God Has Spoken Clearly

Transcript

GR 1396
02/22/2009
God Has Spoken Clearly
II Timothy 3:14-15
Gil Rugh


We're studying Paul's second letter to Timothy, so if you'd turn to II Timothy in your New Testament, and we're in chapter 3. There are certain facts that we must understand if we are going to know what is involved in a relationship with the living God. How are we to know about God? You can go to a variety of churches or a variety of religious meeting places and you'll hear a variety of opinions. Most people think their pastor or their priest will be able to tell them about God. But how am I supposed to know about God? I'm a human being, I walk this earth like you do, and I've never been to heaven. How are we going to know for sure anything about God?

I want to note a few points. First, if there is a God and I can't prove there is, nor can you prove there is not a God. And we're starting with that assumption. If there is a God and we are to know anything about Him, He will have to make Himself known to us. In other words if there is a God but He chooses to keep Himself a secret from us, we will never be able to know about Him. And in reality we'll have to go on and live our lives as though He wasn't there because we have no way of knowing anything about Him. So the first thing is if there is a God and we are to know anything about Him, He will have to make Himself known to us. Secondly, if there is a God and He does choose to reveal Himself to us, it will be in a way that is clear and understandable. Now that's important. If there is a God and He chooses to make Himself known to us, He will do it in a way that is clear and understandable. God will have no problem, in other words, communicating clearly to us. You think about it. If there is a God who is truly God, all powerful, who created us, and He wants to communicate to us but He does it in such a way that everybody is confused about what He says, He really hasn't communicated. Sometimes we get into the trap of saying Yes I believe God has made Himself known. Everybody has his own view, his own interpretation. Well if God has chosen to make Himself known and everyone thinks He said something different or there is total confusion about what He said, He hasn't communicated very clearly. Or we haven't paid close attention. So the second point is if He has revealed Himself, it will be in a clear and understandable way. And the third point is a natural conclusion. If there is a God and He has made Himself known, the most important thing for us is to come to know what He has said and to understand what He has revealed. I mean, if there is a God and He has made Himself known, we never find out what He has revealed, what He is like, does He have any expectations of us, and so on.

My understanding is there is a God and He has made Himself known. Go back to the Old Testament, Psalm 19. God has made Himself known in two ways and both ways are unfolded in Psalm 19. So we are basically going to limit ourselves to Psalm 19. First there is what is called general revelation. We call it general revelation because it is revelation that is general; it is available to all people everywhere. It is general revelation. No matter where they are on this earth, they are exposed to this revelation, it is available to them. In Psalm 19, that is covered in the first six verses. General revelation is the revelation that is in creation. Wherever you are in the world you can look around yourself and see the heavens, see the stars, see the sun, see the trees, see the earth. So Psalm 19 begins, the heavens are telling of the glory of God and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. Day to day pours forth speech and night to night reveals knowledge. In other words, this revelation goes on day and night unendingly. You wake up in the middle of the night and look out the window you see the revelation of God. You go out in the sunlight and you see the revelation of God in His creation.

There is no speech nor are there words, their voice is not heard, their line has gone throughout the earth, their utterances to the end of the world. In them He has placed a tent for the sun, and so on. So clearly the point is its not spoken revelation, but it's like a voice going out. This is Romans 1 which tells us that the invisible attributes of God have been made known in His creation. Now this is general revelation, this is revelation available to all men. We're not talking about the acts of science and certain scientists as they discover certain things. We're talking about what everyone everywhere is exposed to all the time. That is revelation from God. And God holds us accountable to know something of Him—His sovereign power, His authority over all. His omniscience and so on. Now the problem, Romans 1 tells us, men suppress that knowledge; they don't want to acknowledge that God is revealed in creation. So they try to find explanations that don't include God. But they are still accountable. In fact Romans 1 tells us that God is angry that men were suppressing the knowledge that He has clearly displayed in His creation. That's general revelation.

