1 00:00:01,200 --> 00:00:04,480 Please turn in your bulletins to page 8 for our scripture 2 00:00:04,480 --> 00:00:06,960 readings. We have a few that are scattered 3 00:00:06,960 --> 00:00:10,800 around the Bible, so instead of us turning to each one, we have 4 00:00:10,800 --> 00:00:13,040 them all printed for you on page 8. 5 00:00:14,720 --> 00:00:17,640 This year we've been studying Isaiah and each of the minor 6 00:00:17,640 --> 00:00:22,160 prophets and we've experienced that these are these are some 7 00:00:22,160 --> 00:00:24,320 fairly difficult books to understand. 8 00:00:25,440 --> 00:00:29,200 Not easy sledding, right? Overall, we've heard good 9 00:00:29,200 --> 00:00:32,960 feedback about these sermon series, but but perhaps 10 00:00:33,280 --> 00:00:37,320 throughout all this study and difficult passages, you've lost 11 00:00:37,320 --> 00:00:40,360 a little confidence in your ability to open up the Bible and 12 00:00:40,360 --> 00:00:43,680 understand it for yourself. If that's you. 13 00:00:43,680 --> 00:00:46,160 And, and I think that's something that we all experience 14 00:00:46,160 --> 00:00:49,200 at times. The Bible's doctrine of the 15 00:00:49,200 --> 00:00:52,560 clarity of Scripture is exactly what you need to hear today. 16 00:00:53,520 --> 00:00:58,280 These passages will will read our foundational texts for this 17 00:00:58,280 --> 00:01:00,600 doctrine of the clarity of Scripture. 18 00:01:01,400 --> 00:01:05,040 So I'm going to begin reading here starting in Deuteronomy 29, 19 00:01:05,040 --> 00:01:09,840 verse 29. The secret things belong to the 20 00:01:09,840 --> 00:01:14,360 Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us 21 00:01:14,360 --> 00:01:19,080 and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of 22 00:01:19,080 --> 00:01:23,040 this law. Deuteronomy 30 For this 23 00:01:23,040 --> 00:01:26,560 commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, 24 00:01:26,800 --> 00:01:29,600 neither is it too, neither is it far off. 25 00:01:30,080 --> 00:01:33,400 It is not in heaven that you should say, Who will ascend to 26 00:01:33,400 --> 00:01:36,040 heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do 27 00:01:36,040 --> 00:01:38,480 it. Neither is it beyond the sea 28 00:01:38,680 --> 00:01:42,600 that you should say, Who will go over to the sea for us and bring 29 00:01:42,600 --> 00:01:44,400 it to us, that we may hear it and do it. 30 00:01:45,400 --> 00:01:49,320 But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your 31 00:01:49,320 --> 00:01:55,560 heart so that you can do it. Deuteronomy 6 And these words 32 00:01:55,560 --> 00:01:57,720 that I command you today shall be on your heart. 33 00:01:58,120 --> 00:02:02,040 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk 34 00:02:02,040 --> 00:02:04,760 of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the 35 00:02:04,760 --> 00:02:07,640 way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 36 00:02:08,960 --> 00:02:14,120 Psalm 19 The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. 37 00:02:14,600 --> 00:02:16,560 The testimony of the Lord is sure. 38 00:02:16,760 --> 00:02:20,200 Making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are 39 00:02:20,200 --> 00:02:23,960 right rejoicing the heart. The commandment of the Lord is 40 00:02:23,960 --> 00:02:25,960 pure. Enlightening the eyes. 41 00:02:27,320 --> 00:02:32,280 Psalm 119. Open my eyes, that I may behold 42 00:02:32,280 --> 00:02:37,760 wondrous things out of Your law. Your word is a lamp to my feet, 43 00:02:37,760 --> 00:02:42,040 and a light to my path. The unfolding of Your word words 44 00:02:42,040 --> 00:02:46,040 gives light. It imparts understanding to the 45 00:02:46,040 --> 00:02:49,320 simple. Second Peter 3. 46 00:02:50,760 --> 00:02:54,520 And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our 47 00:02:54,520 --> 00:02:58,200 beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom 48 00:02:58,200 --> 00:03:01,480 given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them. 49 00:03:01,480 --> 00:03:04,560 Of these matters. There are some things in them 50 00:03:04,560 --> 00:03:08,440 that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable 51 00:03:08,440 --> 00:03:12,360 twist to their own destruction as they do the other Scriptures. 52 00:03:13,760 --> 00:03:18,960 Second Timothy 2 Think over what I say, for the Lord will give 53 00:03:18,960 --> 00:03:23,280 you understanding in everything. Matthew 11. 54 00:03:24,280 --> 00:03:28,000 At that time Jesus declared, I thank you, Father, Lord of 55 00:03:28,000 --> 00:03:31,040 heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the 56 00:03:31,040 --> 00:03:34,880 wise and understanding and revealed them to little 57 00:03:34,880 --> 00:03:38,000 children. Yes, Father, for such was your 58 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:41,440 gracious will. Ephesians 1. 59 00:03:42,600 --> 00:03:45,360 For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord 60 00:03:45,360 --> 00:03:48,520 Jesus Christ and your love toward all the Saints, I do not 61 00:03:48,520 --> 00:03:51,880 cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 62 00:03:52,360 --> 00:03:56,320 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may 63 00:03:56,320 --> 00:03:59,920 give you the spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the 64 00:03:59,920 --> 00:04:03,680 knowledge of Him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, 65 00:04:04,040 --> 00:04:06,720 that you may know what is the hope to which He has called you, 66 00:04:07,240 --> 00:04:10,840 what are the riches of His glorious inheritance in the 67 00:04:10,840 --> 00:04:13,760 Saints. Let's pray. 68 00:04:17,560 --> 00:04:22,920 Heavenly Father, we thank You that Your word is a lamp to us. 69 00:04:23,920 --> 00:04:29,320 It lights up our way. It shines on you that we might 70 00:04:29,320 --> 00:04:35,600 know you rightly. And Lord, we, we need you to 71 00:04:35,600 --> 00:04:38,680 speak now. You've spoken in Your word here, 72 00:04:39,160 --> 00:04:41,520 but now we need to do to speak into our hearts. 73 00:04:42,200 --> 00:04:45,000 You who said let light shine, shine out of darkness. 74 00:04:45,800 --> 00:04:49,760 We need you to speak now. We need you to shine the light 75 00:04:49,800 --> 00:04:53,720 of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ 76 00:04:53,720 --> 00:04:57,520 into our hearts. This we pray now in Jesus name, 77 00:04:57,960 --> 00:05:06,560 Amen. In 37 AD, just a few years after 78 00:05:06,560 --> 00:05:12,280 Jesus Christ sat down on the throne above all Thrones, a much 79 00:05:12,440 --> 00:05:16,440 lesser man sat down on a throne with much less power. 