WEBVTT 00:00:00.840 --> 00:00:03.780 Well, good morning to all of you again. 00:00:04.139 --> 00:00:08.880 Happy Advent as we begin this season together. 00:00:10.560 --> 00:00:16.059 We are going to do something this morning when it comes to the sermon that's a bit of 00:00:16.059 --> 00:00:16.699 a bridge. 00:00:16.940 --> 00:00:23.420 We're going to look at a passage that is at the same time the end of our series that we've 00:00:23.420 --> 00:00:29.199 been doing on Scripture, but it also has some Advent themes, and so it'll sort of transition 00:00:29.199 --> 00:00:30.699 us into the Advent season. 00:00:31.699 --> 00:00:35.060 And if you'll notice, I'm a bit hoarse, so I'm going to do my best up here. 00:00:35.579 --> 00:00:40.539 It's not COVID, but I'm going to do my best up here, so bear with me. 00:00:40.759 --> 00:00:43.079 Hopefully, my voice will hold out. 00:00:43.500 --> 00:00:49.140 But we've been doing a series this fall looking at Scripture, and I think it's fair to say 00:00:49.140 --> 00:00:53.840 that most people have a fairly complicated relationship with Scripture, even people who 00:00:53.840 --> 00:00:55.799 have been Christians for a very long time. 00:00:55.799 --> 00:01:00.000 And so, we've been looking at some of the things that Scripture teaches about itself. 00:01:00.959 --> 00:01:05.060 For instance, we've seen that God's Word is clear, and it's meant to be understood. 00:01:06.019 --> 00:01:11.620 We've seen that God's Word is sufficient, that it gives us everything necessary for salvation 00:01:11.620 --> 00:01:12.599 and godliness. 00:01:13.299 --> 00:01:18.099 We've seen that Scripture is reliable, that we can actually count on this book that we 00:01:18.099 --> 00:01:21.979 have in our hand to be a reliable transmission of God's Word. 00:01:21.980 --> 00:01:24.260 We've seen that Scripture is even missional. 00:01:25.359 --> 00:01:29.900 And now, we come to the sort of final theme that we want to focus on, and so we're going 00:01:29.900 --> 00:01:34.740 to consider the authority of Scripture, the authority of Scripture. 00:01:35.740 --> 00:01:38.900 Christians believe that this book has authority. 00:01:40.380 --> 00:01:42.280 I've read a lot of great books in my life. 00:01:43.120 --> 00:01:45.080 I have my list of favorites, my top ten. 00:01:45.180 --> 00:01:45.960 It's always changing. 00:01:46.120 --> 00:01:47.240 Many of you love to read. 00:01:47.239 --> 00:01:51.199 A lot of great books that have inspired me, challenged me, books that I will remember 00:01:51.199 --> 00:01:52.319 for the rest of my life. 00:01:52.899 --> 00:01:55.439 But none of those books have authority the way this book does. 00:01:55.519 --> 00:01:59.859 This book has authority that is unique to these words. 00:02:00.439 --> 00:02:06.579 What that means is that unlike anything else ever written, this book has the final say on 00:02:06.579 --> 00:02:08.879 what is true, on what is real. 00:02:09.740 --> 00:02:11.240 So, it's not just advice. 00:02:11.680 --> 00:02:16.180 It's not just wisdom from the past that we take into consideration. 00:02:16.180 --> 00:02:25.140 This book is actually meant to rule the hearts and the minds and the bodies of God's people. 00:02:25.240 --> 00:02:27.060 We're meant to sit under it. 00:02:27.760 --> 00:02:32.080 And so, we're going to look at this this morning because I think of all of the topics that we've 00:02:32.080 --> 00:02:35.340 covered, this is where most people have the hardest time. 00:02:35.700 --> 00:02:43.920 The idea of any authority, much less the authority that we talk about being vested in this book, 00:02:43.919 --> 00:02:52.000 this book written thousands of years ago, the idea of that is absolutely ludicrous to modern ears. 00:02:52.439 --> 00:02:56.879 And I think it's a bit ludicrous to a lot of Christians, even if we don't admit it. 00:02:56.879 --> 00:03:01.599 It just doesn't jive with anything else that we take seriously in our culture. 00:03:01.719 --> 00:03:03.179 And so, we're going to look more at this. 00:03:03.479 --> 00:03:08.939 And we're going to do that by looking at this passage in 2 Peter chapter 1, verses 16 to 21. 00:03:09.219 --> 00:03:11.899 We're going to try to understand the authority of Scripture a little better. 00:03:11.900 --> 00:03:14.760 We're going to ask three questions as we look at this text. 00:03:15.260 --> 00:03:16.740 Where does this authority come from? 00:03:17.319 --> 00:03:19.340 What does it mean for us? 00:03:19.900 --> 00:03:21.219 And then why does it matter? 00:03:21.719 --> 00:03:22.659 Where does it come from? 00:03:22.719 --> 00:03:23.319 What does it mean? 00:03:23.680 --> 00:03:24.420 Why does it matter? 00:03:24.980 --> 00:03:25.599 Let's pray. 00:03:25.599 --> 00:03:37.859 Our Heavenly Father, we come this morning with all kinds of priorities, everything bidding for our attention, Lord. 00:03:37.979 --> 00:03:40.060 And these are good things. 00:03:40.180 --> 00:03:43.900 Many of them are things that we need to attend to at some point in our day or week. 00:03:43.959 --> 00:03:50.579 But now, Lord, we desire to turn our attention to You and to hear from You by looking at Your Word. 00:03:50.580 --> 00:03:56.840 And so, we pray that by Your grace, You would give us the ability to do that, that You would turn our hearts and minds toward You, 00:03:57.560 --> 00:04:04.040 that through Your wit and Word, we would hear Your voice, and that we would come face to face with Your living Word, Jesus Christ. 