It Is Written: “Do Not Go Beyond What Is Written” | 1 Cor 4:6-7, 2 Pet 1:19-21

All right, beloved turn with me in your Bibles to 1st Corinthians chapter 4 beginning in verse 6 and as we're turning there

I wanted to Comment on the hymn come thou long -expected

Jesus. I love that that line Israel strength and consolation hope of all the

Saints thou art. Amen. That's a that's a good Good stuff there 1st

Corinthians chapter 4 verses 6 through 7 We left off the previous

Lord's Day on this verse 1st Corinthians chapter 4 6 through 7

God's Word speaks to us and says now these things brothers I have applied to myself and Apollo's for your sakes so that in in us you may learn

Not to go beyond what is written so that none of you will become puffed up on behalf of one

Against the other for who regards you as superior What do you have that you did not receive and if you did not did receive it?

Why do you boast as if you had not? Received it Amen Let's turn now to our next

Scripture text in 2nd Peter chapter 1 verse 19 2nd

Peter chapter 1 verse 19 God's Word God's written

Word once again speaks to us and says and We have as more sure the prophetic word to which you do well

To pay attention as a lamp shining in a dark place until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts

Know this first of all that no prophecy of Scripture comes by one's own interpretation

For no prophecy was ever made by the will of man But men being moved by the

Holy Spirit spoke from God. This is God's Word Amen Okay, so I have to clarify the title here beloved.

I need I had to update it because I I couldn't quite get to the canon of Scripture just yet As I was starting and preparing

I realized that I needed to cover and tie together some more scriptures some more scriptures

And to continue to build up our foundation of Scripture alone Okay, and it's also going to help me to study the canon in your car the apocryphal a little bit more as well it's a it's a fairly complex topic, but So the goal here is to continue to defend the doctrine of Sola Scriptura Scripture alone

God's Word is the final authority Against some of its most prominent attackers including some who profess to be

Protestants as well and I need to correct something that I said last

Lord's Day I Actually meant to say 2nd Thessalonians 2 15 not 2nd

Timothy 215 in the section don't we need both the oral and written traditions whether by word of mouth or by letter that was actually a

Quote from 2nd Thessalonians, so I apologize for that I know some of y 'all got confused and kind of maybe lost track of where we were but I think if you go back and listen to the message

With that in mind, it'll make better sense But today well, we're going to continue to dig into some of the clearest passages which reveal to us the ultimate authority of the scriptures alone of What God breathed out and wrote down?

to make permanent for us to make permanent for us and A brief recap again from last week.

We saw that the Bereans The Bereans practice the same Reformation principle that we do as Protestants that of Scripture alone because they examined and submitted what they heard even from the highest and most authoritative form of oral tradition ever

Which was that preached and taught by the Apostles themselves? To what was previously written down by God they submitted it to the

Old Testament scriptures There is no real difference again between the oral and written traditions revealed in Scripture except that what is written is has a more permanent character or quality to it, right and We then as confessing

Protestants Submit all tradition including oral tradition to the written scriptures according to Acts 17 11 2nd

Timothy 3 15 through 17 and so on just like the more noble -minded Bereans did just like the

God -breathed Apostles did and Just like Jesus himself did remember the

Jesus test that Christ himself applied to the scribes and the Pharisees and his opponents it is the scripture test or the it is written test right of Comparing what somebody tells you or claims to be an authority with what is written down.

What is written? We also saw that many

Who opposed the Protestant faith? including professing Protestants Misrepresent and twist what the doctrine of Scripture alone actually means in many different ways

And I wanted to focus a little bit more on a popular example that's because it's so common today in our day and that is that Scripture alone does not mean solo scriptura or Nuda scriptura

Which means Scripture by itself and nothing else at all? No other church authorities at all

But rather it means sola scriptura that Scripture is our only

Final infallible ultimate authority Okay, that's a very important distinction that gets very distorted these days and misrepresented including by those who claim to be

Protestant and many today Various different camps usually they are they are pietist

Pietist are those who elevate emotion or experience above doctrine above doctrine

No creed, but Christ or even equal to doctrine. That's just as bad as well No creed, but Christ the the mentality of no creed, but Christ no book, but the

