Friday, October 06, 2017

"Scripture Alone" Sermon: Luke 16:19-31



“Scripture Alone”
[Luke 16:19-31]
October 1, 2017, Second Reformed Church
            Over the next six weeks, if the Lord wills, I will preach on the five solas of the Reformation:  Scripture alone, Christ alone, faith alone, grace alone, and to the glory of God alone.
            The beginning of the Reformation is marked as October 31, 1517, when the Augustinian monk, Martin Luther, nailed his “95 Theses” to the church door at Wittenberg.   Martin Luther was a monk, preacher, and scholar, and in the tradition of the day, Luther posted a list of points he wanted to debate with other scholars – it was written in Latin, not German – so the common folk could not have read it.  Martin Luther had concerns about some of the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church, and he wanted to discuss these things, not divide the church.
            However, the leadership of the church did not care to be questioned, and as someone translated Luther’s questions into German and then printed and distributed them, the public became enflamed with the idea of re-forming the church according to what the Scripture alone teaches.
            This year is the five hundredth anniversary of Luther posting his theses, and in honor of that, we will look at these five major themes of Reformation theology, or teaching.
            We begin with the very foundational idea of “Scripture alone” – over against the Roman Catholic Church that taught and teaches – Scripture plus other things.
            The place of agreement between the Roman Catholic Church and Protestant denominations (such as ours) is found in the belief – the understanding –  that the Scripture is “inspired” or “breathed out” by God.
            As Paul writes, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (II Timothy 3:16-17, ESV).
And Peter writes, “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 borne to him by the Majestic Glory, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,’ we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. 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” (II Peter 1:16-21, ESV).
The Roman Catholic Church and those who began Protestantism agreed, as we see Peter and Paul write, the Scripture is the very Word of God.  God inspires – breathes out – the Scripture.  The Scripture is not something that someone just made up or based on things about God.  No, the Scripture – the Word of God – was written down by humans, but God, the Holy Spirit, guided the writing of the Word of God so that it was written without any errors of fact.
            The disagreement comes in the question of the authority of the Scripture.  Does the Scripture alone – all by itself – have everything a person needs to know to be made right with God – how to be saved – and how to live after being made right with God, or, is the Scripture not enough – must other opinions and documents be added as equal authorities to the Scripture to proclaim the message of the Gospel and have it be understood to salvation and life?
            The Roman Catholic Church said and reaffirmed in the Council of Trent, that it “adher[es] to the doctrine of the holy Scriptures, to the apostolic traditions, and to the consent of other councils and of the Fathers,” (http://www.thecounciloftrent.com/ch7.htm).
            Understand, Protestants look to other humans and human writings to help us understand the Scripture, but we affirm that the only authority with regards to salvation is the Bible – the Word of God – itself – only and alone.  The Scripture alone is the ultimate authority with no other alongside of it.
            The Roman Catholic Church affirms that the Scripture is not enough to save a person – one must also embrace the teaching of the traditions, the councils, and the Fathers.
            Martin Luther – and Protestants since – explains that the problem is that humans err – humans make mistakes – humans purposely obscure the truth for their own purposes.  Human documents cannot be relied upon to be without error, only the Word of God can be relied upon to be without error.
            What does Paul tells us?
“For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
            “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?” (Romans 10:12-14, ESV).
            How do people come to believe that Jesus is the One God and Promised Savior?  Through hearing the Word of God – the Scripture – alone – preached.
            The writing of humans do not and cannot have the authority of the Scripture.
            So, here is what you need to remember this morning:  the Scripture alone – God’s Word alone – has the authority to tell us God’s way of salvation and how it is accomplished.
The Scripture alone – God’s Word alone – has the authority to tell us God’s way of salvation and how it is accomplished.
Anyone who says otherwise goes against sound reason and the Word of God itself.
Now, let us look at our text:
            Jesus is finishing a section of preaching in Luke where He condemns the wrong use of possessions.  And Jesus tells this story:
“There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side.”
