Remembering the Reformation: Scripture Alone | Acts 17:10-12

Okay, welcome beloved To this beautiful Lord's Day. Let's go ahead and start by turning to Acts chapter 17 verse 10

Acts chapter 17 verse 10 God's Word speaks to us today and says and the brothers the believers immediately sent

Paul and Silas Away by night to Berea and when they arrived they went into the synagogue of the

Jews Now these were more noble -minded than those in Thessalonica for they received the word with great eagerness

Examining the scriptures daily to see whether these things were so Therefore many of them believed along with not a few prominent

Greek men women and men. This is God's Word. Amen I love this passage because and what one of the

This is this passage clearly echoes The very first principles and the most important principles of the

Reformation and it's one of the many reasons why It is important for us to remember the

Reformation today this very passage so have this passage in mind as I continue to go through the history of the

Reformation and Lord willing get a chance to preach on this text That's the that's the the goal today we need to understand the enduring biblical principles of the

Protestant Reformation Now I Mentioned last week was more of a focus on Luther's discovery of the material principle of the

Reformation Which is justification comes by faith alone apart from any works apart from any sacraments of the church

Whereas the formal principle of the Reformation the underlying principle that grounds everything is the authority principle is the ground of Authority and truth that we have

Which is scripture alone for us? I? Also wanted I forgot to mention this last week but I wanted to encourage all of you and everyone to take a look at the

Reformation Day statement and Declaration from the Trinity Foundation. I encourage you to look at that and to sign it

It's an excellent summary of what we believe us as Protestants and how we are called to be

Protestants to this very day to protest the the false religion of Rome and of anything that opposes these principles of Sola Fide and Sola Scriptura and By way of reminder from last week

We also saw that the main issues the main principles of the

Reformation the first principles of the Protestant Reformation summarize they summarize distill and explain our faith our core doctrines and separate us from just about everybody else everybody else including other so -called

Christian traditions like Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy so What then this is where we left off last week?

What was the main problem? During the Reformation what was and still is the main conflict with Rome?

What is it and this is what Luther became very good at Very proficient at he knew how to ask the right questions

To get to the bottom of the issue probing questions He knew how to put his finger

Or in this case his nail figuratively speaking right on the main issues the main issues the main conflict and with time he saw the

Issues more clearly and develop better answers from the Word of God Now sadly we have to acknowledge that these men were flawed and in some respects

He did become worse like his attitude of the Jews and stuff like that, but nevertheless

Luther did learn to discern Increasingly a discern truth from error when it came to Rome the

Church of Rome Now I wanted to clarify something too because I I did want to I mentioned that Luther and was even worse in his temper than Mark Driscoll was

But that almost is an insult to Luther because Driscoll in some respects was was actually far worse than Luther was

Especially with regard to his sexually explicit and perverse and simply inappropriate comments so it's it's kind of hard to compare the two but Luther did have a very foul mouth.

That's that's that goes without dispute there And so we need to check those things carefully with the

Word of God now Luther's face off with Rome reminds me of Or should remind us of the young David the young David and first Samuel whom

God had predestined and prepared His whole life for that momentous conflict that needed to be resolved

That Israel was being mocked defiled threatened and challenged by the godless

Philistines, right? pivotal moment in the life of is in the life of David and in the nation of Israel and the the question that David needed to answer was how do

I defeat the giant Goliath In order to rid Israel of this stain this mockery this reproach for who is this uncircumcised

Philistine that he should defy the armies of the Living God like the book of 1st

Samuel recounts So what's the answer? What was the answer?

What is the answer the answer? Was and is to trust God it is to trust

God and to execute a lifetime of God's preparation with five smooth stones that David had prepared and Again, he had prepared his whole life for this

God had prepared him by killing Protecting the sheep and the flock against bears and lions and so on.

He was ready He was by no means the underdog that that's a missing the misinterpretation of the story

Goliath didn't stand a chance against the man of God. Amen. So you come to me

With a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of The Lord of hosts the

God of the armies of Israel whom you have defiled 1st Samuel 17 45

Now like the young David Very similarly

Luther himself was executing a lifetime of God's preparation everything that happens in our lives is

Ultimately for our good and it's God's preparation for what he has for the good works that he has prepared beforehand for us to fulfill my conscience

Luther said is Captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience

Here I stand so help me God I can do no other amen and So with the greater consciousness of the issues involved comes a lesser assurance that an alternative is possible

I love very wise words from the Christian philosopher

Gordon Clark With the greater consciousness of the issues involved comes a lesser assurance that an alternative is even possible

That's what was at stake and the issues became Manifestly clear the more that the conflict with Rome was

Was butting heads coming to a head with with Luther The main issue as Luther began to see and later saw more clearly was that of a different giant?

