 The title of our sermon this morning is welcomed as the Word of God. We're in 2 Peter chapter 1 verses 16 through 21. The word, welcome, not as the word of men, but welcomed as the word of God. In the event that you're visiting with us today, we've begun a new preaching series in our church on Sunday morning called The Essentials. We're compiling a series of sermons on the essentials of theology, the essentials of church practice for a course of study that we go through with those who are pursuing membership in our church. And this series, The Essentials, is a relatively short break from what we call sequential exposition, verse by verse through books of the Bible, which is our usual practice. We just finished a two-year study in 2 Corinthians. And now we are employing what we call topical exposition, working from text in the Bible to teach on each of these essential theological subjects. Still going verse by verse through text of the Bible, text of Scripture, but for the time being, we're working through texts that are teaching the specific theological subject that we're covering in the sermon each week. So we're currently in a category of theology dealing with the essentials that deals with God's revelation to man. It's the doctrine of revelation, and today it's our joy and privilege to consider the doctrine of inspiration, the doctrine of inspiration. Now we began our series on the essentials by considering general revelation and how God reveals Himself graciously, condescendingly, how God reveals Himself through His works, particularly through His work of creation. Psalm 19 says that the heavens declare, the heavens proclaim, they preach a sermon, so to speak, with respect to the glory of God, and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day to day utter speech, night to night reveals knowledge. There is no place where their word is not heard. That's general revelation to all mankind. The psalmist says their line has gone out through all the earth, their words to the end of the world. This revelation of God to all mankind leaves all mankind without excuse. There is no excuse for our guilt before a holy God for our suppressing of His truth by means of our unrighteousness. There is no excuse for our sin. Creation has proclaimed the Creator, and yet fallen sinful people suppress that truth by means of their unrighteousness. Now it's that fallen nature, our fallen sinful condition then that necessitates special revelation. If we are to be saved, if we're to be forgiven of our sins, if we're to have a right standing with God and a restored communion with Him, we need a special revelation from God. General revelation may render us without excuse before God in the day of judgment, but it cannot save us from sin. It cannot save us from the wrath of God. God must provide for us in another way. God must make provision for our sin. Special revelation, that revelation of God's saving work, has been graciously given to us through God's own speech. Listen to the words of Hebrews chapter 1 verses 1 through 4. God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things and through whom also He made the worlds. The subject of this text, this glorious text, is that God has spoken. In the past, God spoke to the fathers, generally speaking of Old Testament saints, and He spoke by the prophets, human speakers and writers of Scripture who were appointed by God. He spoke at various times. He spoke in various ways. Speaking at various times, the word means He spoke in segments, so to speak, or parts. Most clearly those parts are seen in the 39 books of our Old Testament. He spoke in various ways through verbal revelation, through visual revelation, through providential revelation, as we discussed last Lord's Day, through direct speech, through dreams, through visions, through theophanies. He spoke through history, spoke through poetry, through wisdom literature, through prophecy, through symbols, through ceremonies. God spoke at various times and in various ways, in many parts, in many ways, through many human writers in the Old Testament. However, verse 2, in these last days, He has spoken to us by His Son. The days that began with the life, death, resurrection, ascension, and exaltation of Jesus Christ in those days, God has spoken most preeminently in His Son. These are the days of revelation that have produced the 27 books of the New Testament where God reveals Himself supremely in the person and work of His own Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. The life and ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ, who He is, what He's done, recorded in the Gospels. The continuing ministry of Christ, by His Spirit, through His people in the Book of Acts. The explanation, the implications of His work for salvation, the implications of His work for sanctification, fleshed out in the epistles and finally, a proclamation of victory in a vision of His soon return in a revelation of Jesus Christ given to the Apostle John. In other words, special revelation was recorded. Special revelation, God's speech was written down. That gracious, special revelation of God given in time past to the fathers by the prophets and in these last days given to us in His Son produced the 66 books of the Bible that you have in your hand. That revelation produced the Bible, the very word of the living God. God has spoken. When you read the Bible, you are reading the words of the living God, amen. It's an amazing thought. A book of unparalleled wisdom, a book of matchless worth, of infinite value. It is an amazing, the most amazing book ever, amen. Psalm chapter 19, verse 7. Listen to how it describes the Word of God. The law of the Lord is perfect converting the soul. The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever. The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. And gold, yes, then much fine gold. Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover, by them your servant is warned and in keeping them there is great reward. The very word of God, a special revelation of himself, a gracious, voluntary, self-disclosure meant to bring his redeemed people into communion with the one who made them in his image. We in our sin, you and I broke that communion. We broke that communion in our sin. Because of our sin, we are separated from God. In God's purposes, in Christ, in a revelation of himself, in his son, God purposes to restore that broken communion. Think about the history of this revelation with me for a moment, right? Genesis chapter 1, Genesis chapter 1, verse 26, in his own image. And in Genesis chapter 1, verse 28, two verses later, God has seen speaking to man. God speaks. Man enjoys that close, personal relationship with God in the garden. And in Genesis chapter 3, verse 8, Adam is said to hear the very voice of God as he walks in the garden in the cool of the day. What an awesome thought, right? To hear the voice of God as he walks in the garden. But it's in Genesis 3 also that Satan begins his assault on God's word, God's revelation. And that's an assault that lasts to this very day. Satan says, has God indeed said and he slanders God as a liar? Slanders God's word and our first parents follow him into sin. Genesis chapter 3, verse 17, Adam then hears the revealed word of God. Here's the speech of God having broken the law of God. Adam and Eve are driven from the presence of God in Genesis chapter 3, verse 24, and that personal intimate relationship they once enjoyed is now wrecked by Adam's sin. Paradise lost, you could say. Paradise lost. But before he's cast out, Adam hears the word of God given to the serpent in Genesis chapter 3, verse 15, where the Lord says I will put enmity between you and the woman, between your seed and her seed, you shall bruise your, or he shall bruise your head, you shall bruise his heel. It's a promise that the serpent will be crushed. The rest of God's revelation to man, the various parts, the various ways in which he spoke all point to, all direct us to the revelation of God in his own son, the seed, the promise seed of the woman who would apply the death blow to the head of the serpent. That's where God's revelation has led. Paul recounts this in Galatians chapter 3, where he says when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his son, born of a woman, born under the law to redeem those who were under the law that we might receive the adoption as sons. So what's the end of this special revelation? The end of this special revelation is our redemption, our adoption as sons and daughters of the king. Paradise restored. Paradise restored. Listen to Revelation, the end of our Bibles, Revelation 21, beginning in verse 1. John says, now I saw a new heaven and a new earth. For the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, also there was no more sea. And then I, John saw the holy city. New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven, proclaiming, behold, the tabernacle, the dwelling place of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people. God himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. Then he who sat on the throne said, behold, I make all things new. Blessing and honor and glory and power be to him who sits on the throne into the Lamb forever and ever. Amen. Acts chapter 6 verse 7, wherever the word of God is spread, wherever that special revelation of God is spread, despyples of chapter 20 verse 32, that special revelation, the Bible, the Scriptures are able to build you up and give you an inheritance among those who are sanctified. In Romans chapter 10 verse 17 faith comes by hearing, hearing by the word of God. In 2 Corinthians chapter 5 it is the word of reconciliation. In Ephesians chapter 6 it is the sword of the Spirit. In 1 Thessalonians chapter 2 it effectively works in those who believe. Hebrews chapter 4 it is living in a powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit and joints and marrow. It is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart and in 1 Peter 1 it lives and abides forever. In other words this is not a book of human wisdom. This book is not the vain imaginations of fallen men. You want the vain imaginations of fallen men. You look at the absurd religions of this world. This book is not merely a human witness to God's revelation. From Genesis to Revelation this book resonates with divine power and with divine authority. This is God's revelation to men. This book is the word of God, given supernaturally to the people of God for the everlasting glory of God. Now the process or the means by which the revelation of God takes the form of Scripture is a process called inspiration. Inspiration is a word that describes the supernatural process or the supernatural means by which the revelation of God becomes holy Scripture. There are many texts from which we could unpack some of the mystery of this doctrine of inspiration but let's look at one text in particular that's in 2 Peter chapter 1. Turn with me to 2 Peter chapter 1. Let's consider together the doctrine of inspiration from