This is a story of two men:
The first man is filthy rich – in the worst sense of the expression – he was a pompous peacock – he spent untold riches on purple – a rare and expensive dye – wearing it as though he was royalty, strutting around in his fine linen, feasting every day – not just during a celebration – no – eating and eating because he had the money to do so.  And everyone knew his name – except for us.
At the gate of the rich man’s house lay a beggar named Lazarus, whose name means, “God has helped me.”  Lazarus is not only poor, he is sick, covered with sores, and the wild dogs lick the oozing sores on his body day after day, as the rich man walks past Lazarus and never even considers giving him the food that fell on the floor under his table.  The rich man shows no concern for Lazarus, whom he practically has to fall over every day.
Lazarus dies and the angels come for him and bring his soul to the bosom of Abraham – Lazarus is brought into the sweet felicity of the Father of the Jews – a fellow believer in the Savior Who was to come.  And while Lazarus’ body is likely thrown off into a corner to decompose until Jesus raises it from the dead, Lazarus in his soul is received into the joy of his salvation, because God helped him.
The rich man also dies and is buried, and his soul goes to the torment of Hades.
What a difference:  the rich man was “all that” in his life – or at least he thought he was – but it is Lazarus whose name is remembered, and it is Lazarus who is brought into salvation and eternal joy.
Next, we see there is no mercy after death.
“And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’”
Notice, after death, our bodies wait in the grave for the resurrection, but our souls go to Paradise or Hell.  After death, we live and know what is going on and experience joy or suffering – depending on where we are.  Our souls are not asleep or in a void or unconscious – when we die, we are still alive, conscious and experiencing.
Lazarus is with Father Abraham in peace and joy and comfort, while the rich man is in the place of suffering and torment and anguish.  And the rich man has the hutzpah to call over to Father Abraham and ask him to send Lazarus to him with a drop of water on his finger to ease his burning torment.
And we might think, “Well, we are to do good things and help people – the Scripture tells us to give the thirsty a drink of water.”  In this life, that is true – after death it is not.  As the author of Hebrews tells us:  “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,” (Hebrews 9:27, ESV).  Mercy, which is a gift, is not given after death.
Remember, Jesus is addressing those who misuse their possessions.
And Father Abraham tells the rich man, “no.”
Father Abraham says, “You received what you thought was good in your lifetime; Lazarus received the bad.  Now, Lazarus is in comfort and glory, but you are in anguish.  And there is no way to bridge the chasm between Paradise and Hades after death.”  Once you’re dead, you are judged and received into the place you wanted to be.  It is in this life that you secure your everlasting repose.
Second, we see that Scripture alone has the authority to proclaim the way to salvation.
“And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house— for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’”
The rich man has five brothers, who he understands to be on the same road to torment that brought him to Hell, so he asks Father Abraham to send Lazarus back to tell his brothers the way to salvation and eternal rest.
What’s the implication?
“If I had only known the way of salvation, I would not be here.   If someone had told me – if it was even written down somewhere.  My brothers have no idea that the way they are living and what they believe is wrong.  Send Lazarus to tell them.”
“No.  They have Moses and the Prophets.  They have the Scripture.”
Notice, Abraham did not say, well, they could always buy a Bible and read it, or go to church and hear the Gospel preached.  No, Abraham said his brothers have the Scripture.  Whether they personally had copies of the Scripture, or whether they worshiped and heard them preached, the brothers already heard the Scripture.  They had received the only authoritative Word concerning salvation.  They don’t need it given to them, they have it – they just have not believed.  They have – at that point, anyway – rejected it.
We know people, don’t we, who grow up in the church, hear the Word of God preached, hear the Gospel presented as the Only Way to salvation, and they rejected or just ignore it.
Paul writes:
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things” (Romans 1:18-23, ESV).
“I didn’t know,” is not an excuse, and these men, we are told, know – they had heard – the Scripture – and the way to salvation preached.  The Word of God – the Scripture – is the means to salvation – and they heard it.
Third, we see that if we don’t believe the authority and the truth of the Scripture alone, no additions to it will cause us to believe.
