1. Thy Word is Truth Knowing God Chapter 11 JI Packer

2. Introduction No chapter stands alone
Each overlaps and builds our knowledge of God
Review of chapters
Introduction:
Let's examine from afar, the structure Packer is building. No chapter stands alone. Each is a part of the whole and each overlaps the others and builds out the relationship between us and our God in a new and fuller way. Read the chapter titles. The last two chapters studied on Wisdom are perhaps the two most practical chapters yet presented in the book so far. Ray Finefrock did a marvelous job in his presentations.

3. Two Most Practical Chapters
Chapter 9 God Only Wise
“Omniscience governing omnipotence”
Our wisdom
Misconception of God’s goal for us
His ultimate and immediate goals
The chapter this morning, Thy Word is Truth, continues our understanding of God, and purpose of securing our trust in Him, by our need to practice and apply in our lives what God reveals to us in His word.
Let's review just a few of the most practical truths covered by Packer and Ray in the last two weeks before beginning chapter 11.
Chapter 9 God only Wise.
First: What does this mean to you: "Omniscience governing omnipotence." Infinite power ruled by infinite knowledge. That's God's wisdom. That is why God is worthy of our fullest trust.
Second: If that is God's wisdom, how would you describe our wisdom? The power or gift to see and the inclination to choose the best and highest good, having the means to attain it.
Third: What is the common misconception concerning God's goal for humankind? God is love. His goal is a trouble free life for all. To keep a fallen world happy is not His goal.
Fifth: What are His ultimate and immediate goals for humanity? Bring Him glory and enjoy Him forever. Salvation through the Gospel by the spreading of His word through the world to bring into relationship of faith, hope and love. Deliverance from sin and power to resist evil.

4. Two Most Practical Chapters (continued)
Chapter 10 - God’s Wisdom & Ours:
Two steps to lay hold of gift of wisdom
The lesson of Ecclesiastes
Chapter 10: m God's Wisdom and Ours
What are the two steps a person must take, to lay hold of the gift of wisdom?
1. Reverence God. Beginning of wisdom is the fear of God. Need to be humble and teachable, acknowledging our own littleness, distrusting our own thoughts. Willing to have our minds turned upside down.
2. Receive God's Word. The only wise people are those who apply His word to their living ways. Jesus said, "Behold my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of God, he is My bother and sister and mother."
How can the admonition of Ecclesiastes help Christians today? See the world as it really is. Don't be shocked, offended, depressed, despondent by unforeseen difficult and even tragic events occurring in our lives. See life as it is, not as you would like it to be. Life is not fair. Bad things happen to good people. Wickedness often seems to triumph over godliness.
Without God, everything in life is vanity. P Then something very painfull and very inexplicable comes along.

5. Thy Word is Truth Two Themes Assumed in Each Verse
1. God’s Sovereignty
2. God’s Word
Two themes assumed in every verse of Scripture:
1. God's Sovereignty: He rules and works His will into all that happens. It is He, not earthly rulers that control the universe, ordering all its affairs.
P. 85 (Majesty of God) "And it is not only at isolated moments that God takes control of events: all history is under his sway." P. 87 Isa. 40:22 "The World dwarfs us all, but God dwarfs the world." 40:23 "He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing."
2. God's Word: The utterance of His word that express His will in order to cause it to be done. Study of this theme advances our understanding of God's sovereignty.

6. God Uses His Word in Similar Way God: Creator, King, Lawgiver
About Absolute Rulers
1. Written code of law
2. Public speeches
God Uses His Word in Similar Way
God: Creator, King, Lawgiver
yet, desiring our friendship
We: His creatures, His subjects
About Absolute Rulers:
Publish a written code of law to establish courts, taxes and acceptable behavior within the kingdom. But he will also deliver public speeches for a different reason. He wants to establish a personal link with the people so that there will be support and cooperation with the laws he has established.
God uses His Word in a similar way: It establishes God as creator and King and we, His creatures are His subjects. His Word reveal God in the light of absolute power, ordering by His word, the creation of the visible created World, laying down Laws to be obeyed with penalties for disobedience and promises of reward for obedience. In this light, God seems unapproachable..fearfully above us in absolute power and might.
But His Word also reveals Him in a light of One desiring our friendship and One desiring our good, wanting our lives to be successful and willing to walk with us to insure the blessings He desires for us will be accomplished. So in this light, God engages our minds and our hearts in a union of friendship.

