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be with you again, and I do bring 
greetings from Trinity Reformed Baptist Church in Kirkland. We 
consider you dear brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ, 
and we're happy to know you and delighted to walk in concert 
with you, supporting the same great cause through our association 
of churches. Again, it was good to see your 
pastor up and about and recovering from his surgery. And we do trust 
and pray that he'll be back in the pulpit here shortly. Would 
you turn in your Bibles, please, to the book of Hebrews, chapter 
1. And I want to speak this morning 
on the subject sola scriptura, the Bible alone. And of course, 
sola scriptura is Latin for that very phrase, the Bible alone. What do we mean by that? What 
do we not mean by that? And why is that so important 
and so significant to our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ? So 
I want you to notice with me, and I'll read in your hearing, 
Hebrews chapter 1 and verses 1 through 4. Remembering again, 
this is the word of the Lord. God, having of old times spoken 
unto the fathers in the prophets by diverse portions and in diverse 
manners, hath at the end of these days spoken unto us in his son, 
whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he 
made the worlds, who being the effulgence of his glory and the 
very image of his substance, and upholding all things by the 
word of his power, which he had made purification, when he had 
made purification of sins, sat down on the right hand of the 
majesty on high, having become by so much better than the angels 
as he hath inherited a more excellent name than they." Thus far the 
reading of God's Word. Again, let's ask for God's blessing 
upon the preaching of His Word. Our Father in heaven, we do thank 
you for your word and for this particular portion of your word, 
and would ask that as we humble ourselves before you, preacher 
and listener alike, that indeed you might be our teacher and 
our instructor, that the Spirit of God might come in a mighty 
way that He might illumine these verses for us, that we might 
understand them better, appreciate them. more clearly and be eager 
to embrace them and to implement them in a way that brings pleasure 
to you. We do pray that as the Word is 
preached, if there is any resistance to that Word in our hearts, for 
truly we are sinners. We ask that, again, Your Spirit 
might so work as to make our hearts pliable and give to our 
minds the ability to reason and reflect and to take in Your Word. And above all things, we do pray 
that at the end of the day, as it were, that we might embrace 
and obey that which we hear. Above all things, we do pray 
in this grand text that we may see more of the Lord Jesus Christ, 
our Savior, your Son, and our sure and certain Savior, that 
we might see more of Him and truly be drawn closer to Him. For we pray these things in Christ's 
name. Amen. January 1, 1959 is a date that 
is etched in the memory of every Cuban 
citizen. It marks the triumph of the Cuban 
Revolution. And while we have billboards 
that sometimes appear to be ubiquitous, that is everywhere present, advertising 
every imaginable product, known to man. Billboards in Cuba are 
devoted to the victory of the revolution and everywhere there 
are these billboards reminding the people of this most important 
date and not only to remind them of the date but for them to remember 
their heroes. Dates are important to us. We 
remember birthdays, and we remember anniversaries, and sometimes, 
men, we need a little prodding, perhaps, to remember our anniversaries, 
but we do remember them because they're important to us. October 31, 1517 is a date that 
marks another revolution, a spiritual one. and one that ought to be 
etched in the mind of every Protestant and Reformed Christian, and beyond 
that even, to stir the hearts of others. It was, I'm sure as 
you know, the day that Luther nailed his 95 theses on the door 
of the castle church in Wittenberg, Germany, protesting the abuses, 
the selling of indulgences, and in so doing, he sought to promote 
the gospel of God's grace in Jesus Christ. And everywhere 
there are reminders of that great event. Christians, churches, 
and confessions of faith. As John Murray wrote, the Reformation 
was the rediscovery of the revealed counsel of God on the most vital 
issues of the Christian faith. It might be summed up as the 
rediscovery of salvation by grace. It's important to remember that 
it was rediscovery, the reformers, Luther and others, were not seeking 
to be inventive or creative, but rather to return the church 
to its earlier, its pristine, its foundational and fundamental 
biblical truths. It was rediscovery. With that in mind, I think we 
also need to remember that Luther's protest must not be seen as something 
that was entirely negative. We use the term, and rightly 
so, of Protestantism, protest. But in fact, that identifying 