80 00:05:17,800 --> 00:05:22,040 Gaius Caesar, known as Caligula, became the Roman Emperor. 81 00:05:23,320 --> 00:05:25,520 He was a wicked ruler by all accounts. 82 00:05:26,000 --> 00:05:31,800 At one point he ordered his his a statue of his own image to be 83 00:05:31,800 --> 00:05:37,680 erected in the Temple at Jerusalem, but Herod Agrippa the 84 00:05:37,680 --> 00:05:41,480 first persuaded him to retract this insane command. 85 00:05:42,920 --> 00:05:47,520 Caligula is also known for posting the laws of the land on 86 00:05:47,520 --> 00:05:51,720 pillars, but the pillars were he posted them up so high on the 87 00:05:51,720 --> 00:05:55,680 pillars and in such small letters that no one could read 88 00:05:55,680 --> 00:05:58,760 them. Yes, the laws were technically 89 00:05:58,760 --> 00:06:03,280 public, but they were inaccessible, and so people 90 00:06:03,280 --> 00:06:06,320 didn't know what the laws were, and so they constantly lived in 91 00:06:06,320 --> 00:06:09,800 fear that maybe they would be suddenly punished for breaking 92 00:06:09,800 --> 00:06:17,960 laws that they didn't even know. Has God done this to us with the 93 00:06:17,960 --> 00:06:21,800 Bible? Two weeks ago, Pastor Chris 94 00:06:21,800 --> 00:06:23,720 preached on the authority of Scripture. 95 00:06:24,320 --> 00:06:30,520 We must obey it, but is it too high, too lofty, too mysterious, 96 00:06:30,520 --> 00:06:34,600 too obscure for the common person to understand and obey? 97 00:06:35,520 --> 00:06:40,240 Must the layperson rely on the highly educated scholars and the 98 00:06:40,240 --> 00:06:43,400 religious elite to understand the way of salvation? 99 00:06:45,440 --> 00:06:49,440 The answer from the Bible to all these questions is no. 100 00:06:50,840 --> 00:06:55,400 From the Bible we plainly see a very important doctrine of 101 00:06:55,400 --> 00:06:57,600 Scripture, a little known doctrine. 102 00:06:57,760 --> 00:07:00,840 In a lot of ways it's the doctrine of the clarity of 103 00:07:00,840 --> 00:07:04,880 Scripture. The the technical scholarly name 104 00:07:04,880 --> 00:07:07,560 for this is the perspicuity of Scripture. 105 00:07:08,400 --> 00:07:12,320 But ironically, perspicuity isn't a clear word. 106 00:07:13,520 --> 00:07:17,040 So today we'll be using the phrase the clarity of Scripture. 107 00:07:18,760 --> 00:07:21,680 So what's a good definition of this doctrine? 108 00:07:22,680 --> 00:07:25,720 I know no better definition than the Westminster Confession of 109 00:07:25,720 --> 00:07:28,880 Faith 1.7 that we just read a little bit ago. 110 00:07:29,400 --> 00:07:33,040 A doctrinal statement that grows out of the clear teachings of 111 00:07:33,240 --> 00:07:35,920 not only the text we just read, but many others. 112 00:07:37,240 --> 00:07:39,320 So let's let's read that definition once again. 113 00:07:40,040 --> 00:07:44,760 All things in Scripture are not alike playing in themselves, nor 114 00:07:44,760 --> 00:07:49,200 alike clear unto all. Yet those things which are 115 00:07:49,200 --> 00:07:54,560 necessary to be known, believed, and observed for salvation, are 116 00:07:54,560 --> 00:07:58,480 so clearly propounded and opened in some place of Scripture or 117 00:07:58,480 --> 00:08:02,320 other, that not only the learned, but the unlearned, in a 118 00:08:02,320 --> 00:08:07,080 due use of the ordinary means, may attain unto a sufficient 119 00:08:07,120 --> 00:08:12,520 understanding of them. So this this definition has some 120 00:08:12,760 --> 00:08:16,320 some important nuance to it, a nuances that I hope and pray 121 00:08:16,320 --> 00:08:19,520 that you'll see for yourself as we hear from various texts in 122 00:08:19,520 --> 00:08:23,040 God's Word. Before we study this doctrine 123 00:08:23,040 --> 00:08:26,840 and and see how it points us to Jesus, we'll first consider the 124 00:08:26,840 --> 00:08:32,320 doctrines historical context. This doctrine became a dividing 125 00:08:32,320 --> 00:08:36,720 point during the Protestant Reformation of the 1500s between 126 00:08:36,720 --> 00:08:40,080 the Roman Catholic Church and the Protestants, such as 127 00:08:40,240 --> 00:08:43,760 Lutheran's Reformed Anglicans and Baptists. 128 00:08:44,600 --> 00:08:47,520 For hundreds of years, the Roman Catholic Church had had 129 00:08:47,520 --> 00:08:50,760 forbidden that the Scriptures could be translated into the 130 00:08:50,760 --> 00:08:54,480 common language, and only Jerome's 4th century Latin 131 00:08:54,480 --> 00:08:58,240 Bible, the Vulgate, could be used for mass. 132 00:08:59,040 --> 00:09:03,520 Thus, the Mass was entirely in Latin, and the average layperson 133 00:09:03,520 --> 00:09:07,080 had little to no understanding of Latin, and literacy rates 134 00:09:07,080 --> 00:09:10,680 were very, very low during those those those centuries centuries. 135 00:09:11,680 --> 00:09:17,800 And so God's Word was public, but it was not accessible to the 136 00:09:17,800 --> 00:09:21,560 common Christian. Furthermore, the Roman Catholic 137 00:09:21,560 --> 00:09:25,360 Church taught and still teaches that Scripture could not be 138 00:09:25,360 --> 00:09:29,360 interpreted rightly by someone without an authoritative 139 00:09:29,360 --> 00:09:32,880 interpretation from the tradition of the Roman Catholic 140 00:09:32,880 --> 00:09:36,360 Church. This teaching flows out of the 141 00:09:36,360 --> 00:09:42,160 core Roman doctrine that Holy Scripture and Church tradition 142 00:09:42,160 --> 00:09:47,520 are equal in authority. And while it is a good thing 143 00:09:47,520 --> 00:09:52,520 that Vatican 2 in 1965 permitted the Mass to be done in English 144 00:09:52,680 --> 00:09:56,160 or the common language of where wherever it was, and encourage 145 00:09:56,160 --> 00:10:00,080 people to read the Bible for themselves, the Roman Church has 146 00:10:00,080 --> 00:10:04,360 nevertheless not changed their stance on the denial of the 147 00:10:04,360 --> 00:10:06,720 doctrine of the clarity of Scripture. 148 00:10:08,400 --> 00:10:11,520 Rome claims to have an unbroken tradition of doctrine all the 149 00:10:11,520 --> 00:10:15,440 way to the Apostle Peter. It claims to have an accurate 150 00:10:15,440 --> 00:10:19,120 interpretation of the church fathers from the first centuries 151 00:10:19,120 --> 00:10:22,240 of the Christian Church and that those church fathers had an 152 00:10:22,240 --> 00:10:24,480 accurate interpretation of the Bible. 153 00:10:24,480 --> 00:10:28,520 All right, so let me just lay logically lay this out for you. 154 00:10:29,800 --> 00:10:33,520 According to the Roman Catholic Church, you can't interpret 155 00:10:33,520 --> 00:10:37,360 Scripture accurately for yourself, and you need to rely 156 00:10:37,360 --> 00:10:42,080 on Rome's interpretation, which is an interpretation of the 157 00:10:42,080 --> 00:10:44,880 Church Father's interpretation of the Bible. 