Matthias Lohmann: The Authority of Scripture

it's a joy to be with you all today and if I learned one thing from the last talk as we should start with prayer so let's bow for prayer Heavenly Father no one needs to hear me but we need to hear you your words give life your words change lives and so we pray that your word will do that now as we study your word as we think about your word as we meditate on it and struggle with it also I pray that you will work in our hearts and minds to be to make us willing to not just listen but to receive your word to let your word changes so we ask that your spirit will guide of my speaking and will enable our listening as we pray in the name of Jesus I mean in the year 1519 the Reformation first important disputation took place not far from here in Leipzig it took place between Johannes Eck a Roman Catholic who resided in Ingolstadt further south close to where I'm from and he was debating some of the Vita reformers he was mainly debating andreas Borden Stein who was typically just called hallstatt for the place where he came from Luther was with him but bodenstein was mainly ex opponent and they were debating all kinds of things that the Reformers had taught it on and so they were arguing about the topics of grace in free will it was a hot summer day or hot summer days and Koster didn't really do a good job she was really losing that bate and now you can imagine young Martin Luther sitting behind constant was his doctoral supervisor so he was an important man for him and yet Luther couldn't stand it any longer so at one point he took over and that the discussion shifted and it shifted really to the authority of the church Eck defended papal Authority and he quoted church fathers and Pope's and councils but then luther rose and responded said dr. Eck i have older and even more important witnesses on my site Eck was perplexed who could that be and then luther continued naming the Apostle Paul and Peter and John as his witnesses thus implying that the Bible has the ultimate and final authority in matters discussed AK had Luther way he wanted him to be and he made it known that Luther had just sided with yunho's who about a hundred years early had been condemned as a heretic for exactly that claim Luther was initially shocked but then he counted that the Council of Constance which sentence host to death could have been in error and this led him to stay that councils could and had erred as had Pope's and canon law what remained infallible with Scripture alone it is this assertion that lies behind the Latin term Sola scriptura and this became from that day on a very important really crucial foundation of all Reformation teaching this assertion really was the base for the very well-known defence Luther King two years later in 1521 at the died of warmth when he was asked to revoke his writings and teachings and he said he can't unless sore loser I'm convinced by the testimony of the Holy Scriptures or by evident reason for I can believe neither Pope nor counsels alone as it is clear that they have erred repeatedly and contradicted themselves I consider myself convicted by the testimony of Holy Scriptures which is my basis my conscience is captive to the Word of God thus I cannot and will not recant because acting against one's conscience is neither safe nor sound god help me amen well the Roman Catholic Church reacted against this foundational Reformation principle at the Council of Trent in 1546 a decree was adopted which remains official to this day in which it is claimed that divine truths cannot be found exclusively in the scriptures but rather in the conjunction of Scripture with tradition and as a head of the church the Pope is invested with authority to infallibly determine church doctrine based both on Scripture and tradition as we all know the Roman Catholic Church rejects Sola scriptura bust but sadly sadly most of Lutheran churches in Germany at least today due to they've gone probably even further in that they not just took away that alone from Scripture as the final authority but that they have given up the authority of Scripture altogether that's a church I grew up in when I never heard the gospel it took some bald people who told me when I was in my mid-twenties about the gospel after had been 26 years in the Lutheran Church never hearing anything really from the Bible that's a result of the period of enlightenment that brought biblical criticism into Protestantism and and that really caused the the human mind to be placed above the teaching of Scripture now I assume none of us is in danger of giving in to this kind of theology at least that's my hope and prayer for all of us but even in bible-believing circles probably the circles we live in the principle of Sola scriptura is often undermined some Christians place personal experience prophetic words other divine revelations on par with Scripture others and that's probably more true for some of us still stand by Sola scriptura but they hardly read their Bibles and ignore the voice which they claim to be their highest authority so I want to be very personal this morning and ask you how about you where do you look for answers for guidance for direction do you mainly rely on words of man even if they are wonderful men great teachers like RC sprawl how much attention do you give to the Bible and how do you read it who or what has the highest authority and therefore the final say in your life and to think about this and to grow in our active trust in the principle of Sola scriptura that has turned to and consider a short passage from 2nd Peter the Apostle Peter wrote this letter 2nd Peter knowing that he would soon die and so he writes to Christians in order to remind them of the things he had taught over all his life he appeals to them to walk consistently in the path of faith until one day they enter God's glory so let's turn to 2nd Peter chapter 1 the text I want to look us look at with us today is chapter 1 verses 16 to 21 and in these verses Peter explains why his testimony is trustworthy and and how it points to the source of all true knowledge we'll look at this passage in in two segments and it's very obviously breaking up into two seconds and we will first look in the verse 16 to 18 where Peter describes a very special divine experience by divine revelation he had and I'll read us verses 16 to 18 for we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty for when he received honor and glory from God the Father and the voice was born to him by the majestic glory