Well, good morning everyone. My name's Steve. I haven't met you before. I'm the senior pastor here at St Paul's.
If you have just jumped in for the first time, we are just partway through a series in understanding the Bible,
growing confidence in the Bible in order that we might grow in confidence in the God who is the God of the Bible.
That's where we're up to right now. I'm going to pray that God might speak this morning, even as I struggle to.
Gracious God, we are grateful that we have this enormous privilege because of the shoulders that we stand on this morning
of those who have preserved for us your word so that it might in fact be in our laps in languages that we can understand.
Primarily, Lord, so that we might know you.
And so even as we engage with it now and even in my weakness, I pray that you would be clear and you would be strong
and that your word would come across as authoritative to us and that the result would be a greater and greater glimpse
of your magnificence and your glory and also a glimpse of our deep, deep need for you.
And we ask it for your sake. Amen.
So have you ever wondered if the Bible is really able to help you in your deepest problems?
Have you struggled to know what to do with your life and wish that you had had, you know, some special word from God,
clear word from God, special communication to tell you this is what you should do here?
Have you thought to yourself that as you look at the Bible and particularly the Bible's teaching on things like sexuality,
it kind of needs to be updated, there needs to be a revised version for the new modern era?
Have you ever wished for a more direct and even a more personal revelation
than what you might get from slowly and consistently reading the Bible?
Have you ever secretly wanted to add something to the Bible?
You've read something in there and you go, hang on a bit, I wish Paul had just clarified what he meant by that.
A little bit of extra information on that issue.
Have you ever secretly wanted to add something to the Bible just to make it in fact safer for your friends and family to read?
Have you ever wanted to take something away from the Bible so it doesn't offend your family and your friends?
If you have answered yes to any of those questions, and if you haven't, let me tell you, you will at some point in your life,
then you are struggling with what is known as the sufficiency of Scripture.
It's not unusual for Christians to know something, if you like, about the attributes of God,
you know, his justice, his mercy, so on and so forth.
On the other hand, what is not as commonly known amongst Christians are what are known as the attributes of Scripture,
the attributes of the Bible.
Protestant theologians generally highlight four essential characteristics of the Bible.
attributes of the Bible.
They are doctrines of the Bible.
The sufficiency of Scripture, the sufficiency, the clarity, the authority, and the necessity of Scripture.
Four of them.
Sufficiency, clarity, authority, and necessity.
Another way to put that is that God's Word is final.
God's Word is understandable.
God's Word is necessary.
And God's Word is enough, which is our topic for today.
I'm starting at kind of the end and working our way back over the coming weeks.
That's our topic today.
And I've got three points in terms of our topic today in terms of the Bible is enough,
the Bible's enough because Jesus is enough,
and then finally we're going to land on how Jesus and the Bible together are enough.
So starting of all the Bible is enough.
The sufficiency of Scripture means the Bible is clear enough to make us responsible
for carrying out our present responsibilities to our Creator.
That is, this particular teaching is an ethical teaching.
No one can say that God has not revealed himself enough in order to be saved or to live a life that is pleasing to him.
We don't need to add to it in any way in order to meet the challenges of the modern world,
or in fact to take away from it so that it aligns better with the priorities of the modern world.
God's Word is perfect and it is complete,
giving us all that we need to know about God, about Jesus, about salvation,
and living a life that's aligned to God's purposes.
If you want to specifically know what God's will is for your life,
it is already in the Scriptures.
And yet, this is the one attribute of all four,
the one attribute of the Bible,
that Bible-believing Christians are likely to forget the first.
It's the first one they're going to forget.
The sufficiency of the Bible is the one attribute
that is so quickly doubted or undermined by the average churchgoer.
It is possible, in fact, to say that all the right things about the Bible,
it's possible to read it regularly,
but when life gets tough,
when life gets confusing,
when life gets a little ho-hum,
a little boring,
we look for new words,
new revelation,
new experiences to bring us closer to God
or to get a sense that God loves me.
We may not feel excited at all
by the Bible's description of heaven,
but we are mesmeralized by the latest book
written by someone who has died
and said that they went there and have come back again
and told us about it.
We are captivated by that,
but not the Bible's description,
God himself and what he says about heaven.
We soak up stories of those who declare
that they've received a special revelation from God,
those who claim personal communication with God,
those who attest to regular inward promptings.
And we sit there and we go,
if only I could have more of that.
