A More Sure Prophetic Word - [2 Peter 1:16-21]

Bethlehem Bible Church

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August 13, 2006

00:01: Our heavenly father we thank you for the opportunity to look into your word father, and I just pray that you would
00:07: You would Superintend everything that I say father and that which is of you would last and that which is of me would fade
00:14: And I just thank you for your word your complete word Your inerrant word, and I just pray now that you would apply it to all of our hearts.
00:23: I pray in Christ's name. Amen Have you ever strolled through your local bookstore?
00:33: And gone into the self -help section and Noticed all the references in there to the
00:39: Bible in terms of Books not even spiritual books. Just let me read you a few titles
00:45: Here's some here are some titles that I found by doing a quick search on amazon .com
00:50: on the word Bible the computer Bible The guitarists
00:56: Bible. I like that one. I almost ordered it the barbecue Bible The longevity
01:02: Bible the pregnancy Bible the crystal Bible I thought that was pretty interesting the
01:08: Microsoft Excel 2003 Bible Yeah, that was my response to The screenwriters
01:17: Bible a complete guide to writing formatting and selling your script the color scheme
01:22: Bible inspirational palettes for designing home interiors and The safe shoppers
01:27: Bible a consumer's guide to non -toxic household products The use of the word
01:35: Bible is meant to convey that these books deal with their particular subjects in an exhaustive and authority authoritative way
01:43: That there's no need Purportedly to refer to any other text that these these books contain all that you would need to know about this particular subject
01:52: My question is do we as believers? treat the real Bible as Exhaustive and authoritative we may give it lip service in the way that We may purport that we do
02:06: But I'm going to ask a little bit deeper questions tonight as to whether we truly do These bookstore titles bear witness to the fact that even the world and secular authors
02:15: Think that Christians live by the scriptures in this way and that we are to be called people of the book
02:23: All Christians would do well to refer to the Bible in that way and in the way that the world thinks we do
02:29: Obviously they would not use the word Bible in their titles unless they thought that we Clinged desperately to every word on the page
02:38: But what does it mean to live by the scriptures? And what does it mean to be called people of the book? Well, the
02:44: Bible makes the following claims about itself Claim number one it is from God and it's profitable for our lives
02:52: Very familiar verse in 2nd Timothy 3 16 and 17. It says all scripture is inspired by God literally
03:00: God breathed and profitable for teaching for reproof for Correction for training and righteousness so that the man of God may be adequate equipped for every good work
03:11: Another claim of the Bible knowing God's Word can constrain us from sinning and Psalm 119 11
03:17: It says your word I have treasured or hidden in the King James your word
03:22: I've treasured in my heart that I may not sin against you It is the means by which we grow in personal holiness
03:29: Christ in the high priestly prayer of John 17 and verse 17 says sanctify them through thy truth
03:36: Thy word is truth The Bible claims that it is for all time until the consummation of time in reference to the
03:45: Mosaic Law Jesus says in Matthew 5 18 For truly I say to you until heaven and earth pass away
03:52: Not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the law until all is accomplished The Bible is not to be altered
04:00: Though speaking about the book of Revelation specifically in Revelation chapter 22 verses 18 and 19
04:06: We get a clue as to how God wants us to treat the Bible in in regard to its integrity
04:11: It says there I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book if anyone adds to them
04:18: God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book And if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy
04:24: God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the Holy City which are written in this book
04:32: We also learn from Scripture that God's Revelation is closed it is final
04:38: There are no new books being added to the canon of Scripture in Daniel chapter 9 in the the famous 70 weeks prophecy in chapter 9 verse 24
04:47: We read 70 weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city to fan to finish the transgression
04:53: To make an end of sin to make atonement for iniquity to bring in everlasting righteousness to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place and Also in 1st
05:06: Corinthians chapter 13 verse 8 the famous love chapter we read love never fails
05:12: But if there are gifts of prophecy they will be done away if there are tongues They will cease if there is knowledge it will be done away
05:20: So in review the claims that I just put forward are the Bible is the standard direct from God himself
05:27: It keeps us from sinning It sanctifies us it does not change
05:33: It is not to be altered by man And it is complete the Reformers rolled all of these attributes about the
05:40: Bible up into the the saying sola scriptura or Scripture alone Scripture alone is the sole inerrant rule of the believers life sadly the church has separated
05:52: Scripture from its authoritative position and Have departed from sola scriptura in a subtle, but very dangerous way
06:00: When the church seeks spiritual guidance outside the pages of Scripture Sola scriptura is practically denied when
06:08: I say practically denied. I don't mean just barely denied. I mean it's denied in practice In what ways does the church seek spiritual guidance away from the pages of Scripture?
