The Sufficiency of Scripture

If you would please turn with me to Luke chapter 16 verses 19 through 31. This is the familiar story of the rich man and Lazarus. Luke 16, verses 19 to 31. There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day and at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table.

Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried in in Hades being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off, and Lazarus at his side and he called out father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue Fryman anguish in this flame. But Abraham said child. Remember that you and your lifetime received your good things, Lazarus. In like manner, bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in anguish. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able and none may cross from there to us and he said that, I beg you, father to send him to my father's house. I have five brothers, so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment. But Abraham said they have Moses and the prophets, let them hear them. And he said no father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent. You said to him, if they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead spray God.

You are a God who speaks who reveals yourself and your will to us. We cannot accuse you of silence or roof incoherence because you have spoken and you spoken clearly you spoken completely, or it is not food and water and oxygen that keeps us alive. It's your word that keeps us alive. It's not any virtue or intelligence in us that keeps us out of hell. It is your word that keeps us out of hell so asked. We ask that you would deepen our love for your word tonight that you would accompany that love with the illumination of your Holy Spirit, that we might understand and believe and follow what you have said in Scripture or even though we ask this tonight. We asked, knowing that we don't deserve such grace.

Nothing obligates you to to say or do anything for us but we also know that you are a God who delights to reveal yourself and pour out your grace on unlovely creatures like us. So thank you for what you will say to us tonight for what your word will do in us.

We pray this all in Jesus name, amen.

Be seated. The Pharisees of Jesus's day were very skilled at twisting Scripture to make it support their own ideas their own idols. Outlook describes one of these such idols.

In verse 14 when he describes the Pharisees who is the audience that Jesus is speaking to when he tells the story of of the rich man and Lazarus. He describes the Pharisees as lovers of money, so this then it is the issue that Jesus seems to be addressing when he tells the story is addressing the pharisaical tendency to twist or ignore what the word of God clearly says in order to justify sin in their case, the San of loving money.

Not all think that tendency of of twisting Scripture to justify sin is unique to the Pharisees do you know I struggle with that very thing.

I think we need to be reminded, just like the Pharisees of Jesus day that God means what he says and no amount of tampering with his word can justify whatever idols we are entertaining in our hearts and minds. When I walk very briefly tonight through the story of the rich man and Lazarus.

But I mainly want to focus on the very last thought of that story because I believe that thought encapsulates the main thrust of what Jesus is saying here and that that thought is God's word is sufficient. God's word is sufficient.

We say that we affirm that, but do our lives show that we really believe God's word is enough if I have embraced the sufficiency of Scripture that it means I will order and arrange the various facets of my life, my priorities, my moral standards my beliefs my use of wealth. All of it around what Scripture says so. First, take a look at the story it it speaks for itself. There's nothing terribly difficult to understand Jesus begins by describing two men, one rich and one poor.

The rich man it says feasted sumptuously every day on the poor man would've loved nothing more than to simply have the table scraps from this rich man's dining halls like a first century version of Mr. Scrooge and tiny Tim in the next scene. Both the rich man and the poor man whose name is Lazarus have died they find themselves in quite a different position. The roles been reversed.

Lazarus was carried safe and sound by angels to Abraham's side, a place of joy and peace and goodness, but the rich man was in Hades, tormented with this unquenchable thirst to make his suffering even worse he looks up from his miserable place and he sees Lazarus of all people enjoying the bliss of the company of Abraham, and he's just left to wallow in the regret of a life that's been wasted on lavish living story takes a turn as the rich man calls out to Abraham for mercy makes two request of Abraham. The first is a request for immediate relief. Verse 24 father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue Fryman anguish in this flame will Abraham denies the request and he gives two reasons for this denial. The first reason is a moral reason. Essentially, Eber, and says you'll deserve relief.

He reminds the rich man of of the self absorbed way. He spent his life you wasted is his wealth. The second reason is a geographic reason Abraham points out that even if you want to help the cotton because a great chasm has been fixed, and none may cross from their to us so this first request this first plea for help or relief is denied within the rich man hopes against hope and makes another request. This time it's a request for future relief for his family. Verse 27 that I beg you, father to send Lazarus to my father's house so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment. But once again the request is denied. This is where the story gets really interesting.