00:04:04.380 --> 00:04:05.820 And it's in His name that we pray. 00:04:06.380 --> 00:04:06.660 Amen. 00:04:06.659 --> 00:04:07.659 Amen. 00:04:08.460 --> 00:04:14.359 So, first of all, where does the authority that we talk about this book having, where does that authority come from? 00:04:15.280 --> 00:04:19.839 In 2 Peter 1, there's a theological debate happening. 00:04:20.819 --> 00:04:24.339 The second coming of Christ is being debated. 00:04:24.480 --> 00:04:26.620 See, this is where it ties in to Advent. 00:04:27.279 --> 00:04:31.180 They're debating whether or not the second coming of Christ is actually going to happen. 00:04:31.899 --> 00:04:33.360 Is it going to happen or not? 00:04:33.360 --> 00:04:37.000 On the one side of the debate are the false teachers. 00:04:37.439 --> 00:04:42.500 These are people who have come in, and they're essentially saying, this is a cleverly devised myth. 00:04:42.860 --> 00:04:46.639 People made this up, but clearly it's not actually going to happen. 00:04:47.300 --> 00:04:54.000 On the other side, Peter and the apostles are absolutely certain that Christ is going to return in glory. 00:04:54.100 --> 00:04:59.139 There's no doubt for them that this is actually going to happen, that as we celebrate this Advent season, 00:04:59.439 --> 00:05:02.400 our hope is placed in something real and true. 00:05:02.399 --> 00:05:04.379 Jesus is coming back. 00:05:05.479 --> 00:05:09.879 And so, we ask, well, why are they so sure that it's actually going to happen? 00:05:10.579 --> 00:05:11.979 And they give a two-part answer. 00:05:12.079 --> 00:05:16.679 In part, they're sure because some of them were there when Jesus was transfigured. 00:05:17.000 --> 00:05:20.099 They saw Him glorified with their own eyes. 00:05:20.100 --> 00:05:28.960 And so, they have reason by virtue of their eyewitness experience to believe that Jesus is who He says He is. 00:05:29.840 --> 00:05:32.740 But the other reason they give is the one we want to focus on. 00:05:32.879 --> 00:05:36.820 They say, you know, it's not only because we saw this happen on the mountain, 00:05:37.500 --> 00:05:41.939 but also because this is what Scripture says is going to happen. 00:05:42.040 --> 00:05:44.860 And if Scripture says it, it is therefore true. 00:05:44.860 --> 00:05:50.439 So, their response to the critics is essentially to say, the Bible tells me so. 00:05:51.819 --> 00:05:55.740 And that's the thing I want to focus on this morning, the authority of Scripture. 00:05:56.460 --> 00:06:03.720 What is our basis for believing that this book, that these words have authority in a way that no other writing has? 00:06:03.720 --> 00:06:08.420 In verses 20 and 21, Peter says this, 00:06:09.760 --> 00:06:14.040 No prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. 00:06:14.400 --> 00:06:19.320 In other words, these prophecies are not merely the product of people sitting around 00:06:19.320 --> 00:06:24.020 and trying to make sense of the times and trying to make predictions about what they think is going to happen. 00:06:25.060 --> 00:06:28.000 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, 00:06:28.000 --> 00:06:33.160 but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. 00:06:33.720 --> 00:06:40.720 He's saying that there's a category of writing, unlike other kinds of writing, that is set apart. 00:06:41.340 --> 00:06:47.740 Because unlike all other written documents, there are certain writings that are not merely the product of human beings. 00:06:48.300 --> 00:06:50.720 They're the product of God Himself. 00:06:51.840 --> 00:06:59.640 And this is a reference to what is popularly known as the doctrine of the divine inspiration of Scripture. 00:06:59.639 --> 00:07:03.019 And you know the word inspiration means breathed in. 00:07:03.659 --> 00:07:10.419 So, Christian theologians use this word to describe the idea that God has breathed His words into Scripture. 00:07:10.819 --> 00:07:14.259 The classic text for this is, of course, 2 Timothy 3.16. 00:07:14.639 --> 00:07:20.639 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness. 00:07:20.639 --> 00:07:25.740 You say, okay, well, that's a nice answer, but how does that actually work? 00:07:25.800 --> 00:07:30.500 How does God breathe His words into Scripture? 00:07:30.779 --> 00:07:33.139 That sounds like poetic imagery. 00:07:33.599 --> 00:07:40.979 And so, some people think that this works sort of like a form of divinely led dictation, 00:07:40.980 --> 00:07:46.939 where God is sort of going along, and He says, you know, there's something I want to say. 00:07:47.240 --> 00:07:52.400 And He sort of looks around, and He picks somebody, and He says, hey, you, grab a pen, take this down. 00:07:52.920 --> 00:07:55.500 And then the person sort of becomes like a vessel. 00:07:56.020 --> 00:08:00.319 You know, God sort of inhabits that person, and they become like a divine word processor, 00:08:00.319 --> 00:08:02.220 and they sort of channel God. 00:08:02.400 --> 00:08:08.280 And in that moment, they just sort of write what they are told to write by God verbatim. 00:08:08.279 --> 00:08:10.919 And then all of a sudden, God leaves them, and they say, what happened? 00:08:10.979 --> 00:08:13.000 And then they look down, and then there's this document, right? 