Corvallis Community Church
6-22-25
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  • Matthew 5:18

    Scripture Reading Psalm 19:7-14
    Change is a truth that everyone is familiar with. Heraclitus (huh-RAK-litus) The 6th C BC Gr philosopher from Ephesus has famously quipped “The only constant in life is change.” Now, he probably didn’t say that directly but he is the one who said “you cannot step into the same river twice.” Because of the moving waters, your 2nd step would be in different water. He was explaining his understanding that all things are in a state of flux, change.
    We understand this in the sense that life often seems to be in constant change. Seasons shift, nations rise and fall and relationships evolve. We especially see this in today’s fast-paced world. Technology changes (often overnight). Social norms change (as to what is appropriate/acceptable behavior in a society). Now much of this is under the direction of the temporary god of this world who loves it when the society moves farther away from those things that adhere to righteousness.
    It is only within the last decade that the whole pride movement has taken a stronghold in our midst—and it is accelerating at an alarming pace and the devil would desensitize society so it no longer sees that as perversion but appropriate and accepted behavior.
    Romans 1:18 NASB95
    18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
    The human heart wonders if there is something enduring beneath the surface of all this change. There’s a longing for something that is secure/that will last. It used to be thought that the heavens and the earth were the things that endure. You see incredible feats that have stood the test of time—symbols of that long-standing endurance: Great Wall of China (considered to be 1 of 7 wonders of the world; series of walls; most extensive dates to the ming dynasty of 14-17th C), Pyramids of Giza (the ones Josephus indicates were built by Israelites in their captivity 1500 years BC). The heavens have also seemingly stood the test of time. Constellations haven’t changed in the 6 millennia since their creation. Our solar system cycles with predictable regularity.
    These are symbols of endurance. And within the human heart there is this need for unchangeability and steadfastness in life. But it is fleeting. The earth quakes (groans together with all creation—awaiting redemption). There are natural disasters that wreak havoc on earth. The moon—which has long endured—its orbit is actually drifting from the earth about 1.5 inches/year. Imperceptible, but it is changing. Heraclitus understood that everything about this present creation is changing.
    Does the Bible seem relevant today? Not by the vast majority of people who think that a 2000 year old book is outdated, out of touch with today’s needs. Jesus, however, explains that the Bible will always be relevant b/c contrary to everything else it is permanent. Bible is the eternal, unchanging word of the eternal, unchanging God.
    The Bible affirms the permanence of God’s Word:
    Psalm 119:160 NASB95
    160 The sum of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous ordinances is everlasting.
    Psalm 119:89 NASB95
    89 Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven.
    “settled” is a term that means to be established, to remain standing in place in a lasting way. You see how the Word of the Lord is settled in heaven rather than upon the movable earth? This is saying that God has a permanent and perfect record of his inspired written revelation to man, and he keeps that record in heaven.
    Psalm 119:152 NASB95
    152 Of old I have known from Your testimonies That You have founded them forever.
    Isaiah, contrasting the fragile and temporary existence of grass and flowers:
    Isaiah 40:8 NASB95
    8 The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.
    Peter expresses:
    1 Peter 1:25 NASB95
    25 But the word of the Lord endures forever.” And this is the word which was preached to you.
    This is the perfect and sufficient word of the Lord that David upholds in Ps 19.
    Throughout His earthly ministry, Jesus repeatedly affirmed the historical accuracy and authenticity of the OT. Jesus confirms the standard of marriage that God established in the Garden to be the union of 1 man and 1 woman (Mt 19:4-5)—How’s that for relevance today? (People don’t like it—that’s why they criticize the Scriptures—b/c it confronts them right where they are). Jesus also affirms the account Abel’s murder (Lk 11:51), Noah and the global flood (Mt 24:37-39), Abraham and his faith (Jn 8:56), The destruction of Sodom & Gomorrah (Mt 10:15; 11:23-24), God’s provision of manna in the wilderness (Jn 6:31), the wilderness serpent (Jn 3:14), as well as many other OT individuals: David (Matt 22:43), Solomon (Matt 6:29; 12:42), Elijah (Luke 4:25–26), Elisha (Luke 4:27), Jonah (Matt 12:39–41), Moses (Matt 8:4)—and many others.
    Matthew 5:18 NASB95
    18 “For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.
    Jesus is holding forth the word of God as permanent—lasting and enduring. I want to give you 4 details of the permanence of Scripture that the Lord highlights in vs 18.

