So we're going to begin this new series thinking about the doctrine of Scripture.
Let me begin with a question for us.
Does what I believe about the Bible matter?
Does what you believe about the Bible matter?
Well, hopefully by the time we come to the end, we'll be clearer on that answer.
But as people, we understand that we are people who think.
We recognize, too, that the way that we think tends to shape our actions.
How we think, our worldview tends to shape how we respond to our circumstances.
And in our thoughts, we process and make sense of life past, present, and future.
So then the question becomes, what place does the Bible, what place will the Bible have in shaping those thoughts?
And the answer to that question will depend on a number of different factors.
When we pick up our Bibles, do we pick it up believing it has authority or not?
Do we believe that it is revelation from God or not?
Do we believe all of it is revelation from God or not?
Do we consider it to be reliable and without error or not?
Does this book contain a guide for all that we need for a life of faith?
Can it guide us to live to the glory of God in our families, in our workplaces?
How we think about our money when we think about eternity?
Perhaps to put it another way, and I've been thinking about this a lot this week,
imagine if you never had the Bible.
You never had a chance to hear its truth.
You never had a chance to read it for yourself.
How different would your life be?
How different would your view of the world and your life be
without the Bible informing your thoughts and shaping your worldview?
Of course, that's a reality for hundreds of millions of people today.
That's a reality for thousands of people groups today.
And so part of this is connected to our desire to be a church that cares about mission
because people need to hear the Bible as our fundamental conviction.
I always liked what Spurgeon used to say, his desire for his church,
that if the people of God were cut open, that they would bleed Bible,
that we would absorb it, that it would shape our lives.
It would help us to respond to circumstances, help us to know how to live.
So our plan for this evening is going to be built around those texts that we read
at the beginning, sharing the convictions of Peter,
who believed that the writers of Scripture were carried along by the Spirit,
that the whole Bible was superintended by the Spirit,
so there's no error within it.
Following the conviction of Paul, that the whole Bible is God-breathed,
that the Word of God is God's Word, that it's inspired.
And following the conviction of Jesus,
who said heaven and earth will pass away, but my Word will never pass away,
so God's Word is permanent and unbreakable.
So having those as our sort of bedrock convictions as we continue to think,
we're going to briefly see four qualities of Scripture,
and then identify five reasons we need the Bible for everyday life.
So we're going to cover a lot of Bible texts.
I would suggest that some of these would be well worth noting,
and perhaps returning to,
but we will touch on each of these.
The first quality of God's Word we're going to think about is sufficiency.
This is the idea that God's Word is enough.
So let's read from the book of Hebrews to see it.
All the texts will be up on our screens,
but we're in Hebrews 1, verses 1 to 4,
in our first text.
In the past, God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many 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 also he made the universe.
The Son is the radiance of God's glory
and the exact representation of his being,
sustaining all things by his powerful Word.
After he had provided purification for sins,
he sat down at the right hand of the majesty in heaven.
So he became as much superior to the angels
as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.
So the book of Hebrews begins with this contrast.
In the past, God spoke to your ancestors,
people in the Old Testament era,
through the prophets,
throughout time,
in many times and in various ways.
Sometimes speaking by a vision,
sometimes speaking by a burning bush,
a whole variety of ways that God spoke.
But then he says,
in these last days,
speaking here of the final age of salvation,
speaking of everyone living in between the first and the second comings of the Lord Jesus,
so speaking of our day,
how has God spoken?
God has spoken through his Son.
And who is his Son?
Hebrews 1, 1-4 gives us a catalogue of qualities about Jesus.
Jesus has been,
verse 2,
appointed the heir of all things.
It is through Jesus that God made the universe.
God is,
Jesus is the agent of creation.
The Son is the radiance of God's glory.
To read about Jesus in the Gospels
is to be confronted with the glory of God.
Jesus is the one who is sustaining all things
by his powerful word.
Jesus is the one who has provided purification for sin.
