Special Revelation

It said that it's really that which has been made known by God in the nature, in the creation, in those things. And we looked at a couple of scriptures about that, and then I had said that we were going to look not only at general revelation, but special revelation.

And the thing about general revelation is that it is sent out to all people at all times in all places, and that no one, because of that, no one can say that there is no God. That it doesn't mean that it brings them to a knowledge of the truth, because really that's what we're going to try to talk about this morning, is special revelation is the way in which God reveals himself.

And what I'm going to do this morning is I'm going to collapse maybe two different topics. One would be, how do we get special revelation? And then the other part of it would be, what do we do with the word of God?

How is the word of God presented to us? So in other words, general revelation is displayed everywhere, right? Special revelation is that word that God gives to us in which he reveals himself in a way that is overpowering, that actually presents the truth to us, and that we receive that truth in a way which leads us to eternal life.

So I'm going to collapse these two different thoughts on the special revelation, and we could spend time on either one, like how do we get the scriptures? And then another topic could very well be how to handle the word of God, or what does the word of God do?

But for this morning, because remember, my purpose really in the class is to kind of get some working understanding of these things, so that at least we are to some extent grounded and founded and able to defend, not in a real detailed way, but able to defend our faith, and that we do meet people along the way that will bring up these things to us.

Remember, we talked about it, and it's even in R .C. Sproul's book about, and I had said to you that one day somebody asked me a question, you say God can do everything? Can God make a rock so big he can't pick it up?

And that person thought that they had conquered the Bible, and he brings that up in his book. So with that in mind, let's just talk about it. So when I say special revelation, what would you say is the main characteristic, or the main difference, or the main distinction between general and special?

What would you say it would be? It would be that this special revelation is empowered by God, by which we are brought to an understanding of who he is, and not just from the aspect of he's the creator, but from the aspect that not only is he the creator, he's the sustainer, he's the judge, and he's ultimately the savior.

And so when we think of it that way, it changes many things. Here's what I want to do, let's start this way. I want you to look at Psalm 19 for a minute, because you remember we looked at this portion of scriptures when it concerned general revelation, but I want to show you something how the psalmist takes this, not only from the general revelation standpoint, that it goes out through all the earth, but then he begins to develop it, you'll see as we go.

So in Psalm 19, verse 1, the heavens declare the glory of God, the firmament shows his handiwork, and day unto day it utters speech, and night unto night it reveals knowledge, and there it is, there's no speech, no language, where their voice is not heard, and their line has gone out throughout the world, and their words to the ends of the world, and in them he has set a tabernacle for the sun, which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber and rejoices like a strong man to run its race, and its rising is from one end of heaven and the circuit to the other end, and there is nothing hid from its heat.

Now, watch how he moves it from just this general revelation standpoint to this special revelation, or the word of God and how that is manifested to us. So then he says, the law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.

The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes 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 judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether, and more to be desired are they than gold, yes, than much fine gold, sweeter also than honey in the honeycomb. Moreover, by them your servant is warned, and in keeping them there is great reward.

So you see how he's moved from just this whole idea of general revelation down to specific revelation. So we'll come back with that thought, but let me ask you a question. So how did we get the Bible?

How do we know that the Bible is infallible? Do we have any scripture that we can rely on to tell us that it is not only given to us in the Bible, but that it's actually infallible, inherent, and given to us by God, and that he uses...

You remember we talked about two different ways in which God reveals himself, and we said there was immediate and there was mediate, and that the mediate way in which God reveals himself is through an agency, right?

And the immediate way was when God reveals himself in the hearts of men through their conscience. So how do you...how would you defend that? And if someone says to you, well, how do we know the Bible is true?

What can we say? What would you say to them? We just say, well, I just believe it? Well, how do you know that the Bible is God's word and not just men's word? I'm sure we've all had conversations where people have said the Bible is just a book...

Hey, good morning, Emmanuel.

Good morning.

Come on in.

So Sidney and I were talking about this last night, and actually it's kind of weird. And so the statement that we got, right, was the Bible is authentic because it's historically reliable.

Okay, it's historically reliable. Yeah, it sure is. And it's interesting because most people will, and I think we even brought this up, most people will not argue with you about a historical figure, but they'll argue about the historical veracity and trueness of the Bible.

They'll read a textbook or something, something that happened four or 500 years ago or even further than that, and they have no problem with saying, well, this is historically true. But then when you present to them the Bible and the word of God, they say, well, that's not possible.