this is my beloved son with whom I am well-pleased we ourselves heard this voice born from heaven for we were with him on the holy mountain all right at the beginning we see that Peter really wants to emphasize that what he preaches what he teaches what he writes is based on things which are very certain for we did not follow cleverly devised mirth what Peter experienced was not a man-made show like we my producer today with smoke machines Holograms special sound effects from heaven no and nor was Peter vastly exaggerating like some of us might be prone to do now Peter wanted his readers to know that the things he taught were based on certain facts he did not follow cleverly devised myths when he spoke about the coming of the Lord Jesus when when he talks about the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ Peter doesn't mean the Incarnation now he is speaking about his pending return Peter was given a foretaste of exactly this and and that's recorded in the Gospels in mark 9 and Luke 9 and maceió 17 we read about this account how Jesus took three of his disciples Peter James and John up onto a mountain that except in itself was not extraordinary he did this frequently he was true often to mountains to pray but then on that mountain suddenly a blazing bright light Jesus began to shine like the Sun and then Moses and Elijah appeared perhaps the two most important Old Testament man surely that the disciples could hardly comprehend what was going on their Lord their their Lord and Master in the midst of the top stars of the Bible Peter the supposed preacher says all the Pope was very confused he suggested that they should make three tents so that they can remain on the mountain great idea but then a cloud came and from it spoke God God Himself spoke about their friend for Lord Jesus this this is my beloved son with whom I'm well pleased yes the account goes on in the Gospels listen to him this is what Peter recounts here we ourselves heard this voice born from heaven for we were with him on the holy mountain and you see in the moment that God speaks Peter and the other apostles are now able to correctly interpret what they had experienced and so Peter backed down from his tent making project at least in hindsight Peter understood that this experience on the mountain what that really meant God had granted him a preview he was allowed to look into the future he could see Christ glorified the majestic ruler the moment later Jesus looked as he had before from there he made his way down the mountain to the cross after being killed and then resurrected he was lifted up towards heaven where he's sitting now at the right hand of the Father but one day one day he will return he will return in glory and this is what Peter got a brief preview of now friends what is your reaction if you hear the account of Jesus Transfiguration would you have liked to be part of the group on the mountain would you like to have an experience like that I know many Christians who would love to have that I recently talked to young lady in our church who came to me after services that mattias so my friends go to a different church more charismatic and you know they have great experiences with God there are very special revelations and some just great stuff going on I'm just wondering if something that's wrong with me something that's wrong with my face I don't I don't have that well I took Christina I took her to this passage and I pointed out to her that Peter had a great experience but it didn't do him much good he wanted to build tents and I think that's what what much of what I'm hearing about special revelation Willa leads to my friends what we really need is a God who speaks a God who helps us to interpret all things and God has spoken and we do well to listen to him I find it interesting how Peter continues he recounts his experience up on the mountain and then as he goes on he doesn't call his readers to strive for such experiences no and instead Peter points us to a truly dependable source of true knowledge of deep inside and that's what we see in the second part of this passage I read verse 19 and falling and we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts knowing this first of all that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation for no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit when Peter talks to you about the prophetic word it's just another expression for all of Scripture and we see that in verse 20 way actually calls us Scripture Peter explains that the things he experienced on the mountain strengthened his trust in the Bible what he experienced helped him to see how that corresponds with what the Bible promises and so his experience led him to take the Scriptures more seriously and so he teaches that we do well to pay attention to the word not personal experiences but razza scripture is a quintessential source of knowledge of deep insight and we should pay attention to this prophetic word for this a lamp shining in a dark place without this knowledge without this light people Grob about and in the dark and this darkness is so far-reaching that we don't only like a few pointers in life rather we we don't even ask right questions and we need to light from God's Word to know very fundamentally where we are where we have come from why we are here and where we are going only through his word God helps us to understand that we are made by him that we were made in him in His image and that we were made in order to reflect to all of creation some of God's glory but because of the fall we are all by nature act contrary to this purpose so we deservedly stand on stand on God's judgment and through his word God helps us to to understand our predicament and through his word the Lord shows us how to be from this plight for this purpose he sent His Son Jesus Christ who himself declared I am the light of the world whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of Life and so he came in fulfillment of all testament prophecies just as God had announced it in his word he would first die and then be raised victoriously over death and the devil in God's Word sheds light into the future and that it tells us little Lord who is sent to heaven will one day come back to judge the living of the dead he is the morning star which will rise up one day and then all will be bright then all darkness will disappear and we will be part of this light if if we pay attention to God's Word and listen to it as it points the way to this light to this glory and that's the