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Well, please turn with me in 
your Bibles to the book of Proverbs, Proverbs chapter 30. Proverbs 
chapter 30. I'll begin reading in verse 1. 
The words of Agur, the son of Jaqay, his utterance. This man 
declared to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ukal. Surely I am more stupid 
than any man and do not have the understanding of a man. I 
neither learned wisdom nor have knowledge of the Holy One, who 
has ascended into heaven or descended, who has gathered the wind in 
his fists, who has bound the waters in a garment. who has 
established all the ends of the earth. What is his name, and 
what is his son's name, if you know? Every word of God is pure. He is a shield to those who put 
their trust in him. Do not add to his words, lest 
he rebuke you, and you be found a liar. Two things I request 
of you, deprive me not before I die, remove falsehood and lies 
far from me, give me neither poverty nor riches, feed me with 
the food allotted to me, lest I be full and deny you and say, 
who is the Lord? Or lest I be poor and steal and 
profane the name of my God. Do not malign a servant to his 
master, lest he curse you and you be found guilty. There is 
a generation that curses its father and does not bless its 
mother. There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes, 
yet is not washed from its own filthiness. There is a generation, 
oh how lofty are their eyes, and their eyelids are lifted 
up. There is a generation whose teeth are like swords and whose 
fangs are like knives, to devour the poor from off the earth and 
the needy from among men. The leech has two daughters, 
give and give. There are three things that are 
never satisfied, four never say enough, the grave, the barren 
womb, the earth that is not satisfied with water, and the fire never 
says enough. the eye that mocks his father 
and scorns obedience to his mother. The ravens of the valley will 
pick it out, and the young eagles will eat it. There are three 
things which are too wonderful for me, yes, four which I do 
not understand. The way of an eagle in the air, 
the way of a serpent on a rock, the way of a ship in the midst 
of the sea, and the way of a man with a virgin. This is the way 
of an adulterous woman. She eats and wipes her mouth 
and says, I have done no wickedness. For three things the earth is 
perturbed. Yes, for four it cannot bear up. For a servant when he 
reigns, a fool when he is filled with food, a hateful woman when 
she is married, and a maidservant who succeeds her mistress. There 
are four things which are little on the earth, but they are exceedingly 
wise. The answer of people not strong, 
yet they prepare their food in the summer. The rock badgers 
are a feeble folk, yet they make their homes in the crags. The 
locusts have no king, yet they all advance in ranks. The spider 
skillfully grasps with its hands, and it is in king's palaces. 
There are three things which are majestic in pace, yes, four 
which are stately in walk, a lion which is mighty among beasts 
and does not turn away from any, a greyhound, a male goat also, 
and a king whose troops are with him. If you have been foolish 
in exalting yourself, or if you have devised evil, put your hand 
on your mouth. For as the churning of milk produces 
butter, and wringing the nose produces blood, so the forcing 
of wrath produces strife. Amen. Well, let us pray. Father, 
thank you for the written Word. Thank you for Proverbs chapter 
30. We ask that you would give us the Holy Spirit now and guide 
us as we consider verses 5 and 6. We would pray for, again, 
the forgiveness of all sin and everything that darkens our understanding 
and help us to see afresh the glory and the beauty and the 
purity of God's Holy Word. And as we were exhorted this 
morning, as we hope to exhort tonight, May we love that word 
and may we find it to be our delight day and night. We ask 
this for your glory, we ask this for our well-being, and we pray 
these things through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Well, these are 
Proverbs attributed to this man, Agur. He is, in fact, the son 
of Yaqay, and he's writing to Ithiel and to Ukal. And he highlights, 
or he demonstrates, or he says right at the outset that he doesn't 
understand. There is a reality where God 
is incomprehensible. That doesn't mean we can't know 
anything about God, but we will never be able to fully investigate 
and exhaust God. And so Augur recognizes this, 
and therefore Augur points these particular men that he's writing 
to, and us by extension, to the word of the living God. Notice 
what he says in verses 5 and 6. He says, Every word of God 
is pure. He is a shield to those who put 
their trust in him. Do not add to his words, lest 
he rebuke you, and you be found a liar. So in the first place, 
I want to consider the purity of God's Word. And then in the 
second place, I want to look at this warning attached to God's 
Word. We are prohibited here from adding 
to the Word of God. Now, Deuteronomy chapter 4 at 
verse 2, Deuteronomy chapter 12 at verse 32, and Revelation 
chapter 22 at verses 18 and 19 have similar warnings. Those particular passages make 
sure that we not only don't add to the Word of God, but that 
we don't take away from it either. And certainly, Augur would agree 
with that, but the emphasis here falls on the inability of man, 
puny man, low man, creaturely man to be able to add to the 
very Word of God. The thought that we would even 
engage in such a thing ought to cripple us with with humility. The thought that we would ever 
think that we can suggest or put words on par with God's Word 
really ought to strike fear into our hearts that this is even 
something that the creature would even attempt to do. But let's 
look first at the purity of God's Word. Now notice this is an attribute. This is something attributed 
to God. God's Word. Every Word of God is pure, and 
the purity of the Word reflects the purity of the author. It's 
a pure Word because the author of it is, in fact, pure. In the 
prophet Habakkuk, the Lord God, through that prophet, the prophet 
Habakkuk says, you are of purer eyes than to behold evil and 
cannot look on wickedness. So when we see verse 5, every 
word of God is pure, it's pure because God Himself is pure. Titus 1-2, the apostle Paul speaks 
of God in hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised 
before time began. And then Psalm 31, the Lord Jesus 
echoes and quotes this particular Psalm on the cross when he commits 
his spirit into the hands of God. But in Psalm 31, verse 5, 
the psalmist there addresses God as, O Lord God of truth. And so the reality that every 
word of God is pure, that reflects the purity of the author himself. 