06:19: I'm not talking about obvious evils like seances or tarot cards or consulting mediums things that Overt, but in more subtle ways we deny
06:29: Sola scriptura in our daily living and when I say we I'm referring to the church at large those who would call themselves evangelicals
06:38: Let me give you some examples of this and these will be very subtle and there there are almost I want to couch this by Saying there are maybe maybe right ways to say this
06:47: But in general when you hear it, these are these are very dangerous things that would cause us to ask further questions here are some examples of inactive or practical denial of sola scriptura
07:00: God told me to this or that Or how about I feel
07:05: God telling me to X Y Z whatever? Or a more subtle version
07:11: God spoke to my heart Now God spoke to my heart sometimes people say that we know what they're intending
07:18: It's the more literal application of that sentence that is troubling these statements are so commonplace within the vocabulary of Christianity That it may surprise you that anyone would take exception with such sayings
07:33: Another subtle form of this God really opened the door for me. So I know that it's his will for me to do this or that or when
07:43: Circumstances seem to work seamlessly together in some situation. It's said to have been a
07:48: God thing Have you ever heard that before? Oh, that was a God thing the way that worked out This meaning an act of providence or divine intervention over and above the norm
07:59: This is often said to be proof of God's approval for a particular situation But our fortuitous circumstances truly the stamp of approval from God This I suggest is a misunderstanding of revelation how
08:15: God reveals himself to us and of providence For situations that don't work together seamlessly are as much an act of God's providence as those that do work together seamlessly
08:27: Statements like God spoke to my heart in many ways approach the caliber of thus saith the Lord made by the prophets of the
08:33: Old Testament who as a side note would be killed if the prophecy didn't come true I'm not suggesting we hold people up to that standard yet.
08:42: We hear these sort of statements all the time So my purpose tonight is twofold one
08:47: Demonstrate that the script from scripture that all experiences in life are to be made subject to the scriptures especially those experiences of a religious nature and To that it is not until we return the
09:01: Bible to its authoritative place Return to sola scriptura that we can rightfully be called people of the book within evangelicalism
09:11: Please with me if you would open your Bibles to 2nd Peter chapter 1 Where we'll see from the
09:16: Apostle Peter that not only are we to be people of the book But we are to be people solely of the book in Peter chapter 2nd
09:28: Peter. I'm sorry 2nd Peter chapter 1 We're going to concentrate on verses 16 through 21 tonight.
09:33: So let me go ahead and read those for you Starting at verse 16
09:39: For did for we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our
09:46: Lord Jesus Christ But we were eyewitnesses of his majesty For when he received honor and glory from God the
09:53: Father such an utterance as this was made to him by the majestic glory This is my beloved
09:59: Son with whom I am well pleased and we ourselves heard this utterance Made from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain
10:07: So we have the prophetic word made more sure to which you do well to pay attention as a lamp shining in a dark place
10:14: Until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts, but know this first of all
10:19: That no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation For no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will but men moved by the
10:30: Holy Spirit spoke from God Peter here is writing to the dispersed Gentile believers in Asia Minor, which is modern -day
10:38: Turkey around AD67 -68 somewhere in that time frame Just prior to his execution as they believe
10:47: And he's going to spend most of the letter warning these believers about false teachers who would lead them astray and in doing so he reveals
10:55: How he views Scripture and how we ought to view Scripture as well and of course at the time to Peter Scripture was the
11:03: Old Testament an interesting fact that struck me is since in 2nd
11:09: Timothy 316 we learned that all I'm sorry we learned that God superintended the writing of all
11:15: Scripture and we know that Peter's writings passed the test of canonicity and are therefore Scripture and Any pronouncement regarding Scripture that Peter might make is
11:27: Actually going to apply to his own letter, so it's kind of an interesting thing But let's look at verse 16 to start off For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our
11:39: Lord Jesus Christ But we were eyewitnesses of his majesty Here Peter attempts to differentiate himself from the false teachers of the day
11:48: And he did that by saying that the Apostles were not following anybody they were
11:54: Eyewitnesses firsthand accounts the false teachers had no such eyewitnesses as they crafted their own doctrines and teachings the word cleverly devised has to do with sophistication almost a connotation of trickery and Complexity and he uses the word tales or in I believe it's in King James the word is fables
12:16: And he immediately discredits the teachers the teaching of the false teachers by implication
