The Authority and Power of Scripture

Good morning. We are continuing a sermon series that we began January 7th, but we had a couple of breaks in it with some special opportunities to focus on sanctity of Life Sunday last week on the Sunday before that. We had missionaries from Liberia here and that was a wonderful weekend and a blessing to hear about their Ministry. But we're jumping right back into this series kind of on what we believe understand who the restoration movement is our church is if you remember I talked about this on January 7th, if you were here that were tempted when we see that to say hey there there's a Hummer But if you if you think about it a little bit and think about the reality of what a Hummer is that's what a Hummer is a military vehicle originally created to be wide enough to follow on the tracks behind a tank there probably wasn't air conditioning or stereo or hot tub or anything that were probably in that first one that we saw but slowly that first one became this one cuz Arnold one and one on the streets of California and then it became this one and then we got more suv-type things labeled Hummer and they continue to morph until eventually you see this thing with a hot tub in at any mistake and I say hey there's a Hummer. That can happen in the life of the church. Where the church is what it is in the beginning. There's this Proclamation from Christ and from scripture Our identity, but over the centuries we can shift a little bit at a time and pretty soon what we're calling. The church isn't actually the church and our movement started as a Reformation movement reform in the church calling the church back to have its identity, you know, originally the biggest Reformation was Martin Luther at a time when the church was was very corrupt and very difficult to point and say hey there's the church you it wasn't until he had the boldness the inspiration from God to go forth and Proclaim this great Reformation, which fundamentally Changed History the Protestant church was born and many obviously wonderful and good things from that but it didn't take me just a few hundred years before the founders of the restoration movement looked around and said, you know what we've slipped already with the things that were calling Church aren't really church and sew in an error. The Protestant church had divided again and again and again over Doctrine so that you had Baptist and Second Baptist in Third Baptist and Presbyterian Presbyterian in Southern and you had all these divisions. They said that's not that they were heartbroken document full of all these trees and there's 42 things. You must commit to before you're allowed to take communion and they said we don't plan to be the only Christians but we want to be Christians only we want to focus on the essentials on so they started our movement the restoration movement was born out of that desire to go back to what the churches and say. That's the church in the accurate when we say that and so the restoration movement is built on two key concerns the concern for the unity of all Christians in one in the one body of Christ and the concern for the Bible as the only Authority for the faith and practice of Chris. And that's what they that's what they did when they called us back to the essentials that we need to say that the church is essentially one work where our identity and be unified. Can you imagine the power in a neighborhood in a city and a state and a nation across the globe? If all of those who call upon the name of Christ as their lord and savior were unified in advancing is Mission. Imagine that power and that was God's original intention and John 17. Jesus says the unity that he's calling Christians to centered around. His word would be a witness that the world would know we were sent from him but we've we've lost that unity and our movement started just to be really honest about human nature. We started as he going to be movement and 100 years later. We split into two movements because as soon as you get to other people on the committee around a room, you can find a way to disagree but our challenge is really did. He always reforming always reminding herself and this is what God called us to be and so we focused a couple of weeks ago on the foundational truth our movement started with the Church of Christ upon Earth is essentially intentionally and constitutionally one consisting of all those in every place that profess their faith in Christ and obedience to him in all things according to the scriptures that again would it be a beautiful thing if we can strive to achieve that in Lex? If we could cooperate and work and not feeling competition to other churches that we could instead be unified around Christ and seek to bring really the human flourishing that God desires for all of humanity. We talked about that last week and infusions to seven the amazing truth that Paul spends a Visa chapter 1 up to chapter 2 1/6 summarizing the great and miraculous work of our Salvation done for us by God through Christ. And then he says it in chapter 2 verse 7. God did all this so that his grace could be poured out upon us. And so that his goodness. His riches would be known to everyone. So that's God's agenda with Humanity. I would like to redeem you to reconcile you so that I can pour my grace out upon you and more will see the riches of my goodness. What what John says later in the New Testament that God is love. That's what the church could unify and then promote that human flourishing that that that knowing god being reconciled a man walking in his ways, which is a blessing to us when we follow him in his teachings. And so that's the foundation that the lordship of Christ is what we submit to