Abraham gives a reason why this second request is denied, he says in verse 29.

They have Moses and the prophets, let them hear them. Have Moses and the prophets, let them hear them.

And it sounds as if Abraham's heart is as callused as a farmer's hands when he says that in fact the rich man must've thought so too, so he raises an objection in verse 30 no father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead someone is resurrected from death. Surely that supernatural phenomena and will will convince them in their repentance. But again, the objections overruled. Abraham reveals that the problem is not with Abraham's callused heart.

Rather, the problem is with the callused hearts of the rich man's family. Abraham says in verse 31 and this is the verse where I want us to spend the rest of our time tonight. He says to them if they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise the death that is an amazing claim. If they don't hear Moses and the prophets, and that's a reference to the Old Testament, they won't be convinced by supernatural phenomena is another way of saying that Scripture is more credible than miracles. Scripture is more credible than miracles. This story tells us something about the nature of Scripture. But it also tells us something about the nature of our own hearts salute, spend some time tonight thinking about these two things. First we learn something about the nature of Scripture, we learn that it is sufficient. It is sufficient.

What we mean when we say that Scripture is sufficient mean that it's adequate but it's enough.

I think the classic statement in the Bible regarding the sufficiency of God's word is found in second Timothy 316 and 17, probably everyone here tonight could quote it all Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, and here's the statement that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. There's nothing lacking or even misleading in the Bible that will call cause it to fail to equip sinners for righteous living.

And that would include our belief system, our morality, the motivation we need all of it is to be found in the word of God. The first chapter of the Westminster confession of faith describes the doctrine of Scriptures sufficiency it says like this the whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for his own glory, man's salvation, faith in life is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripps Scripture unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelations of the Spirit or traditions of men about this church. Grace Church is a Bible believing church. We believe the Bible, we believe that it's inspired by God is without error, and that because of these things.

It has authority over us. But it is possible to acknowledge the authority of something while denying it. Sufficiency may give you some examples of this take local law enforcement weed knowledge. I hope that officers of the law have authority over us.

Romans 13 tells us they do if a if a policeman shows up at our door. We find out what they need. We comply with their requests. We go to them if we witnessed the crime why because they have authority to enforce the law, but sometimes certain crimes are beyond the scope of the local officers authority if someone commits a crime in one state police to another state or maybe the laws are different. There can be a conflict of jurisdiction if someone commits a federal crime may be the FBI has to get involved. You see there's authority but it's limited it's it's not absolute sufficiency. Another example would be the authority that pastors hold a pastor has authority in a given congregation to teach and to give counsel into even exercise discipline but that authority is not comprehensive. It's it's not absolute, it's limited to his congregation. Doug cannot drive across town to the first Pentecostal Church of snake handlers and start excommunicating people they can't even go to a sister church in the PCA for that matter and pretend to have authority over it like he has here at race church.

There's authority but it's not sufficient. It's not absolute. It's a limited authority that is insufficient in some things one more example doctors have authority in the area of medicine and medical treatment. They know a thing or two about health, more so than the rest of us and so we look to them as an authority, but doctors, even when it comes to the science of medicine are not all knowing, so sometimes we get another opinion only to have authority but it's an insufficient authority book Scriptures different because there's never a situation in which God's word is insufficient when it comes to Scripture, we cannot affirm its authority without also affirming it sufficient. The precisely because Scriptures authority is a comprehensive authority an ultimate divine authority is not merely one authority among many, it's the top of the food chain.

It's the only sheriff in town. It doesn't require a second opinion doesn't try to prove itself to be true, it is the truth it's not accountable to some system of checks and balances because it is true that it is sufficient in all things that pertain to life and godliness. That's what we mean. We affirm the sufficiency of Scripture. Now, does this mean that we need nothing else in life besides our Bibles. There's a certain brand of professing Christian that dismisses the value of any sort of extra biblical pursuit of knowledge and understanding.

