Transcript

Like No Other Book

John 16:12-15
Sunday, January 18, 2004
Pastor Randy Smith

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Could you imagine your life if God had never given us the Bible? You would be unaware of His mighty acts. You would miss the consolation of hearing His voice. You would be misinformed in relation to His character. You would be ignorant of His revealed will. You would be oblivious to the plan of His salvation. Thanks be to God who in His great mercy has given us a very special revelation of Himself in the written Word!

In ages past His Word was transcribed on stone, replaced by animal skins and papyrus leaves, replaced by paper, and in some ways now replaced by digital format. God chose these mediums to preserve His written Word for all generations and to make it available to all people. God also chose various authors throughout the centuries to record His word in total unity. But when the fullness of time arrived, the Word Himself (Jesus Christ) in climatic form took on human flesh (Jn. 1:1, 14) and personally gave us the clearest revelation of God. In chapter one of John we read, "No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him" (Jn. 1:18). A pastor once explained this by saying, "God has revealed Himself with progressive clarity throughout human history and this revelation now in Jesus Christ and the New Testament has reached its fullest and highest point" (Fred Zaspel).

Since God chose to use human authors to record these events, in particular, the events pertaining to the revelation in Jesus Christ, these men had to be inspired by the Holy Spirit to write the text with authority, accuracy and consistency. God Himself had to come upon them to ensure that their word would be His Word and His Word would be theirs. In today's message as we look forward to the baptisms we will seek to unpack God's wondrous process of divine revelation as it is found in the Scriptures.

In the fifth and final Holy Spirit (Paraclete) saying of this discourse, Jesus begins this section with a preliminary word of compassion. Verse 12, "I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now."

You'll remember the overall context of this discourse is the essential information Jesus communicated to His disciples on the eve of His crucifixion. Meanwhile, Jesus was aware of the sorrow and confusion and limitations that filled the hearts of these men. They were stretched to their human limitations. He knew these men needed encouragement in this difficult time, practical encouragement that would be especially relevant since they would be the pillars for His church. You see, the Apostles would now carry the torch of Christ's earthly ministry in light of His physical departure. Their primary responsibility would be to write the New Testament Scriptures, which would lay a foundation for the Christian church; a daunting and impressive task indeed.

Considering this awesome assignment, Christ's encouragement for these men came in the Person of the Holy Spirit. Thanks to His upcoming ministry (Jn. 16:7), the Holy Spirit would be the divine guarantee that the Apostles would succeed in following Christ's instruction. He will be "another Jesus" (Jn. 14:16). He will teach them all things and bring to remembrance all that Jesus said (Jn. 14:26). He will testify about Jesus (Jn. 15:26). He will guide these men to all truth (Jn. 16:13). And He will even convict the world through their witness concerning sin, righteousness and judgment (Jn. 16:8)

Here is my question for you: Specifically how did the Holy Spirit inspire the biblical writers to compose the Word of God? The answer is found in this morning's text. Let's move to the first point and dig a little deeper into this crucial issue.

1. THE ADVANCEMENT OF DIVINE REVELATION

Allow me to read the remainder of our section, beginning in verse 13. "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you" (Jn. 16:13-15). Let's put some meat on these bones!

God has made Himself known throughout creation. Theologians call this "general revelation." Psalm 19:1 says, "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands" (NIV). Paul goes so far to say "that which is known about God is evident within (us); for God made it evident to (us)" (Rom. 1:19). All humans are intuitively aware that there is a God who deems our allegiance. God declares that people have no excuse to deny His existence. Their problem is not ignorance; rather it is rebellion as they suppress such information displayed in creation.

However, God has gone further. Though general revelation is enough to condemn us, it is not enough to save us. We need special revelation as well. Special revelation is primarily demonstrated in the written Word and Person of Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 1 states, "God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world" (Heb. 1:1-2). God composed the Old Testament Scriptures "in many portions and many ways." But with the coming of Jesus Christ, Scripture has reached a climatic completion. God would send the final prophet, His Son (who is) "the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature" (Heb. 1:3) to bring a superior and final revelation of Himself. The past revelation is retained (in the Old Testament), but it is fulfilled, eclipsed and brought to completion in Christ (in the New Testament).

Now, here is where the Apostles come on the scene. As I mentioned earlier, the Apostles were Christ's delegates to compose His Word. Jesus did not write anything down, but when it came to recording the events of Christ's life, the Holy Spirit would inspire these men who were personal witnesses of Christ (Jn. 15:27) to write the Word of God. Look at John 14:26. "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you." And our verse this morning, John 16:13. "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come."

The Apostles would receive the assistance they needed from the Holy Spirit. He, the "Spirit of truth" (Jn. 16:13), would guide them to better understand the One who is "the truth" (Jn. 14:6). In verses 13 and 14 Jesus told His Apostles "He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative…for He shall take of mine, and shall disclose it to you." He would bring to remembrance, disclose deeper meanings (Jn. 2:22; 12:10), amplify, clarify and fill-in all that is bound up in Christ's mission and Person. He would remind them - 14:26 (Gospels), lead them into all truth - 16:13 (Acts, Epistles), show them what is to come - 16:13 (prophecy in the Epistles, Revelation). The Holy Spirit would play a predominate role by taking all which the Son communicated to these men and empowering them to compose Scripture as God directed with all authority, clarity and accuracy. This assemblage, often called the New Testament, would be the foundation and definitive teaching of the church for all generations. This is what Paul meant in Ephesians 2:20 when He said, "(The church is) built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone" (cf. Mt. 16:18). In other words, the Father would communicate to the Son (Jn. 8:28; 38), who in turn would communicate to the Apostles, who in turn would be aided by the Holy Spirit to write once and for all time Scripture for Christ's messianic community, the church. In a sense, the Apostles would be responsible for giving us Christ (Jn. 17:18, 20).