His giant was ultimately the Goliath of Rome It was the

Goliath of Rome. It was the Magisterium the traditions and the

Pope of Rome the papacy and its claims of absolute spiritual authority

The Pope is Goliath Luther said clad in the armor of human traditions dressed in the armor of human traditions we are

David with the sling of the Holy Scriptures Amen That's exactly what this is all about human traditions the armor of human traditions the

Goliath of human traditions versus David with the sling of Sacred Scripture in the name of the one true

God of Israel Initially Luther thought that the problem was the abuse of indulgences by preachers like Johann Tetzel and By the way these indulgence preachers were some of the first prosperity preachers of the

Western world That's where they come from really Luther apparently

Did not rip and so yeah, and it's fine. I want to mention this because I was accused of Worshipping money when

I was preaching at the festival day of st. Jude And they were saying that my god has money and all this stuff, and it's like I haven't

Said anything about money, but the reality is that the Roman Catholic Church was preaching money through indulgences and all those kinds of things the forgiveness of sins through paying the

Pope So they are the ones who pushed prosperity false prosperity

Through those means now Luther apparently did not realize that the Pope himself was the one promoting and encouraging and Sponsoring these abuses

But it but his nail was already approaching the main problem nonetheless

He first assumed the Pope would be on Luther's side that he would give him the benefit of the doubt because he was trying to bring correction and reforms to these abuses and I personally resonate with this too because this happened at my previous church where I was trying to bring certain things certain concerns to the attention of the elders and the elders took that as an attack as arrogance as And it was none of that it was a concern to address things that were at odds with Scripture and But again because of the pietism of our day a lot of men who say they are humble are not willing to be corrected because our

Standard for truth and error for whether we ourselves are right or wrong. It's not ourselves

It's not our interpretation it's the Word of God, that's what we must submit ourselves to always and forever

Amen, that was the principle of the Reformation the ultimate principle of the

Reformation Luther later sharpened his view in a debate that lasted 20 days

Debates back then y 'all were not not hours. They were Weeks, okay, almost three weeks this debate lasted

It's called the Leipzig disputation all the way from June 27 to July 16 of 1519

Two years after he nailed the 95 theses and it was against a brilliant Roman Catholic theologian

Johan Eck He was a prelate and an opponent of Luther mortal enemy of Luther Because in that debate

Eck had accused Luther of agreeing with Jan Hus Who was a heretic according to Rome burned at the stake?

So during their break one of their breaks Luther read about Hus and realized that he rejected people authority just like Husted he had no idea and Substantially agreed with many of Huss's arguments against Rome So much so that he later on said we are all

Hussites without knowing it So there's a lesson there okay, keep that in mind

X succeeded in showing both Luther's break with Roman Church tradition and His agreement with a forerunner of the

Reformation that was burned for defying Rome Rome's authority Luther however succeeded by reasoning from Scripture Much better than acted and by showing that Scripture alone

Not church councils that are contradictory to each other and to Scripture But that Scripture alone was the ultimate authority sola scriptura

It was a decisive moment pivotal moment in Luther's life once again

The verdict was that Eck may have won the debate technically, but Luther won biblically theologically and historically the disputation pushed

Luther further toward a full and final break with Rome The lines had been clearly drawn on both sides they were clearly drawn

There's a lesson in this If you recall there's a important lesson in this this illustrates the importance of church history and of healthy debate and discussion of opposing

Views because Luther was not aware of Huss it wasn't until Eck told him you're a

Hussite You were you're like the ones that were burned and he found out sure enough We're all

Hussites because we all agree that Rome has overstepped its authority against Scripture and against God right, so very important Luther did what many others failed to do

Including today. He discerned the main issues the main conflict with Rome and Responded with what he responded?

Not with his own opinion not with other writings not with anything, but Scripture and reason scripture and reason and again.