Bible that's what this is an expression of Nuda scriptura and That is not what

Scripture teaches This is to deny the biblical doctrine of Scripture alone in favor of a distortion of it

That the Bible alone and nothing else is our authority at all and that's not right

Many movements in history on to today we see we see this being

Manifesting itself in various ways Such as the Plymouth Brethren Which still exists to this day pietist once again in various various shapes and sizes

The Moravians like count Zinzendorf who made a big mess of things theologically I preached on that before of their errors and also a

Common one today that you see a lot of is house churches intentional house churches

Those who believe that you shouldn't meet in a building that you shouldn't have pastors or ordained leaders you should up because we're all equal quote -unquote spiritually and you just gather in houses and Everybody just is just kind of the same.

There's there's no there's no delegated authority or ordained authority of leadership and that is

Very much contrary to a scripture teaches us these many of these movements are also against Church membership they're against church membership

Which makes sense? It's logical because church membership requires church leadership and authority to implement right

So it makes sense. That's but that's the problem That's just one of the many problems with these movements that end up denying several points of doctrine

Especially with respect to the church how we are to function as God's Church as God's people in this world

This is an unbiblical rejection of any other spiritual authorities in the life of Christians and the church

Including biblical authorities that are ordained by God through human means within the church

Right such as pastors and teachers Etc Elders deacons and These movements are what give

Protestants a bad reputation They make us look bad because they're in reality They're not

Protestant and they're not biblical in how they express and live out their faith

By this misguided principle that we should reject all other authorities.

That is not the Bible Because the Bible itself refutes that notion

They are caricatures that are easy to mock and refute These so -called

Protestant movements who caricature and misrepresent scripture alone, and they're not just Protestant You have many movements like this

Mormons Jehovah's Witnesses they do similar things as well but these moments are often plagued by pietism emotionalism shallowness ignorance lack of decency and order and lack of qualified leadership

These are just symptoms of the underlying Problem of a bad foundation of not holding to the doctrine of scripture alone properly

I want to read from a very sadly neglected southern theologian of the

Civil War era by the name of RL Dabney Excellent theologian. I highly commend him to you

He had some problems but this he he had some very excellent words of wisdom for us to consider

Another characteristic of this kind of theology is to disparage all church teachers and church authorities especially who have reputation or influence and To represent their human learning pious writings and fame as simply a corrupting

Bane a corrupting influence on the church these writers take great pleasure in admonishing us of this fact and cautioning us

That if we would get at the real truth, we must roundly discard and condemn all the writers whom the church has revered except their own set, of course, right and Go direct to the

Bible Go, no, you know, no no book, but the Bible and so on now all

This species of talk is set in a sufficiently ridiculous light by one word. What are they aspiring to be?

When they print these books except to become human church teachers to acquire

Influence over believers minds and to have authority with them. Do they go to all this trouble?

designing To have everybody neglect or reject their witness We think not

Right, that's the absurdity of their contradictory positions These principles among others have produced a harvest of divisions and schisms even among the

Plymouth brethren themselves This is the one founded by John Nelson Darvey and he was a diatrophies.

He was an abusive domineering Church leader which and that movement sadly split and various different factions and all kinds of Schisms because of that Unbiblical foundation that they held to that they didn't hope they refused to hold to the proper balanced doctrinal foundation of scripture alone

Not scripture and nothing else So We have this is these are examples for us to learn from and of what not to do of what not to do and Of course these men and these movements and these churches they can sound very pious

They sound very pious and holy, you know, we don't regard the teachings of men. We don't regard what men say.

They sound very holy But it is a form of spiritual Church anarchy it is a form of anarchy and it is unbiblical it is ungodly and it is disorderly and divisive and This is what

Rome falsely accuses confessional Protestants of but nevertheless

These are real movements that hold to these things and that lead to those extremes those imbalances and It is a rejection.

It is anti authority anti human authority even human authority ordained and instituted by God himself and and ironically

Which almost invariably almost inevitably leads to tyranny it leads to the opposite extreme from anarchy to tyranny and Abusive domineering

Unqualified leadership and that's exactly what happened in movements like the Plymouth Brethren You can look up the story of John Nelson Darby himself even

George Miller He was also a Plymouth Brethren and he had an unfortunate schism because of this utter

Divisive abusive leadership that was imbalanced and did not hold to the right foundation of scripture alone so as we

Think through these things. How then should we respond? How should we respond to these things?