That's just a myth or a fable that was written by men. And so how would we handle that when someone says, well, this is just a man-written book? Let's look at a scripture that will greatly help us. And so, yeah, let's look at that.

So 2 Timothy chapter 3 and verse 16. Do you need a Bible? Because we can get you one.

I don't know if that verse is like a scripture.

It's inspired.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. But let's look at it. So all scripture is inspired by God and is profitable, right? Is profitable. But also in that, let's do something as we consider this. And all scripture, verse 16, all scripture is given by inspiration and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be complete and thoroughly equipped for every good work.

OK, so so we have that. And that teaches us that the word of God came to us as men were inspired. I want you to look further, a little bit further now. Now go to second Peter for a minute, because this one is even, if you will, clearer.

Second Peter chapter one. Let's look at this, because this tells us a number of things. Second Peter chapter one and we'll look at it at the very beginning.

OK.

In verse 16, it says, We do not follow cunningly devised fables when we were made known to you the power and coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. But while eyewitnesses of his majesty, for he received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to him and from the excellent glory, this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.

And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain. Now look at verse 19. We also have the prophetic word made more sure which you do well to heed as a light that shines in darkness until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your heart, knowing this first, that no scripture, that no prophecy of scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy came not by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

What does that mean, moved by the Holy Spirit? Are we to think this, let me ask it this way, are we to think that God just basically put everybody in a trance that wrote the Bible and that he just moved them almost like mummies under some sort of hypnosis or trance or whatever it is, is that the way we think of it?

That God inspired them? Okay, I don't see anybody saying yay, so I'm assuming you don't agree with that. So how did God use their actual, listen, if you think about the writers in the Bible, some were what?

Some were shepherds, some were priests, some were this, some were that, some were this way and some were that way. If you read the Gospels, right, there's a definite pattern that the writers follow. So are we safe to say that when it says that they were moved as they were moved by the Holy Spirit, that they were guided, or if you want to use the word, superintended by who?

The Holy Spirit, right? Because he's the one that moved them and that didn't disown the fact that they all had personalities and that they all had differences in thought, but yet God moved them in such a way that what they wrote was infallible at that point.

Would you agree to that? That's the reason why we can say that the Bible is, in fact, not only is it God breathed, but it's God superintended, or God worked with those men and at that point, does that mean everything that they ever said was inspired?

So Isaiah must have said some other things. Does that mean that everything he said was infallible, inerrant, inspired? And no, I mean, certainly there are other things that some of the New Testament writers that they wrote, does that mean that it was absolutely inspired?

Or should we say that what God has given us in his word, we believe this to be infallible, infallible, inerrant, hey Dave, inerrant, and that it is, we can rest assure that men didn't just put together their thoughts and, because if you think about it, I don't know about you, but let me ask you, do you really think that over the course of 1 ,500 years, that 40 different writers could, do you ever hear people say the Bible is a conspiracy?

Right?

They'll say it's just a manipulation and it's a conspiracy and they're just trying to cause people to think a certain way. Do we really believe that it's possible that 40 men over 1 ,500 years could write in such a way that they would kind of manipulate?

No, it can't possibly be so. It has to be that there had to be someone who, as it says, that God who sits above, God who sits in the heavens, that as he worked with these men that wrote what they wrote, that he superintended, watched over the Holy Spirit, caused them to write and that we can trust that the Bible is the infallible, inerrant, and sure word of God.

Now, that doesn't mean every translation is infallible, does it? Because then we can get into this whole area about all the textual differences and all that other stuff, but we believe what? The original manuscripts have been and are inspired by God and that God has maintained them and that you and I can trust that these things are not only given to us by God, but they're able to bring us into a right relationship.

Because remember, general revelation, can general revelation lead anybody to the saving knowledge of God? No, it reveals the creator, it reveals the author of things, it reveals the designer, it reveals all those different things, but it cannot in that way bring someone to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.

So, I wanted to show you this verse, because go to John chapter 10 a minute, and you might say, well, I'm not sure this really ties into what we're talking about, but to me it does, and I wanted to show this to you.

I want to show you something in John chapter 10, we'll pick it up. Okay, so the Lord Jesus, let me pick it up in verse 22. Now, it was the feast of dedication in Jerusalem and it was winter, and Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch.

Then the Jews surrounded him and said to him, how long do you keep us in doubt? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly. And Jesus answered them, I told you and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness in me.

Now look at verse 26, you do not believe because you are not of my sheep as I said to you. My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me. You see, in a very great way, what is he saying? He's saying that this special revelation, which is inspired by God, which God had watched over and made sure that what was written was his very word.