Jesus has come as that sacrifice,
as the Savior,
as our substitute,
and now he sits at the right hand of the majesty in heaven,
enthroned as King of kings and Lord of lords.
And he is superior to the angels.
He's superior to Moses.
He is better than anyone and anything,
as the book of Hebrews makes plain.
And the conclusion there,
when we think about Jesus being superior,
the point is that Jesus is,
for us,
the final agent from God
in terms of revelation and redemption.
God has spoken through Jesus.
No further word needs to be said.
God has saved through Jesus.
No further salvation need be expected.
So the big idea here is that God's word contains all we need
for salvation and godly living.
The Bible is sufficient.
God's word is enough.
Jesus is the climax of revelation
and redemption.
We're not waiting for some fresh word.
We don't need later books.
We don't need to listen to anyone claiming fresh words of prophecy.
Rather, we're invited to have confidence
that in Jesus and in the gospel,
I have all I need to know about God,
all I need to know about salvation,
all I need to know for a life of godliness.
It's here in the Bible.
It's sufficient.
It's enough.
J.I. Packer put it this way.
He said,
There are no words of God spoken to us at all
except the words of Scripture.
So first plank in the doctrine of the Bible
is the sufficiency of Scripture.
Second up, clarity.
The idea that God's word is clear.
Now this time we're going to go Old Testament.
We're going to go to the book of Deuteronomy.
Deuteronomy chapter 30.
Deuteronomy 30 from verse 11 to verse 14.
Now, this is God speaking through Moses
to the redeemed people of God.
Now what I am commanding you today
is not too difficult for you
or beyond your reach.
It is not up in heaven
so that you have to ask
who will ascend into heaven to get it
and proclaim it to us
so that we may obey it.
Nor is it beyond the sea
so that you have to ask
who will cross the sea to get it
and proclaim it to us
so that we may obey it.
No.
The word is very near you.
It is in your mouth
and in your heart
so that you may obey it.
So the big idea that the Bible says about itself
is that the central message of the Bible
is plainly taught
so that it can be understood
by all with ears to hear.
And especially for us in the era
in which we live,
the central saving message of Jesus
is plainly taught
so it can be understood
by all who are ready to hear.
So this text was spoken by Moses
to the redeemed people of God.
They've been set free from slavery in Egypt.
They've been brought to Mount Sinai.
They've entered into covenant relationship with God.
And now as he gives them his command,
as there's this covenant renewal going on,
his point is that God's word of command is clear.
It is not complicated.
It is understandable.
It is able to be obeyed.
God is kind to them.
He doesn't intend to frustrate them
by hiding the truth from them.
He's not hidden up in heaven.
He's not hidden it in the depths.
No.
It's there.
It's close by them.
And that fits with
what Moses said to the people of God
that they were to pass the law on to their children.
The central message of the Bible
is clear enough for children to understand.
For us today,
the central saving message of the Bible
that God doesn't save us because of our works,
because of our goodness,
but saves us by his grace,
that's clear.
That we don't save ourselves,
but that we are saved by the Lord Jesus,
who lives a life of perfect obedience in our place,
who dies on the cross as a sacrifice
or a universal substitute
to take the penalty for our sin
and to give us forgiveness in eternal life.
That is clear in the Word of God.
The clarity of Scripture says that
the essential points of truth
that we need to know and believe and do
are clearly seen in the Word of God.
Now, there are, of course,
some qualifiers that we need to consider,
as is true with any subject
that we look to study,
with any person that we want to get to know,
there is a level of work and effort involved
to get to know that person,
that truth, better.
So, to say that Scripture is clear
doesn't mean that we don't need to study
to understand more of God and His Word.
And it is also true to say,
and Peter said it of Paul's writing,
that not all parts of the Bible
are equally clear.
What is essential is very clear,
but not all parts are equally clear.
And perhaps two principles
beyond having to sort of work hard
and try and study.
One that requires us to be humble
and to be asking the Spirit to help us
and to guide us in our thoughts,
in our understanding.
But also, at a practical level,
we want to use what is clear and basic
to help understand the complex.