The second kind of revelation is what we call specific revelation. It is specific because it focuses down more specifically. This has to do with what God has said, His spoken and written word. So you'll note Psalm 19:7, the law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul. The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. You see various words—the law, the testimony, the precepts, the commandments of the Lord—what God has said, what God has directed to be written, as we'll see as we proceed in our study of II Timothy. That is the revelation from God. It is perfect and able to restore the soul, verse 7, and make wise the simple. They bring rejoicing to the heart, enlightens the eyes and so on. Verse 10, they are more desirable than gold, than much fine gold. Verse 11, by them your servant is warned, in keeping them there is great reward. Verse 14, let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, oh Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

The revelation of God in creation and then more specifically in His Word is to bring us to acknowledge Him as the living God, the One before whom we are responsible and accountable. So our concern is to be acceptable in His sight and that comes through His redemption. And so the psalmist calls Him, as he concludes, oh Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

Now this revelation that God has spoken includes the revelation that comes through Jesus Christ. Turn to Hebrews 1. It starts out, God, after He spoke along ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways. So God spoke to the fathers—Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the twelve patriarchs. How did He do it? In the prophets. He had His spokesmen come and speak to them. He did it in many portions and in many ways. It happened at different times over a span of time, and He used dreams, visions, angels, and so on. In these last days He has spoken to us in His Son. So it's a superior, clearer form of revelation. He has spoken to us in His Son and Jesus Christ came to earth and brought revelation, made God known in a fuller and clearer way. So you have God progressively revealing more of Himself and we call that progressive revelation. And if He has revealed more of Himself, things have become even clearer and we have come to know more of Him and so know Him better and understand more of His ways and more of His expectations of us.

Now come back to II Timothy 3. The spiritual opponent of the living God is the devil. Paul talked about the devil in II Timothy 2:26, he talked about those who are held in the snare of the devil and are held captive by him to do his will. The devil is opposed to God and to God's work. So as the devil would attempt to oppose God and what God is accomplishing in the world and the revelation of Himself, what do you think he would do? He attempts to take the revelation God has given and bring confusion. In general revelation with creation he has men who are “intelligent” come up with alternatives to what the Bible says God has done in creation. And so we look around the wonder of creation and the awesomeness of what God has created, but we are told, that just happened by chance over time. Probably began with a big explosion. As good an explanation as anything and when the explosion was done and the dust settled and given enough time, here we are. That's one alternative. But you see it is denying what creation reveals, that there is a sovereign God with a masterful plan. He brought everything into an orderly creation which reveals something of His character.

Then we come to His written word, His spoken word. What do we have? Men try to twist it and corrupt it to confuse people and to keep them in the dark about the plan of God. In II Corinthians 4 we are told that the devil blinds the minds of the unbelieving so that the light of the glory of the gospel of Jesus Christ does not shine into their hearts and minds. The devil's goal and intention is to keep us in the dark regarding God's purposes and plans, regarding God's provision for our salvation. This is what Paul has been dealing with in II Timothy 2-3, the false teachers who infiltrate themselves in among the church. They claim to be believers but they take the Word of God and they twist it, they corrupt it, they change it. They use verses. Remember in Matthew 4 when the devil confronted Christ in the temptation of Christ, he used Bible verses. Doesn't the Bible say this? And he quotes a Bible verse. The problem was the devil was misusing the scripture, thus twisting its meaning.

There is a doctrine we call the perspicuity of scripture. The perspicuity of scripture is the clarity of scripture. It's back to the point I made earlier—if there is a God and He has chosen to reveal Himself, He will do it in a clear and understandable way. Otherwise His revelation is of no value to me. If He has revealed Himself but it is so murky and confusing that none of us can be sure what He said, so we each come up with our own idea, His revelation is not of any real value. But we have the doctrine called the perspicuity of scripture. We like the word perspicuity because it sounds a lot more intelligent than clarity, but it is simply the clarity of scripture. Scripture is clear. What God has revealed is clear, it is understandable. It was made known with the intention we understand it. What these false teachers are doing is taking what God has revealed, but they are twisting it in an attempt to confuse people so they do not really understand the truth of God.

