WEBVTT 00:00:00.480 --> 00:00:04.040 Friends, I'm going to read one additional text, and this will be the text that I will 00:00:04.040 --> 00:00:05.100 be preaching on this morning. 00:00:05.219 --> 00:00:08.640 It comes from 2 Peter chapter 1, starting in verse 16. 00:00:09.540 --> 00:00:14.439 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming 00:00:14.439 --> 00:00:18.559 of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. 00:00:19.240 --> 00:00:23.320 For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was born to 00:00:23.320 --> 00:00:28.019 Him by the majestic glory, this is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. 00:00:28.019 --> 00:00:33.640 We ourselves heard this very voice born from heaven, for we were with Him on the holy mountain. 00:00:34.500 --> 00:00:38.840 And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention, 00:00:39.420 --> 00:00:45.359 as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in 00:00:45.359 --> 00:00:45.879 your hearts. 00:00:46.439 --> 00:00:50.579 Knowing this, first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation, 00:00:51.100 --> 00:00:53.899 for no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man. 00:00:53.899 --> 00:00:59.739 But men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. 00:01:00.359 --> 00:01:01.399 The word of the Lord. 00:01:02.159 --> 00:01:03.239 Thanks be to God. 00:01:04.780 --> 00:01:06.579 Well, let me say again, good morning. 00:01:06.920 --> 00:01:08.719 I'm delighted that we can be here. 00:01:08.859 --> 00:01:16.459 I'm delighted that we can spend some time talking about this very mysterious encounter that we 00:01:16.459 --> 00:01:19.280 call the transfiguration and the implications of it. 00:01:19.280 --> 00:01:23.579 This morning in the lectionary readings, we're actually going to be focusing on this reading 00:01:23.579 --> 00:01:30.879 that you just heard from 2 Peter chapter 1, where Peter, who was a witness of the transfiguration, 00:01:31.680 --> 00:01:40.040 talks about how that transformed his understanding of Jesus, of the word of Jesus, and all of the 00:01:40.040 --> 00:01:40.780 words of Scripture. 00:01:41.240 --> 00:01:47.540 So in a nutshell, we're going to be talking about spiritual authority as it comes to us through 00:01:47.540 --> 00:01:49.520 the Scripture, so the authority of Scripture. 00:01:50.420 --> 00:01:55.680 And I know that for some of us, the moment I say the word authority, that is a trigger 00:01:55.680 --> 00:01:56.020 word. 00:01:56.580 --> 00:02:03.580 That in general, we as a culture, and some of us for very good reason, we resist the idea 00:02:03.580 --> 00:02:05.200 of authority. 00:02:05.719 --> 00:02:11.580 We live in a culture that is very, very, very resistant to the idea of any authority in 00:02:11.580 --> 00:02:12.219 our lives. 00:02:13.120 --> 00:02:16.659 You know, we live in a culture that very much values something that has come to be known 00:02:16.659 --> 00:02:19.120 as expressive individualism. 00:02:19.240 --> 00:02:27.340 The right that we perceive ourselves to have to be true to ourselves, the fundamental right 00:02:27.340 --> 00:02:31.539 we have to pursue what we desire above all else. 00:02:31.539 --> 00:02:36.300 The idea that anyone or anything would presume to have the authority to tell us how to live 00:02:36.300 --> 00:02:40.519 our lives, to tell us anything about who we are, is anathema. 00:02:40.520 --> 00:02:47.580 So this morning, we're going to be talking about knowing that that's the context, the authority 00:02:47.580 --> 00:02:50.460 of Scripture and how that works out in our lives. 00:02:51.160 --> 00:02:57.180 And my hope is that over the course of the next few minutes, that we come to see not only 00:02:57.180 --> 00:03:01.560 that Scripture has authority, but that that authority is actually good news, that it's 00:03:01.560 --> 00:03:08.060 actually tremendously good news over and above what we might believe about authority and 00:03:08.060 --> 00:03:09.000 its place in our lives. 00:03:09.000 --> 00:03:17.060 So we're going to see that the best life, the most liberated, the most free life is actually 00:03:17.060 --> 00:03:20.379 found under the authority of Scripture. 00:03:20.620 --> 00:03:23.719 So we're going to answer three questions this morning as we look at the text. 00:03:24.639 --> 00:03:26.159 Scriptural authority, why do we need it? 00:03:27.379 --> 00:03:28.340 Why do we need it? 00:03:28.520 --> 00:03:29.520 Where does it come from? 00:03:30.060 --> 00:03:32.219 And then how does it work out in our lives? 00:03:32.860 --> 00:03:33.560 Let's pray. 00:03:33.560 --> 00:03:38.280 Lord, you have made yourself known. 00:03:39.620 --> 00:03:44.120 You're a God who spoke all existence into being. 00:03:44.840 --> 00:03:46.939 Lord, you spoke and there was light. 00:03:47.039 --> 00:03:48.819 You spoke and there was land and sea. 00:03:49.159 --> 00:03:50.659 You spoke and we came to be. 00:03:51.800 --> 00:03:53.920 And now we pray that you would speak again. 00:03:54.020 --> 00:03:59.379 Just as you at one time created all things, we pray that you would recreate us. 00:03:59.379 --> 00:04:02.840 That you would breathe new life into us. 00:04:03.000 --> 00:04:06.560 That you would remake us according to your word, Lord. 00:04:07.099 --> 00:04:12.280 We pray that so that we would benefit, become more fully human. 00:04:12.419 --> 00:04:15.099 We pray that so that you would be glorified. 00:04:15.299 --> 00:04:16.839 We pray this in your son's holy name. 00:04:17.079 --> 00:04:17.319 Amen. 00:04:17.319 --> 00:04:17.439 Amen. 00:04:18.319 --> 00:04:27.360 So first of all, when it comes to biblical authority, scriptural authority, and our reaction may be this, why do we need it? 00:04:27.740 --> 00:04:29.079 Why would it matter? 00:04:30.560 --> 00:04:35.920 The reality is everyone lives under some form of authority. 00:04:37.240 --> 00:04:43.199 Everyone answers to someone or something in their lives. 00:04:43.199 --> 00:04:54.019 In traditional cultures, authority tends to rest with your family or your ancestors and the traditions that have been passed down to you. 00:04:54.099 --> 00:05:01.360 Some of you may have come out of a more traditional culture, an Eastern culture where family and tradition matter most. 00:05:01.360 --> 00:05:11.259 And you are strongly expected to honor the ways of your people, to be faithful to the traditions that have been passed down to you, to honor the ways of your family. 00:05:11.259 --> 00:05:14.039 You live under the authority of family and tradition. 00:05:15.099 --> 00:05:21.300 Everything else is meant to be subordinate to that in your life. 00:05:21.639 --> 00:05:30.480 And if you break that, if you break from the traditions of your family, that's seen as heretical. 00:05:30.779 --> 00:05:32.680 You're bringing dishonor to your family. 00:05:33.719 --> 00:05:36.420 But, you know, most of us didn't grow up in a culture like that. 00:05:36.420 --> 00:05:43.259 Most of us come from a more postmodern Western culture, which is in many ways the very opposite of what I just described. 00:05:43.900 --> 00:05:51.259 If you think of a lot of the movies that we love, a lot of the stories that get told again and again in our society through books and movies and music, 00:05:51.259 --> 00:06:01.539 the postmodern hero's journey is the person, the individual who has the courage to break from family tradition, 00:06:01.539 --> 00:06:09.719 to break from mores and taboos, to break from the way things have always been done, and to forge their own new path. 00:06:10.219 --> 00:06:18.060 To look within and to discern what is true for them, and then to have the courage to follow it out regardless of what it might cost them. 00:06:18.060 --> 00:06:29.339 And we watch these stories, we read these stories, we absorb these stories, and it feels right to us because that's the authority that we are used to, 00:06:29.399 --> 00:06:33.879 the authority of one's inner life, the authority of one's inner voice. 00:06:34.620 --> 00:06:41.920 And so we love to think of ourselves as courageous heroes who forge our own path in the name of being free. 00:06:41.920 --> 00:06:45.240 So people say, I am my own authority. 00:06:45.379 --> 00:06:49.520 No one can tell me what to believe or how to live or who I am. 00:06:49.720 --> 00:06:53.819 The question that I want to ask with all due respect is, how's that working out for you? 00:06:55.040 --> 00:06:57.439 How's that working out for us as a society? 00:06:59.120 --> 00:07:03.319 Are we truly as free as we believe ourselves to be? 00:07:03.319 --> 00:07:14.759 I would suggest, number one, that I don't believe that we, and I'm including myself in this, are nearly as emotionally free as we might think we are. 00:07:16.199 --> 00:07:21.539 When you say that you're your own authority, when you say that you want to be true to yourself and no one else, 00:07:21.860 --> 00:07:24.339 how do you then go about deciding how to live? 00:07:24.860 --> 00:07:27.319 How do you navigate your day-to-day life? 00:07:27.319 --> 00:07:27.839 Life. 00:07:30.519 --> 00:07:34.420 Most people end up following their feelings. 