and any who submit to Christ lordship and follow him according to scriptures are a brother or sister in Christ. The second Foundation that were talking about this morning is the authority of scripture and I believe a good way to think about the authority of scripture is the foundation of the authority of scripture is the inspiration of scripture by God and many of us know that and cherish that and hold that as that are movable Doctrine and I applaud that a man. That's what we believe that all scripture is inspired god-breathed but also part of proclaiming and displaying the authority of scripture is our own submission and obedience to scripture. Do you see the logic of that if we Proclaim doctrinally scripture is inspired we drive a stake in the ground and we will fight battles over that and a good sense of Language fight battles over that we need to add to that what it means to obey the scripture to submit to display its Authority in our own lives. And so the inspiration comes from this verse in Timothy. All scripture is god-breathed some translations use the word inspired. All scripture is god-breathed and is useful for teaching. Rebuking correcting and training in righteousness so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work from the last week. We talked about Ephesians 2:8 through 10 following a fusion 7 God's desire is to pour out his riches upon us and make his goodness known and then falling meet Lee says the verses were maybe a little more familiar with there for you need to realize you weren't saved on it was nothing you did. You can't claim any credit for your saved by grace not by works and you were safe for the purpose to do the good works that God has planned ahead of time for you and hear Timothy is saying all the things that Timothy scripture Works in our lives in such a way that it is god-breathed for the purpose of Equipping us to do those good works that is called us to which is the displaying of his goodness and Grace to one another and to this world around us until when were called to cherish the authority of scripture integrated organically in Inseparable with that is embracing scripture and obeying scripture, but that's a challenge to us. I think the question becomes how do we submit to scripture? How do we take the honoring of that doctrine that all scripture is inspired by God and authoritative? How do we take that and a b honor that in our life through our behavior? And we're tipis. I won't we just read it and I'll bad but I think sometimes we struggle because we have the same sort of issue the danger of the Hummer. Limo in regards to scripture is this practice that has arisen in the church, maybe the past 50 years were what we doing Bible study. So often is we we kind of hand the Bible around in a circle and we say what does this mean to you? I'm done this I'm guilty this I've been convicted in my own life to get more clarity in my own head. We had this danger where we say. What does this mean to you in a person reads? A person says want to me. This means to me this means we just kind of the danger of that is we think of that as submitting to scripture. But in reality we are the authority in that scenario where the one that's Discerning what the passage means and therefore what we're going to submit to and so we've removed God as the authority in scripture when we start with that assumption and it's a cultural something that slipped into the church culturally. There's this there's this conviction that's been taught that meaning doesn't lie in the document or the text but meaning lies in the reader. So the reader becomes the authority And that's a misunderstanding. That's that's not true real Shakespeare wrote his plays and he knew what he meant by his plays. There is a meaning. It wasn't like whatever, you know, I wrote it. You can just make any character mean anything you want any line to me anything. You want. We had an intention to it and scripture is the same. So the challenges for us to obey I'm sitting on my clicker. Here we go to obey just admit. It means not slipping into this danger of what does it mean to me to a couple of practices that we need to bring to our interaction with scripture is discernment when we look at scripture and so that the intention where is the authors intended meaning? That's the first and primary goal of Bible study is to say what did the author intend in this verse When Paul wrote These verses? What did he intend? We don't start with opening it up and kind of thing went to me that means I need to email this to my brother-in-law because that's totally what he needs to. Do. You know, we we just kind of suddenly Worthy. Already in that scenario instead of having a humble submissive spirit in, so let me start by doing the work and figure out what the authors intended meaning is on Wednesday nights. I'm teaching a midweek study on how to study the Bible and we're using a great book called how to read the Bible for all it's worth by a couple of wonderful Christian Scholars and they shared the great story in the book about one of them receiving a letter from a Christian saying I I saw that you were going to speak at this upcoming conference and I saw on the list of speakers this other person and you need to know this other person believes this certain thing about this certain Doctrine and that's wrong what they believe about that Doctrine. And so you need to not even go to that conference not even be on the same ticket speaking with that person because 1st Thessalonians 5:22 abstain from the very appearance of evil. Well these authors of this book kind of giggled cuz they said this guy that wrote is this letter doesn't know how to read the Bible. Because when you read 1st Thessalonians, 