great truths that the Reformers really rediscovered that we are saved by grace alone through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ alone and we'll find only forgiveness as we come to him as we trust in him as we put our certain hope in him who one day will reappear in glory different is that your hope do you trust in this Lord and Savior in the one who is the light of the world now I assume in a conference like this you all do but just in case you are here today you came along to a trip and you don't can I invite you to take this book and just start reading it and to allow God to bring true light into your life I bet you'd do that that's path to glory and so only path it's the only authority that will tell you how you will be able to live for all eternity reconciled with a holy God if all of us Christians we we do well to pay attention to the scriptures as to a lamp shining in a dark place this light guides us as we are on our path as we are making our way through this world to glory for even once we have understood the existential life questions and if found orientation in life once we have understood the gospel and have the certain hope we still need daily direction for our lives because we live in a dark world and we're often in situations that require light so we all have questions because we live in this dark world young people might ask whom should I get into this relationship whom should I marry where and what should I study or should I study at all which job should I take should I make this move is this real right Korea pass how do I raise my children how do I care for my old parents how do I prepare for my own retirement how do I spend it what should I spend my money on and and where should I invest my time we all have questions and we'll all seek answers and every now and then I hear from good Christians that they wait for the Lord but he should show them what they should do well that's good I just got into the habit of asking how how do you think he will and for some people that means they just wait and wait and wait and they will always wait I think that's especially true for the younger generation today for others there are so much children of their time that they that they grasp onto something that must be the decisive factor because we need quick and easy answers I love instead of Ligonier God would open a Twitter account we will all be followers would shake daily if God had posted something on Facebook that would be so convenient France I have great news God has posted in the Facebook here we find all the answers we really need the Bible doesn't necessarily give us all the detailed concrete answer but it gives us principles which enable us to make decisions ourselves and that's liberating so is Ward God sets us free enables us to to make reasonable decisions within the boundaries set by Scripture as a pastor I'm often being asked for advice and I assume some of you mature Christians get this question too since we all are supposed to teach one another one question I often get in our young young congregation is should I get married to this girl you might get different questions but you trust you know where I'm getting with it I'm going with that one way I could answer this question is she's a nice girl yeah I think you should or I could say well let's think about everything that's wrong with her I think you shouldn't that's not good that's not the kind of advice we should give as Christians we should we should bring people to the one with true authority and say well let's open the Bible and think about this and in our day and age we might need to start with pointing up that marriage is between one man and one woman and then we might need to go on and talk about some other things the Bible teaches if if the person asking is a believer you should only get married to a believer the Bible tells you so and and so we can go on and and help someone to to discover the the answers the Word of God gives and was there to get answers that have authority that's a good and humble thing just to seek advice but make sure that God's Word is the ultimate source of wisdom both of the wisdom you share and the wisdom you'll receive because God's wisdom is superior and it has more authority than the opinion of mere man now some people like the opinion of men make no mistake some people like that a lot and they would like to listen to your advice and they will heat it if they like it they will ultimately reserve the right to have the last say in France I think this might be the reason why so much contemporary preaching is filled with storytelling and with some self-help advice but with so little biblical authority because it leaves the listener with ultimate authority but it also leaves the listeners with no solid ground to stand on it leaves us with little light to find our way through life we need this light this lamp shining light into our lives God's Word is a slam that shines in a dark place ma Luther was committed to let this light shine brightly into the lives of his listeners very unlike most other preachers of his day he did not quote theologians and scholars nor did he share his own personal wisdom Luther once wrote the pastor must be sure that God speaks through his mouth otherwise it is time for him to be quiet if I can dare to say something as forceful as Luther would typically do I would have done I wish many so-called ministers in my own land would he'd lose his advice and either be quiet while return to a new confidence in authority in the power of the Bible alone Luther preached the Bible mostly consecutively but just preaching the books of the Bible explaining and applying the text verse by verse to use it the image from the Apostle Peter ludus Luther switched on the lamp so that it could shine in a dark place and friends for a while Wittenberg was a lamb stead for a while from here light went out into all the world today Wittenberg is a dark place I spoke to some Christians yesterday here in town they told me that only 10% of those living here would even profess to be Christians now in Germany today still 55% do but probably only 1% really believes anything that has to do with the gospel and it's probably less Ian Wittenberg as you may one of those treats today or tomorrow you might be here to shed some light into this dark City into the city that brought light into the world back five or eight years ago Ahlan and preachers and all of us really who are called to speak God's Word to one another and to others we do well to learn from Luther