158 00:10:47,280 --> 00:10:53,480 So then, how do you accurately interpret Rome's interpretation 159 00:10:53,760 --> 00:10:56,040 of the Church Father's interpretation? 160 00:10:58,360 --> 00:11:00,840 You'll need to understand and interpret Rome's teaching 161 00:11:00,840 --> 00:11:03,960 somehow, right? And according to Rome, you can't 162 00:11:03,960 --> 00:11:06,480 just go to the Bible to confirm or deny it. 163 00:11:07,840 --> 00:11:12,000 So what are you to do? You're just as supposed to 164 00:11:12,000 --> 00:11:15,640 believe Rome because they told you they're the authority. 165 00:11:18,880 --> 00:11:21,880 Brothers and sisters, do not be LED astray by these false 166 00:11:21,880 --> 00:11:24,840 teachings. God has communicated to us in a 167 00:11:24,840 --> 00:11:29,720 much clearer way than for us to have to have to interpret the 168 00:11:29,720 --> 00:11:33,600 interpretations of others who over thousands of years were 169 00:11:33,600 --> 00:11:38,400 interpreting Scripture. I'm not a scholar of the of the 170 00:11:38,400 --> 00:11:42,360 church fathers, but I but I I've read them enough to know that 171 00:11:42,360 --> 00:11:46,080 God's word is by and large far easier to understand than they 172 00:11:46,080 --> 00:11:49,000 are. And the church fathers disagree 173 00:11:49,000 --> 00:11:53,880 with one another and even themselves about various things. 174 00:11:55,280 --> 00:11:58,000 You read some things with Agustin, some things he started 175 00:11:58,000 --> 00:12:01,120 to believe his his views kind of change after he continues to 176 00:12:01,120 --> 00:12:04,000 write. And so as Reformed Protestants, 177 00:12:04,000 --> 00:12:07,920 we believe that God is a clear communicator and that what is 178 00:12:08,000 --> 00:12:11,760 most important in his word can be clearly understood by a 179 00:12:11,760 --> 00:12:15,760 layperson. The core teachings of the Bible 180 00:12:15,960 --> 00:12:22,800 are self-evident, self-evident. John Calvin said that the 181 00:12:22,800 --> 00:12:27,320 Scriptures display their own truth, just as white and black 182 00:12:27,320 --> 00:12:30,640 things do of their color or sweet and bitter things do of 183 00:12:30,640 --> 00:12:34,480 their taste. Relying on Rome is like is like 184 00:12:34,480 --> 00:12:38,280 tasting something sweet and then being told it is bitter, or 185 00:12:38,280 --> 00:12:42,800 seeing a a beautiful flower and being told that it is a 186 00:12:42,800 --> 00:12:44,600 different color than what you perceive. 187 00:12:46,240 --> 00:12:49,600 Thus it has been said that in Scripture the plain things are 188 00:12:49,600 --> 00:12:54,000 the main things, and the main things are the plain things. 189 00:12:56,560 --> 00:13:00,000 Now this doctrine is not merely a critique of the Roman Church, 190 00:13:00,760 --> 00:13:04,280 it is also a critique critique of other tradition based 191 00:13:04,280 --> 00:13:06,120 churches like the Eastern Orthodox. 192 00:13:06,680 --> 00:13:10,080 And it's a critique of some modern day movements that have 193 00:13:10,080 --> 00:13:14,240 the opposite problem of Rome. It's a critique of the 194 00:13:14,240 --> 00:13:18,080 individualism of American evangelicalism, where many 195 00:13:18,080 --> 00:13:22,000 maverick Christians live completely disconnected from the 196 00:13:22,000 --> 00:13:26,560 authority of a local church and they they hold to a a no creed, 197 00:13:26,560 --> 00:13:30,760 but the Bible creed. Just think about that for a 198 00:13:30,760 --> 00:13:33,160 little bit. That's a creed. 199 00:13:33,160 --> 00:13:39,520 And of itself, the doctrine of the clarity of Scripture is also 200 00:13:39,520 --> 00:13:42,960 a critique of spiritual mysticism that that the belief 201 00:13:42,960 --> 00:13:46,440 that people can receive special personalized revelations from 202 00:13:46,440 --> 00:13:50,040 God or that God speaks directly to them about the correct 203 00:13:50,040 --> 00:13:54,120 interpretations of difficult passages like like end times 204 00:13:54,120 --> 00:13:58,120 prophecies, for example. The doctrine of the clarity of 205 00:13:58,120 --> 00:14:02,480 Scripture is also critique of liberalism that questions if the 206 00:14:02,480 --> 00:14:08,200 Bible is actually God's words, echoing the serpent's phrase, 207 00:14:08,680 --> 00:14:13,280 did God actually say? And this doctrine is also a 208 00:14:13,280 --> 00:14:17,440 critique of some postmodern thought that the Scripture just 209 00:14:17,440 --> 00:14:21,480 means whatever it means to you. The Bible has an infinite number 210 00:14:21,640 --> 00:14:23,720 of interpretations and they're all valid. 211 00:14:25,680 --> 00:14:29,560 So in summary, this little known doctrine has had a big impact on 212 00:14:29,560 --> 00:14:33,280 church history and continues to have significant importance 213 00:14:33,280 --> 00:14:36,360 today. Let's now look at scripture 214 00:14:36,360 --> 00:14:41,320 itself and see for ourselves if this doctrine is clearly taught 215 00:14:41,320 --> 00:14:45,240 in it or or if it's just some doctrine that's just been 216 00:14:45,240 --> 00:14:49,200 fabricated by man. The main text I want to consider 217 00:14:49,200 --> 00:14:54,000 is Deuteronomy 2929, the the first script reading on page 8 218 00:14:54,000 --> 00:14:56,920 of your bulletins. Let me read it again here. 219 00:14:59,000 --> 00:15:03,320 The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things 220 00:15:03,320 --> 00:15:07,880 that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, 221 00:15:08,320 --> 00:15:11,160 that we may do all the words of this law. 222 00:15:13,640 --> 00:15:17,240 Moses is preaching here right before Israel was to enter into 223 00:15:17,240 --> 00:15:20,280 the Promised Land, after they had wandered in the wilderness 224 00:15:20,280 --> 00:15:23,760 for 40 years until the faithless generation died out. 225 00:15:24,680 --> 00:15:28,360 And here Moses has had been giving them the law a second 226 00:15:28,360 --> 00:15:30,760 time. That that's the what the word 227 00:15:30,760 --> 00:15:32,840 Deuteronomy means, the second law. 228 00:15:32,840 --> 00:15:37,240 And he encourages the people of Israel with these words that 229 00:15:37,360 --> 00:15:42,240 that God revealed things to them so that they and their children 230 00:15:42,240 --> 00:15:45,080 can know him and rightly obey him. 231 00:15:46,720 --> 00:15:49,400 Moses makes an important distinction here between the 232 00:15:49,400 --> 00:15:53,240 secret things of the Lord and the revealed things of the Lord. 233 00:15:55,160 --> 00:15:58,000 So let's first consider the the secret things and then we'll 234 00:15:58,000 --> 00:16:04,480 consider the revealed things. Proverbs 25 verse 2 says it that 235 00:16:04,760 --> 00:16:07,800 it is the glory of God to conceal things. 