12:21: Now the scholars are not a hundred percent sure what heresies he was addressing
12:27: He may may have just been addressing all false teachers at the time But there were three sort of things that were going on in Asia Minor at the time
12:35: There were pagan myths about God's descending to earth in human form
12:40: Which is very interesting because Satan always seems to take a spinoff of the truth in order to deceive people
12:47: That was going on there were also Jewish Sort of I guess embellishments regarding the
12:53: Old Testament that were clouding people's understanding of the second coming And then also thirdly the
12:59: Gnostic heresies were all over the place and Gnosticism coming from the Greek word gnosis
13:06: Which is a type of understanding understanding that one gains only through personal experience and The main gist of their teachings were that things pertaining to the spirit and spirituality was good
13:19: But things pertaining to matter or the flesh or things we see hear smell touch those were evil
13:25: So those were the three heresies that were sort of rampant at the time And they don't really know Peter was probably just addressing everybody
13:33: The main point though the main point of contention with the false teachers in this statement has to do with Christ's second coming and glory
13:42: We look at the phrase the power and the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ This is a phrase used specifically of a second coming not his first which
13:50: I admit I thought that this verse was referring to his first coming But as I studied further
13:58: The power and coming that word coming has to do almost it could be rendered appearing and Peter confirms that he is in fact talking about the second coming later in chapter 3 verses 3 and 4 where he says
14:10: Know this first of all that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking Following after their own lusts and saying where is the promise of his coming so apparently these false teachers were skeptical
14:24: Since he was writing to believers. They would have properly understood the basics of the gospel or they
14:30: You know wouldn't be believers He uses an eyewitness account of Christ's radiant glory
14:36: While here on earth as a foreshadowing of the power and coming of the Lord Jesus Christ when he shall come in power and glory
14:43: That's why Nate read the the account of the Mount of Transfiguration for us earlier
14:51: Power and coming is actually a secular Greek phrase that was used when a royal
14:56: Would visit a city or a district, and there's a little bit of pomp and circumstance, and he comes in power and authority
15:04: The babe in Bethlehem certainly was not an appearing in power. He came in meekness initially, so It's confirmed that this is in regard to the second coming
15:15: So how were they eyewitnesses in verse 17 and 18 we have Peter's sort of account his recounting about what occurred on the
15:23: Mount of Transfiguration He says for when he Christ received glory and honor from God the
15:29: Father Such an utterance as this was made to him by the majestic glory This is my beloved son with whom
15:35: I am well pleased and we ourselves Heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain
15:43: We see that Peter was present by the Matthew 17 account and therefore an eyewitness
15:51: Interestingly enough I noticed that this is a wonderful Testament to Christ's deity
15:58: In that his deity was confirmed by receiving honor and glory from the
16:03: Father When I when I read that I instantly thought of Isaiah 42 8 where God the Father says
16:08: I am the Lord that is my name I will not give glory to another God will not give glory to another
16:14: Yet he gave glory to Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration very interesting The voice that they heard was an objective reality that came from outside of them
16:26: It did not they didn't hear it in their minds. They didn't perceive it in their heart it the the words that Peter uses here
16:34: Convey the thought that it was something that came from outside of them. It wasn't a spiritual euphoric occurrence
16:39: It was actually an audible voice if we could jump in a time machine and go back to the Mount of Transfiguration With a tape recorder it could have been recorded.
16:47: It was not a spiritual event. It was an audible event and This was
16:52: I just think about this how powerfully this was the confirmation of everything that they had been learning
16:58: From Christ and about Christ and surely it was the most Spiritually euphoric moment in Peter's life up until that point up until the day he went home to glory
17:09: I'm sure that was a little bit more euphoric in Verse 19 we read so we have the prophetic word made more sure
17:18: 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 heart
17:27: This verse 19 really is getting down to the crux of the matter and the point of my message tonight the first word in verse 19 is the
17:37: Greek word chi or the English word and Now I would not be so bold as to take translators to task
17:46: But you'll notice if you're reading an NAS that the first word there is rendered. So New King James they get it pretty good and that they start with the word and but then they add so afterwards
18:00: King James uses also which is which is much better But NIV and ESV start the verse with and now why is this such a big deal?