He didn't always do that consistently like the Marbury Colloquy and other instances where unfortunately

Luther lapsed in his logic, but That was the principle that he held to and that is the principle that we are called to hold to biblically according to God in his

Word Because remember in order to Be grounded in the truth and in sound doctrine

We need two basic things and all other means and all other resources

Serve these two things. What are they it is? Scripture number one scripture and clear reason logical consistency a sound consistent understanding of Scripture and the doctrines that scripture teaches and I finished reading

Roland Bainton's famous biography of Luther here. I stand he has I really appreciate what he said about Luther here

But always and above all else the one great objective aid objective aid for Luther was the scriptures because this is the written record of The revelation of God in Christ of the revelation of God in Christ and Luther said the true

Christian pilgrimage is not to Rome or to Compostela But to the prophets

The Psalms and the Gospels and to that God's people can shout. Amen, right?

Then again Luther had a way of nailing the issue so succinctly

Because back then that's what it was all about when the Roman tradition You got to take pilgrimages and take up these steps and pray 500

Hail Mary's and 1 ,000 our fathers and all of this all of these these these

Spiritual quote -unquote works sacramental works of penance and stuff to supposedly earn

God's favor But like Luther clearly states the true Christian pilgrimage is not to travel to Rome or to Compostela Compostela was and still is a famous Site called the way of st.

James. It's a long long journey that supposedly leads to the tomb of James in Spain and the

James the Apostle He said that's not the true Christian pilgrimage. The true Christian pilgrimage is to the

Scriptures to the prophets to the Psalms and the Gospels That's where the true

Christian pilgrimage lies the scriptures assumed for Luther an overwhelming importance as the one ground of Certainty that is our one ground of certainty as the sole ground of certainty.

That's what scripture alone is That scripture alone is the sole final ultimate ground of authority of truth of certainty

Now with that said turn with me in your Bibles to the book of Isaiah Chapter 8 we'll start in verse 19 the book of Isaiah chapter 8 verse 19

Powerful words from the Living God follow along with me close to here because there's some things that need

I need to explain And Isaiah chapter 8 verse 19

God's Word says Now when they the people of Judah say to you inquire of the mediums and the spiritists who whisper and mutter

Should not a people inquire of their God Should they inquire of the dead on behalf of the living?

To the law and to the testimony if they do not speak according to this word it is because they have no dawn

Amen now there There are some different translations or renderings of this passage

I'm gonna read from the net Bible which gives a different understanding of this passage. It says this They the people of Judah will say to you seek oracles at the pits

Used to conjure up underworld spirits from the magicians who chirp and mutter incantations

Should people not seek oracles from their gods? By asking the dead about the destiny of the living

Then you must recall the Lord's instructions and the prophetic testimony of what would happen Certainly, they say such things because their minds are spiritually darkened

So there's two different ways that sometimes this verse gets translated if if it if it means what the legacy standard

Bible and I think most of the Translations render it as if it's refers to should not a people inquire of their

God This verse is a rebuke from Isaiah or Yahweh Calling the people back to this word this word being the law and the testimony of God Which is what beloved what is the law in the testimony?

It is the scriptures It is the Old Testament writings at that time That's what he is calling them to now the on the other hand if it means their gods because it could potentially be rendered both ways if it means their gods in The verse is part of the quoted speech of the apostate people

Showing their reasoning for consulting the dead. They're consulting the dead by By asking they're

I mean, I'm sorry, they're consulting these spiritists and mediums by asking the dead about the destiny of the living and and so then the the rebuke becomes the rebuke becomes

I lost my place or sorry. So the the the rebuke then becomes This word refers to their idolatrous speech.

It's not referring to the word of the testimony But they're not either way.

It doesn't the the main point is the same God is rebuking The apostate peoples for doing those things for consulting the dead for seeking mediums and spiritists who?

Try to summon the dead supposedly like the witch of Endor and things like that but either way this passage contradicts

Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions of Contacting and praying to human mediators or intercessors in heaven

Instead of asking God directly or instead of inquiring of God like the legacy standard translation says

Shouldn't you be inquiring God? instead of the dead According to what the written law the written law in testimony of God God alone is the mediator of truth in life.