00:07:34.540 --> 00:07:39.500 When we say, look within, what are you really, you're following how you feel. 00:07:40.839 --> 00:07:43.180 You're following your desires somewhere. 00:07:44.180 --> 00:07:46.439 So let's say we live that way for a while. 00:07:46.779 --> 00:07:47.899 Where does that lead us? 00:07:47.959 --> 00:07:48.740 Where do we end up? 00:07:50.120 --> 00:07:50.339 Right? 00:07:50.399 --> 00:07:54.759 What you find is that if you live that way for any amount of time, 00:07:54.759 --> 00:07:58.719 if you're following those inner feelings and inclinations and desires, 00:07:58.899 --> 00:08:05.319 they begin to lead you into certain things that start to take on greater and greater importance. 00:08:06.120 --> 00:08:09.319 You start to come to depend on certain things. 00:08:09.539 --> 00:08:15.139 Certain things start to be elevated until they start to become ultimate in your life. 00:08:15.219 --> 00:08:20.159 You start to find things that you cannot live without or that you don't want to live without, 00:08:20.480 --> 00:08:22.620 that life isn't worth living without. 00:08:22.620 --> 00:08:26.660 Those things, in other words, start to become your master. 00:08:26.860 --> 00:08:29.519 You start to live under the authority of these things. 00:08:29.680 --> 00:08:29.740 Right? 00:08:29.800 --> 00:08:36.159 So if you find yourself unable to stop eating the food that you know is unhealthy for you 00:08:36.159 --> 00:08:41.799 and you're unable to force yourself consistently to eat the food that you know is healthy for you, 00:08:41.840 --> 00:08:45.580 then perhaps food or certain kinds of food are becoming your master. 00:08:45.580 --> 00:08:53.940 And you're not as free as you like to think to eat in ways that will allow you to live a healthy, fulfilled life 00:08:53.940 --> 00:08:56.280 or to see your children graduate from high school. 00:08:57.040 --> 00:08:57.280 Right? 00:08:57.520 --> 00:09:01.680 If you can't stop losing your temper despite your best efforts, 00:09:01.780 --> 00:09:04.800 you snap and you say hurtful things to the people that you love, 00:09:05.360 --> 00:09:08.139 perhaps anger is beginning to be your master. 00:09:08.139 --> 00:09:12.960 If you can't stop conforming to what other people expect of you, 00:09:13.080 --> 00:09:16.120 if you can't say no when you really should say no, 00:09:16.240 --> 00:09:21.179 if you can't have direct conflict with people but instead you go along to get along, 00:09:21.299 --> 00:09:24.600 perhaps approval is starting to be your master. 00:09:24.600 --> 00:09:31.700 If you can't stop working and put down your laptop and put down your smartphone for at least a few hours 00:09:31.700 --> 00:09:36.320 or even maybe a whole day out of a seven-day week, 00:09:36.540 --> 00:09:39.920 if you're working nights and weekends consistently, 00:09:40.120 --> 00:09:43.560 maybe your career is starting to be your master. 00:09:43.800 --> 00:09:49.700 If you can't stop hating the other political party and seeing them as subhuman, 00:09:50.399 --> 00:09:50.540 right, 00:09:50.539 --> 00:09:54.379 if you're filled with existential dread over the coming election, 00:09:55.199 --> 00:09:58.259 maybe politics is starting to be your master. 00:09:58.399 --> 00:10:01.719 If you can't stop scrolling on your smartphone, 00:10:02.599 --> 00:10:05.439 then maybe dopamine is becoming your master. 00:10:05.539 --> 00:10:07.019 You see the point I'm trying to make? 00:10:08.659 --> 00:10:12.279 Live following those inner inclinations for any amount of time 00:10:12.279 --> 00:10:15.299 and you will begin to find yourself seeding ground. 00:10:16.639 --> 00:10:18.659 You won't be as free as you think you are. 00:10:18.659 --> 00:10:21.459 One female writer put it this way, 00:10:22.500 --> 00:10:25.039 whatever controls us is our Lord. 00:10:25.699 --> 00:10:28.319 The person who seeks power is controlled by power. 00:10:28.939 --> 00:10:31.559 The person who seeks acceptance is controlled by acceptance. 00:10:31.779 --> 00:10:33.939 We do not control ourselves, she says. 00:10:34.039 --> 00:10:36.219 We're controlled by the Lord of our lives. 00:10:37.659 --> 00:10:41.019 So if we allow that inner world of feelings to lead us, 00:10:41.079 --> 00:10:42.839 we will very quickly find ourselves 00:10:42.840 --> 00:10:48.440 not free but actually something like a slave. 00:10:51.000 --> 00:10:53.600 So we're not as emotionally free as we like to think. 00:10:53.940 --> 00:10:56.180 I would also suggest, with all due respect, 00:10:56.259 --> 00:11:00.280 that we're not as intellectually free as we like to think. 00:11:02.280 --> 00:11:05.500 The unfortunate news is most of us are almost entirely defined 00:11:05.500 --> 00:11:06.660 by the culture in which we live. 00:11:06.659 --> 00:11:10.719 If you ask the average Westerner today, 00:11:11.379 --> 00:11:13.259 what is life about? 00:11:14.639 --> 00:11:16.919 You would probably hear something like what we've said, 00:11:16.980 --> 00:11:18.639 that life is about being true to ourselves. 00:11:19.699 --> 00:11:21.980 Life is about not letting any outside voice 00:11:21.980 --> 00:11:23.939 like family or religion or social norms 00:11:23.939 --> 00:11:25.679 tell you who you are, look within. 00:11:26.480 --> 00:11:27.919 The thing we need to understand is 00:11:27.919 --> 00:11:29.899 that would have sounded absurd to somebody 00:11:29.899 --> 00:11:31.720 who was alive 500 years ago. 00:11:32.299 --> 00:11:33.620 If you said that back then, 00:11:33.620 --> 00:11:35.919 people would think that you were crazy. 00:11:37.379 --> 00:11:40.000 Probably 100 to 200 years from now, 00:11:40.759 --> 00:11:42.679 that idea will sound utterly absurd. 00:11:43.340 --> 00:11:45.100 But in this particular cultural moment, 00:11:45.879 --> 00:11:48.120 it seems to be the common sense answer 00:11:48.120 --> 00:11:49.440 that everybody would say. 00:11:50.519 --> 00:11:52.120 The thing that we need to understand is 00:11:52.120 --> 00:11:54.460 these ideas themselves are the product 00:11:54.460 --> 00:11:57.440 of certain influential thinkers who came before us, 00:11:57.639 --> 00:12:00.820 who brought us to this particular moment in which we live. 00:12:01.320 --> 00:12:02.399 People like Rousseau, 00:12:02.399 --> 00:12:03.659 people like Darwin, 00:12:03.819 --> 00:12:05.379 people like Sigmund Freud or Nietzsche 00:12:05.379 --> 00:12:06.980 or Michel Foucault, 00:12:07.340 --> 00:12:10.659 these European philosophers by and large 00:12:10.659 --> 00:12:12.699 who brought about a certain movement, 00:12:12.840 --> 00:12:14.159 a certain paradigm shift 00:12:14.159 --> 00:12:16.879 that then got fed to us 00:12:16.879 --> 00:12:18.879 in all kinds of cultural sound bites 00:12:18.879 --> 00:12:20.659 until we absorbed it 00:12:20.659 --> 00:12:22.659 and it became the common sense way to think. 00:12:25.039 --> 00:12:26.759 To put a finer point on it, 00:12:26.759 --> 00:12:31.639 if you say that you desire to be authentic 00:12:31.639 --> 00:12:33.019 and true to yourself, 00:12:34.120 --> 00:12:36.319 meaning you only want to live by the things 00:12:36.319 --> 00:12:38.159 that authentically come from within you 00:12:38.159 --> 00:12:39.899 and not any outside forces, 00:12:40.460 --> 00:12:42.279 if that is your vision of life, 00:12:42.340 --> 00:12:44.539 then that is itself inauthentic. 00:12:45.279 --> 00:12:45.480 Right? 00:12:45.519 --> 00:12:47.240 You've already failed at the task 00:12:47.240 --> 00:12:51.480 because those ideas didn't come from within you. 00:12:51.480 --> 00:12:54.580 They were fed to you from the outside. 00:12:55.600 --> 00:12:56.399 In other words, 00:12:56.500 --> 00:12:58.800 you're living your life according to the teachings 00:12:58.800 --> 00:13:01.720 of a bunch of old, dead European white men. 00:13:03.860 --> 00:13:05.800 I'm not sure you're being true to anything 00:13:05.800 --> 00:13:07.659 inside yourself. 00:13:09.000 --> 00:13:09.460 Right? 00:13:09.460 --> 00:13:11.300 So what we need 00:13:11.300 --> 00:13:13.019 is to recognize 00:13:13.019 --> 00:13:14.740 that everyone lives under the authority 00:13:14.740 --> 00:13:16.500 of someone or something. 00:13:16.759 --> 00:13:17.680 And so the question is not 00:13:17.680 --> 00:13:19.139 whether to live under the authority 00:13:19.139 --> 00:13:20.639 of someone or something. 00:13:20.740 --> 00:13:22.080 It's which authority 00:13:22.080 --> 00:13:24.220 should I put myself under? 00:13:24.440 --> 00:13:25.320 What is an authority 00:13:25.320 --> 00:13:26.600 that will actually allow me 00:13:26.600 --> 00:13:28.320 to be what I was created to be? 00:13:28.580 --> 00:13:29.980 Allow me to live the life 00:13:29.980 --> 00:13:31.400 that I was made to live? 00:13:31.500 --> 00:13:32.360 To, in other words, 00:13:32.420 --> 00:13:33.400 be truly free. 00:13:34.940 --> 00:13:36.259 And this is what we see 00:13:36.259 --> 00:13:37.019 in the Scriptures. 