Sunday School Saturday, January 8, 2022

January 8, 2022; Sunday School

Service Outline & Sermon Notes

Service outline and sermon notes automatically generated from video content.

Order of Service

  • Sunday School Lesson — The Doctrine of Scripture, Week 1
  • Sermon
  • Prayer of Dismissal

Sermon Title: Why God Has Given Us Scripture

Scripture: Psalm 19

I. God Reveals Himself Through Creation (General Revelation)

A. Creation itself is a supernatural revelation of God's glory

  1. Psalm 19:1-6 — the heavens declare the glory of God; day and night pour out speech
  2. Herman Bavinck: nature in its very existence points beyond itself to a Creator; it does not exist of itself but is grounded in revelation
  3. Romans 1 — creation makes God's attributes (power, orderliness) plain, leaving all people without excuse

B. Before the Fall, Adam and Eve were perfect receivers of General Revelation

  1. They could look at creation and know God fully through what he had made
  2. Not a detail of God's self-revelation was missed

II. The Fall Created the Need for Special Revelation

A. Sin corrupted humanity's ability to receive General Revelation rightly

  1. Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter 1, Section 1: the light of nature and works of creation are not sufficient to give the knowledge of God necessary for salvation
  2. General Revelation became incomplete and ineffective for fallen creatures
  3. B.B. Warfield: the entrance of sin destroyed communion with God and obscured the knowledge derived from nature, necessitating another mode of revelation with a content adapted to the new conditions of intellect, heart, and will

B. God in his grace adapted revelation to humanity's fallen need

  1. Creation (the "book of nature") could no longer adequately communicate what sinners need
  2. Warfield: only in Eden has General Revelation been adequate to the needs of humanity
  3. Luther: fallen creatures are curved in on themselves; scripture is God's gracious means of making himself known

III. Scripture Is God's Special Revelation Suited to Our Need as Sinners

A. Psalm 19:7-11 — the psalmist shifts from creation to the law of the Lord

  1. The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul
  2. The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple
  3. The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart
  4. The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes
  5. More to be desired than gold; sweeter than honey

B. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 — Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness

  1. These benefits became necessary because of the Fall
  2. Scripture reveals God's attributes, his will, and his plan to save

C. John Calvin: God "lisps" to us in Scripture — he accommodates his revelation to our limited capacity, speaking in a manner we can understand and receive

IV. The Two Books of Revelation and Their Relationship

A. General Revelation (creation) and Special Revelation (Scripture) are both genuine revelation from God

  1. Bavinck: General Revelation includes not only the natural world but also human creativity — art, poetry, architecture — all reflecting something of God's character
  2. Special Revelation in Scripture is necessary to correctly interpret General Revelation
  3. We must use Scripture to rightly understand what God is saying through creation, so we do not mistake it for a different god's voice

B. Scripture is sufficient, clear, authoritative, and necessary

  1. Sufficient — everything needed to know God and his plan to save
  2. Clear — especially where clarity is most needed, even if some things are hard (as Peter acknowledges)
  3. Authoritative — it is God's very word
  4. Necessary — without it, fallen creatures cannot know him savingly

V. The Goal: Delighting in Scripture, Not Merely Studying It

A. Psalm 119 will anchor the series — the psalmist repeatedly expresses delight in God's word

  1. Psalm 119:7 — I will praise you with an upright heart when I learn your righteous rules
  2. Psalm 119:10 — with my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments
  3. Psalm 119:15 — I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways
  4. Psalm 119:27 — make me understand the way of your precepts, and I will meditate on your wondrous works

B. The goal is not to force Bible reading as a habit but to be drawn to Scripture

  1. Forcing a discipline only gets so far; the heart must be wooed to the word
  2. The prayer: Lord, draw my heart to you through your word
Newer Psalm 119:9-16