what Peter writes here. 2 Peter chapter 1. Now as Peter writes he wants us to remind us, he wants to remind us he wants to remind his audience of those things which are most important. Peter knows while he's writing this letter that Peter's about to die. Peter's going to die and he knows that when he dies he wants to leave behind a constant reminder of those things which are most important to God's people. And he knows that the letter that he's writing now this second canonical letter of Peter he knows that this letter will be around long after he's gone. So he says in 2 Peter chapter 1 verse 13 Peter says yes, I think it's right as long as I am in this tent as long as I'm in this earthly body to stir you up by reminding you I need to remind you of what's most important. Knowing verse 14 that shortly I'm going to put off this tent. I'm going to die just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me and moreover I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my deceased. You see why Peter's writing. So what now is foremost? What is first on Peter's mind as he writes? It's going to be apostolic succession isn't it? I'm the first pope. Who's going to be the next pope? Is that what's on Peter's mind? No, this would be the perfect time to do that but that's not what Peter's doing. It's not going to be apostolic succession. Peter's going to die so Peter is going to make a powerful argument now for scripture as the authoritative word of God. Peter's going to argue that scripture is the authoritative sufficient, clear necessary word of the living God. He's going to do that from the doctrine of inspiration. He's going to do that from the doctrine of inspiration. Look at verse 16 Peter says for we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ but were I witnesses of His Majesty. Now Peter begins in verse 16 by addressing an accusation against the truth of God's word in the New Testament by false teachers who had crept in. There were those who slandered the teaching of Peter and slandered the teaching of the other apostles with respect to the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. And they considered that teaching to be nothing more than pre-tales and fables and myths. This was an accusation. Now in context it appears that the accusations deal with the Lord's second coming and not His first coming. If you look at chapter 3 verse 4 scoffers are there mocking and asking where is the promise of His coming? They're mocking the truth that Jesus Christ is going to come back and specifically they're mocking the truth that the Lord Jesus Christ will return in judgment. That He will return to judge the living and the dead. And Peter brings up specifically the flood as a point of argument that's already happened once before it's going to happen again. Peter says His coming to judge the living and the dead isn't a cunningly devised fable. He says as proof of that we were I witnesses of His Majesty the mountain. In other words Peter says you ought to trust what I'm saying. You ought to trust what I'm saying I saw Him transfigured on the mountain. I was an I witness to His power. Now in verse 17 He fleshes that out a bit. He says for He received, Jesus Christ received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the excellent glory. This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased and we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. The experience that Peter is talking about here is that experience that he had with James and John on the mount of transfiguration recorded in Matthew 17. Jesus Christ on the mountain before the eyes of Peter, James and John was transfigured. He was seen in glory with Elijah and Moses. Now you can imagine, right? Lord Jesus Christ in this transfigured state of glory with Moses and Elijah next to him on the mountain not only did they see this amazing sight but they heard then the audible voice of God commending Elijah and Moses? No. Commending the Lord Jesus Christ declaring Christ then to be greater than Elijah and Moses this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. Now like those who are making accusations in Peter's day there are many today who won't believe without some encounter or some experience with a supernatural. They look like the Pharisees of the Lord's day. They're looking for signs and wonders. This wicked perverse generation always looks for a sign. There are those today. People of people today who won't believe without some charismatic experience, without some vision without some feeling, without some sense or dream or experience they simply won't believe. They certainly don't want to give authority to the objective word that condemns the ungodly they would rather trust in their experiences. They'd rather trust their feelings. They trust to trust in the objective law of God will render them guilty before God will render a guilty verdict in the day of judgment. Peter or people today tend to look to experience or look to ecstatic experiences for evidence of holiness rather than looking to the word of God. Peter is well aware of this tendency of falling man to look for a sign. So he quickly Peter quickly moves past his experience. He moves past what he has seen with his eyes or heard with his ears. He's had this amazing experience on the mountaintop and Peter moves past that quickly to speak of something now far more reliable. There's no mistaking the experience that Peter had on the mountain but Peter moves right by that and goes to something which is infinitely