Sometimes groups of Christians or churches
can go wrong because they pick an obscure text
and try and build a whole theology
around one passage.
It's really hard to understand
when there's a lot more basic verses
that would help to clarify.
So, we use the clear help us
towards understanding the more complex.
But just as was the case
for the people in the days of Moses,
when we think about our view
on the clarity of the Bible,
is the Bible clear?
It's connected, in a sense,
to our view of God's character.
Do I believe God is able to speak clearly?
Do I believe that God is wise enough
to get down to our level
to speak so that we can understand
the central message of the Bible?
Calvin used to talk about God
baby-talking to us.
Is God's word for all?
Or do we think he's made it so complicated
that it's just for professionals
who go to ETS or somewhere like that?
When we understand the character of God,
then we understand that he wants to speak to us.
He wants us to be clear on salvation.
Wayne Grudem, I think, puts it well.
He says,
The Bible is written in such a way
that its teachings are able to be understood
by all who read it,
seeking God's help,
there's humility,
and being willing to follow it.
So, that's clarity.
The next plank
in our thinking about the doctrine of Scripture
is the idea of authority.
And for here,
we're going to turn to the book of Acts.
Acts chapter 17.
Acts chapter 17,
which is famous for Paul's sermon in Athens,
but we're going before that
to what happens in Berea.
And the idea of authority
is the idea that God's word is final.
That God's word gets the last word
in every topic it addresses.
So, Acts 17,
beginning at verse 10.
As soon as it was night,
the believers sent Paul and Silas
away to Berea.
On arriving there,
they went to the Jewish synagogue.
Now, the Berean Jews
were of more noble character
than those in Thessalonica,
for they received the message
with great eagerness
and examined the Scriptures
every day
to see if what Paul said
was true.
As a result,
many of them believed,
as did also a number
of prominent Greek women
and many Greek men.
But,
when the Jews in Thessalonica
learned that Paul
was preaching the word of God
at Berea,
some of them went there too,
agitating the crowds
and stirring them up.
If you have time to read
the first half of Acts 17,
you'll discover
it's the story of two cities.
And more than that,
it's the story of two different
responses to the word of God.
In Thessalonica,
as Paul preaches
that Christ is king,
as he brings the message
of Jesus Christ
and him crucified,
the Jews in particular
are rejecting that message.
And what we have
is this mob mentality
that's established
and where they're rioting
against the truth.
So, Paul leaves there
with Silas and some others
and they arrive in Berea.
And in Berea,
it couldn't be any more different.
Did you notice
how they acted?
Verse 11,
they received the message
with great eagerness
and examined the Scriptures
every day
to see if what Paul said
was true.
So, they have the Old Testament
in front of them
and they're listening
to Paul's Gospel
and they're listening
and they're checking
against Scripture
and they're wondering,
is what Paul says
in line with
the promises
and the prophecies
that we find
in the Old Testament
about what Messiah
would be like,
about who he is
and how he would suffer
and how he would die
and how he would rise.
So, they test Paul's Gospel
and when they recognize
it's in line with Scripture,
they believe.
Many of them believe.
Because they believe
the authority
of God's Word.
and so they believe
the authority
of Paul's Gospel too.
Their mindset
as they hear
this new message
is that if Scripture
says it,
we will believe it.
Others may write
about it,
but we're going to trust it.
And their attitude
is wonderful
because it's also
very much,
show us from the Bible.
It's not based
on Paul's reputation.
It's not based
on his ability
to argue.
Show us from the Bible.
That's a wonderful attitude
for any church,
any Christian
to have.
When we think
about the question
of authority,
we understand
that every religious group,
every system of belief,
every belief
that we have
individually
will always rest
on a particular
authority
in the sense
that someone
or something
will always
have the last word.
How am I going
to react
in this situation?
How am I going
to deal
with this circumstance?
There will be
something
that we will look
to to guide us.
If that's not
the Bible,
that can be
any number.
That could be
a scientific community.
It could be
contemporary culture.