As well, the purity of God's word contrasts with this impure 
world that we live in. Now, Psalm 19 tells us that God 
reveals himself in two ways. He reveals himself in the book 
of nature, and he also reveals himself in special revelation, 
or the word of God. It's not that the revelation 
of God in nature is bad. It's not that the revelation 
of God is twisted or it's incomplete, but rather we see that, we know 
that God exists, according to Romans chapter one, and it does 
that which it is intended to do. But man in Adam, man in sin, 
distorts. Man in Adam, man in sin twists. Man in Adam, man in sin reads 
Genesis chapter 1 and concludes there's no way that God could 
have created the world in the space of six days and all very 
good. So he concocts these theories 
of evolution. He looks out at the created order, 
he denies God, he suppresses the truth in unrighteousness, 
and therein he concocts these theories, these fables, these 
myths, to try and explain reality around him. But the Word of God 
stands in contrast to that impurity. Every word of God is pure. And 
I think that the purity of the word invites contemplation on 
the part of the creature. In other words, if God's word 
is what God says it is, then we ought to be students of it. 
The creator has spoken to the creature. The God of heaven and 
earth, the glorious being who did make this world and all things 
in it, the God who governs all his creatures and all their actions, 
the God who has orchestrated redemption by his son, the Lord 
Jesus Christ, has actually given you a book. And you ought to 
read that book. You ought to examine that book. 
You ought to search that book. You ought to love that book. 
In fact, another passage with reference to the purity of God's 
Word. The psalmist in Psalm 119.40 
says, your word is very pure, therefore your servant loves 
it. The purity of God's Word results 
in this very practical implication. We love it. It's something that 
our hearts delight in. The Christian, the believer, 
he doesn't hate preaching. He doesn't hate Bible reading. 
He doesn't hate family worship. Now there's remaining corruption. 
He probably doesn't love it as he ought to. We don't always 
focus the way we should, but there is this desire in our hearts 
to love that which God has authored, to love that word that is in 
fact pure. So he says, every word of God 
is pure. There's other passages that detail 
this. Psalm 12, six, the words of the 
Lord are pure words, like silver tried in a furnace of earth, 
purified seven times. That purification process, it 
yields that blessed alloy, that silver or that gold. Psalm 19, 
eight, we read it. The statutes of the Lord are 
right, rejoicing the heart. The commandment of the Lord is 
pure, enlightening the eyes. And again, Psalm 119, 140, your 
word is very pure. Pure in and of itself is great, isn't it? 
But God's Word isn't just pure. It's very pure. You look at a 
field that's freshly covered with snow. It's pure. It's very 
pure. There's no sort of blemish on 
it whatsoever. And that's what the psalmist 
says concerning God's Word. And as a result of its purity, 
he says, I love it. I love your Word. It's something 
that my heart delights in. C.H. Spurgeon comments on Psalm 
12, 6. He says, for truth, certainty, holiness, faithfulness, the words 
of the Lord are pure as well-refined silver. And then he goes on to 
say, the Bible has passed through the furnace of persecution, literary 
criticism, philosophic doubt, and scientific discovery, and 
has lost nothing but those human interpretations which clung to 
it as alloy to precious ore. The experience of saints has 
tried it in every conceivable manner, but not a single doctrine 
or promise has been consumed in the most excessive heat. I 
love that. I think he's right on there in 
Psalm 12, verse 6. So not only those external things, 
hostile to and contrary to the Scriptures, but also the very 
trials and the experiences and the afflictions of God's people 
who have had recourse to that Word. The Word has never come 
up short, the Word has never come up lying, the Word has never 
come up impure for us. We all know that and can testify 
to that and highlight in heartily amen what Augur says here, every 
word of God is pure. But notice, it's not only this 
attribute of purity, but notice the extent. He says every word 
of God is pure. It's a beautiful statement. It's 
not just some of it. It's not just a part of it. It's 
not just the gospel records, but it's numbers. It's Leviticus. It's Deuteronomy. It's Genesis. Every word of God is pure according 
to this sage. Now, of course, there are parallels 
to this. Psalm 119, verse 160. The psalmist 
says the entirety of your word is truth. That's a beautiful 
statement. The entirety of your word is 
truth, and every one of your righteous judgments endures forever. Of course, the New Testament 
equivalent or the New Testament parallel is found in 2 Timothy 
3. You can turn there. 2 Timothy 
3 highlights the same thing with reference to the extent of God's 
pure word. 2 Timothy 3, Verse 16, Paul writes, 
all scripture is given by inspiration of God. It's very important. 
You know, we all have our hobby horses, don't we? We all have 
things that we gravitate toward. We all have sort of affinity 
with certain things in scripture. I hope we all have that. It's 
an assumption that I hope is good. But you know, some are 
just given to prophecy. All they do is read and study 
prophecy. You get imbalanced that way. Others never look at 
prophecy. You get imbalanced that way. 