more reliable infinitely more objective verse 19. And so the prophetic word confirmed which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place until the day dawns and the morning star. Morning star is Jesus Christ. It's a reference to Jesus Christ and the day dawns and the morning star rises or shines abroad in your hearts. Now Peter says in verse 19 or before I was an eyewitness of the person in the work of the Lord Jesus Christ and you and I who were not eyewitnesses of the person in the work of the Lord Jesus Christ our faith is in no way inferior to his. It's the point that Peter is essentially making. Your faith, Peter says is in no way inferior to mine. Why? Because we have the prophetic word confirmed. You may not have seen him but you have the word of the living God. The word of God is more sure, more trustworthy, more necessary, more powerful, more effective and a more effective light Peter says than anything I saw or heard. So what is the prophetic word confirmed by the transfiguration and the voice of God on the mountain? What is the prophetic word that Peter is referring to? Peter is referring to the Old Testament Scriptures. He is referring to their Old Testament, our Old Testament specifically or particularly he is referring to texts like Psalm 2 that refers to the Lord Jesus Christ where in verse 6 the psalmist says yet I have set my king on my holy hill of Zion I will declare the decree the Lord has said to me you are my son today I have begotten you ask of me and I will give you the nations for your inheritance and the ends of the earth for your possession you shall break them with a rod of iron you shall dash them to pieces like a potter's vessel texts like Psalm 2 Isaiah 42 are about the Lord Jesus Christ and particularly they are about the Lord Jesus Christ coming back in judgment the Lord is coming back in judgment Peter saw something truly miraculous on the mountain truly amazing but the fact that Jesus Christ is the son of God and one day will return in judgment as the one before whom every knee will bow is rooted and grounded in the Old Testament Scriptures which are the inspired word of God we have the prophetic word now confirmed it's confirmed by the transfiguration confirmed by the voice that came out of heaven this is my son in whom I am well pleased confirmed by the audible voice of God we have the word of God now confirmed it's essentially what Peter is saying this is no myth in other words this word is no fairytale it's no fable it is the truth of God found it is inviolable an unassailable word as such it is a confirmed light shines in a dark place that you and I do well to heed how is it that Peter has such confidence Peter certainly welcomes the word of God not as the word of men but as it is in truth the word of God his confidence Peter's confidence in this prophetic word which is confirmed Peter's confidence is supported by or undergirded by the doctrine of inspiration it's the doctrine of inspiration Peter knows that this word is the very word of God that through the doctrine of inspiration look at verse 20 this is where we see this verse 20 knowing this first that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation for prophecy never came by the will of man but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit then notice first, think about verses 20 and 21 with me, notice first of first importance very beginning of verse 20 knowing this first Scripture doesn't come from any human source no human source verse 20 the word of Scripture is of any private interpretation verse 21 for prophecy never came by the will of man Scripture doesn't come from any human source the word prophecy here is referring to that which is spoken forth in Scripture it's not referring here to predictive prophecy like we're telling the future speaking forth that which is spoken forth that which is spoken forth is referring to the whole Scripture the Bible it's referring to the word of God contained in the Scriptures no prophecy of Scripture no part of Scripture nothing that is spoken forth in Scripture is of any private interpretation idios means one's own one's own it's a compound word referring to loosing or unraveling or releasing something no prophecy no part of Scripture is of any one's own releasing loosing or unraveling literally there is no part of Scripture that comes from one's own releasing or loosing of it and Peter is speaking here of origin or source it's not coming from me it's not a matter of our loosing there's no part of Scripture no declaration of Scripture no word of Scripture that in any way comes from any human source the thoughts didn't originate with man the concepts didn't originate with man the words didn't originate with man the source of Scripture is not man do you see this is further clarified further affirmed by the almost synonymous statement we see in verse 21 4 verse 21 because prophecy never came by the will of man no part no parcel, no message, no concept no word, no claim of Scripture was ever produced by any act of man's will man did not make this up this is not a book written by man this is not a book written by man these aren't fables, these aren't fairy tales and myths that come out of vain men's imaginations rather verse 21 holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit unpack what this is talking about notice first a first importance Scripture from any human source notice second the source of the Scriptures is God the source of the Scriptures is God holy men in other words men consecrated