Our sermon text for today is out of the letter of 2 Peter 1, verses 19 through 21. We're taking a break, as I mentioned earlier, taking a break from Exodus. I think you've made good movement into the book. But for the next month, we'll take a break and we'll consider the five solas of the Reformation. So turn your attention to our text, 2 Peter 1, verses 19 through 21, with me. And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in the 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 man spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." So today we're starting this series on the Protestant Reformation. You can know what the Protestant Reformation was about simply by considering its name. It was a protest that sought to reshape the Roman Catholic Church. That was the initial plan. What began in 1517 as an attempt to dialogue with the church by an Augustinian monk by the name of Martin Luther, eventually became one of the most impactful movements the world has ever known. For over a thousand years, the Word of God was obscured from the common man. The Dark Ages, as they have been called, were indeed dark because the word of this book became unaccessible. to the common man and only accessible to the scholar and to the clergy who knew a language that had become dead, known as Latin. That was the only translation authorized and available. But the model of the Reformation is post-Tenebrous Lux, after darkness, light. Light came as the Word of God was recovered and once again made accessible for all. The teachings of the Reformation can be summarized with the five solas. The word sola means alone. And these solas were things that were held broadly in Christendom. But the Reformers were willing to say that these things alone supported the Christian faith. While the Roman Catholic Church taught a system of faith and works, grace and sacraments, scripture and tradition, Christ and saints, God and men, the Reformers stood on the affirmation that scripture alone is our rule and authority for faith and practice. And that faith alone, in Christ alone, saves us through grace alone. And all of these things are for the glory of God alone. Today we'll concentrate on the first of these solas. Sola Scriptura or Scripture alone. The recovery of the Bible as the source of authority over the church was perhaps the most foundational aspect of the Reformation. Not tradition, not popes, not the will of men, but the Word of God shapes the church. The Bible is an incredible book. It's the most printed and sold book in the history of humanity. Translated in whole or in part into more than 3,000 languages. Western culture, morality, legal systems, all have been shaped by the Bible. It's by far the most read book in the world. But it's also the most banned and burned book in the world. It's a book that unites the church, but divides us from those who are not us. It is a sure foundation for the lives of those who believe in it. And it is the enemy for those who reject the power and the supremacy of God. The Bible is not simply basic instructions before leaving earth. There's nothing basic about the Bible. The Bible is not just for our preparation to leave this planet. The Bible shapes our lives, our worldview, our religion, our faith, and it regulates the way we live and relate to God. It creates a standard for truth and falsehood. It is our sole source of infallible information on who God is and what He has done for us. So, is the Word of God important? It is. It is so important, it far surpasses things we often think are of supreme importance. And as we turn to our text in 2 Peter today, we're going to see that Peter is concerned that the Word of God is received as the supreme authority by those he shepherds. Today, I'm not mounting an attack. on other beliefs and understand or rejections of the Bible. I'm actually mounting a defense. I want to defend the Protestant doctrine of biblical authority. It's a doctrine that perhaps you don't embrace. You don't hold. Perhaps you recognize that the Bible is a great book. but you don't build your life on it. My goal today is to help you see that if you don't build your life on the foundation of the Word of God, you should have no confidence when you're called to stand before God. But if you do, you should have great confidence that you built a life on a sure foundation. This is a doctrine that perhaps you grew up with. Perhaps you've gone to a church and perhaps you weren't taught the Protestant doctrine of biblical authority. But it was everywhere. You weren't taught that the Bible is the Word of God. You weren't taught that the Bible is a sure foundation. And that is great. Praise God if you've lived your life on the foundation of the Word of God, even if you have not considered the Word of God. in light of the Protestant doctrine of biblical authority. But today I want to clarify this authority so that we may defend the Word that shapes and saturates all that we do. So here's my main idea for today. Okay, I want you to walk away with this in your mind. The Bible, not experience or tradition, is God's authoritative Word for our lives. Bible alone, not traditions or experiences, is God's authoritative word for our lives. So as we turn to 2 Peter, we'll see three truths from this text. Scripture is greater than experience. We'll also see that Scripture is greater than tradition. And then we'll see that Scripture comes from God. So consider first, Scripture is greater than experience. We're kind of parachuting into this second letter of Peter. Peter was an apostle, but he was also a pastor. One of the greatest pastors the church has ever known. In 1 Peter, he refers to himself as an elder. By the way, All of the apostles who wrote portions of the Bible did as well, Paul and John. In 2 Peter, he reveals his tender, loving, caring, pastoral heart. A little bit of context of the context of 2 Peter. 