marker is far more positive than it is negative. Protestant is 
not actually a negative term at all. Protestant comes from 
the Latin protestare, which is a compound. It's made up of two 
words, pro or for, and testare, to testify to something. A Protestant 
is not one who is so much or is so much one who is negative, 
but a Protestant is one who is positive. He's testifying to 
something. He witnesses to something, in 
this case, to the truth of God. Though it was a time of scandal 
and darkness, And the Reformation did protest against the selling 
of and the purchasing of certificates of religious indulgence. It was 
far more than that. It testified to a number of closely 
allied articles of faith, only one of which we'll look at this 
morning. But you're familiar with them, 
this affirmation, this declaration, sola scriptura, the Bible alone, 
sola Christus, Christ alone, sola gratia, grace alone, sola 
fide, faith alone, and sola Deo gloria, to God alone belongs 
the glory. Now, one of the interesting things 
about those five solas, and as we think in terms of Protestantism 
and testifying for something, Scripture alone, Christ alone, 
grace alone, faith alone, to God alone be the glory, it's 
made up of two words except for the final one, to God alone be 
the glory. Sola Scriptura, for example, 
we want to look at that this morning. The Bible alone. Now the interesting fact of that 
little phrase, that term, is that the emphasis is not to be 
found upon the noun, but rather upon the adjective. Because Roman 
others believed in the Bible, and they believed in Christ. 
And they believed in grace, and they believed in faith. And to 
some degree, God ought to have glory. But it wasn't Scripture 
alone, faith alone, Christ alone, grace alone. To God alone be 
the glory. And so the emphasis is upon the 
adjective. And so it must be today. And 
in the case of the Bible, Scripture alone. And it's as important 
today in the 21st century as it was in Luther's day. Because the fashion seems a little 
different today than it did in his day. The world is full of 
Elmer gantry types selling salvation for a generous offering to their 
ministry. The selling of books that make 
little reference to the gospel itself, but are mystical, moralistic, 
or filled with prophetic speculation. Tips on how to live a better 
life replace the life-giving message of salvation in Jesus 
Christ. And so, like the 16th century, 
a theology of glory has come to replace a theology of the 
cross. You can have it all right now. Yes, we believe in the Bible, 
and we believe in Christ, and we believe in grace, and we believe 
in faith, and we believe in the glory of God, but not those things 
alone. We've discovered a better way. Well, so let's come just to one 
of them this morning then. Sola Scriptura, the Bible alone. What does the Bible say about 
the Bible itself? What is the character? What is 
the constitution of the Scriptures? Our writer, the author to the 
book of Hebrews, plunges right into his subject by drawing attention 
to the uniqueness and the finality indeed beyond that even to the 
sufficiency of the Scriptures themselves. So we want to look 
at this text, and I believe there are at least six things that 
this text tells us about the Bible itself, six things that 
we need to retain six things that we need to believe, six 
things that we need to protest for and testify to as we give 
thought to the nature and character of our faith rooted in the Bible. First of all, notice with me 
from these verses the Scriptures and their source. Or perhaps we might say the Scriptures 
and their paternity. their divinity, where do they 
come from? Well, once again, notice how 
our author begins. The book of Hebrews begins abruptly. It begins without the ordinary 
introduction of a New Testament epistle. There's no salutation, 
no greeting. There are no identifying markers 
whatsoever. The author does not identify 
himself. It just begins abruptly, and 
the particular issue that the author wants to address, he wants 
to address from the perspective of the scriptures themselves. And so he begins by telling us 
something about this word, about this book that we believe, I 
hope, and we read, and we hear preached. In fact, the book of 
Hebrews may well be an extended sermon. In Acts chapter 13 and 
verse 15, when Paul arrives in the city in Antioch, he goes 
to the synagogue, and there, after the formalities of the 
synagogue, the leader of the synagogue says, is there anyone 
here that has a word of exhortation? which was common that any male 
member could stand up and give a word of exhortation in the 
synagogue. It's the same language that's 
used in Hebrews chapter 13 and verse 22 where the writer tells 
us that he has just given to us a word of exhortation. Well, the word of exhortation 
that the writer gives to us is a word that is rooted in the 
scriptures themselves. And he begins with an affirmation. He begins with a protest, if 
we think in terms of what the word Protestant actually means. 