5:22 and you backup just a handful of horses. And you ask a question. What is the authors intended meeting? Why was Paul saying this what's his point? I don't just pull that out of the Panthers like a fortune cookie and then let LifeWay put it on a needlepoint plaque and sell it to me for 35 bucks and hang it on my wall and say there is but that's what we tend to do in our culture. When you read the water contest Paul talking about false prophecy. He says there's good prophecy and there's evil prophecy be open to good prophecy. But when it's an evil prophecy have nothing to do with it will a man but he's not saying in some sort of generic isolated from his train of thought fashion. You should just always avoid any appearance of evil the other practice that helps us not make these sorts of mistakes is we not only want to consider the Authors intended meeting meaning in the book. We're reading we want to ask yourself about the original author of the Divine meta-narrative. How is God Speaking In this passage? How does it represent? What we know about God all throughout scripture. So for example, if I'm tempted to look at first that song is 522 and say this means I do not need to hang out with someone who has a suspect reputation if I pause for a moment and say how does that relate to what I saw Jesus do in the gospels I end up going wait a minute, maybe my interpretation of this verse maybe I've misunderstood it because Jesus constantly hung out with people that had suspect reputations. I didn't come to help those who who don't need a doctor. I came to help those who are sick that was his agenda. So it's the opposite of what that scripture was used for. Hay stay away from that guy. No, no, no go to that guy and if what he's misunderstood on is illegitimate thing then go to him and talk to him about it and helped him turn in the right direction. And don't we need to see the authors intended meaning when he started scripture and we need also think of the meta narrative throughout scripture and ask yourself is our understanding. Does that work with what we know about God from Genesis to Revelation you interpret interpret unclear passages by clear passages. So if you come across a verse that sounds like it means something that would contradict lots and lots of clear passages of scripture than you you challenge those unclear passages to submit or be interpreted in light of the clear passages. Do we need that? We need to practice that sort of just one when we approached. The application needs to be always be a part of our approach to scripture. The challenges did to change our language in to talk about the personal significance not personal meaning of a passage. So it is okay for us to study a passage and say Here's what Paul is saying that he was ejected truth. Here's what the original author intended and then we might go to the circle and say Robbie. What's the significance for you? And I might say, you know now that I understand it this kind of challenges me to stop reading my horoscope, you know, because I'm not sure that I should really let that be something I carry with me as what kind of that my day is going good jokes are all my day is going to be bad enough. I'm listening to false prophecies, you know, maybe I need to get its okay its okay. Well when I read this one thing it just really lose me this way. I think it is but it's not meaning it's not that the meaning changes, you know, the first doesn't change a meeting as we pass it around, you know hundred people in the room hundred different meanings as we passed. It doesn't change you meaning but we can talk about the significance for us the application for us and we should we need to be reminded that study and application are required when it comes to handling the Bible even scripture itself in 2nd Peter, which is it one of my favorite verses. I have so many favorite verses but some of them for very selfish and practical reasons and this is one for very selfish and practical. Another verse I love is where Paul says in Corinthians. He can't remember who he baptized at the church. He was at and I thank you Lord scripture because there's times when somebody else I don't I can't remember who got baptized when I was at that Retreat or when I was at that. That's why I love the fact that scripture has that kind of transparency and honesty to it. And this is another one those passages 2nd Peter 3 14 through 18 about scripture and he says Paul's got scripture to and he says some of the things he write are really hard to understand and I say hallelujah. Amen that scripture itself is saying look there's some things that are hard to understand that he goes on in those verses and says, she'll be careful because they're hard to understand sometimes people will misunderstand them. They will twist them and they will lead the church or you aside and sort of these misunderstandings or even Foster understandings of scripture. So you need me diligent is Paul says later to Timothy be diligent in your handling of the word and stuff. Go to work study is required. We can't just say, you know, I'm never going to study week. We need to study and application is required the same verb in the Greek in Ephesians chapter 4 a passage may be many church leaders are familiar with that says God called mini to be Apostles to be prophets to be different roles and giftedness in the church so that the church be equipped. We talked about equipping Ministries. It's the same family of Greek words that used in Timothy where talks about the word of God is useful to prepare us for good works. So the essence of the authority of scripture being actually honored in our lives is when we allow it to impact who we are so I can't just say I cherish