He is the soul meat. That is what Christ alone means beloved That's what the motto Christ alone means from the

Reformation Christ alone is our Savior our mediator first Timothy 2 5 a

Verse that I repeatedly brought up when I was evangelizing the Roman Catholics during their festival idolatrous festival day of Jude the

Apostle Contacting the dead for guidance Even if it's other believers is foolish and idolatrous and unequivocally condemned by God What does

God say in Deuteronomy 18 10? There shall not be found among you anyone who makes a son or his daughter pass through the fire one who uses divination one who practices soothsaying or one who interprets omens or sorcerer or one who is an enchanter or a medium or a spiritist or one who inquires of the dead one who contacts the dead for whoever does these things is an abomination to Yahweh and Because of these abominations

Yahweh your God will dispossess them from before you So God in no uncertain terms condemns any and all forms of contacting the dead any and all forms

That's a startling frightening thing to be at odds that starkly against God's Word But what does

God tell us when he rebukes the people for contacting the dead? He says to the law and to the testimony, but because they refuse to heed to the law and to the testimony

They are darkened. They are without dawn. The Hebrew literally says without dawn

They are in darkness because they do not have the light of the testimony the truth the testimony and the law of God Which includes what

Deuteronomy clearly says regarding this matter So we must trust God's law and testimony

We need the ultimate authority of the scriptures alone and this principle is all throughout scripture

It's not just in the new after the completion of the New Testament. It's all throughout scripture

What does God say about his word? Have I not has he not magnified his word above every name?

Is his word not like a hammer? It is

God's Word. That is the ultimate authority to this day Many fail to see the main issues affecting the church in our own day sadly

Because of an ignorance of history and of these doctrines biblical doctrines So and I have been alarmed by much of what

I see in modern churches that has considered true spirituality because they promote the very opposite of What the

Reformation? Contributed to bring the truth to light of the scriptures. They do the very opposite of what the

Reformers did to bring the truth to light of What the Reformation was all about and of what scripture itself teaches us they lack and De -emphasize if at all in fact sometimes even deter people from a knowledge of scripture and reason and Don't think clearly and don't challenge biblically they consider it a

Prideful to challenge with the Bible that's considered prideful

Prideful. These are the things that I used to hear back in my old church You are prideful for challenging anything that the elders say even if you can show that it contradicts scripture and And so what we have to respond to respond to those kinds of people and attitude with is you sound just like the

Pope That's what the Pope said Because you're not the authority

God's Word is the ultimate authority and that is why beloved. I'm not the ultimate authority.

I And all of us must be submitted to the Word of God ultimately all of us

No man, except it so This is the problem there's a lack of discernment

They don't ask probing questions and they don't teach these things They don't teach discernment to compare and contrast with the

Bible like the passage that we read in Acts The Iberians why were they commended because they compared and contrasted what the

Bible says the written words of God They often don't challenge the status quo even when it should be even when it's

That's the loving thing to do to sharpen each other to correct each other in love That's the loving thing to do to reason with Scripture Even when the pastor or teacher says something that is unbiblical or contradictory or both

There's just a purple haze a fog I've seen this in many churches

It's like a cloud of fog over them and they all just they don't challenge anything and it's just kind of a dream world that Because there's no discernment in there many churches instead are willfully plagued willfully plagued by ignorance and emotional experience driven pietism

Which undermines the biblical primacy the foundational importance of sound doctrine above all else?

Doctrine must ground everything else that we do including our piety and our action. The truth is primary

Not what we feel and not what we experience The Word of God is primary

What is written? so That's a betrayal of the

Reformation principle and biblical principles that we see in Acts 17 11 as well and Again, they wrongly teach that all conflict is sinful

No, it's not if all conflict is sinful then Luther needs to apologize to the

Pope That's the absurdity of saying things like these When Apostle Paul said there must be heresies among you so that the truth may be drawn

The lines may be drawn and we may be determined who is in the right and who is in the wrong Conflict beloved is sometimes necessary to refine

The issues to get to the bottom of the issue and to define what Scripture truly says about a matter

It's necessary This is the false piety that might sound

Christian. Oh, you shouldn't fight. You shouldn't argue You shouldn't debate about things. You shouldn't fight, but ultimately it is false

Undiscerning lazy unsound Ignorant spirituality. It's a false spirituality that breeds an uncritical herd mentality that's the danger of this and all it takes is somebody to pop that balloon and Erode everything that you think you are standing on because it's not grounded in the objective truth of God's Word Why is it so challenging for Christians to discern the main issues in the church today?