If only I could have that.
Something a little more than the Bible.
Then I would know that God really loves me.
But here's the issue.
And we're going to unpack this for the rest of this message.
The finality of Christ's redemption for us
on the cross for our sin
is intimately tied
to the finality of God's revelation to us.
Intimately tied.
Which leads me to my second point,
that Jesus is enough.
The big idea,
and we're going to turn to Hebrews chapter 1 here,
so grab up Hebrews chapter 1 in your Bibles.
The big idea in the first verses of Hebrews
is in fact the big idea of the entire book of Hebrews.
It's an introduction,
which then gets, if you like,
expanded upon through the rest of Hebrews.
And the big idea is that God has spoken by his son,
and his son is superior to all persons,
superior to all heavenly beings,
superior to all institutions,
superior to all rituals,
and any other means of revelation and redemption.
The first verses are here.
In the first two verses, we have contrasts.
In the past, God spoke to our ancestors
through the prophets at various times
and in various ways,
but in these last days,
he has spoken to us by his son,
whom he appointed heir of all things,
and through whom he also made the universe.
So those two verses,
we have four contrasts.
We have contrasts in eras,
recipients, agents,
and the way of God's revelation.
And all four contrasts
are meant to lead us to the same conclusion.
And that conclusion is decisively spelled out
in verses two to four.
And that conclusion is that Jesus Christ
is the superior and the final agent
of God's redemption and revelation.
The writer of Hebrews draws on Psalm 2 and Psalm 110
and makes seven affirmations to that end
in verses two to four.
The son is the heir of all things,
the creator of all things.
He's the sustainer of all things.
The son is the revelation of God.
The son made purification for our sins.
It says there,
the son sat down.
And let me just slow down on that one a little bit
because it's like,
what do you mean by the son sat down?
Just as a parent might sit down
at the end of the evening
because the kids are in bed,
the dishwasher's on.
And you go,
today my work is done.
That's what it means he sat down.
The work is done.
He's enthroned on high.
The work of revelation
and the work of redemption
is finalized and complete.
He sat down.
The task for sacrifice for sin
was complete in his death on the cross.
He is permanently enthroned.
And the seventh is in verse four.
The son therefore has become much superior
to the angels.
The whole theme of Hebrews
is that Jesus Christ
is the superior
and final agent
of God's redemption and revelation.
Chapters one and two,
he's superior to the angels.
Chapter three,
superior to Moses.
Chapter four,
sorry,
chapters three and four,
superior to Joshua.
Chapter five,
superior to Abraham.
Chapter six,
sorry,
Aaron.
Chapter six is Abraham.
Chapter seven is Melchizedek.
Chapter eight is the old covenant.
Chapter nine is the temple,
the tabernacle.
Jesus is superior to the high priest
in chapter 10.
He is the,
he's superior to all the treasures
of this world in chapter 11.
He is superior to God's revelation
of the Old Testament law
and Mount Sinai in chapter 12
as the gathering point of God's people.
And he is superior to any city
and any place in this world
that we might call home
in chapter 13.
Every single chapter.
is about the superiority
of Jesus Christ
as the final revelation
of redemption
and revelation of God.
He surpasses all others
because in him
we have the fullness
and the finality
of God's redemption
and revelation.
Jesus is enough
because he is superior
and the final agent
of God's redemption
and revelation.
And so the question
you might now have
is what has that got to do
with the sufficiency
of scripture?
And I'm so glad
you asked that question.
I'm so glad
I've got a third point.
Prior, you know,
prepared and ready
for this point.
Jesus with the Bible
are enough.
Or Jesus and the Bible
are enough.
A moment ago,
I said,
Jesus Christ
surpasses all others
because in him
we have the fullness
and the finality
of God's redemption
and revelation.
In many cases,
Christians understand
the concept of fullness.
Jesus is the fulfiller
of all the Old Testament
prophecies and promises.
He's the fulfiller
of the law.
We understand
that concept.
Everything in the Old Testament
is pointing to Jesus.
He has completed
all of its intention
and purpose.
The bit that we're often
not so clear on
is the bit
where I said finality.
The finality
of Jesus' work.
And we attach the idea
of the finality
of Jesus' work,
we understand that
in terms of
redemption.
But we don't connect
it to revelation often.
We struggle with
the sufficiency
of scripture.
The finality
of his work
was that he once
for all
paid for all sin.