    1) The Declaration of Permanence

    “Truly I say to you” This is a very important saying of Jesus by which He is affirming not only the truth of what He is speaking but also the authority by which He speaks it. The word truly comes from the word that we use “amen”—generally as a response to what has been prayed. But the word means “let it be so” or “truly” and was used in OT to confirm the activities of God, or when He uttered the threats of judgment or curses, and when the community was praising God in doxology:
    1 Chronicles 16:36 NASB95
    36 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, From everlasting even to everlasting. Then all the people said, “Amen,” and praised the Lord.
    But whenever Jesus uses it He is stressing the truthfulness and authority in what He is saying. Interesting that no other teacher at that time would use it to affirm the absolute truth of his own words—but Jesus does. Matthew records Jesus using this term 31x. Mark quotes Jesus speaking it 13x, Luke 6x and John always uses the double affirmation “amen, amen” (truly, truly I say to you). This is a solemn oath on the part of Jesus and for the Hebrews, it is the way to say “Listen up! What I am saying is completely trustworthy b/c it is absolute truth.” One writer says this is Jesus’ own signature. You will sign your name on important documents “under penalty of perjury.” This is the declaration of Jesus that the Bible is permanent.
    When defending His claim to unity with the Father (John 10:30 “30 “I and the Father are one.””), He will say “the Scripture cannot be broken” (Jn 10:35). He is telling those who wanted to pick up stones to throw at Him that the OT Scripture could never be emptied of its force, it cannot be made void b/c it is God’s Word—as such it is permanently authoritative. Since Scripture is inspired by God, “breathed out” it is a true reflection of His nature.  If scripture makes mistakes, then God makes mistakes.
    Psalm 19:7 NASB95
    7 The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.
    You live your life under the enduring Word of God. You are under its divine authority. You are under its eternal permanence. You are under its unchanging relevance. Jesus is saying, “you’re accusing me as a law-breaker and nullifier of the Law, but the absolute truth is that God’s Word cannot be destroyed, dismantled, broken—no I’m here to fulfill it. You’ll see the heavens and the earth pass away before the Scriptures would loose its power.”
    So Jesus makes this declaration of Scripture’s permanence.

    2) The Duration of Permanence

    “until…” This phrase represents the end of time as we know. This is how future earthly history will come to an end. And its the duration of God’s Word which outlasts the universe—at some point it will no longer exist. This is described numerous times in the Bible:
    2 Peter 3:7 NASB95
    7 But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.
    2 Peter 3:10 NASB95
    10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.
    Psalm 102:25–26 NASB95
    25 “Of old You founded the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands. 26 “Even they will perish, but You endure; And all of them will wear out like a garment; Like clothing You will change them and they will be changed.
    Matthew 24:35 NASB95
    35 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.
    Heaven and earth are the most solid and enduring things that people experience. But even the humanist knows deep down that it will not exist forever. This is what drives the environmentalist to “save the planet.” This is what has so many politicians up in arms about climate change.
    Isaiah 51:6 NASB95
    6 “Lift up your eyes to the sky, Then look to the earth beneath; For the sky will vanish like smoke, And the earth will wear out like a garment And its inhabitants will die in like manner; But My salvation will be forever, And My righteousness will not wane.
    Under the curse, the earth cannot go on forever. It will wear out (just like your old clothes do). Now, when will this happen? (Opinions differ on this). According to biblical prophecy, it is my contention that it will be at least 1007 years from today. This takes into account the future 7-year Tribulation, as well as the 1000 year reign of Christ on the earth—during the majority of which Satan will be bound and released near the end to gather his troops for one more attempt at dethroning LJC (Rev 20).
    Now, the point Jesus is making is not that the Word endures as long as the heavens and the earth exist—as though the possibility of the Word passing away might come to pass at some distant point in the future. What Jesus is saying (and confirmed in other Scriptures)—the Law (representative of the entire OT) will endure while the heavens and the earth will not.
    Isaiah 40:8 NASB95
    8 The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.
    Matthew 24:35 NASB95
    35 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.
    Psalm 119:89 NASB95
    89 Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven.
    Psalm 119:160 NASB95
    160 The sum of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous ordinances is everlasting.
    These words, forever, everlasting, will not pass away—are absolute terms describing the eternal permanence of the Word of God. Now, we know that one of the Devil’s primary concerns is to attack the Bible—God’s Word. He denied the Scriptures with Eve, he distorted the Scriptures in his encounter with Jesus, He tried to physically destroy the scrolls thru king Jehoiakim who cut the scroll (the book Jeremiah dictated) and threw it into the fire b/c the king rejected the message of the word of the Lord. Satan was behind this relentless attack and today, he is active in creating doubt in the minds of anyone who reads/hears God’s Word. So how can we be sure that the word of God, revealed and inspired has come down to us today without having Satan’s fingerprints introducing error/corruption?
    The continued existence of Scripture (from the time it was written—over the course of 1500 years by 40 different authors) to the words you have in your hands today…the continued existence is divinely guaranteed and referred to when theologians speak of the “preservation of God’s Word.”
    Biblical Doctrine: A Systematic Summary of Bible Truth Definition of Preservation