It could be
what our parents
taught us,
what our peer group
believes.
It could be
the teaching
of some
influential figure
or a teacher
in our life
or online.
Something will
always have
the last word.
The doctrine
of scripture
says,
for the people
of God,
for the church,
it should always
be the word
of God.
One place
where we might
find that this
particular aspect
becomes important
is if you're
ever in conversation
and someone
asks the question,
well,
what about
mistakes in
the Bible?
What about
perceived errors
in the Bible
where one part
is seen to
disagree with
the other?
How do we
respond to
that?
Well,
as Christians,
our first
instinct should
be to trust
the authority
of God's
inspired word.
That's why we
need this solid
foundation of
the doctrine
of scripture.
So we're not
going to be
shaken
when somebody
comes with
those kind
of questions.
We also
have to have
an attitude,
a posture
of humility
because some
of those
perceived
difficulties
between
passage of
the Bible
or perceived
errors
are easy
to resolve.
A little bit
of reading
and you can
resolve those.
Others will
require hard
work and
others,
particular
questions,
questions we
might have
about the
word of
God.
We may
wrestle
with for
years and
we may
never come
to resolution
but will
we have
that humility
and that
trust in
the authority
of God's
word as
our foundation?
I came
across this
from G.I.
Packer which
I find
helpful.
He said
our intellectual
competence is
not the test
and measure
of divine
truth.
That's good
news for us
as Christians.
measure is
God's word.
The last
plank in
this
consideration
of the
doctrine of
scripture is
that God's
word is
necessary,
the necessity
of scripture.
We're just
going to go
one book
forward.
We're going
to go to
the book
of Romans
here.
The necessity
of scripture,
the idea
here is that
we need
more than
the created
world if we
are to know
God in a
saving way.
We need the
Bible to
tell us
who Jesus
is,
how we
are to
be saved,
and how
to live.
So,
Romans
chapter 1
verses 16
to 20
where we
read,
For I
am not
ashamed of
the gospel
because it
is the
power of
God that
brings salvation
to everyone
who believes,
first to
the Jew,
then to
the Gentile.
For in
the gospel
the righteousness
of God
is revealed,
a righteousness
that is by
faith from
first to
last,
just as it
is written,
the righteous
will live by
faith.
The wrath
of God
is being
revealed from
heaven against
all the
godlessness
and wickedness
of people
who suppress
the truth
by their
wickedness,
since what
may be known
about God
is plain to
them,
because God
has made it
plain to
them.
For since
the creation
of the
world,
God's
invisible
qualities,
his eternal
power and
divine nature
have been
clearly seen,
being understood
from what
has been
made,
so that
people are
without
excuse.
So the
word there
in verse
18,
there are
those who
suppress
the truth.
God
is
so
what
Paul
is
saying
is
that
God
has
so
created
the
world
that
his
qualities,
his glory,
his power,
his
godness
are
clearly
on show,
but the
wickedness of
human hearts
leads to
that being
suppressed.
God
says in
his word,
if we
open our
windows and
open our
eyes,
we're being
confronted with
the glory of
God day by
day by
day,
whether we're
looking in a
telescope or
looking in a
microscope,
we're seeing
the glory of
God in
view,
but it's a
truth that
people want
to suppress.
It's where
the talk of
intelligent design
becomes a
really awkward
one in
classrooms,
a reality
that's often
ignored.
But even
then,
even if
our eyes
were open
and we
looked out
our window
and we
saw the
glory of
God and
we recognized
there was a
creator,
there was an
intelligent design
behind it
all,
that would
not be
enough
for us
to be
saved.
That's why
the Bible
is necessary.
There is
limits to
what we can
learn about
God from
creation.
It can't
tell us
about sin.
It can't
tell us
about salvation.
it can't
tell us
about the
person and
work of
Jesus.
It can
tell us
that there
is a
God,
but we
need to
know God's
word in
order to
know salvation.
Verse 16
is how God
has responded
to that need
because he has
given us
the gospel,
the power of
God that brings
salvation to
everyone who
believes.