Some really love the law. Well, that's great. We should 
all love the law, but we need to love the gospel too. Some 
focus only on the gospel to the neglect of the law. It's the 
entirety of God's Word that is pure. Therefore, it is the entirety 
of God's Word that we are encouraged to search. It is the entirety 
of God's Word that we love. And when the apostle says all 
scripture is given by inspiration of God here, he obviously means 
the Old Testament. Look back for just a moment at 
verse 15. That's primarily what's in view. Verse 15, and that from 
childhood, you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able 
to make you wise for salvation through faith, which is in Christ 
Jesus. So Timothy, as a young man, was exposed to scripture 
by a godly mother and by a godly grandmother. That wasn't Timothy. Timothy didn't have the book 
of Timothy. Timothy had the Old Testament. 
And notice what Paul says the Old Testament is able to do. 
It is able to make you wise for salvation through faith which 
is in Christ Jesus. As we were reminded this morning, 
the prophets wrote of Christ. They set forth Christ in his 
offices. They set forth Christ in his 
work. They set forth Christ as the altogether lovely and chief 
among 10,000. Now, Paul's statement in verse 
16, all scripture is given by inspiration of God, certainly 
applies to the old, but it also applies to the New Testament 
as well. You have the instruction of the 
apostle Paul in the letters sent to the churches. In the first 
place, he demands that his letters are read in the churches. 1 Thessalonians 
5, verse 27. He demands that his letters are 
exchanged among the churches in Colossians 4, 16. This is 
important because this idea that the apostles weren't really sure 
what it is they were doing, they were absolutely positively sure 
what they were doing. They knew of a truth what they 
were doing, and they did it very, very well. So this thought that 
they just, you know, it was just this movement that was spawned, 
and they just sort of bumped into each other and out popped 
the New Testament. No, that's not the way it was. 
These men, moved by the Holy Spirit, wrote Scripture. Paul 
demands that his letters are read in the churches. He demands 
that his letters are exchanged among the churches. He demands 
that his words, written in letters, are obeyed. They are obeyed. Now, I can tell you to obey Scripture, 
but if I have a particular word for you from my own heart, you 
don't have to obey it. You have to obey what the Apostle 
Paul has to say. He also highlights that his words 
are taught by the Holy Spirit in 1 Corinthians 2. And then 
there's a few specimen passages in the New Testament that highlight 
for us that the New Testament is certainly recognized as authoritative, 
infallible, and inerrant Word of the living God. Notice back 
in 1 Timothy chapter 5. 1 Timothy chapter 5. Verse 17, let the elders who 
rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those 
who labor in the word and doctrine. Here's the reason for that command. 
Verse 18, for the scripture says, you shall not muzzle an ox while 
it treads out the grain and the laborer is worthy of his wages. You see, he quotes the Scripture 
there, an Old Testament passage and a New Testament passage. 
He quotes from the book of Deuteronomy, and he quotes from the book of 
Luke, Luke 10, 7. The laborer is worthy of his 
wages. Both are called Scripture by the Apostle Paul. 2 Peter 
2. 2 Peter 2. Again, this was alluded to... 
I'm sorry, 2 Peter 1. This was alluded to this morning in the 
sermon we heard from 1 Peter 1. but in 2 Peter 1 at verse 19. And so we have the prophetic 
word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that 
shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning 
star rises in your hearts, knowing this first, that no prophecy 
of Scripture is of any private interpretation. For prophecy 
never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as 
they were moved by the Holy Spirit. And then look at chapter 3 in 
2 Peter at verses 14 to 16. 2 Peter 3, verse 14, Therefore, 
beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found 
by Him in peace, without spot and blameless, and consider that 
the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation. Beautiful thing, 
isn't it? The longsuffering of God, the 
fact that He has not consumed this dross, the fact that the 
earth still stands, we ought to interpret the longsuffering 
of God to be salvation. Have you ever looked around and 
thought, how in the world can we continue down the pathway 
we are moving? I mean, you look at the world 
around us, and as one brother recently reminded us, there are 
monsters among us. There are horrible things that 
take place in this world. They're just wicked, wretched, 
despicable things. You might wonder, how much longer 
until the last of the elect are called by the power of the Holy 
Spirit? That's what Paul says here in 2 Peter chapter 3. We 
need to interpret the long-suffering of our Lord to be salvation. There are still sinners out there. 
I've often wondered about the last of the elect that gets called. 
Think about that life of sanctification. He gets saved and then Jesus 
comes. We're all going, boy, I wish 
that would have been me. That would have been great, wouldn't 
it? Somewhere, somehow, at some particular time, that's going 
to happen. The last of you'll act will be 
called, and then our Lord will come. The reason our Lord has 
not come is there are sinners to be saved, and that is precisely 
Peter's point. Now notice what he goes on to 
say. Consider that the long-suffering of our Lord is salvation, as 
also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given 
to him, has written to you. Incidentally, this is one of 
the arguments for Paul's authorship of the book of Hebrews. Remember 
that Peter is writing to Jews. Paul the Apostle is the one that 
many respect or think wrote the epistle to the Hebrews, and this 
is a piece of evidence. He has written to you, Jews. 