Well, I've already hinted that a lot of that, but I think partly it is because there are we have a lot of distractions today

There are so many distractions and many of us neglect or refuse or fail to acknowledge

To count and accept the cost of what is actually required to become a mature discerning

Christian It doesn't come just by Breathing. That's not how it works beloved

It requires an intimate comprehensive knowledge of Scripture both in its parts individual parts and as a whole as the whole counsel of God to be able to test

What you hear like the Bereans did and To know what it teaches

Positively, it requires a coherent systematic balanced understanding of the doctrines of Scripture Especially the primary ones the faith that was once for all delivered to the

Saints like Jude 1 3 says it requires And what doctrines are these? It's the doctrines that were debated in the

Reformation that's why we Celebrate these things because they help to clarify those issues of God of man of salvation

Especially of salvation and authority What is the authority that we must heed to ultimately is it the

Pope the magisterium the traditions of men? Councils like the Eastern Church says or is it the scriptures it is what

God spoke and wrote down They have

Nelson's God's breath is That what is ultimately the final authority?

so Again it requires a solid grasp of church history and historical theology

Because they guide us and help us to grasp the Bible better and a lot of these churches these pietistic churches

They'll say no studying is bad for you because it it makes you less spiritual That's nonsense

Studying these things helps you to understand the scriptures better. That's why we do it that's why we do it and because many of false false claims

That are made about the past both when in and without the church Every religion false religion has its own historical claims about God about the

Bible about it being corrupted about Any number of things the the Eastern Church the the the

Roman Catholic Church, they all have that, you know, Peter was the first Pope We have to challenge those things with a knowledge of history outside of Scripture as well outside of the scriptures as well from a biblical perspective of history how

God views history in a sovereign Providence, so We it requires the ability for us to think

Think clearly logically consistently What did

Luther say if I must be unless I am convinced by Scripture and plain reason?

It has to make sense beloved. It has to make logical non -contradictory sense

Because God is not the author of confusion But of peace love a sound mind discernment truth from error

They cannot coexist and when they do we are in error and that must be

Immediately corrected it requires us to meditate for longer than five minutes at a time

Longer than one or two certain sound bites that we see on social media so often it requires to study

Listening studying reading For longer than five minutes at a time beloved

Scripture Scripture teaches us that discernment is the mark of It is is a holy lifestyle

That requires constant practice. It's a lifestyle Okay, it's not something that you turn on when you have to make a decision about something.

It's always on This is how Luther was able to discern the main issues that and kindle the

Reformation This is how There's a lesson here

While all of us as believers do not necessarily need to have the same mastery of all these disciplines

We don't all have the same have to have the same knowledge or same mastery That's why God calls pastors and teachers and evangelists to teach us the rest but nevertheless

The mark of a solid balanced mature Christian is Discernment the ability to examine things with the

Word of God like the Bereans did They were not special. They were not pastors or teachers or Apostles.

They were Christians like you and I They were not

Officers of the church They were simply mature discerning believers. It is discernment

Beloved the mark of a solid balanced mature Christian is discernment because discernment both builds sound doctrine and Depends on sound doctrine

That's why discernment is such a strong mark of a mature believer because discernment builds sound doctrine because it allows you to discern the truth from error and It requires sound doctrine because you have to know the truth in order to refute the lie

Right like Titus 1 9 says an elder is required to know To teach what he has been faithfully taught and to refute those who contradict the sound talk doctrine that he has been taught right, so That's the mark.

That's the mark and how many people do you find today that say this beloved? But what is the mark of a true of a mature

Christian? They say it's your prayer life your emotional sensitivity How often do you cry for weep over your sin and I'm not saying that those things are necessarily bad a bad thing beloved

But the mark of a mature Christian is not those things It's your discernment of right and wrong

Because if you don't know right from wrong anything else you do Will not follow the truth we are

People of the truth and must walk according to the truth How many times does the Apostle John tell us that in this letter his first letter that I've been preaching through, right?

