, our text shows us The Sanctity Of The Scriptures.
Hear the warning of God regarding his Word. Any alteration of his Word is strictly forbidden, upon penalty of the most severe consequences. If any man adds to the inspired Writings, God shall add to that man al the plagues of eternal damnation. If any man takes away from the inspired Writings, God shall take away from that man all that he appears to have, all life, all grace, and all hope. The denunciations of God's wrath are never so full and comprehensive as they are in our text. God will not allow any man to suppress or add a single word! This is the sanctity of the Scriptures.
We must take the whole Word of God, just as it is given. To alter it in anyway is to court eternal damnation. This is the sanctity God has placed upon his Word. No man is to touch it!
IV. Fourthly, our text shows us The Reverence Due To The Scriptures.
This Book is the Word of God. Let us reverence it as The Word of God. It is to be…
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