00:13:37.019 --> 00:13:39.939 Every other source of authority 00:13:39.939 --> 00:13:41.000 that we could talk about 00:13:41.000 --> 00:13:43.299 comes from within the human condition. 00:13:43.919 --> 00:13:45.819 It is a human-generated authority 00:13:45.819 --> 00:13:47.279 and it has all of the limitations 00:13:47.279 --> 00:13:49.279 that come with being human. 00:13:49.899 --> 00:13:51.539 So they are all imperfect, 00:13:51.759 --> 00:13:52.860 broken forms of authority. 00:13:52.980 --> 00:13:53.899 This is why we have 00:13:53.899 --> 00:13:55.519 so many abuses of authority 00:13:55.519 --> 00:13:56.960 in our society. 00:13:57.740 --> 00:13:58.740 But what we see here 00:13:58.740 --> 00:13:59.360 is that the Scriptures 00:13:59.360 --> 00:14:00.539 are utterly different. 00:14:00.799 --> 00:14:02.879 So where does this authority come from 00:14:02.879 --> 00:14:04.139 if it doesn't come from us? 00:14:05.399 --> 00:14:06.539 2 Peter 1. 00:14:07.019 --> 00:14:08.539 Peter says that the Scriptures 00:14:08.539 --> 00:14:09.779 are utterly unique. 00:14:10.439 --> 00:14:11.799 Unlike any other source 00:14:11.799 --> 00:14:12.659 of authority out there, 00:14:12.799 --> 00:14:14.279 and this is for at least two reasons. 00:14:14.419 --> 00:14:15.919 Number one, he says 00:14:15.919 --> 00:14:17.279 the Scriptures were written, 00:14:18.639 --> 00:14:19.740 the New Testament in particular, 00:14:19.860 --> 00:14:21.279 by eyewitnesses 00:14:21.279 --> 00:14:23.139 of the Son of God. 00:14:24.419 --> 00:14:25.399 When he says, 00:14:26.000 --> 00:14:26.919 we did not follow 00:14:26.919 --> 00:14:28.340 cleverly devised myths, 00:14:28.460 --> 00:14:29.620 he's talking the we 00:14:29.620 --> 00:14:30.759 is referring to Peter 00:14:30.759 --> 00:14:31.659 and the other apostles. 00:14:32.879 --> 00:14:34.179 We did not follow 00:14:34.179 --> 00:14:35.519 cleverly devised myths 00:14:35.519 --> 00:14:36.519 when we made known to you 00:14:36.519 --> 00:14:37.480 the power and coming 00:14:37.480 --> 00:14:38.600 of our Lord Jesus Christ. 00:14:38.980 --> 00:14:39.419 And he says, 00:14:39.500 --> 00:14:40.659 but we were eyewitnesses 00:14:40.659 --> 00:14:41.360 of his majesty. 00:14:42.360 --> 00:14:43.480 He's referring to himself 00:14:43.480 --> 00:14:44.500 and the other authors 00:14:44.500 --> 00:14:45.259 of the New Testament, 00:14:45.659 --> 00:14:46.779 and he's referring to the fact 00:14:46.779 --> 00:14:47.220 that the books 00:14:47.220 --> 00:14:47.860 of the New Testament 00:14:47.860 --> 00:14:49.220 were written by people 00:14:49.220 --> 00:14:50.340 who either witnessed 00:14:50.340 --> 00:14:51.740 Jesus, 00:14:52.419 --> 00:14:53.019 his death, 00:14:53.100 --> 00:14:53.720 his resurrection, 00:14:53.980 --> 00:14:54.439 personally. 00:14:55.579 --> 00:14:56.259 These are people 00:14:56.259 --> 00:14:57.360 who knew Jesus, 00:14:57.480 --> 00:14:58.360 who saw it happen, 00:14:58.419 --> 00:14:59.319 and who wrote it down. 00:14:59.320 --> 00:15:01.500 Or in some cases, 00:15:01.580 --> 00:15:02.100 they were people 00:15:02.100 --> 00:15:03.520 who recorded 00:15:03.520 --> 00:15:05.140 all of the eyewitness accounts 00:15:05.140 --> 00:15:05.720 they could. 00:15:06.660 --> 00:15:08.020 They gathered them together 00:15:08.020 --> 00:15:09.320 and wrote down 00:15:09.320 --> 00:15:10.379 all of these accounts 00:15:10.379 --> 00:15:12.480 as well as they could. 00:15:13.020 --> 00:15:13.420 He's saying, 00:15:13.560 --> 00:15:14.060 these are not things 00:15:14.060 --> 00:15:14.520 that we heard, 00:15:14.600 --> 00:15:15.220 these are not myths 00:15:15.220 --> 00:15:16.080 that were handed down to us. 00:15:16.160 --> 00:15:17.820 I saw with my own eyes 00:15:17.820 --> 00:15:18.160 what I'm, 00:15:18.260 --> 00:15:19.200 I'm just writing down 00:15:19.200 --> 00:15:19.780 what I saw. 00:15:21.260 --> 00:15:23.060 And he specifically references 00:15:23.060 --> 00:15:24.260 the transfiguration, 00:15:24.420 --> 00:15:25.240 which is very appropriate 00:15:25.240 --> 00:15:25.900 for today, 00:15:26.480 --> 00:15:27.740 which he personally witnessed, 00:15:27.740 --> 00:15:29.259 where Jesus takes 00:15:29.259 --> 00:15:30.279 three of his disciples, 00:15:30.480 --> 00:15:31.419 Peter, James, and John, 00:15:31.460 --> 00:15:32.159 up on a mountain, 00:15:32.659 --> 00:15:33.480 and there Jesus 00:15:33.480 --> 00:15:34.779 is transfigured, 00:15:34.879 --> 00:15:35.600 and it is as though 00:15:35.600 --> 00:15:36.519 for a moment 00:15:36.519 --> 00:15:39.100 the veil is pulled back. 00:15:40.100 --> 00:15:41.399 The veil is pulled back, 00:15:41.639 --> 00:15:43.000 and they're allowed 00:15:43.000 --> 00:15:43.860 for just a moment 00:15:43.860 --> 00:15:44.899 to see Jesus 00:15:44.899 --> 00:15:46.740 in his glory. 00:15:46.980 --> 00:15:48.320 He becomes radiant, 00:15:48.620 --> 00:15:50.100 and Elijah and Moses 00:15:50.100 --> 00:15:51.180 appear standing 00:15:51.180 --> 00:15:52.500 on either side of him, 00:15:52.779 --> 00:15:54.039 and God speaks and says, 00:15:54.399 --> 00:15:56.080 this is my beloved son. 00:15:56.580 --> 00:15:57.460 Listen to him. 00:15:57.460 --> 00:15:58.060 In other words, 00:15:58.480 --> 00:16:00.139 he has authority. 00:16:03.000 --> 00:16:03.580 Peter's saying, 00:16:03.700 --> 00:16:04.540 this is not a myth. 00:16:05.440 --> 00:16:06.460 We saw and heard 00:16:06.460 --> 00:16:07.080 for ourselves 00:16:07.080 --> 00:16:07.820 these things 00:16:07.820 --> 00:16:09.420 that we're telling you. 00:16:10.660 --> 00:16:11.540 And then number two, 00:16:11.720 --> 00:16:12.700 the second reason 00:16:12.700 --> 00:16:13.360 why the Scriptures 00:16:13.360 --> 00:16:14.060 have authority 00:16:14.060 --> 00:16:15.220 is that the Scriptures, 00:16:15.440 --> 00:16:16.300 all of the Scriptures, 00:16:16.560 --> 00:16:17.900 New and Old Testament, 00:16:18.259 --> 00:16:19.240 were inspired 00:16:19.240 --> 00:16:20.300 by the Holy Spirit. 00:16:20.660 --> 00:16:21.420 He goes on 00:16:21.420 --> 00:16:22.460 as though immediately, 00:16:23.960 --> 00:16:25.000 it's as though 00:16:25.000 --> 00:16:25.519 he's aware 00:16:25.519 --> 00:16:26.540 of a possible objection 00:16:26.540 --> 00:16:27.080 where people say, 00:16:27.080 --> 00:16:27.500 okay, well, 00:16:27.759 --> 00:16:28.740 you're eyewitnesses, 00:16:28.800 --> 00:16:29.300 and you wrote 00:16:29.300 --> 00:16:29.840 the New Testament, 00:16:29.960 --> 00:16:30.080 great, 00:16:30.139 --> 00:16:30.480 but what about 00:16:30.480 --> 00:16:31.180 the Old Testament? 00:16:31.320 --> 00:16:31.700 Does that mean 00:16:31.700 --> 00:16:33.700 that the Jewish Scriptures 00:16:33.700 --> 00:16:34.320 are rubbish, 00:16:34.879 --> 00:16:35.920 and we should only 00:16:35.920 --> 00:16:36.379 pay attention 00:16:36.379 --> 00:16:37.060 to your letters? 00:16:38.100 --> 00:16:38.740 And Peter says, 00:16:38.800 --> 00:16:39.080 no. 00:16:39.900 --> 00:16:41.379 No prophecy in Scripture 00:16:41.379 --> 00:16:41.980 comes from 00:16:41.980 --> 00:16:43.340 someone's own interpretation. 00:16:43.800 --> 00:16:44.460 He's talking about 00:16:44.460 --> 00:16:44.920 the prophets, 00:16:45.080 --> 00:16:46.000 the Old Testament writers. 00:16:46.540 --> 00:16:47.600 For no prophecy 00:16:47.600 --> 00:16:48.580 was ever produced 00:16:48.580 --> 00:16:49.560 by the will of man, 00:16:50.040 --> 00:16:51.600 but men spoke from God 00:16:51.600 --> 00:16:52.740 as they were carried along 00:16:52.740 --> 00:16:53.580 by the Holy Spirit. 00:16:53.580 --> 00:16:54.940 And I love this. 00:16:56.560 --> 00:16:57.220 It's referring to 00:16:57.220 --> 00:16:58.379 what we commonly talk about 00:16:58.379 --> 00:16:59.100 as the doctrine 00:16:59.100 --> 00:17:00.820 of divine inspiration. 00:17:01.200 --> 00:17:03.160 And there are a lot of people 00:17:03.160 --> 00:17:04.880 who think of divine inspiration 00:17:04.880 --> 00:17:08.279 in a kind of wooden way. 00:17:09.059 --> 00:17:10.600 This idea that God 00:17:10.600 --> 00:17:11.620 sort of is coming along 00:17:11.620 --> 00:17:12.039 and He's like, 00:17:12.079 --> 00:17:12.200 you know, 00:17:12.259 --> 00:17:12.740 I've got something 00:17:12.740 --> 00:17:13.860 I really want to say. 00:17:14.700 --> 00:17:15.100 You. 00:17:15.539 --> 00:17:16.340 Take this down. 00:17:16.680 --> 00:17:17.360 And that the person 00:17:17.360 --> 00:17:18.340 sort of is taken over 00:17:18.340 --> 00:17:19.019 and all of a sudden 00:17:19.019 --> 00:17:20.319 they just start writing 00:17:20.319 --> 00:17:22.539 like a human word processor. 00:17:23.259 --> 00:17:24.259 And then when God's done, 00:17:24.319 --> 00:17:24.519 He says, 00:17:24.619 --> 00:17:24.859 all right, 00:17:24.859 --> 00:17:25.639 and they're kind of released 00:17:25.639 --> 00:17:26.259 and then they kind of 00:17:26.259 --> 00:17:27.039 go about their life. 00:17:27.139 --> 00:17:28.359 That's not how it works at all. 00:17:29.400 --> 00:17:31.379 It's much more human 00:17:31.379 --> 00:17:33.400 to be totally honest. 