That in
God's word
and in the
word of the
gospel,
this gift of
a righteousness
credited to
us by
faith is
made plain.
The way of
salvation through
faith in
Jesus is
made plain.
There was an
article just
this week by a
chap called
Brian Tabb
who was
saying that
Jesus is
like a
great optician
because what
Jesus did
with the
disciples,
he was
focusing on
the Emmaus
road,
Luke 24,
but you can
think more
widely as he's
helping his
disciples with
their focus.
All the time
he's wanting
them to see
his identity
and his
saving purpose.
And that's
still Jesus'
desire for us
today that we
would see and
know that at
the center of
the Bible,
at the center
of God's
plan for
history and
for the
nations,
is Jesus,
the only
Savior for
sinners.
God's word is
necessary because
if we didn't
have the Bible
and we wanted
to know about
God, what
would we be
left with?
We'd be left
with vague
spirituality.
We'd be looking
for answers,
but we wouldn't
find the answers
until we find
the word of
God.
Perhaps we,
well, I think
God is like
this.
I hope God
will accept
me because
I'm like
this, but
we'd have
no certainty,
no sure
knowledge.
And so
Kevin DeYoung
says we
need the
revelation of
God to
know God.
And the
only sure,
saving,
final,
perfect
revelation of
God is
found in
Scripture.
That's the
doctrine of
Scripture,
very briefly.
It is
sufficient,
it is
clear,
it has
authority,
and it is
necessary.
Now let's
pause for a
moment.
We've still
got a little
bit of work
to do.
But as we're
catching our
breath,
let's ask the
question,
if that
is true,
what now?
If that
is true,
what does
that mean for
my attitude
to making
time to
read the
Bible,
to coming
to church
and to
being under
God's
Word?
If that's
true,
if it's
sufficient and
clear and
has authority
as necessary,
shouldn't we
treasure it
as the
people of
God?
Shouldn't
we come to
depend on
it?
Shouldn't
we be
committing to
reading it
and to
giving it
first place?
Shouldn't
we want to
learn how
to apply
its truth
to our
life and
to all
of life
and to
the lives
of others?
Shouldn't
we want to
share it
with
others?
The doctrine
of Scripture
is so
valuable because
sometimes our
view of the
Word of God
gets fuzzy,
gets out of
focus,
and the
doctrine of
Scripture
is like
that lens
that reminds
us the
Bible
matters.
It's crucial
to our
life of
faith.
Sometimes
our taste
for the
Word of
God,
if we're
honest,
gets weak.
We'd
rather spend
our time
reading,
watching,
doing something
else.
So we
need the
doctrine of
Scripture
to remind
us that
God's
Word
should be,
ought to be
sweeter than
honey to
us as the
people of
God.
So I
want to
do,
for the
last of
our time
to snow,
is,
I never
use acronyms,
but we're
going to use
an acronym,
second acronym,
we scan,
if you want to
think about the
doctrine of
Scripture,
scan,
but to
think about
the Bible
for everyday
life for a
Christian,
think about
the word
sweet.
Okay,
so five
sweet truths
about the
Bible for
everyday life,
because Psalm
19 verse
10 says,
they are
sweeter,
God's
words are
sweeter than
honey,
than honey
from the
comb.
Okay,
so our
first letter
is S,
and S
stands for
sanctify,
God's
Word
sanctifies,
God's
Word is
what makes
us holy
and clean
as we
sit under
it and
allow it
to change
us.
Jesus
said,
John 17
17,
he prayed
to his
father,
sanctify
them by
the truth,
your
Word is
truth.
So the
truths of
the Bible
are what
God uses
to make
us clean
and holy
for him.
Perhaps
an image
would be
helpful,
the image
of a
doctor.
Say you
go to a
doctor because
you've got
an infection.
Well,
the doctor
there discovers
the infection,
diagnoses the
infection,
gives medicine
to cure.
What does
the Bible
do?
The Bible,
when we
allow it,
exposes
sin and
error.