So and why and God again he rebukes the the apostate

Judeans for being without dawn without the light of the testimony of the law of God rejecting it so Scripture is consistently repeatedly emphatic about this for though by this time you ought to be teachers

You need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God You need milk not solid food for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness is ignorant lacks knowledge and Skill in the word of righteousness doesn't know how to put it together doesn't know how to make sense of it

Since he is a child But solid food is for the mature for those who have their powers of what of discernment

Trained exercised by Constant practice to do what beloved to distinguish good from evil right from wrong truth from error

God tells us that discernment is in fact one of the distinguishing marks of a mature godly believer

This is what God emphatically commands us to do and rebukes us for not doing it for not doing it and therefore all doctrinal shallowness and Superficiality that is so often promoted in churches today in Protestant churches so -called and Willful ignorance, especially when it's willful

It's one thing to be unaware of things like Luther was he didn't know about us It's one thing to be unaware

But it's another thing to be willfully ignorant and not want to know those things that that all of those

Attitudes are sinful. They are completely contrary to God's Word. They are sinful attitudes and they must be rebuked with scripture and sound doctrine clear reason

No matter how humble they may claim to be that's another thing you'll find with men like these they claim to be humble

They claim to be pious and humble and they pray all day and this and that and yet when you show them something that contradicts

The Bible or inconsistencies, that's when you find the true test of humility. How do you respond to correction?

How do you respond to being corrected? Especially when it's a legitimate criticism whether it whether it's legitimate or not

It's a good test of how humble you really are of how submissive to the truth. You really are Amen, so As We remember and celebrate the

Reformation. Let us imitate beloved the qualities of men like Luther That made him the astute discerning discerning reformer and theologian that he was let us imitate those things beloved and Remember those things and apply those things like good

Bereans. We must not become Complacent or dull or ignorant of truth and sound doctrine or lack discernment

We must never stop Discerning and seeking to grow in what beloved in the grace and what?

knowledge of our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus That's a command from God From God's Word and many others like it we must be active listeners always beloved and discerners and Appliers of the

Word of God of the law and testimony of the Word of God and search it thoroughly like Luther said our the true

Christian pilgrimage beloved is not to go on those Those those remote places in Rome or in Spain it is to go to the valleys and pathways and Gold mines of the prophets the

Psalms the law the testimony the Gospels the Newt Covenant writings that is where we find truth and comfort and hope and Certainty the authority because it is

God's Word himself from God himself and This is why

Exactly why we also need church history and historical theology Beloved it is to grow.

It is a means like I said all other resources and means serve those two things

Scripture our knowledge of Scripture and its doctrine and clear reason Putting it together

Putting it together it is these means of Church history and historical theology help us and sanctify us in the knowledge of God's Word they help us to understand it better and make better sense of it and mature in wisdom and discernment and Balance and in sound doctrine and it is a lack of these things

When you find a lack of emphasis on church history or historical theology on the hit on the on the history of the church

You will often find that those men the pastors the teachers there are often

Unable to put the Bible together They know they don't know how to put it together Because they lack

This faith that has been taught throughout the ages That's how we know that that helps us their guardrails to help us in our understanding of Scripture It's not to say that they're the final authority, but they help us to understand the final authority which is

Scripture alone Beloved So then all of us beloved all of us as Believers are called to be good mature discerning

Bereans Bereans Turn back with me again to Acts chapter 17 in verse 11.

I'm sorry verse 10. We'll start in verse 10 Acts 17 verse 10 God's Word speaks to us and says and The brothers the believers immediately sent

Paul and Silas Away by night to Berea and when they arrived they went into the synagogue of the

Jews now. These were more noble minded more mature more discerning

Than those in Thessalonica Why before they received the word with great eagerness?

Examining the scriptures The graph us the writings what was written daily

Daily to see whether these things were so they exercise discernment with the word of righteousness to judge the oral

Preaching the oral notice. There was the oral preaching and teaching of the Apostles themselves

Therefore many of them believed Along with not a few prominent

Greek women and men Wow beloved And this this is partly why

I want to focus on this because we need to know These things apologetically as well

We need to know how to defend the doctrine of sola scriptura a scripture alone against some of its most prominent attackers

Because this is one of the pivotal things That is convincing people to turn away from The the truths of the

Reformation and become Roman Catholic or Orthodox Eastern Orthodox It is because they did not have a proper grasp of scripture alone as the final authority

This is one of the clearest passages which reveals to us the ultimate authority of scripture alone of What God breathed out failed

Nelson's breathed out and wrote down wrote down the

Bereans exercise They practiced the same Reformation principle that we do today as Protestants.