18:12: this is important because and is used to introduce the second means of assurance regarding Christ's coming in power his second coming
18:21: Verses 16 through 18 make the case for his coming based on a personal unrepeatable experience perceived by the three
18:29: Apostles Peter James and John and verse 19 makes a new case based upon the reliability of the prophetic word or scripture if The first word of verse 19 were so or therefore and not the weaker
18:46: And it would make verse 18 the verifying force behind verse 19 So in other words just to boil this down into shirtsleeve
18:54: English. I'm gonna read to Charlie Crane paraphrases of the verse and you see which one is the proper rendering if such a thing could be proper
19:04: So here's the here's the first one Peter witnessed Christ's glory Therefore scripture is made more sure or confirmed
19:13: I Suggest that's the wrong rendering the next one Christ's second coming in glory will happen because Peter witnessed that glory and Scripture says that he will come you see the the
19:27: One is sort of a cause and effect relationship between the two verses and the other rendering is two different Arguments placed together in the same sentence, but by using a conjunction
19:39: So this will be borne out a little bit more as I continue here now in verse 19 there are two little words that are a big deal and those are more sure this has caused a lot of confusion and I suggest these are two of the most important words in Scripture regarding the reliability of Scripture There are two takes on verse 19 of all the commentators that I read
20:04: The first is like we were just discussing Scripture is made more sure due to Peter's eyewitness account of Christ's transfiguration.
20:12: So the experience validated the Bible and the other take which I believe is the correct take is
20:19: Scripture is more sure than Peter's eyewitness account of Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration.
20:25: Well, let's see if there's any If there's if we can build a case for the latter
20:31: Interpretation point number one if Peter had meant to stress that the event on the
20:36: Mount of Transfiguration Was to confirm Scripture he would have used a stronger word at the beginning of verse 9 such as thus or therefore or whereby and not have used the weaker preposition and Okay Point number two, there is no sequence between verse 18 and verse 19
20:54: Yes, they're part of the same sentence, but they're two separate thoughts attached together like a shopping list almost if you will
21:02: And the words made more sure in English is actually one Greek word
21:07: Which is a comparative adjective in the predicate position and placed emphatically forward in the sentence
21:13: Properly rendered if you transliterated it right into English properly. It would say we have more sure the prophetic word
21:21: It ascribes the prophetic word the quality of being more sure Not because of any outside testimony like seeing
21:29: Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration But simply because it is more sure okay, it's not a comparison between the two and another point for the latter
21:40: Trans or the the latter interpretation is that it would be contrary to the entire testimony of the
21:46: New Testament If we were to validate scripture by means of experience the
21:52: Bereans in Acts 17 they tested everything by the scriptures they doubted and then tested and they were commended for such a
22:00: For such practice They wouldn't experience something and say it's true because of the experience.
22:06: They always screen stuff through the scripture Now listen to the English Standard Version rendering of verse 19, and I think they really nail it verse 19
22:16: It says and we have something more sure the prophetic word to which you do well to pay attention
22:23: That is I think that's an excellent rendering The words pay attention
22:29: The Implication there is actively apply it in your daily life You have something you hold something in your hand that is more reliable Than the testimony of someone who beheld the glorified
22:42: Christ you do well to pay attention I mean, that's the it's couldn't be more clear than that The lamp and I like the phrase a lamp shining in a dark place
22:54: Experience things we experience are perceived and understood from a vantage of a dark place
23:01: That's our fallen state this world in which we live Experiences rarely perceived properly only
23:09: God's Word is the lamp commentator hybrid says the prophetic lamp is not yet the morning
23:15: Sun and Windish says prophecy is to fulfillment as a nightlight is to the morning
23:21: Sun and that morning Sun in the phrase the day dawns refers to the eschatological day of Christ's return
23:28: So the Bible is our lamp and it illuminates just right around us as we navigate our way through the dark place
23:37: Okay verses 20 and 21 But now this first of all that know or but know this first of all rather that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one's
23:47: Own interpretation for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will but men moved by the
23:53: Holy Spirit Spoke from God Now the is in no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation that is is a present tense verb meaning comes into being or occurs or arises
24:09: So this is talking about the source of the prophecy and one's own interpretation for years
24:15: I thought this referred to the reader Interpreting the word But in fact it refers to the inspired author who penned the words or the prophet if we're referring to Old Testament The prophets of the
24:27: Old Testament did not interpret God's message. They just delivered God's message in fact Interpreting God's message is what the prophets the false prophets in Jeremiah 23 got in trouble for doing
24:39: So you don't interpret it you just deliver it and I think that's that that speaks of the dynamic
24:45: Equivalency versions of the Bible versus the word -for -word translations. It's very dangerous when you mix translation and Commentary together, and I believe this is an admonition against that Scripture while retaining the personality of the author is superintended by God As we read in 2nd
25:08: Timothy 316 where all scripture is inspired Literally, that's that's expired not died, but it's
25:15: God breathed It comes from God, but you still get the personality of the author through the scripture
25:24: And verse 20 and 21 attests to the origin the divine origin of scripture Okay, so as pastor
25:31: Mike likes to say so what what's the application all? Experience as we said before is to be made subject to scripture if Peter did it while face -to -face with the glorified
25:43: Christ Surely we can do it and surely we should do it and I thought is there anywhere else in the
25:50: New Testament that we get the same message that Experiences to be to be made subject to the scriptures and one came to mind
25:57: Right away, and that was in Galatians 1 8 where Paul is writing about Keeping the message of the gospel pure in Galatians 1 8
26:07: He says but even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to that what we have preached
26:14: To you he is to be accursed or anathema While it's not the main intent of this verse we can include that the apostolic preaching which for us now is contained in the pages of scripture
26:27: That we should put the scripture before any Apparition or phenomena or experience especially when it contradicts the scripture now.
