Well, I most always say, take out your copy of God's Word and turn to.
Just hang on to your copy of God's Word for a moment, and I promise I will tell you where to turn and get there.
I have felt in the past when I've given some longer introductions that you're staring at the text going,
when in the world is he going to get to the text?
There is a text, and we will get to it this morning, I promise, but I want you just to settle in for a moment
as I give you some bit of an introduction to what we intend to do this Sunday and then the next four Sundays.
As mentioned previously in our service, we are going to work through the five solas of the Reformation.
And if you're already a bit confused, a sola is Latin for only.
And so the five solas are sola scriptura, or scripture alone,
and that is that the Bible is God's final authority to man.
Sola gratia, which is to say grace alone, we are saved by God's grace alone.
Sola fide, through faith alone.
Solas Christus, in Jesus Christ alone.
And soli Deo Gloria, to the glory of God alone.
And the Christian life is to be lived to the glory of God.
And so these are the five solas.
The Reformers loved the word sola.
Because remember that they were speaking to Christian contexts, right?
People who, even more than in our day, believed that they were of the Christian faith
simply because they were citizens of the country in which they lived.
They assumed that they were Christians.
And so they're speaking to a people who would have said,
yeah, yes, scripture.
And sure, grace and faith.
And yes, Christ.
And of course, the glory of God.
The Reformers said time and time again,
no, the scripture alone.
Grace alone.
Faith alone.
In Christ alone.
To the glory of God.
Alone.
And these, the structure that we're going to be talking about,
sola scriptura, sola gratia, sola fide, sola Christus, sola Deo Gloria,
was not systematized by the Reformers.
And that's the thing that you ought to know.
So as we talk about the Reformers kind of holding these things up as banners
over the Reformation,
it wasn't systematic until much, much later.
But you pick up these themes in so much of their writing,
these various alones that they stood for and supported.
This morning, I want to spend a little bit of time,
as I mentioned, on an introduction.
And then we're going to briefly consider the doctrine of sola scriptura.
But before we begin,
I just want to be clear about a few things for this morning
and in the coming month.
The Protestant Reformation was not the beginning of Christianity.
God has had a people that he has sovereignly preserved from the fall
by a promise.
And that promise was fulfilled in Christ.
He has had a people from the very beginning.
It didn't begin with the Protestant Reformation,
as sometimes we can mistakenly be misunderstood.
The truth of God had not been lost to the world
and then rediscovered by an Augustinian monk
by the name of Martin Luther in the 16th century.
It wasn't completely lost.
It wasn't gone all together.
The truth of God had been preserved by God,
although largely lost to the Western world,
to European Christianity,
buried in a Latin translation
and by Roman Catholic tradition
and papal infallibility,
which at very best obscured the truth
and at very worst and most often replaced it.
God had long been working amongst his people in Europe
to ignite the purifying flame of the Protestant Reformation.
A very popular analogy goes that God has been stacking the kindling for centuries
and that he used Martin Luther's writings as a spark
to ignite the fire that burned so brightly across Europe
to purify the church.
Faithful men, known and unknown,
were used of God.
I'm so thankful for writing and distribution
that began in this same time
so we can know so many of these men.
But it's important to know also
that there are many unknown men
used by God to bring about reform in the church.
Men like John Wycliffe,
who in the 14th century,
much before,
defied Rome and translated the Bible
from Latin into English
and the kindling began to stack up.
So we don't want to see,
while the Reformation was a great turn
in Western Christianity,
it's a very significant thing to consider.
It's been a work of God all the way through.
He threads every single bit of it.
You have heard and will hear a bunch
about the Reformation in the past couple of months.
We've been reading the Reformation ABCs
to the children in the coming month.
But I want to be clear
that we do not worship the Reformers.
They were all fallible men.
And boy, did some of them err.
As much as they got right,
they got much wrong.
And we don't believe every single thing
that the Reformers believed.
But as I've said,
they were men used of God.
Our history,
our church's history,
traces through the redemptive history
of the Bible,
by the way of the church
that we see in the book of Acts,
through the Reformers,
and then through the Puritans,
to today.
The events of the Reformation
were significant,
and we would not exist
as a people for God's possession
if not for them.
Now, I am not saying
that God could not have established
a church in the Americas
without the Reformation.