But he says to them, you do not believe because you're not my sheep. See, he doesn't say it the other way. He says, he doesn't say you're not my sheep because you don't believe. He says, you don't believe because what?

You're not my sheep, my sheep hear my voice. So that's the thing about special revelation. Special revelation in that sense is when God actually brings us to a saving knowledge of himself. And so that's why I said when you think about these things and you consider the word of God, remember what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2, he says that the natural man, what does he think about the word of God?

He doesn't receive it.

Right.

And not only does he not receive it, but he thinks it's foolishness. And he says neither can he know it because it's spiritually discerned. So this special revelation that we're talking about is, if you will, implanted in the heart by the Holy Spirit and that it causes men to respond.

And that's why he says my sheep hear my voice and then they do what? They follow me. So the word of God is, if you will, it's the truth of God. The word of God and the voice of God to me is there's not much difference, is there?

Because if we believe that God inspired his word and watched over its writing and made sure that it was his very word. Well, then that leaves us at a place where if we deny that word, then we could never come to a saving knowledge of the truth.

Right.

And, you know, Paul brings that up in Romans 10. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word and all those different things. So when you think about it, special revelation is that which God in his sovereignty uses.

Now, does that mean that? I'm going to tell you what that noise is. I think you all know it. That's the towel thing in the men's bathroom. It's always wiping their hands. We're going to get out of this room in a little bit.

Anyway, that, again, this special revelation that God has given to us is that which he's pleased to use to bring us to a saving knowledge of himself. Again, if we all agree that general revelation can't do it, it can reveal the attributes of God.

It can reveal the immensity of God. It can reveal, as I said, the design of God. All those different things can't really bring us to the knowledge of the truth. Because remember what it says? Faith comes by hearing and hearing by what?

The word of God. And again, it's not just the word of God, is it? It's the word of God that is under the power of the Holy Spirit that presents it to us in what? In a saving way. And that, again, people might ask a question.

I might say, well, can someone come? And I'm sure you've had this conversation at some point. Can people come to a saving knowledge of God without ever reading the Bible? And your answer is?

No.

No?

Yes.

Yes?

Cross didn't read the Bible from Jesus, is that right?

Yeah.

Somebody had a front row seat. Before the cross, right? And we don't want to say, or I don't want to say, that God cannot do what he pleases to do. But that God has ordained that the word of God is that.

That special revelation is the very thing that he does use to bring people to a knowledge of himself. Again, I'm not discounting that. Because then we can get into this whole conversation about children in the womb and all those different things.

And that's probably for another day right now, rather than right now.

Sure.

So Jesus asked Peter, you know, he was asking the disciples, who do people say I am?

Right.

And then he narrowed it down and said, okay, well, who do you say I am? What did Peter say? And Jesus said, what to him? These things were not revealed to you by man, but by my Father.

Right, absolutely. And certainly that's, you know, I don't want to go too far off the subject. But if you think about it, that's why many people who resist, if you will, the sovereignty of God. Or if you want to use the term, Calvinists.

Because right away, they want to say that it violates man's free will. Well, guess what? Man's free will will always do what? It will always resist God, right? It in some in the Psalms, it says, my people shall be willing in the day of my power.

So in other words, it's God, right? And then we can get into all those other things. But this special revelation is that which is implanted in the heart. That's the basis of, if you will, the distinction in the new covenant.

Remember what it says in Jeremiah and what it says in Ezekiel? It says, I'm going to take my law, my word, and I'm going to do what with it? Put it in your heart and you shall be my people and I shall be your God.

And again, it's because of this special revelation empowered by the spirit of God that brings us to saving faith. So when you talk to people, when I talk to people and they want to argue about is the Bible the word of God?

Isn't it the word of God? In a sense, they're not going to be able to know it until what?

Until God opens their heart.

Now, it doesn't mean that God can't use other things in life to bring them to him. But it really is that implanting of his word in the heart of man, empowered by the spirit of God that brings men to a saving relationship.

So let's just look at a couple of verses. Look at 1 Thessalonians chapter 2 a minute. 1 Thessalonians chapter 2. So as Paul writes to the Thessalonians and he's just so thankful for them. And in verse 13 of chapter 2, he says this, For this reason, we thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually works in you who believe.

That's really an astounding statement, if you think about it. Because there were many in Thessalonica and in other places that did what with the word of God? They discarded it. They actually were angry about that.

