Scripture Alone

Be honest with yourself on this one. Have you ever had somebody tell you what the Bible says about something, and you had no idea whether they were right or wrong?

Me too. It happens.

The good news is that we live in a time when it is pretty easy to find out. We have commentaries, podcasts, all kinds of resources that make it simple to check something against Scripture and get an answer.

Five hundred years ago, that was not the case. Especially in Europe, because there was basically one church. You did not have ten churches to try on for size until you found the one that fit your family best. You had the one church in your town, and if you did not like it, well, that was your church family.

The problem was that church leaders had started getting in the way of what God was doing. They were not using their positions well, and some crazy ideas became real. One of them was that you could buy your forgiveness. You could bring money to the church and somebody would hand you a certificate that said, there you go, that is a few sins, forgiven. You could even pay down somebody else’s sin debt after they had already died.

This is wild to me. It was such an overreach, and it was so obviously unbiblical.

Then a guy named Martin Luther comes along. He is sitting there reading God’s Word, and he is in the book of Romans, and he starts thinking, what the church is doing does not line up with Scripture. Forgiveness is a free gift from God! It always has been and it always will be.

So in 1517, Luther wrote out ninety five theses. Think of it like when Twitter was the thing and you would fire off a tweet. He had ninety five tweets in 1517. And he was right. He was studying God’s Word and comparing it to what the church was doing, and people latched on because his ideas were valid. He was the first guy to go viral. Hashtag famous, Martin Luther.

He got a lot of traction, because the printing press started sending those ninety five things out everywhere. And it brought a correction and a rebuke to the church. He was right, because the church was abusing Scripture. They were compromising it. They were denying that it held authority, and they had started preaching a false gospel. That moment became known as the Protestant Reformation, and it led to the church you are sitting in today.

Two things worth saying. The Catholic church did correct a lot of those things. And there is no perfect church anywhere, including this one. We love our church, but it will not be perfect until Jesus comes back.

But God inspires His people to keep growing deeper. So we cannot let a lack of perfection become an excuse to allow things that are against God and against His plan for our lives.

When the Reformation was over with, churches all over Europe were reconnecting to God’s Word directly. They were passionate about the gospel. They were digging in. And that leads us to the verse this whole series is built on.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:8-10 (NIV)

A few hundred years later, what came out of it was a really simple definition. Five core beliefs, kind of like a small statement of faith. Guardrails that help us guard against the errors we have seen in the history of the church over time. Those five statements are called the solas, and sola simply means alone. Nothing added. It stands by itself. It is where we get the word solo.

Scripture alone. God’s Word is true and God’s Word has the final say.

Faith alone. God redeems you because you trust Him. You cannot earn your way there.

Grace alone. God saves you fully by what Jesus did. You did not accomplish one thing toward it.

Christ alone. Jesus is the only way to God.

Glory to God alone. For everything He has done, we cannot take an ounce of credit.

Those five prove that God is the only one who can save you. Yes, we have a relationship with Him and we are in there somewhere. But what we are really doing is recognizing that we did not bring anything to the table. God saved us. God redeemed us by His grace, through faith, through Christ.

The Harness

A few years ago, when our kids were little, we had a season pass to Six Flags over Georgia. It proved exactly how old I had gotten, because if you have not ridden a roller coaster in ten years, just go ride one. Your body will tell you it was a bad idea.

The kids wanted to ride Superman. I had no clue. I said sure, that sounds fun. I did not look at the mechanics of the ride at all. They walk you through tunnels underground and then you pop up and you are getting on.

So we get in these capsule things and they bring the harness down over your shoulders, and I noticed the shoulder piece was really tight. That was my first clue.

You know what is about to happen. The thing kicks off and they invert us. I did not want to be Superman anymore. I was fine being regular man. There was one thing between me and the ground, and it was that harness. I had to decide fast whether I was going to trust it or spend the whole ride freaked out. I honestly cannot remember which one I picked.

Even for people who follow Jesus, there are moments where we put a little too much trust in ourselves. We reach up and check the harness. Is it tight enough? Did that person actually buckle me in? We do that with God. Is He going to hold me through this? Can I really put my full trust in Him?

It is easy to think that being a decent person somehow helps your case with God. It is easy to feel good when we are praying and doing good, and then feel shame when we go a few days without spending time with Him, and forget His grace entirely. It is easy to listen to a podcast about what the Bible says when we have not dug into the Word ourselves in a long time. Nothing wrong with the podcast. But have you spent time in God’s Word?

So here is my question. What are you leaning on besides Jesus? Whatever that is, that is what you are actually trusting.

A Way That Appears to Be Right

There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death. Proverbs 14:12 (NIV)

Have you ever gone the wrong way down a one way street? I have. There are two glaring signs that say wrong way and do not enter. Turn around, you moron, stop driving this direction. I missed all of them. Even the moron sign.

The only way I knew was that traffic was coming at me. There is no other lane. A sidewalk if you want it, maybe a ditch, but no way out. You just have to stop while everybody honks at you, do the seven point turn, and get going the right direction.

That is kind of like what happens to us spiritually. Most of us are never going to go the wrong way on purpose. What happens is that you run into something that actually looks pretty good. It might even sound a little churchy. It sounds like this.

I know the Bible, so I am good. I have the verses memorized. God and I are fine.

If I do these things, God will accept me.

I am a good person, so God is pleased with me.

This is how we have always done it.

I will help with a need, but I am not going to bring God into it. I will pay the bill or fill their tank, I just do not want to say it was done in Jesus’ name, because I do not want to put pressure on the situation.

There is a piece of truth in every one of those. The problem is that each one puts something else ahead of what God actually said.

See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ. Colossians 2:8 (NIV)

It is possible to see something that appears right, sounds right, and looks right, and have it take you captive. It might be built on human tradition. It might come from the world instead of from Christ.

So how do we know for sure that what we are hearing is true? You need something that has the final say. Something with the highest authority you can turn to. Something true, something complete, and something freely available to you.

I am talking about the Word of God. I hope the Bible has the final say in your life. And if you want to believe that, but every time you try to dig in you feel confused or like something is missing, then this is for you.

The Badge

We had a police officer in the room, and I told everybody he was going to arrest all of us who admitted to driving the wrong way. He has a badge, and that badge gives him authority. But it is not the badge that does it. It is the authority behind the badge. The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department. The City of Chattanooga and Red Bank. The shield simply says that authority has been granted.

It is not the letters on the page. It has authority because of the one who authored it. The one who authored it is the authority behind those words, and that is what gives them meaning and life and power.

Here are four things about the Bible, and why Scripture alone is the final authority in our lives.

1. God Used People to Write His Word

We did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain. We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place. 2 Peter 1:16-19 (NIV)

The first thing Peter says is, we were there. We were eyewitnesses. We heard the voice. We saw what took place on that mountain. Then he calls it reliable.

What happened is what got written down. What happened is what the prophets spoke about. These things were real, and God was speaking through them onto the pages by the power of the Holy Spirit.

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NIV)

God-breathed! That is a beautiful thing.

If you are walking around feeling unequipped, wondering how you are supposed to live this Christian life, you have the manual. It is in your hands. It is probably on your phone.

He breathed out His Word through every person He used to give it. Poets, prophets, farmers, kings, soldiers, shepherds, priests, historians. He let a tax collector record a gospel. A couple of fishermen and a doctor. He let Luke go do interviews like a reporter, and you can see Luke’s personality in that gospel. Paul wrote like Paul.

I love Paul, because one of my favorite things he wrote is basically, I do the things I do not want to do, and I do not do the things I do want to do, and I cannot figure out how to do the things I want to do instead of the things I do not want to do. That is the David Russell translation. I can relate, and I am sure you can too.

There is a human imprint on it. And every single word was intentional and divinely inspired by God Himself. So it is not just Paul’s words, or Matthew’s account, or King David’s in the Psalms. These are God’s words, inspired to land on that page. You can trust where it came from.

2. God Made Sure His Word Got to You

You have it. It is not held in a museum or behind a glass case. There is not somebody else who has to tell you what it says.

The Bible is a collection of books, not one book. There were false teachings being spread even in the first century, and people trying to get them in. What is amazing is that the church, by God’s design, rallied around the set of books that became the Bible you have today. Other texts were considered heretical, and the church was strict about what came in. Then councils were formed to make sure what was in the Bible matched the historical record and lined up with what the churches were already using.

Your Bible has two parts. The Old Testament tells the history of God’s people. The New Testament tells the history and the future of God’s people in Jesus. And it has books, then chapters and verses, which came later.

In the first year of our church, somebody came up and asked me what the numbers at the bottom of the words were when I was reading. I said, John 3:16. John is the book, three is the chapter, sixteen is the verse. And she went, oh. Like it clicked.

There are people walking into our church who did not grow up in church and have no idea. If that was you, that is okay. We were all there at some point, and we are glad to be a church that helps you find it.

Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the Lord your God that I give you. Deuteronomy 4:2 (NIV)

But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! Galatians 1:8 (NIV)

That is powerful, because Paul includes himself. Even me. If I miss the mark and start preaching a false gospel, he is willing to be included in that curse.

So it matters that you know God’s Word. Not that you have it memorized, because none of us can hold every story and every chapter. But if you have questions about life, this is the place to turn! It is not ChatGPT or Claude. You have friends and a small group, and they are going to help you. But sometimes people turn to sources they never verify against God’s Word. That is why church matters, because here people will help you do exactly that. If you go to the world for your answers, you get the authority of the world instead of the authority of God. You can know that it is complete.

3. God Still Speaks Through His Word Today

The book is finished. But our God is not.

Some people take this idea of Scripture alone and try to tell you it means God has said everything He is going to say until He returns. That is not at all what it means. God’s Word authoritatively confirms that God still speaks today. He is not adding to His Word. The book is complete. But His Word adds to our lives.