But I am saying
that God chose
to start a church
in the Americas
with the Reformation.
And so as such,
we should want to know
our history, right?
Much of our history.
This is our family
that we're considering
as we look back
to the lives
of some of these men.
So we should want to know it.
And we should also want
to know our history
because those
who don't know their history
are doomed
to repeat its mistakes.
We do not want to be known
as a church
for what we are against.
However,
sometimes to be clear
about what you are for,
I believe you must state
what you are against.
You must clarify,
not that,
but this.
The Protestant Reformation
began as an attempt
to bring correction
to the Roman Catholic Church.
Martin Luther did not intend
to vacate the church.
In fact,
he was excommunicated.
He was kicked out
of the church,
but he wanted to see
the church correct
its teaching.
But upon Rome's rejection
of the plain teaching
of Scripture,
the Reformers abandoned Rome.
We are Protestants,
and we are Protestants
in that we will protest
any teaching,
not just Roman Catholic teaching,
but any teaching
against justification
by grace alone,
through faith alone,
in Jesus Christ alone.
And there is much teaching
out there in this way.
There is much teaching
in the name of Jesus Christ
that would suggest to people
that they must earn their way
into God's favor.
And beloved,
we can only stand confidently
before God,
be justified before Him
because of what Christ
has accomplished
on our behalf,
because of His perfect life
and perfect death.
And so we protest
any teaching that's
in opposition to that
because we love mankind
and we want mankind
to come to saving faith
in Jesus Christ.
all other teaching
besides the gospel,
the pure gospel,
right?
Justification by faith alone,
by grace alone,
through faith alone,
and Christ alone
is damning.
It's dangerous
for people.
And so we must
defend
the truth.
And so the Reformation
has a great deal
of bearing
for our lives
today.
It means something
for us,
and we ought to take
some time
to understand it
and to study it.
And I want to try
to do something
multimedia,
so Harold,
wink, wink,
nod, nod,
back there.
We don't tend
to do things
like this very often
for the potential
failure of technology,
but Harold's going
to try to play
a video for you
that was played at,
the video was played
at a conference
that happens
every two years.
I would love
for you all
to get to go
to one of them
called Together
for the Gospel.
And I don't recall,
2016, I think,
maybe,
anyway,
it doesn't really matter.
But this is a video
of a man named
Martin Lloyd-Jones
speaking on the
450th anniversary,
so 50 years ago,
about the significance
of the Protestant
Reformation.
And just to give you
a quick story
about Lloyd-Jones,
many people call him
the doctor,
he was a physician
before he was a pastor,
and the first church
that he was hired
to pastor
was very well known
for its dramas.
In fact,
they would often
not have preaching
on Sunday morning,
but would instead
have plays.
And the pulpit
on the stage
was movable,
and there's nothing
wrong with having
a movable pulpit,
but it was movable
so that they could
put on these plays.
And on his
very first Sunday
when he got up,
opened God's Word,
he first
announced that he
was disbanding
the dramatee,
and then physically,
in reality,
took a handful
of nails
and a hammer
and nailed
the pulpit
down to the stage.
He said,
the Word of God
will be central
in the life
of the church.
So this is
Martin Lloyd-Jones,
20th century
English pastor
in this video,
so take a look.
Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones
will now address us.
At a time like this,
with the world
as it is,
and with this
multiplicity of problems
that are pressing
in upon us
on all sides,
why turn back
and consider
what happened
400 years ago?
Now, as I understand it,
there are two main
objections
to the doing
of what we are meant
to do this evening.
The first is
a general objection
to looking back,
a feeling
that the past
has nothing
to teach us,
that after all,
we are the people
of the 20th century.
We are the people
who have split the atom.
We are the people
who are encompassing
all knowledge.
We are the people
who have advanced
to such giddy heights
that our forefathers
could not even
have imagined them.
Why should we
of old people
look back,
and especially
look back
for 400 years?
That's one objection.
The other is,
the Reformation
was a tragedy.
We are told that
what we should be
considering today
is unity,
and that if we
spend our time
in considering
a kind of disruption
in the church,
or a division
such as took place
400 years ago,
we are doing
something that is sinful.