He begins with an affirmation and he says this, and do not 
miss it because it's really the heart of the text, God has spoken. The God of heaven, the God of 
heaven and earth, the God who is our maker has spoken. Nothing is more relevant then 
or now. The identity of the speaker is 
relevant to this subsequent speech that is what is about to be said. Pay attention, the writer says, 
because it is God who has spoken. And it was important, it is important 
for the theme of the book, because the church was facing a difficulty. It faced a crisis. These Hebrew 
Christians were feeling the pressure to return to the paths of Judaism, 
at least in some sense. And they were feeling pressure 
from their own countrymen, and they needed to come back and 
return, much like the book of Galatians focuses upon returning 
to aspects of Judaism, especially circumcision. John Fesco is one 
of his books. John Fesco teaches at Westminster 
Seminary in California. The book of Hebrews is much like, 
and the book of Galatians, much like a prisoner of war being 
released from a prison camp. And he spent years and years 
in terrible conditions, a horrible jail cell, and food barely even 
edible. Now he's released from prison. 
And as he's released and he's taken back under the care of 
his own country and the military perhaps has gathered him up and 
taken him to a military base. And there before him is the most 
wonderful meal prepared, the finest steak on the planet, everything 
that he would love to eat. And he looks at all of that and 
he says, Nah, I don't think so. I think I'll go back to my prison 
cell. I really miss that watery soup and all of the rest of the 
things." We say, well, how absurd. But that's exactly what the writer 
wants to communicate and wants to convey. It's that absurd to 
return to the past. in part because any return, any 
shift, any change from biblical truth is fatal to the soul. Therefore, 
what God has said and how He has said it is important. New directions, either a return, 
which would be a new direction, a return to the old or some brand 
new direction, these are fatal to the soul. Anything new is 
a wrong-headed turn in a wrong-headed direction. And so he says, God, 
God, in our English translations, the first word, God, having of 
old times spoken unto the fathers and the prophets by diverse portions 
and in diverse manners, hath at the end of these days or in 
these last days spoken in his son." Now, I'm particularly drawn to 
these opening verses, and your pastors will smile at this because 
they know me all too well, but I'm drawn to the text because 
in the original Greek, it's all alliterated. And if you know 
anything of my sermons, I'm drawn to alliteration. There'd probably 
be some that you will recognize in the course of this sermon. But the writer uses this memory 
device, if you will, several words, all beginning with the 
equivalent of our letter P, to draw attention to three things. God has spoken, and what he has 
said is fragmentary, or was, marked by variety, and it is rooted in antiquity. Now that's not alliterated, it 
just happens to rhyme. He refers to its taxonomy, different 
portions, to the type of revelation, different fashions, and he refers 
to time. different seasons or periods 
of time in which this material was given by God. God spoke in nature. God spoke 
to individuals and to persons. But what the writer undoubtedly 
has in mind here is as we look at the canon of Scripture and 
you look at the Old Testament, you discover that there are different 
literary types or styles that are employed. There's law. the 
prophets, there's poetry, there's history, that God spoke differently, 
but he also spoke in a fragmentary manner, not giving everything 
all at once, and he didn't speak all of the time. I think sometimes 
we have the view or we have the impression that God spoke all 
of the time, and maybe there was some advantage to living 
under the Old Covenant, living in the Old Testament, because 
we would always have the ear of God. We would speak to Him, 
and He would speak right back to us. I'm getting a little bit 
ahead of myself here, but that's not the case at all. long periods 
of time in which God said absolutely nothing at all. Think of the 
400 years between the closing of the canon of the Old Testament 
and the coming of John the Baptist and the Lord Jesus Christ. 400 
years and God didn't say one word to anybody, at least that 