00:17:35.139 --> 00:17:35.920 Peter gives us 00:17:35.920 --> 00:17:36.720 this wonderful way 00:17:36.720 --> 00:17:37.559 of thinking about it. 00:17:37.879 --> 00:17:38.559 Human beings 00:17:38.559 --> 00:17:39.940 as they were carried along 00:17:39.940 --> 00:17:40.859 by the Holy Spirit. 00:17:41.500 --> 00:17:42.839 The same word carried along 00:17:42.839 --> 00:17:44.339 shows up in Acts chapter 27. 00:17:44.700 --> 00:17:45.660 Paul and his companions 00:17:45.660 --> 00:17:46.539 are in a boat 00:17:46.539 --> 00:17:47.680 and they're in a boat 00:17:47.680 --> 00:17:48.440 and they have in mind 00:17:48.440 --> 00:17:49.519 the direction they want to go 00:17:49.519 --> 00:17:49.860 and they're like, 00:17:49.920 --> 00:17:50.620 let's go that way. 00:17:50.820 --> 00:17:52.360 But there's a strong wind 00:17:52.360 --> 00:17:53.860 and the wind blows them that way. 00:17:54.900 --> 00:17:55.920 They have in mind 00:17:55.920 --> 00:17:56.539 they want to go here 00:17:56.539 --> 00:17:57.420 but the wind says 00:17:57.420 --> 00:17:58.360 you're going to go this way. 00:17:59.500 --> 00:18:00.039 And Paul says, 00:18:00.299 --> 00:18:00.880 or Peter says, 00:18:00.940 --> 00:18:02.100 this is how you can think 00:18:02.100 --> 00:18:02.960 about the writing 00:18:02.960 --> 00:18:04.000 of the scriptures. 00:18:04.220 --> 00:18:04.840 Human authors 00:18:04.840 --> 00:18:06.200 are like people in a boat. 00:18:06.960 --> 00:18:07.160 Right? 00:18:07.220 --> 00:18:08.080 They have their life. 00:18:08.180 --> 00:18:09.059 They have their personality. 00:18:09.240 --> 00:18:10.400 They have their personal agendas. 00:18:10.539 --> 00:18:11.519 They have all of the things 00:18:11.519 --> 00:18:13.000 that make them human beings. 00:18:13.900 --> 00:18:15.059 And they have in mind 00:18:15.059 --> 00:18:15.720 when they sit down 00:18:15.720 --> 00:18:16.660 to write that letter 00:18:16.660 --> 00:18:17.620 a direction 00:18:17.619 --> 00:18:18.579 that they want to go. 00:18:19.119 --> 00:18:20.559 And they put up their sail, 00:18:20.659 --> 00:18:21.279 so to speak. 00:18:22.019 --> 00:18:22.259 Right? 00:18:22.319 --> 00:18:23.899 They're putting pen to papyrus. 00:18:25.079 --> 00:18:26.579 But the Spirit of God 00:18:26.579 --> 00:18:27.859 carries them along 00:18:27.859 --> 00:18:28.599 in the direction 00:18:28.599 --> 00:18:29.839 that God wants them to go. 00:18:30.539 --> 00:18:32.079 And sets the true course 00:18:32.079 --> 00:18:32.819 of their writing. 00:18:33.219 --> 00:18:33.939 And what we see 00:18:33.939 --> 00:18:35.839 is this incredible interplay 00:18:35.839 --> 00:18:37.279 between the human 00:18:37.279 --> 00:18:38.519 and the divine. 00:18:38.739 --> 00:18:39.879 You have human beings 00:18:39.879 --> 00:18:41.000 genuinely speaking 00:18:41.000 --> 00:18:41.919 their own words 00:18:41.919 --> 00:18:42.899 in ways that reflect 00:18:42.899 --> 00:18:43.699 their family, 00:18:44.199 --> 00:18:44.919 their culture, 00:18:44.920 --> 00:18:45.740 their education, 00:18:46.140 --> 00:18:46.860 their environment, 00:18:47.200 --> 00:18:48.380 their personality quirks, 00:18:48.460 --> 00:18:49.120 their temperament. 00:18:50.320 --> 00:18:51.400 But the words 00:18:51.400 --> 00:18:52.580 they use also 00:18:52.580 --> 00:18:54.700 are just those words 00:18:54.700 --> 00:18:55.740 that God wanted them 00:18:55.740 --> 00:18:56.480 to use. 00:18:57.060 --> 00:18:57.960 We talked about this 00:18:57.960 --> 00:18:59.400 in our adult Sunday school 00:18:59.400 --> 00:19:00.200 class this morning, 00:19:00.320 --> 00:19:01.420 how even between 00:19:01.420 --> 00:19:02.519 the gospel writers 00:19:02.519 --> 00:19:03.000 you can see 00:19:03.000 --> 00:19:04.000 vast differences. 00:19:05.759 --> 00:19:06.480 The Greek 00:19:06.480 --> 00:19:08.080 that Mark uses 00:19:08.080 --> 00:19:09.300 is very abrupt. 00:19:09.480 --> 00:19:10.320 It's very basic. 00:19:10.519 --> 00:19:11.259 It's very immediately 00:19:11.259 --> 00:19:11.820 this happened 00:19:11.820 --> 00:19:12.320 and then immediately 00:19:12.320 --> 00:19:12.820 this happened 00:19:12.820 --> 00:19:13.380 and it's immediately 00:19:13.380 --> 00:19:13.940 this happened. 00:19:14.220 --> 00:19:15.260 Mark is very to the point. 00:19:15.360 --> 00:19:16.400 He's very action oriented. 00:19:16.520 --> 00:19:17.200 He doesn't have time 00:19:17.200 --> 00:19:18.280 to waste with details. 00:19:18.420 --> 00:19:18.980 He's just like this 00:19:18.980 --> 00:19:19.400 and then this 00:19:19.400 --> 00:19:19.800 and then this 00:19:19.800 --> 00:19:20.240 and then boom. 00:19:21.020 --> 00:19:21.580 That's Mark. 00:19:22.120 --> 00:19:23.220 Luke is the most 00:19:23.220 --> 00:19:24.280 educated writer 00:19:24.280 --> 00:19:25.140 in the New Testament. 00:19:25.800 --> 00:19:27.640 Incredibly highly educated 00:19:27.640 --> 00:19:28.980 form of Greek 00:19:28.980 --> 00:19:29.680 that he's using. 00:19:29.780 --> 00:19:30.920 It's a completely different, 00:19:31.060 --> 00:19:31.920 it's a completely 00:19:31.920 --> 00:19:32.900 different experience. 00:19:33.620 --> 00:19:33.780 Right? 00:19:34.120 --> 00:19:35.040 Both fully human, 00:19:35.220 --> 00:19:36.500 both working within 00:19:36.500 --> 00:19:37.180 the limits 00:19:37.180 --> 00:19:38.420 of their education, 00:19:39.380 --> 00:19:40.200 both with their own 00:19:40.200 --> 00:19:41.280 agendas and audiences. 00:19:41.600 --> 00:19:42.900 Very different in form. 00:19:43.380 --> 00:19:44.640 Both carried along 00:19:44.640 --> 00:19:45.440 by the Holy Spirit. 00:19:47.020 --> 00:19:47.280 Right? 00:19:47.320 --> 00:19:47.840 In other words, 00:19:47.920 --> 00:19:49.960 the Bible is just like Jesus. 00:19:51.180 --> 00:19:52.780 It is fully human 00:19:52.780 --> 00:19:55.020 and it is fully divine. 00:19:56.060 --> 00:19:57.500 And we get into trouble 00:19:57.500 --> 00:19:58.160 if we forget 00:19:58.160 --> 00:19:59.380 either one of those things. 00:20:00.520 --> 00:20:00.940 Right? 00:20:00.980 --> 00:20:02.140 If we start to forget 00:20:02.140 --> 00:20:02.840 that the Bible 00:20:02.840 --> 00:20:03.780 is fully human 00:20:03.780 --> 00:20:05.200 when there are differences, 00:20:06.020 --> 00:20:06.780 say when there are 00:20:06.780 --> 00:20:08.160 chronological differences 00:20:08.160 --> 00:20:09.360 between one gospel 00:20:09.360 --> 00:20:09.960 and another 00:20:09.960 --> 00:20:11.000 and we say, 00:20:11.120 --> 00:20:11.800 well did this happen 00:20:11.800 --> 00:20:12.220 in the early 00:20:12.220 --> 00:20:13.019 in Jesus' ministry 00:20:13.019 --> 00:20:13.420 or later, 00:20:14.380 --> 00:20:15.160 if you have a very 00:20:15.160 --> 00:20:16.440 literal wooden 00:20:16.440 --> 00:20:17.319 understanding of 00:20:17.319 --> 00:20:18.120 divine inspiration, 00:20:18.120 --> 00:20:19.220 you see something like that 00:20:19.220 --> 00:20:19.960 and your faith starts 00:20:19.960 --> 00:20:20.600 to fall apart. 00:20:20.680 --> 00:20:21.799 Well this must not be inspired, 00:20:21.900 --> 00:20:22.839 there's a contradiction here. 00:20:23.620 --> 00:20:24.600 But if you understand 00:20:24.600 --> 00:20:25.380 that these are fully 00:20:25.380 --> 00:20:26.100 human writers 00:20:26.100 --> 00:20:27.819 and that this author 00:20:27.819 --> 00:20:29.100 may be very concerned 00:20:29.100 --> 00:20:30.500 with chronological accuracy 00:20:30.500 --> 00:20:31.259 and this author 00:20:31.259 --> 00:20:32.299 isn't at all concerned 00:20:32.299 --> 00:20:32.960 with chronology 00:20:32.960 --> 00:20:34.480 because he's writing 00:20:34.480 --> 00:20:35.200 thematically, 00:20:35.799 --> 00:20:37.000 he loves the metaphors 00:20:37.000 --> 00:20:37.500 and the imagery 00:20:37.500 --> 00:20:38.319 and the double meanings, 00:20:39.319 --> 00:20:39.860 you begin to say, 00:20:39.859 --> 00:20:40.519 oh well these are just 00:20:40.519 --> 00:20:41.219 two very different 00:20:41.219 --> 00:20:41.859 human beings. 00:20:42.339 --> 00:20:43.299 Just like I'm very different 00:20:43.299 --> 00:20:43.919 from other people. 00:20:45.699 --> 00:20:46.059 Likewise, 00:20:46.279 --> 00:20:46.719 if we forget 00:20:46.719 --> 00:20:47.519 the divine element, 00:20:48.279 --> 00:20:49.539 it can be very easy 00:20:49.539 --> 00:20:50.219 when we come across 00:20:50.219 --> 00:20:50.939 a place in Scripture 00:20:50.939 --> 00:20:51.659 that is troubling 00:20:51.659 --> 00:20:52.679 or unsettling 00:20:52.679 --> 00:20:53.279 or challenging 00:20:53.279 --> 00:20:54.679 just to write it off 00:20:54.679 --> 00:20:54.939 and say, 00:20:55.059 --> 00:20:56.799 well this probably 00:20:56.799 --> 00:20:57.719 wasn't even Paul 00:20:57.719 --> 00:20:58.439 who wrote this. 00:20:58.859 --> 00:20:59.359 I'm not even gonna. 00:21:00.299 --> 00:21:01.099 It tends to be Paul 00:21:01.099 --> 00:21:01.919 who angers people. 00:21:02.179 --> 00:21:02.859 That's why I'm using 00:21:02.859 --> 00:21:03.399 that example. 