In verse 10 Paul encouraged Timothy by starting out, now you followed my teaching, conduct and purpose. And that involves my persecutions and sufferings. And he took him back to the early days of his ministry when Timothy was first exposed to Paul's ministry. And it was times when Paul was being persecuted and suffering. Because remember as we looked at these verses, we are in a spiritual warfare. Ephesians 6 says we do battle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, against the spiritual forces of darkness in the heavenlies. Satan and his angelic followers using human instruments, false teachers to oppose the work of God and they bring persecution to those who would bring the truth of God.

And Paul makes clear; everyone who is going to be faithful to Jesus Christ will be persecuted. Verse 12, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. We know how that is. And we try to mute the persecution, keep it at bay by toning down our testimony, not being as clear with the truth of God as we should be. Because we know that if we are too clear, people will get upset. And people get upset, they respond negatively; they respond negatively and it brings persecution. But evil men and imposters are not going to go away, they will go from bad to worse, verse 13 tells us. Deceiving and being deceived. They'll continue to deceive people and they continue to be deceived themselves by the devil and his false teachers.

We come to verse 14, you, however. And these contrasts continue. This is the same expression, you remember, that was used in verse 10. Now our English Bibles translate it a little differently. Verse 10 says now you, literally it is but you. Verse 14, you however. It's the same two Greek words, su de, su is you and de is but. But you. We have it you however. He'll say it again down in II Timothy 4:5, and there we'll get it exactly—but you. He is drawing a contrast between the ministry Timothy is to have and the ministry of the false teachers. In verse 9 he said, they will make no further progress, those false teachers. Their following will be obvious to all. Verse 10, but you followed my teaching, my conduct, and so on. There is a contrast between you, Timothy, and your life and ministry and these false teachers.

Verse 13, evil men and imposters will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. Verse 14, but you, we have it you however. But you. The contrast Timothy, you're not like them. Here's what you are to do. And in verses down to the end of the chapter Paul is going to focus the attention on Timothy's responsibility to continue faithfully in his commitment to the scriptures which make known God's plan of salvation and are God's means to produce maturity in His people so they can serve Him in a manner pleasing to Him. So you have the leading command in this section, the only command in verses 10-17, it is found in verse 14, it is the word continue. It's a command in the present tense. So this is something Timothy must do ongoing. He must be continuing in the things that you have learned and become convinced of. The false teachers are always coming up with something new, a new twist, an innovative idea. Timothy, you continue, you must continue, it's a command, in the things you have learned and become convinced of. As we'll see as we move along, he's talking about the scripture, the truth of the gospel, the Word of God that has been revealed. You stay the course, you continue, you remain on track.

Everybody is coming up with a new idea. The church is deceived by this. There ought to be stability in the church. Every fad that comes down the pike. I have a packet of information, came in the mail. Another plan for me and our church. They are endless, the fads. We had the seeker church, now we have the emerging church, and we just roll on. And we have the pollsters. What do they do? You know the world has the pollsters in the political realm. They take a poll, what everybody thinks, what everybody wants, what everybody likes. We have that in the church. You can go and get the “Christian pollsters.” Those polls say this is what the generation “Qers” want, or “Rers” or “Xers” or busters or whatever. So the churches better roll over to the next fad. The seeker service came, now it's on its way out. Now we understand emergent is next because you have to be ready to minister to our culture, to our next generation. We go from one fad to another. We have a new President and his wife, I heard on the news that now that we have a new First Lady everybody is lining up. They want to dress and look like her. Why? Well that's the new fad; we have to have a new trend. And what happens to the church? It becomes just like that. What are we supposed to be if we want to reach the next generation, our culture, our society? What do we have do? Well Paul told Timothy, continue in the things you've learned. Remain there, a word to mean continue, to remain, to abide, to mean to live there, to dwell there.