“And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead’”
And the rich man tells Father Abraham that the Scripture is not enough – but, if it is accompanied by miracles – if someone were to rise from the dead and give the message of the Scripture to them – then it would be believable.
The other Lazarus rose from the death and proclaimed what the Scriptures teaches – that Jesus is God and Savior, the Only Way to salvation – and did the people all fall on their knees and repent and believe the Scripture?  No, they sought ways to kill him.
Jesus rose from the dead and proclaimed the securing of the salvation of the people of God – and did the Pharisees who sent Him to His death repent and believe the Scripture?  No, they sought ways to kill Him.
Sending someone back from the dead to give the message of salvation that they already have in the Scripture will not help.  Adding anything to the Scripture implies that the Scripture is not enough.  Adding something to the Scripture makes the Scripture less than authoritative.  If we give equal authority to any act or document, it makes the Scripture less than authoritative.
If we make the spandex choir dancers as authoritative as the Scripture, the Scripture is not enough.
If we make the clown ministers for the sacraments as authoritative as the Scripture, the Scripture is not enough.
If we put anything or anyone on the same level of authority with the Scripture, the Scripture is not enough.
Father Abraham is telling the rich man, if you have the Scripture, if you have the Scripture, if you have the Scripture, and absolutely nothing else in the world – if you are a Lazarus – you will have everything you need for salvation.  Nothing else is needed, and claiming anything else has equal authority to it demeans it.
As we are taught in our Belgic Confession:
Article 7: The Sufficiency of Scripture
We believe
that this Holy Scripture contains
the will of God completely
and that everything one must believe
to be saved
is sufficiently taught in it.
For since the entire manner of service
which God requires of us
is described in it at great length,
no one—
even an apostle
or an angel from heaven,
as Paul says—2
ought to teach other than
what the Holy Scriptures have
already taught us.
For since it is forbidden
to add to the Word of God,
or take anything away from it,3
it is plainly demonstrated
that the teaching is perfect
and complete in all respects.
Therefore we must not consider human writings—
no matter how holy their authors may have been—
equal to the divine writings;
nor may we put custom,
nor the majority,
nor age,
nor the passage of times or persons,
nor councils, decrees, or official decisions
above the truth of God,
for truth is above everything else.
For all human beings are liars by nature
and more vain than vanity itself.
Therefore we reject with all our hearts
everything that does not agree
with this infallible rule,
as we are taught to do by the apostles
when they say,
“Test the spirits
to see whether they are from God,”4
and also,
“Do not receive into the house
or welcome anyone
who comes to you
and does not bring this teaching.”5
2Gal. 1:8
3Deut. 12:32; Rev. 22:18-19
41 John 4:1
There are people in our denomination who are arguing that the Scripture is not the ultimate authority.  They are saying that science and psychology have taught us that the Scripture is wrong about this issue and that issue – we must come up to date – we must be contemporary – we must change the Word of God, we must blot out sections of the Word of God, we must show the truth that the Scripture is less reliable that modern thought.  Then it’s not even the Word of God, is it?
The Scripture alone – God’s Word alone – has the authority to tell us God’s way of salvation and how it is accomplished. 
Denominations make mistakes.  Synods make mistakes.  Pastors make mistakes.  Councils make mistakes.  Popes make mistakes.
The Scripture has no mistakes.  It is the only Word that is of Divine origin – it is inspired – God-breathed.  And that makes it the ultimate authority concerning salvation and life.  The Scripture alone.
Let us pray:
Almighty God, we are quick to run after popular ideas and marketing strategies and want to have living people before us to tell us what we should believe and how we should live, but we are slow to pick up our Bibles or to come and hear Your Word.  Forgive us for being poor examples.  Forgive us for giving anything equal authority with the Scriptures.  Send the Holy Spirit to convict us of the authority of the Scripture and to help us to hear it and understand what You have said regarding salvation and life.  May we submit to You through what You have said and quickly send away any who would say anything contrary to Your Word or to attempt to add to Your Word.  For it is in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

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