2 Peter is a general letter, a general epistle, meaning it wasn't written to a specific church, or person, or group of people. In 1 Peter, in verse 1, Peter says, 2 Peter 1, In other words, He wrote this letter to us. We have the same faith as Him. And so, 2 Peter was written directly to us. And since He is writing to those in the faith, He encourages those in the faith not to stay stagnant, but to grow in Christian virtue. How? By becoming partakers of the divine nature. In other words, by being united with Christ. He knows His time is drawing near, so He says in verse 13, I think it right as long as I am in this body to stir you up by way of reminder, since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon." In other words, I'll die soon. "...as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things." So Peter goes to stir up the church to remain faithful to Christ once he departs by providing something to remind the church of these things. Now, let me ask you this question. Peter wants to stir up the church, right? It means that positively. He wants the church to be alive and well. When you think of a church that is alive, vibrant, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? What makes a church vibrant? Is it a full auditorium? Powerful music? A robust student ministry? A great nursery? Activities, outreach. Now, as important as these things are, none of these things are in Peter's mind as that which he needed to leave behind for the church. Peter doesn't establish ministries. For Peter, what the church needed more than anything was to see God's Word in its full authority. Look at verse 19. He says, And we have the prophetic word, prophetic writings, talking about that which has been written down, more fully confirmed. Now, if anyone had an experience that had stirred up his heart, it was Peter himself. Peter, along with James and John, were there when Jesus was transfigured. And he saw for himself Jesus, Moses, and Elijah planning Jesus' exodus. So going back a little bit, still in the context, in verse 16, Peter says this, 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 we received honor and glory, that's His transfiguration, from God the Father and the voice was born to him by the majestic glory. This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. We ourselves heard this very voice born from heaven for we were with him on the holy mountain." I mean, what an experience. No one knew experience like Peter. Not only was he one of the 12 disciples, he was part of Jesus's inner circle with James and John. He saw things other disciples didn't see. Little girls being raised from the dead. Miracles so powerful, most of us, perhaps all of us, will never get to witness. Most importantly, he saw the risen Christ. Not only as a testimony, along with 500 others after his resurrection, but in his transfiguration. He saw Jesus' body glorified, along with Moses and Elijah. Peter was so awestruck, he didn't know what to do. So he suggested, let's build some tents and be here forever. You know what Peter saw? Peter saw the new creation. That's what he saw. I mean, this was the experience to end all experiences. But even in light of this experience, even in light of his own experience, even in light of these things that built his faith and trust, what does Peter say the church needs? Peter doesn't want his sheep to think that they need that same experience in order to know God reliably. Why? Because even though Peter experienced incredible things, the Word of God is more reliable than experience. Look again at verse 19. After he describes his experience, In witnessing the transfiguration of Christ, he says, and we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed. So, in other words, Peter is saying there is experience, and then there is the Word of God. The latter is greater than the former. Both are true, and both can be helpful, but experience is Fallible. But the Word of God never fails. All flesh is like grass. Peter himself says in 1 Peter, quoting the prophet Isaiah, in all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers. What is grass? Experience. We see it. We touch it. We smell it. The grass withers. The flower falls." Experience. But it's a contrasting experience now. The Word of the Lord remains forever. This message is not an anti-experience message. Experience is an important aspect of the Christian life. But experience is like a train car led by an engine called knowledge. We live in an age when experience is at times wrongly prioritized. You may be asked the question, how did you feel at church today? Well, I'm not saying this is not an important question, but that's not the foundational question. The first question must deal with what you have come to know. One of my former fellow