00:08:13.299 --> 00:08:16.699 And a lot of people sort of imagine that's always what I thought growing up, 00:08:16.779 --> 00:08:19.959 as I heard about this doctrine in the church that I attended growing up. 00:08:19.979 --> 00:08:22.639 I always thought, well, God just maybe just takes people over. 00:08:24.899 --> 00:08:25.559 Now, you lie. 00:08:25.639 --> 00:08:27.719 I guarantee you some people in this room thought that. 00:08:27.759 --> 00:08:28.579 Maybe it was just me. 00:08:30.199 --> 00:08:34.699 That's called the doctrine of, or the idea of dictation. 00:08:34.700 --> 00:08:38.520 But as we look at the way Peter words it, that's not actually accurate. 00:08:39.320 --> 00:08:42.259 And it's actually very important that we understand this, 00:08:42.780 --> 00:08:45.000 because if we think of it in terms of dictation, 00:08:45.000 --> 00:08:47.420 that's going to lead us to all kinds of problematic areas, 00:08:47.600 --> 00:08:49.700 and I'll talk more about that in a moment. 00:08:50.180 --> 00:08:51.200 It's not actually accurate. 00:08:51.340 --> 00:08:53.740 Peter gives us a wonderful way of thinking about this. 00:08:53.740 --> 00:08:59.240 He says, human beings, as they write, are carried along by the Holy Spirit. 00:08:59.759 --> 00:09:03.180 Now, that same word shows up in Acts chapter 27. 00:09:03.179 --> 00:09:07.199 Paul and his companions are in a boat, and they all get into this boat, 00:09:07.299 --> 00:09:09.519 and they have in mind the direction that they want to go. 00:09:09.979 --> 00:09:13.559 And so they put up their sail, and they grab the tiller, 00:09:13.599 --> 00:09:15.120 and they say, we want to go in this direction. 00:09:15.659 --> 00:09:18.319 But then it says a strong wind comes up, 00:09:18.439 --> 00:09:21.759 and the wind carries them along in the opposite direction. 00:09:22.599 --> 00:09:22.919 Right? 00:09:22.959 --> 00:09:23.919 So they put up their sail. 00:09:24.039 --> 00:09:24.819 They grab the tiller. 00:09:24.859 --> 00:09:25.739 They want to go this direction, 00:09:25.859 --> 00:09:28.219 but the wind carries them along in this direction. 00:09:28.220 --> 00:09:34.740 And despite all of their efforts, at some point they just have to give up their attempts to fight the wind, 00:09:35.200 --> 00:09:38.560 and they have to allow the wind to carry them where it wants them to go, 00:09:38.620 --> 00:09:42.460 and ultimately where, as the story says, where God wants them to go. 00:09:43.600 --> 00:09:47.320 So this word is really important and evokes a very important image. 00:09:48.060 --> 00:09:50.680 Human authors are sort of like people in a boat. 00:09:50.679 --> 00:09:56.179 And they sit down to write, and they are in their particular place and time and context, 00:09:56.359 --> 00:09:58.679 and they have in mind the things that they want to say. 00:09:59.120 --> 00:10:02.839 But they sit down to write, and in a way they're putting up the sail, 00:10:03.120 --> 00:10:06.639 they're grabbing the tiller, they're saying, I want to write, I want to go in this direction. 00:10:08.120 --> 00:10:10.839 But then the Spirit of God carries them along. 00:10:12.019 --> 00:10:15.500 In other words, God sets the true course of their writing. 00:10:15.500 --> 00:10:23.820 What we have here is a kind of interplay between human and divine authorship. 00:10:24.440 --> 00:10:30.259 We have human beings genuinely speaking their own words in ways that reflect their family, 00:10:30.720 --> 00:10:34.200 their culture, their level of education, their environment, 00:10:34.639 --> 00:10:38.139 their personality quirks, their temperament, their limitations. 00:10:39.460 --> 00:10:45.240 But the words they use are also just those words that God wanted them to use. 00:10:45.500 --> 00:10:47.379 Because God is carrying them along. 00:10:48.580 --> 00:10:52.080 And you actually see this very clearly when you read the Bible. 00:10:52.179 --> 00:10:54.580 You see it in the Old Testament and the New Testament. 00:10:54.779 --> 00:10:57.059 I'll just give one example for the sake of time. 00:10:58.200 --> 00:11:01.700 Have you ever sat down to compare the four gospel accounts? 00:11:01.820 --> 00:11:03.460 These are the first four books of the New Testament. 00:11:04.480 --> 00:11:05.659 Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. 00:11:05.720 --> 00:11:09.419 And just to compare these four, they're all telling the same story. 00:11:09.799 --> 00:11:10.980 The story of Jesus. 00:11:10.980 --> 00:11:17.279 But what we see when we compare them are four very distinct styles of storytelling 00:11:17.279 --> 00:11:20.100 that reveal four different personalities. 00:11:21.139 --> 00:11:21.240 Right? 00:11:21.340 --> 00:11:25.899 So Matthew's gospel reveals a writer who is very precise. 00:11:26.539 --> 00:11:28.399 He's very detail-oriented. 00:11:28.820 --> 00:11:31.139 He has lots of lists and numbers. 00:11:31.320 --> 00:11:33.560 There's lots of symmetry and structure. 00:11:33.779 --> 00:11:36.120 A bit of a perfectionist, probably. 00:11:37.120 --> 00:11:37.320 Right? 00:11:37.360 --> 00:11:38.759 Now, some of you resonate with that. 00:11:38.759 --> 00:11:40.759 You're like, man, I like that style of writing. 00:11:41.379 --> 00:11:41.539 Right? 00:11:42.139 --> 00:11:43.600 Mark is very different. 00:11:44.379 --> 00:11:48.620 Mark is written by someone who is straight to the point, who is action-oriented, 00:11:48.819 --> 00:11:51.439 who doesn't waste time, who doesn't mince words. 00:11:52.019 --> 00:11:55.159 And honestly, he uses relatively poor grammar. 00:11:56.460 --> 00:12:01.879 Now, you say, well, is God just having a bad day and God made some grammatical errors? 00:12:01.879 --> 00:12:02.240 No. 00:12:02.700 --> 00:12:05.799 Mark did, as he was carried along by the Holy Spirit. 