scripture as authoritative. I've got it hanging all over the walls in my house, please may I love the Bible but never actually apply it to my life. I have to apply that that's an essential part of what it means. To believe in the authority of scripture to submit to it and display its authority to others as its lived out in my life. Now this might mean and then I'll invite the worship team to come forward. This might mean challenging ourselves about the way we read scripture. Sometimes I think that again. Sample school will read scripture a way that works for them. And that's great. This is in the category of opinion or suggestion from Robbie. So if you do something very different that's working for you. You're taking it in internalizing. You're applying at your life then hallelujah. Amen by all means keep doing it. But sometimes I went to look at RR Christian culture. I feel like we slip into the habit of reading scripture just for the sake of reading scripture as an end in itself as if it's magical auras medicine and so we get a beach day. We say I've got to read my reading for the day and we just read it to get through it and check on her box and feel good about ourselves so that we can get the Mets and say I've read every day. But sometimes I think maybe maybe we need to give ourselves permission to read a smaller portion of scripture if that's what's necessary for us to do the work of understanding and applying that scripture. It might be better to spend the entire month of January with 4 verses in the Book of James reading them every day. And then reading The Wider context of what James is saying and saying what's he saying? Why do you say it this way? What am I cross reference to say about that? Is he doing something than another author has said in scripture. Is he quoting an Old Testament passage? Let me go back and read that Old Testament passage and read its context and it might be better spent a whole month with those four verses and arrived at a point where you say I know what these verses mean. And I have this confidence about the what the author intended and so I'm pondering what's the significance for me to God has made this clear to me as I've spent time with this passage. I have Clarity and conviction about what it means. So what's the significance? How do I apply that to my life? Because the goal is to read for understanding. Not for like a star on your Sunday school chart the goal is to read for understanding and application. One last thing and then we will have our closing song or our Hymn of invitation. There's a verse in James that says in the exercise of his will he brought us forth by the word of Truth so that we would be a kind of firstfruits among his creatures. I love that verse because for me it echoes Genesis chapter 1 because James is talking about God bringing us for through his word and that first fruits has to do with cat being created or recreated and I think of Genesis one where God's word is what creates there's this darkness in this formlessness and he speaks and suddenly there is That's The Power of his word and James I believe is echoing that sort of truth that as we submit to scripture as we submit the word of God in the Bible. As we honor the authority by Discerning what God intended that verse to me and as we submit and apply what's the significance for me? What do I need to do? What we're doing is we're allowing God's word to be spoken into our hearts and Minds again. So we're giving him the permission to exercise his authority and shaping Who We Are do we become different people we've come equipped for those good works. We become discipled because we doing all that requires. Like I said, you got to have some accountability. You got to get the group and hold each other accountable for studying the Bible and doing the work of discerning what it means and holding each other accountable for applying at the significance to our life so that we have that sort of encouragement to read but to understand and I simply do understand but to apply so that God's word can be active in our own Hearts the way it is in Genesis chapter 1 speaking new things into being speaking forgiveness into reality in our hearts so that we know with confidence as we study Romans 8:1 and we started the wider context and we will we arrive at this greater level of conviction about there is no condemnation for those are Jesus. God can speak that recreated hard in us and we have confidence of our forgiveness. Or when we look at Genesis, like we talked about last week and God creating all people in His image and we study that and we realize that's not simply in Genesis. But that's the heart of God theme throughout scripture and is out here before you can look at the Greek Old Testament and the New Testament and you see this phrase Ponte at name God's heart is for all the ethnics all the people and we let that internalizing her hard and maybe God challenges us some shapes us to say, you know, what there is no room for any sort of discrimination or racism in the life of the church and Christians and that part of the flourishing the human flourishing the God wants to bring a helping us shape our life around those troops, which of the revelation of his character. He is the word himself revealed to us.

So give yourself permission if you've been reading your Bible. Daily this year keep up. That's awesome. If you if you had fallen behind just let the past go start afresh today or tomorrow and find a book and say, you know what to text me the whole year. I'm going to own James. I'm going to read it and I'm going to understand it and I'm going to apply it to my life and that will honor God and honor the authority of scripture and his authority in our life.