Biblically speaking we are obviously neither spiritual anarchists nor tyrants

Those are sinful extremes that are not biblical and that the Bible condemns categorically condemns

Because scripture teaches us decency order balance and authority

Delegated authority Spiritual authority as well We should we should recognize and value secondary secondary authorities like Christian creeds theologians pastors teachers confessions

Doctrinal books, etc because they guide and aid our Understanding and application of scripture.

That's what they are for beloved, right? That's what that's what they're for they're to help us and to build us up just like Ephesians 4 says

God has given us to to us pastors teachers apostles prophets for the building up of the body

To build us up in the truth of the scriptures So They guide and aid our understanding although they themselves are not the ultimate authority

They are lesser subordinate authorities to the ultimate Authority of final infallible authority of scripture alone the

Bible alone That is how we must understand these things scripture is the norming norm

It is the norm that is not norm it norms all other norms whereas these other

Authorities are norms that are normed by scripture We have to submit them to scripture and correct them if necessary with scripture, amen, so Excuse me

That is where we must draw the line and balance ourselves

And Dabney I appreciate how Dabney concludes this as well by saying the fact is That no uninspired teacher church teacher is infallible is without error

But yet they have their use they have their purpose which use in the case of these

Plymouth brethren even them and the wiser fathers of the Reformation who preceded them is proportioned to their honesty their modesty learning and Correspondence with the infallible word of truth

That is how we judge their usefulness by how well they teach and agree with the scriptures

Amen, that's very well said very well said so That being said beloved we further believe teach confess and maintain a careful

Systematic balance of these bookend doctrines therefore of God's various providential means of building up his church of greater and lesser authorities within the church as well as without the church and Of scripture alone.

We have to balance all of these things in proper perspective according to scripture

Because if you lose balance in one of these areas Things are going to become unstable and the foundation will start to wither away crumble away and Church history is a good example of where we find a lot of these cases up until this very day.

It still happens It's very common. It's one of the most common Ways that churches govern themselves

Not according to this doctrine of scripture alone, which has fallen by the wayside sadly, but we affirm

We affirm the Protestant Bible alone in part also because God through Christ and his apostles

Admonishes all of us to not go beyond what is written by him

What is written by him and that's also the the reason the title the sermon title is

Called it is written. Do not go beyond what is written

Amen turn with me now to 1st

Corinthians chapter 4 beginning in verse 6 again. This is a very important passage

Regarding the foundational doctrine of scripture alone 1st

Corinthians chapter 4 Beginning in verse 6 God's Word says

Now these things brothers I have applied to myself and Apollo's for your sakes So that in us you may learn not to go beyond what is written

So that no one of you will become puffed up on behalf of one against the other

For who regards you as superior? What do you have that you do not receive and if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not?

Received it graciously Amen, I Appreciate Gordon Clark's commentary here.

He says to be sure the context of this passage has to do with judging men in Corinth It's about judging men in Corinth, but the principle to which

Paul appeals is much broader It is live according to Scripture or More accurately that by us or in our case you might learn the principle of not going beyond what is written

Beyond what is written? the Corinthians perhaps unwittingly

Unknowingly had followed norms of judgment that had not been revealed that had not been written

Paul insists that they confine themselves to what is written Certainly referring to the

Old Testament and possibly to as much of the new that existed back then

This is the so -called Puritan principle Beloved this is it the

Bible alone and the Bible in its entirety is the Word of God written and To it nothing may be added nor from it.

May anything be taken away One reason for this immediately follows in verse 6 in order that no one should in order that one should not be puffed up for the one against the other a

Person who thinks he has doctrines or principles of action in addition to what is written is conceded

Is conceit does that remind you of anyone beloved? Does that remind you of somebody by the title of?

Papa Pope That's that's exactly what the Pope does Right and many others like him many others like him some of us came from churches with men who had the spirit of diatrophies and put themselves first and Were abusive in their leadership domineering like Peter says

Allow one man to legislate and every man must be granted the same authority Then one conceited preacher attacks another conceited preacher.