You believing Jews, he wrote to you specifically in the book 
we call Hebrews. But then notice specifically 
the attestation of Paul's writings to being scripture. Verse 16, 
as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, 
and which are some things hard to understand. Don't ever get 
discouraged if you don't understand everything in the word of God. 
Peter says there's things in Paul that are hard to understand. 
I would suggest there's things in Peter that are hard to understand. 
There's things in Paul that are hard to understand. There's things 
in James that are hard to understand. There's things in David in the 
Psalms that are hard to understand. There's things in the gospel 
record that are hard to understand. Never, ever get down on yourself 
because I just don't get it all. Well, you're never going to get 
it all. Let me just, you know, blast that myth. You'd be just 
as successful as putting the Pacific Ocean into a glass, as 
getting it all. Have you ever had that experience? 
You know you've read through a passage maybe, I don't know, 
a handful of times, and then you pick it up again, you go, 
wow, I never saw that. Well, it's not like it just magically 
appeared. Or you hear a sermon, well, I 
never saw that. It's interesting, as preachers, 
sometimes people will come and they'll hear a sermon from somebody 
else and say, wow, I never knew that. I've said it to you on 
20 occasions over the last 20 years, but now they got it, so 
praise God. That's just the nature of the 
study, right? It's the way things go. But with 
reference to this idea of all Scripture being pure, there are 
these things that are difficult at times for us to get our minds 
wrapped around. But then notice what Peter goes 
on to say, in which are some things hard to understand, which 
untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, 
as they do also, look at the text, the rest of the Scriptures. So he appeals to Paul's writings, 
and he identifies Paul's writings as scriptures. So when we go 
back to Proverbs chapter 30, when we look at Psalm 119, when 
we contemplate 2 Timothy chapter 3 at verse 16, it is every word 
of God that is pure, both the Old and the New Testaments, each 
of the particular genre. the writings, which include the 
Psalms and the Proverbs and the Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon, 
the prophets and the law, all those things, every word of God 
is pure according to Agur here and according to other men. Now, 
there was a reprint of the Baptist catechism several years ago. 
I think it was the fellows in the church in Grand Rapids. They 
did a shorter catechism, Baptist version. Of course, we have Keech's 
catechism back there. I encourage everybody to be familiar 
with those things. They're great sort of summary 
statements and definitions of Christian theology. They're fantastic. 
Catechetical instruction is wonderful. Sometimes people hear that and 
they think, Roman Catholicism. I think Protestants did it first. 
So if there's anybody that should get freaked out, it should be 
Catholics, not Protestants. Catechism is a good thing. It's 
a great means for you as parents to teach Christian doctrine to 
your children. It's a valuable resource, and 
though it may not be experientially received by them at an early 
age, it's there. It's in them. And when, by God's 
grace, they come into that place of confessing faith in Jesus 
Christ, they know how to define justification, and they feel 
it, and they know it, and they benefit from it in a blessed 
way. So catechism, good thing, but these brothers in Grand Rapids 
supplemented a little bit to deal with particular challenges 
in our own generation and in our own day. And number three 
in this particular edition of the catechism asks the question, 
are the scriptures trustworthy in all that they affirm? Remember 
the debates concerning inerrancy? Some of you may not remember 
that, but there was this big debate, and it probably still 
is lasting, as to whether or not the Bible is inerrant. Inerrant 
means that the Bible does not contain errors. The Confession 
of Faith, our Second London Confession, doesn't say the Bible is inerrant. 
Better, it says it's infallible. Infallible means that the Bible 
cannot lie. Therefore, it necessarily follows 
that it does not lie. If you have an infallible Bible, 
you certainly have an inerrant Bible. But these brothers are 
responding to the particular threats made against the Church 
and Scripture today. So the question, are the Scriptures 
trustworthy in all that they affirm? The Scriptures of both 
the Old and New Testaments, being God-breathed, are infallible 
and inerrant in all their parts. Beautiful. In all their parts, 
we've never been called to pick and choose, we've never been 
called to weigh or consider or ask, is this what I think should 
be in Scripture? No, it's all God-breathed, it's 
infallible and inerrant in all their parts and are, therefore, 
trustworthy in all that they affirm concerning history, science, 
doctrine, ethics, religious practice, or any other topic. It's a great 
statement that we need to embrace and understand concerning the 
value and the integrity of God's Holy Word. Now, before we move 
on, what are a couple implications that we should draw out of this 
statement, every word of God is pure? In the first place, 
we ought to appreciate the sufficiency of Scripture. The sufficiency 
of Scripture. God's Word gives us everything 
necessary that we need for His glory and for our salvation. 
In fact, our Confession says the whole counsel of God concerning 
all things necessary for His own glory, man's salvation, faith, 
and life is either expressly sat down or necessarily contained 
in the Holy Scripture. Everything we need. You have 
a great resource in Scripture, a sufficient word from the living 
and true God for you to bring glory to Him and for you to know 
that salvation wrought out by Jesus. And then as well, the 
Word of God is profitable. See, Paul doesn't stop after 
saying all Scripture is given by inspiration of God. He then 
goes on to highlight its utility, its profitability in the hearts 
and lives of God's people. It's profitable for doctrine. 
It teaches us. It instructs us. It gives us 
the data necessary for God's glory, for our salvation. It 
is profitable for reproof. Brethren, do not shy away from 
reproof. We all need reproof. We've all 
got issues. We've all got problems. This 
idea, when somebody reproves you, you flip out and you freak 
out. What about you? We all need to be corrected. 