to the work and service of God men set apart to serve God notice it's not women it's men who wrote the Scriptures holy men set apart to serve God consecrated to God they were moved the word is Pharaoh sounds like fairy doesn't they were ferried along born along by the Holy Spirit and they spoke from God the way we understand now the Greek of this passage the better way to render the translation is rather than holy men of God spoke you'll see that in your new King James your King James versions it shows that it should be translated holy men spoke from God you see that reflected in your NASB or in your ESV it means carried men were born along carried along ferried down the river so to speak carried like a leaf along the current by the Holy Spirit prophecy was never carried along same word carried along by the will of man but rather men spoke as they were carried along by the Spirit of God carried along there is a present passive participle verse 21 the will of man did not carry along the prophetic word will of man didn't do it but the strongest the strongest contrasting word but being carried along by the Holy Spirit men spoke from God you see how the verse fits together what does this mean well the Lord told Moses he told Moses I will be with your mouth I will teach you what you should say who made your tongue Moses I'm going to teach you what you should say David the Psalmist of Israel said in 2 Samuel 23 verse 2 the Spirit of the Lord spoke by me David said his word was on my tongue interesting isn't it the close personal intimate connection between God the author and his human instrument his human means God told Jeremiah I have put my words in your mouth God doesn't tell Jeremiah I'm going to use your words God says I have put my words in your mouth not simply I have put ideas in your head right or I've placed this understanding in your heart but I have put my words in your mouth on your tongue you're going to be speaking my words it's personal it's direct it's invasive isn't it where God so super intends the process of inspiration that the very words used by the writers are the very words that God intends sovereignly for them to use down to the grammatical parts and pieces the results of this process of inspiration the results are that the words written in the book are the words of God now this is different from bare dictation isn't it we know what it looks like what it means to dictate a letter and for someone to take dictation this is far different than that the scripture doesn't describe the spirit of God taking over a man's mind or taking over a man's mouth taking over a man's thoughts his body his personality doesn't speak of it that way and what we see is this confluence this amazing concurrence of the divine and the human such that the words of a man's mouth become the words of the living God the lord alludes to this when he says to his disciples in the upper room says to his disciples who will write much of the new testament he promised them help from the spirit of God to do that in John chapter 14 verse 25 the Lord says the helper the Holy Spirit to whom the Father will send in my name he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you if you remember when we worked through the gospel of John even up until the Lord's crucifixion the disciples had no idea what these things meant they had no idea what was going on they couldn't contemplate fathom the broad scope of God's redemptive work in his only begotten son the Lord Jesus Christ figure that out what happened after the Lord was crucified after the Lord ascended the coming of the spirit and the spirit of God led them into truth and the Lord used their mouths used their pens so to speak John chapter 16 the Lord with the disciples in the upper room he says I still have many things to say to you but you can't bear them now however when he the spirit of truth has come he will guide you into all truth for he the spirit of God will not speak on his own authority but whatever he hears he will speak and he will tell you things to come this has application for you and I as disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ and the illuminating power or the illuminating work of the spirit of God in the life of a genuine believer but this has specific application to the disciples who would be writing New Testament scripture he goes on to say the Lord says he will glorify me for he will take of what is mine and declare it to you all things that the Father has are mine therefore I said that he will take of mine and declare it to you and we see that supernatural aid and the understanding given to them of Christ's work that they didn't have before his crucifixion turn to me to second Timothy chapter 3 second Timothy some people use the doctrine of the hypostatic union the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ is 100% man and 100% God they use that as an analogy to picture to think about the doctrine of inspiration some use that doctrine to say that it's 100% human and 100% divine to imply that the scriptures have error because it's 100% human so if you're going to use the hypostatic union and the fact that Jesus Christ is 100% a perfect man and 100% God in the flesh then we can agree that's something that we can think about but that analogy breaks down if you try to insert error into the scripture these are God's words and God does not make errors God does not lie in second Timothy chapter 3 look at verse 16 where Paul says here to Timothy all scripture is given by inspiration of