Come over to 1 John. This word translated remain, meno, that's used often in the New Testament. Most often by John and there is a verse that he gives in a very similar way to what we have in our passage in Timothy. In I John 2 John is drawing a contrast between genuine believers and counterfeit believers. He is particularly dealing with those who are false teachers. And you'll note what happens. They don't continue, they don't remain. Look at verse 19, they went out from us but they were not really of us. For if they had been of us they would have remained with us. But they went out so that it would be shown they are not all of us. Verse 21, no lie is of the truth. These people that think they come up with their own ideas, the Word of God speaks with clarity. No lie is of the truth. Isaiah 8 says, according to the law and the testimony. If they do not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn, no light. This is the absolute standard. No truth, it contains lies.

Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father, the one who confesses the Son has the Father. People come and have all kinds of ideas, we believe in Jesus Christ, but we don't believe He's deity like you believe. But we still believe in Him. Well, we don't believe in the same Christ. We're not picking and choosing about what parts of the Bible we choose to believe and not believe.

Look at verse 24, as for you, let that abide. There is our word. Remain; continue in that which you have heard from the beginning. That's what Paul tells Timothy, continue, abide, and remain in the things you have learned. What does John say? Let that remain in you, the Word of God, the truth that you have heard and believed. That will be what remains in you, what you are to remain in. Basically two sides of the same coin. Continue, stay the course.

Come back to II Timothy 3. Continue in the things which you have learned. And as we move down in the context he is going to be talking about the scriptures, the Word of God. That's what we continue in, remain. If there is one message for the church today, it would be continue, remain, stay the course. I don't need a pollster to tell me what the church is to be, the church is the pillar and support of the truth. I don't need a pollster to tell me what believers are to be. We are to be lights in the midst of darkness; we are those proclaiming the glorious light, the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are unveiling before the world the truth that God has revealed and made Himself known. The church is waiting for the next fad because it will give us growth. Come and learn from the masters. So-and-so has a church of this many, so-and-so has a church with this many. And you are going to learn the methodology that will bring this to your church. And we go from one fad to the other.

You know what the appeal of Roman Catholicism is? Greek orthodoxy and some of these traditional forms of heretical Christianity, what the appeal is? They stay the same. What is the appeal of Roman Catholicism? A leading man, he was the head of an evangelical organization, resigned in the past year or so. After 30-35 years he has decided he is going back to Roman Catholicism. Why? He was with evangelicals; I don't know whether he was ever saved although he was head of one of the largest evangelical organizations. But you know there is no stability there. You get tired of chasing the fads. You can go back and we have a pope, we have our sacraments, we have our church doctrines and we have history. What does the Bible-believing church have? It has today's fads—we were seeker but now we're emergent. Better jump on because if you don't jump on quick we'll already be on a different wagon. I mean, heaven and earth shall pass away but My word will not pass away. God's going to roll up the heavens and the earth like a garment, but the Word of God stands forever. And yet you come to the church and you get the next fad. The church is more shaped by its style of music than it is by the Word of God. We don't know who we are, we're just flopping around hoping whatever we do will bring more people. And then if we get large, people will say we are successful.

Timothy, continue, remain in the things which you have learned, what you have been taught. We're not talking about if you were taught that tradition you'd stay with it, in the context it is the Word of God. That's what you've been taught. We'll get to that here as we move along. And become convinced of. When Timothy heard it, as a result of the gracious work of the Spirit, he had the conviction in his heart and he believed it was true, he was convinced of it. That doesn't change; the Word of God doesn't change. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever, and so is His truth which is a revelation of His person.

He became convinced of it. That’s the same truth, it doesn't change. If the people from the church at Ephesus came and joined us in worship today, they ought to look around and say, it's a strange building, people dress funny. You know what? The Word of God is the same Word of God we studied; they believe the same things we believe. The message doesn't change, right? We preach the same truth because we continue in the things we've been taught, we've learned and become convinced of.