    Preservation as a doctrine refers to the acts of God whereby he has preserved through the centuries the written record of his special revelation for his people

    Biblical Doctrine: A Systematic Summary of Bible Truth Definition of Preservation

    The Westminster Confession (AD 1646) describes the doctrine of preservation this way: “The Old Testament in Hebrew … and the New Testament in Greek …, being immediately inspired by God, and by his singular care and providence kept pure in all ages, are therefore authentical; so as in all controversies of religion, the Church is finally to appeal unto them” (1.8). In other words, God both inspired the writers during the composition of the text and has worked providentially through the centuries to preserve those writings. On this basis, these texts are authoritative and in their original languages can be appealed to as the final word on all matters of faith and practice.

    The Word of God that you read and study today has been preserved thru the ages by God’s providence, having been perfectly preserved in heaven and b/c of the diligent efforts of faithful saints, it is preserved on earth for us today. Jesus promised the faithful preservation of God’s Word and the result is that it always remains—nothing will pass (pass by so as to disappear or come to an end) from the Law.
    The 18th C French philosopher Voltaire was hostile toward the Xn faith—unleashed criticisms against Christ and the Bible specifically. John Butler notes:
    Jesus Christ: His Sermon on the Mount Endurance of the Word

    Voltaire set out to destroy Christianity and the Bible. In his boastful hatred of Christianity, he said it took 12 men to start Christianity, and that it would take only one (him) to stop it. Voltaire said that inside 100 years there would be no copies of the Bible left except copies in museums. However, when that 100 years had passed, the Word was thriving but Voltaire was not. At an auction, all Voltaire’s writings sold for the grand total of just two dollars while at the same auction a copy of the Bible sold for one million dollars. Voltaire’s house was later used by the Geneva Bible Society for storage of copies of the Bible. Jesus Christ was right; the Word of God will endure forever. It was Voltaire who was wrong.

    3) The Degree of Permanence

    “not the smallest letter or stroke…” Translations handle the 2 Gk words a bit differently. ESV “not an iota, not a dot”; NIV “not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen”; NKJ “one jot, one tittle.” There are 2 Gk words that Jesus uses to speak of the degree of the permanence of God’s Word. The 1st term is “iota” (which happens to be the smallest letter in the Gk alphabet). This is a Gk letter that generally corresponds with the letter “i” in Eng. Jesus is speaking to His Jewish audience and they would have been thinking about the Heb letter “yodh”—also the smallest letter in Heb. This is what they look like
    iota and yodh
    Jesus’ illustration is compelling. The Heb “yodh” (looks something like an apostrophe) appears about 66,420 times in the OT. The second word Jesus uses translates into “projection or hook” and would be related to what we call a “serif.” A serif is a tiny extension on a letter that would distinguish it from a similar letter. I have an example for you.
    Beth & Resh
    This is what distinguishes letters from one another. In the English lang it is the difference b/t a “C” and a “G” or an “O” and “Q”—just a little mark.
    Of the 66K plus yodhs or the countless little serifs—not “one” of them (and Jesus is very specific to include that number) will pass from the Law. This the absolute degree of the permanent validity of Scripture that is in the mind of Jesus. Luke’s account of this sermon he writes
    Luke 16:17 NASB95
    17 “But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the Law to fail.
    HCG Moule says it with great elegance:
    Exalting Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus Believed the Scriptures Were Perfect in Every Detail (Matthew 5:18)

    [Jesus] absolutely trusted the Bible; and though there are in it things inexplicable and intricate that have puzzled me so much, I am going, not in a blind sense, but reverently, to trust the Book because of Him.