00:12:06.399 --> 00:12:06.500 Right? 00:12:06.679 --> 00:12:10.220 Luke's writing, unlike Mark, is elegant. 00:12:11.220 --> 00:12:11.679 Right? 00:12:11.779 --> 00:12:15.299 It reflects his Greek liberal arts background. 00:12:16.220 --> 00:12:22.480 It reflects a man who is deeply compassionate and cares deeply about the poor and the vulnerable. 00:12:23.120 --> 00:12:28.340 His writing also includes details only a physician would notice. 00:12:28.460 --> 00:12:28.799 Why? 00:12:28.799 --> 00:12:30.759 Because he was a physician. 00:12:31.479 --> 00:12:33.279 We learn about that in Colossians, right? 00:12:33.979 --> 00:12:36.839 John, by contrast, has a very literary mind. 00:12:37.479 --> 00:12:40.879 John sees types and symbols in everything. 00:12:41.339 --> 00:12:42.539 John loves irony. 00:12:42.699 --> 00:12:43.699 He loves paradox. 00:12:44.039 --> 00:12:45.399 He loves double meanings. 00:12:45.399 --> 00:12:55.360 We have four distinct human personalities fully represented in the writing, all four carried along by the Holy Spirit. 00:12:56.220 --> 00:13:03.919 And what this means for us, by the way, is that we get to view Jesus through four distinct human lenses. 00:13:03.919 --> 00:13:14.319 And as I describe those personality types, there's probably one that you resonate with more than the others because of the way God has wired you. 00:13:14.320 --> 00:13:20.320 And what this does is it gives us a rich, multi-layered, highly nuanced view of Jesus. 00:13:20.560 --> 00:13:28.100 It's a kind of four-dimensional view of Jesus that goes way beyond anything that a single writer ever could have accomplished. 00:13:28.100 --> 00:13:37.460 And what we're meant to do is to take these layers of story and layer them one on top of another and then look down through them. 00:13:37.899 --> 00:13:41.920 And you see this incredible portrait of Jesus that just leaps off the page. 00:13:43.200 --> 00:13:45.420 Well, then, what does that mean? 00:13:45.480 --> 00:13:46.540 Does the Bible have errors? 00:13:46.659 --> 00:13:48.259 And then their faith starts to crumble down. 00:13:48.420 --> 00:13:51.100 And they begin to say, well, if the Bible has errors, then it can't be inspired. 00:13:51.720 --> 00:13:53.340 And if it's not inspired, then it doesn't have authority. 00:13:53.340 --> 00:13:55.480 And if it doesn't have authority, then I can't believe any. 00:13:55.540 --> 00:13:56.800 Well, how do I know if any of it's true? 00:13:58.940 --> 00:14:04.139 But if we remember that the authors are fully human, that's no longer an issue. 00:14:04.960 --> 00:14:10.519 We recognize that certain authors, because of their personality, simply aren't concerned with chronology. 00:14:11.340 --> 00:14:15.899 So certain authors are ordering their events thematically, topically. 00:14:16.180 --> 00:14:21.259 They're trying to make thematic points rather than give a chronologically accurate account. 00:14:21.259 --> 00:14:29.580 So we have to hold on to the human element, realize who we're dealing with, actual human beings with styles of writing, right? 00:14:29.879 --> 00:14:37.179 But if we deny the divine element, which other people are inclined to do, that's common and typically in more progressive circles, 00:14:37.539 --> 00:14:39.360 we're going to also run into problems. 00:14:40.059 --> 00:14:44.240 For example, if we don't like something that Paul says, for instance, 00:14:44.240 --> 00:14:49.659 we can't just write Paul off as a misogynist and a bigot and say, 00:14:49.799 --> 00:14:54.320 well, these parts of Scripture are divinely inspired, but not that part that Paul wrote. 00:14:54.440 --> 00:14:57.480 He's clearly a bigot, so we're going to ignore that part. 00:14:58.080 --> 00:14:58.960 We can't do that. 00:14:59.320 --> 00:15:03.539 Because Paul, though fully human, was carried along by the Holy Spirit, 00:15:04.240 --> 00:15:08.180 meaning the Holy Spirit led Paul to write what God had intended us to hear. 00:15:08.179 --> 00:15:14.539 Right, so in answer to our first question, where does the authority of Scripture come from? 00:15:14.799 --> 00:15:18.299 All authority ultimately rests with God. 00:15:19.239 --> 00:15:26.459 But Scripture is God-breathed, meaning God has, in a sense, delegated His authority to this writing, 00:15:26.719 --> 00:15:29.239 which makes this book utterly unique. 00:15:30.059 --> 00:15:31.279 That's our first question. 00:15:32.359 --> 00:15:33.839 Now, what does that mean? 00:15:33.840 --> 00:15:36.899 What does that mean for us? 00:15:37.700 --> 00:15:41.220 What does that mean for me as I'm sitting down early in the morning, 00:15:41.360 --> 00:15:44.980 and I'm opening this book, and I'm reading whatever my reading is for the day? 00:15:45.200 --> 00:15:48.879 What does that mean for me in that moment as I read those words? 00:15:50.120 --> 00:15:55.259 Peter says in verse 19 that Scripture is like a lamp illuminating the darkness. 00:15:56.899 --> 00:15:58.500 In other words, we live in a world of darkness. 00:15:58.660 --> 00:16:00.800 God has given us a lamp to live by. 00:16:00.879 --> 00:16:01.700 This is our lamp. 00:16:01.700 --> 00:16:04.700 Without it, we would be engulfed in darkness. 00:16:05.100 --> 00:16:08.520 So the whole course of our lives needs to be governed by Scripture. 00:16:08.740 --> 00:16:10.460 Otherwise, we are walking in darkness. 00:16:11.640 --> 00:16:13.720 You say, okay, well, how does that actually work? 00:16:14.379 --> 00:16:16.100 How do I apply that to my life? 00:16:17.560 --> 00:16:18.820 Well, it seems pretty straightforward. 