we have recorded. And so here is an initial affirmation, 
basic to the whole argument of the epistle, God has spoken. As F.F. Bruce says, He has spoken 
His revealing, redeeming, and life-giving Word, and in His 
light we see light. Our author is thinking of that 
special revelation which has been given to us in these two 
stages. So, we come to this passage and 
we realize, first of all, God has spoken. It's paternity, that 
is, it's source. Where does it come from? It comes 
from God. And secondly, and relatedly, almost redundant perhaps, but 
needs to be stressed, notice it's authority. Well, if it comes 
from God, then it ought to be important, right? If it comes 
from God, then it comes to us with authority. Now, when we 
think of this authoritative revelation, we also notice a number of things. This revelation is progressive, 
it's gradual. Again, God didn't say everything 
there was to say all at once. Many different prophets at different 
times, in different ways, fragmentation, variety, Now, as one writer has 
reminded us, in fact, it's F.F. Bruce again, he says, divine 
revelation is thus seen to be progressive, but the progression 
is not from the less true to the more true. It's not that 
God corrects himself. but rather it's progressive, 
a little here, and then a little more, and a little more, and 
a little more, and a little more. And then we have, as we'll see 
in just a moment, the finality of God's revelation in His Son. You know, our confession says 
something like that as well in chapter 7 and Paragraph 3, the 
opening statement having to do with God's covenant says, this 
covenant, that is the covenant of grace, is revealed in the 
gospel first of all to Adam in the promise of salvation by the 
seed of the woman and afterwards, and we underline this as we think 
of our unique contribution to covenant theology, by farther 
steps. It wasn't all given at once. 
Begin with the revelation of promise, and then bit by bit, 
we learn more and more until we come to the new covenant. The context is a little bit different, 
but it echoes this same perspective. Revelation is progressive. Revelation 
is also cohesive. God spoke in old time and God 
spoke in last days, but in both cases, it's God who speaks. And 
God who is truth always speaks truth. Now what may be in view 
is law and gospel. But notice the emphasis here 
is not so much what the writer will deal with later in Chapter 
8 and Chapter 10, and the distinctions to be drawn between the Old Covenant 
and the New Covenant. His emphasis is different here. 
His emphasis is that it is God who speaks, and whatever he has 
said is authoritative, and what he has said is comprehensive, 
cohesive and comprehensive. There is continuity. as well 
as diversity. The new covenant in Jesus Christ 
is the fulfillment of promises, prophecies, typologies found 
in the old. And again, whatever the author 
develops later with regard to a distinction, that doesn't seem 
to be the point here. The emphasis, again, is on paternity 
and authority. God has given to us an objective 
revelation of himself. 2 Timothy chapter 3, a very familiar 
passage to us, reminds us that this word is an inspired word 
God breathed. It is an infallible word. It 
cannot err and it is inerrant. It does not err. comes to us with authority. Thirdly, God speaks with finality, 
the scriptures and their finality. Notice how the writer works this 
out. God spoke occasionally, not all the time as I said earlier, 
not to everyone, about everything. God was selective. He chose the time, He chose the 
person, He chose the occasion, and He chose the particulars 
of the message that He revealed. He spoke occasionally. But now He spoke, or the text 
tells us, He now speaks conclusively. This is important. He spoke occasionally, but now 
in the sun. And it's interesting that the 
language here is, in grammar, we call it anarthrus. There's 
no definite article. It's not in our translations 
to make sense. It's in the sun. It's the only 
way we can translate it in English or the best way. But literally, 
it's in sun. And when a word does not have 
the definite article, it often speaks of its character and of 
its uniqueness. And here the text emphasizes 
not only character, but an absolute change of category. Here was 
God speaking at different times in different ways, using different 
men, prophets, but now something's altogether different. There's a change of category. 