236 00:16:08,800 --> 00:16:12,200 It is the glory of God to conceal things. 237 00:16:13,680 --> 00:16:18,120 God, in His infinite wisdom has determined that it is a glorious 238 00:16:18,120 --> 00:16:21,320 thing for Him to hide some things from mankind. 239 00:16:23,080 --> 00:16:27,360 There are two kinds of secret things, things that will always 240 00:16:27,360 --> 00:16:30,800 remain secret until perhaps Christ returns and we enter into 241 00:16:30,800 --> 00:16:34,640 glory. And then there are some things 242 00:16:34,640 --> 00:16:39,120 that were at one time secret, but have now been revealed 243 00:16:39,120 --> 00:16:40,640 through the 1st coming of Christ. 244 00:16:42,440 --> 00:16:45,480 There are some things that will never be revealed before Christ 245 00:16:45,480 --> 00:16:48,600 returns a second time. And, and surely even in heaven, 246 00:16:49,920 --> 00:16:52,800 we're not, we're not just going to automatically have infinite 247 00:16:52,800 --> 00:16:54,360 knowledge of everything like God. 248 00:16:54,680 --> 00:16:57,640 And, and so I believe that even in heaven we'll continue to 249 00:16:57,640 --> 00:17:03,440 discover new things that were once hidden about God and about 250 00:17:03,440 --> 00:17:06,400 ourselves and about the new creation. 251 00:17:08,040 --> 00:17:11,680 First Corinthians chapter 2 verses 1011, the passage that we 252 00:17:11,680 --> 00:17:16,119 read earlier says this. For the Spirit searches 253 00:17:16,119 --> 00:17:18,720 everything, even the depths of God. 254 00:17:19,200 --> 00:17:21,599 For who knows a person's thought except the Spirit of that 255 00:17:21,599 --> 00:17:25,760 person, which is in Him? So also no one comprehends the 256 00:17:25,760 --> 00:17:28,840 thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 257 00:17:30,520 --> 00:17:33,800 There are secret thoughts that belong only to the triune God. 258 00:17:34,560 --> 00:17:38,320 God's ways are higher than ours. His thoughts are higher than our 259 00:17:38,320 --> 00:17:40,520 thoughts. Isaiah 55. 260 00:17:42,400 --> 00:17:46,280 Some questions we ask of Him and of the Bible He does not answer, 261 00:17:46,880 --> 00:17:48,560 nor will He to anyone in this age. 262 00:17:50,440 --> 00:17:53,000 My my children have asked me some of these tough questions. 263 00:17:54,000 --> 00:17:56,600 Questions like, why did God create Satan? 264 00:17:57,720 --> 00:18:01,400 Why doesn't God just kill Satan? Where is heaven? 265 00:18:03,680 --> 00:18:05,080 If you know the answer to those things, let me you know. 266 00:18:05,240 --> 00:18:09,480 Let's talk after this. God has many mysteries about 267 00:18:09,480 --> 00:18:13,840 himself and his works that that we as finite creatures are only 268 00:18:13,840 --> 00:18:18,520 beginning to understand. It is the glory of God to 269 00:18:18,560 --> 00:18:23,800 conceal things. So there's some things that will 270 00:18:23,800 --> 00:18:27,320 remain a secret, but then there are some secret things that God 271 00:18:27,320 --> 00:18:31,960 has revealed in his time. Throughout the Old Testament we 272 00:18:31,960 --> 00:18:35,720 see a continual, gradual revelation of God and of His 273 00:18:35,720 --> 00:18:39,000 purposes and of His his unfolding plan of salvation. 274 00:18:40,560 --> 00:18:45,720 The Old Testament was intentionally unclear about some 275 00:18:45,720 --> 00:18:51,400 things, intentionally secretive. There are shadows and types and 276 00:18:51,400 --> 00:18:55,360 prophecies about Christ. Then with the New Testament, in 277 00:18:55,360 --> 00:18:59,160 the coming of Christ, it's as if all the lights got turned on and 278 00:18:59,160 --> 00:19:03,360 all the shadows gave way to the clear reality of Jesus Christ 279 00:19:03,640 --> 00:19:06,760 and His teachings, His sufferings, His death, 280 00:19:06,760 --> 00:19:11,960 resurrection, ascension. The New Testament often speaks 281 00:19:11,960 --> 00:19:15,360 of the mystery of Christ that was revealed. 282 00:19:17,760 --> 00:19:20,080 Ephesians 3/4 through 6 is one example. 283 00:19:20,080 --> 00:19:26,080 It says this and verse verse 4 right away is a great clarity of 284 00:19:26,080 --> 00:19:29,560 scripture comment. When you read this you can 285 00:19:29,560 --> 00:19:32,880 perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ. 286 00:19:33,600 --> 00:19:36,760 When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the 287 00:19:36,760 --> 00:19:41,120 mystery of Christ verse 5, which was not made known to the sons 288 00:19:41,440 --> 00:19:46,640 of men and other generations, as it has now been revealed to His 289 00:19:46,640 --> 00:19:50,720 holy prophets and Spirit and holy apostles and prophets by 290 00:19:50,720 --> 00:19:54,200 the Spirit. This mystery is that the 291 00:19:54,200 --> 00:19:58,360 Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and 292 00:19:58,360 --> 00:20:03,880 partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the Gospel. 293 00:20:06,840 --> 00:20:12,040 Saint Agustin once said so very well in the Old Testament. 294 00:20:12,440 --> 00:20:16,960 The new is concealed in the new, the old is revealed. 295 00:20:19,360 --> 00:20:22,360 I hope and pray that as you've been, that you've been 296 00:20:22,360 --> 00:20:26,000 experiencing that as we've been studying Isaiah and and the 297 00:20:26,000 --> 00:20:30,760 minor prophets. So there are things about Christ 298 00:20:31,080 --> 00:20:36,520 that God kept secret for ages, but now He has revealed them to 299 00:20:36,560 --> 00:20:43,720 us all at the coming of Christ. Those are the secret things that 300 00:20:43,720 --> 00:20:47,600 belong to the Lord. Now Deuteronomy 2929 says that 301 00:20:47,600 --> 00:20:51,760 there are also revealed things, and those revealed things belong 302 00:20:51,760 --> 00:20:54,400 to us and to our children forever. 303 00:20:55,480 --> 00:20:59,360 Look with me at Deuteronomy 30 verses 11 through 14 in your 304 00:20:59,360 --> 00:21:03,520 bulletins. Just a few verses later, Moses 305 00:21:03,520 --> 00:21:06,000 says this to all the gathered people of Israel. 