And the Bible does that. So it not only reproves us, but 
it's also profitable for correction. Once God reproves us, He then 
sets us on the right path. He then sets us on the place 
where we need to be. And then it's profitable for 
instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be thoroughly 
furnished unto every good work. Notice that, every good work. 
Everything that pertains to life in this world, certainly salvation 
in the world to come, but also life in this world, politics, 
history, science, doctrine, ethics, religious practice, any other 
topic. The word of God is sufficient for us and it is profitable to 
us. Consider Psalm 119, verse nine. 
How can a young man cleanse his way? By what? By taking heed 
according to your word. Psalm 119, 105. Your word is 
a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Psalm 119, 130, the 
entrance of your words gives light. It gives understanding 
to the simple. Psalm 119, 133, direct my steps 
by your word and let no iniquity have dominion over me. Beautiful 
testimony to the integrity and the beauty and the glory of God's 
word. Psalm 119 stands as a great beacon 
concerning the glory of God's word. And then of course, Jesus 
in John 17, 17, sanctify them by thy truth, thy word is true. And then back to Proverbs 30 
at verse 5, he says, every word of God is pure. That deals with 
the particular attribute of purity, deals with the extent to which 
it applies, every word. But then note the blessing attached. 
Verse 5b, it says, he is a shield to those who put their trust 
in him. It's a bit of an incentive, isn't it? It's a bit of an enticement. That's a bit of a, go ahead, 
come on. Every word of God is pure. He 
is a shield to those who put their trust in him. In other 
words, the word of God isn't simply given to reveal data. It does do that, and that's a 
blessed thing that it does, and we need to avail ourselves of 
that revelation of data, but it also invites us to a relationship 
with the living and true God. He is a shield to all those who 
put their trust in Him. Bruce Waltke says the revelation 
of God aims to promote trust in the speaker, not simply to 
give bare knowledge. So every word of God is pure. 
He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. Every word 
of God is pure. Put your trust in Him. He will 
be your shield. That's incentivizing. That is 
enticing. That is a blessing attached. 
to this particular statement that every word of God is pure. 
Not just bare knowledge, but a relationship with the one who 
gave us this word that is pure. Now, the specific background 
to this statement is likely David. King David in Psalm 18 and also 
2 Samuel 22. Both those passages are parallel. 
You can put them side by side and they say just about the same 
thing. A couple of differences along the way. But in Psalm 18.30, David said, as for God, His way 
is perfect. The word of the Lord is proven. 
He is a shield to all who trust in Him. Think about that. Well, 
I don't think we do think about that because we're not wandering 
out into battle. Those men we recently considered 
D-Day on Thursday, the 75th anniversary of D-Day. Shields are important, 
aren't they? Especially when you're storming 
a beach at Normandy. Without a shield, you are subject 
to execution. You are subject to death. You 
are subject to passing out of this life. A warrior going into 
combat without a shield is very ill-prepared. What's the emphasis? Those who are God's people going 
into the world without His shield-ship are very ill-prepared. We need 
God as shield, and probably the broader context is Genesis 15, 
where the Lord God says to Abraham, do not fear Abraham. He said, I am your shield, your 
exceedingly great reward. Consider this theme throughout 
the Psalter, Psalm 84, 11, for the Lord God is a sun and shield. The Lord God or the Lord will 
give grace and glory. No good thing will he withhold 
from those who walk uprightly. Psalm 115, 9 to 11 highlights 
the fact that God will be a shield to Israel, to the house of Aaron, 
to those who fear the Lord. And then in Psalm 119, 114, you 
are my hiding place and my shield, I hope in your word. Those are 
blessed concepts. And when Augur says every word 
of God is pure, he is a shield to those who put their trust 
in him. He means that. Why would you live your life 
without a shield? Why would you go into battle 
without a shield? Why would you try to function 
in this world without a shield? If you have not put your trust 
in him, put your trust in him. Look unto the Lord Jesus Christ. 
He will be your shield. The Lord is a strong tower, the 
righteous run to it and are safe. That is the beauty that we have 
with our blessed Lord. Remember this morning in John 
chapter 18, are you a king? Jesus says, you say rightly. 