elders at another church was reporting on a church, on a membership interview he had conducted to the other elders. The person had told him that they had heard God say something audibly to him. So he asked, how do you know the voice was from God and not from Satan? Now, I find that a little harsh. But the purpose of his question was rights. How do you know your experience is true? How do you know your emotions are rights? Jonah was at peace, disobeying God. Judah betrayed Jesus with a kiss. How do you know your feelings are from God? I'm not saying you can't know these things, but the question is, how do you know? When we prioritize experience over the Word, we make ourselves the arbiters of truth. I know because I've experienced it. Have you ever been mistaken about an experience? So this is why Peter says, once again, in verse 19, we have the prophetic Word more fully confirmed. Why? Because experiences are wonderful. But they can be right or wrong. We have the prophetic word more fully confirmed to which you will do well to pay attention as a lamp shining in a place, in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. The Word of God sheds light in our experiences. That's how we know. Okay? We know our experiences are true when they can be confirmed by the Word of God. So, Peter is saying, you do well in filtering your life, your experiences through the Word of God. Peter is alluding to Psalm 119 verse 105. Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. Experiences can be confusing because apart from the Word of God, it's hard to discern if they're from God. Experiences can be worse, misleading, because we can mistake excitement for transformation. Therefore, when we experience things in life, we look to the Word of God to interpret our experiences. We need the Word of God to shed light into our confusion. So what does that mean for us? That means we must be deeply shaped and saturated by the Word of God. Yes, in our gatherings. We come to church, we have experiences, don't we? Maybe you... You are having an experience right now. Maybe you have an experience earlier as we're singing together, or as we're praying, or as we were reading the Word of God. These are wonderful experiences. But we must develop a taste for the Word of God, that if we only had the Word of God, we should say that it's sufficient. We must develop a taste for the Word of God that by merely reading, praying, singing, preaching, and observing it, we might find ourselves satisfied. Fog machines or incense, purple lights or stained glass windows, pianos and violins or drums and guitars, buildings, pulpits, pews, You touch them, you feel them, you hear them. These are experiences. Strip everything away. Can you still worship God? Is the Word of God what leads you to worship God? Brothers and sisters, we can worship God. Even if we lost everything we have. Because the grass withers and the flower fades. But the Word of God remains forever. But not only is Scripture superior to experience. Scripture is also greater than tradition. So consider my second point. Scripture is greater than tradition. Now, Scripture can be undermined by experience, but the authority of Scripture can also be undermined by human traditions. This was at the heart of the Protestant Reformation. Tradition is a wonderful thing. Traditions keep us from doing everything new every time. Traditions help us with efficiency, with productivity, with familiarity. Imagine if you didn't have a traditional way to say, tie your shoe. And every time you tied your shoe, you had to tie it differently. That would be hard, wouldn't it? I mean, how many ways can you tie a shoe? That's what a complete abandonment of tradition gives us. So like experience, tradition has an important role to play in our faith, in our religion, in our church. Tradition has given us important words like trinity, atonement. Tradition brings us in fellowship with other like-minded believers. But tradition cannot be the determinative authority over us. In other words, we don't do what we do because of any kind of human structure or of power or authority. We don't do what we do simply because we've always done it this way or because someone has told us it must be done this way. It is not human authority that establishes that is supreme over us. But you may say, wait a second, Pastor Lucas. Doesn't the Bible tell us to submit to some human authorities, governing authorities, elders, wives to husbands, children to parents? And the answer is yes. The Bible tells us to do these things. You see? I'm not saying that we should reject all authority. But we should look to the Bible to understand what is godly, God-ordered authority. The reason why we place ourselves under human authority is because we first put ourselves under biblical authority. In verse 20, Peter says, knowing this, first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. What is Peter saying? Well, let me say first what... Let me say what he's not saying first. Peter is not saying that we should not interpret the Bible. That when we look at Scripture, we shouldn't try to understand what it's saying. No, we should read the Bible and seek to understand what it's saying. So what is Peter saying? Well, Peter is saying that the authority to determine the right interpretation of the Bible does not belong to