God and it's profitable for doctrine for reproof for correction for instruction in righteousness so that the man of God may be complete thoroughly equipped for every good work notice with me first I want you to notice the extent of divine inspiration verse 16 all scripture is given by inspiration of God all scripture all scripture is His word all of it all of scripture is His speech we refer to this as the verbal the words right all of the words plenary all of them the verbal plenary inspiration of scripture all scripture is His word in Matthew chapter 5 verse 18 the Lord says for assuredly I say to you till heaven and earth pass away one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law until all is fulfilled not one jot not one tittle those two words jot and tittle the word jot is a reference smallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet it's yod and it's just a little comma is what it looks like it's just a little bark not one jot of God's word will ever fail or go away not one jot will pass tittle as if that weren't small enough the tittle is the smallest piece of a letter of the Hebrew alphabet there's a tittle that distinguishes a race from a dollot in the Hebrew alphabet and it's a little tail when I began to memorize the Hebrew alphabet it gave me some difficulty because some of those letters look really closely the same so when I first started trying to memorize the alphabet it's difficult to discern those letters but the thing that distinguishes for example a race from a dollot is this little on a little piece of a Hebrew letter called a tittle not one not the smallest letter of the Hebrew alphabet and not the smallest piece of a letter will pass away not one will pass away from the law till all is fulfilled the Lord in confronting the Pharisees Mark chapter 12 verse 35 he bases an argument that the Christ is the Lord even of David he bases that argument on the single letter Yod in Psalm 110 verse 1 for the word my bases argument on a single Hebrew letter in Galatians chapter 3 Paul argues that the Christ is the seed of the woman to whom the promises were made and he makes that argument on the basis of a singular verses a plural use of the word seed he says as to seed which is singular and not seeds which is plural he's basing his argument on whether the word is singular or plural the extent of divine inspiration even to the words notice second notice the meaning of divine inspiration Paul in 2 Timothy chapter 3 verse 16 uses the word Theopneustas God breathe all Scripture is given or God breathed by inspiration of God all of Scripture is breathed out by God it's what that means the emphasis here is not so much on the process of inspiration or on the on the way in which God communicated to and through human writers but the emphasis is on the source of the inspired communication it is from God breathed out literally exhaled from him it's the source of that inspired communication that Paul is concerned with what Paul is saying when he insists that all Scripture has been breathed out by God is that it's ultimate origin or it's ultimate source is God himself this is God's communication and so when we talk about the doctrine of inspiration we're talking about the way in which God super intends the writing of the Bible God doesn't merely act and then these men merely witness his acts and write about what they witness that's not how the Bible is put together God is working by the Holy Spirit to so impose himself so super intend himself over what is written that he sovereignly insures that everything that is written down to the grammar is his intended word is his intended revelation all of this while infallibly inherently using the personality the thoughts of the human writer this per process often described as concursive operation concursive operation listen to this from bb warfield bb warfield explains this process he says in any event such terms as assistance superintendence direction control all those words inadequately express the nature of the spirit's action in revelation by concursive operation there's a confluence or a cooperation between the divine author and his human means or human instrument right bb warfield says the spirit is not to be conceived of as standing outside of the human powers employed for the effect in view ready to supplement any inadequacies that they may show and to supply any defects that they may manifest in other words it's not that the guy is writing the spirit of God sort of stands off the side and corrects him as he goes right or gives him suggestions as he writes it's not what's happening but as working confluently in with and by them here it is elevating them directing them controlling them energizing them so that as his instruments they rise above themselves and under his inspiration do his work and reach his aim I don't know any better way to say it than that the product therefore which is attained by their means is his product through them it is this fact which gives to the process the right to be called actively and to the product the right to be called passively a revelation it's a revelation from God although the circumstance that what is done is done by and through the action of human powers keeps the product informed and quality in a true sense human yet the confluent operation of the Holy Spirit throughout the whole process raises the result above what could by any possibility be achieved by mere human powers and constitutes it expressly a supernatural product that's a mouthful if you want that