00:16:19.800 --> 00:16:20.780 Just do what the Bible says. 00:16:22.840 --> 00:16:23.200 Right? 00:16:23.280 --> 00:16:23.759 End of sermon. 00:16:24.740 --> 00:16:25.960 Do what the Bible says, right? 00:16:28.140 --> 00:16:29.200 Have you ever tried that? 00:16:29.200 --> 00:16:32.960 I mean, you don't have to raise your hand, but have you ever actually tried that? 00:16:33.660 --> 00:16:38.320 I'm not talking about just doing what a certain passage in the New Testament says. 00:16:39.440 --> 00:16:41.800 I'm talking about have you ever tried to do what the whole Bible says? 00:16:44.060 --> 00:16:45.960 Have you ever done it in a non-selective way? 00:16:45.960 --> 00:16:52.519 Have you ever come across books like A Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs? 00:16:53.460 --> 00:16:56.700 Or A Year of Biblical Womanhood by the late Rachel Held Evans? 00:16:57.440 --> 00:17:01.519 If you've ever read either of those books, you'll start to see what I'm getting at. 00:17:01.960 --> 00:17:08.840 Both of these books came out of the author's attempts to read and obey everything in the Bible for a year. 00:17:09.759 --> 00:17:09.880 Right? 00:17:10.039 --> 00:17:13.140 Slightly different emphases, but both books are essentially based on the same premise. 00:17:13.140 --> 00:17:20.280 Jacobs actually extracted, before he began his project, he read the Bible beginning to end, 00:17:20.320 --> 00:17:24.680 and he extracted over 700 rules to live by. 00:17:25.440 --> 00:17:31.160 Now, they both take a very literal, wooden approach to interpretation, 00:17:31.620 --> 00:17:33.640 and that makes for a very entertaining read. 00:17:33.720 --> 00:17:37.660 And certainly that's a part of the hope there is, you know, books are, you know, 00:17:37.720 --> 00:17:40.460 they want to make their books entertaining. 00:17:40.460 --> 00:17:48.960 For example, Evans read Proverbs 31, 23, which says that a virtuous woman's husband is respected at the city gate. 00:17:49.279 --> 00:17:54.299 So, she makes a poster about her husband, Dan, that says, Dan is awesome. 00:17:54.680 --> 00:17:58.860 And she goes to the entrance to her town where the sign that says, 00:17:59.200 --> 00:18:00.539 Welcome to wherever in Tennessee. 00:18:00.819 --> 00:18:03.759 And she holds up this sign for a half hour on the side of the road. 00:18:04.079 --> 00:18:04.819 Dan is awesome. 00:18:04.819 --> 00:18:05.619 Right? 00:18:05.700 --> 00:18:10.079 Now, that's funny, but obviously we know that's not actually what the passage means. 00:18:10.200 --> 00:18:15.819 In the ancient world, the city gate was the place where the most influential people would gather, 00:18:15.899 --> 00:18:16.939 like the town elders. 00:18:17.159 --> 00:18:23.519 And so, what that passage actually means is a husband who is well-respected in the community. 00:18:23.859 --> 00:18:24.059 Right? 00:18:24.639 --> 00:18:29.700 But these books actually do highlight a problem that we all need to wrestle with. 00:18:29.700 --> 00:18:35.200 Many Christians believe correctly that we should live under the authority of Scripture, 00:18:35.440 --> 00:18:38.500 but we don't actually know how to put that into practice. 00:18:39.460 --> 00:18:41.799 Because even with good interpretation, 00:18:42.700 --> 00:18:49.420 most of the Bible is not a list of rules, regulations, or creeds to affirm. 00:18:51.080 --> 00:18:51.480 Right? 00:18:51.480 --> 00:18:55.299 I can imagine maybe living under the authority of the Ten Commandments. 00:18:56.839 --> 00:18:59.819 Maybe parts of the New Testament, places where Jesus is teaching. 00:19:00.360 --> 00:19:01.900 But what about all the rest of it? 00:19:02.759 --> 00:19:02.920 Right? 00:19:03.019 --> 00:19:05.339 How do you live under the authority of the book of Judges? 00:19:07.220 --> 00:19:08.200 What does that mean? 00:19:08.860 --> 00:19:10.759 If you happen to be there and you're devotional. 00:19:11.779 --> 00:19:12.120 Right? 00:19:12.160 --> 00:19:12.839 So, what do we do? 00:19:14.099 --> 00:19:19.839 Well, most of the time we end up extracting rules or principles like Jacob's did, 00:19:19.839 --> 00:19:22.459 and then living under those. 00:19:23.579 --> 00:19:26.899 But the problem with that, you see, is that if we do that, 00:19:26.959 --> 00:19:29.779 if I read the book of Judges, 00:19:29.819 --> 00:19:32.220 and then I pull out some rules to live by, 00:19:33.139 --> 00:19:35.759 you know, maybe not principles for leadership, 00:19:35.980 --> 00:19:37.399 but maybe some other kind of rules, 00:19:37.819 --> 00:19:39.119 and I pull those out and I live by that, 00:19:39.159 --> 00:19:41.480 I'm not actually living under the authority of Scripture, am I? 00:19:42.679 --> 00:19:47.339 I'm actually living under a list of rules that I have derived from Scripture. 00:19:47.779 --> 00:19:48.740 It's something else. 00:19:48.740 --> 00:19:50.880 And here's the problem with that, 00:19:50.920 --> 00:19:53.900 and this is the critique that comes from N.T. Wright. 00:19:54.839 --> 00:20:00.680 This whole approach implies that God has somehow given us the wrong sort of book, 00:20:01.380 --> 00:20:08.920 and that it's up to us to turn it into the right sort of book that we can then live by. 00:20:10.380 --> 00:20:13.859 And so that, according to Wright, is in fact a low view of Scripture. 00:20:13.859 --> 00:20:16.359 It's a low view of inspiration. 00:20:17.799 --> 00:20:26.219 A high view of Scripture would respect the fact that most of what is in here is not rules or creeds. 