And there is,
alas,
an increasing
body of opinion
in Protestant circles,
which openly
and unashamedly
is saying
that the Protestant
Reformation
was a tragedy,
and that it is
our business
to forget it
as soon as we can,
and to do
everything possible
to heal the breach
so that we
should be back
again,
one with the
church at home,
and there should
be one great
world church.
I have a feeling
that you've come
together to
demonstrate,
that you've come
together to make
a declaration,
and that is
that unlike so
many others
at this present
time,
you're not ashamed
of the Protestant
Reformation.
The greatest need
of this country
tonight and of
the whole world
is to recapture
that principle
that fired the
men at the
time of the
Protestant
Reformation.
What was it
about?
Justification
by faith.
How does a man
stand just
before God?
God
I got a head
start there.
You wouldn't
think I've
watched the
video 20
times this
week.
Any teaching
of the gospel
of Jesus Christ
that doesn't
teach that we
come to Christ
by faith alone
is an
anti-gospel.
And any
uniting and
joining with
people without
the truth
is not
unity at
all.
Any expression
of love
without the
truth is
not love
at all.
And beloved,
this history
repeats itself
and you're
going to hear
across this
next month
many people
make cries
for what's
called ecumenicalism,
us coming
back together
for the sake
of unity
and the sake
of peace.
And those
are words
that I also
love but
not devoid
of the
truth.
It's good
for people
that we
proclaim boldly
the gospel
of Jesus
Christ,
justification
by grace
alone
through faith
alone,
in Christ
alone.
And so we
must learn
from the
past.
We must
arm ourselves
so that we
can understand
the world
in which we
live,
that we
might speak
clearly
into it.
On your
bulletin
today,
the historical
quote,
Martin Luther
said,
the time
for silence
is past
and the
time to
speak
has come.
So let's
talk a bit
about Martin
Luther,
and we
are almost
to the
text,
I promise.
And this
event that
we're working
toward,
the 500th
anniversary
of October
31st,
1517.
Now,
as I
mentioned
previously
in bit,
it'd be a
little unfair
to say this
is when
the
reformation
really began.
In fact,
we could
probably more
accurately say
it began
in the
following year,
so maybe
we'll also
celebrate it
next year.
Martin Luther
did not
originally set
out to be
a monk.
His original
intention was
to be a
lawyer,
but in
the process
of his
life,
he was
deeply
troubled
by the
status of
his soul.
He was
asking this
question,
what makes
me right
before God?
and he
was not
finding it
in the
religion
of the
day,
although he
was
working
and
working
and
working
to be
found
right
before God.
The story
goes that one
evening in a
very intense
lightning storm,
lightning striking
all about him,
that he
cried out,
rather ironically,
not directly to
God,
but through
the saint,
Anne,
that if he
would just be
spared from the
storm,
that he would
become a
monk.
So he
lived,
and he
became an
Augustinian
monk by the
great providence
of God.
But as a
monk,
still working
and laboring,
he was still
very troubled
by the state
of his soul,
and in order
to put his
mind to rest,
they put him
to work
translating the
Bible.
It's a bit
of a mistake
on their
part.
They put him
to the task
of translating
the book of
Romans.
And in
Romans 1,
verse 17,
he came
across this
phrase,
the righteous
shall live
by faith.
And by the
illumination of
the Spirit,
he came to
understand,
and it was
not by works
that we are
righteous before
God,
but because
of faith.
And the
Christian life
was meant to
be a life
of repentance,
which was
counter to
Roman Catholic
teaching,
and still
is.
They teach
that life
is to
be a life
of penance,
doing your
work to
fill the
hole,
the vacuum
that you've
created by
your rebellion
against God.
But the
righteous
shall live
by faith.
So in
that day,
the Roman
church was
trying to
raise money
to build
St. Peter's
Basilica,
which exists.
You can find
pictures of it
online and
even visit it
in Rome.
And so
because of
the great
cost of
building such
a building,
they perpetuated
a practice
that had been
going on for
quite some
years of
the selling
of indulgences.
You may hear
the name
Tetzel from
time to
time,
a man who
went around
selling
indulgences.
And what
indulgences were
were little
bits of
paper that
supposedly
bought you
and or your
loved ones
time out of
purgatory.
Unbiblical
teaching,
but nonetheless,
the church of
Rome taught
that there was
this interstitial
period of
time where
you continued
to pay the
penance until
the penance
was paid
off before
you could
go to
heaven.