26:36: I was thinking about that I thought Sunday evening service we're all here and it's a Cool August night and you just imagine if the calm of the service was ripped in half and some sort of glorious angelic being were standing here and They and this being began to tell us that you know we have justification and salvation wrong
26:56: We've been teaching it wrong. We've misunderstood the Bible Justification is not for individuals. It's for people groups or something.
27:03: You know your gospel is wrong You have to change it if we saw something that shocked our senses and experience
27:09: That was very emotional We are prone to give credibility to that Because we instantly trust things that are different from us
27:18: And while Paul was likely using exaggeration. He was arguing to an absurd extreme in using the angel metaphor
27:26: I think it's still pretty amazing that even if an angelic or in this case demonic visitor
27:32: Were to put forward a different message were to cling to the book We're to not pay attention we're to stick to the book
27:40: The implication of these verses are very far -reaching The scriptures are the only source of objective truth in all things pertaining to life and godliness again
27:51: Jesus said thy word is truth We would be deceived without objective truth without the objective truth of the scriptures our propensity is towards Deception because we're fallen every aspect of this is fallen our will is fallen our emotions are fallen our
28:07: Intellect is fallen and our ability to rightly interpret experience is fallen as well anyone who's married knows that You say something and your your wife smirks, and you get all huffy because you think she's disrespecting me
28:20: And later after a big four -hour argument you learn she had an itch on her cheek right we do not perceive experience
28:26: Properly we're we're prone to error our senses and our hearts can be easily deceived
28:36: Jeremiah 79 a very famous verse the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked who can know it
28:44: Now another point that I want to bring up And this is you're gonna have to stick with me for this on this for a second
28:50: But God's purposes do not hinge on our experience now What does that mean think about salvation for instance salvation is a very unique situation?
28:59: But I think it's still a relevant example, and I'll give a couple others In Ephesians 2 8 through 10 we learned that God initiates salvation that faith is a gift and not the cause of salvation no one ever came to faith simply because of evidence or experience
29:18: It's a spiritual transaction and not one solely of reason or merely a reason You think about people in Bible times
29:25: Thousands of people experience the miracles of Christ firsthand and yet never came to faith in him
29:32: He fed thousands of people many of the Pharisees saw him do miraculous things many onlookers saw the various miracles throughout the
29:40: New Testament and Yet they experienced something and yet they did not pull the truth morsels out of the experience
29:48: Interpreted it wrong you think about Job somebody I think mentioned Job this morning you see him
29:54: He's lost everything in his life He's on the ash heap covered in boils and we would experience him much like his wife did and say he's cursed of God But was he cursed of God?
30:05: No, he wasn't he was being tested By these facts we see that there's no direct connection between experience and the ability to perceive truth
30:15: That's a biggie, let me repeat that there's no connection between what we experience and our ability to perceive truth an
30:23: Angel preaching another gospel can be mistaken for good God in the flesh
30:30: Healing a leper and raising the dead can be called a blasphemer or considered a blasphemer In so far as spiritual things are concerned.
30:38: There is no objective correlation between what we observe and truth except When filtered by the
30:46: Word of God as applied by the Holy Spirit This is called discernment when we are able to rightly perceive.