There are other doubtless Other and doubtless more important applications of the principle of Scripture alone

But the application to conceit to pride is pertinent Amen Amen wise words wise words and so Contrary to what?

The Roman Catholic claim that scripture alone. See they say that scripture alone is a blueprint for anarchy

Which is stupendously false that is absurdly false Contrary to their claim

Roman Catholicism with its papacy is a blueprint for tyranny It is tyranny it is not only spiritual tyranny, but political tyranny as well

All around arrogance and pride because the Pope Claims that he is infallible

That he is infallible Incapable of erring when speaking and teaching from the chair the so -called chair of Peter so These are things beloved that are still with us today and we have to be careful not to fall into those errors

Of spiritual deception and pride But it's not just Rome that has this problem or or Eastern Orthodoxy with their view of the infallible tradition and councils or Mormons who have the

Book of Mormon or Jehovah's Witnesses who have the Watchtower Bible and tract society. It's also

Likewise the same domineering spirit of diatrophies from 3rd John verses 9 through 12

Which tends to operate in these professing Protestant churches that abuse and distort?

the doctrine of Scripture alone by rejecting all human and church authority outside of the

Bible or By elevating anything else Whether it's tradition emotion experience etc

Above above the sound doctrine of Scripture or equal to it That leads to the same problem.

It has the same conclusion and we see this all over so -called

Protestant Baptist Methodist Presbyterian churches, it's all over the place

They this this in reality this passage of 1st Corinthians 6 is an incredibly humbling pass a passage for us and a powerful reminder to stick to what is written to stick to what is written and Not contradict it by going beyond it with man -made traditions that nullify the

Word of God Even if they claim to be from God, even if they claim to be ancient, it doesn't matter

We have to compare them with Scripture Because Every good thing

Beloved just like James 1 2 1 17 through 18 tells us every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above is from above Coming down from the

Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow in the exercise of whose will

His will beloved he brought us forth by what by the word of truth the written word of truth

Especially so that we would be a kind of firstfruits among his creatures beloved

Amen, right How can we boast and Claim superiority when we have received everything from God.

It's all a gift of grace That was what the Reformation solos are all about It's all

God God's salvation by God's grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone

To the glory of God alone and all based on the ultimate authority of Scripture alone and because as our confession says

God alone God alone is Lord of the conscience and He has left it free from Obligations to human man -made doctrines and commandments which are in any way

Contrary to his word or not contained in it or not contained in it

That is the Jesus test beloved. That's the Berean test the scripture test So to believe such doctrines or to obey such commandments out of conscience is to betray true liberty of conscience to require an implicit faith our

Absolute and blind obedience is to destroy liberty of conscience and reason

Which is what the Roman Catholic Church says you need to believe what the church teaches you

Even if you don't understand it That's implicit faith and it is an utter

Heresy in the Word of according to the Word of God You shall know the truth and the truth will set you truly free.

Amen Otherwise if you don't believe this these things beloved sadly you will become bound to human traditions

Whether it's traditions of unbelief or belief It doesn't matter you will be bound and deceived by someone else's false teaching whether your own or somebody else's

Scripture alone is the only doctrine the only doctrine that affords us true freedom of conscience and true freedom

To worship God according to the truth Amen Now there's another word of warning here

Another very important word of warning for us today beloved

About what happens when you choose the wrong ultimate authority what happens when you choose the wrong?

ultimate authority Whenever people become puffed up with conceit

To the point of placing other traditions or other authority or other authorities or other people other persons

Above God and his word or even equal to God's Word and abandoned the sole ultimate authority of Scripture alone and exchange the solid rock foundation of Christ's own words of these words of mine like Jesus says in Matthew 7 24 and Exchange them for the imbalanced contrary unstable traditions of sand

It creates a domino effect leading to an avalanche of errors a torrent and flood of errors not just a few isolated errors, but a flood of errors and The proof of this beloved comes from the words of our

Lord Master and Savior Christ Jesus himself When he rebuked the scribes and Pharisees in the gospel of Mark chapter 7 turn with me there now beloved to the gospel of Mark chapter 7 in verse 6 the gospel of Mark chapter 7

In verse verse 6 here and take heed beloved to the words of Our Lord Jesus Christ himself and he

Jesus said to them the scribes and Pharisees rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites as It is what as it is written

