THESE ARE WRITTEN
John 20:30 And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: 31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.
John 21:25 And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.
What a marvelous thing it is to have this written record from the Lord God which we call our Bible! And it is wonderful to read in these verses that God Almighty has personally selected that which he determined to be the content. For in doing so he had our salvation in mind, with regard to our belief that Jesus of Nazareth is the long prophesied Messiah, and that as Messiah he is God, the Eternal Son!
He is the child that was born, and the son which was given! Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. For as man, he was a child born of woman. But as the Eternal Son of God, he was the Son which was given!
And the entirety of the Scriptures are but testimonies of him and his glory! Every writer; whether Moses, or all of the prophets, or David, Solomon, or Asaph, all wrote concerning Him! John 5:39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. Christ is the Living Word who is revealed here in this written word! John 1:1 ¶ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
Luke 24:44 And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. 45 Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, 46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And one’s understanding of things spiritual is only opened when they come to see that the Scriptures are exclusively for the revelation of Christ to the soul, and not for the inventing of religion!
Seeing this, and being influenced therein is the only way to “rightly divide the word of truth!” 2 Timothy 2:15 Study (or, endeavor) to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. Philip is our example of interpreting the scriptures as he preached Jesus to the eunuch from Isaiah 53! Acts 8:34 And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man? 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.
There is no other name given! Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. Christ Jesus is THE ONLY Worthy One among the entirety of mankind! Revelation 5:1 ¶ And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? 3 And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. 4 And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. 5 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.
Revelation 5:6 ¶ And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. 11 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; 12 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.
There was found no worthy man in heaven! But Enoch, who walked right on into the presence of eternity with God, and Moses, who walked with God face to face, and David, the man after God’s own heart, and holy Daniel, and suffering Job were there in heaven! But their worthiness was not of their own origin! Theirs was an imputed righteousness!
There was found no man worthy in earth! But John, the disciple whom Jesus loved was there on earth. He was chosen to be the only human capable of replacing Jesus as a son to his mother, Mary! Saul of Tarsus, soon to be Paul, the Apostle, who wrote 2/3 of the New Testament, and would even be allowed to come up for a visit into the third heaven was there on earth. But again, their worthiness was not an intrinsic worthiness! It was not a worthiness which they possessed, or originated of themselves!
Jesus Christ, the Holy Lamb of God is THE ONLY Worthy One! For he alone is perfectly holy man and God! Philippians 2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
And that is why these scriptures were selected by God. They are not there to satisfy man’s curiosity. They are not there to build religious programs, or orders! They are not there to be a handbook for morality! They are there solely to reveal the glory of Jesus Christ! To approach them in any other way, is to bring eternal harm to one’s soul! 2 Peter 3:16 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 wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction. Palms 56:5 Every day they wrest (that is, twist them out of shape), my words: all their thoughts are against me for evil.
And it is a most dangerous thing to alter the words of this book! Revelation 22:18 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: 19 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 out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. They are spiritually inspired. They must be spiritually interpreted!
All writings, as one has stated, are but ‘written language.’ And Brother John Calvin stated that the writings of the scriptures are there “to edify faith.” And the law was first ‘written’ on stone by “the finger of God.” Exodus 31:18 And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.
And we see that same God, with that same writing implement, again writing the law to condemn false accusers, while bringing a sinner to repentance. John 8:6 This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. 7 So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. 8 And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. 9 And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 10 When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? 11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
And the Apostle Paul informs us that the Holy Spirit is still writing! 2 Corinthians 3:2 Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men: 3 Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart. Therefore we have record that all of the Trinity wrote at one time or other. God wrote on the stone. Christ Jesus wrote in the sand. And the Holy Spirit writes in our hearts!
It was also the wise purpose of God to commit his word into writing in order for preservation of his revelation. Isaiah 30:8 Now go, write it before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever: And at one time the Lord had it committed into a song for the peoples of Israel to learn, in order to preserve its content. Deuteronomy 31:19 Now therefore write ye this song for you, and teach it the children of Israel: put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the children of Israel. 20 For when I shall have brought them into the land which I sware unto their fathers, that floweth with milk and honey; and they shall have eaten and filled themselves, and waxen fat; then will they turn unto other gods, and serve them, and provoke me, and break my covenant. 21 And it shall come to pass, when many evils and troubles are befallen them, that this song shall testify against them as a witness; for it shall not be forgotten out of the mouths of their seed: for I know their imagination which they go about, even now, before I have brought them into the land which I sware. 22 ¶ Moses therefore wrote this song the same day, and taught it the children of Israel.
But isn’t that the purpose of the entire Book of Psalms? It is but the hymnal of the true believing church! Isaiah 23:16 Take an harp, go about the city, thou harlot that hast been forgotten; make sweet melody, sing many songs, that thou mayest be remembered. 51:3 For the LORD shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.
Ephesians 5:19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; 20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
And was it not the determination of the council of Jerusalem, as recorded in the fifteenth chapter of the Book of Acts, that the Gentile churches be contacted for instruction in righteousness by the writing of a letter? Acts 15:19 Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God: 20 But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood. 21 For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day.
Acts 15:22 ¶ Then pleased it the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas; namely, Judas surnamed Barsabas, and Silas, chief men among the brethren: 23 And they wrote letters by them after this manner; The apostles and elders and brethren send greeting unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia:
The Apostle Peter informs us, as he wrote his second epistle, that the apostles received their gospel by the Holy Spirit based on the prophet’s writings. 2 Peter 1:19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto 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: 20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 21 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.
And that is the instruction which the Lord gave unto the Apostle John as he was banished to the Isle of Patmos. Revelation 1:11 Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.
But then you have to asked yourself just how did the writings of ancient Moses, on whatever ‘parchments’ upon which he wrote, and just how did the letters and writings of the ancient prophets, and just how did the pages of writings of the Apostle John on that rocky island get preserved for us to have our ‘bibles’ in our hands today? Patmos had no postal service, as we know it. It had no zip code! Why did those delicate pages not get destroyed by the elements down through the centuries? There is only one explanation! They were preserved by the sovereign God that ye might believe!
Pastor Gene Breed
January 4, 2019