That's not what we mean when we say the Bible is sufficient. In fact, the Bible itself acknowledges other sources of knowledge. Psalm 19 in Romans one, for example, declare that the creation reveals something of the nature of God. One of my seminary professors pointed out the very obvious but often overlooked fact that nowhere does the Bible teaches how to read so to even be able to discover the doctrine of the sufficiency of Scripture in the pages of Scripture. One must learn from an outside source, how to read. We don't deny that there is information useful in life that is not contained in Scripture how to change a tire, how to weed your garden how to treat cancer. These things are not addressed in the Bible. So when we talk about Scripture sufficiency were talking about it being sufficient in a very specific way, we say Scripture is sufficient that the scope of that sufficiency is limited to very specific thing. Question three of the shorter catechism answers is like this at what do the Scriptures principally teach Scriptures principally teach what man is to believe concerning God and what duty God requires of man. Scripture tells us everything we need to know concerning the way of salvation. It doesn't tell us everything that can possibly be known about the world and about ourselves, but it does tell us everything we need to know about the world and about ourselves in order to walk in right standing before God. Now before we point the microscope at our own hearts and and ask ourselves if we are adequately believing and obeying this doctrine was that one more thing about the sufficiency of Scripture, we cannot escape the fact that applying the doctrine of the sufficiency of Scripture to real life situations requires wisdom is not always a black-and-white thing sometimes are some gray areas that require discernment, wisdom of the word. Some things are explicit there obvious in the Bible.

For example, direct commands like do not commit adultery. Three black-and-white.

We understand that while other things are conveyed to us as principles to be followed with good judgment, and they require discernment things like Proverbs 53 the lips of a strange woman drip drip honey.

Keep your way far from her, and do not go near the door of her house. It's a principal that we are to wisely apply were to keep the fifth commandment and not commit adultery, so embracing the sufficiency of Scripture then requires both knowledge of these explicit commands of Scripture, but also wisdom in applying the implicit principles of Scripture, there is a difference between knowledge and wisdom and we need them both in our application of the word of God heard someone say knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit and not a vegetable wisdom is knowing never to put a tomato and a fruit salad. Think about that affirming the sufficiency of Scripture alive will require both knowledge and wisdom.

Knowledge of the explicit and obvious wisdom in the implicit and inferred, but both are important.

Both are necessary. So, for example, Scripture says nothing explicitly about stem cell research or how to reform healthcare what the best way to engineer and build a bridge is, but it does provide principles that ought to shape our attitudes and influence our decisions in all of these areas in all areas of life, belief in the sufficiency of Scripture means we have full confidence that the Bible prides everything we need, whether through precept or principal to be thoroughly equipped for every good work. That means that we will act upon that confidence that our lives in their entirety will be regulated by what God has said that I don't know if you're like me or not but when I read the Bible. I often like to identify myself with the good guy, the hero of the story. The obedient child of God. Maybe that's just my own narcissism speaking but I like to see myself as David and not Goliath. Unless the courses after the Bathsheba incident not just to myself as Nathan and not David.

I set myself up as as the hero, and read myself into the story, but folks were not always the hero or in facts were probably very rarely the hero on most days, probably a lot more like lot than Abraham like Judas than Peter were a lot more like the rich man and Lazarus. So we need to ask ourselves honestly. In what ways am I in danger of neglecting the sufficiency of Scripture.

How might I be guilty of the sin of twisting Scripture to justify my heart idols not answering that question. I'm I'm about to break a cardinal rule that preachers learn and preaching class when he was a really big nerdy word but this congregation looks exceptionally intelligence. I think were okay denying Scriptures sufficiency boils down to an epistemological loyalty explained that in a minute.

An epistemological loyalty to something outside of God's word and that loyalty is is rooted in a moral brokenness which characterizes every human being.

So epistemology is the study of how we know what we know how we determine what is true that when you say I believe in unicorns and someone says why do you believe in unicorns, the answer you give is revealing your epistemology. It's revealing the thing you look to foreknowledge for truth for justification of your belief system to have an epistemological loyalty to something outside of Scripture is to have some source of truth that you have placed above the word of God. And it sits in judgment of the word of God. You have replaced Scripture with another standard, another measuring stick in your loyal to that standard.

Whatever it is over and above the Bible.