There's an intensification here indicating the solemnity of God 
speaking. The Son is the ultimate category 
of revelation. The Son is the ultimate category 
of revelation. Here is phraseology suggestive 
of the words of the Son and the works of the Son, the mediation 
of Jesus Christ. Think about this for a moment. 
If there's a change in category, and there's an emphasis upon 
character here, if God had something else to say, what would it be? You know, how could he say anything 
that would trump what he's already said in his son? Furthermore, 
who would he use to say it? If he's already used his son 
and reinforced that through the ministry of the Spirit in the 
apostolic age, who now will he use to make the point? You know, 
when you want to build a case, You sort of hold out the last 
and the best card until the end. But God's already done that. 
What would He say and through whom would He say it since He's 
already used His Son? What more could be in an advance 
over the Son of God? And I think really that's what 
the author is getting at here in the latter part of verse 2 
and verse 3. Notice that again, it's the character 
of the son that is emphasized and is the focus for the text. He appointed heir of all things, 
through whom also he made the worlds, who, being the effulgence 
of his glory, the very image of his substance, and upholding 
all things by the word of his power when he had made purifications 
of sin, sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high, 
having become so much better than the angels, as he hath inherited 
a more excellent name than they." Seven things. Seven things are 
mentioned. His appointment, He's the heir 
of all things. His arrangement, that is, He 
arranged certain things. He arranged the ages. His assessment, He's the radiance, 
the shining forth of God's light. He's the supreme revelation of 
God is the point. His accomplishment in providence 
and in redemption. And finally, he's enthroned at 
God's right hand as the one who successfully accomplished that 
work of mediation for us. What more can be said and who 
would God use when we consider the person and the work of Jesus 
Christ? One writer has said, thus the 
greatness of the son receives sevenfold confirmation and it 
appears without being expressly emphasized that he possesses 
in himself all the qualifications to be the mediator between God 
and men. And Philip Hughes says, this 
contrast too plays a prominent part in the structure of the 
epistle. As our author demonstrates that the old order of patriarchal 
expectation, prophetic utterance, Mosaic covenant, and Levitical 
priesthood has given way to the new order of messianic reality, 
which unlike the old is final and permanent. because its leadership, 
its priesthood, and its kingdom belong uniquely to Him who is 
the eternal Son." Paternity, authority, finality. Now notice 
something that needs to be said briefly perhaps, but notice the 
Scriptures and their beneficiary. Notice what the writer says, 
to us. Think of that. That's a glorious 
statement. I mean, it's really a blessed 
truth. For centuries, God had spoken periodically in a fragmentary 
way, choosing the time and the prophet and all of the rest. 
Now, in these last days, in His Son, to us, to us, His new covenant 
people, no better, than the people who lived before, no less sinful, 
every bit as needy. But brothers and sisters in the 
Lord Jesus Christ, it's to us. If you're outside of Jesus Christ, 
take note of this, that God has spoken to us. in this unique, this final, this 
glorious way. It's the last word in the last 
days, which have become the best of days. Now, we think all too 
often of the sin all around us, and the degradation, and the 
shift in our culture toward greater wickedness, and all of the rest. 