Knowing from whom you have learned them. He's going to give two foundational reasons coming out of this participle knowing. Knowing from whom you have learned them. This would include Paul; this would include Timothy's grandmother and his mother. Back in chapter 1 verse 5 Paul had told Timothy, I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother, Lois, and your mother, Eunice. And I'm sure this is in you as well. Timothy became convinced of the same truth of the gospel that his mother and grandmother had.

Paul had been unfolding this truth. Back in chapter 1 again verse 13, retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me. Verse 14, guard through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us the treasure which has been entrusted or deposited to you. Over in chapter 3 verse 10, now you followed by teaching, conduct, purpose. You know whom you have learned them from, you observed their character, their conduct, their message. You know about me, Timothy, you've seen the Word of God worked out in my life; you've heard the message that I've taught. You know I am genuine, you've seen that lived out in your mother and grandmother. He evidently does not have a believing father who was a Gentile, but he had a godly mother, a godly grandmother.

Then verse 15 and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings. So it's knowing those who taught you, their genuine character and knowing what was taught. From childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation, which is through faith in Christ. So knowing the character of the teachers, that is important, and the message they taught, the Word of God. And you have known from childhood the sacred scriptures. That word translated childhood is a word that can refer to infancy, but used in a context like this it means from being a very young person. The Jews, and we go back to the first century and their writings, they believed that a young person was ready to be taught the Old Testament when they were 5 years of age. So training in the Old Testament scriptures for a Jewish young person was to begin at 5. So Timothy started early.

Now an interesting family situation Timothy had. We know from Acts 16 that his father was a Gentile; his father is not mentioned in chapter 1 when Paul mentioned the genuine faith of his mother and grandmother. He doesn't mention his father. Acts does tell us he was a Gentile, evidently not a believer. Now we wonder how did this Jewish woman whose mother obviously was also a faithful Jew end up married to a Gentile? We say I wish the Lord had put a little parenthesis in here so we could have gotten some of these interesting details. But they are not pertinent. What is pertinent here is his mother and grandmother was Jewish believers, committed to the Old Testament truth. So they began the work of teaching Timothy in the home the Old Testament scriptures. Maybe the father didn't care, teach him what you want. But from his childhood, Timothy had the Old Testament scriptures built into him. Now Timothy did not become a believer until he was exposed to Paul's ministry of the gospel. That's why Paul calls him his child in the faith and so on. A good reminder, the foundation was laid. That's why we want to build in the Word of God to our children from the earliest ages. Our desire is that will form a foundation that God will use by His grace to prepare them someday, that they will turn from their sin and believe in the Savior. Maybe they will be a young adult like Timothy was; maybe it will be in their middle years. Some of you parents are still praying for your children. They have been raised in a godly home, they have been exposed to the truth, but to this point they still haven't believed. Part of our desire is that the Lord will take the truth that they have heard and open their eyes and bring genuine believers into their lives that might share the truth and bring these things together. Timothy was taught from childhood the scriptures, the Old Testament Word of God. Then he became exposed when Paul came to the area and preached the message of Christ and the Spirit of God opened his eyes and he believed the truth and became a follower of Jesus Christ.

So from childhood you have known the sacred writings. That was primarily the Old Testament scriptures for Timothy, because that's what they would have had in a Jewish family. And in those early days we didn't have the New Testament written as yet, of course. But the sacred writings will roll over and also be connected to the message of the gospel and what Paul taught. We'll see that as we move into this verse. You've known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads salvation. What is the foundational purpose of a religion? Basically, to bring a person into a right relationship with God, right? Why else would you be religious? And there is an innate sense because we were created in the image of God for a relationship with God, but because of sin that relationship is broken and we are separated from God by our sin. But there is that sense of guilt, there is that sense that something is wrong. We go find a group of people in what we would call a darkened place of the world that we would speak of as uncivilized for centuries but they still had some kind of religious system, some way to make things right with God, to pay some kind of penalty for their sin. Because they have a sense built into them, I'm guilty. There is a God and I have offended Him. And they create their own system. It's the scriptures that can give you the wisdom that leads to salvation. That's the heart of it all.