And they
sold indulgences
in order to
raise money
for the church
and were
being quite
successful at
it.
On October
31st,
1517,
Luther nailed
a document,
and this was
an entirely
appropriate thing
to do in
the day.
The church
building's door
was like a
bulletin board,
so please
don't put
anything on
our door.
He nailed
a document
entitled
what we
know as
the 95
Theses,
which were
95 reasons
that the
selling of
indulgences
was unbiblical.
95 reasons.
And this
was the
Wittenberg,
you heard
Judah saying,
spelled with a
W, but it's
German,
the Wittenberg
church door.
Now some
time passed,
the end of
February,
beginning of
March of the
following year,
the 95
Theses were
translated into
German,
without Luther's
permission,
I will add,
by a printer.
We don't know
why the printer
did it,
we don't
actually know
specifically who
the printer
was,
but either for
financial gain
or maybe his
zeal for the
word of God,
he got a copy
of it,
he translated
it into
German,
printed it,
and distributed
it widely
around Germany.
So this
intention of
Luther's to
address the
issue with the
church of Rome
became a
national issue.
The common
people began to
have the word of
God in their
hands,
not just in
Latin.
This is a great
trouble of the
day.
The Roman
church held the
scripture in
Latin,
they taught it in
Latin when they
taught it at all,
so it would be
read in Latin,
and then the
priest would give
explanation of
it.
It's quite a
convenience to be
able to say
whatever it is
you want to
say.
And so it
was a big
affront to
this type of
teaching,
this type of
use of the
scripture.
He was
excommunicated,
years have
gone on,
he's been
teaching,
he's been
writing,
writing widely.
In January
of 1521,
and then in
April of
1521,
he was
summoned to
what is known
as the
Diet of
Worms,
which unfortunately
looks like
Diet of
Worms.
In English,
it's the
Diet of
Worms,
where he was
summoned essentially
to recant of
the things that
he had taught
and wrote.
The Church of
Rome was
hoping to
bring about
peace.
He did this
in front of
the Roman
emperor of
the time,
so it's not
a small deal.
We often
see Luther
as this
amazingly
bold,
brash
individual,
and he
was very
brash at
times,
but he
was sick
vomiting the
night before,
having to
stand before
this council
and to
defend what
he had
written.
He was a
weak man,
but made
strong in
Christ.
The two
questions that
were asked
of him,
did he
acknowledge
the authorship
of books
that had
been brought
to the
Diet and
that bore
his name,
a stack of
them that he
had written,
against the
Roman church,
and would
he stand
by them
or retract
anything in
them?
And Luther
asked,
this is April
17th,
Luther asked
for 24
hours to
consider his
response.
So on
April 18th
of 1521,
he said
this,
this was
his defense,
unless I'm
convinced by
the testimony
of scripture
or by
clear reason,
for I
trust neither
pope nor
counsel alone,
since it is
well known that
they have often
erred and
contradicted
themselves,
I am bound
by the
scriptures I
have cited,
for my
conscience is
captive to
the word of
God.
I cannot
and will
not recant
anything,
since to
act against
one's conscience
is neither
safe nor
right.
I cannot
do otherwise,
here I
stand,
may God
help me.
And so
he's
dismissed
from the
diet,
thankfully he's
encouraged to
get out of
town as
they're
arriving at
his
sentence.
He had
already been
declared a
heretic,
now he's
declared a
traitor to
the state
and sentenced
to death.
But he
staged a
supposed
kidnapping
on his
route home,
rescued him
away,
he's put
up in
a German
castle where
he spends
some months
translating the
New Testament,
the entire
New Testament
into German,
which is a
rather phenomenal
feat that he
accomplished.
And the
word of God
continued to
go forth
in Germany.
So we're
looking this
morning at
Sola
Scriptura.
So please
turn with me
in a copy
of God's
word,
breathe a
big sigh
of relief,
2 Timothy
chapter 3.
Our text
for today
is 2 Timothy
chapter 3
verse 14
through
chapter 4
verse 4.
Before I
read it for
our benefit,
let me remind
you,
beloved,
this is
God's
word to
us.
It was
written for
his glory
and our
good,
and we
would all
do well
to listen
to it
in order
to believe
its promises
and obey
its commands.