This people honors me with their lips, but their heart their inner self their inner man is far away from me but in vain in Do they worship me?

teaching as doctrines the commands of men Leaving the commandment of God You hold to the tradition of men and he was also saying to them

You are good You are proficient at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition instead

You are so well -versed and so good at doing this you've gotten so good at it that you have made it a lifestyle of hypocrisy all in the name of God to top it off verse 10 he continues for Moses said honor your father and your mother and He that's the fifth commandment beloved and he who speaks evil of father or mother is to be put to death

But you say you scribes and Pharisees say if a man says to his father and his mother or his mother

Whatever you might benefit from me is Corban is the Corban rule That is to say if it was dedicated to God given to God You no longer leave him to do anything for his father or mother thus

Invalidating the Word of God by your tradition which you have handed down and You do what?

Many not just a few beloved but many such things as that that's the flood of error and heresy that comes from denying the ultimate authority of God's Commands alone of God's law alone of God's gospel alone of God's written words alone

It leads to this avalanche of errors that the scribes and Pharisees were condemned and rebuked by Jesus for he rebuked him for that and Many things you do such as that And and here's a question for us to consider beloved how many times in this one passage

Did Jesus stress their man -made tradition over God's law?

Just how many times does he do it? look look here click carefully with me in a

Verse 7 no even in starting in verse 6 these people honor me with their lips

But their heart is from from from me their hypocrisy But in vain they worship me again teaching us doctrines the commands of men there you go once again

Leaving the commandment of God you hold to the tradition of men once again and also saying to them

You are good as you have become proficient Experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition instead once again for Moses said

Such and such but you say if a man says the Korban rule you no longer

Leave him to follow the command and invalidate the Word of God by your tradition. I counted at least six six

Indictments beloved of the same exact indictment that Jesus pressed to the scribes and Pharisees You have become hypocrites habitual hypocrites

Because you have replaced the Word of God by your own man -made traditions, which they claim by the way to come from Moses They claim to be divine traditions that came from Moses But Jesus blew past that he blew right past that and compared it to the

Torah the written Word the law of God and Exposed the lie for what it was

Which is the hypocrisy of these? Scribes and Pharisees Beloved Amen, that's a sobering warning

Beloved and it is also a comfort to to Take heart and trust in the only thing that can truly be trusted.

We cannot trust man We ultimate cannot ultimately cannot trust men because men err and sin and lie

But the Word of God is forever because God cannot lie for it is impossible for God to lie

For the Word of God is truth and the sum of his Word is truth The totality of his

Word is nothing but the truth beloved. Amen now I Want to take us now to this last?

Section here to the more permanent the more permanent prophetic word

Turn with me now to 2nd Peter chapter 1 verse 19 2nd

Peter chapter 1 verse 19 as we continue to build our foundation here of Scripture alone over and against all other traditions of men

Even if they claim to be divine and ancient 2nd

Peter chapter 1 verse 19 here.

We see a very important passage Regarding our subject matter for today beloved

God's Word speaks to us and says and we have as more sure

The prophetic word to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place

Until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts

What does he mean there what he means is pay attention and study until you understand and internalize the

Prophetic word in your mind until it dawns on you. That's what it's referring to Know this first of all

Notice the importance he stresses first of all That no prophecy of Scripture comes by one's own interpretation by one's own determination

For no prophecy was ever made by the will of man But men being moved by the

Holy Spirit spoke from God They spoke from God What does this mean beloved?

This key passage helps us to understand what I appreciate how

Weymouth in his commentary Sums this up for us and in the written word of prophecy

The scriptures which is what Peter refers to here prophecy of Scripture in the written word of prophecy the scriptures

We have something more permanent More permanent beloved.