For this cause I was born. Our king is our shield. Blessed 
are those who put their trust in him. John Gill explains the 
beauty of the shield, as a shield to protect such by his power 
and grace from all their enemies, sin, Satan, and the world, and 
also from all errors and false doctrines. Again, I think that's 
something we under-appreciate. If we had a man or men or women 
in our church that were looking at pornography, we would be very 
upset and we would want to discipline them. And yet, within our churches, 
there are people that are looking at the equivalency of pornography 
in terms of heresy and false doctrine and false teaching that 
is absolutely positively alarming. There is some anti-God stuff 
that parades itself as being pro-God. There is some anti-Christian 
stuff that parades itself as being Christian. There is some 
anti-biblical stuff that parades itself as being biblical. We 
need to be aware, and we need to be in tune, and we need to 
understand that every word of God is pure. He is a shield to 
those who put their trust in Him, and a shield is what you 
and I desperately need. Now, let's look at this warning 
attached to God's Word. Verse 6 says, Do not add to His 
words, lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar. Let's just 
get those other texts before us. Deuteronomy 4. Let me turn 
there. Deuteronomy chapter 4. Isn't this beautiful? God not 
only tells us the positive. Every word of God is pure. He 
is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. There's this 
warning. See, we live in this world where there's always the 
true and there's always the false. There's always the right and 
there's always the wrong. And God doesn't leave us without 
instructing us in the problems that attach with reference to 
the Word of God. We have that susceptibility to 
take away from it. And I remember a famous comedian 
one time saying, oh, I believe in seven of the Ten Commandments, 
and everybody laughs and all that sort of thing. But how much 
is that actually the case with people? How much is that actually 
the way people function? Well, I like nine of them, but 
you know this other one, I just don't want that. No, the entirety 
of God's Word. Every word of God is pure. You 
see, we need to understand that. But as well, we need to make 
sure that we not take away, we don't add. Deuteronomy 4.2, you 
shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from 
it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God, which I 
command you. Your eyes have seen what the 
Lord did at Baal-peor, for the Lord your God has destroyed from 
among you all the men who followed Baal-peor. But you who held fast 
to the Lord your God are alive today, every one of you. Deuteronomy 
chapter 12. Deuteronomy chapter 12, verse 
32. This is a great textbook, inspired 
textbook definition of the regular principle of worship. Whatever 
I command you, be careful to observe it. You shall not add 
to it nor take away from it. If anybody ever asks you, why 
do you guys not have bongo drums and puppeteers and mariachi bands 
in your church? Because of Deuteronomy 12.32. 
Why don't you parade or have ponies walking up and down the 
aisle or pastors rappelling down from the ceiling with their headgear 
on and their holy jeans and their lattes? And I don't know if they 
do all that at once with the latte and the rappelling, but 
I'm sure that'll be the next step, the next phase. Deuteronomy 
12.32. Brethren, you and I have problems 
conducting the daily affairs of our lives, let alone orchestrating 
how it is to be the case that we worship the God of heaven 
and earth. See, we're not supposed to encroach on that territory. 
It isn't innovation. It isn't creativity. It is obedience 
that God demands when it comes to worship. But 1232, whatever 
I command you, be careful to observe it. You shall not add 
to it nor take away from it. And then Revelation 22. Revelation 
22. Verse 18, for I testify to everyone 
who hears the words of the prophecy of this book. If anyone adds 
to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written 
in this book. And if anyone takes away from 
the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away 
his part from the book of life, from the holy city, and from 
the things which are written in this book. Now, keep these 
passages in mind, because if we add to the Word of God, according 
to Agur, then the Lord will rebuke us. What does that mean, the 
Lord rebuking us? Well, it's right here. If anyone 
adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are 
written in this book. It's the same as in Deuteronomy 
4. 2 is the prohibition, but 3 and 
4 indicate the punishment or penalty. Don't be like the men 
at Baal Peor that committed fornication with those Moabites and engaged 
in gross wickedness and God destroyed them. You are not to be that 
kind of person. So when it comes to this whole 
idea of adding to the Word of God, this is a prohibition against 
addition to the Bible. Doctrinally, this means we reject 
the sufficiency of Scripture. Doctrinally, if we add to the 
Word of God, it is to suggest that the Word of God is insufficient. 
It needs something. It needs some supplementation. 
It needs some addition. It needs something to sort of 
round it out. But as well, practically, in 
terms of the status of a man who would think that, it's arrogant 
pride, isn't it? To think that you and I can add 
to God's Word? That is just outlandish. Matthew Henry makes the observation. He says, this forbids the prohibition 
here of agar. Do not add to his words. This 
forbids the advancing of anything, not only in contradiction to 
the word of God, but in competition with it. I thought that was masterful, 
the way he points that out. It's not just that which is in 
contradiction to the Word, but it's that which is in competition 
to it. As if somehow our addition will 
fill things out and will help God. He goes on to say, yet if 
it pretend, or rather he says, though it be under the plausible 
pretense of explaining it. There's a great danger here for 
preachers, teachers, interpreters. We need to make sure that we're 
giving what God's word actually says. We're not giving what we 
hoped it would say, or what we want it to say, or what we think 
it should say. He says, though it be under the 
plausible pretense of explaining it, yet if it pretend to be of 
equal authority with it, it is adding to his words, which is 
not only a reproach to them is insufficient, but opens a door 
to all manner of errors and corruptions, which, again, should be self-evident. Now, who does this? Every word 
of God is pure. He is a shield to those who put 
their trust in him. Do not add to his words. Why that prohibition? Who potentially adds to the Word 
of God? Well, in the first place, unbelieving 
Jews. The unbelieving Jews have a book, it's called the Talmud. 
And the Talmud is made up of two things, the Mishnah and the 
Gemara. And Mishnah is basically oral 
interpretation of the Bible, and then Mishnah is commentary 
on that. You see, Jesus reproved the religious leaders of his 
own day in Matthew chapter 15, highlighting to them that they 
held, on equal par, the traditions of men. So don't think that this 
doesn't happen. It absolutely, positively happens. Roman Catholicism. Sorry, but 
that's just the way it is. Papal tradition and the traditions 
of men. But not only Jews, Papists, but 
also Charismatics. This idea that we have received 
this word from the Lord that's not scripture is wrong. Gil says, he calls them enthusiasts, 
that's what they used to call them, Charismatics and Pentecostals. 