He came to earth,
he lived amongst us,
he died on a Roman cross
and cried out
in his dying moments,
it is finished.
We're not waiting
for another king
to rule over us
or another prophet
to give us
some more information
or a further priest
to deal with our sin.
The work of redemption
is complete.
And what the book
of Hebrews says,
in fact,
what I declare
is the New Testament
and the Old Testament
as well,
you cannot separate
redemption
from revelation.
They're inseparable.
Both are finished
and finally fulfilled
in Jesus.
While the written
word of God,
the Bible,
which we have
in front of us,
and the word of God
made flesh,
the incarnate word
of God,
Jesus Christ,
are distinct,
they are also
inseparable.
every single act
of redemption
in the Bible,
from the exodus
out of Egypt
to the return
from exile
in Babylon
to the cross
itself
is an act
of revelation,
not just an act
of redemption.
They tell us
something about
the nature of sin,
the way of salvation,
and the character
of God.
Likewise,
the point of
all revelation
is to redeem.
That's the point
of it,
to redeem
sinful people
to God.
All the words
of the prophets,
all the words
of the law,
all the words
of the apostles
are not to make
us smart,
but to get
us saved
and into
the likeness
of Jesus
in his character
and his priority.
In other words,
redemption
reveals
and revelation
redeems.
They're
inseparable.
Jesus
is God's
full
and final
act
of redemption
and God's
full
and final
revelation
of himself.
As John
Frame has
written,
nothing can
be added
to his
redemptive
work and
nothing can
be added
to his
revelation
of that
redemptive
work.
Therefore,
and I think
this is more
of an
unbeknowing
issue
in that
we doctrinally
stumble into
error.
If we say
revelation
is not
complete,
we probably
are not aware
that what we
are automatically
doing is we're
saying that
redemption is
not complete.
One follows
the other.
If we say
there is more
that God
needs to
say to
me,
we're
saying
there is
more that
God needs
to do
for me.
That's
what we're
saying.
Now,
I'm not
saying that
God no
longer
speaks,
but we
must be
very careful
to understand
how God
speaks
now.
God
still speaks
through his
son,
Jesus
Christ.
Jesus
still works
through his
finished
revelation.
And God
keeps speaking
through what
he has
already
said.
That is
how he
speaks.
Hebrews 4
tells us,
sorry,
412 tells
us the
word of
God is
alive and
active.
And in
chapter 3
verse 7,
we are
told that
when the
scriptures are
read,
the Holy
Spirit
speaks.
God
continues to
communicate
with us
personally
and
directly.
But this
ongoing
communication
is never,
it is
never
ongoing
revelation.
It is
never
ongoing
revelation.
It is
never
new
information.
The
Holy
Spirit no
longer
reveals new
doctrines,
but as we
are told in
John's
gospel,
he takes
everything
from Christ
and impresses
it upon our
hearts.
In fact,
it is only
because the
Bible is
in fact
final and
complete
revelation
of God.
It is
only because
it is
complete
that we
can actually
have right
now a
dynamic
where God
continues to
speak to
us.
The
great
Anglican
18th
century
preacher
George
Whitfield
was one
of the
greatest
orators in
the history
of the
world,
still regarded
to this
day.
Phenomenal
voice.
Benjamin
Franklin,
having heard
him preach,
didn't believe
all the
rhetoric about
George
Whitfield,
about him
being able to
speak to
hundreds of
people.
He did his
own calculations
at an event
where Whitfield
was preaching
and calculated
in actual fact
this guy can
speak with
his own
natural voice
to 30,000
people.
Purely a gift
from God.
But George
and his
wife had
trouble with
having children,
had many
miscarriages
and they
ended up
having one
child and
he named
him John.
After John
the Baptist
and at one
of these
crowds,
gatherings,
when his
new infant
son was
born,
one of these
gatherings,
thousands of
people,
he publicly
declared that
God had
told him
to name
him John
because he
was going
to grow up
to be a
great preacher.
Their
only child
John died
at four
months of
age.
And in
the depths
of his
grief,
he had
realised that
he had
taken a
good and
natural
feeling in
his heart
and
something
that he
wanted for
his child
and he
deified it.
He made
it,
God
impressed
this on
me.
He
thought it
was God
telling him
something
rather than
the longing
of his
heart.