00:21:03.959 --> 00:21:04.799 Well Paul clearly 00:21:04.799 --> 00:21:05.519 just didn't write this 00:21:05.519 --> 00:21:05.919 so we're just gonna 00:21:05.919 --> 00:21:06.500 ignore that. 00:21:07.719 --> 00:21:08.339 No, what he's saying 00:21:08.339 --> 00:21:09.279 is every word 00:21:09.279 --> 00:21:09.720 of Scripture 00:21:09.720 --> 00:21:10.259 was written 00:21:10.259 --> 00:21:11.119 as the prophets, 00:21:11.399 --> 00:21:11.939 as the writers 00:21:11.939 --> 00:21:12.740 were carried along 00:21:12.740 --> 00:21:13.519 by the Holy Spirit. 00:21:13.639 --> 00:21:14.339 Every word. 00:21:14.559 --> 00:21:15.659 Not just the red letters. 00:21:16.539 --> 00:21:17.220 All the letters. 00:21:20.379 --> 00:21:21.519 So this is a source 00:21:21.519 --> 00:21:21.939 of authority 00:21:21.939 --> 00:21:22.740 that comes from 00:21:22.740 --> 00:21:24.959 outside all human cultures 00:21:24.959 --> 00:21:25.980 so it's not limited 00:21:25.980 --> 00:21:26.939 by our bias. 00:21:27.539 --> 00:21:28.399 It's not limited 00:21:28.399 --> 00:21:29.639 by our blind spots. 00:21:29.740 --> 00:21:30.319 It's not limited 00:21:30.319 --> 00:21:31.059 by the particular 00:21:31.059 --> 00:21:31.919 cultural moment 00:21:31.919 --> 00:21:33.699 in which it was written 00:21:33.699 --> 00:21:35.079 and yet it's been written 00:21:35.079 --> 00:21:35.799 by a chorus 00:21:35.799 --> 00:21:36.679 of human voices 00:21:36.680 --> 00:21:37.960 so it's fully accessible 00:21:37.960 --> 00:21:38.700 and understandable. 00:21:38.960 --> 00:21:39.980 It's written by humans 00:21:39.980 --> 00:21:40.700 for humans 00:21:40.700 --> 00:21:41.900 which is incredible 00:21:41.900 --> 00:21:42.680 but it's not limited 00:21:42.680 --> 00:21:43.320 by humans. 00:21:44.320 --> 00:21:45.420 And because this 00:21:45.420 --> 00:21:46.480 unlike other sources 00:21:46.480 --> 00:21:46.900 of authority 00:21:46.900 --> 00:21:48.340 comes from outside us, 00:21:48.400 --> 00:21:50.039 from outside the human condition, 00:21:51.120 --> 00:21:52.820 from God himself, 00:21:52.940 --> 00:21:53.779 it's meant to have 00:21:53.779 --> 00:21:54.720 the final word 00:21:54.720 --> 00:21:56.140 over all earthly forms 00:21:56.140 --> 00:21:56.640 of authority. 00:21:58.019 --> 00:21:58.240 Right? 00:21:58.340 --> 00:21:59.240 So some other sources 00:21:59.240 --> 00:21:59.640 of authority 00:21:59.640 --> 00:22:00.500 might be tradition 00:22:00.500 --> 00:22:01.200 as we said. 00:22:01.940 --> 00:22:02.680 Might be science 00:22:02.680 --> 00:22:03.220 and reason. 00:22:04.019 --> 00:22:05.420 Might be your feelings 00:22:05.420 --> 00:22:06.680 in your personal experiences. 00:22:06.820 --> 00:22:07.560 All of these carry 00:22:07.560 --> 00:22:08.620 certain amount of authority 00:22:08.620 --> 00:22:09.480 and we should pay attention 00:22:09.480 --> 00:22:10.140 to all of them. 00:22:11.700 --> 00:22:12.720 But the scriptures 00:22:12.720 --> 00:22:13.660 according to this 00:22:13.660 --> 00:22:14.539 are meant to have 00:22:14.539 --> 00:22:15.680 the final word 00:22:15.680 --> 00:22:16.900 over all of these 00:22:16.900 --> 00:22:18.060 other sources of authority 00:22:18.060 --> 00:22:19.740 and thank God for that. 00:22:20.380 --> 00:22:22.360 That is good news. 00:22:22.500 --> 00:22:22.720 Why? 00:22:22.860 --> 00:22:23.880 Well, we see examples 00:22:23.880 --> 00:22:24.539 all through history 00:22:24.539 --> 00:22:25.640 why this is good news. 00:22:27.300 --> 00:22:28.420 When tradition, 00:22:28.820 --> 00:22:31.680 when tradition dictated 00:22:31.680 --> 00:22:32.700 in the Roman world 00:22:32.700 --> 00:22:34.360 that life was about 00:22:34.360 --> 00:22:35.380 personal power 00:22:35.380 --> 00:22:36.100 and glory 00:22:36.100 --> 00:22:38.559 and that if you were 00:22:38.559 --> 00:22:39.580 poor or destitute 00:22:39.580 --> 00:22:40.480 you were probably 00:22:40.480 --> 00:22:41.700 getting what you deserved. 00:22:43.620 --> 00:22:44.340 The scriptures 00:22:44.340 --> 00:22:45.180 called people 00:22:45.180 --> 00:22:45.940 to love 00:22:45.940 --> 00:22:46.900 and to care 00:22:46.900 --> 00:22:48.500 for the poor 00:22:48.500 --> 00:22:49.380 and the vulnerable. 00:22:50.340 --> 00:22:50.840 The scriptures 00:22:50.840 --> 00:22:52.000 compelled people 00:22:52.000 --> 00:22:53.340 in the subsequent centuries 00:22:53.340 --> 00:22:54.720 to build hospitals 00:22:54.720 --> 00:22:56.000 and orphanages. 00:22:56.180 --> 00:22:57.059 It transformed 00:22:57.059 --> 00:22:58.319 the western imagination 00:22:58.319 --> 00:22:59.539 and how we think 00:22:59.539 --> 00:23:00.120 about the poor 00:23:00.120 --> 00:23:00.700 and the vulnerable. 00:23:00.700 --> 00:23:03.440 That would not be 00:23:03.440 --> 00:23:04.640 our first instinct 00:23:04.640 --> 00:23:06.720 in this century 00:23:06.720 --> 00:23:07.860 had it not been 00:23:07.860 --> 00:23:08.539 for the authority 00:23:08.539 --> 00:23:09.259 of the scriptures 00:23:09.259 --> 00:23:10.940 2,000 years ago 00:23:10.940 --> 00:23:12.900 overruling human tradition 00:23:12.900 --> 00:23:14.400 and saying 00:23:14.400 --> 00:23:15.740 this is the way 00:23:15.740 --> 00:23:17.059 to be a human being. 00:23:18.519 --> 00:23:19.400 It wouldn't have happened. 00:23:19.500 --> 00:23:20.360 When science, 00:23:20.519 --> 00:23:21.460 when science 00:23:21.460 --> 00:23:22.319 during the enlightenment 00:23:22.319 --> 00:23:24.319 created a hierarchy, 00:23:25.340 --> 00:23:26.779 a racial taxonomy 00:23:26.779 --> 00:23:27.360 that said 00:23:27.360 --> 00:23:28.259 certain races 00:23:28.259 --> 00:23:29.799 are evolutionarily 00:23:29.799 --> 00:23:30.480 superior 00:23:30.480 --> 00:23:31.799 over other races 00:23:31.799 --> 00:23:34.259 and so it is beneficial 00:23:34.259 --> 00:23:36.299 for those subhuman races 00:23:36.299 --> 00:23:38.019 to have masters 00:23:38.019 --> 00:23:39.299 and when 00:23:39.299 --> 00:23:41.619 well-known scientists 00:23:41.619 --> 00:23:42.500 were speaking 00:23:42.500 --> 00:23:43.440 from the position 00:23:43.440 --> 00:23:44.019 of science 00:23:44.019 --> 00:23:44.419 and saying 00:23:44.419 --> 00:23:45.619 this is what we've determined 00:23:45.619 --> 00:23:47.480 through our scientific rigor, 00:23:48.259 --> 00:23:49.159 the scripture said 00:23:49.159 --> 00:23:49.819 no. 00:23:51.259 --> 00:23:52.180 Every human being 00:23:52.180 --> 00:23:52.680 is created 00:23:52.680 --> 00:23:53.559 in the image of God 00:23:53.559 --> 00:23:53.919 and therefore 00:23:53.919 --> 00:23:54.759 no human being 00:23:54.759 --> 00:23:55.559 can be the property 00:23:55.559 --> 00:23:56.559 of another. 00:23:56.559 --> 00:23:56.859 You know, 00:23:56.899 --> 00:23:57.779 the first person 00:23:57.779 --> 00:23:58.460 in history 00:23:58.460 --> 00:23:59.379 that we know of 00:23:59.379 --> 00:24:01.779 to directly challenge 00:24:01.779 --> 00:24:03.279 slavery as an institution 00:24:03.279 --> 00:24:04.480 was Gregory of Nyssa 00:24:04.480 --> 00:24:05.440 in the fourth century. 00:24:06.019 --> 00:24:07.279 He's looking at slavery 00:24:07.279 --> 00:24:09.259 which is universally practiced. 00:24:09.639 --> 00:24:10.720 He's looking at the scriptures. 00:24:11.119 --> 00:24:12.339 He's looking at slavery 00:24:12.339 --> 00:24:13.619 and he's looking at the scriptures 00:24:13.619 --> 00:24:14.339 and he's saying 00:24:14.339 --> 00:24:15.200 this doesn't add up 00:24:15.200 --> 00:24:17.019 and he's choosing 00:24:17.019 --> 00:24:17.879 to allow the scriptures 00:24:17.879 --> 00:24:18.599 to have authority 00:24:18.599 --> 00:24:21.440 over that institution. 00:24:21.440 --> 00:24:23.799 So I say this 00:24:23.799 --> 00:24:24.340 to say now 00:24:24.340 --> 00:24:25.320 let's get a little personal. 00:24:25.480 --> 00:24:26.320 In our lives 00:24:26.320 --> 00:24:28.920 when society 00:24:28.920 --> 00:24:29.720 is telling me 00:24:29.720 --> 00:24:30.680 that I should be defined 00:24:30.680 --> 00:24:31.539 by my feelings, 00:24:32.320 --> 00:24:34.140 by my sexual desires, 00:24:34.380 --> 00:24:35.779 by my inner inclinations, 00:24:36.299 --> 00:24:37.680 that I should follow that 00:24:37.680 --> 00:24:38.220 over and above 00:24:38.220 --> 00:24:39.039 everything else, 00:24:40.200 --> 00:24:41.180 the scriptures say 00:24:41.180 --> 00:24:42.380 beloved, 00:24:42.640 --> 00:24:43.019 no. 00:24:44.140 --> 00:24:45.220 You're meant to be defined 00:24:45.220 --> 00:24:46.580 by so much more 00:24:46.580 --> 00:24:47.180 than that. 00:24:48.320 --> 00:24:49.420 You've been created 00:24:49.420 --> 00:24:50.080 by the God 00:24:50.080 --> 00:24:50.900 of the universe. 00:24:52.400 --> 00:24:53.480 He's made you 00:24:53.480 --> 00:24:54.440 as an image 00:24:54.440 --> 00:24:55.400 of His glory. 00:24:55.759 --> 00:24:57.440 He's poured His Spirit 00:24:57.440 --> 00:24:58.100 into you. 00:24:58.180 --> 00:24:59.259 His desire for you 00:24:59.259 --> 00:25:00.820 is that in everything you do 00:25:00.820 --> 00:25:02.420 you bring glory to Him. 00:25:03.420 --> 00:25:04.480 What greater purpose 00:25:04.480 --> 00:25:05.279 could there be? 00:25:06.519 --> 00:25:07.360 And I have a choice. 