He says, and as all enthusiasts do, who set up their pretended 
dreams, visions, revelations, and prophecies upon a foot with 
the word of God or as superior to it. Again, brethren, this 
isn't not done. This is done by Jews, by Romanists, 
by Charismatics. Our confession, again, I already 
quoted the sufficiency of Scripture. The whole counsel of God concerning 
all things necessary for His own glory, man's salvation, faith 
and life is either expressly set down or necessarily contained 
in the Holy Scripture. Now listen to this last clause. 
Unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new 
revelation of the Spirit, charismaticism, or traditions of men. In the 
17th century, they saw the propensity and they wrote or commented about 
it. So there's Jews, there's papists, 
there's charismatics, but I want to go one step further and suggest 
that it may be us as well. It might be you and I, the well-meaning 
believer. We get a B in our bonnet, we 
think there's a way to obey God that everybody else ought to 
do it too. You're looking at me puzzled, okay, I guess I, 
maybe it's just me, you know, sympathize with me, pray for 
me for, you know, after this sermon. But I think it's in a 
lot of God's people, this desire to be the Lord over other people's 
consciences. This is typically what goes on, 
fundamentalism, this is typically what goes on in reform as well. I've quoted many times Charles 
Hodge from his systematic theology. He says, it is a common saying 
that every man has a pope in his own bosom. That is, the disposition 
to lord it over God's heritage is almost universal. Men wish 
to have their opinions on moral questions made into laws to bind 
the consciences of their brethren. We don't want Christian liberty. 
We want everything our way. We want our preferences to be 
a part of the Ten Commandments. We want our focus and our desire 
to be the law to bind every other man. Brethren, if you have a 
preference in something that happens to work and you encourage 
somebody with that, that's fine. But if they don't opt to do it, 
you cannot hold them in contempt. That's simply unacceptable. Well, 
I gave them advice. It's like pastors. People come 
to pastors for advice. Sometimes it's not specific texts 
and specific passages. And you ask a question, well, 
I'll give you an answer. If you don't follow that advice, 
that's OK. There's no potpourri here. I 
don't have a big hat, and I don't have that chair's just a regular 
chair. There's no ex cathedra going 
on there. I may give you advice, and you may not like it, and 
you may not take it. That's OK. Do you understand? We're not 
to be the lords of each other's consciences. We're not to hold 
things over person's heads. We're not to make laws where 
God has not. We're not to legislate where 
the Lord has left freedom. We're not supposed to go back 
to the old covenant theocracy and assume the posture of Moses 
for our brethren. That is not our calling as God's 
people. Our calling is to obey God. Our 
calling is to respect Christian liberty. Our calling is to understand 
that the Ten Commandments are what binds God's people. And 
what we have found to work in terms of application is not necessarily 
on par with the commandments themselves. We need to be aware 
that this temptation to add to his words is in our hearts. Now at the end, Augur makes this 
statement. Do not add to his words, lest 
he rebuke you and you be found a liar. You receive the judgment 
of God. This is the response of God to 
a person who denies the sufficiency of Scripture. This is the response 
of God to a person who arrogantly thinks that their words are on 
par with God's words. It is right, legit, and glorious 
that God rebuke such a person that tries to be a rival lawmaker 
with God himself. So on the part of God, you will 
be rebuked. But on the part of man, you will 
be found a liar. You see, church history is filled 
with page after page vindicating the heroes of the faith. And 
what did the heroes of the faith do? They preached accurately 
the Word of God. That's it. That was their claim 
to fame. What marked the blessedness of 
a Calvin or a Luther or an Owen or a Spurgeon? I mean, where 
in do we hold them up as heroes? In that they accurately proclaim 
the truth of God. But those same history books, 
page after page, reveal those who lied. And the liars are those 
who added to the Word of God. They are those who subtracted 
from the Word of God. Those who did not confess with 
augur that every word is pure. They didn't do that, and therefore, 
they are found out as liars. Well, in conclusion, I'm going 
to make a couple practical observations, and then we'll close. First, 
the purity of the entirety of God's Word. That's a good thing 
for us to consider and ponder. The purity of the entirety of 
God's Word. The recognition that the purity 
of the Word reflects the purity of the author. Now, in having 
said that, God, the pure author, oftentimes reveals to us impure 
man. Doesn't he? I mean, I don't know 
if you all are getting this benefit on Wednesday night, but isn't 
it wonderful to see God's grace, God's mercy, God's forgiveness? You see Abraham, you see Lot, 
you see the various persons in the Old Testament, and they're 
a foil. to show and demonstrate to us that there is forgiveness 
with thee that thou mayest be feared. I was commenting to brothers 
yesterday, there's a book by David Steinmetz called Luther 
in Context. And one of the things that Luther 
really liked in the Bible wasn't the virtuous man, he liked the 
man of vice. Not because Luther wanted to sin, not because Luther 
wanted to go out and do wicked things, not because Luther wanted 
to, you know, get drunk and uncover himself or anything like that. 
But in the vices that we see in the men of God, we see the 
grace of God. We see the forgiveness of God. 
Now, for the genuine believer, there is never that yearning, 
that desire to say, wow, you know, God forgave David, so I'm 
going to go out and commit adultery and murder too. No, the believer 
doesn't do that. The believer is constrained by 
that Roman 6.1 ethic. What shall we say then? Shall 
we continue in sin that grace may abound? May it never be. 