You know that no one can ever be saved anywhere who is not exposed to the truth of the Word of God? Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of Christ. Without hearing the Word of God, a person cannot be saved. Important you keep that in mind. There are people who think, if they have never heard they could be saved if they have the desire. Without faith it is impossible to please God, without hearing the message of God you cannot believe the Word of God and cannot be saved. The wonder of scripture is it is able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation. Now note, hearing the scripture, knowing the scripture does not save you. He does not say that the scriptures save you. We might speak that way and there is an element in that that we could say is true. But we have to be careful here. It's the scriptures that make you wise, that give you the wisdom that leads to salvation. Because many of the Jews had heard the scriptures but they were not saved. Paul is a leading example. Many people can quote Bible verses but they are not saved. The scripture gives you the wisdom, it gives you the knowledge, and it makes known to you what you must know to be saved. You must know that you are a sinner, guilty before God. You must know that you are under His condemnation as a sinner, but that He sent His Son to this earth to suffer and die to pay the penalty for your sin so that by believing in Him you could have forgiveness of sin. You'll note it gives you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. You see what happens here, the Old Testament scriptures go seamlessly into the New Testament message of Christ. It all becomes the scriptures, Old and New Testament alike. We'll go more into this in our next study as we look at the closing verses of the chapter.

Through faith which is in Christ Jesus. Now we have progressive revelation. I want to look at a few verses with you. Go back to Genesis 15, and I'm just going to pick out a few passages as examples. Verse 6, God speaking to Abraham the father of the Jews, and He gives him a promise. And we're told, then he, Abraham, believed in the Lord, and He, the Lord, reckoned it to him as righteousness. Here we are all the way back in the early chapters of Genesis. How does a person receive righteousness from God? By believing the revelation that God gives of Himself. Salvation has always been in the same way, it has always been by grace through faith in God's revelation. Now that revelation progresses, God progressively has made more and more of Himself known as He spoke through His prophets and so on.

Come over to Isaiah 53. Now you'll note, we've moved along hundreds of years since Moses penned that account of Abraham. We're getting a long way from Abraham, Moses wrote about 1500 B.C. and Abraham lived about 2000 B.C. Moses was writing the account of Abraham in Genesis 15, Abraham living about 2000 B.C. Now we're down to the days of Isaiah, we've moved along 1300-1400 years from Abraham, God revealing more of Himself. Isaiah is a great prophet; God speaks to Isaiah and gives us a fuller understanding of Himself. And note what he says. And Isaiah 53 tells us about the coming provision of a Savior. Keep in mind we are 600+ years ahead of Christ. Look at verse 5; we'll just have to break into this. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities. The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him and by His scourging we are healed. He's prophesying the coming of Christ. As is often the case, the prophets will tell what is going to happen in the future, but they'll use a past tense as though it's done. Because when God speaks it is as good as done. When God speaks about something that will happen in the future, it is just as surely going to happen as something that took place yesterday.

All of us like sheep have gone astray, there are no exceptions. There is no one here outside this boundary. When God says all, that's what He means. All means all, that's all all means. All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us; each individual person has turned aside to his own way. But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him. There is God's plan. You see the plan of salvation is revealed clearly in the Old Testament. All the sacrifices, when that Israelite brought an animal sacrifice, put his hand on the head of that animal, then it is slain, what is he saying? This animal is taking my place. I deserve to die for my sin. But it is not possible the blood of bulls and goats could take away sin. God saved them for believing in His Word. And that animal sacrifice prepared the way for the coming of the ultimate sacrifice—the Son of God, Jesus Christ. And He is the One on whom all of our sin has been placed. So Peter will say in his letter much later, He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.