00:25:07.500 --> 00:25:08.160 Which authority 00:25:08.160 --> 00:25:09.000 do I allow 00:25:09.000 --> 00:25:10.600 to be my ultimate authority 00:25:10.600 --> 00:25:11.880 in telling me 00:25:11.880 --> 00:25:12.380 who I am 00:25:12.380 --> 00:25:13.019 or why I'm here? 00:25:15.100 --> 00:25:15.500 Right? 00:25:15.580 --> 00:25:16.700 So it's good news 00:25:16.700 --> 00:25:17.840 that the scriptures 00:25:17.840 --> 00:25:18.440 have authority. 00:25:18.539 --> 00:25:19.620 Now how does this work out 00:25:19.620 --> 00:25:20.299 in our lives? 00:25:20.299 --> 00:25:22.460 What does it actually mean? 00:25:24.139 --> 00:25:25.399 Peter says in verse 19, 00:25:25.519 --> 00:25:26.379 the scriptures are like 00:25:26.379 --> 00:25:27.740 a lamp illuminating 00:25:27.740 --> 00:25:29.200 the darkness. 00:25:29.659 --> 00:25:30.740 We live in a world 00:25:30.740 --> 00:25:31.240 of darkness. 00:25:32.539 --> 00:25:33.460 It's more than just 00:25:33.460 --> 00:25:35.460 there's no light. 00:25:35.579 --> 00:25:36.639 It means we can't think 00:25:36.639 --> 00:25:37.960 our way out of our own problems. 00:25:39.259 --> 00:25:39.700 Right? 00:25:39.839 --> 00:25:40.740 Our thinking 00:25:40.740 --> 00:25:41.639 has been darkened. 00:25:43.159 --> 00:25:44.359 We can't get out 00:25:44.359 --> 00:25:45.200 of this on our own. 00:25:46.200 --> 00:25:46.900 We don't know 00:25:46.900 --> 00:25:47.640 up from down, 00:25:47.720 --> 00:25:48.440 right from left 00:25:48.440 --> 00:25:49.860 on our own. 00:25:50.620 --> 00:25:51.759 We need an orientation. 00:25:52.100 --> 00:25:52.519 We need something 00:25:52.519 --> 00:25:53.279 to show us 00:25:53.279 --> 00:25:54.680 the way things really are. 00:25:54.840 --> 00:25:55.580 That's what light does. 00:25:55.640 --> 00:25:56.240 It shows you 00:25:56.240 --> 00:25:57.440 the way things really are. 00:25:58.220 --> 00:25:59.220 So God has given us 00:25:59.220 --> 00:26:00.400 a lamp to live by. 00:26:00.500 --> 00:26:00.860 Without it 00:26:00.860 --> 00:26:01.620 we would be engulfed 00:26:01.620 --> 00:26:02.140 in darkness. 00:26:03.420 --> 00:26:04.080 So Peter's saying 00:26:04.080 --> 00:26:04.660 the whole course 00:26:04.660 --> 00:26:05.240 of our lives 00:26:05.240 --> 00:26:05.840 needs to be governed 00:26:05.840 --> 00:26:06.299 by scripture. 00:26:06.440 --> 00:26:07.460 Every step we take 00:26:07.460 --> 00:26:09.200 we want to make sure 00:26:09.200 --> 00:26:09.840 that we are 00:26:09.840 --> 00:26:12.080 allowing the scriptures 00:26:12.079 --> 00:26:13.659 to illuminate the path. 00:26:14.019 --> 00:26:14.379 Right? 00:26:14.439 --> 00:26:15.439 One step at a time. 00:26:16.559 --> 00:26:18.059 But how does that work? 00:26:19.019 --> 00:26:19.179 Right? 00:26:20.099 --> 00:26:20.980 Because here's the thing. 00:26:21.019 --> 00:26:22.039 The Bible is not just 00:26:22.039 --> 00:26:22.859 a list of things 00:26:22.859 --> 00:26:23.759 to do and not do. 00:26:23.839 --> 00:26:24.899 It's not just a list of 00:26:24.899 --> 00:26:26.879 you know, 00:26:27.039 --> 00:26:27.379 do this, 00:26:27.439 --> 00:26:27.819 don't do that, 00:26:27.879 --> 00:26:28.119 do this, 00:26:28.179 --> 00:26:28.679 don't do that. 00:26:30.779 --> 00:26:31.539 The Bible isn't 00:26:31.539 --> 00:26:32.419 a list of doctrines. 00:26:32.679 --> 00:26:33.079 Believe this, 00:26:33.159 --> 00:26:33.679 don't believe that, 00:26:33.740 --> 00:26:34.039 believe it. 00:26:34.759 --> 00:26:35.500 Most of the Bible 00:26:35.500 --> 00:26:36.059 comes to us 00:26:36.059 --> 00:26:37.099 in the form of stories. 00:26:39.240 --> 00:26:40.019 So how do you live 00:26:40.019 --> 00:26:40.579 under the authority 00:26:40.579 --> 00:26:41.179 of a story? 00:26:42.079 --> 00:26:45.619 You go to the Ten Commandments 00:26:45.619 --> 00:26:45.919 and you're like, 00:26:45.980 --> 00:26:47.000 that's reasonably clear. 00:26:48.720 --> 00:26:50.039 Some of the writings 00:26:50.039 --> 00:26:50.579 of Paul, 00:26:50.720 --> 00:26:51.240 pretty clear. 00:26:52.259 --> 00:26:53.179 He exhorts us 00:26:53.179 --> 00:26:53.720 to do this 00:26:53.720 --> 00:26:54.500 and not to do that. 00:26:55.039 --> 00:26:55.839 But how do you live 00:26:55.839 --> 00:26:56.500 under the authority 00:26:56.500 --> 00:26:57.119 of a parable? 00:26:57.939 --> 00:26:58.519 How do you live 00:26:58.519 --> 00:26:59.079 under the authority 00:26:59.079 --> 00:27:00.039 of the book of Judges? 00:27:00.099 --> 00:27:00.859 Have you ever read that book? 00:27:02.419 --> 00:27:03.039 How do you live 00:27:03.039 --> 00:27:03.639 under the authority 00:27:03.639 --> 00:27:04.279 of that story? 00:27:05.179 --> 00:27:06.000 So what do we do? 00:27:07.119 --> 00:27:07.339 Right? 00:27:07.379 --> 00:27:07.740 There are people 00:27:07.740 --> 00:27:08.240 like the late 00:27:08.240 --> 00:27:08.960 Rachel Held Evans 00:27:08.960 --> 00:27:10.259 who write books 00:27:10.259 --> 00:27:10.919 you know, 00:27:10.980 --> 00:27:11.939 about living 00:27:11.940 --> 00:27:12.920 by every word 00:27:12.920 --> 00:27:13.380 of the Bible 00:27:13.380 --> 00:27:14.100 and they sort of 00:27:14.100 --> 00:27:14.740 take the Bible 00:27:14.740 --> 00:27:15.519 and they draw out 00:27:15.519 --> 00:27:16.640 all the rules they can 00:27:16.640 --> 00:27:17.460 and they're funny 00:27:17.460 --> 00:27:18.220 to read, right? 00:27:19.539 --> 00:27:20.299 I think it's like 00:27:20.299 --> 00:27:21.279 a year of biblical womanhood 00:27:21.279 --> 00:27:21.580 I think. 00:27:22.340 --> 00:27:24.200 And it's a fun read 00:27:24.200 --> 00:27:24.820 because she sort of 00:27:24.820 --> 00:27:26.220 takes this very 00:27:26.220 --> 00:27:27.039 wooden approach 00:27:27.039 --> 00:27:27.500 and so, 00:27:27.660 --> 00:27:27.799 you know, 00:27:27.860 --> 00:27:28.759 when Proverbs 31 00:27:28.759 --> 00:27:29.500 says that 00:27:29.500 --> 00:27:30.360 a woman's husband 00:27:30.360 --> 00:27:30.940 is respected 00:27:30.940 --> 00:27:31.660 at the city gate, 00:27:31.740 --> 00:27:32.340 she goes out 00:27:32.340 --> 00:27:33.700 to the highway 00:27:33.700 --> 00:27:34.759 next to the entrance 00:27:34.759 --> 00:27:35.340 to her town 00:27:35.340 --> 00:27:35.960 and she holds up 00:27:35.960 --> 00:27:36.660 a sign that says 00:27:36.660 --> 00:27:37.559 Dan is awesome. 00:27:38.320 --> 00:27:40.039 That's her husband's name 00:27:40.039 --> 00:27:40.819 and it's funny 00:27:40.819 --> 00:27:41.420 but obviously 00:27:41.420 --> 00:27:42.099 that's not what 00:27:42.099 --> 00:27:42.960 that passage means, 00:27:43.019 --> 00:27:43.180 right? 00:27:43.180 --> 00:27:43.799 She's taking a very 00:27:43.799 --> 00:27:44.700 literal approach to it. 00:27:44.740 --> 00:27:46.099 So how do we actually 00:27:46.099 --> 00:27:46.819 do this? 00:27:47.759 --> 00:27:48.599 Most of the time 00:27:48.599 --> 00:27:49.059 what we do 00:27:49.059 --> 00:27:49.839 is not too far 00:27:49.839 --> 00:27:51.599 from what Evans did, 00:27:51.980 --> 00:27:52.579 right? 00:27:52.639 --> 00:27:53.940 We take these stories 00:27:53.940 --> 00:27:55.639 and we extract 00:27:55.639 --> 00:27:57.000 from them rules 00:27:57.000 --> 00:27:57.519 or principles 00:27:57.519 --> 00:27:58.279 to live by 00:27:58.279 --> 00:27:58.799 and honestly, 00:27:58.940 --> 00:27:59.920 preachers are among 00:27:59.920 --> 00:28:01.339 the worst of sinners 00:28:01.339 --> 00:28:02.279 when it comes to this. 00:28:03.559 --> 00:28:04.779 It makes for a good sermon 00:28:04.779 --> 00:28:05.539 to just say, 00:28:05.740 --> 00:28:05.899 you know, 00:28:05.940 --> 00:28:06.740 here's the application, 00:28:06.940 --> 00:28:08.039 da-da, da-da, da-da, da-da, 00:28:08.159 --> 00:28:08.359 right? 00:28:08.440 --> 00:28:09.460 We extract it out. 00:28:11.359 --> 00:28:12.299 But here's the problem 00:28:12.299 --> 00:28:12.680 with that. 00:28:12.799 --> 00:28:13.299 It's not that it's 00:28:13.299 --> 00:28:14.159 totally wrong 00:28:14.159 --> 00:28:14.779 but here's what 00:28:14.779 --> 00:28:15.659 N.T. Wright says, 00:28:15.779 --> 00:28:16.680 the New Testament scholar. 00:28:16.799 --> 00:28:17.039 He says, 00:28:17.379 --> 00:28:18.319 that whole approach 00:28:18.319 --> 00:28:20.180 implies that we have somehow 00:28:20.180 --> 00:28:21.940 that God has given us 00:28:21.940 --> 00:28:23.000 the wrong kind of book 00:28:23.000 --> 00:28:25.059 and it's like our job 00:28:25.059 --> 00:28:25.879 to turn it into 00:28:25.879 --> 00:28:26.859 the right kind of book. 00:28:26.940 --> 00:28:27.079 It's like, 00:28:27.139 --> 00:28:27.599 thanks God, 00:28:27.720 --> 00:28:28.720 we'll take it from here 00:28:28.720 --> 00:28:30.220 and we sort of turn it 00:28:30.220 --> 00:28:30.700 into something 00:28:30.700 --> 00:28:31.839 that we can actually use 00:28:31.839 --> 00:28:32.920 and Wright says, 00:28:32.980 --> 00:28:33.079 you know, 00:28:33.119 --> 00:28:33.639 that's actually 00:28:33.639 --> 00:28:34.720 a low view of Scripture. 