306 00:21:06,960 --> 00:21:10,400 For this commandment that I command you today is not too 307 00:21:10,400 --> 00:21:13,400 hard for you, neither is it far off. 308 00:21:13,840 --> 00:21:16,560 It's not in heaven that you should say who will ascend to 309 00:21:16,560 --> 00:21:19,360 heaven for us and bring it to us, that we might hear it and do 310 00:21:19,360 --> 00:21:21,720 it. Neither is it beyond the sea 311 00:21:21,840 --> 00:21:25,160 that you should say, Who will go over to the sea for us and bring 312 00:21:25,160 --> 00:21:27,080 it to us, that we may hear it and do it. 313 00:21:28,480 --> 00:21:32,480 But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your 314 00:21:32,480 --> 00:21:39,000 heart so that you can do it. God is not like the Roman 315 00:21:39,000 --> 00:21:43,120 emperor Caligula. He hasn't put His commandments 316 00:21:43,320 --> 00:21:47,280 far out of reach so that they are too hard for us to know and 317 00:21:47,280 --> 00:21:51,400 obey. Instead, as verse 14 says, the 318 00:21:51,400 --> 00:21:54,560 word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your 319 00:21:54,560 --> 00:22:00,520 heart so that you can do it. God has made His Word accessible 320 00:22:00,520 --> 00:22:04,840 to us, giving it to us, putting it in our lips when we read it, 321 00:22:04,840 --> 00:22:08,240 and making it understandable that we might believe it with 322 00:22:08,240 --> 00:22:12,040 our hearts. The Scriptures have some things 323 00:22:12,040 --> 00:22:17,640 that are difficult to understand and some mysteries for sure, but 324 00:22:17,640 --> 00:22:21,400 it assumes the Scriptures assume that it is clear enough to be 325 00:22:21,400 --> 00:22:26,640 accurately understood and obeyed and sufficiently believed for 326 00:22:26,640 --> 00:22:32,000 our salvation. We see this also taught in Psalm 327 00:22:32,000 --> 00:22:37,640 19, verses 7 and 8. The law of the Lord is perfect. 328 00:22:37,840 --> 00:22:41,120 Reviving the soul. The testimony of the Lord. 329 00:22:41,280 --> 00:22:44,160 Lord is sure. Making wise the simple. 330 00:22:44,800 --> 00:22:48,960 The precepts of Lord are right. Rejoicing the heart, The 331 00:22:48,960 --> 00:22:51,680 commandments of the Lord. The commandment of the Lord is 332 00:22:51,680 --> 00:22:59,600 pure, enlightening the eyes. The law revives our souls not, 333 00:22:59,600 --> 00:23:01,960 not, not someone's interpretation of someone's 334 00:23:01,960 --> 00:23:07,040 interpretation of the law. The law does it does it itself 335 00:23:07,040 --> 00:23:11,240 by the Spirit. The testimonies of the Lord make 336 00:23:11,440 --> 00:23:15,760 the simple wise. This assumes that the simple can 337 00:23:15,760 --> 00:23:18,120 understand it enough to grow in wisdom. 338 00:23:19,920 --> 00:23:24,520 There is a personal, direct interplay between God's Word and 339 00:23:24,600 --> 00:23:28,720 the reader, an interplay that does not require numerous 340 00:23:28,720 --> 00:23:32,360 interpretations between the text and the common reader. 341 00:23:35,280 --> 00:23:39,680 The Psalm, Psalm 19 was just like all the other psalms and 342 00:23:39,680 --> 00:23:43,120 was was given to all the people of Israel to be sung to the 343 00:23:43,120 --> 00:23:46,400 common person and to the child as much as to the priests. 344 00:23:50,320 --> 00:23:53,080 One of the greatest verses on the clarity of Scripture comes 345 00:23:53,080 --> 00:23:57,160 from another Psalm, Psalm 119, one O 5, a verse that many of 346 00:23:57,160 --> 00:24:02,200 you have memorized for sure. Your word is a lamp to my feet 347 00:24:02,360 --> 00:24:07,520 and a light to my path. God's word is a light. 348 00:24:10,120 --> 00:24:14,360 God's word belongs to us. It functions to us for us as a 349 00:24:14,360 --> 00:24:18,200 lamp to our feet. God's Word provides clarity for 350 00:24:18,200 --> 00:24:19,880 us and how we are to walk with God. 351 00:24:21,040 --> 00:24:25,760 If the Bible were not clear, it could not be to us a lamp for 352 00:24:25,760 --> 00:24:29,160 our feet. The Bible is not so obscure that 353 00:24:29,280 --> 00:24:32,520 so as to misdirect us down the wrong path. 354 00:24:34,600 --> 00:24:38,920 God's Word is perfect, not flawed, With pervasive obscurity 355 00:24:39,080 --> 00:24:42,160 about the most important matters of knowing God in the way of 356 00:24:42,160 --> 00:24:46,680 salvation. We see again and again 357 00:24:46,680 --> 00:24:48,480 throughout both Testaments, the God Word. 358 00:24:48,480 --> 00:24:52,760 God's Word is given not just to the religious leaders, but to 359 00:24:52,760 --> 00:24:56,760 all the people. Deuteronomy was preached to all 360 00:24:56,760 --> 00:25:00,160 the people. The Psalms have always been sung 361 00:25:00,160 --> 00:25:02,720 by all of God's people, young and old. 362 00:25:04,160 --> 00:25:06,880 Many of the New Testament letters were written to entire 363 00:25:06,880 --> 00:25:10,600 congregations, not just their elders, and books like 364 00:25:10,600 --> 00:25:15,040 Colossians and Ephesians speak directly to the children of the 365 00:25:15,040 --> 00:25:17,720 church. For the more. 366 00:25:17,720 --> 00:25:22,200 First Timothy commands the public reading of Scripture that 367 00:25:22,200 --> 00:25:24,760 all the church might hear and know God's Word. 368 00:25:26,800 --> 00:25:29,680 Because we believe in the clarity of Scripture that it 369 00:25:29,680 --> 00:25:33,520 belongs to all Christians. This is why Pastor Chris and I 370 00:25:34,080 --> 00:25:38,000 encourage you to open your Bibles when we preach, to read 371 00:25:38,000 --> 00:25:42,000 the text for yourselves, so so that you can see for yourself 372 00:25:42,000 --> 00:25:45,600 that what what we are teaching is plainly taught in Scripture. 373 00:25:46,440 --> 00:25:48,120 Do not just take our word for it. 374 00:25:49,400 --> 00:25:51,600 The revealed things belong to you. 375 00:25:53,120 --> 00:25:55,760 They're not too hard for you to understand. 376 00:26:01,800 --> 00:26:04,800 Moses says that not only do the revealed things belong to us, 377 00:26:05,440 --> 00:26:07,480 they also belong to our children. 378 00:26:08,680 --> 00:26:11,600 Like the boy Samuel, hearing God's call to him at a young 379 00:26:11,600 --> 00:26:15,160 age, so also our children can clearly perceive the voice of 380 00:26:15,160 --> 00:26:20,160 God in the Scriptures. Teens and children, let me speak 381 00:26:20,160 --> 00:26:22,520 to you. The Bible is not just for the 382 00:26:22,520 --> 00:26:25,640 adults, it is also written to you as well. 383 00:26:26,560 --> 00:26:30,720 God's Word belongs to you for you to hear directly from God. 384 00:26:31,520 --> 00:26:34,040 There certainly are things in the Bible that are hard to 385 00:26:34,040 --> 00:26:38,440 understand, but don't let frustrations stop you from 386 00:26:38,440 --> 00:26:42,280 reading the Bible. The most important things are 387 00:26:42,280 --> 00:26:43,880 clear enough for you to understand. 388 00:26:45,560 --> 00:26:47,440 God wants you to know him in his word. 389 00:26:48,080 --> 00:26:49,880 He invites children to come to him. 390 00:26:52,560 --> 00:26:55,240 And kids, Sunday school starts up next week, right? 