Sermon Tone Analysis

Thank Wes, Temple Baptist Church staff

Most of us just show up to an event like this, having no idea all the hard work that took place to make it happen

Reminds me of a recent baptism at PBC

Meeting in gym, migrate to chapel

Baptistery needed last-minute repairs, couldn’t get them done in time

Family drove 9 hours from out of town to see this baptism

Contacted two sister churches about borrowing a portable baptistery. . .

no luck

Purchased an inflatable hot tub from Sam’s Club for the baptism

Buying it was one thing, putting it together was another

The instructions...

Weren’t thorough

Weren’t clear

Boring!

Didn’t seem to match up with what we had in the box

Even with the help of a NASA engineer— a real-life rocket scientist—we couldn’t figure them out

So we ended up doing what any sensible person would do in that situation.

We searched for instructions on YouTube.

Happy to report that the hot tub got inflated, filled, and heated and the baptism proceeded without further incident.

But I couldn’t help but wonder if in that story there’s a parable about the Scriptures.

Much like our hot tub instructions, for many of us the Bible...

…seems like it’s not thorough

...seems in places to be unclear and confusing

… seems (if we’re honest) boring sometimes

...feels like it doesn’t match up with what we have in our lives

So we look elsewhere (maybe even YouTube!) to find help and hope in our time of need.

My assignment this evening is to teach on the sufficiency of Scripture.

To convince you that, regardless of how you feel about the Bible, it teaches all you need to know and follow Jesus.

Three headings:

The Sufficiency of Scripture Defined

The Sufficiency of Scripture Defended

The Sufficiency of Scripture Applied

1) The Sufficiency of Scripture DEFINED

Joel Beeke—“The doctrine of the sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures declares that everything necessary for saving faith and spiritual life is taught in the Bible.”

[1]

Each of those words are very important.

Let’s look at a few of them...

Everything necessary...

Not “everything possible” but “everything necessary”

In his book Taking God at His Word, Kevin DeYoung says: “To affirm the sufficiency of Scripture is not to suggest that the Bible tells us everything we want to know about everything, but it does tell us everything we need to know about what matters most.”

[2]

The Bible doesn’t tell us everything about Jesus (childhood, miracles)

There are things that John saw in Revelation that he was told not to write down

Not “everything we want” but “everything we need”

The Bible doesn’t answer all our questions

Where did Cain get his wife?

Who are the Nephilim?

How did people live so long before Noah?

The Bible does tell us everything we need to know

Not “everything helpful” but “everything necessary”

“All we need is the Bible”

Lady who bragged about not reading commentaries or Christians from church history or historic creeds and confessions

This doctrine doesn’t say that we can’t be helped by commentaries, Christian books, seminaries, Bible teachers, etc.

It simply says they aren’t necessary.

It’s possible for something to be helpful but not necessary...

Brushing your teeth, showering, using deodorant, isn’t necessary, but it’s helpful

A heater in your church building isn’t necessary, but it’s helpful

A vehicle isn’t necessary to get to work or church, but it’s helpful

Commentaries, Christian books, Bible teachers, historical creeds and confessions, can all be helpful and we should use them.

But they aren’t necessary!

And they must be tested by the Scriptures!

“The doctrine of the sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures declares that everything necessary for saving faith and spiritual life is taught in the Bible.”

...for saving faith...

The Bible teaches all you need to know to have saving faith.

What is saving faith?

It’s the faith in Christ and His gospel that saves!!

Not a Christian: God, Man, Christ, Response

All you need to know to be saved is taught in your Bible!

Turn in your Bibles to 2 Timothy 3:14

Written by Paul from prison near the end of his life

Writing to encourage Timothy, a young pastor

One of the most encouraging things Paul can do is point Timothy to the Scriptures...

2 Timothy 3:14-15—But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

Did you see what Paul says about the Scriptures?

They are “able to make you wise for salvation”

Romans 10:17—...faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

1 Peter 1:23—...you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God.

Christian: All you need to win someone to the Lord is given to you in the Scriptures!

In evangelism, the most important thing is not your ability to answer your lost friend’s objections.

You’re going to find in time answering those objections is like playing “whack-a-mole,” once you respond to one another pops up.

What matters more is your faithfulness to point people to the Scriptures and the gospel they proclaim:

Charles Spurgeon—“The best way to spread the gospel is to spread the gospel.

I believe the best way of defending the gospel is to spread the gospel. . . .

Suppose a number of persons were to take it into their heads that they had to defend a lion, full-grown king of beasts!

There he is in the cage, and here come all the soldiers of the army to fight for him.

Well, I should suggest to them, . . .

that they should kindly stand back, and open the door, and let the lion out!

I believe that would be the best way of defending him, for he would take care of himself; and the best 'apology' for the gospel is to let the gospel out.”

[3]

“The doctrine of the sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures declares that everything necessary for saving faith and spiritual life is taught in the Bible.”

… and spiritual life...

The Bible teaches all you need to know faithfully follow Jesus

2 Timothy 3:16-17— All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

The Scriptures make God’s people complete.

Not mostly complete, but complete!

A Christian with only the Scriptures, has all they need!!!

For what?...

To be equipped for every good work

Not most good works.

Not 99%.

EVERY good work!

All the good works required of you as a follower of Jesus are given to you in the Scriptures!!

Psalm 119:1—Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord!