Revelation Part 2

Pastor Funmi Ojetayo
Text: 1 Corinthians 2:6–13; 2 Peter 1:16–21; Hebrews 1:1–4; Deuteronomy 30:11–14

Big Idea: God’s Word is sufficient, clear, authoritative, and necessary. So believe what it teaches, obey what it commands, and trust what it promises. 

I. NECESSITY of Scripture (1 Cor. 2:6–13)
Why do we need the Bible at all?
1. Only God can reveal God.
    * Creation shows His glory, but only Scripture reveals His grace.
    * The Spirit of God alone reveals the mind of God.
2. God’s self-disclosure brings salvation.
    * You can’t feel, think, or guess your way to God.
    * Long-distance love requires revelation—so does knowing God.
3. God preserves His Word for every generation.
    * From Sinai to the Psalms, God commands His Word to be written.
    * Psalm 102:18: Written for future generations—including us.
4. Eternal life comes through words.
    * John 6:68: “You have the words of eternal life.”
    * John 20:31: “These are written that you may believe…and have life in His name”

II. AUTHORITY of Scripture (2 Pet. 1:16–21)
Why must Scripture rule us, not merely advise us?
1. The written Word is more sure than experience.
    * Peter says Scripture is more confirmed than even his eyewitness account of the Transfiguration.
2. Scripture is inspired.
    * “Carried along by the Holy Spirit” (v. 21) = divine origin, human instrument.
3. Scripture is inerrant.
    * What God breathes out cannot err.
    * Jesus affirms Scripture’s truthfulness—so must we.
4. To reject inerrancy is to question the voice behind the verse.
    * We don’t sit in judgment over the Word. The Word stands over us.

III. SUFFICIENCY of Scripture (Heb. 1:1–4)
Is Scripture enough? Or do we need more?
1. God has spoken fully and finally in His Son.
    * The prophets spoke truly; Jesus speaks finally.
2. Christ’s session proves redemption is finished.
    * If His work is done, His Word is complete.
3. Revelation and redemption go together.
    * To suggest ongoing revelation is to imply unfinished redemption.
4. Scripture gives us all we need.
    * For knowing God, living faithfully, structuring the church, and growing in grace.
    * The Word is enough because Jesus is enough.

IV. CLARITY of Scripture (Deut. 30:11–14)
Can we really understand the Bible?
1. The Word is near, not hidden.
    * You don’t have to climb, cross, or decode. It’s right in front of you.
2. Scripture gives light to the simple.
    * Psalm 119:130; Psalm 19:7 – God's Word imparts understanding.
3. Clarity does not mean simplicity—but accessibility.
    * Not every verse is equally clear, but the big truths are unmistakable.
4. Jesus and the apostles treated Scripture as clear and decisive.
    * “Have you not read?” assumes that we can understand what God has said.

V. APPLICATION
* From Eden to today, the enemy’s oldest tactic is to question God’s Word: “Did God really say?”
* But Jesus answered, “It is written.” That must be our confidence too.
Why trust this Book?
* It has outlasted empires, skeptics, and tyrants.
* It has not been wrong yet.
* It reads you better than you read it.
This Word is:
* Necessary – so treasure it.
* Authoritative – so submit to it.
* Sufficient – so stop looking elsewhere.
* Clear – so read, understand, and obey it.