They practice the principle of scripture alone Because they examined and submitted what they heard from others

Even the oral preaching and teaching of the Apostles themselves of the Apostles themselves

They submitted it to the written Word of God to what was already written down and accepted as the

Word of God Okay, this is incredibly important for us to understand This is the it is written principle

Okay, it is the it is written principle What is written down by God himself is the most authoritative word

This is the doctrine of Sola Scriptura Okay, even though what the

Apostles preached became the New Testament later on It didn't matter at that point in time.

What was written down? Was the ultimate authority it had to agree with what was already written down it had to agree

Which is the principle that the Bereans exercised and again remember the Bereans were not

Apostles they were not pastors. They were not teachers. They were just discerning Christians Who had the scriptures and submitted the teaching to the scriptures according to the very first sentence of our 1689

Baptist Confession the Holy Scripture Scripture what is written the word the written

Word of God is the only sufficient certain and infallible rule infallible authority of all saving knowledge faith and obedience and because the supreme judge by which all

Religious controversies are to be settled and all decrees of councils whether church councils opinions of ancient writers doctrines of men and Individual thinkers or private spirits are to be examined can be none other than the

Holy Scriptures delivered by the Spirit of God in the verdict of Scripture in the judgment of Scripture our faith is finally determined Finally determined now does that not sound like exactly what the

Bereans did in this passage beloved? they submitted the teaching of the Apostles to The graph us the writings the sacred writings the scriptures

This is the written principle, and this is why Jesus repeatedly Refuted the traditions of men with the

Pharisees and so on by saying what beloved it is what it is written

It is written God has spoken and written it down in the

Old Testament. It is written This is what separates us against all other false religions and false

Christianities that do not hold to the doctrine of Sola Scriptura The more noble -minded

Bereans exercise the same belief that we do today as Protestants We who are

Protestants by conviction Because they submitted the oral preaching and teaching of the Apostles themselves which eventually became the

New Testament But at that point it had not yet become the New Testament writings To what was already written?

To the written words of God in their case, which was the Old Testament They had the

Old Testament and that for them was Sola Scriptura, it was the

Old Testament that was Scripture an ultimate authority for them It was

That is what we must Understand beloved. This is what we must understand as Believers in this day and time where we are so often being

When our faith is being so undermined and misrepresented and twisted by these things and with that beloved

I want us to bear these things in mind and reflect on how we can

Better understand these things by seeking to remember the conflict of Rome in the

Reformation and how Luther responded both in his in his in his good ways and in his bad ways and Practicing Understanding what it means to hold to these things these doctrines beloved that define us as believers

That we are justified by faith alone apart from works of the law and that the ultimate final authority

Beloved for us is the Word of God as it always was for all people all the people of God Even when the the

Bible was not yet finished Whatever was completed at that time Was the

Word of God that was the ultimate authority That is how we must understand

Scripture alone beloved and Hope to unpack more of this next

Lord's Day Lord willing beloved because it is so important for us to have a good understanding of these things and to really seek to dive deep into these doctrines because There is a lot of shallowness that is that is deceiving many many to falling away from the biblical faith and the biblical truths of The Reformation the gospel of salvation and of what the ultimate authority is

Which lies in the written words of God? Amen, let us go ahead now beloved and close out with a word of prayer

Our gracious precious Lord and Heavenly Father. We thank you so much for Your God -breathed words father the words that you have breathed out using holy men setting them apart as prophets and apostles to breathe out your words and to write them down so that we can have

Your words father God today and have what you said and what you spoke Because and we have something objective to compare it to Lord like Luther Realized that the objective aid that we have the one ground of certainty that we have are your words father

God what you spoke and wrote down for our benefit and for us to have and receive as the ultimate

Authority and truth itself. We thank you Lord for these checks and balances that you have given the church

Even though yes, you have blessed the church to be the pillar and buttress of the truth But the only reason the only way we can discern the church and know what the church is is by your words

By what your scriptures say the true church is Lord Help us to understand and balance these things father and to and to give an answer for those who who?

Ask about these things and who try to refute these doctrines that your word teaches

Lord help us to be stand firm in the faith and the faith that has once for all been delivered to the

Saints and in your Written word father God we thank you Lord for these precious truths That came out that were clarified in the

Reformation Lord help us to be faithful in this last day In Jesus name we pray amen

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 podcast

Please contact us at thorn crown ministries calm and may the mercy peace and love of our triune