And we see that all through the epistles and all through the gospels too, right? And you had brought it up that men, especially the Jews and the priests and the Sadducees and the Pharisees and all them good old boys, although I doubt they call them good old boys in that day, but many of them resisted.

And again, because this special revelation is empowered by the Spirit of God to bring men to not just a knowledge of God, but a saving knowledge of God. Look in Hebrews for a minute, Hebrews chapter 4.

And this again, speaking about the word of God, in verse 11 of chapter 4, it says, let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, speaking of resting in Christ, lest anyone fall after the same example of disobedience.

Now look what he says, the word of God is living, powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

And there is no creature hidden from its sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of him with whom we must give account. The word of God is living and powerful. And yet, would we not say that in, unfortunately, in many people, the word of God is not effectually working in them?

That doesn't mean they don't hear it. That doesn't even mean they don't acknowledge it. But there's this special implanting by the Spirit of God within the heart of man that brings him to a saving knowledge of God.

And you and I need to understand that. And this special revelation, again, is not something that everyone can receive.

Is it fair to say it that way?

You think it's fair to say that not everyone can receive it? Does Jesus say that? I think he does. He says it's been given to you, right? He's looking at the apostles and his disciples. It's been given to you to know the mysteries of God.

And it's been given you, and all that the Father gives me, what? Shall come. Not might come, shall come. Because again, this revelation is that God has superintended, or God has looked upon and looked over, is that which he is pleased to use in our lives.

I think we're in John. So look in John chapter 17 a minute and think about this. So in verse 12, Jesus is speaking to them and he's now praying to his Father. He says, While I was with them in the world, I kept them in your name.

Those whom you gave me, I have kept. None of them is lost except the son or perdition that the scripture might be fulfilled. But now I come to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in them.

I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. And then Jesus said, I do not pray that you would take them out of the world, but that you should keep them from the evil one.

And again, in verse 17, Sanctify them through your truth. Your word is truth. There it is again, given to us that it's not been given in that way to everyone to receive that special revelation. Does that negate responsibility, by the way?

In other words, if we're going to say that not everyone can receive the word of God in an effectual way, are we then saying that God is unjust? Are we then saying that, if you will, that it's not fair?

Because what has been given to everyone, remember what we read in Psalm 19? It says, the heavens declare the glory of God, and what? The firmament shows forth his handiwork, and day unto day it utters speech, and night unto night it shows knowledge.

Remember what we read in Romans 1? Paul says that men see the truth, and then they do what? Suppress it. And then they twist it, and they exchange the truth of God for a lie, and they worship and serve the creature rather than the creator who's blessed forever.

But again, this special revelation, and you and I, brothers and sisters, we should be just so absolutely thankful that God has been pleased, not only to show his attributes in the creation, but that you and I can come to a saving knowledge of him through his word, empowered by the Holy Spirit.

So in that way, as we read these scriptures, and as we think about them, they are most important. Look, let me show you another one.

So in Romans 10, it says, so faith comes through hearing, and hearing through the word, right? So you have to hear the word. You have to read it, hear it, be told it to you, in order to be saved.

Yes, absolutely.

And it's our responsibility to receive it, right? And remember what Jesus said to them? You will not come to me. I think it's John 5, maybe 540. It says, you will not come to me that you might have life.

So men are absolutely responsible. They're not only responsible from this general revelation, but they are certainly responsible if they've been made known, if they've been given the very word of God.

And again, that's why it's so important to believe that it is the very word of the true God, and that they are responsible. I remember one person sometime said that it would almost be better, and I'm not saying, don't throw too many rocks at me, but it would almost be better not to have heard the word than to have heard it and rejected it.

Is there biblical support for that, do you think? Brother, Bert? Yeah, absolutely, yeah. Neglect so great a salvation which was once spoken to you, right? And if you think about it from the standpoint of, again, men are without excuse from the creation itself, but there is even more responsibility involved with having been given the very word.

Somebody's wiping their hands again.

Yeah.

Men have been given the very word of the true and living God. And so even like Jesus said, where it would have been better for Judas, what, not to have been born, to have done this, than to be a traitor.

And so you and I have to think about this. And again, it's all because of this special revelation that has, and if you think about it, even in a way, again, men dispute the historical truth of the word of God.

And that is nothing more than suppressing the truth. That's exactly what they're doing. And again, you talk to them about somebody else and, oh, yeah, I read about that. You talk to them about the Bible, and then all of a sudden, it opens this whole box where people want to say it's true.