Now we as fallen sons and daughters of Adam are geniuses at manufacturing all sorts of of the standards that supplant the standard of Scripture. We create all sorts of these epistemological loyalties and here's the thing. Those loyalties have nothing to do with the lack of information is not just an intellectual thing. This was the unbelievably arrogant error of the rich man in Hades. He assumed that if he and his family just had a little more data they would've been saved, but it's not for lack of information that we reject God's truth. Rather, it's because we are morally broke. We deny God's word because not because we don't have it because we don't like it. Terry Johnson said it's a myth to think that the real need of the unbelieving, or even the nominally believing is for more information. It isn't so they don't need stronger arguments are more convincing proof. The problem of unbelief is a problem of disposition and will people do not believe because they will not they choose not to believe, they refused to believe they don't want to believe Moses and the prophets witness enough, but of course all that was the rich man's problem right surely we are not like that. Well, yes we are. Think about it if if the Old Testament alone was better than a resurrected dead man's testimony.

How much better must the whole Bible be, and unlike the rich man we have both old and new Testaments.

We have a complete revelation. Not only that we have the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Someone did rise from the dead and still we doubt. Still, we look for verification.

Still, we put our stocking in reason and experience as if those things were not tainted by the fall, so let's take a very honest look at ourselves, what are some ways we demonstrate unbelief in the sufficiency of God's word. The closing chapter, the Bible tells us what that looks like Revelation 2218 and 19, we deny the sufficiency of Scripture by adding to or taking away from what God has said in the Bible. What are some ways we do this we add or take away from what Scripture says well give you several five. In fact, rationalism is one way thinking that extra biblical truth claims truth claims that are outside of I will have more credibility than Scriptures. Truth claims. Perhaps this is most evident in the way we engage in evangelism and apologetics often are confidence in persuading people to the Christian faith lies in our ability to reason and to give logical proofs scientific evidence as if those are the things that close the deal. It's a subtle way of thinking deep down that the gospel really isn't the power of God unto salvation by way of rebuke, Paul says in second Corinthians 217.

We are not peddlers of God's word.

That's not what were doing is that we were called to do God's word doesn't need our salesmanship. It sells itself and apologetics. The big question were trying to answer for people of why should I believe Christianity if we believe in the sufficiency of Scripture than the answer to that question must be because the Bible says so Jesus loves me this I know why because the Bible tells me so that's the right answer when my seminary professor, Dr. Michael Kruger said this.

Not only does God not call Christians to put the authority of his word on the shelf while they argue for Christianity, but doing so will deny the very thing they are setting out to prove, namely, that God's word should be the authority over every area of thought including apologetics forgot response to that is to think well that may be true, but is not to convince any non-Christians we need to take to heart Paul's words in second Corinthians 4234, Paul says, but we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God's word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God and even if our gospel is veiled, even if unbelievers still rejected in the end, it is veiled to those who are perishing in their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

See if people are unconvinced by God's truth from Scripture. It has nothing to do with the nature or the power or the effectiveness of Scripture. It has everything to do with their darkened minds. So rationalism is one way we we subtly compromise the sufficiency of Scripture. Another way of adding to or taking away from God's word is through emotionalism business at the other end of the spectrum from rationalism, trusting that my emotions, my feelings, my natural inclinations and dispositions have equal authority with or or even greater authority to the Scripture.

I can't tell you how many times a been counseling with someone who has some moral dilemma in their life or insurmountable situation or dealing with. I try to present to them as best I can but the Bible's answer to their problem, only to have them say in so many words.

Well, that won't work.

People are often dismissive of the Bible solutions to their marital problem or their financial crisis or their job situation, but do you see how this attitude is really an affront to the sufficiency of God's word. God says to take a certain course of action, and we sailed out will never work. My situation is unique. When God said that he clearly didn't have my circumstances in mind when we think that way were putting more stock into our own emotions and perspectives and inclinations and we are the word of God were saying God's word is not sufficient. In my case, emotionalism. Pragmatism is another way in which we deny the sufficiency of God's word. Pragmatism can manifest itself in many ways, but at its root it essentially involves trusting the world's norms rather than trusting the Bible's norms in ethics.

It means measuring morality by its effect on society rather than by its alignment with biblical principle in decision-making. It involves walking by sight, rather than walking by faith in the home.

I think it looks like following the course that this world sets for our families, rather than trusting the core set for us by Scripture.