But, you know, once again, in some ways, these are the best 
of days. These are the best of days because 
these are the days in which God has spoken to us, His new covenant 
people, His church, in His Son. Not by prophets, but in His Son. Athanasius, one of the early 
church fathers, said in a letter that he wrote to a young man, 
he said, do not be astonished if an emperor writes to us. For 
he is a man, but rather wonder that God wrote the law for men 
and has spoken unto us through his own son." It's a greater 
marvel that God speaks to you than if you were to receive a 
letter from some political politician, the premier himself, 
of the provincer of Canada, As great as that would be, you might 
frame it and all the rest of that, if you liked him, I guess, 
but you'd frame it or whatever. But it's even greater to know 
that God has spoken in His Son. Fifthly, we see the Scriptures 
and their perspicuity or their clarity. Our confession draws 
attention to this in Chapter 1. with the Scriptures, there 
is clarity. Not every verse, not every passage 
is as clear as every other one, but certainly there is clarity. In fact, Psalm 19 and verse 7 
and Psalm 119 and verse 130 both echo that theme when it speaks 
that God makes wise the simple. I take great comfort in that 
because I think I'm one of the Lord's simple ones, but God makes 
wise the simple. Well, sixthly and finally, we 
need to see from this text as well the Scripture and its sufficiency. It is sufficient. It is sufficient 
because it is the last word and therefore it must be sufficient. Peter tells us in his 2nd Peter 
that God has given to us everything necessary for life and godliness, 
2nd Peter chapter 1 and verse 3. In fact, our confession uses 
this particular text at this particular juncture to speak 
of the sufficiency of the Scriptures. Peter says, seeing that His divine 
power hath granted unto us all things that pertain unto life 
and godliness through the knowledge of Him that called us by His 
own grace and virtue, whereby He hath granted unto us His precious 
and exceeding great promises, that through these ye may become 
partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption 
that is in the world by lust." Everything necessary for life 
and godliness. God has given to us a word that 
functions. It functions as God's last word. John R. DeWitt, in a little pamphlet 
entitled, What is the Reformed Faith?, reminds us that Jesus 
Christ is master in His own house. The Confession says, the whole 
counsel of God concerning all things necessary for His own 
glory, man's salvation, faith, and life is either expressly 
set down or necessarily contained in the Holy Scripture, unto which 
nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelation 
of the spirit or traditions of men. All things necessary all 
things necessary for His glory, man's salvation, and echoing 
2 Peter, faith and life. John Brown said, God in the combined 
or completed revelation of His will, respecting the salvation 
of men through Jesus Christ is still speaking to all. who have 
an opportunity of reading the New Testament or of hearing the 
gospel. It functions then. This word 
functions as God's final, clear, and sufficient word of grace. But function raises a question. Question that we need to flesh 
out a little bit. Sufficient for what? And so the function of scripture 
as a sufficient and completed and final word draws attention 
to what we might call its limitation. It is sufficient for all of life 
and godliness, but in saying that, it points to a restriction, and a restriction that does not 
reflect or does not suggest any imperfection, but rather design. It's design as a sufficient word 
for life and godliness. And therefore, it's not designed 
for other things. Now, I don't think we think about 
this very often, but it's important to remember this. It's not a manual of auto repair. I have a friend in Cuba who, 
as long as I've known him, probably almost 10 years, he's had his 
car in a garage. It doesn't run. This is a pastor 
that also, again, because people need to do something extra to 
get enough money to support themselves, he raises pigs. He actually raises 
pigs in the churchyard. Imagine the windows open on a 
very hot day here and there was a pig pen right outside the window 
or the doors. Well, he does that. You always 
know when you're coming to church. Trust me, you always know when 
you're coming to church. But I've never yet seen him take 
the Bible and open it to a particular text that would help him repair 
his car. Nor have I seen him take his 
Bible and open it to a particular text that tells him how to raise 
pigs. There is a restriction. It's 
not designed as a manual of auto mechanics. And I think we need 
to keep this in mind in the day and age in which we live, in 
which it seems to be people are pressing the limits of what the 
sufficiency of Scripture really means. It's not a manual of auto repair. 