00:28:36.240 --> 00:28:37.299 A high view of Scripture 00:28:37.299 --> 00:28:37.799 would ask, 00:28:38.039 --> 00:28:38.759 how does someone 00:28:38.759 --> 00:28:39.920 live under the authority 00:28:39.920 --> 00:28:40.859 of a story? 00:28:41.819 --> 00:28:42.839 How do we take the book 00:28:42.839 --> 00:28:44.319 as it has been given to us 00:28:44.319 --> 00:28:45.859 recognizing that there are 00:28:45.859 --> 00:28:46.920 a lot of little stories 00:28:46.920 --> 00:28:48.259 and they all make up 00:28:48.259 --> 00:28:49.059 one big story 00:28:49.059 --> 00:28:49.879 that goes from Genesis 00:28:49.879 --> 00:28:50.559 to Revelation 00:28:50.559 --> 00:28:51.720 and how do we live 00:28:51.720 --> 00:28:52.879 under that story? 00:28:53.740 --> 00:28:54.740 And so Wright goes on 00:28:54.740 --> 00:28:55.119 to give us 00:28:55.119 --> 00:28:56.139 this beautiful image. 00:28:56.279 --> 00:28:56.420 He says, 00:28:56.519 --> 00:28:57.420 imagine finding 00:28:57.420 --> 00:28:58.279 an unfinished 00:28:58.279 --> 00:28:59.659 Shakespearean play 00:28:59.659 --> 00:29:01.399 and deciding 00:29:01.399 --> 00:29:02.019 that you want 00:29:02.019 --> 00:29:02.759 to perform it. 00:29:03.740 --> 00:29:05.180 The script gives us 00:29:05.180 --> 00:29:06.519 the first four acts. 00:29:07.700 --> 00:29:08.779 The fifth act 00:29:08.779 --> 00:29:09.620 is missing 00:29:09.620 --> 00:29:10.340 and so it would be 00:29:10.340 --> 00:29:11.000 up to us 00:29:11.000 --> 00:29:11.799 if we want to perform 00:29:11.799 --> 00:29:12.320 this play 00:29:12.320 --> 00:29:12.880 to figure out 00:29:12.880 --> 00:29:13.660 how to live out 00:29:13.660 --> 00:29:14.539 and perform 00:29:14.539 --> 00:29:15.299 that fifth 00:29:15.299 --> 00:29:16.120 and final act. 00:29:17.080 --> 00:29:17.799 And he says, 00:29:17.860 --> 00:29:18.019 you know, 00:29:18.060 --> 00:29:18.779 in order to do that 00:29:18.779 --> 00:29:19.460 it's going to require 00:29:19.460 --> 00:29:20.180 a couple of things, 00:29:20.299 --> 00:29:20.759 continuity 00:29:20.759 --> 00:29:22.380 and improvisation. 00:29:23.600 --> 00:29:24.299 You have to 00:29:24.299 --> 00:29:25.080 immerse yourself 00:29:25.080 --> 00:29:25.759 so deeply 00:29:25.759 --> 00:29:26.880 in those first four acts 00:29:26.880 --> 00:29:27.600 that they just become 00:29:27.600 --> 00:29:28.580 second nature to you. 00:29:29.140 --> 00:29:29.740 You have to study 00:29:29.740 --> 00:29:30.259 every word 00:29:30.259 --> 00:29:30.900 until you're just 00:29:30.900 --> 00:29:31.720 immersed in it, 00:29:32.200 --> 00:29:32.900 until you can 00:29:32.900 --> 00:29:33.539 channel it, 00:29:33.680 --> 00:29:34.779 speak it effortlessly, 00:29:34.779 --> 00:29:35.779 you're a part 00:29:35.779 --> 00:29:36.200 of the story, 00:29:36.279 --> 00:29:37.019 you're living in it. 00:29:38.139 --> 00:29:38.819 And once you have 00:29:38.819 --> 00:29:39.319 that continuity 00:29:39.319 --> 00:29:39.859 then you would 00:29:39.859 --> 00:29:40.740 have to improvise 00:29:40.740 --> 00:29:42.819 because the fifth act 00:29:42.819 --> 00:29:43.460 has not been written. 00:29:43.599 --> 00:29:44.059 You would truly 00:29:44.059 --> 00:29:44.819 have to improvise 00:29:44.819 --> 00:29:45.420 but in a way 00:29:45.420 --> 00:29:46.440 that maintains 00:29:46.440 --> 00:29:47.019 continuity 00:29:47.019 --> 00:29:47.920 with everything 00:29:47.920 --> 00:29:48.859 that came before it. 00:29:48.879 --> 00:29:49.139 And he says, 00:29:49.480 --> 00:29:50.920 that's what we have 00:29:50.920 --> 00:29:51.500 with the scriptures. 00:29:51.700 --> 00:29:52.299 It's as though God 00:29:52.299 --> 00:29:52.740 has given us 00:29:52.740 --> 00:29:53.960 this four act play. 00:29:54.639 --> 00:29:54.700 Right? 00:29:54.779 --> 00:29:55.279 Act one, 00:29:55.399 --> 00:29:55.879 creation. 00:29:57.339 --> 00:29:58.000 Act two, 00:29:58.099 --> 00:29:58.680 the fall. 00:30:00.059 --> 00:30:00.639 Act three, 00:30:00.759 --> 00:30:02.240 the story of Israel. 00:30:03.160 --> 00:30:03.700 And all that they 00:30:03.700 --> 00:30:04.359 were called to do 00:30:04.359 --> 00:30:04.899 and all that they 00:30:04.899 --> 00:30:05.879 failed to do. 00:30:06.579 --> 00:30:07.199 Act four, 00:30:07.399 --> 00:30:07.819 Jesus, 00:30:08.240 --> 00:30:09.099 the true Israel 00:30:09.099 --> 00:30:09.799 coming to do 00:30:09.799 --> 00:30:10.299 what Israel 00:30:10.299 --> 00:30:11.000 never could have 00:30:11.000 --> 00:30:11.679 done for the world, 00:30:11.959 --> 00:30:12.639 to bring God's 00:30:12.639 --> 00:30:13.539 blessing to the nations. 00:30:14.319 --> 00:30:15.039 And then we have 00:30:15.039 --> 00:30:15.719 act five, 00:30:15.899 --> 00:30:16.639 scene one. 00:30:17.500 --> 00:30:18.559 The resurrected Jesus 00:30:18.559 --> 00:30:19.639 commissions the church, 00:30:20.099 --> 00:30:20.779 fills the church 00:30:20.779 --> 00:30:21.599 with the Holy Spirit 00:30:21.599 --> 00:30:22.379 fulfilling all of 00:30:22.379 --> 00:30:22.919 those Old Testament 00:30:22.919 --> 00:30:23.359 promises, 00:30:23.799 --> 00:30:25.019 ascends to the throne 00:30:25.019 --> 00:30:25.519 in heaven 00:30:25.519 --> 00:30:26.359 and says, 00:30:26.799 --> 00:30:28.079 now is the age 00:30:28.079 --> 00:30:29.000 of the church 00:30:29.000 --> 00:30:30.959 to go and to be 00:30:30.959 --> 00:30:31.699 the hands and feet 00:30:31.699 --> 00:30:32.559 of Christ filled 00:30:32.559 --> 00:30:33.359 with the Holy Spirit 00:30:33.359 --> 00:30:34.139 preaching and teaching 00:30:34.139 --> 00:30:34.639 the gospel, 00:30:35.159 --> 00:30:35.759 bringing healing 00:30:35.759 --> 00:30:36.459 to the nations. 00:30:39.119 --> 00:30:39.959 But it hasn't been 00:30:39.959 --> 00:30:40.179 written. 00:30:41.459 --> 00:30:42.559 Or more accurately, 00:30:42.899 --> 00:30:43.819 it's being written 00:30:43.819 --> 00:30:44.759 right now. 00:30:45.799 --> 00:30:46.939 How do we do that? 00:30:48.459 --> 00:30:48.859 Continuity 00:30:48.859 --> 00:30:49.899 and improvisation. 00:30:50.019 --> 00:30:50.939 We immerse ourselves 00:30:50.939 --> 00:30:51.519 in the scriptures. 00:30:52.599 --> 00:30:53.579 We have all the way up 00:30:53.579 --> 00:30:54.119 through act five, 00:30:54.219 --> 00:30:54.639 scene one. 00:30:55.579 --> 00:30:56.359 And then we have 00:30:56.359 --> 00:30:56.879 a little preview 00:30:56.879 --> 00:30:57.699 of how it's going to end 00:30:57.699 --> 00:30:58.459 all the way over here 00:30:58.459 --> 00:30:58.899 in Revelation. 00:30:58.900 --> 00:30:59.019 Revelation. 00:31:00.460 --> 00:31:00.860 Somehow, 00:31:01.740 --> 00:31:02.700 between here and there, 00:31:03.259 --> 00:31:04.280 all of the heavens 00:31:04.280 --> 00:31:04.880 and the earth 00:31:04.880 --> 00:31:06.620 will be joined together. 00:31:07.740 --> 00:31:08.660 Everything will be 00:31:08.660 --> 00:31:09.160 made new. 00:31:10.019 --> 00:31:10.540 There will be 00:31:10.540 --> 00:31:11.460 no more tears. 00:31:12.540 --> 00:31:12.860 There will be 00:31:12.860 --> 00:31:13.420 no more death 00:31:13.420 --> 00:31:13.920 or suffering 00:31:13.920 --> 00:31:14.460 or injustice. 00:31:16.019 --> 00:31:17.200 The King of the universe 00:31:17.200 --> 00:31:18.040 himself will come 00:31:18.040 --> 00:31:18.780 and dwell in the midst 00:31:18.780 --> 00:31:19.200 of his people. 00:31:19.280 --> 00:31:19.660 There will not even 00:31:19.660 --> 00:31:20.519 be a need for lights 00:31:20.519 --> 00:31:21.160 because the glory 00:31:21.160 --> 00:31:21.519 of the Lord 00:31:21.519 --> 00:31:22.420 will illuminate it all. 00:31:23.880 --> 00:31:24.860 So somehow here 00:31:24.860 --> 00:31:25.259 in the midst 00:31:25.259 --> 00:31:26.000 of all of this 00:31:26.000 --> 00:31:27.780 suffering and uncertainty 00:31:27.779 --> 00:31:28.559 and injustice 00:31:28.559 --> 00:31:29.440 and struggle 00:31:29.440 --> 00:31:30.339 and strife, 00:31:31.399 --> 00:31:32.259 somehow we get 00:31:32.259 --> 00:31:33.279 from here to there. 00:31:34.220 --> 00:31:34.920 So we know 00:31:34.920 --> 00:31:35.500 where it's going. 00:31:36.700 --> 00:31:37.700 So what does this 00:31:37.700 --> 00:31:38.500 look like in here? 00:31:39.839 --> 00:31:40.660 That's how we 00:31:40.660 --> 00:31:41.579 immerse ourselves 00:31:41.579 --> 00:31:43.399 in the story 00:31:43.399 --> 00:31:43.839 of scripture 00:31:43.839 --> 00:31:44.599 so that we can live 00:31:44.599 --> 00:31:45.480 under the authority 00:31:45.480 --> 00:31:46.899 of scripture. 00:31:48.759 --> 00:31:49.420 And we say, 00:31:49.480 --> 00:31:50.000 well, how could we 00:31:50.000 --> 00:31:50.940 possibly do that? 00:31:51.200 --> 00:31:51.799 And I think 00:31:51.799 --> 00:31:52.599 if Peter were here, 00:31:52.660 --> 00:31:53.240 he would say, 00:31:53.799 --> 00:31:55.119 just as the Holy Spirit 00:31:55.119 --> 00:31:57.959 carried the authors 00:31:57.959 --> 00:32:00.179 along as they 00:32:00.179 --> 00:32:00.899 wrote the scriptures, 00:32:00.899 --> 00:32:02.119 so you should trust 00:32:02.119 --> 00:32:02.819 that the Holy Spirit 00:32:02.819 --> 00:32:03.799 will carry you along 00:32:03.799 --> 00:32:05.839 as you seek to live out 00:32:05.839 --> 00:32:06.879 the authority of scripture. 