30:53: What is going on around us This is why Peter rightfully elevates the prophetic word above viewing the glorified
31:00: Christ He realizes that our ability to experience reality is marred by the fall in our sinful state
31:07: And this is why we must be saturated with God's Word We are guaranteed to go astray when we ignore our
31:15: Bibles Looking beyond God's Word for guidance is a recipe for making shipwreck of our souls
31:22: This is why it seems a subtle thing when we discuss it practically, but it is a very serious and dangerous thing
31:30: Looking beyond scripture for spiritual guidance will also eventually be the downfall of modern evangelicalism
31:37: Here's a list That I put together of ways and practices that Deny sola scriptura and go beyond scripture to find guidance in our life, and I'll list a few of them here
31:50: And again just to qualify what I'm saying and we'll talk more about illumination versus revelation, but some some
31:58: Poor saints use this vocabulary and we know what they're talking about and they don't mean it in the in the dangerous way
32:04: But let's let's just go through my list here God speaking directly into our heads or hearts
32:12: Illumination yes revelation no let's talk about that Illumination is when the
32:17: Holy Spirit or your the Holy Spirit and your conscience Or your conscience is pricked by the
32:22: Holy Spirit applying scripture or a sermon or something that you've learned for instance in convicting us about sin about constraining us while we're considering sinning about Maybe we remind we're we're we're beginning to respond in anger
32:40: And we're reminded we need to be meek and lowly and in humility consider others better than ourselves That's the
32:46: Holy Spirit illuminating our minds He's not depositing new data into our heart.
32:52: He is applying. What is already there, okay? That's the difference between illumination and revelation
32:59: If he is revealing new data as a old teacher of mine used to say it's time to start the newest book of the
33:06: Bible Because anytime God reveals something about himself I mean the Bible's closed so we know that that's just not a possibility.
33:14: He used to say that in jest and Nowhere in Scripture are we commanded to operate this way to guide ourselves on impressions or Thinking that we're hearing
33:25: God speak directly to us Another in the list of dangerous practices that the open -door lists
33:32: God opened a door for me. You know it's very interesting I love this guy the word is so great in in 2nd
33:38: Corinthians The Lord gives us a glimpse into that very thing Paul writes that he had a door wide open for ministry in Troas But he decided to go to Macedonia instead the door was wide open
33:49: But he went somewhere else just because the door is open doesn't mean you should walk through it. It could be a test
33:59: Serendipity or the fortuitous aligning of circumstances is Not always a stamp of divine approval very important Another dangerous practice is over sensitivity to impressions
34:15: There was an author named Henry Blackaby who wrote a book in the mid 80s called experiencing God and in that book
34:22: He says that God speaks to us by means of impressions of the heart Well Whitfield said we had diseased hearts that were not to be trusted
34:32: That's that there's nothing in Scripture that aligns with that He claimed that if we don't feel these things regularly, then we are not truly or fully experiencing
34:40: God That that does not come from the pages of Scripture He also said when a believer receives a receives a word from the
34:50: Lord Regarding the church. He is to instruct the entire church I I Think if I did that in here,
34:58: I'd probably be ushered out rightfully, so There's no hermeneutical test for such occurrences.
35:04: How do you how do you reveal whether that's from God or not? There is no way for instance You know if I were to stand here, and I would
35:12: I said you know So -and -so the Lord told me that so -and -so has the spirit of disunity and we need to discipline him
35:20: How do you test that? Are you gonna go up against the Lord supposedly if that's what he said
35:26: It's just it's not found in the pages of Scripture Yet, this has become very popular in in many denominations
35:34: There's another gentleman whom actually I respect and still respect for the what benefit he brought to my life but his name is
35:40: Bill Gothard, and he taught a series of seminars called the Institute for basic youth conflicts
35:48: I believe it was and there were many excellent things in that seminar, and I was a young believer
35:53: So he was he was more Paul to my Timothy at the time And I grew because of it, but he taught things called checks in the spirit.
36:02: Have you ever heard of checks in the spirit? This is when you meet somebody and there's just something wrong
36:07: I don't I don't know what it is about that guy But I met him and I don't know the Lord's just telling me that there's something
36:13: I need to keep clear of this guy That's he said that we were to listen to those things and conduct ourselves accordingly now interestingly enough.
36:22: I've met many people For whom I've had those feelings many of you are in this room.