Now I'm
not saying
from that,
and he
actually had
to publicly
confess it,
I'm not
saying that
God cannot
lead you
through your
feelings or
through
impressions or
impulses,
but what I
am saying
is you
can never
make a
decision on
it.
Because you
can never
be sure.
And that's
why I
say that
churches who
have value
systems that
say we
are spirit
led and
Bible guided,
second point,
separate those
points,
are theologically
in error.
Because the
spirit works
through the
word,
the final
word of
God.
And even
in that
moment,
if you are
certain
that this
is God
leading you,
you will
still have
experiences like
George
Whitefield,
the Bible
is enough.
That's the
sufficiency of
scripture,
it is
enough.
And we
should see it
as enough.
Realistically,
it is enough.
If you're going
to have a
personal
relationship
with someone,
you have to
have words
that you
know are
actually from
that
someone.
You know,
you've ever
had the
issue online
where you're
communicating with
someone and
you're,
hang on a
bit,
am I
actually
communicating with
the person I
think I'm
communicating from?
You know,
I've received
emails from
people that I
know,
good friends
at the top,
in fact,
I've received
one this
morning.
This guy I
know from
history,
bang,
here's an
email from
him,
but it
happens to
be my
junk box.
Is it
truly him?
Turns out
it's not.
To have
an ongoing
personal,
you need
words that
correspond with
that person,
certainty.
There are
moments where
Nat and I
look at each
other and
we are
wordlessly
adoring each
other.
I think
that's what's
going on.
No,
it happens.
And the
only reason
that is the
case is
because we've
got 27
years of
talking to
each other.
You would
not have
that confidence
at all in
the relationship
if you just
got married and
they never
spoke.
Never have
confidence in
the relationship.
If we had
spent 27 years
just staring at
each other,
I'm pretty sure
we would still
not be together.
you need
actual
words
that you
are confident
are coming
from the
person in
order to
build a
dynamic of
relationship.
The very
first dynamic
of personal
relationship with
God is the
acceptance of
the fullness
and the
finality of
the Bible.
every single
word is a
word from
God to
you.
Every word.
But that's
not all.
Because when we
trust the Bible
like that,
it's not just a
book of true
facts about
God, like the
Guinness Book of
Records is a
book of facts.
It's not
personal in any
way.
Have a look
at Hebrews
4 verses
12 and
13.
For the word
of God is
alive and
active, sharper
than any
double-edged
sword.
It penetrates
even to
dividing soul
and spirit,
joints and
marrow.
It judges
the thoughts
and the
attitudes of
the heart.
Nothing in
all creation
is hidden
from God's
sight.
Everything
is uncovered
and laid
bare before
the eyes
of him to
whom we
must give
account.
It's
telling us
here,
that God's
word is
alive and
active.
It's dynamic.
It is
personal.
It's
personal.
Because when
God speaks,
action happens.
His word is
active.
When he
commands
light for
there to
be light,
light is
the consequence.
That is,
his word
is his
action.
If I
commanded in
a dark
room,
let there
be light,
I've then
got to
put action
to my
word.
I've
got to
go and
flick a
light switch
or put a
bulb in
or something
to make
light happen.
For God,
his word
is his
deed.
Which means
you cannot
have God
actively working
in your
life without
his word.
His word
is his
power.
His power
operates through
his word.
His word
is how
his power
operates in
our lives.
Every
single word
is personal,
dynamic,
penetrating,
just like a
surgeon's
scalpel.
Bible.
I remember
a few years
ago now
preparing a
sermon.
And the
topic I
was dealing
with on
that day
was looking
at respectable
sins and the
particular topic
was judgmentalism
that I was
preaching on.
And so I'm
writing this
sermon and
reading the
text.
And as
I'm doing
that, a
name kept
popping into
my head.
And I'm
getting out of
there.
Trying to
write a
sermon here.
Name keeps
popping in my
head.
And that
particular
person was
a person that
I considered
had sinned
against me in
this particular
way.
And then
all of a
sudden, as
I'm thinking
about them,
and I hope
they're going
to be there
on this
Sunday, or
that they
listen to
this, or
somehow get
it in their
lap, all of
a sudden the
scalpel fell.
And it
wasn't about
them, it
was actually
about me.
And the
word of God
convicted me in
quite a deep
way.
that I was
doing the
very thing
to them
that I was
considering they
were doing
to me.
I saw
the log in
my own
eye through
the work of
the Spirit
and comparison
to the speck
that was in
theirs.