It convicts
us of
where we
go wrong
and it
shows and
enables a
new way
of life
if we
allow it
to.
It requires
the work
of the
Spirit to
shine the
light of
Scripture.
to convict
us.
It requires
the Spirit
to give us
the power
to obey
what we
read,
to say
no to
sin and
yes to
righteousness.
So if we
want to
grow in
grace,
if we
want to
grow to
be more
holy,
to be
more like
Jesus,
we need
our
Bibles.
And one
of the
things that
the Bible
will always
do,
if we
allow it,
it will
remind us
that God
is worthy
of worship
and God
alone and
not us.
Constantly
be recalibrating
our thinking.
It will
constantly
be reminding
us that
we are
called to
live for
God's
glory and
not our
own.
And it
will constantly
be showing
us the
wonder of
God and
his love.
So our
hearts may
be changed,
so our
lives may
be changed.
So God's
word sanctifies.
God's word
also warns,
and we
have that
also in
Psalm 19
verse 11,
by them,
by those
words of
God is
your servant
warned.
In keeping
them,
there is
great
reward.
The Bible
is very
realistic.
It's very
realistic about
the dangers
that God's
people face,
the danger
of the
devil,
our
adversary,
the deceiver,
the one who
prowls around
like a roaring
lion,
seeking whom
he may
devour.
There is
also,
in the
book of
Hebrews,
the danger
of drift.
The book
of Revelation,
the danger
of becoming
lukewarm
in our
faith.
There's the
danger of
disobedience,
there's the
danger of
disbelief.
And we
need the
Bible so
that we
keep hearing
those warnings
so that we
can check
ourselves and
see where
we need
corrected,
where we
need rebuked.
an image
perhaps to
help us.
Think of
a parent.
Why does
a parent
give warnings?
Well,
on our
best days,
parents give
warnings out
of love.
Don't touch
that,
it's hot.
Don't run
on the road,
it's busy,
you'll get
hurt.
Why do
we correct,
why do we
discipline,
again,
on our
best days?
Because of
love.
We have
a loving
Father in
heaven,
and he
uses the
Bible to
sound a
loving
warning for
us,
to warn
us of
sin,
to warn
us of
judgment,
to warn
us of
the reality
of hell,
to show
us our
need.
We have
a loving
Father who
wants to
correct us
when we
go wrong,
when we
get pulled
towards
idolatry,
when we
get pulled
into rebellion,
to return
us onto
the right
path.
So he
needs our
Bibles,
so that we
are hearing
those warnings,
to avoid
being burned,
to enjoy
the Father's
smile,
and not
the Father's
frown.
So God's
word warns.
But it
also encourages
us,
there's a
wonderful text
in Romans
15,
Romans 15
and verse
4,
where it
says,
everything that
was written
in the past
was written
to teach
us,
so that
through the
endurance
taught in
the scriptures
and the
encouragement
the scriptures
provide,
we might
have hope.
Scripture
encourages us,
Scripture
gives hope,
God's word
calls us to
have hope
in a God
who will not
disappoint.
As people
we're always
looking for
hope.
In just a few
weeks time we're
going to be doing
Hope Explored,
inviting family and
friends to think
about hope,
meaning and
purpose that's
found in
Jesus.
So God's
word encourages
us by pointing
us to the hope
that we have
in Jesus.
So here
perhaps the
image is that
of a coach,
I think,
in the world
of sports.
Those words
that keep you
going when
you'd rather
quit.
Words that
help you
persevere and
that renew
motivation.
And the
Bible is full
of encouragements.
full of
beautiful truths
about our
God.
God is our
refuge.
God is a
strong rock.
God's mercies
are new every
morning.
Our God is a
God of steadfast
love.
Jesus is a
Savior who
will never
leave us
or abandon
us.
In Jesus
there is no
condemnation.
There is
resurrection hope.
There is a
new heaven
and earth.
God's word
is constantly
looking to
encourage us
to keep
on going.