7. But for this relationship to exist … Must be knowledge of one another
He knows all about us
We know of Him only what He reveals
Deut. 29:29
The Royal Torah = the Law in OT
Has a 3-fold character:
1. Law commands and prohibitions
2. Promise: conditional, unconditional
3. Testimony: information
But in order for this relationship can exist: There must be knowledge of one another.
God knows all about us Ps. 139:1-4. But we can know little of Him unless He tells us. His Word to us is both informational and invitational. The invitation is to "woo" us, and the information is to instruct us. We therefore are called into personal communion with the loving Lord Himself.
The royal Torah in the OT is referred to as simply LAW. But it has a 3-fold Character.
God’s law was first of all a series of commands to do. Be fruitful and multiply. Take care of this garden. Name the animals. Take charge over them. And Prohibitions: Don’t eat of the tree of the knowledge of Good and evil. Do’s and don’ts.
2nd. It included God’s promises. If you obey my commands, life is good. You’ll have my blessing. If you don’t, life will get complicated and you will suffer.
3rd. His Torah included information about Him and us. Ex. 34:6.7

8. Act 1 Spoken Word Brought Forth
The God who Speaks
Purpose of Genesis
Act 1 Spoken Word Brought Forth
Act 2 God Speaks to Man & Woman
A Command, Testimony,
A Prohibition, A Promise
"The God Who Speaks"
Purpose of Gen 1: Every item in our natural environment has been set there by God.
Act 1. His creative spoken word brought forth: Day/night, sky/sea, sea/land, green vegetation, heavenly bodies, fish/fowl, insects/animals, finally man.
Act 2. God speaks to the man and woman. Here, God addresses human beings directly: fellowship is inaugurated.
First, a word of command. Be fruitful and have dominion.
Second, a word of testimony as to what they may eat for food.
Third, a prohibition. One tree you may not eat from.
Forth, a word of promise after the fall, both favorable and unfavorable;
Her seed will bruise the serpents head. Pain in childbirth. Hard work for Adam. Certain physical death for both.

9. the fulfilling of God’s Word Weather Ps.147:15 -18
All human history is …..
the fulfilling of God’s Word
Weather Ps.147:15 -18
He sends His command to the earth; His word runs swiftly
He spreads the snow like wool and scatters the frost like ashes
He hurls down His hail like pebbles. Who can withstand His icy blast?
He sends His word and melts them; He stirs up His breezes, and the waters flow

10. The Rise and Fall of Nations Jeremiah 1: 10 – 12
“See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant."
The word of the LORD came to me: "What do you see, Jeremiah?" "I see the branch of an almond tree," I replied.
The LORD said to me, "You have seen correctly, for I am watching (12 The Hebrew for “watching” sounds like the Hebrew for “almond tree”) to see that My word is fulfilled."
He was appointed over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down....
How was that possible? Because J. was God's instrument of speech. God put His words in his mouth and any word of God would most certainly happen. Jer. 1: Isaiah 55: 11. His Word is His executive instrument in all human affairs.
“so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”

11. The Word written in 3 fold character seen in the Garden Law Promise
3. Testimony
The Word of God is written to us in the 3 fold character seen in the Garden of Eden.
1. Law: Sinai. Sermons of Christ. Command to repent.
2. Promise: Abrahamic covenant Gen 15:5. Messianic promises Isa. 9: The Kingdom of God Dan 7:14. New Testament Promises of Justification, resurrection, glorification of believers.
3. Testimony: Instruction--Facts of our faith. Historical narration. Wisdom. The Word is to be received, trusted and obeyed because it is the word of God, the King.
Proud willfulness is essence of impiety of those who refuse to listen to Word of God. Jer. 13:10. "But to this one will I look. To him who is humble and contrite of spirit and who trembles at My Word." Isa. 66:2

12. Absolute Truth Ultimate reason to believe and obey:
His Word is the Truth: The true Word.
Jn. 17:17 “Sanctify them in truth. Thy Word is truth.” “All Your words are true.” Ps. 119: 160
For the Believer:
stability, reliability, firmness, trustworthiness, consistent, sincere, realistic, undeceived.
All above terms describe His person.
Truth is His nature
Absolute Truth
Ultimate reason to believe and obey the Word is because it is the truth. the True Word. Jn 17:17 Sanctify them in truth, Thy Word is truth. All your words are true. Ps. 119:160 Because of this truth: For the believer, it means stability, reliability, firmness, trustworthiness, consistent, sincere, realistic, undeceived. All of these words describe the person of God. Truth is His nature. Just as Jesus described Satan as the Father of lies. "Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature." So whenever God speaks, He speaks from his truthful nature. Satan knows not how to speak truth, God knows not how to speak lies. That is why He cannot lie.