Isaiah wrote it hundreds of years beforehand; the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him. He was pierced through for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquity, the chastening for our well-being fell on Him. By His scourging, His suffering and death was for us because we have gone astray. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. There is none righteous, no not one. The scripture is clear. Yet there are some people who say, I'm going to go to heaven, I've been a good person, good worker, good husband, good father. I don't do any bad things. What are we saying? God is wrong and I am right. God says all have sinned and there is none righteous. And we say, God is wrong and I am right. I don't need to be saved, I'm a good person. God says, no, you're not good, there is none good, there is none righteous. All have sinned. See, it's not an issue is the scripture clear or not. The scripture is clear. Will you believe it? That's the issue. The scripture is clear. I don't want to hear what it says.

Talk to people; say I'd like to tell you how you can be sure you are going to heaven. Oh, I'd like to know I'm going to heaven. We have to start out by saying do you know what your problem is? You're a sinner. I don't want to hear it. I thought you wanted to know how to go to heaven. Not if it means I'm a sinner. But you know that's the message. Who needs salvation? The scriptures are able to make you wise regarding the salvation that's found by faith in Christ. But who needs to be saved? Somebody comes up here and says I'm going to save you from drowning. I say, thanks, but I'm not drowning. Saved from what? Saved from your sin, its consequences, its penalty. The wages of sin is death, which includes the second death, which is separation from God for eternity in hell. The scripture is clear, it has perspicuity. It's not a matter that it's so foggy I don't know what it's saying. It couldn't be any clearer.

I was in a theological class a number of years ago at a university speaking. The professor did not believe the Bible, but invited me to represent a biblical position. He says the scripture is not clear, the Bible is not clear. Everybody has his own understanding. I said, oh, let's look and see what it says. Maybe you're right. We went to Romans and it says all have sinned. Now what is there about the word “all” you don't understand? You don't know what sin is? Let me give you some definitions of sin. To him that knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin. Sin is violation of God's commands. Yes, I know what sin is. Well then it says all have sinned. What don't you understand? I thought it was clear. Well, I don't know that I accept that. Well that's a different problem. You may choose not to believe it, but the problem is not that the scripture isn't clear. And we can go to the next step and say the penalty for sin is death. And we can go to the passages of scripture that talk about what death involves in scripture—physical death, separation of a person from his body; spiritual death, separation of a person from God; eternal death, separation from God for eternity. The wages of sin is death. Now what is there not clear about that? And on we go. People don't want to face the clarity, the clarity of God's revelation in creation, the clarity of God's revelation in His Word.

Isaiah 53:11, by His knowledge the righteous One, my Servant, will justify the many and He will bear their iniquities. Down to verse 12, yet He Himself bore the sin of many.

Come over to the New Testament, John 3. So we go from the very beginning of our Bible in Genesis, we go to the prophet Isaiah, the message is the same. We come to John, the ministry of Christ. And Jesus speaking to Nicodemus, a religious leader. But Jesus tells him in verse 3, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of heaven. Nicodemus, in your present condition you aren't going to be in the kingdom. You have to be born again. Nicodemus is confused. We come down to the most familiar verse in all the Bible, verse 16, for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. Isn't it so sad, the most familiar verse in the entire Bible, a verse that so many people could quote? They don't know another verse in the Bible, they probably know John 3:16 if they know anything at all about the Bible. Could it be any clearer? God loved the world so He gave His only begotten Son. What does that mean? He came to this earth, He suffered, and He was crucified, died, resurrected. Why? So that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.