2. THE ADVANTAGES OF DIVINE REVELATION

Now that we have covered the theological aspects of divine revelation, allow me to briefly present some practical advantages of divine revelation by way of application with the time that remains.

A. The Bible is the Word of God

When I am reading the Bible, I am literally hearing the voice of God. 2 Timothy 3 calls Scripture "God-breathed" (theopneustos). Though it is penned by men, the Holy Spirit has moved them in such a way to compose nothing less than the Word of God (2 Pet. 1:21). Over 2000 times we read, "Thus saith the Lord" or "The word of the Lord came to…" In 1 Thessalonians 2:13 Paul said, "For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe."

B. The Bible is complete

Jesus Christ is the final Word (Heb. 1:1-2). According to 16:13 the Spirit has arrived to guide the Apostles "into all truth." What can possibly improve that! If God is still giving new revelation we should seek to compile them and add them to our Bible. But God has finished His revelation with the greatest self-expression of Himself in Himself. That's why we are told not to add or subtract from the Word of God (Rev. 22:18-19; Pr. 30:6). That's why the Bible goes from the beginning of time in Genesis to the end of time in Revelation. That's why Jude spoke of "the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints" (Jude 3). Knowing that God has completed revelation gives us the confidence that we have been entrusted with the sufficient material to successfully live the Christian life. Therefore our role is not to accumulate additional revelation, but rather be thankful for the revelation we have and faithfully pass it down to future generations.

C. The Bible is necessary

The Bible is not to be a closed book which stands as a relic collecting dust on the mantle of our fireplace. It is a book in which we must invest ourselves wholeheartedly. It contains information and power indispensable to live the Christian life, personally and corporately as a church. We should bleed Bible. We should read, study, memorize, meditate and apply the truths contained in the Scriptures. The Good Shepherd speaks to us through His completed Word. It's a contradiction to say I want to hear from God and then never or rarely crack the spine of my Bible. Without a fervent passion for the Scriptures, the voice of the Good Shepherd will not be heard. And the true proof of hearing His voice is our willingness to be changed by it.

D. The Bible impacts Christians

The Holy Spirit may have inspired only certain men to write the Scriptures, but He still illuminates every Christian today to understand the Scriptures. I love it when people say the Bible has become so clear or the sermons are so understandable. Such confessions show a converted heart now indwelt and guided by the Holy Spirit to understand the truth He composed. 1 Corinthians 2:14 says, "But (an unconverted) man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised." But to God's children, the Spirit authenticates, enriches and explains the truth of the Word. He takes a book written 2,000 years ago and makes it relevant and significant with contemporary value. He makes the Word come alive, "sharper than any two-edged sword" (Heb. 4:12). He empowers the Word to "perform its work in you who believe" (1 Thes. 2:13).

E. The Bible reveals the love of God

One thing that we have definitely learned today is the lengths God will go to clearly communicate with His people. We serve a God who speaks and delights in making Himself known. Through the Word He points us to the love offering of His Son and through the Word He ministers the Shepherd's tender voice to His sheep. I can remember hearing about the college student who kindly rebuked her liberal professor who was severely undermining the Bible. She said, "Sir, it's not God's fault that you are reading someone else's mail." The Bible is a love-letter from God written to and cherished by His children.

F. The Bible reveals the unity of God

As we have already seen, all within the Trinity are involved in the composition of Scripture. Each member equal in essence has a specified role. Here is no disunity, but rather perfect harmony and mutual interest. Just as the Son seeks to glorify the Father, the Holy Spirit will seek to glorify the Son. In the middle of verse 13 we read, "He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears He will speak." Verse 14 we read, "He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you."

G. The Bible points to Jesus

All Scripture finds its fulfillment in Christ. It glorifies Christ by showing Him as the fulfillment of the Old Testament and centerpiece of the New Testament. Like a thread running through every book from Genesis to Revelation is the grand story of redemption in Christ. He is the final self-expression of God and superior to all the other ways and people that God used to communicate in the past. This is another reason why we must reject additional "revelation" such as that delivered by Joseph Smith (Mormons) and Reverend Sun Myung Moon (Moonies), as it no longer allows Jesus Christ to be the final and superior revelation of God.

The encouragement regarding the coming of the Holy Spirit to aid in the composition of Holy Scripture was spoken to the Apostles (14:26- "all that I said to you," 15:27- "with Me from the beginning"). These men were called with a specific purpose and given a specific authority (1 Cor. 14:37; 2 Cor. 13:3) to compose God's inerrant, inspired and completed Word. And as the Scriptures themselves teach, when these men wrote, they knew they were writing the Word of God (Col. 4:16; 2 Thes. 3:14; 2 Pet. 3:16).

May we as members of Christ's church be content with the sufficiency of Scripture. May we faithfully apply it and faithfully teach it to successive generations.

Amy Carmichael, the famous missionary to India once said, "The amazing thing is that everyone who reads the Bible has the same joyful thing to say about it. In every land, in every language, it is the same tale: where that Book is read, not with the eyes only, but with the mind and heart, the life is changed. Sorrowful people are comforted, sinful people are transformed, peoples who were in the dark walk in the light. Is it not wonderful to think that this Book, which is such a mighty power if it gets a chance to work in an honest heart, is in our hands today" (Carmichael, Thou Givest...Thou Gather, pg. 7)?