That's what verse 19 is referring to and we have as more sure that is more permanent the prophetic word

Amen and more enduring The prophetic writings alone many by the way many false traditions assert from this passage that we

Cannot interpret the Bible for ourselves Which is why we need an infallible church or an infallible

Pope or an infallible magisterium or infallible church councils to interpret it for us

They use they twist and distort passages like these Like verse 20 that says no prophecy of Scripture comes by one's own interpretation

But is that what this passage is saying beloved? Is that what it teaches? The short answer is no, that's nonsense

In fact, this is a textbook example of twisting and distorting the scriptures to their own destruction

Like 2nd Peter 3 16 warns us against that's how you twist the scripture to your own destruction

Gordon Clark here for us explains the true intent of the passage, which is obvious from verse 21

The passage does not deal with the ability of Christians to interpret Scripture its main idea is the scriptures divine authority and divine origin as Opposed to human authority or human determination or human origin

That's what it's teaching us. In fact, it's the opposite of what these other false traditions claim

It's saying the opposite We don't need men Who claim to be in fat and infallible without error to tell us what

Scripture is because God moved men his own prophets and apostles By his

Holy Spirit to speak his words and to write them down for us so that we can all have them and read them for ourselves

This nonsense view also Contradicts numerous scriptures where Paul admonishes his readers to judge for themselves

Right judge for your own selves Right, so we cannot

Balance we need balance and we need to understand the word rightly and not twist it to our own destruction

Like these other traditions tend to do in other words in other words the word prophecy here the word prophecy refers to all of Scripture and Particularly in that context the

Old Testament because that was what was written at that time Not just the predictive prophecies.

Okay, it's not just predictive prophecy But to all the written words of God all of them the

Torah the Pentateuch The Nevi 'im the prophets and the

Ketuvim the writings all of it All of it is prophecy from God Which are not determined by men but by God himself

Who move men along by the Holy Spirit to speak his words and what beloved ultimately write them down and to give us a something more permanent something more permanent

Divine revelations as Clark explains for us as well are not the results of human volition or determination

Divine revelations are not the results of human volition or determination and they are never wrong

They are never an error or contradictory Because our

Lord is the truth. Amen. So Now this brings me to a very important distinguished distinction.

We need to distinguish and clarify between Heavenly permanence and earthly permanence

Right, so turn with me to Psalm 119 Psalm 119 verse 89

This is the longest Psalm in the Bible regarding which is a celebration of the words of God Well, let's turn to Psalm 119 verse 89

Psalm 119 verse 89 God's Word speaks to us and says

Forever. Oh Yahweh forever. Oh Yahweh Lotus forever.

Oh Yahweh your words stand firm in heaven

Amen forever Your words. Oh Yahweh stand firm in heaven

However beloved God's Word on the earth Needed to be revealed to us over time over time and eventually became inscripturated and That inscription that writing down of God's words that are forever settled in heaven

Gave it a more permanent quality here on earth here on the earth

So Yes, the grass withers the flower fades, but the Word of the Lord endures forever Yes, that's true.

And that's especially true on the earth But God's Word had to first be revealed to us in the earth and that's why he ordained prophets

These other authorities he's been of God Prophets to speak his words and to write them down Right and to make them permanent on the earth

To make them law and permanent and final on the earth

That is a powerful principle beloved and that is an exact And that is an extension of this doctrine that only makes sense

If you hold to the doctrine of Scripture alone Because the the ultimate authority is none other than the written

Word of God Yes, the spoken word is equally authoritative

But the spoken word is not as permanent It is the written word that We have received from God and his holy apostles and prophets and So on so This brings me to an excellent

Quote that I found from the southern Baptist theologian Basil Manley jr He surveys the permanence of prophecy throughout the

Old Testament in his excellent book Which I highly recommend to you all called the Bible doctrine of inspiration

Where he says that the name of prophets The name of prophet is given from the beginning to those who come as divine representatives

Who speak for God and who do this with supernatural aid? Direction and authority now listen carefully here

Successive stages may be traced in the development of prophecy but there are there is no essential change of the nature of the office of prophet

Enoch Noah Abraham Melchizedek each in his own age and own way stand forth in God's name

But their words for the most part are not recorded Hence they pass away as oral utterances naturally do except as preserved and transmitted by tradition the dispensation

Then changes to a more permanent form it changes to a more permanent form written prophecy written prophecy begins with Moses he stands at the head of This new prophetic line whose words are to be recorded and preserved for aftertimes

With Samuel after Moses a revival of the prophetic order is established the prophetic order lineage succession is established from him a

Continuous series of prophets prophets is kept up for centuries

But not until the days of Hosea and Isaiah Does it attain its full?