2 Timothy
3,
beginning
in verse
14 and
following.
But as
for you,
continue in
what you
have learned
and have
firmly
believed,
knowing from
whom you
learned it,
and how from
childhood you
have been
acquainted with
the sacred
writings which
are able to
make you wise
for salvation
through faith
in Jesus
Christ.
All
scripture is
breathed out
by God
and profitable
for teaching,
for reproof,
for correction,
and for training
in righteousness,
that the man
of God may be
complete,
equipped for
every good
work.
I charge
you in the
presence of
God and
of Christ
Jesus,
who is to
judge the
living and
the dead,
and by his
appearing and
his kingdom,
preach the
word.
Be ready in
season and
out of season.
Reprove,
rebuke,
and exhort
with complete
patience and
teaching.
For the time
is coming when
people will not
endure sound
teaching,
but having
itching ears,
they will
accumulate for
themselves teachers
to suit their
own passions,
and will turn
away from
listening to the
truth.
And wander
off into
myths.
Our outline for
this morning is
as follows.
Three points.
Number one,
the scripture
alone is God's
final authority.
The scripture
alone is God's
final authority.
Number two,
the scripture
alone is God's
final authority
for justification.
sanctification.
And number
three,
the scripture
alone is God's
final authority
for sanctification.
Number one,
we'll take the
text a bit out
of order.
The scripture
alone is God's
final authority.
First, we must
establish that,
and we see that
in chapter four,
verses one
through four,
in this way.
And I find this
to be so
phenomenal.
In verse three,
Paul writes to
Timothy,
there's going to
be a time,
and this was the
time that Timothy
himself experienced,
and we still
experience this time
today.
People are not
going to endure
sound teaching.
There will be
sound teaching,
but they won't
even want to hear
it.
And because they
don't want to
endure the sound
teaching,
they're going
to accumulate,
which is a
strong word.
Many teachers
are going to
accumulate for
themselves teachers
to suit their
own passions.
They're not going
to want to hear
what the word of
God has to say.
They're going to
want to hear what
they already want
to hear.
They're going to
gather teachers
around them.
We're going to
allow them to go
on living exactly
the way they are,
and they'll turn
away from listening
to the truth,
and they'll wander
off into myths.
And the point
there is pointless
teaching, right?
Teaching that has
no value at all
for living.
And what is
Paul's instruction
to that?
I just find this
so incredibly
encouraging as a
pastor.
This time is
coming, right?
And I experience
it day to day.
What does he say?
He says,
preach the word.
Verse 2.
He says,
preach the word.
And we're meant
to be using the
word in various
ways.
Reproving,
rebuking,
exhorting all
different aspects
of the way in
which we apply
the word of God
to people's life,
and we're supposed
to be doing it
with complete
patience.
Man, that floors
me.
Like, I so,
I want to flip
tables over so
bad sometimes.
And Paul here
instructs Timothy
to just keep
preaching the truth.
Why?
Because it's
God's final
authority.
Because God
has spoken
by his word.
It's powerful.
It is right
to start our
study with
sola scriptura
because a
proper understanding
of scripture
is the beginning
of our ability
to understand
any of the
other
solas.
The doctrine
of sola scriptura
is known as
the formal
principle,
and the others
follow
from it.
When the
Supreme Court
is trying
a difficult
case,
they look
at other
legal decisions
and laws
to see what
unites them.
They're looking
at a difficult
matter that
needs to be
settled.
They look
out there.
What decisions
have been made
before?
What else
is laws
that are passed
state to state?
What is it
that's similar
amongst them
that unites
them?
Or, we could
say,
norms them.
They look
to consensus
amongst these
legal decisions
and laws
as an appeal
to an authority
greater than
themselves.
The Supreme
Court will
write decisions
and they're
always appealing
to something
else.
The consensus
of other
decisions,
other laws,
and this is
what's called
norming.
So, Martin
Luther pulled
in his legal
training when
referring to
scripture as
the, catch
this, norm
of norms
that cannot
be normed.
The norm
of norms
that cannot
be normed.
The authority
that has
no other
authority,
or in the
Latin, because
it's fun to
say, norma
normus
non normata.
You can
remember that,
I think.
Norma
normus
non normata.
That is
to say,
we believe
in sola
scriptura,
is to say
that we
believe that
the Bible
is God's
final authority.