00:20:26.479 --> 00:20:27.459 It is stories. 00:20:27.460 --> 00:20:33.440 A high view of Scripture would recognize and respect the fact that God has given us, 00:20:33.960 --> 00:20:36.319 at the end of the day, a story. 00:20:37.319 --> 00:20:42.579 Or more accurately, stories within stories within stories within a grand story, 00:20:42.840 --> 00:20:46.420 a grand narrative that claims to be the story of history, 00:20:46.700 --> 00:20:48.880 the true story of history, salvation history. 00:20:48.880 --> 00:20:51.160 That is what God has given us. 00:20:51.340 --> 00:20:52.840 That is what God inspired. 00:20:53.240 --> 00:20:57.040 That is what He breathed His Spirit into, this grand story. 00:20:58.600 --> 00:20:59.040 Right? 00:20:59.100 --> 00:21:00.860 And so a high view of Scripture would ask, 00:21:01.020 --> 00:21:03.880 how does someone live under the authority of a story? 00:21:04.440 --> 00:21:06.040 And that is the real question. 00:21:07.420 --> 00:21:07.560 Right? 00:21:07.640 --> 00:21:08.560 Wright says this. 00:21:09.840 --> 00:21:11.180 Here's the example that he gives. 00:21:11.180 --> 00:21:15.299 We ask the question, how do I live under the authority of a story? 00:21:15.400 --> 00:21:20.060 He says, well, imagine we found a lost Shakespearean play. 00:21:20.920 --> 00:21:25.259 And imagine we found this Shakespearean play, but it was left unfinished. 00:21:25.980 --> 00:21:30.820 We only have the first four acts, but the fifth act is missing. 00:21:32.100 --> 00:21:35.160 And imagine we read the play, and it's the best play we've ever, 00:21:35.220 --> 00:21:38.500 it's the best of his works, and we decide we want to put this play on. 00:21:38.580 --> 00:21:39.779 We want to perform this play. 00:21:39.779 --> 00:21:41.359 What would we do? 00:21:41.440 --> 00:21:45.119 Well, we would have to call in some well-trained Shakespearean actors, 00:21:45.359 --> 00:21:47.039 and what would they have to do? 00:21:47.299 --> 00:21:52.119 They would have to put themselves under the authority of the first four acts. 00:21:52.759 --> 00:21:56.599 They would have to learn that story inside and out, internalize it. 00:21:56.799 --> 00:22:01.180 Every nuance, every twist, every turn, every theme would have to be internalized. 00:22:01.579 --> 00:22:04.700 And once they lived under the authority of those first four acts, 00:22:05.019 --> 00:22:08.819 they would then have to improvise the fifth and final act. 00:22:08.819 --> 00:22:13.799 And what you would need to have for it to be faithful to Shakespeare is two things. 00:22:14.079 --> 00:22:18.559 You would need to have continuity, so that it connects with the first four acts, 00:22:18.899 --> 00:22:21.419 but also improvisation. 00:22:22.119 --> 00:22:29.119 Because they are truly and really creating something new, improvising a fifth act. 00:22:29.119 --> 00:22:33.979 And if you could have both, then you would be able to complete the play. 00:22:33.980 --> 00:22:41.799 So, this is the way that right encourages us to think about Scripture. 00:22:42.220 --> 00:22:44.240 Take that idea and apply it to Scripture. 00:22:44.779 --> 00:22:48.640 It is as though God has given us the first four acts of a play. 00:22:49.640 --> 00:22:51.460 Creation, Act 1. 00:22:53.200 --> 00:22:54.640 Fall, Act 2. 00:22:55.460 --> 00:22:58.579 The story of Israel, Act 3. 00:22:58.579 --> 00:23:02.399 And ultimately, the story of Jesus, Act 4. 00:23:03.099 --> 00:23:05.480 But the fifth act is incomplete. 00:23:07.000 --> 00:23:11.480 We only have scene one of Act 5. 00:23:12.339 --> 00:23:13.899 The Holy Spirit has come. 00:23:15.079 --> 00:23:17.539 Jesus has risen and overcome death. 00:23:18.220 --> 00:23:20.519 The gospel is beginning to go out into the world. 00:23:20.519 --> 00:23:24.519 The church has been established and is beginning to grow. 00:23:24.720 --> 00:23:26.039 And people are coming to faith. 00:23:26.720 --> 00:23:29.859 The walls between Jews and Gentiles have come crashing down. 00:23:29.940 --> 00:23:35.019 And we see people from every tribe and tongue and nation beginning to come into the church 00:23:35.019 --> 00:23:36.359 through the preaching of the gospel. 00:23:36.359 --> 00:23:43.039 But it is left up to us to live out this fifth and final act. 00:23:43.819 --> 00:23:51.979 We have some guidance from the apostles in the New Testament on how to live, on how the church should function. 00:23:52.639 --> 00:23:56.319 And we also have previews of how the story is going to end. 00:23:57.459 --> 00:23:57.740 Right? 00:23:57.819 --> 00:24:00.919 We have a vision of the new heavens and the new earth. 00:24:00.920 --> 00:24:04.279 We see a world where justice and peace reign. 00:24:04.460 --> 00:24:07.800 Where people from every tribe, tongue, and nation are praising the Lord. 00:24:07.920 --> 00:24:09.800 Where every tear is wiped away. 00:24:10.019 --> 00:24:11.800 Where death is no more. 00:24:12.080 --> 00:24:13.560 Where all things are made new. 00:24:13.620 --> 00:24:16.340 We see these previews of the end of the story. 00:24:16.880 --> 00:24:20.940 But the rest of Act 5 has yet to be written. 00:24:22.200 --> 00:24:25.560 And it's up to us to live out this fifth and final act. 00:24:25.560 --> 00:24:29.060 In order for us to do that faithfully, it would require the same two things. 00:24:29.059 --> 00:24:32.139 Continuity and improvisation. 00:24:33.059 --> 00:24:37.440 We would have to place ourselves under the authority of this story. 