    4) The Dynamic of Permanence

    “until all is accomplished”
    The Word of God will do exactly what God purposes it to do. It will carry out its task with power and perfection.
    Isaiah 55:11 NASB95
    11 So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.
    Until all is accomplished, of course this means all that is written in the book comes to fulfillment. As we gather here today, there are many things that have yet to be fulfilled and so even today, Scripture stands permanently true and relevant for the needs of the world today. As Satan works against the Lord and His Word, he will continue to entice people to buy into the lie that God’s Word is invalid, out-dated and worthless as to where society is going. That’s exactly what he wants the world to believe.
    But the HS tells us the Bible still saves and we don’t have need of being ashamed of the gospel.
    Romans 1:16 NASB95
    16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
    If the Bible is permanently relevant, it also authoritative—meaning that each of you are under the authority of God’s Word. That is the absolute authority for faith and life and to it we all have responsibility before the Lord. Let me close with your obligations to the Bible:
    Receive
    1 Thessalonians 2:13 NASB95
    13 For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.
    Pray—ask God for help in understanding His Word
    Psalm 119:18 NASB95
    18 Open my eyes, that I may behold Wonderful things from Your law.
    Feed (milk, bread, honey, meat)
    Job 23:12 NASB95
    12 “I have not departed from the command of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.
    Jeremiah 15:16 NASB95
    16 Your words were found and I ate them, And Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart; For I have been called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts.
    Obey
    John 14:15 NASB95
    15 “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
    Honor—after years of captivity the Jews who returned to the land honored God and His Word:
    Nehemiah 8:5–6 NASB95
    5 Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up. 6 Then Ezra blessed the Lord the great God. And all the people answered, “Amen, Amen!” while lifting up their hands; then they bowed low and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
    Study
    Ezra 7:10 NASB95
    10 For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the Lord and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel.
    Preach/Teach
    2 Timothy 4:2 NASB95
    2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.
    Compel—Apollos was a man who passionately preached LJC—not just to give out information but to convince those who heard to put their trust in LJC
    Acts 18:24–28 NASB95
    24 Now a Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by birth, an eloquent man, came to Ephesus; and he was mighty in the Scriptures. 25 This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he was speaking and teaching accurately the things concerning Jesus, being acquainted only with the baptism of John; 26 and he began to speak out boldly in the synagogue. But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. 27 And when he wanted to go across to Achaia, the brethren encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him; and when he had arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace, 28 for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, demonstrating by the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.
    Disciple—discipleship is the great calling of the church—to multiply followers of JC
    Tremble—God promise toward those who are serious about Him and take His Word seriously:
    Isaiah 66:2 NASB95
    2 “For My hand made all these things, Thus all these things came into being,” declares the Lord. “But to this one I will look, To him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word.
    Spurgeon (noted for his passion in preaching)
    “I cannot speak out my whole heart on this theme which is so dear to me, but I would stir you all up to be instant in season and out of season in telling out the gospel message, especially to repeat such a word as this: ‘God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.’ Whisper it in the ear of the sick, shout it in the corner of the streets, write it on your tablet, send it forth from the press, but everywhere let this be your great motive and warrant. You preach the gospel because the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.”

      • Romans 1:18NASB95

      • Psalm 119:160NASB95

      • Psalm 119:89NASB95

      • Psalm 119:152NASB95

      • Isaiah 40:8NASB95

      • 1 Peter 1:25NASB95

      • Matthew 5:18NASB95

      • 1 Chronicles 16:36NASB95

      • Psalm 19:7NASB95

      • 2 Peter 3:7NASB95

      • 2 Peter 3:10NASB95

      • Psalm 102:25–26NASB95

      • Matthew 24:35NASB95

      • Isaiah 51:6NASB95

      • Isaiah 40:8NASB95

      • Matthew 24:35NASB95

      • Psalm 119:89NASB95

      • Psalm 119:160NASB95

      • Luke 16:17NASB95

      • Isaiah 55:11NASB95

      • Romans 1:16NASB95

      • 1 Thessalonians 2:13NASB95

      • Psalm 119:18NASB95

      • Job 23:12NASB95

      • Jeremiah 15:16NASB95

      • John 14:15NASB95

      • Nehemiah 8:5–6NASB95

      • Ezra 7:10NASB95

      • 2 Timothy 4:2NASB95

      • Acts 18:24–28NASB95

      • Isaiah 66:2NASB95

  • Thine Is The Glory
Corvallis Community Church
ccc@corvalliscommunitychurch.org
406-961-3443
http://www.corvalliscommunitychurch.org
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