Now,
that can
be misunderstood.
To say
that the
scripture is
the final
authority
is not
to be
misunderstood,
understood that
the scripture
is the
only authority.
And let me
explain before
you get mad at
me about that
statement.
There are many
people who will
misunderstand sola
scriptura to
mean that all
they need is
themselves and
the Bible.
And we have
gotten many
erroneous
Christian teaching
from a
misunderstanding of
what sola
scriptura means.
People who
will go off and
just reinterpret
it to mean
whatever they
want it to
mean.
A lot of
people's
hesitation to
even understand
the Bible to
be God's
authoritative
word is that
they've heard
so many
different
understandings of
the scripture.
That's why we
don't have Bible
studies where we
say, what does
this text mean
to you?
The text means
one thing.
How do we
apply it in
our living?
So we don't
mean that when
we say sola
scriptura.
It's not the
only authority.
It's just the
supreme.
It's the
final.
It's the
governing
authority.
Right?
It's the
norm of norms
that cannot
be normed.
The Bible
should not
be read
quote unquote
alone.
Martin Luther
said this,
the scripture's
authority is
not a
naked
authority.
And that
is to say,
we should
also look
to, in
helping us
understand what
the scripture
means, things
like church
history.
It's helpful
for us to go
back and look,
what has the
church historically
believed to be
true about the
scripture?
If you find
yourself coming
to an
understanding of
the Bible that
no one else in
the history of
the church has
understood to be
true of the
Bible, you
might need to
rethink that
position on the
scripture.
And, beloved,
this happens
all the time.
So we look
to church
history, and
there's a lot
of messes in
church history
too, and
there's a lot
of condemned
heresies in
history as
well, but it
can be a
help to us
in that.
We look to
creeds and
confessions,
things that help
us gather
together and
to unify what
the church has
believed the
scripture teaches
about particular
topics.
We look to
the teaching
of leaders,
church leaders.
You know,
once upon a
time, the
position of
pastor was
a reverenced
position.
You know that?
In our day
now, sometimes
I feel a little
ashamed when I
tell people I'm
a pastor because
some of the
jokers out
there, right,
they just get
up and
entertain and
say nothing
of any value
whatsoever.
When a
pastor rightly
comes up and
opens up the
word of God,
he speaks with
authority, not
a new
revelation, but
because he
speaks of the
word of God,
right?
Preaching is
authoritative
because proper
preaching is
Bible preaching.
It tells you
what the text
means and
gives it
application for
your living.
The writer of
Hebrews,
chapter 13,
verse 7,
says,
remember your
leaders,
those who spoke
to you the
word of God.
Consider the
outcome of the
way of life
and imitate
their faith.
So we have
at our disposal
all of these
tools,
but the
scripture is
the final
authority.
If you're a
member of
Christ Family
Church,
Dahlonega,
or have been
to a CFC
101 and not
become a member
yet, you've
heard me talk
about our
statement of
faith as a
church.
We have
statement of
faith that's
got 18
articles,
clarifying
statements about
what we believe
the Bible
teaches about
these various
topics.
I'm always
so careful
to say that
the statement
of faith is
not authoritative,
but is only
in that it's
consistent with
the scripture,
right?
So we can be
shown that we
have erred with
the Bible and
plain logic
because the
scripture is
the final
authority.
The scriptures
are the only
inerrant
revelation of
God to man,
and it is
a closed
canon.
So we see
in our text
today the
remedy for
people who
will be
carried off
by myth,
preach the
truth,
the final
authority,
right?
Prove,
reprove,
rebuke,
exhort with
complete patience
and with
teaching.
So the
scripture alone
is God's
final authority.
And that
means something
for us,
right?
There's
something at
stake when
we say
that.
So number
two,
the scripture
alone is
God's final
authority for
justification.
Justification is
a legal term.
It has to do
with our
standing before
God,
right?
Will we
stand before
God condemned
or forgiven?
Right?
If we are
justified,
we are forgiven
when we stand
before God.
Our record of
wrong has been
dismissed.
So the
scripture alone
is God's
final authority
for justification.
Back up to the
top of the
text,
verses 14
and 15
of chapter
3.
Paul encourages
Timothy to
continue in what
he has learned
and firmly
believed,
knowing from
whom he
learned it.