36:28: No no And and those people went on to be good godly friends who helped me grow closer to the
36:37: Lord so You know Two abstentions yes, yes, and I was proven very wrong
36:47: Our perceptions are fallen and flawed One other thing that Gothard instituted he started this and this is you you should recognize this
36:55: Do you have peace about this situation? Have you ever heard that saying Bill Gothard initiated that that is commonplace now in the language of Christendom?
37:05: At 2nd Timothy again going back to that verse tells us that we're thoroughly furnished For all good works.
37:11: There's no need for extra biblical data Interestingly enough Gothard claims to have received some of his teachings in this way extra biblically through impressions of the heart so I Guess there's you know
37:25: R .C. Sproul said at any one time and any man's life He has only 80 % of his theology correct
37:30: So I'm hoping that constitutes Bill Gothard's 20 % But we don't need direct revelation from God Regarding what college to go to what job to take whom to marry whether to move or not whether to go into the mission field
37:46: We are to obey the explicit commands of Scripture and the implicit principles found in Scripture and God Promises that he will direct our steps
37:57: When living obediently submitted to the Bible you may step out in faith and God through providence orders your steps
38:03: That's a quote of Phil Johnson So how do we make these types of decisions?
38:10: You know this is you're telling me I don't need to petition God on what college to go to what job to take whom to marry
38:16: Those are frightening decisions. How do we make decisions in a biblical way? Well, I was taught a wonderful decision a very
38:23: I believe biblical decision -making tool And I will hopefully impart it to you tonight
38:30: So is there are four five steps technically but for practical steps when making decisions in What might be perceived as gray areas of our life step number one does the scripture speak explicitly regarding your situation?
38:46: Here are some here. I don't know why I picked these, but I just grabbed some topics that the Bible speaks explicitly about murder
38:54: Should I murder my neighbor no? adultery Lying being unequally yoked with unbelievers how to be saved divorce
39:04: Bringing a charge against an elder becoming an elder for that matter in these areas and many others
39:11: We don't need to sign. We simply need to obey if there are no explicit scriptures regarding your situation
39:19: Do the implicit principles of scripture provide a strong clue as to what God would have you to do in your situations?
39:25: That's step number two so the gut and so the Bible is silent your potential spouse's name is not found in the
39:31: New Testament That's a high likelihood But do the implicit principles of scripture provide a strong clue as to what
39:37: God would have you to do in your situation for instance Some some gray fringe areas joining a church well of course we know that the
39:45: Lord wants you to be a part of the local Body that case is built from many scriptures. There isn't a verse that says thou shalt join a church, right?
39:53: So we're using implicit principles. How about abortion there is no verse in the scripture prohibiting abortion yet?
40:00: It's very easily gleaned from the pages of scripture that the Lord abhors abortion Things like gambling gambling you know that there's casting lots all through the
40:11: New Testament What does God have to say about gambling you have to turn to a systematic approach and build a case?
40:17: Which I believe is easily built against gambling so if the scripture is silent regarding your situation
40:25: Explicitly and implicitly the third step is to seek a multitude of godly counsel
40:32: Proverbs is rife with these types of admonitions Proverbs 1 5 a wise man will hear an increase in learning and a man of Understanding will acquire wise counsel
40:43: Proverbs 14 11 where there is no guidance the people fall, but an abundance of counselors there is victory 12 5 the way of the fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man is he who listens to counsel and You could go on and on the last one here
41:00: Proverbs 15 22 without consultation plans are frustrated, but with many counselors they succeed
41:06: Okay, so the Bible doesn't speak explicitly to your decision your your conundrum
41:12: It doesn't speak explicitly to it, and you seek a multitude of godly counsel
41:17: You want to start when you seek the multitude of godly counsel you don't want to stack the deck first I recommend you goes you go to those who are in authority over you
41:26: For instance children start with your mother and father you know if you're weighing running away from home
41:32: It's probably good to seek the counsel of your mother and father You know you obviously want to go to those who are in authority over you
41:40: Wife start with your husband You you don't want to be making a life decision and consulting 50 friends none of whom are your husband
41:47: So start those who with those who are in direct authority over you you can also petition the elders or a pastor and Especially older godly saints who have wrestled with this particular decision in the past.
42:01: You know there's nothing new under the Sun Don't reinvent the wheel there are older saints who can help you quite a bit
42:09: Okay, so the logical question is what if the counsel is 50 -50 right down the middle
42:14: The Bible doesn't speak to my problem implicitly or explicitly. I got counsel all over the map.