13. Disregard ends in disaster
Absolute Truth (cont.)
1. God’s Commands are true.
Ps. 119:151 “All your words are true.”
His words have permanence, setting forth what God wants to see in human lives in every age.
His words tell of unchanging truth about our own nature and what we were made to be. The Creator knows what “food” we were designed to feed on for best health.
Disregard ends in disaster
1. God's commands are true. Ps. 119:151 "All your commands are true."
They are so described because 1. they have stability and permanence, setting forth what God wants to see in human lives in every age. And 2. because they tell us the unchanging truth about our own nature.
The purpose of God's law: Gives us a working definition of true humanity, by showing us what we were made to be and teaches us how to be truly human. And it warns us against moral self-destruction.
Just as your car was designed to run on a certain octane, so your soul was designed by God to bear God's moral image...and to run on the practice of worship, law-keeping, truthfulness, honesty, discipline, self-control and service to God and our fellows. Failing in these practices, progressively destroys the soul. our Conscience shrinks and dulls, shame dries up. The capacity for truthfulness, loyalty and honesty is eaten away. One's character disintegrates...result, desperately miserable.

14. Absolute Truth (Cont.) 2. God’s Promises are true.
Heb. 10:23 “He who promised is faithful.”
Lam. 3:23 “Great is Thy faithfulness.”
Absolute Truth (Cont.)
2. God's promises are true, for God keeps them. Heb. 10:23 "He who promised is faithful."
The bible proclaims God's faithfulness in superlative terms. Your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Ps. 36:5
Ps. 100: 5 And His faithfulness to all generations. Lam. 3:23 "Great is thy Faithfulness."
How does God prove His faithfulness? By His unfailing fulfillment of His promises. He never fails those who trust His word.

15. The Way to Strengthen one’s Faith
Focus on Promises that speak to weaknesses or concerns
Puritan Samuel Clark: Scripture Promises
Cure for Anxiety: Focus and Belief
Enemies of our Peace: Unbelief and Forgetfulness of Promises
Clark’s Advise: Combine Promises in our Prayer and Stand on those Promises
Mtt. 11: 28,29 Rest for your soul when we learn from Jesus.
The Way to Strengthen one’s Faith
Focus on Promises that speak to weaknesses or concerns.
Puritan Samuel Clark: Scripture Promises
Cure for Anxiety: Focus and Belief on the promises of God’s Word.
Enemies of our Peace: Unbelief and Forgetfulness of Promises.
Clark’s Advise Need to Combine Promises in our Prayer and Stand on the Promises.

16. Believe and Obey What is a Christian?
People who live under the Word of God
Believe the teaching
Trust the promises
Follow the commands
See the God of Bible as their Father
and Christ of Bible as their Savior
Word has convinced them of sin,
and assured them of forgiveness
Believe and Obey
What is a Christian? "True Christians are people who acknowledge and live under the word of God."
the teaching. They submit without reserve to the word,” the book of truth.” Dan. 10:21.
They believe, teach and trust the promises.
They follow the commands.
Their eyes see the God of the Bible as their Father
and the Christ of the Bible as their Savior.
The Word has convinced them of their sin
and assured them of forgiveness.

17. What is a Christian (cont.)
Consciences, captive to Word of God
Aspire, whole life to be in line with Word
As they pray, promises are before them
Daily tasks, precepts are before them
In addition to direct contact of God through the Word, it has also gone forth to create and control and order things around them. Rom 8:28 Joy results then, even through sorrowful circumstances.
All views tested by the Word of God
Their consciences are captive to the Word of God and they aspire to have their lives brought in line with it. The promises are before them as they pray, and the precepts are before them as they go about their daily tasks.
In addition to God through the word speaking directly to them, they know also that His word has gone forth to create and control and order things around them. Because of Rom 8:28, the thought of God ordering their circumstances brings them only joy. All views are tested through the truth of the Scriptures.
Why does this description fit so few of us who profess to be Christians?