men. The authority to understand the right interpretation of the Bible does not belong to men. This flies in the face of historical and current Catholic teaching. Historically, the Roman Catholic Church has discouraged its members from reading and interpreting the Bible even devotionally. It wasn't until the 1960s, during Vatican II, that the Catholic Church initially began to encourage its members to actually read the Bible. It was then that the Bible was actually made access in the vernacular, in the language of the people. But has that changed? Has the Catholic Church now given the people the ability to read scripture for themselves? and come to their own understanding and conclusion? No. By no means. Still today, the ability to interpret the Bible is not made available to the ordinary Roman Catholic. Listen to what the current Catechism of the Catholic Church says about biblical interpretation in Answer 100. The task of interpreting the Word of God authentically has been entrusted solely to the magisterium of the church, that is, to the Pope and to the bishops in communion with him. In other words, if you're Catholic and you want to read Scripture, you're welcome to. But if you want to actually figure out what it's saying, no, you can't do that. That belongs to the men of the cloth, to the Pope, and to his bishops." Brothers and sisters, there is a reason why God has given us this book. It's so that we could have access to His Word. We have free access to the Word of God, and we need no priests or popes to tell us what it says. The interpretation of the Word of God belongs not to men. Peter himself says in his other letter, but you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood. What's Peter saying? You don't need a priest. You are the priest. You don't need someone to tell us you must interpret Scripture in this way because you have been made a priest in God's holy nation. You can open up the Bible, study it, and understand it. We don't reject the importance and influence of tradition. If you ever come with an interpretation of Scripture that no one has ever thought about, well, be careful. You're likely wrong. Rely on historical interpretations, but rely on them as guardrails. but not as the final authority of Scripture. William Tyndale was an early reformer. He really was part of the pre-reformation. He understood that the Word of God was for the people of God. He understood that at a time when this idea was dangerous. He had become convinced that the Word of God had to become accessible to England, not just to popes and bishops, So he carefully translated the Bible into the English language. Tyndale, who suffered significantly for this and was persecuted for doing such a thing, once said, I defy the Pope and all his laws, and if God spare my life or many years, I will cause a boy that driveth the plow to know more of the scripture than thou dost. Tyndale eventually died for these convictions. But today you and I, boys who drive plows, you and I know that no one owns the real estate on biblical interpretation. Pastors don't. Deacons don't. Seminary professors don't. Those people who write the books don't. Conference speakers don't. It belongs to no Pope, to no council. But a child who drives the plow has a direct line to God through His Word, as do the great heroes of the faith, as do you and as do I. Brothers and sisters, this means we have access to the Word of God at all times. You don't need to wait until the Word is preached to feast on the Word of God. And if we find God in His Word, we should be going to His Word often. Friends, the Word of God not only helps us understand who God is. He helps us understand who we are. Apart from the Bible, we would think too highly of ourselves. And we would miss our great need for God. But the Bible reminds us that we are sinners in need of redemption. The Bible tells us that the head of the church is not a pope, but Jesus Christ himself. Because He gave His life for the church. Experiences and traditions don't lead us to God. We can't reason our way to God. Only Jesus leads us to God as we confess Him as our Savior and Lord. And this message is not from men, but from God. The message of the Bible is authoritative because it comes from God. When we read the words of this book, it's God speaking. They're God-breathed. And when God speaks, He always speaks with authority. So consider my last points. Scripture comes from God. Now, I've spoken strongly against the Roman Catholic Church. In some ways, I'm even speaking against Eastern Orthodoxy and my statements against experience. And what authority does a simple pastor with not great accolades from a small church in Central Florida have to speak so unequivocally against such powerful historical institutions? And the answer for this question is the essence of this sermon. Authority doesn't come from experience or tradition, but from the Word of God itself. I'm not speaking against these things primarily from my authority. But as long as I stand on the Word of God, I have its authority. As long as I'm rightly interpreting and explaining the Word of God, I can speak authoritatively because the authority that I speak from is the authority of God Himself. The authority from the Word of God comes from the Word of God itself. Pastor Lucas, is this circular? Yes. Yes, it is. Most