391 00:26:55,400 --> 00:26:58,240 Isn't that great? And, and your teachers, they're 392 00:26:58,240 --> 00:27:00,760 going to, they're going to be teaching you things right from 393 00:27:00,760 --> 00:27:04,760 the Bible because the Bible is for kids too. 394 00:27:06,800 --> 00:27:09,280 And kids, your teachers love it when you ask them questions 395 00:27:09,760 --> 00:27:12,520 about the Bible. So, so come next Sunday, ready 396 00:27:12,520 --> 00:27:17,040 to hear from from God and to ask all sorts of questions, try to 397 00:27:17,040 --> 00:27:25,720 stump your teacher. All right now I, I love how how 398 00:27:25,720 --> 00:27:29,480 nuanced our confession of faith's definition is of the 399 00:27:29,480 --> 00:27:32,160 clarity of Scripture. It starts by keeping a balanced 400 00:27:32,160 --> 00:27:37,800 perspective, saying all things in Scripture are not alike plain 401 00:27:37,880 --> 00:27:41,200 in themselves, nor like clear unto all. 402 00:27:42,240 --> 00:27:44,840 In other words, some things in Scripture are difficult to 403 00:27:44,840 --> 00:27:51,440 understand. But this is by God's intention. 404 00:27:53,880 --> 00:27:55,960 It's not due to any fault in the Scripture themselves. 405 00:27:57,600 --> 00:28:01,520 The Bible itself clearly teaches that some things in it are 406 00:28:01,520 --> 00:28:05,080 difficult to understand. Look on page 8 again and at 407 00:28:05,080 --> 00:28:08,520 Second Peter chapter 3. Here's the Apostle Peter in his 408 00:28:08,520 --> 00:28:12,000 second letter speaking about the Apostle Paul's writings. 409 00:28:13,560 --> 00:28:15,360 And count. The patience of our Lord is 410 00:28:15,360 --> 00:28:20,840 salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you 411 00:28:20,840 --> 00:28:24,560 according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his 412 00:28:24,560 --> 00:28:28,640 letters when he speaks in them. Of these matters, there are some 413 00:28:28,640 --> 00:28:33,320 things in them that are hard to understand which the ignorant 414 00:28:33,320 --> 00:28:37,640 and unstable twist to their own destruction as they do the other 415 00:28:37,640 --> 00:28:41,520 scriptures. Peter rightly says that some 416 00:28:41,520 --> 00:28:45,200 things that that that Paul writes are hard to understand. 417 00:28:47,040 --> 00:28:50,080 Romans 9 through 11 is a great example. 418 00:28:51,120 --> 00:28:54,200 I took an entire class in seminary just on those 3 419 00:28:54,200 --> 00:28:58,040 chapters and it was like exploring the Grand Canyon and 420 00:28:58,040 --> 00:29:01,440 the Rocky Mountains of Scripture, wrestling with 421 00:29:01,440 --> 00:29:04,200 different difficult doctrines like God's sovereignty, 422 00:29:04,480 --> 00:29:08,200 election, predestination, the the future of ethnic ethnic 423 00:29:08,200 --> 00:29:10,720 Israel. It's tough stuff. 424 00:29:12,600 --> 00:29:16,080 But Peter didn't say that everything Paul said was 425 00:29:16,080 --> 00:29:20,120 difficult to understand. He only said some of it was, 426 00:29:21,080 --> 00:29:24,560 which means that some things are easy to understand. 427 00:29:26,920 --> 00:29:29,280 There are plenty of other parts of Scripture that that have the 428 00:29:29,280 --> 00:29:32,600 greatest theologians baffled. Zechariah. 429 00:29:32,600 --> 00:29:34,840 Chapters one through 6 are tough. 430 00:29:35,960 --> 00:29:38,640 Revelation 11 and the two Witnesses. 431 00:29:38,840 --> 00:29:43,680 Who are they for the last half of Daniel? 432 00:29:44,840 --> 00:29:47,880 Even Daniel when he received the visions, he didn't always 433 00:29:47,880 --> 00:29:51,720 understand them. Here's one of Daniel's response 434 00:29:52,040 --> 00:29:57,560 responses to one of his visions, Daniel chapter 8 and I Daniel 435 00:29:57,920 --> 00:30:01,520 was overcome and lay sick for some days. 436 00:30:02,120 --> 00:30:04,840 Then I rose and went about the King's business. 437 00:30:05,680 --> 00:30:10,520 But I was appalled by the vision and did not understand it. 438 00:30:13,360 --> 00:30:17,040 It's OK to have the same response as Daniel when you read 439 00:30:17,200 --> 00:30:22,720 tough passages of Scripture. It's OK to be baffled, but don't 440 00:30:22,720 --> 00:30:28,960 confuse the difficult things with the clear things Charles 441 00:30:28,960 --> 00:30:33,360 Spurgeon once said so well. The Bible is a place where a 442 00:30:33,360 --> 00:30:36,520 child may wade and yet an elephant may swim. 443 00:30:37,360 --> 00:30:40,840 It is simple enough for the beginner, yet profound enough 444 00:30:40,840 --> 00:30:44,880 for the scholar. That's the beauty of Scripture. 445 00:30:45,640 --> 00:30:49,160 You can study your whole life and continually learn new things 446 00:30:49,160 --> 00:30:53,800 and find fresh encouragement. It becomes more and more clear 447 00:30:53,800 --> 00:30:58,000 the more you read it, because Scripture interprets itself. 448 00:30:59,480 --> 00:31:03,560 And so the more you read the Bible, the more you read the 449 00:31:03,560 --> 00:31:05,720 Bible's own interpretation of itself. 450 00:31:06,840 --> 00:31:09,080 For example, the New Testament interprets the Old Testament. 451 00:31:09,080 --> 00:31:13,200 You can see it for yourself. And at the same time, the more 452 00:31:13,200 --> 00:31:16,760 you study God's Word, the more in awe you'll be of its 453 00:31:16,800 --> 00:31:26,320 undiscovered depths. And there are times when we need 454 00:31:26,320 --> 00:31:30,200 to quiet our minds and our hearts about the difficult 455 00:31:30,200 --> 00:31:35,800 passages of Scripture and just rest like little children in our 456 00:31:35,800 --> 00:31:41,000 Heavenly Father's arms. Psalm 131 is a prayer to help us 457 00:31:41,000 --> 00:31:45,040 do this. Oh Lord, my heart is not lifted 458 00:31:45,160 --> 00:31:48,360 up, my eyes are not raised too high. 459 00:31:48,920 --> 00:31:52,120 I do not occupy myself with things too great and too 460 00:31:52,120 --> 00:31:56,200 marvellous for me. But I have calmed and quieted my 461 00:31:56,200 --> 00:32:01,640 soul like a wean child with his mother, like a wean child is my 462 00:32:01,640 --> 00:32:08,560 soul within me. Some things are too great, too 463 00:32:08,560 --> 00:32:12,840 secretive, too mysterious for us to understand. 464 00:32:13,920 --> 00:32:18,160 We can get really anxious about those things, but there's a time 465 00:32:18,160 --> 00:32:21,240 to recognize that one, recognize that hey, we're, we're just 466 00:32:21,320 --> 00:32:26,560 weighing over our heads. We need to rest and calm our 467 00:32:26,560 --> 00:32:30,200 souls before God, like a child with its mother. 