I'll email it to you alright what that's saying is is that it's not that the human authors sat and thought to themselves this is what I remember or this is what I think and they wrote these things down and God sort of works outside them to make sure that that's alright he wasn't the divine grammar teacher that I had when I was a kid standing over my shoulder and correcting all my grammar wasn't red marking their paper and having them do it over there was a confluence a concursive operation at work by which the spirit of God elevating writer working throughout the whole process to raise them above what could have been produced by them alone and ensuring that what is produced is an expressly supernatural product the meaning of divine inspiration notice third the implications of divine inspiration Paul says in verse 16 all scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine for reproof for correction for instruction in righteousness so that the man of God may be complete thoroughly equipped for every good work listen no word of man will have that effect no word of man will have this efficacy the inspired word of God the word of God is given and is profitable for doctrine profitable for reproof profitable for correction for instruction in righteousness so that we may become complete thoroughly equipped for every good work this is the efficacy of the word of God the Bible is profitable the Bible is profitable from inspiration then flows and we'll talk about these subjects from inspiration flows the ethnicity of scripture the authority of scripture the clarity of scripture the sufficiency of scripture the word of God is divinely inspired C.H. Spurgeon said this with respect to the implications of divine inspiration Charles Spurgeon says this he says do not say that you would accept that call that you would accept the call of God on your life that you would acknowledge the claim of God over you as your creator he says do not say that you would accept that call if it were spoken with a voice rather than written some people will say that I need to hear his voice give me an audible voice if the Lord is true, if the Lord is real why doesn't he speak to me why doesn't he write it across the sky so everybody can see do not say that you would accept that call if it were spoken with a voice rather than written that is not so in daily life if a man receives a written letter from his father or a friend does he attach less importance to it than he would have done to his spoken communication I reckon I'm not going to accept your email you're going to have to tell me in person I will only accept it from your face I can't accept written communication no that's absurd I reckon many of you in business are quite content with written orders for goods and when you get them you do not require a purchaser to ask you in person you would just assume that he should not in fact you commonly say that you would like to have it in black and white is that not so well then Spurgeon says you have your wish here is the call here is the word here is the revelation of God in black and white and I do but speak according to common sense certainly is you do not speak truth when you say I would listen to it if it were spoken but I cannot listen to it because it is written the call as given by the book of inspiration ought to have over your minds a masterly power and if your hearts were right before God that word spoken in the scriptures by the Holy Ghost would be at once obeyed when we welcome it not as the word of men but as it is in truth the words of the living God this book is like no other book amen it is divinely a work of God's spirit produced by God himself the source of which is the living God we do well to heed that light that shines in a dark place amen all praise honor and glory be to the one who has condescended to give us such a glorious clear sufficient helpful efficacious revelation of himself in his word let's pray take a few moments now as you consider the word of God I want you to pray to the Lord and consider before him how you relate to how you consider how you respond to his revelation given to you on the words of the scripture and then we'll pray together and dismiss let's pray please we pray work through your word to accomplish the ends for which you sent it do that work or that by your spirit only you can do apart from your divine inspiration apart from your work Lord these are just words but this is a revelation of you our God our creator the father of our Lord Jesus Christ I pray Lord that you would work through your word to do and to will in us according to your good pleasure edify build up your people convert sinners Lord save sinners according to according to your work building your church and I pray Lord that you would sanctify edify the saints build them up in their faith draw them closer to you fuel and fire their faith for greater devotion greater understanding greater learning greater fervency help us Lord to glorify you in our lives and help us to persevere to the end Lord sustain us by your word nourish us by your word your word is truth Lord and we need it cultivate within us Lord a sense of that need that we might attend carefully faithfully fervently to your word it is living and powerful Lord it's our joy and rejoicing to be able to know of you through it and I pray Lord that you would continue in it to reveal yourself to us thank you for this time together thank you for this course of study please bless it to our hearts Lord for your glory in Jesus name amen