He learned it
from Paul,
an apostle,
right?
Who is presently
in the process
of writing the
scripture.
He's writing a
letter to him
now that has
been canonized.
It's part of
our scripture,
2 Timothy.
And how
from your
childhood you
have been
acquainted with
the sacred
writings.
It's almost
like Paul
says both
the New
Testament and
the Old
Testament.
Remember
these things
which are
what?
Which are
able to
make you
wise for
salvation
through faith
in Jesus
Christ.
It's the
word of God
itself that
the spirit
of God
uses to
bring about
our faith.
So it's
God's
final authority
for justification.
So beloved,
as we go out
into the
world,
desiring to
see people
come to
faith in
Christ,
it is the
message of
Christ that
we carry.
And it
must be a
message that's
consistent with
what the
scripture teaches.
I will tell
you the most
beneficial way to
do that is to
teach the
Bible.
Right?
You can
certainly share
the gospel
without
specifically
referencing the
Bible,
but I will
tell you that
it's harder
to err if
you actually
open the
scripture to
people and
show them
where it
says it.
Romans chapter
10,
verse 14 and
following,
Paul writes,
how then will
they call on
him in whom
they have not
believed?
And how are
they to believe
in him in whom
they have never
heard?
Right?
Here's a
problem.
How do people
come to faith
in Christ if
they've not
heard of
Christ?
And how
are they to
hear without
someone preaching?
If that news
is not taken
to these
people,
how will
they believe?
And understand,
this is the
end of verse
14,
that the word
for preaching
is not talking
about what I'm
doing right now
necessarily.
It can include
what I'm doing
right now,
but it just
means the
sharing of
the good
news of
Jesus Christ.
Verse 15,
and how are
they to
preach?
Unless they
are sent,
as it is
written,
how beautiful
are the feet
of those who
preach the
good news.
But they
have not all
obeyed the
gospel,
for Isaiah
says,
Lord,
who has
believed what
he has
heard?
From us.
And then
verse 17
drives the
point so
well.
So,
faith comes
from hearing
and hearing
through the
word of
Christ.
This is why
on Sunday
morning,
the other
things we do
together,
we come
together and
we open
up God's
word.
And this
isn't the
only time
that we
do it.
If you
will pay
any attention
to the
songs that
we sing,
it's why
our songs
tend to
be
wordy,
they're
scripture
rich.
The
references
abound.
And the
more you
read your
Bible,
the more
you're
going to
see that
in the
songs that
we sing.
It's why
we should
rightly
pray the
word of
God.
It ought
to all
be
consistently
pointing
you to
the truth
of God,
God's
final
authority.
I have
nothing,
zero,
of any
value to
say to
see you
justified
or
sanctified
if it
doesn't
come from
God's
word.
This is
why on
Sunday
mornings I
try to
reference it
as much
as I
possibly
can
because I
don't know
what else
to say.
No good
stories to
tell you.
I just
have the
Bible.
I want
God to
work mightily
by it
in your
life.
Psalm
chapter
19.
Verse 7
through 11.
This is
from this
past week's
scripture
reading.
If you're
joining us
in that,
Psalm
says,
the law
of the
Lord is
perfect,
reviving
the soul.
The
testimony
of the
Lord is
sure,
making
wise
the
simple.
The
precepts
of the
Lord are
right,
rejoicing
the heart.
The
commandment
of the
Lord is
pure,
enlightening
the eyes.
The
fear of
the
Lord is
clean,
enduring
forever.
The
rules of
the
Lord are
true,
and
righteous
altogether.
More to be
desired are
they than
gold,
even much
fine gold,
sweeter also
than honey
and drippings
of the
honeycomb.
Moreover,
by them
is your
servant
warned.
In
keeping
them,
there is
great
reward.
God's
word.
And so,
as God's
people,
we need
to love
God's
word,
and we
need to
teach
God's
word as
far and
wide as
we possibly
can so
that people
can be
justified,
so that they
can respond
in faith to
the good
news.
People ask
me from
time to
time how
it is that
our church
sees so
many people
baptized and
continues to
grow,
and I
say,
well,
we just
do what
the scripture
has instructed
us to do
as we gather
together as
a church.
Just get
together and
we do the
things that
we see the
Bible teaching
us.