468 00:32:35,080 --> 00:32:38,200 Some things in Scripture are intentionally difficult to 469 00:32:38,200 --> 00:32:44,480 understand, but not all things. Take John 316 for example. 470 00:32:46,000 --> 00:32:51,640 Why is it so famous? Because it is so important and 471 00:32:51,640 --> 00:32:57,000 so clear. I bet a large majority of those 472 00:32:57,000 --> 00:33:00,480 in this room who are old enough to read and have that verse 473 00:33:00,480 --> 00:33:06,360 memorized and the verse it's so clearly teaches that God loves 474 00:33:06,360 --> 00:33:11,720 the world that Jesus is, is his only son and he and he gave him 475 00:33:11,880 --> 00:33:16,400 to the world to die for their sins so that anyone who believes 476 00:33:16,400 --> 00:33:23,560 him anyone might not not perish in hell for their sins, but have 477 00:33:23,640 --> 00:33:29,360 everlasting life with God. That's the gospel. 478 00:33:29,360 --> 00:33:33,080 It's it's the main thing. It's what the whole Bible is 479 00:33:33,080 --> 00:33:35,640 about. It's about reconciling sinful 480 00:33:35,640 --> 00:33:37,800 man with God through Jesus Christ. 481 00:33:39,840 --> 00:33:44,160 That's the main thing. And in John 316 and in many 482 00:33:44,160 --> 00:33:48,440 other places, we see how plain and clear it is. 483 00:33:50,240 --> 00:33:54,280 Our God has loved us and loved the the children of this world. 484 00:33:54,440 --> 00:33:59,840 So he made the gospel so clear and so plain and understandable. 485 00:34:01,800 --> 00:34:05,920 Yes, of course there's questions we can ask about the gospel that 486 00:34:05,920 --> 00:34:08,920 are difficult to understand, difficult to answer. 487 00:34:10,080 --> 00:34:13,760 But the good news to us and to our children is plain and clear, 488 00:34:14,239 --> 00:34:18,800 and God wants us all to respond to this good news with faith and 489 00:34:18,800 --> 00:34:23,400 repentance. This is the simple message that 490 00:34:23,400 --> 00:34:26,239 Jesus preached. He said the time is fulfilled 491 00:34:26,239 --> 00:34:28,040 and the Kingdom of God is at hand. 492 00:34:28,480 --> 00:34:30,560 Repent and believe in the gospel. 493 00:34:32,679 --> 00:34:36,239 Have you repented ever since? Have you turned away from your 494 00:34:36,239 --> 00:34:40,520 sins and and have have you put your trust instead in the Lord 495 00:34:40,560 --> 00:34:43,679 Jesus? This is how your sins are 496 00:34:43,679 --> 00:34:47,800 forgiven and how you you will receive everlasting life with 497 00:34:47,800 --> 00:34:50,880 God. It's that simple. 498 00:34:52,600 --> 00:34:57,960 Children, teens, adults, everyone, give Jesus the heavy 499 00:34:57,960 --> 00:35:02,040 load of your sins today. If you haven't done so, receive 500 00:35:02,040 --> 00:35:05,280 his forgiveness. Ask him to save you. 501 00:35:05,800 --> 00:35:11,880 And as Romans 10 plainly promises, everyone who calls on 502 00:35:11,880 --> 00:35:14,720 the name of the Lord will be saved. 503 00:35:23,130 --> 00:35:26,690 So if the way of salvation is so clearly communicated in 504 00:35:26,690 --> 00:35:29,370 Scripture, then why don't more people believe? 505 00:35:31,530 --> 00:35:32,930 There are a few reasons for this. 506 00:35:34,120 --> 00:35:37,600 One obvious reason is that many people still do not have a Bible 507 00:35:37,600 --> 00:35:43,120 in their own language. That's a real barrier and as a 508 00:35:43,120 --> 00:35:46,680 church, as Christians, we need to support the Bible translation 509 00:35:46,680 --> 00:35:49,720 work. Another reason why some people 510 00:35:49,720 --> 00:35:53,160 don't believe is because they simply do not read the Bible 511 00:35:53,160 --> 00:35:58,000 well or at all. They read a little bit, get 512 00:35:58,000 --> 00:36:03,000 bored or confused, and stop. Jesus said again and again, Have 513 00:36:03,000 --> 00:36:05,360 you never read? Have you never read? 514 00:36:06,520 --> 00:36:08,880 And I, I think he, maybe he'd ask the same question of many 515 00:36:08,880 --> 00:36:15,960 today, Have you never read? We, we, we have the Bible in our 516 00:36:15,960 --> 00:36:20,080 own language, in many good translations that we can 517 00:36:20,080 --> 00:36:22,960 understand. We have no excuse for not 518 00:36:22,960 --> 00:36:27,280 reading the book that God gave us, the most important book in 519 00:36:27,280 --> 00:36:34,560 all the world. These might be some reasons why 520 00:36:35,040 --> 00:36:38,560 some don't believe, but fundamentally, there's a far 521 00:36:38,560 --> 00:36:41,640 more common heart problem that stands as a barrier to faith. 522 00:36:43,440 --> 00:36:50,800 People are blinded by sin, and so the gospel is veiled to them. 523 00:36:52,160 --> 00:36:54,960 Second Corinthians 4-3 and four says this. 524 00:36:56,080 --> 00:36:59,360 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those 525 00:36:59,360 --> 00:37:03,360 who are perishing. In their case, the God of this 526 00:37:03,360 --> 00:37:07,120 world has blinded the minds of unbelievers to keep them from 527 00:37:07,120 --> 00:37:11,880 seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ. 528 00:37:13,880 --> 00:37:19,040 Sin blinds people from seeing what is obvious in Scripture and 529 00:37:19,040 --> 00:37:22,320 especially what is obviously good and beautiful. 530 00:37:23,400 --> 00:37:27,640 Many people know the simple offer of the gospel. 531 00:37:27,640 --> 00:37:31,840 Maybe they've heard it 1000 times, but they don't believe, 532 00:37:32,880 --> 00:37:37,480 not because it isn't clear, but because in their heart they 533 00:37:37,480 --> 00:37:40,960 don't want to believe. They're spiritually blind and 534 00:37:40,960 --> 00:37:43,640 they cannot see the glory of Jesus Christ. 535 00:37:45,920 --> 00:37:49,000 And So what hope for is there for those who have been blinded 536 00:37:49,000 --> 00:37:51,800 by the God of this world, by Satan? 537 00:37:53,920 --> 00:37:58,520 The mercy of God has made a way. 2nd Corinthians 4 goes on to say 538 00:37:58,520 --> 00:38:03,320 this. For God who said let light shine 539 00:38:03,320 --> 00:38:08,760 out of darkness, has shown in our hearts to give the light of 540 00:38:08,760 --> 00:38:13,000 the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 541 00:38:14,840 --> 00:38:19,320 That is profound. This is a different kind of 542 00:38:19,320 --> 00:38:23,280 revelation, A revelation we all desperately need. 543 00:38:24,600 --> 00:38:28,120 God has revealed the gospel plainly to all in His Word, but 544 00:38:28,120 --> 00:38:31,200 in order to believe and be saved, we need revelation inside 545 00:38:31,200 --> 00:38:34,600 of us. We need the same God who spoke 546 00:38:34,720 --> 00:38:38,680 and brought light out of darkness in Genesis 1 to speak 547 00:38:38,680 --> 00:38:42,040 into our hearts and shine the light of the knowledge of the 548 00:38:42,040 --> 00:38:45,040 glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 549 00:38:47,280 --> 00:38:50,880 This is what I pray for all who hear the gospel today. 