00:32:09.019 --> 00:32:09.879 Final question 00:32:09.879 --> 00:32:11.099 as we come to a close. 00:32:11.219 --> 00:32:11.859 As we consider 00:32:11.859 --> 00:32:12.479 all of this, 00:32:12.579 --> 00:32:13.379 why in the world 00:32:13.379 --> 00:32:16.379 would any sane person 00:32:16.379 --> 00:32:17.579 allow an ancient book 00:32:17.579 --> 00:32:18.139 written thousands 00:32:18.139 --> 00:32:18.859 of years ago 00:32:18.859 --> 00:32:20.719 to have the true 00:32:20.719 --> 00:32:21.500 final say 00:32:21.500 --> 00:32:22.419 over every aspect 00:32:22.419 --> 00:32:23.079 of our lives? 00:32:23.079 --> 00:32:25.679 And verse 19 00:32:25.679 --> 00:32:26.319 shows us 00:32:26.319 --> 00:32:27.079 there's only really 00:32:27.079 --> 00:32:27.679 one reason 00:32:27.679 --> 00:32:28.399 why you would be 00:32:28.399 --> 00:32:28.899 crazy enough 00:32:28.899 --> 00:32:29.439 to do that. 00:32:30.659 --> 00:32:31.579 And that's 00:32:31.579 --> 00:32:32.879 if you are someone 00:32:32.879 --> 00:32:34.179 in whose heart 00:32:34.179 --> 00:32:36.099 the morning star 00:32:36.099 --> 00:32:37.079 is rising. 00:32:38.359 --> 00:32:39.559 The morning star 00:32:39.559 --> 00:32:40.439 is a reference 00:32:40.439 --> 00:32:41.199 to Venus, 00:32:41.480 --> 00:32:41.699 you know, 00:32:41.759 --> 00:32:42.319 because when you 00:32:42.319 --> 00:32:43.319 could see Venus 00:32:43.319 --> 00:32:44.939 in the ancient world, 00:32:45.019 --> 00:32:45.859 Venus was a sign 00:32:45.859 --> 00:32:46.359 that dawn 00:32:46.359 --> 00:32:47.299 was not far off. 00:32:48.379 --> 00:32:49.019 You see Venus 00:32:49.019 --> 00:32:49.399 and you knew 00:32:49.399 --> 00:32:50.139 dawn was coming. 00:32:51.399 --> 00:32:52.319 Peter's using this 00:32:52.319 --> 00:32:52.859 as a metaphor 00:32:52.859 --> 00:32:53.959 for Jesus Christ 00:32:53.959 --> 00:32:55.359 rising in the hearts 00:32:55.359 --> 00:32:56.219 of his people. 00:32:56.879 --> 00:32:57.079 Right? 00:32:57.119 --> 00:32:57.939 We don't believe 00:32:57.939 --> 00:32:58.859 in Jesus 00:32:58.859 --> 00:32:59.879 because of the Bible. 00:33:00.019 --> 00:33:01.019 We believe in the Bible 00:33:01.019 --> 00:33:02.000 because of Jesus. 00:33:03.599 --> 00:33:05.959 And we've encountered 00:33:05.959 --> 00:33:06.539 Jesus 00:33:06.539 --> 00:33:07.559 and we see 00:33:07.559 --> 00:33:08.219 the reality 00:33:08.219 --> 00:33:08.899 of the resurrection. 00:33:09.119 --> 00:33:09.719 We recognize 00:33:09.719 --> 00:33:11.399 he's the most important person 00:33:11.399 --> 00:33:12.500 who has ever lived 00:33:12.500 --> 00:33:13.899 that when he gives 00:33:13.899 --> 00:33:14.939 his life for us 00:33:14.939 --> 00:33:16.859 that that kind of love 00:33:16.859 --> 00:33:17.500 cannot be found 00:33:17.500 --> 00:33:18.119 anywhere else 00:33:18.119 --> 00:33:19.079 and we give ourselves 00:33:19.079 --> 00:33:19.699 to him. 00:33:20.139 --> 00:33:21.139 And then we say, 00:33:21.240 --> 00:33:21.279 well, 00:33:21.419 --> 00:33:22.240 how do I live 00:33:22.240 --> 00:33:22.779 the way Jesus 00:33:22.779 --> 00:33:23.539 calls me to live? 00:33:23.579 --> 00:33:24.460 And the plain truth is 00:33:24.460 --> 00:33:25.519 no one held 00:33:25.519 --> 00:33:26.259 a higher view 00:33:26.259 --> 00:33:26.680 of Scripture 00:33:26.680 --> 00:33:27.740 than Jesus himself. 00:33:29.180 --> 00:33:29.940 In the wilderness 00:33:29.940 --> 00:33:30.519 when Jesus 00:33:30.519 --> 00:33:31.180 is being tempted 00:33:31.180 --> 00:33:31.720 by the devil, 00:33:31.799 --> 00:33:32.380 he responds 00:33:32.380 --> 00:33:33.079 by quoting 00:33:33.079 --> 00:33:34.500 from the Scriptures, 00:33:34.680 --> 00:33:35.500 Deuteronomy 8. 00:33:37.420 --> 00:33:37.700 You know, 00:33:37.799 --> 00:33:38.640 man does not live 00:33:38.640 --> 00:33:39.299 by bread alone 00:33:39.299 --> 00:33:40.319 but by every word 00:33:40.319 --> 00:33:40.859 that comes 00:33:40.859 --> 00:33:41.559 from the mouth 00:33:41.559 --> 00:33:42.220 of the Lord. 00:33:42.440 --> 00:33:43.779 He viewed all Scripture 00:33:43.779 --> 00:33:44.240 as coming 00:33:44.240 --> 00:33:44.940 from the mouth 00:33:44.940 --> 00:33:45.579 of the Lord. 00:33:47.019 --> 00:33:47.220 You know, 00:33:47.279 --> 00:33:47.799 Jesus knew 00:33:47.799 --> 00:33:48.380 the Scriptures 00:33:48.380 --> 00:33:49.260 by heart. 00:33:49.800 --> 00:33:50.260 He quoted 00:33:50.260 --> 00:33:50.760 the Scriptures 00:33:50.760 --> 00:33:51.360 throughout his 00:33:51.360 --> 00:33:52.340 entire ministry 00:33:52.340 --> 00:33:53.240 and there are 00:33:53.240 --> 00:33:54.020 so many places 00:33:54.020 --> 00:33:54.980 where he says 00:33:54.980 --> 00:33:56.260 this needs to happen 00:33:56.260 --> 00:33:56.880 in order that 00:33:56.880 --> 00:33:57.340 the Scriptures 00:33:57.340 --> 00:33:58.340 might be fulfilled. 00:33:58.840 --> 00:33:59.920 If this doesn't happen 00:33:59.920 --> 00:34:00.500 then how could 00:34:00.500 --> 00:34:00.900 the Scriptures 00:34:00.900 --> 00:34:01.640 be fulfilled? 00:34:02.480 --> 00:34:03.000 That was his 00:34:03.000 --> 00:34:03.760 chief concern. 00:34:03.980 --> 00:34:04.980 His words 00:34:04.980 --> 00:34:06.400 as he hung there 00:34:06.400 --> 00:34:07.260 dying on the cross 00:34:07.260 --> 00:34:08.559 were not simply 00:34:08.559 --> 00:34:09.579 his words 00:34:09.579 --> 00:34:10.079 in the moment. 00:34:10.180 --> 00:34:11.280 He's quoting Scripture. 00:34:11.280 --> 00:34:11.400 Scripture. 00:34:13.040 --> 00:34:13.960 So this is how 00:34:13.960 --> 00:34:14.980 Jesus viewed the Bible 00:34:14.980 --> 00:34:16.280 and the hard truth is 00:34:16.280 --> 00:34:17.720 if we don't like that 00:34:17.720 --> 00:34:18.320 then we need to 00:34:18.320 --> 00:34:19.140 take it up with him. 00:34:20.200 --> 00:34:20.780 Because saying 00:34:20.780 --> 00:34:21.420 that you believe 00:34:21.420 --> 00:34:22.320 in and follow Jesus 00:34:22.320 --> 00:34:23.120 but then rejecting 00:34:23.120 --> 00:34:23.580 the authority 00:34:23.580 --> 00:34:24.000 of Scripture 00:34:24.000 --> 00:34:26.019 that's not possible. 00:34:27.660 --> 00:34:28.800 So Jesus himself 00:34:28.800 --> 00:34:29.780 tells us why Scripture 00:34:29.780 --> 00:34:30.600 is such good news. 00:34:30.700 --> 00:34:31.780 He says this in John 8, 00:34:32.200 --> 00:34:33.600 If you abide in my word 00:34:33.600 --> 00:34:34.960 you are truly my disciples 00:34:34.960 --> 00:34:37.080 and you will know 00:34:37.080 --> 00:34:37.500 the truth 00:34:37.500 --> 00:34:38.019 and the truth 00:34:38.019 --> 00:34:39.480 will set you free. 00:34:39.800 --> 00:34:40.900 Don't make the mistake 00:34:40.900 --> 00:34:41.420 of thinking 00:34:41.420 --> 00:34:42.860 that if you go out 00:34:42.860 --> 00:34:43.280 and try to be 00:34:43.280 --> 00:34:43.840 your own authority 00:34:43.840 --> 00:34:44.539 you're going to be free. 00:34:44.619 --> 00:34:45.160 You're not. 00:34:45.840 --> 00:34:46.860 Jesus is telling us 00:34:46.860 --> 00:34:48.260 this is how to be free. 00:34:50.300 --> 00:34:50.920 God's authority 00:34:50.920 --> 00:34:51.440 has the power 00:34:51.440 --> 00:34:52.039 to set us free 00:34:52.039 --> 00:34:52.760 to be who we were 00:34:52.760 --> 00:34:53.480 created to be. 00:34:54.260 --> 00:34:54.800 Let's pray. 00:34:56.420 --> 00:34:57.300 Lord we thank you 00:34:57.300 --> 00:34:58.039 for your word 00:34:58.039 --> 00:35:00.300 and Lord 00:35:00.300 --> 00:35:01.639 may this not simply be 00:35:01.639 --> 00:35:03.500 may this not simply be 00:35:03.500 --> 00:35:05.119 a few ideas 00:35:05.119 --> 00:35:05.780 to consider. 00:35:05.980 --> 00:35:07.280 I pray that your Holy Spirit 00:35:07.280 --> 00:35:10.360 would press this 00:35:10.360 --> 00:35:11.039 radically 00:35:11.039 --> 00:35:12.120 and deeply 00:35:12.120 --> 00:35:13.200 into our souls. 00:35:14.079 --> 00:35:14.440 Lord we 00:35:14.440 --> 00:35:16.019 we are crying out 00:35:16.019 --> 00:35:16.680 and longing 00:35:16.680 --> 00:35:17.579 for liberation. 00:35:17.820 --> 00:35:18.420 We know that's why 00:35:18.420 --> 00:35:19.079 you have come. 00:35:19.160 --> 00:35:20.280 You've come to set us free. 00:35:22.019 --> 00:35:22.900 Lord that we might 00:35:22.900 --> 00:35:23.820 no longer submit 00:35:23.820 --> 00:35:24.940 to the yoke of slavery 00:35:24.940 --> 00:35:26.820 but rather 00:35:26.820 --> 00:35:27.640 as Paul says 00:35:27.640 --> 00:35:28.860 by becoming slaves 00:35:28.860 --> 00:35:29.599 to Christ 00:35:29.599 --> 00:35:31.460 we might find 00:35:31.460 --> 00:35:32.180 in that 00:35:32.180 --> 00:35:33.240 our true freedom 00:35:33.240 --> 00:35:34.440 to live 00:35:34.440 --> 00:35:35.880 as truly human 00:35:35.880 --> 00:35:36.620 people 00:35:36.620 --> 00:35:38.380 in the world 00:35:38.380 --> 00:35:39.180 for your glory. 00:35:39.300 --> 00:35:39.640 We pray this 00:35:39.640 --> 00:35:40.119 in your son's 00:35:40.119 --> 00:35:40.559 holy name. 00:35:40.920 --> 00:35:41.180 Amen.