It's not a manual of animal husbandry. It's not a manual of medicine. It just isn't. Doctors go to medical school, 
and yet we turn to the Bible and we often look for tips as 
to help us how to live better, healthful lives. But it's not 
designed to do that. It's not a manual of political 
theory. There are a number of things 
that it doesn't do. Faith in life, as the Confession 
says and as Peter says, must be taken in what we might call 
a religious or spiritual sense. And we need to draw this conclusion 
if we're confessional at all because the rest of Chapter 1 
and Paragraph 6, which I just quoted a minute ago, deals with 
public worship. It speaks of God's worship and 
the regular principle of worship. So clearly, our authors had in 
mind this restriction or this limitation. It's not a manual 
for everything. T. David Gordon wrote an article 
years ago that was really quite controversial, but to me, it 
seems rather something of a no-brainer. It's not radical at all. It was entitled, The Insufficiency 
of Scripture, and he said this, that the entire canon, taken 
its entirety, is sufficient, therefore, to govern the members 
of the new covenant made in Christ. That's its purpose. I would clarify 
that the divine's intended by faith in life what one is to 
believe and what one is to do as a member of the new covenant 
community. He goes on to speak of the historic 
Protestant understanding of the importance of natural revelation 
somehow being lost. So scripture is sufficient, but 
it's sufficient in the area for which it was designed, faith 
and life and worship. Now, I think that that has some 
practical implications and ramifications. It has implications for what 
Jim Renahan and others have called Biblicism. The individualism 
that marks the way we often come to the Bible and interpret it. 
Dr. Renahan refers to it as the hermeneutics 
of person and place, divorcing ourselves from the scriptures 
themselves or the hermeneutics of the scriptures themselves. 
And so, we come to the scriptures as if they address us personally, 
individually, uniquely apart from anybody else. and the particular 
time frame in which I live. And so hermeneutics fly out the 
window, a kind of individualism. It addresses the issue of legalism. 
The church cannot determine doctrines or morals not found in the Bible, 
faith and life. The church is not in a place 
to determine the nature and character of that worship which God Himself 
regulates. Papal infallibility sometimes 
has been replaced with pastoral infallibility. Not here, thankfully, 
but it's certainly the case. And I think that one of the greatest 
problems we face in modern Christianity is the problem of moralism. where 
the gospel again, as I said earlier in the introduction, has been 
replaced with books and sermons, tips for better living, manuals 
for success. You can have your best life now. Even Calvin, who lived in a different 
day and who would have viewed politics differently than we 
do, said, for there are some who deny that a commonwealth 
is duly framed that neglects the political system of Moses 
and is ruled by the common law of nations. Calvin says, let 
other men consider how perilous and sedition this notion is. 
It will be enough for me to have proved it false and foolish. 
Calvin says it's not a manual of political theory. The sufficiency of Scripture, 
sufficient for faith and life, sufficient for the members of 
the New Covenant community to live out their lives rooted in 
the gospel in a way that is pleasing to God and in the New Covenant 
community, the church as she gathers together to please God 
through her worship and through her corporate life. That's what 
the text teaches. At least I'm convinced that's 
what it teaches. Well, where does that leave us? 
What do we say by way of some practical applications? Well, 
the first one is this, God has spoken. And whether you agree with everything 
I've said or not, I hope that it's been biblical and I hope 
that it's been helpful, but at least remember this, God has 
spoken. And to put it somewhat in a vernacular 
way, God has spoken and He has not stuttered. He's spoken clearly. He's spoken finally. And brothers 
and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ and those who may be outside 
of Christ, as I addressed you, He has spoken finally, completely, 
sufficiency in the category of Son. There's no greater word, 
no better word than that word which He has spoken to us in 
Jesus Christ. Will you hear Him? Have you heard 
Him? Are you listening to Him? And 
will you hear Him? Where do I hear Him? How do I 
hear Him? In the still, small voice, echoing 
in my head? No, in that new covenant word 
given to you, the Bible itself. God has spoken. He's spoken clearly. He's spoken finally. He's spoken 
authoritatively. And above all, it is God Himself 
who has spoken. And he has not stuttered. Not 
every verse is as easily understood as every other, but the main 
thing can be easily understood. Will you hear him or will you 
listen to the siren song of the world and the church aping the 
world to change everything to fit the age in which we live. There's the choice. Listening 
to the sun or listening to those in our world who would craft 
the message of the sun to fit our day and our age. So with that in mind, by way 
of a second application but related, beware the tyranny of the experts. 
the ones with long lists of degrees, the ones who have written famous 
books. Beware the tyranny of the experts, 
of revering the relevant, of confessing the consensus. Again, 
regard revelation as from God, final, sufficient for all of 
life and godliness. The greater the regard we have 
for God's revelation, the greater the regard we will have for Himself." 