God's word is sufficient. Whether it works by the world standards or not. And we can't claim to be affirming that sufficiency if we abandon the principles of God's word every time they make us look bad or make us look ineffective pragmatism. The fourth way that we deny the sufficiency of Scripture is through him in a call mysticism mysticism. This is giving greater weight to subjective impressions than to the words of Scripture. Now mysticism is been around forever is nothing new we been learning about Gnosticism and Doug's series and first John will Gnosticism is a form of mysticism.

The Gnostics wanted secret knowledge they want to be able to boast, and having something that others didn't have. Sometimes I think we pride ourselves in our desire to know more than what is revealed in Scripture. I can one up other Christians because God talks to me personally. He gives me a word gives me an impression you give me a sign that no one else has.

John Calvin points out that there is such a thing as depraved curiosity, but all curiosity is good and wholesome dissatisfaction with God's method of revelation to the point that we run after secret knowledge in ways forbidden by God.

Calvin calls it gaping after new revelation and he says this does not come from a desire to learn, but from a desire to be tickled by ungodly wantonness.

Mysticism is just another way of of adding to Scripture. The last well mention of of adding to or subtracting from Scripture, is secularism and this is so prominent in our culture today.

I suspect we we often don't even recognize it when it's present in our own thinking. Secularism insists on subdividing our lives into religious and and secular compartments. This is the opposite danger of I think that hyper fundamentalism which ignores any source of general general revelation outside of Scripture. We certainly can go too far in denying the value of general revelation outside of Scripture, but the but it opposite extreme is just as dangerous. It's thinking that Scripture has nothing to say about certain aspects of my life this over here is my Christianity. And in this over here is the rest of my life. So when I'm at church on Sunday. That's part of my Christian life when I'm at work on Monday through Friday.

That's part of my secular life and never the twain shall meet were guilty of this. Every time we act as if the Bible has no bearing on how I use my free time or how it's been my money or where I go to school or who I choose to marry, so five areas, rationalism, emotionalism, pragmatism, mysticism, secularism, these are just some of the ways that we add to or subtract from the word of God, and in so doing deny it. Sufficiency if God finds you tonight struggling with one or more of these isms which are really affront to the sufficiency of God's word. How can you increase your confidence in that word. I think it begins with reading it. Knowing what it says. Thinking deeply and frequently about its truths and acting upon those truths. It involves asking yourself often the Scripture have anything to say by way of preceptor principal about this decision about this belief about this behavior.

It will require that you become self-critical enough to discern when you're being influenced by the world's presuppositions. Ask yourself why do I think or feel this way about this particular thing because all my friends this way. Is it because I'm afraid I'll stick out or look like a fool if I hold the biblical position. I think a very practical starting point for training ourselves to be more influenced by God's truth and by the world's truth would be to immerse ourselves in the book of Proverbs is the point of that book to give us this wisdom at the interface are our Christian faith with everyday kinds of decisions.

Generally I think were really good at it.

Hearing to the explicit teaching and commands of Scripture. I think were a lot less proficient at wisely applying the implicit principles of Scripture were putting tomatoes and the fruit salad all the time the book of Proverbs is written specifically to help us grow in wisdom and discernment and discretion. So we ought to avail ourselves of the stretcher and as we read and meditate and seek to believe and obey God's word and you remind us that God's word is different from any other book in that it is living and active God's word is living and active, is not just words on a page.

It does something to us when we expose ourselves to it is not just giving us information we need information, but that it doesn't much more than that, it gives us motivation. It changes our will. It increases our spiritual fervor so that we can align our lives with what it teaches is a means whereby God pours out his grace on our lives, but we don't need signs and wonders. We don't need secret knowledge, we don't need someone to rise from the dead to prove anything.

God says I've given you my word and that is enough enough to equip you for every good work is word is alive and active. It will never return void.

So we need to trust it and love it and obey it and proclaim sprite Lord in the beginning was the word you are that word by which all things that exist were created and/or sustained. Forgive us for ever thinking that our minds and hearts could conjure up a word of truth. It's more significant than your work.

Forgive us for doubting said or for neglecting what you said for supplanting what you said, with our our own feeble thoughts and impressions and emotions. Where else can we go, Lord, you have the words of eternal life. So we pray Holy Spirit you would increase our love for Scripture to illuminate our minds with understanding of the word of God, that we might glorify and honor the one who has spoken to us. We pray this in Jesus name, amen