I don't want to sin against my God. But if I do sin, I have 
an advocate with the Father, even Jesus Christ the righteous. 
That's who Noah had. That's who Abraham had. That's 
who Lot had. That's who all the men of God 
in the Old Testament had. That's who David had. See, David doesn't 
ever use that experience to say, wow, you know, I got away with 
it once. I'm going to go out and do it again. No, that's not the genuine 
Christian response. The genuine Christian response 
is, I don't want to sin against God, but if I do sin, I have 
an advocate with the Father, even Jesus Christ the righteous. 
As well, the recognition that we possess a pure word in an 
impure world. I think this is getting more 
and more important for us. The brother this morning alluded 
to it. The activity that happened in Toronto this past week shows 
us this. There is animosity. There is 
antipathy, enmity against the word of the living God. It's 
getting to the point where to even mention God or Christ is 
just horrifying to the unbelieving mind. It is to invade them. It is to harass them. It is to 
just betray them. It is to be a horrible person 
in their sight. Brethren, freedom of speech is 
going to ultimately be freedom of speech as they determine it. 
And we need to be aware of that. And we need to thank God for 
a pure word in an impure world. And then the recognition that 
the purity of God's word extends to every word. Brethren, I really 
encourage you to read your Bibles every day. Now, I get it. There's things that come up and 
hinder you from that. But let's be honest. We've got 
it pretty good here in the West. We have cars. We have all of 
the, what's the word, amenities to make life pleasant and delightful 
and to free up time. Notice how we always find time 
in each day to eat. I'm guessing that's true because 
we're all here, we're all breathing, so we've all taken that time 
along the way to stop and eat. We need to find time to eat God's 
Word, the entirety of God's Word. Don't just focus on one particular 
area. Don't just highlight one particular 
passage. Understand that we do gravitate 
to things that interest us, and there are times when we need 
to go to things that perhaps aren't as interesting, because 
the entirety of God's Word is pure, and we need to search it 
out. Bridges says, if every word is 
pure, take care that no word is slighted. How few range over 
the whole revelation of God. Secondly, we need to understand 
the propensity to add to God's word. I have recently shared 
with a couple of the brothers a quote from C.S. Lewis. I wondered 
how I was going to get it into a sermon, and I was able to do 
so. Listen to what Lewis says. Okay, 
here's where I want to caution all of us, not just the Jews, 
not just the Papists, not just the charismatics that have a 
propensity to add to the word, but you and I do too. Now, Lewis 
wrote this in a particular essay called The Humanitarian Theory 
of Punishment, if anybody's interested in searching that out. It's in 
the book God in the Dock, essays on politics and ethics, or ethics 
and politics. And he's specifically speaking 
to the civil state. He's talking about the government 
and the way that they deal with men. But I think there are ecclesiastical 
implications in this quote. I think that the church needs 
to guard against what the state is being warned against by Lewis 
in this particular situation. Because remember, when you and 
I add to the Word of God for the benefit of our brethren, 
we do it out of love. We do it out of a desire to see 
good in their hearts and lives, don't we? But our motivation doesn't justify 
our addition to Scripture. Please remember that. You may 
have in your head the desire to do good to your brother. If 
you add to God's Word, he's going to rebuke you and you're going 
to be found a liar. Here's Lewis, again, civil state, 
tyranny, and I'm not saying everything by C.S. Lewis is phenomenal. 
I think he had issues in his theology, but he's spot on here. He says, of all tyrannies, a 
tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be 
the most oppressive. It would be better to live under 
robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies." Again, civil 
state, but the church too. The robber baron's cruelty may 
sometimes sleep. His cupidity may at some point 
be satiated. But those who torment us for 
our own good will torment us without end. for they do so with 
the approval of their own conscience. They may be more likely to go 
to heaven, yet at the same time likelier to make a hell of earth. Their very kindness stings with 
intolerable insult." Again, you may not feel the full weight 
of that particular statement as applied to the civil sphere. 
You probably will eventually. But presently, just like you 
don't want the government involved in your life where God has not 
authorized them, neither do you want moral busybodies within 
the context of the church doing that either. Do not add to his 
words lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar. This is 
grave stuff. This is serious stuff. It's not 
just a Jew thing. It's not just a papist thing. 
It's certainly not just a charismatic thing, but it can be a reformed 
thing, too, when we are the moral busybodies that make laws over 
people where God never has. So brethren, please take this 
to heart, enjoy and delight in the entirety of God's Word and 
respond like the psalmist. Because it is truth, I love it. Well, let us pray. Our Father, 
we thank you for your Word. We thank you that every Word 
of God is pure. We thank you that you are a shield 
to those who put their trust in you and keep us from this 
grave sin of adding to that Word or taking away from it. but give 
us the grace to be obedient and to be submissive to that authoritative, 
infallible, and inerrant word of the living God. And grant 
us help to be faithful in our own society, help us to be faithful 
in our families and in our churches, and help us in all things to 
bring glory to you, our great God. We ask that you would go 
with us now. Please protect us and watch over 
us in this coming week. Keep us by your spirit, keep 
us by your truth. And we pray in Jesus' name, amen. We'll close with a brief time 
of meditation and then be dismissed.