The reformers
called this
the regulative
principle.
If the
Bible implies
or expressly
commands us to
do something,
we should do
it,
and if it
doesn't,
then we
shouldn't do
it.
We should
stop trying
to out-innovate
the scripture.
People ask
a lot how
we get so
many young
people to
come to
our church.
There's a
great panic,
particularly in
our denomination,
because a lot
of churches
average age
is 65 to
70,
and they're
dying,
literally.
The church
is dwindling
out as
people go
on to be
with the
Lord.
They go,
how do we
reach the
millennials?
And people
are starting
to look to
me as
the expert
or something
in that,
and I go,
we don't do
anything flashy.
We just
open up
God's
word.
Because
God's
people love
God's
word.
Thirdly,
the scripture
alone is
God's final
authority for
sanctification.
So we begin
by the power of
the spirit in
the word as
Christians,
and we're
brought along,
we're perfected,
we're moved
towards holiness
by the power of
the spirit and
the application
of God's
word.
If you have
a trouble
in this
world,
it's either
physical,
you should
go see a
doctor,
or it's
spiritual,
you should
go to the
scripture.
You should
have somebody
mentor you
in scripture.
You should
receive counseling
from the
scripture.
This is the
solution for
all of our
spiritual issues,
the Bible
and the
application of
the gospel
of Jesus
Christ found
in it.
verse 16
and 17.
All scripture
is breathed
out by God,
he's the
very source
of it,
and it's
profitable.
It's profitable
for teaching,
for reproof,
for correction,
and for training
in righteousness.
So it's a tool
that can be
picked up,
right,
and used,
employed in
these various
means to
bring about
righteousness.
Verse 17,
that the man
of God may
be complete
and equipped,
and here's
the key
word for
every good
work.
The scripture
is sufficient
as a guide
for all
holiness.
You don't
need to go
beyond it.
And you all
know that I'm
a big reader
and a big
promoter of
reading,
but only in
that those
books are
expressions of
what this
book teaches,
right,
helping us
to understand
it more
clearly.
What does
this book
teach us?
It is
sufficient
as the
guide and
rule for
holiness,
right?
We asked the
kids this
morning,
how do we
know how
to please
God?
The scripture.
He wrote
us a complete
book.
We need
nothing
beyond it,
and it is
the final
authority
for holy
living.
I love
this.
Martin
Luther said,
a simple
layman
religion,
armed with
the scripture,
is to be
believed above
a pope or
a council
without it.
And so you,
beloved,
have the
amazing ability
to know this
book and to
pick it up and
give it application
in your life by
the power of the
spirit and to
turn around and
to do that
for others.
The ministry of
the church,
what we are
meant to do
together is to
be a people
that minister
to the word
of God to
one another
and then to
the community
around us.
So we get
together in
order to
minister God's
word to one
another that we
might grow in
holiness and
then to turn
around and go
out to our
community and
to do the
same.
Find those
people who
are looking for
the truth.
When you speak
their ears perk
and they say
there's something
there, I want
to hear more.
The spirit
works in them
and draws them
to the truth
of Christ
found in the
scripture.
And so this
encapsulates
what we mean
when we talk
about scripture
alone.
Sola
scriptura.
God's final
authority is
final authority
for justification
is final
authority for
sanctification.
If you have
not experienced
the beauty of
the Bible,
please come
and read it
with us.
Open its pages
and see how
God works
by it.
If you get
nothing out of
Bible reading,
there is a
good chance,
not an
absolute chance,
but a good
chance that you
don't have the
spirit of Christ.
Repent and
believe.
Believe in the
gospel.
It's found in
its pages.
And so find
joy in doing.
In closing,
Martin Luther,
who wrote a
number of
hymns.
I don't know
if this poem
found its way
into hymn form
or not.
So here
it is a
poem,
possibly a hymn
I'm not aware
of.
He wrote this,
feelings come
and feelings
go,
and feelings
are deceiving.
My warrant
is the word
of God,
not else
is worth
believing.
Though all
my heart
should feel
condemned
for want
of some
sweet token,
there is one
greater than
my heart
whose word
cannot be
broken.
I'll trust
in God's
unchanging
word till
soul and
body sever.
For though
all things
shall pass
away,
his word
shall stand
forever.
Let's pray
together.