Look at verse 18, he who believes in Him, Christ, is not judged. He who does not believe in Him has been judged already because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. I like to keep this verse handy because some people always want to bring up, judge not that you be not judged. Who are you to judge me? I want to make clear I am not in a position to judge you, but would you not agree that if there is a God, He will be the One to judge you? I don't mind being judged by God, I just don't want to be judged by you. That's fair. I just want to tell you this verse. He, who believes in Him, in Christ, is not judged. He who does not believe has been judged already. The verdict has already been handed, you are guilty, you are condemned, you are on your way to an eternal hell. Not because I say so, but because the judge has already rendered his verdict on you. He who does not believe has been judged already. I'm only telling you the sentence that the judge has passed, that the eternal God has set down. Why? Because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Verse 36, he who believes in the Son has eternal life, he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on Him. In our study of Revelation, when we get to chapter 14 we'll see the awfulness of that. And unbelieving people, it says they will experience the wrath of God mixed in full strength. That's an eternal hell. Full strength, no mercy mixed in. They will experience the wrath of God mixed in full strength. That's a terrible thing; I don't want to believe in hell, I don't like to hear about hell. I don't like it either, but it's true. We sometimes want to be like children, we don't want to know the truth, and we want to live in a pretend world. The real world is the world that God has made known. But there is salvation. I don't want to hear about hell, I don't believe a loving God could send people to hell. Why don't you believe in the real love of God? His Son died for you so you wouldn't have to go to hell. The real problem is we want God to be in our own world, but not accept the Word of God.

Romans 1:16, Paul says, for I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation. In my forty years of ministry here many people have come and sat and heard the gospel and walked out unsaved because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed. What happened to Abraham? Abraham believed God and God reckoned it to him as righteousness. Now we have a fuller, clearer revelation from God, how it's going to be done. His Son would die on the cross to pay our penalty, be raised from the dead so that when we place our faith in Him God could apply the work of Christ to our account, declare it paid in full, credit His righteousness to us. The righteous man shall live by faith.

Galatians 2:15, we are Jews by nature and not sinners from among the Gentiles. Paul is a Jew. You know what the Jews' attitude was? We are good people, we are religious people, we keep the Mosaic Law, we keep the Ten Commandments, we are not dirty sinners. The Gentiles are dirty sinners, they need to get saved. Paul says we are Jews by nature, not sinners from among the Gentiles. Did you know Jews wouldn't even eat with Gentiles? That's at the end of chapter 2, Peter got into trouble over that. You know why? Can't share the same utensils, can't sit at the same table because you'd get dirty, you'd be defiled. Nevertheless, knowing that a man is not justified, means declared righteous, by the works of the law, but through faith in Christ Jesus. Even we Jews have believed in Christ Jesus so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, since by the works of the law no flesh will be justified. Paul says I was a Pharisee of the Pharisees; I did everything I could to keep the law. I was as good at keeping the law as any human being could be. And I was lost because by the works of the law no flesh will be justified. This is one of those verses I think is sad when you reflect the light of the Word of God on the world. How many people think, I'm going to heaven, I try to keep the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments are part of the law. The Word of God is clear. You're going to stand before the judgment seat of Christ and say, I tried to keep the Ten Commandments. Yes, and you refused to believe My Word. What do you mean? I spoke clearly; I said by the works of the law no flesh will be declared righteous. Now you expect to come before Me and be declared righteous because you tried to keep the Ten Commandments? I was clear; you should have listened to what I said. The difference is heaven and hell. You should have believed what I said. That's the issue.

Galatians 3:26, for you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. The scripture is able to make you wise to salvation. The message of scripture is clear; we are not saved by our works. We are all sinners, we are under condemnation. Unless there is a change, we will spend eternity in hell. God has intervened on our behalf, that's the message of scripture from beginning to end. And when we respond in faith to what God has done, He cleanses us, He forgives us, He credits us with the righteousness that Christ provided by His death in our place.

Let's pray together. Thank you, Lord, for your Word, thank you for its clarity. Thank you for being so gracious that you have spoken to us, made yourself known in words that are understandable. And Lord, in sin we rebel against it. We are frustrated by it, we are offended by it. And the god of this world, Satan, would delight to keep us in darkness. But I pray that the light of the glory of the gospel of Jesus Christ would shine in the hearts that minds would be made wise to the salvation which is found by faith in Christ. And by your grace men, women and young people would turn from their sin and place their faith in the Savior who loved them and died for them, that they might know the power of your gospel that brings cleansing, forgiveness, new life and your righteousness. May we be careful to continue in these things. We pray in Christ's name, amen.