Spiritual Warfare

If we are truly saved, we are one of God's people and we belong to the household of God, and must see one another as our true spiritual family. We are called to be a peculiar people who belong to Christ, not to this world, and that should affect how we think, live, dress, speak, and represent Him before others. The Bible warns us not to conform to the world or let its voices, friendships, and ideas steal our hearts away from God, but to stand with Christ and His people even when it brings reproach. We need to be challenged to choose, like Joshua and Moses, whether we will serve the Lord faithfully, bear His reproach, and let our light shine in these last days.

This is a passionate defense of the King James Bible as the preserved and purified Word of God, tracing its historical roots, manuscript lineage, and spiritual influence through history. Using Proverbs 30:5 and Matthew 4:4, the message emphasizes that every word of God matters and that the King James Bible stands apart because it was translated from the "pure" line of manuscripts preserved through Antioch and the Masoretic Hebrew texts, rather than the Alexandrian manuscripts connected to Egypt and later modern versions. Then we review the history of Bible translation, the work of men like Wycliffe, Erasmus, Tyndale, and the King James translators, and show that the Authorized Version is the culmination and purification of the English Bible. Abandoning the King James Bible for modern translations has weakened biblical authority, contributed to doctrinal confusion, worldly worship, moral decline, and spiritual compromise in churches. Believers must study the issue honestly for themselves, then stand firmly on the authority of the King James Bible without shame, and recognize its historic fruit in revival, holiness, worship, and the transformation of lives over the past four centuries. That is the only hope for any kind of true light or spiritual awakening as the world grows darker.

In this message, we consider what it means for the Word of God to be our true oracle—the place we go for truth, wisdom, guidance, and understanding. We see that all people seek answers somewhere, whether from God's Word or from false sources, but God has given us His Word as the only sure and holy voice to guide our lives. Looking at the history and fruit of the King James Bible, we're reminded that God has used it mightily for centuries through preaching, revival, missions, and changed lives. The takeaway is that we need to treasure our Authorized King James Version as the preserved Word of God, let it shape our thinking and speech, and put away every strange god (false oracle) that would deceive us about the truths of God.

What does it really mean to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ? The key word that runs through this chapter is believe — used seven times — because believing is the key that connects every promise Jesus makes to us. Now, believing isn't just accepting the historical facts about Jesus; it's a change that takes place in the deepest part of you, where Christ becomes what your life is about and makes you into a new creature. That comes about through the new birth. Jesus said, "...he that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also..." — and that word is shall, not will — meaning it's not optional or something you decide to do after you're saved; it's what becomes your nature when Christ is in you. He also promised that even after going to the Father, he would still be present with us, still working, and that "...if ye shall ask anything in my name, I will do it." But that promise is conditioned on our walking in his steps, keeping his commandments out of love, and living as his representatives in this world. The only way to really know what Jesus is like and examine whether you're truly like him, is to read and study the Word of God — particularly the Gospels — and let the Spirit of God bear witness with your spirit that you are truly his - or not.

The King James Bible stands apart from modern translations on two fronts. First, the modern degradation of English — through profanity, redefined vocabulary, and careless speech — has conditioned people to treat Scripture with the same casual attitude they treat language in general; higher standards of language are offensive to people who are profane, just as higher standards of morals are offensive to immoral people. The KJV's perceived difficulty does not stem from the text itself but from declining literacy and the removal of Scripture from homes, churches, and schools. Second, several specific literary and grammatical features make the KJV distinctively precise: Tyndale's Anglo-Saxon directness over more complicated Latin vocabulary, preserved Hebrew parallelism, single-syllable rhythmic cadence, and archaic forms used for elevation and solemnity. One of the most important and obvious advantages of the KJV, however, is the distinction between "thee and thou" and "ye" — demonstrated clearly through examples from John 3.3; 3:7, Luke 22:31-32, John 1:50-51, and countless other verses. This is not merely the style or custom of the language of that day, but critical to retaining what the original manuscripts said. The singular/plural second-person contrast carries genuine theological weight that modern translations, by collapsing everything into "you," render completely invisible to the reader.

Jesus teaches us clearly in John 14:9–14 that the works of God are a proper foundation for belief, and are the proper subject of a believer's testimony. Any of those who witnessed Jesus, or anyone who has read the Gospels, cannot help but recognize the Father working through Him. As believers today, we are largely failing to do what Jesus, Paul, Daniel, the Psalmist, and the crowds at Pentecost all did naturally, which is to openly declare what God has specifically wrought in our own lives. This silence is both a sin of omission and a primary reason for the spiritual deadness, lack of true worship, and children leaving the faith — because if the people around us cannot observe a genuine, ongoing work of God in our lives, we give them little reason to believe in God. We need to start forming habits of publicly giving thanks for God's specific dealings in our lives, and God will be glorified through His people.

The biggest struggle of every life is the fight to hold onto hope. Satan's greatest weapon against us is to deceive us into thinking that all hope is gone. He wears us down until discouragement and despair overwhelm us. Expectation is the object of hope, and when our expectations become unreachable, or even seem to, we quickly fall into despair. Earthly hopes in people, family, church, or circumstances often disappoint, but the believer's true hope must be anchored in God, not in this world. We have many good examples to look to from the Word of God to help us in this struggle to hold onto hope. Faith in God and love for others restores hope, while self-pity and despair come from looking too low, and forgetting about God. Then we also have the "blessed hope" of Christ's presence, His coming again, and the certainty that God will always make a way.

We are trying to explain how the King James Bible (KJV) came into being and why we believe it is important to understand its history, not just preach from it. This generation is far removed from those of times past who knew and understood where the Bible came from, and no longer automatically trusts the Bible, especially since they are so unfamiliar with it. The people of this generation are also under a lot of pressure to lay aside the King James Bible and take up one of the countless "versions" that are on the market, so teaching its background and history is very important, and should be visited often. The process and the motives that produced the KJV were vastly different from the way modern Bible translations came about. It came from the pure line of transcripts, while the modern versions ALL come from corrupt texts, and it came at the price of blood and much suffering. It was the greatest gift to the world that God has ever given, except his Son, who is the theme of the whole book.

Understanding the history behind the King James Bible requires patience, humility, an honest heart, and a broad view of God's work through time. The Scripture makes it clear that God is sovereign over rulers and nations, and often accomplishes His purposes through imperfect people, so the value of the King James Bible does not depend on King James, or any of the other men involved in it's development, being flawless men. Instead, the focus of our study should be on the remarkable providence of God in raising up a learned, capable king in a very turbulent time who desired to give his people the Word of God. If we desire to get at the truth, especially in this matter of the Scriptures, we must avoid the slander, the revision of history and oversimplified criticism, and instead recognize the King James Bible as a lasting gift of God's providence that has been changing the world for centuries.

The deepest need of every human heart is to truly know God the Father, and that this is only possible through Jesus Christ. Beneath all unbelief, rebellion, and false religion is an inescapable longing for God. Christ came to open the way through "the veil" so people can truly come to know the Heavenly Father, know He hears them, and live with peace and assurance in their hearts that all is well between them and the God who created them. Seek God sincerely through Christ, turn from your sin, and be born again. Then you can enter into a real relationship with Him before it is too late.