So when we hear from God, when the Holy Spirit is prompting us, we get to check it against the authority of Scripture. If it lines up with God’s Word, take the step. And if it does not, that was the pizza you ate last night talking to you, not God.

We firmly believe in the power of the Holy Spirit here at Rise Church. The primary way I hear from God is through His Word. Almost every day some verse leaps off the page at me out of our One Year Bible, which is free on our website, and God stops me in my tracks. Sometimes I do not even know what it is for.

I want you to know I have a prayer time that has nothing to do with preparing messages. That time between me and my God is precious, and He grows me during it. I hope the title of lead pastor simply means I am serving you, and if I am out in front in any way, it is out in front in my growing, so we can go there together.

Now let’s have some fun, because I cannot think of a sentence that gets overused in church circles more than three little words. God told me.

Maybe a husband to his wife. God told me it is your turn to take out the trash.

Maybe you have been eyeing a new vehicle. I am a car guy, so this one is convicting. God told me I needed that new Mercedes G Wagon. Awesome. Send it to the mission field.

Or the old one, God told me to tell you. That is where you say, time out, let me see if He tells me first.

And a kind caution to any single ladies. If you ever hear God told me you are going to be my wife, just run. Unless you like him, and then go to God’s Word and pray about it.

I am kidding, but there is a reality in there. Some of you have experienced somebody in the church who said that, and it was not the Lord. Now they are proclaiming something God said that He did not say. Sometimes those things really hurt, and sometimes they are confusing, and God is not the author of confusion. So if that happens, it is a sure sign that what you were dealing with was not from God.

Here is what really happened. That person failed to test what they believed was from God. We do not have to move that fast in our obedience, or in receiving words from people. Pause. Pray. Go to God’s Word and confirm it.

Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. Do not scoff at prophecies, but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good. 1 Thessalonians 5:19-21 (NLT)

Test everything. And then what do you hold on to? All of it? No. Hold on to what is good.

Growing up, I always knew I was my grandma’s favorite. I was spoiled rotten. She told me all the time, David, you are my favorite.

I was a thirty three year old grown man when I found out she said that to all the grandchildren. Crushed. I made a joke about it at Thanksgiving, and my sister Jen said, I am grandma’s favorite. Grandma was sitting at the head of the table, and her whole world unraveled in front of her at ninety years old. She is still with us, by the way. Doris Walters is a hundred and one.

All I needed to do with grandma was trust, but verify.

Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. Acts 17:11 (NIV)

They were eager, and they still checked. Those two things go together. And notice who they were checking. They were fact checking an apostle. They were checking Paul. You can confirm His direction.

4. God Gives You Authority Through His Word

The authority in God’s Word is transferable. You can fight with it.

And if you did not know you were in a fight, you are in a fight. There is an enemy who cannot stand that you are following Jesus. Part of why some of you are stuck is that you do not know there is an enemy holding you back, one who did not want you to set foot in this church.

I talked to one of the people who was baptized at the lake. She told me that going into it, it was extremely hard for her. Every single day it grew harder, and she was not sure she could go through with it on the day of the baptism. I asked her, do you know what that is? She said, I do not know. I said, that is spiritual warfare. Because the enemy does not want you going public in your faith. Not today, not ever. He would love to keep you exactly where you are. He does not even mind that you are safe. He just wants something laid over that light so you are not shining so brightly.

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12 (NIV)

We know the armor of God, and the armor has a defensive posture to it. But there is one piece that is not just defense.

Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:17 (NIV)

No war has ever been won by one side just playing defense. You have to step into the action.

For some of you, that is what you have been doing with God. Playing defense, just trying not to do wrong. But God has given you authority through His Word to take back the ground the enemy has taken from you, and to live the life He intended for you all along.

All you have to do is pick up the sword and fight. Find Scriptures that apply to the hurt and the pain. Maybe to the sin. Maybe to whatever you feel is separating you from God. Find something and use it as a weapon.

There has to be an advance. Honestly, the goal is to get behind enemy lines, to find people who are far from God and rescue them. To be the church standing at the last desperate point before somebody goes over, saying, hey, Jesus is real. He is the way, the truth, and the life. You can trust Him.

And the way we know you can trust Him is that He gave us this trustworthy word, and we can read all about it.

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. Mark 13:31 (NIV)

If you get nothing else out of this, here is the whole thesis.

Let the Bible be God’s guidance for your life. You can submit to God through His Word.

And if you are far from God today, that promise is true for you too. Just like at the top of this message, it is not something you can purchase. You do not have to get good in order to come to God. He is glad you are coming to Him, no matter how messy, no matter how messed up you think you are, no matter what you have done. You are welcome. He is beckoning you. He wants to save you, and He does not want to see you spend an eternity separated from Him.

The Bible is clear. If you confess with your mouth and believe that Jesus is Lord, you will be saved. It is a beautiful, simple thing. If something is stirring in you right now, that is God being kind to you. Say yes to Him.