By The Rev. Dr. Paul A. Leggett
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Sermon Series: Jesus’ Message to the Churches
Sermon Text: Revelation 5:1-10
Sermon Theme
John has a vision of God the Father on the throne of heaven. In God’s hand is a scroll. This scroll may be seen as the word of God in written form. Yet the tragedy is that no one in heaven or on earth can open the scroll. John weeps because no one can open it. Therefore humanity is left without the guidance and truth of God’s word. Then John is told that “the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David” alone is able to open the scroll. This is Jesus Christ. Today is Reformation Sunday. The theme of the Reformation is that Christian faith must be based on the Bible alone. Martin Luther (1485-1546) insisted that no human figure nor institution, much less the church, was necessary to expound its truth. Yet Scripture remains unknown apart from Jesus Christ. It is only as we read the Bible in the light of Jesus Christ that we truly see it as the word of God, able to guide and direct us in every situation of life (John 5:39).
Sermon Outline
- Word. Jesus quotes the Scripture itself which says, “One does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4; Deuteronomy 8:3). The Bible, both Old and New Testament, claims to be the word of God. Yet other writings and other figures have also claimed to be the word of God. Others would insist that there is no word of God, that humans must live according to their own reason and understanding. Still others maintain that the Bible is too difficult to understand. They point to apparent contradictions such as the need to beat swords into plowshares and the opposite need to beat plowshares into swords (Isaiah 2:4; Joel 3:10). At one point the early Christians were told not to eat meat offered to idols but then Paul later on seems to contradict that (Acts 15:29; I Corinthians 10:25-26). The accounts of Jesus’ resurrection are difficult to harmonize (Before dawn? At dawn? After dawn?). The Bible is also filled with complex symbols and images (the Book of Revelation being an obvious example but hardly the only one). In addition Scripture has been used to justify wars of conquest, torture, slavery and the mistreatment of women. How then can we say it is the word of God?
- Witness. As heirs of the Reformation we want to insist that we live only by the word of God. Yet how is this possible? This is especially the case when even those who want to live by Scripture often have different interpretations of its meaning. The answer to these questions is found in Scripture itself. We believe that “scripture interprets scripture,” that is to say, that Scripture itself offers its own keys to its correct interpretation. If we understand the Bible to be both Old and New Testaments we realize that Jesus Christ is both the center and the focus of Scripture. Jesus in fact is the Word of God (John 1:1-14; Hebrews 1:1-3; Revelation 19:11-13). We then say, with the Reformers, that Scripture is the word of God in written form. Yet in its primary form Jesus alone is the Word of God. Therefore the Bible is a witness to Jesus as “The Word of God” (Revelation 19:13). We then interpret all of Scripture in terms of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Apart from Christ the Bible is a sealed book. This does not answer all questions. It does however provide a solution for many of them. Scripture’s witness is progressive. Its message undergoes changes as it comes closer to Jesus. Scripture contains every literary form imaginable from lyric poetry to pornography. It is the most optimistic book every written (Revelation 21:1-5) and also the most pessimistic (Psalm 88). Yet its message is only understood in the light of Christ himself.
- Worthy. The Bible in all of its diversity ultimately has only one central message: “Jesus Christ is Lord” (Philippians 2:9-11). Jesus is worthy to be worshipped. He alone ransomed us from sin and gave us new life. All creation joins in his praise (Revelation 5:13). Scripture is the one infallible witness to who Jesus Christ is. The Bible contains great teaching, great stories and great literature. Yet these elements are there to serve one purpose only. That purpose is to lead us, by the Holy Spirit, to worship Jesus Christ in all that we say and do. Any interpretation of Scripture which promotes that end is valid. Any interpretation which distorts that truth is invalid. Any attempt to alter the picture of Jesus in Scripture, either in terms of his identity or his teaching, is a distortion. Scripture calls us to have faith in Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31). This faith has as its purpose his praise and worship. In spite of the witness of Scripture we will never fully understand Jesus in this life (I Corinthians 13:12). Scripture does contain paradoxes (how can a lion be a lamb?). We walk by faith not by sight (II Corinthians 5:7). Yet as we worship Christ according to Scripture we are brothers and sisters in him. We are faithful to Scripture when we acknowledge Jesus Christ alone as Lord of everything in our lives and in our world.
Questions for Us
- What can we say when someone tells us that “the Bible is full of contradictions?” How can we present Christ to them as the fulfillment of all the promises of Scripture (II Corinthians 1:20), the one who is the contradiction of being both Lion and Lamb?
- How does realizing that Jesus alone is the Word of God (John 1:14) help us in understanding and applying Scripture to our own lives?
- Why is faith in Christ necessary in order truly to understand the Bible?