development only then do the prophetic communications generally receive the written and permanent form which enables the subsequent ages the following ages to profit by them and That is an excellent summary beloved of what the

Bible shows us. Amen Remember then beloved remember always

But we all need to internalize this principle of the Jesus test beloved the

Berean test the scripture test the it is written test are your doctrines commandments or Traditions are

Any of those in any way? Contrary to his word or not contained in it as our confession summarizes

No matter how biblical They claim to be no matter how divinely inspired they claim to be no matter how old they claim to be

Are your doctrines your commandments your traditions in any way whatsoever

Contrary to his written word or Not contained in it

No matter how biblical how inspired how old they claim to be or how equal?

They claim to be or how infallible they claim to be it doesn't matter this is the true test of the truth of discernment the

Jesus test the Berean test the scripture test This is what we need to internalize and use to judge any other

Doctrine commandment tradition of men any other even if it claims to be divine

With the written word of God the ultimate authority that is scripture alone beloved and That brings me to our conclusion now of how to what

To what purpose then did God? reveal his words to us and write them down and I Love how our confession the

Baptist confession Beautifully summarizes this in the very first paragraph of chapter 1 of the holy scriptures it says this

Keep in mind it's an the question here to what purpose did God reveal his words to us and write them down The holy scripture is the only sufficient certain and infallible rule of all

Saving knowledge all knowledge faith and obedience Although the light of nature and the works of creation and providence to so far manifest

Display the goodness wisdom and power of God as to leave men inexcusable without excuse like Romans 1 says

Yet are they not sufficient? They are not sufficient to give that knowledge of God and his will which is necessary to salvation and to our edification

Therefore listen carefully it pleased the Lord at various times and in various manners to reveal himself and to declare that his will unto his church and Afterward for the better preserving and propagating of the truth and for the more sure establishment

Permanence of it and comfort of the church against the corruption of the flesh of the sinful flesh and the malice of Satan and of the world

Remember the world the flesh the devil the three mortal enemies of the

Christian It pleased the Lord to commit the same his word wholly unto writing

Wholly unto writing which makes the holy scriptures to be most

Necessary those former ways of God's revealing himself and his will unto his people now being ceased

Amen beloved that is The doctrine of scripture alone that is what scripture teaches and that is our first principle our foundation

And I want to close out today With the book of Rome the letter to the

Romans chapter 15 verse 4 where our Lord Speaks to us in this very same issue and gives us great hope and encouragement beloved

Romans chapter 15 verse 4 God's Word Blesses us today beloved by revealing this precious truth to us for whatever was written whatever was written in earlier times

Whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction

For our instruction so that through the perseverance and encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope beloved

Now may the God of perseverance and encouragement Grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus So that with one accord one agreement you may with one voice glorify the

God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and God's precious people said beloved

Amen let us go ahead and bow our heads now and In a word of sanctifying prayer

Heavenly Father we thank you Lord for the awesome power and Ultimate authority of your written word that you have given and delivered to us as an amazing wonderful infallible check checks and balance

For us to have something objective in this life in this world to be able to check something

To look to something to refer to something that comes directly from you Lord not from man, but from you

By which we can judge all other Claims to truth all other traditions all other

Sayings or doctrines or commandments of men Lord you have given us this precious

Sum of truth your whole counsel has been delivered to us in your written word And we thank you so much beloved our beloved

Father Heavenly Father for giving us These writings unto us help us Lord to internalize them to make them our first principle our foundation for everything else that we do

Lord Our foundation for all sound doctrine and practice in life and in our faith

Lord We thank you help us to continue to seek and dive deep into your words of truth

To better grasp these things to live them and to apply them and to and to be salt and light unto others and including those who oppose

These doctrines from your word in Jesus name we pray amen Thank you for listening to the sermons of thorn crown covenant

Baptist Church Where the Bible alone and the Bible in its entirety has applied to all of faith and life we strive to be biblical reformed

Historic confessional loving discerning Christians who evangelize stand firm in and earnestly contend for the

Christian faith If you're looking for a church in the El Paso, Texas area or for more information about our church

Sermons and ministries such as Semper Ephraim on the radio and thorn crown network podcasts Please contact us at thorn crown ministries comm and may the mercy peace and love of our triune