It's not the Word of man that's important, it's the Word of God. 
It's that final ancient Word that He has given to us, found 
in its final form, in its highest form, in its completed form, 
in its new covenant form in the Word and works of the Son. Again, have you heard Him? Do you hear Him? Are you listening 
to him? You know, when I think of this 
text and when I've preached from it before, I can't help but think 
of the transfiguration. You remember Peter and two of 
the apostles were on the mountain with Jesus, and they fall asleep, 
and they wake up, and there is this wonderful vision. In fact, 
I think I may even have preached that sermon here. It's a wonderful 
text. And Peter wants to retain the 
existential moment. Let's keep things as they are. 
Moses and Elijah and Jesus, let's build these temporary booths 
out of sticks and whatever we have and keep everyone here for 
a bit longer. Moses and Elijah disappear. Jesus 
looks the same as he did before he was transfigured, and there's 
a voice from heaven. What's the voice say? This is 
my son. Hear him. The message is the 
same. This is my son. Hear him. It's not the word of a man that's 
important, but it's the word of God. It's not the attractive 
words found on a website or a well-known preacher that count, but what 
is it that God himself has said? Paul contended with false apostles 
who were more popular than he was. We contend with the Internet. We contend with the Internet. The Bible is neither a Gumby 
of putty or a governing document for every sphere of life, pulled 
here, there, and everywhere. God has given to us this Word, 
and then He has given to us principles whereby we might govern our lives. Think of the book of Proverbs, 
natural revelation, natural law. If you're dealing with laziness, 
you don't have to turn to a particular text, look at the ant. Even Solomon 
said, the way of a man with a maid, who can know it? He's saying there are mysteries 
about the relationship between a man and a woman. Who can know 
it? Wisdom, natural revelation. The 
scriptures are given to us principally to reveal the way of salvation 
and the way of worship. The scriptures are sufficient 
to reveal the whole truth of God in conjunction with God's 
revelation of Himself. John Owen wrote, For as this 
was the last way and means that God ever designed for the discovery 
of himself, as to the worship and obedience which he requires." 
I think Owen's saying the same thing. So the person by whom 
he accompanied this work makes it indispensably necessary that 
it be also absolutely perfect. from which nothing can be taken, 
to which nothing must be added under the penalty of the extermination 
threatened to him that will not attend to the voice of that prophet." 
And who is that prophet? Who is the final prophet? Who 
is the best prophet? Who is the sufficient prophet? But Jesus Christ, God's own Son, 
the Savior of sinners. Once again, dear ones, have you 
heard Him? And having heard Him, do you 
listen to Him? And for those who have not heard 
Him, really the application is quite simple. Turn to Him and 
listen to Him. Hear that Word. and believe. Believe upon the 
only begotten Son of God sent for us, guilty sinners, to save 
us and to deliver us from all of our sins. God's last word, 
His best word, His sufficient word. Father in heaven, we do 
thank you. For the Word in its entirety, 
for that Word which was given to the prophets many different 
times and in many different ways in times past, for the message 
of that Word and all that it says by way of prophecy concerning 
the coming of the Lord Jesus, all that it tells us by way of 
typology. But above all, we thank you for 
that final Word and completed Word and sufficient Word and 
glorious Word. in the word of the Lord Jesus 
Himself. And may He and His words and 
His works be the focus of our Christian experience. And should 
there be those, young or old, who happen to be here today and 
for whatever reason might still be in their sins, still not having 
turned to Christ, We do pray that something within the Word 
that was preached to them might spark an interest and might be 
used of the Spirit of God as He takes the Word read and the 
Word preached, drives it home to the heart and to the conscience. 
We do pray that together all of us might be true believers 
in this great Word of the Son. For we pray this in Jesus' name. 
Amen.