42:20: What do I do? Then I call that the psalm 37 verse 4 situation which says
42:27: Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart Now notice this is step 4 and not step 1 that's
42:36: Important to remember don't consult your heart right out of the gate And there's a bunch of restrictions as well of all the people not to trust you talk the list
42:50: Okay of all the people of all the shady characters in the world Yourself is the is the one whom you should trust the least
42:58: Okay, the heart is deceitfully wicked your old man is looking to tear you down not that's a little bit of personification
43:05: But you will you will left to your own devices make shipwreck of your soul
43:10: Okay, so in terms of delighting yourself in the Lord. What's that all about well? Let's look at that first you must be a regenerated believer
43:18: You must be living in tune with the scriptures not perfection, but generally you must be obedient to authorities in your life
43:28: This is interesting back to authorities For instance if you're considering marriage and your spouse obviously it's not mentioned in the
43:37: Bible And the council is split 50 -50 you've asked people
43:42: Do you think this this this guy or this girl would make a good life partner and some people have concerns other people say?
43:49: Oh, I think that's wonderful Yet your parents have not given you their blessing Stop consultation you don't need to go any further
43:58: Your authority figure in your life Has found problems, and it is advising you not to do in Ephesians 6 1 children obey your parents in the
44:06: Lord, okay? We don't need to go any further stop. Do not pass go do not collect $200 so You're a regenerate believer.
44:15: You're living in tune with the scriptures obedient to authorities in your life You're actively seeking to increase your knowledge of the
44:21: Lord by spending time in his word You're serving in the local body You're not harboring any unrepentant sin
44:28: God allows you to step out in faith and choose His will is going to be accomplished through his sovereignty and providence the problem is people start here
44:38: They start with their hearts instead of going through the whole process Okay, people logically ask what if I still make a wrong decision?
44:52: well We know in Romans 8 28 We know that God causes all things to work together for good for to those who love
45:00: God To those who are called according to his purposes God can use error to achieve his purposes
45:07: Okay This is not a license to choose badly however But as Phil Johnson says we don't need to beat ourselves up with introspection
45:18: Continually testing the Lord you know you're wondering if you're going to if you should go to Cambridge for your postgraduate or Harvard And you're driving down the road, and you go by Harvard Avenue.
45:28: You say oh, thank you Lord for telling me that that is that is That's not good
45:37: Okay in conclusion the evangelical church regularly practices something that the first century church knew nothing about With the exception of the apostolic age except by watching pagans
45:50: Divining using mediums consulting things like this Divination promptings being led by impressions and direct revelation was never part of Christianity after the close of the apostolic age
46:01: You know you look at all the history of humankind, and it's only punctuated by small sections of miraculous occurrences and direct revelation the
46:10: Old Testament prophets Way back in the beginning in the garden the apostolic age but God I Can't begin to understand the heart of God, but I I think just in my knowing him through scripture
46:24: It should not be incumbent upon God to do parlor tricks in order to verify his message That's why he does not punctuate what he reveals to us with the miraculous.
46:33: We have his book You know what more could he say than to you he has said I love that line from the hymn
46:40: The apostolic age is closed and we now have God's written word settled forever
46:46: Individual personal revelation has never been normative at any time throughout the
46:51: Christian Church Nothing in the Bible commands us to listen to voices in our heads to be governed by impressions of the heart the
47:00: Holy Spirit certainly provides Illumination of God's Word and conviction of sin, but never he never dispenses new information or revelation
47:10: Even when the experience seems real enough to touch like an angel coming down out of heaven if it doesn't square with the scripture
47:17: It's not to be trusted period as Christ said thy word is truth
47:24: Let's close in prayer our
47:29: Heavenly Father. We thank you for your word we thank you that you have not left us adrift in our fallen perceptions and Just trying to divine who you are and what you would have us to do
47:42: Lord and we apologize for Having a vast volume of scripture at our disposal and not turning to it not hiding it in our hearts
47:54: The father I pray that we would just hide your word that we would consume your word
48:01: That we might know you we might know your heart And Lord that the Holy Spirit might apply your scripture to our heart in these moments when we need to make decisions
48:11: And we ask you to forgive us if we if we have been Just looking for you in places outside of the scripture for revelation father
48:21: Help us to have a longing to be in your word And father we just thank you for your word from Genesis to Revelation.
48:29: We just praise you for it And Lord, I pray that you give me and all of us here a new fresh commitment to be in your word