00:24:37.559 --> 00:24:42.179 Which means immersing ourselves in it deeply until we internalize it. 00:24:42.500 --> 00:24:46.839 Until it reforms and reshapes the way we think and the way we feel and the way we act. 00:24:47.559 --> 00:24:51.500 That would require a deep understanding of every word in Scripture. 00:24:51.700 --> 00:24:52.519 Every nuance. 00:24:52.960 --> 00:24:53.839 Every detail. 00:24:53.839 --> 00:25:01.679 It would require a lifetime of reading and studying and telling and retelling the story over and over and over. 00:25:04.099 --> 00:25:10.039 But the more we do that, the more it would set us free to improvise. 00:25:10.039 --> 00:25:16.200 To live a faithful improvisation. 00:25:17.720 --> 00:25:22.639 That maintains continuity with the story that came before us. 00:25:23.440 --> 00:25:27.539 That aligns with and points to the hope that awaits us. 00:25:29.279 --> 00:25:31.079 Continuity and improvisation. 00:25:31.079 --> 00:25:37.779 Continuity and just as the Holy Spirit carried the biblical authors along as they wrote. 00:25:38.720 --> 00:25:42.539 It would mean that we would have to trust that the Holy Spirit would carry us along. 00:25:43.279 --> 00:25:46.839 As we write the fifth and final act with our very lives. 00:25:46.839 --> 00:26:02.379 That I would suggest is a better way of thinking about what it means to live under the authority of the Scripture that God has breathed His authority into. 00:26:04.059 --> 00:26:07.859 There's one final question that we need to ask with the few minutes we have remaining. 00:26:09.319 --> 00:26:10.740 And that's why does this matter? 00:26:10.740 --> 00:26:18.559 Because none of what I've said up to this point matters if we don't actually want to live under the authority of Scripture. 00:26:19.180 --> 00:26:19.420 Right? 00:26:19.500 --> 00:26:28.099 Why would we allow an ancient book, even if it's an ancient story, to have the final say over every area of our lives? 00:26:29.380 --> 00:26:32.259 Verse 19 points us to the only reason we would. 00:26:33.019 --> 00:26:34.519 The only reason anybody would. 00:26:34.519 --> 00:27:04.500 The only reason we would. 00:27:04.519 --> 00:27:06.579 This is talking about the second coming of Christ. 00:27:07.279 --> 00:27:08.779 The morning star rising. 00:27:09.099 --> 00:27:09.859 Jesus coming. 00:27:10.460 --> 00:27:11.519 Illuminating everything. 00:27:13.240 --> 00:27:15.619 Heralding the coming of dawn and the new creation. 00:27:17.379 --> 00:27:24.019 But also, in a sense, it is talking about a process that is ongoing in the hearts of all believers. 00:27:24.019 --> 00:27:29.259 As Jesus Christ, like the morning star rises in our hearts. 00:27:29.779 --> 00:27:31.339 As He ascends. 00:27:31.900 --> 00:27:35.500 As He gains and establishes preeminence over all things. 00:27:36.359 --> 00:27:39.440 The morning star is rising in the hearts of His people. 00:27:40.379 --> 00:27:43.579 We don't believe in Jesus because of the Bible. 00:27:43.980 --> 00:27:45.379 It's the other way around. 00:27:45.380 --> 00:27:48.000 We actually believe in the Bible because of Jesus. 00:27:48.640 --> 00:27:53.340 We believe in the Bible because the morning star is rising in our hearts. 00:27:54.060 --> 00:27:58.740 The plain fact is that no one held a higher view of Scripture than Jesus Himself. 00:27:59.720 --> 00:28:05.840 When He was in the wilderness being tempted by Satan, He responds by quoting Deuteronomy 8.3. 00:28:05.839 --> 00:28:11.819 He says, man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. 00:28:14.339 --> 00:28:20.279 So, in Jesus' view, Scripture is words that have come from the mouth of God. 00:28:21.559 --> 00:28:24.119 And when you look at His ministry, He knew Scripture by heart. 00:28:24.240 --> 00:28:25.879 He quoted it all throughout His ministry. 00:28:25.880 --> 00:28:31.840 In every time of testing, trial, suffering, even at the moment of His death, He was quoting Scripture. 00:28:33.360 --> 00:28:37.500 He saw His entire mission as not doing away with Scripture, but fulfilling it. 00:28:37.880 --> 00:28:40.600 Fulfilling every jot and tittle, everything that had been written. 00:28:41.400 --> 00:28:42.980 He saw as His mission to fulfill. 00:28:43.940 --> 00:28:48.700 He even defines what it means to be His disciple as abiding in His words. 00:28:48.800 --> 00:28:49.520 John 8.31. 00:28:49.800 --> 00:28:52.100 If you abide in My word, you're truly My disciples. 00:28:53.160 --> 00:28:55.120 So, this is how Jesus viewed the Bible. 00:28:55.119 --> 00:28:57.419 And this is something that I've come back to again and again and again. 00:28:58.059 --> 00:29:02.799 If we believe in Jesus, then it means believing what Jesus believed about Scripture. 00:29:03.539 --> 00:29:06.359 If we don't like it, we have to take it up with Him. 00:29:08.179 --> 00:29:09.259 But here's the thing. 00:29:10.639 --> 00:29:14.559 Once we begin to read the story of Scripture for ourselves, 00:29:15.019 --> 00:29:19.699 if you are someone who has come to faith, the morning star is rising in your heart, 00:29:20.059 --> 00:29:23.979 God has given you the Holy Spirit, and you begin to read the story of Scripture, 00:29:23.980 --> 00:29:26.240 Scripture, something actually begins to happen. 00:29:26.240 --> 00:29:28.460 The more we read it, guess what? 00:29:28.660 --> 00:29:30.779 The more it begins to read us. 00:29:31.940 --> 00:29:36.319 We read Act I, creation, the way things should be, 00:29:36.599 --> 00:29:42.079 and something in us stirs because we long for such a world where there's no pain or death. 