It led to
repentance,
it led to
me contacting
that individual
and apologising,
and led to
gratitude
as I
reflected on
Jesus, was
the one who
in fact had
been judged
and condemned
by me for
me, so
that there is
no now, no
any longer,
any condemnation,
no longer any
judgement from
God towards
me.
the word of
God speaks
immediately,
it speaks
penetratingly,
it speaks
personally,
is what it
does.
That's the
dynamic of a
personal
relationship.
And for this
dynamic to
happen in
our lives,
we need to
accept it as
the final,
the full and
final revelation
of God,
and we need to
accept the bad
news that God
has to give
us.
Not just the
good news,
the word of
God has the
power to show
us things that
we don't want
to see or
accept in our
lives at all.
No one wants
to hear how
self-absorbed
they are.
Most of us
think that we're
really good
people, but
the Bible will
wipe us flat
on that point.
We don't want
to hear that.
In fact,
think about
your own
life.
Think about
my life.
Any personal
relationship that
has ever been
of any value
to me or
you is one
where the
other person
has had the
power to
confront us.
Any personal
relationship.
If we leave
out of the
Bible things
that we don't
like, how
will God
ever tell us
something that
we don't like
to hear for
our own
good?
Every single
one of my
closest friends,
every single
one of them,
has offended
me at some
point.
Every spouse
I've had
has offended
me at some
point.
That's only
one, by the
way, in case
you were...
What did he
say it like
that for?
Only as we
see the whole
Bible as
enough can
this happen.
However, it
is only as
we see the
Bible as
enough that
we accept it
fully, we'll
be able to
accept the
great things
that he wants
to tell us.
Until we
accept the
hard things,
we will not
be able to
accept the
great things.
1 John 3,
20, if our
hearts condemn
us, we know
that God is
greater than
our hearts,
and he knows
everything.
What words of
comfort is
there?
We don't
want to
believe what
the Bible
says about
how bad
we are,
and therefore
we will never
understand or
believe what
the Bible
says about
how much
we are loved
and affirmed
by God.
And unless
we are willing
to let the
Bible tell us
things about
our sin that
we don't want
to hear,
how will the
Bible ever
come in and
tell us
that we are
more loved
than we could
possibly imagine.
The Bible
alone, with
the work of
the Spirit, is
enough for a
dynamic, personal,
penetrating
relationship with
Jesus Christ, if
we accept it as
fully, full and
final.
Now, some of us
might be sitting
here and
going, Steve,
I've read the
Bible and I've
never had what
you've just
described.
Some others
know what I'm
talking about in
what I've just
said, but it's
been quite a
while since you've
had that kind of
dynamic.
The answer to
both, getting
it or getting
it back, is
not so much
getting your
doctrine of the
Bible straight.
That's not
really.
Don't study so
much the
attributes of
Scripture.
You study the
attributes of
God, is how
you get it
back.
get your
doctrine of
Jesus Christ
right, which
is why I spent
the most of
this talk on
the Bible about
the finality of
Christ's
revelation and
redemption.
The Bible is
not some
magical thing
that if I start
reading it, then
I'm automatically
going to experience
God's love.
To experience
God's love, we
have to understand
the main message
of the Bible.
Not just the
facts of the
Bible, not
just the
details, not
just the scope
of where the
bits fit.
You need to
know the main
message of
the Bible, which
is fundamentally
the gospel.
The main
message is that
the reason the
Bible is God's
final word is
because Jesus
Christ is
unsurpassable.
He is
supreme in
beauty and
majesty.
Supreme in
beauty and
majesty because
of who he is
and what he
has done.
He is the
radiance of
God's glory, the
exact representation
of his being.
He is God's
glory in human
form.
God's
God's glory in
the world.
He is the
God's glory in
the world.
He is the
glory in the
world.
Only as we see
this God
taking everything
that we deserve,
do we see his
beauty and the
Bible becomes a
living power in
our lives.
Only as we see
again and
again that
the perfect
one, the
one with
unsurpassable
radiance, was
pierced for
us.
Only then as we
see that again and
again and again
that he was
pierced for us,
will his word
ultimately pierce
our hearts.
firstś
as we
an
other
as we
use,
had to
talk about
us,
that 있기
he was
all
made
awesome
and
to
www.
datas
Luke
notices
that
we
see
that
what
all