550 00:38:51,600 --> 00:38:55,800 And what we all need to pray for our children and for our friends 551 00:38:55,800 --> 00:38:58,680 and family members that we're sharing the gospel with. 552 00:39:03,160 --> 00:39:07,000 If the Holy Spirit does not enlighten minds and hearts, then 553 00:39:07,000 --> 00:39:10,480 the gospel that is so clear in Scripture remains veiled, 554 00:39:11,640 --> 00:39:16,480 hidden. Jesus prayed to his Father about 555 00:39:16,480 --> 00:39:20,280 this in Matthew 11, saying, I thank you, Father, Lord of 556 00:39:20,280 --> 00:39:23,640 heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the 557 00:39:23,640 --> 00:39:27,600 wise and understanding and revealed them to little 558 00:39:27,600 --> 00:39:31,320 children. Yes, Father, for such was your 559 00:39:31,320 --> 00:39:37,760 gracious will. May God reveal the glory of 560 00:39:37,760 --> 00:39:41,840 Jesus Christ and the Gospel to us and to our children and to 561 00:39:41,840 --> 00:39:45,080 our neighbors and friends and family members, that they may 562 00:39:45,080 --> 00:39:47,840 see the clear way of salvation and believe. 563 00:39:50,080 --> 00:39:52,760 So how are we to live in light of this doctrine of the clarity 564 00:39:52,760 --> 00:39:58,120 of Scripture? First, read humbly and 565 00:39:58,120 --> 00:40:01,400 prayerfully. We don't just read Scripture to 566 00:40:01,400 --> 00:40:04,920 no facts. We read Scripture to worship God 567 00:40:04,920 --> 00:40:07,560 rightly. And so we need God's spirits, 568 00:40:08,080 --> 00:40:13,200 God's Spirit's help as we read. Pride in our knowledge will only 569 00:40:13,200 --> 00:40:16,200 puff us up and cause divisions between US and others. 570 00:40:17,480 --> 00:40:20,640 So read humbly. Read prayerfully. 571 00:40:22,000 --> 00:40:25,680 Second, read confidently and consistently. 572 00:40:27,440 --> 00:40:30,720 You can know what the Bible teaches. 573 00:40:31,560 --> 00:40:36,040 It belongs to you by faith, and so you can have confidence that 574 00:40:36,040 --> 00:40:38,840 you will grow in your knowledge and in your relationship with 575 00:40:38,840 --> 00:40:44,240 God as you read His Word. With that confidence, read with 576 00:40:44,240 --> 00:40:47,400 a plan. Read consistently, regularly 577 00:40:48,560 --> 00:40:54,800 push through difficult texts. You'll be glad that you did. 3rd 578 00:40:54,800 --> 00:40:57,120 Teach the Bible diligently to your children. 579 00:40:58,360 --> 00:41:01,520 So parents, God has given you the responsibility of giving His 580 00:41:01,520 --> 00:41:05,920 word to your children. And Deuteronomy 6 God gives this 581 00:41:05,920 --> 00:41:08,680 command to parents. And these words that I command 582 00:41:08,680 --> 00:41:10,400 you today shall be on your heart. 583 00:41:10,560 --> 00:41:14,360 You shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk 584 00:41:14,360 --> 00:41:17,160 of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the 585 00:41:17,160 --> 00:41:19,680 way, and when you lie down and when you rise. 586 00:41:21,360 --> 00:41:23,680 Teach the Bible diligently to them. 587 00:41:25,680 --> 00:41:29,040 They can understand it. Start simple. 588 00:41:29,560 --> 00:41:33,280 Start with short verses with things that are easier to 589 00:41:33,280 --> 00:41:35,360 understand. Maybe like the Sermon on the 590 00:41:35,360 --> 00:41:38,920 Mount, maybe the gospel of Mark that's got a lot of short 591 00:41:38,920 --> 00:41:42,000 Nuggets that are that are really concise and easy to understand. 592 00:41:42,880 --> 00:41:48,120 Or maybe some stories from the Old Testament for a study with 593 00:41:48,120 --> 00:41:54,960 sound teachers past and present. You can study the Bible alone, 594 00:41:55,080 --> 00:41:58,440 but also make sure to study it with others. 595 00:41:58,440 --> 00:42:04,800 Psalm 100 and 19130 says the unfolding of your words gives 596 00:42:04,800 --> 00:42:08,000 light. It imparts understanding to the 597 00:42:08,000 --> 00:42:12,400 simple. God has given us teachers from 598 00:42:12,400 --> 00:42:16,480 the past and in the present to help unfold the Word of God for 599 00:42:16,480 --> 00:42:20,560 us that we might see it rightly and grow in understanding. 600 00:42:22,000 --> 00:42:26,240 CS Lewis advocated for reading old books, calling them the 601 00:42:26,240 --> 00:42:31,120 clean sea breeze that blows through our minds, keeping us 602 00:42:31,120 --> 00:42:34,000 from thinking that our generation has figured 603 00:42:34,000 --> 00:42:41,520 everything out. 5th And finally, meditate on scripture for this 604 00:42:41,520 --> 00:42:47,840 purpose that Christ might be clearly displayed in your life. 605 00:42:49,960 --> 00:42:54,000 God has made the Scriptures clear, and He has shown the 606 00:42:54,000 --> 00:42:58,200 light of the glory of Christ into your heart so that Christ 607 00:42:58,320 --> 00:43:02,200 might shine clearly in you to others. 608 00:43:05,240 --> 00:43:09,960 Let us shine as lamps in this Dark World that others may 609 00:43:09,960 --> 00:43:14,080 clearly see Christ. Let's pray. 610 00:43:16,760 --> 00:43:19,480 Heavenly Father, we thank you for your Word, that You've given 611 00:43:19,480 --> 00:43:22,640 it to us, that it belongs to us and to our children. 612 00:43:23,280 --> 00:43:27,840 We thank You that the Word is not too far away. 613 00:43:27,840 --> 00:43:30,800 It's not up in heaven, it's not across the sea, But you have 614 00:43:30,800 --> 00:43:33,400 given it to us. You have put it in our hearts 615 00:43:35,760 --> 00:43:39,280 that we might know it, that we might know You and believe and 616 00:43:39,280 --> 00:43:42,800 be saved. We ask, Heavenly Father, that 617 00:43:42,800 --> 00:43:45,760 your Holy Spirit would guide us as we read Your Word. 618 00:43:46,840 --> 00:43:49,560 May we see the glory of Jesus Christ. 619 00:43:50,360 --> 00:43:53,480 May we read Your Word humbly and reliantly upon You. 620 00:43:55,120 --> 00:43:57,560 Lord, I pray that as we go from here that that there would be an 621 00:43:57,560 --> 00:44:01,720 increased confidence in people, an increased curiosity to read 622 00:44:01,720 --> 00:44:07,280 God's Word, to not stumble over the difficult passages, but to 623 00:44:07,280 --> 00:44:10,800 be OK with being baffled a little bit. 624 00:44:13,080 --> 00:44:15,840 Help us now. We thank you that You have made 625 00:44:15,840 --> 00:44:19,760 the gospel so clear to us that we can know you and live with 626 00:44:19,760 --> 00:44:21,400 you forever. Amen.