00:29:43.519 --> 00:29:46.599 It says when somebody dies and you grieve, you're right. 00:29:46.740 --> 00:29:47.940 It shouldn't be this way. 00:29:47.940 --> 00:29:49.820 I knew it. 00:29:50.559 --> 00:29:52.140 Scripture is speaking truth to me. 00:29:52.820 --> 00:29:59.140 We read Act II, the fall, and we reluctantly admit that we're not the good, upright people we like to think we are. 00:29:59.700 --> 00:30:05.640 We know deep down that something is wrong in the world and something is wrong in me, 00:30:05.740 --> 00:30:09.100 and maybe no one else had the courage to tell me, but Scripture does. 00:30:09.660 --> 00:30:11.140 It's speaking truth to me. 00:30:11.140 --> 00:30:17.960 We read the story of Israel and all of their attempts, all of their desires to be faithful, 00:30:18.340 --> 00:30:23.940 people who despite all of their good intentions and learning and effort cannot save themselves. 00:30:24.100 --> 00:30:30.080 They again and again and again go after idols, and reluctantly we admit we see ourselves in that story. 00:30:30.759 --> 00:30:32.660 We say that's me and my job. 00:30:32.840 --> 00:30:34.340 That's me with my family. 00:30:34.460 --> 00:30:36.160 That's me with food. 00:30:36.280 --> 00:30:37.400 That's me with approval. 00:30:37.400 --> 00:30:42.580 I know I want to worship the Lord, but I keep getting torn away, and I keep going after other lesser things. 00:30:43.380 --> 00:30:44.860 I see myself in that story. 00:30:45.100 --> 00:30:46.240 Scripture is speaking truth. 00:30:47.420 --> 00:30:51.740 And then we see a God who, despite all the rejection and disobedience of His people, 00:30:52.040 --> 00:30:57.480 sets a plan in motion to ultimately save and restore His people, His creation, 00:30:58.100 --> 00:31:00.860 at the cost of the life of His only begotten Son. 00:31:02.120 --> 00:31:04.360 And then we read about the resurrection of God's Son, 00:31:04.359 --> 00:31:08.879 and how He ascended to the throne of heaven and now sits as the rightful King of all creation, 00:31:09.179 --> 00:31:11.299 and how He's calling all people to Himself, 00:31:11.719 --> 00:31:13.379 and how He sets out to heal the world. 00:31:15.740 --> 00:31:18.579 You know, and at some point the morning star begins to rise, 00:31:19.539 --> 00:31:22.099 and we say, I want to be a part of that story. 00:31:24.199 --> 00:31:26.240 I want to be in that story. 00:31:26.299 --> 00:31:27.439 I want that to be my story. 00:31:28.139 --> 00:31:29.659 I want to have that kind of hope. 00:31:30.379 --> 00:31:32.079 I want to love and serve that King. 00:31:32.079 --> 00:31:33.199 I've never met anyone like Him. 00:31:33.200 --> 00:31:38.299 And you begin to see the real point here, friends, 00:31:38.480 --> 00:31:41.279 that the authority of Scripture is not a burden. 00:31:42.200 --> 00:31:44.680 It's not something that can or should ever be forced on anyone. 00:31:46.900 --> 00:31:47.759 It's a gift. 00:31:50.019 --> 00:31:51.120 It's an invitation. 00:31:51.920 --> 00:31:52.980 It's a way out. 00:31:54.019 --> 00:31:57.200 You know, those of us who live under our own authority for long enough, 00:31:57.279 --> 00:31:59.279 we begin to realize, oh my gosh, my life. 00:31:59.279 --> 00:32:03.039 When it's in my hands, it doesn't make sense. 00:32:03.119 --> 00:32:03.859 It falls apart. 00:32:04.460 --> 00:32:08.779 Those of us who live under the authority of Scripture for long enough begin to realize something about it, 00:32:09.160 --> 00:32:11.559 that this is the way to find freedom in life. 00:32:12.819 --> 00:32:15.079 And so we do it not because anyone forced us to, 00:32:16.139 --> 00:32:19.759 but because we've tasted freedom, and we've tasted life, and we want more of it. 00:32:19.759 --> 00:32:23.480 And we do it because we know that the voice that we hear in Scripture, 00:32:23.980 --> 00:32:26.119 we begin to recognize that voice. 00:32:26.779 --> 00:32:28.879 It's the voice of our Savior and King. 00:32:30.259 --> 00:32:32.640 Because the ultimate purpose of the written Word 00:32:32.640 --> 00:32:38.379 is to point to and bring us into relationship with the living Word, 00:32:39.240 --> 00:32:40.000 Jesus Christ. 00:32:40.000 --> 00:32:44.740 And when that morning star has risen in your heart, 00:32:45.539 --> 00:32:47.859 this is where you want to be. 00:32:48.339 --> 00:32:49.480 This is where you want to be. 00:32:50.859 --> 00:32:51.500 Let's pray. 00:32:53.980 --> 00:32:55.579 Lord, we thank you for your Word. 00:32:55.740 --> 00:32:58.480 And we recognize here with this last point 00:32:58.480 --> 00:33:00.940 that we're talking about something ultimately spiritual. 00:33:01.680 --> 00:33:03.920 That no one can be reasoned into this. 00:33:04.700 --> 00:33:07.380 There's no apologetic that can convince me to kneel. 00:33:07.380 --> 00:33:10.600 Lord, that is a work of your Holy Spirit. 00:33:12.040 --> 00:33:14.640 I pray that your Holy Spirit would be at work in us 00:33:14.640 --> 00:33:19.020 as we sing songs of Scripture, pray prayers of Scripture. 00:33:19.540 --> 00:33:21.340 And as we gather around your table, Lord, 00:33:21.480 --> 00:33:23.780 we pray that you would minister to us and give us the grace, 00:33:24.220 --> 00:33:28.340 give us the grace to submit ourselves to you as our true King, 00:33:28.740 --> 00:33:29.360 through your Word. 00:33:29.900 --> 00:33:31.100 It's in your Son's name that we pray. 00:33:31.420 --> 00:33:31.660 Amen.