And so we
need the
Bible because
we need that
fresh encouragement
day by day.
The next
E to think
about.
The Bible
enlightens us.
Again this is
Psalm 19
verse 8
where we read
the commands
of the Lord
are radiant
giving light
to the eyes.
in the midst
of moral
darkness and
confusion.
What does
the Bible
do for us?
It shines
a clear light
for us on
how we are
to live in
our families,
in our society,
in our workplaces,
in our church.
Perhaps an
image that's
helpful to
think of a
guide leading
people on a
difficult mountain
pass.
Perhaps the
conditions become
dark but that
guide is up
ahead and he's
got the torch
and he's got
the ropes and
he knows the
way and there's
safety in
following that
path.
There is
safety in
following the
guidance of
God's Word.
We need the
Bible to hear
that voice of
true wisdom.
We know that
we're surrounded
by all kinds of
other voices and
views that
disagree sometimes
fundamentally with
what God's Word
teaches.
And so we
need the
wisdom principles
that we find
in the Bible.
Now we're not
going to find
specifics and
sometimes we can
go wrong because
we come with
very specific
questions.
Should I take
this job?
Should I move
to this place?
Should I marry
this person?
That's not what
the Bible is
concerned with in
the first instance.
It's principles
for how to live a
holy life, how to
live for the glory
of God day by
day and there
are wisdom
principles to
enlighten us that
we need to be
listening to.
And then the
last thing,
God's Word does
many things more
than this, but
here's the last
thing for every
life God's Word
teaches us.
Psalm 119, that
great love song to
the Bible, verse
68, you are good
and what you do
is good.
teach me your
decrees.
The Bible teaches
us, the Bible
trains us to come
with an open
heart, to come
with a willing
heart, to come
ready to listen
to God speaking
by his Spirit
through the Word.
It means the
Spirit is able to
teach us, the
Spirit is able to
transform us.
God's Word is
like a teacher
who brings old
and new truths
to life for us.
And so we are
called to
treasure the
Bible, recognizing
that there's
always so much
more for us to
discover.
Our God is
infinite and
eternal, so we're
never done
understanding the
character of God,
the nature of God,
the promises of
God.
We'll never grow
tired of discovering
the wonder of the
gospel.
we're always
going to need to
hear about
fighting against
sin, about
pursuing holiness,
about living for
future hope.
And so God's
Word teaches
us.
So it
sanctifies us,
it warns us,
it encourages us,
it enlightens us,
and it teaches
us.
all that's
left,
again, to
borrow the
language of the
Bible, taste and
see that God is
good.
I hope that as we
see the importance
of believing the
Bible is God's
Word, as we come
to see that God
teaches us that it's
reliable, it has
authority, it's
true, it's life
giving, that we'll be
encouraged to pick it
up and to read it,
to recognize how
necessary, how vital
and life giving it
is for us.
Two quotes to
finish, one from
Spurgeon, again, to
give us confidence in
the Word of God and
its power to work in
our life and in the
lives of others.
Scripture is like a
lion.
Whoever heard of
defending a lion,
turn it loose, it
will defend itself.
And then Calvin,
Scripture is like a
pair of spectacles,
which dispels the
darkness and gives
us a clear view of
God.
And may that be the
case for each one of
us.
Let's pray briefly.
Lord, we thank you so
much for your Word.
We thank you for what
it says about itself
and what it reveals
about your character
and about your
salvation.
Lord, we pray that
you would give us an
increasing desire to be
people shaped by your
Word.
Give us time to
spend with you.
Give us that
discipline to make the
time.
Give us open hearts to
receive from you that
increasingly we be
conformed into the
likeness of the Lord
Jesus as we are
shaped by your Word.
We pray in Jesus' name.
Amen.
So we're going to
close the formal part
of the evening
singing Psalm 19.
And then after that,
if you want to stick
around, you'll be very
welcome for a time of
discussion.
And after this, we'll
stick our discussion
questions up.
But let's stand for
Psalm 19, verses 7 to
11.
Psalm 19.