It's truly amazing how, like you said earlier, how the Bible was, you know, written by 40 men over 1 ,500 years.

Yeah.

And it has the same theme. Because if we, you know, that this game you're playing, right? You know, if I tell, send you a story and we go to a room.

Yeah.

And we can't even get it right in this room.

Right.

And that, so that's totally a miracle.

Yep.

Because it would be distorted in two minutes, right?

In two minutes.

Yeah. Sir?

Can you elaborate on the difference between denying the truth and denying of wanting to be not true?

Yeah, there is a distinction in that.

And yeah, our Christians, I'm sorry.

No, no, go ahead.

Our Christians can discern from when we're sharing the gospel, the discernment between the two.

Yeah, and again, we need to keep in mind what Paul says, right? He says that one plants and another waters, but who gives the increase?

God.

So it could very well be that people are unwilling at one time. How many people here would say the moment they heard about Christ, they received it. Now, I'm not saying that that doesn't happen, but I don't think that's always the case, right?

That there is, there is this, well, you can think of Lydia in the book of Acts, right? What does it say about Lydia? It says the Lord opened her heart and she received the word. The Philippian jailer, in that sense, God what?

Opened his heart. And so there are those examples, but many times there is this resisting. And again, could be for a very short period. It could be for a long time. Just think of it this way, as far as the word of God.

So anybody know what this means?

Progressive revelation?

What does that mean?

Isn't it revealed over time?

Yeah, it certainly is a way in which, so let's just say this is the beginning, right? In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. And what God did was as time, which serves him, as time went on, God began to reveal.

And we could, we could put marks all the way across this. Let's just say this is Moses who wrote what? The first five books, the Pentateuch.

Okay.

And then it goes on and it carries on and goes forward. And we could, like I said, you could plot all you want. Now, ultimately we come to the cross and then there is the New Testament. And then what?

Then what happens in Revelation? Remember what it says at the end? It says that nothing can be what? Added, nothing could be taken away because God has spoken. God has given us his word. And so in a progressive way, God revealed it.

And even he says it that way. He says that he revealed through the prophets, here a little, there a little. And that it was a process that God sought to reveal himself in a way. And if you think about it, how many of us would say that we could really understand all that the New Testament says if we didn't have the first five books in the Bible?

Anybody think that you could really understand the truth if you didn't have what was written in Genesis, let's say. Would you really be able to comprehend as you go through time and the revelation of God, would you really be able to fully take in the redemptive purpose of God?

It would be very difficult.

The New Testament has so much Old Testament in it that it's just replicated.

Exactly. Yeah, I mean, if you will, people break it up in different ways. Like the Old Testament was shadows and types, and the New Testament is reality. And certainly Jesus says, you search what? Search the scriptures, for them you think you have eternal life and they speak of me.

So this whole idea of the word of God and this special revelation that God has been pleased to give is of great importance. Before we leave, though, I want to just look at Psalm 119 because I'm not going to read the whole psalm because I don't think I can handle 150 verses right now.

But I just want to read, if you will, the first section, which would be verses one through eight, and to think of it this way that, again, God has been pleased to reveal himself, not only in a general way, but in a special way through his word, which is inspired by him.

And this is what the psalmist says, blessed are the undefiled in the way who walk in the law of the Lord. Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with the whole heart. They also do no iniquity.

They walk in his ways. And you have commanded us to keep your precepts diligently. And then look what the psalmist says, oh that my ways were directed to keep your statutes. That you and I, here's what we, and we read about them, that principle in first Thessalonians, those people received the word of God as it was in truth the very word of God.

And what did they do when they received it that way? It worked effectually in them. And so when the psalmist says this, oh that my ways were directed to keep your statutes, then I wouldn't be ashamed.

When I look into all your commandments, I will praise you with uprightness of heart. When I learn your righteous judgments, I will keep your statutes. Oh, do not forsake me utterly. And again, there's many other verses that we can look at to support this.

But this whole idea of special revelation is so essential. And if we do talk to people, we can use both general revelation. Well, let me pose it as a question. Do you believe that we can use both general revelation and special revelation, being the word of God, and that we can use both those truths to aid someone into coming into a knowledge.

Of the truth?

Agree? Yeah.

So certainly, I mean, again, there's that argument that you could always go fall back on and say, well, if there's design in the creation, that means it must be a designer. And you can go back and forth with that discussion.

Ultimately, though, you have to present the truth of Christ, right? Because one will not do, and God has been pleased to give us both. So I hope this, we're going to move off of this next week. We're going to talk about the law of God.