that's not just true for for most preaching here in Germany I think that's true for all of us sermons in in every sort of teaching should not be about giving us simple ready-made answers but that should rather help us to listen to God himself so a good sermon is a sermon that helps you to understand the passage that was preached better and I hope you all agree with that a good sermon will just help you to understand God's Word better and then I would encourage all of us who listen to God's Word being being preached to allow this word to take root in our hearts and minds let's dwell on it we just heard it meditate on it it can be very beneficial not just to listen to the word but then to discuss it with others may encourage you to well yeah use the brakes to look at the book tables but use the lunch break or the dinner break to talk to one another about what you have heard today and how it might impact your life how you might allow challenges that came to change your life how some words encouraged you on your path and then pray for one another that God's Word will indeed do what God has sent it to do if a sermon should seem to have little or no relation to your current life and that happens you should still receive the teaching for you never know when you might need it don't begin to look for the shining lamp once you are in the dark equip yourself now with the light so that the light might give you direction when you need it I like to illustrate that with with taking you for a moment and don't be afraid into my bedroom so our bedroom is good German house build a bit too strange we we have a light right when you come into the door but then I need to walk around all the way to get into my bed so sometimes I just switch off the light and then I try to find my way and that sometimes has resolved that at one point it makes a loud bang and then my wife hears me cry out I fear many of us use God's word like that oh that's not relevant from yet I don't need to think about it bang ah sometimes I get smart sometimes I use the light before I turn it off to get guidance for what it lies ahead and then I turn off the light and then I kind of walk safely even when it gets dark that's what God's Word does let it shine light into your life listen daily to God's Word because it is the one true source of light for your life the last two verses of our text verses 20 and 21 explain why the words in the Bible are so much more trustworthy than mere words of men so Peter writes knowing this first of all that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation for no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit friends friends these words are powerful what is written in the scriptures what is written in the Bible is fully in holy God's own word people spoke and wrote it but it wasn't their own interpretation of some experience with God they were not just some writers who felt inspired they were men carried along by the Holy Spirit so that they wrote with their own words exactly what God wanted to say I don't live for a moment I'm right now I'm in my quiet times I'm reading second Chronicles sometimes I need to remind myself wait this is not just a holy exercise I'm doing in the morning it's God speaking to me God has given me these words because it is important for me to know it God doesn't waste his words dwell on that God speaks to you to bring life into your life please bring light into your life over it friends because this is God's Word the authority of this book is so much greater than the authority of councils or Pope's or any other persons God must always have the final say when God speaks we'd better listen and how you read the Bible determines what you get out of it what it does with you the other great reformer John Calvin teaches us as follows and I quote from his commentary on this particular passage first Peter 2nd Peter chapter 1 verse 20 thou will never come well prepared to read it except thou bring us the reverence obedience and teachability but a just reverence then only exists when we are convinced that God speaks to us and not mortal man difference I would like to invite you to surrender the old ultimate authority of your life to God listen to the preached Word of God with reverence was a teachable heart and with a willingness to obey it read the Bible with an attitude of expectancy that God will speak with you as you read it study the Bible so that you may know what he wants you to do where he wants you to go how to navigate life until he leads you safely home I would like to conclude with a few personal words as someone who ministers here in Germany today and I would like to ask you Americans especially to pray for Luthor's Germany those of you who travel around was a Ligonier tours and trust we'll have a great time or you had a great time if your has come to an end I'll pray as you as you see the sights as you walk through the streets pray that God may raise up a new generation of preachers who are deeply convinced of the supreme authority of the Bible pray for pastors will make it their life's task to teach and preach God's Word which alone is life giving a life transforming and pray that God will use his word to again switch on the light here in Wittenberg in Germany in Western Europe and in your own hearts in your own country let me pray Heavenly Father thank you that you are a God who is not distant who has not kept us in the dark thank you that you have spoken to us through the writings of Old Testament that you prepared man for the coming of your son thank you that you sent your one beloved son into this world as a true light thank you that he came to live and teach and then to die and that he rose him and that he is at your right hand side and we thank you that we have the certain promise that one day he will come back to judge the living and the dead and to lead all of us who trust in him to glory while we pray for the time in-between help us to be people who are deeply dwelling on your word who drained from the fountain of your word every day I may your word change all odds give us reverence to listen give us teachable heart hearts and give us a willingness to obey and lord I pray for this country I pray for all the churches represented here in this room and I pray for all of us individually that the light of your word might shine brightly and will go out from us to the ends of the earth and so we pray in Jesus name Amen

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Length: 42min 4sec (2524 seconds)

Published: Thu Sep 07 2017