arguments are circular. I'm not concerned with whether or not this argument is circular, that the authority that God's Word has comes from God's Word itself. Why? Because I'm really looking for something here as I make this argument. I am going to the highest source of authority that I can find in order to discern truth. If I go to what I observe in the world, to say the Word of God is authoritative because of what I see in the world, then what I see in the world is my strongest source of authority. If I go to, right, I can go to manuscript evidence, the Word of God is authoritative because we have over 6,000 early manuscripts that prove that it hasn't been changed, then Manuscript evidence is my highest source of authority. If I go to science and I say, the Word of God is authoritative because it is supported by scientific discoveries and historical discovery. Those are my sources of authority. I'm saying God's Word is authoritative because of these things. You see it? So there's no way I can go to these sources of authority and say that God's Word is more authoritative than them, if they are the foundation for the Word's authority. So I ask you, what is the greatest source of authority you know? It's God. Is it not? So why would we go outside of God to find the authority for God's Word? Why would we look for authority outside of the greatest source of authority? So my greatest concern here is to find the greatest source of authority, and I found it. It's in God. There's no greater authority in heaven and on earth than God himself. So if I go to the traditions of popes and priests to interpret Scripture, I'm going to a lesser authority. If I rely on reason, science, critical theory, or any other source of authority to interpret the Bible, I'm going to a lesser authority. So instead of using worldly systems to interpret and to understand the Bible, I must use the Bible as my grid of interpretation to the world. So instead of using worldly systems, I'm going to use the Word of God Himself. Look at what Peter says in verse 21, "...for no prophecy was ever produced by the will of men, but men spoke from God, as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." We see a negative statement, no prophecy was ever produced by the will of men. And then we see a positive statement, "...but men spoke from God." That's the authority. That's our authority. We see here the dual authorship of Scripture, men speaking from God, a human author and a divine author. We see the personality and the passions of the human author in the Bible. But even as they wrote, they were being carried along by the Holy Spirit. In other words, when Paul wrote, when Moses wrote, when Ezra wrote, when anyone wrote anything in the Bible, they wrote that which they... desired to write, and in God's sovereign will, purpose, and providence, that was exactly what God ordained them to write." This means that the 66 books in this Bible are words that, yes, came to us through men, but ultimately from God. Brothers and sisters, this is the Word of God. Now, what would you do if you were at your house one day and suddenly someone knocks on the door? You go open the door and it's God. You're a bit surprised, but you open, it's God after all. God speaks to you directly and he tells you what he wants you to do and what he wants you to believe. What would you do with that? You would immediately trust and obey. You would immediately respond to God, wouldn't you? Well friends, God has spoken to us directly through this book. Not through men, not through traditions, to us. He has given us His Spirit so that we're able to interpret and understand His Word. And the message of this book is both authoritative and kind. It's hard and gentle. It warns and encourages. God has spoken to us. God through this book wants us to come to know Him. He reveals Himself to us through this book. And so He is speaking to you right now. He is calling you to come to Him. Believe that He has provided for you a way to be with Him. He has given you His Son, who Himself is the Word of God. So, God has spoken to you. Have you believed Him? Do you believe the Word of God? Do you embrace it as God's authority for your life? Maybe you don't. Maybe you stumbled upon church this morning. Maybe you've been sitting in this pews for a long time. but you haven't really built your life on the authority of Scripture. May you, today, look at this book and say, I want the greater authority as the foundation of my life. Maybe you do. Maybe you do believe the Word of God. Maybe you do love and cherish what God says in his book, but you've been away for so long. Friend, may today be a day where you recommit yourself to, yes, the reading of Scripture, trying to understand what God is saying so that our lives may be shaped by it. Yes, maybe today is a day that you need to recommit yourself to hearing the word proclaimed so that we may be shaped By the Word. Today is the day, friends, to commit ourselves to the Word of God again. Because you were made to know God and to experience Him for all eternity. So don't invest in your life in those things that are temporal. Because the grass withers. And the flower fades, but the word of the Lord remains forever. At this moment, I want to invite the deacons to come forward as we prepare ourselves to observe the Lord's Supper.