Good evening and greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. I was thinking about what Sam said at the beginning. We were part of this association for 20 years. And to sit here and to look out and see all of you, it is a very, very moving experience. Some of you may have noticed that while we were singing the benediction, I had to stop because I was so overwhelmed with what I saw before me. In fact, before the song began, I thought, get ready for a lot of noise. And the singing has been beautiful. So praise God and thank you for allowing me to be with you again. I want you to do two things. Take your Bibles and turn to Genesis chapter one and take your hymnals and turn to the confession at the back. I didn't write down the page. I don't have that to give to you, but you should be able to find it fairly easily. We'll be making reference to both as we move forward this evening. Genesis chapter one, I'll read the entire chapter. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, let there be light. And there was light. And God saw the light that it was good. And God divided the light from the darkness. God called the light day and the darkness he called night. So the evening and the morning were the first day. Then God said, let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters and let it divide the waters from the waters. Thus God made the firmament and divided the waters which are under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament. And it was so. And God called the firmament heaven. So the evening and morning were the second day. Then God said, let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place and let the dry land appear. And it was so. And God called the dry land earth. and the gathering together of the waters he called seas. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself on the earth. And it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. So the evening and the morning were the third day. Then God said, let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night. And let them be for signs and seasons and for days and years. And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth. And it was so. And God made two great lights, the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good, so the evening and the morning were the fourth day. Then God said, let the waters abound with an abundance of living earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens. So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves with which the waters abounded according to their kind and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And God blessed them saying, be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas and let the birds multiply on the earth. So the evening and the morning were the fifth day. Then God said, let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind. Cattle, and creeping thing, and beasts of the earth, each according to its kind, and it was so. God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind, and God saw that it was good. Then God said, let us make man in our image according to our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them. Then God blessed them and God said to them, be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it. have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves in the earth. And God said, see, I have given you every herb that yields seed, which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed. To you it shall be for food. Also to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth in which there is life, I've given every green herb for food. And it was so. Then God saw everything that he had made. And indeed, it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day. Amen. Let's pray. God of heaven and earth, great creator, we bow before you and ask you now through your word to teach us, to help us. We want to glorify you. We want to honor you. We want to believe everything that your word contains. Help us to be discerning. Help us, guide us in righteous thought. and glorify yourself in all that is said and done, we pray in Jesus' name, amen. It's our custom at the seminary at the beginning of each academic year to hold a special meeting. And we hold it alongside of or with the Pastors Conference of the Texas Area Association Reformed Baptist Churches. Of course, this meeting is the night before the Southern California Pastors Conference, so there's a relationship. And as I thought about what I wanted to preach this evening, in consultation with some others, I decided to preach to you the same sermon that I preached to our churches back in September. Some of you may have seen part of this before because it was live streamed and I think it's available on YouTube, although many of the first few minutes of the sermon are missing. There was a recording problem and they're not all there. So if you've heard this before, forgive me. I hope it'll be helpful to you the second time. If you haven't heard it before, good. I hope it'll be a blessing to you right now as well. It's my custom at these meetings that we have to preach on various beginning texts at the beginning of the year. I wonder why I've chosen that. Well, we've looked at Proverbs 1-7, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. John 1-1, in the beginning was the word. We looked at Genesis 1-1 as a means to help us to contemplate God as God. And this evening, I'd like to return to Genesis 1, but now briefly noticing how it sets the stage for an important doctrine we find throughout the Word of God. It speaks to us of the reality of creation and what creation teaches us about the God who creates. Now, my plan this evening is to preach a Puritan type of sermon. So, I probably have two hours, is that right? Three, thank you. Where's the sandglass to keep turning over? The hourglass, yeah. Where is that? No, I don't mean a long, long, long sermon. But I want to preach you a Puritan sermon in four parts. And those of you who have read Puritan sermons maybe will notice or recognize my methodology. First, a doctrine. I want to present to you what we might call an axiom or perhaps a thesis statement. It's an assertion derived from scripture. In Puritan sermons, the doctrine, that's what they called it, was the main point that the sermon sought to demonstrate. So, I will have a doctrine. In this sermon, I will express it, and I will follow it with proofs. In Puritan sermons, the preacher would proceed to show how the doctrine is drawn from the scriptures. And we will consider many scriptures to demonstrate that the doctrine of the sermon is taken from the word of God. Thirdly, you'll find in many Puritan sermons that they deal with objections. And so in the third place, I wish to examine some objections that might be brought against the doctrine. And finally, we will consider some uses of the doctrine. That's the Puritan term for applications. So we have a doctrine, we have proofs, we have objections, and we have uses. Now my desire is that this will be a Puritan sermon in both form and matter. The form is the structure that I've just laid out for you. The matter is the substance of the doctrine that I will present. And I have to say, none of this is original thinking, but rather the fruit of decades of reading authors from the two centuries after the Reformation. Those of you who are familiar will recognize the things that I have to say. So there's no novelty in this. This is a Puritan sermon, both in its structure and in its context. Now let me begin with my doctrine. Here it is. The principle of Sola Scriptura requires us to recognize and accept the importance of the light of nature and the truths it teaches us. Let me repeat that. I'll be saying it again a couple of other times. The principle of Sola Scriptura requires us to recognize and accept the importance of the light of nature and the truths it teaches us. Now this statement has several parts. First, it affirms without hesitation the principle of sola scriptura, scripture alone. This principle is well articulated in the opening statement of our confession. So if you have it there in your hymnal, you can follow along with me. Chapter one, paragraph one. The Holy Scripture is the only sufficient, certain, and infallible rule of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience. That's a great statement of the doctrine of sola scriptura. The Holy Scripture is alone. as a sufficient, certain, and infallible rule for all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience. To paraphrase it, in all matters of saving knowledge, faith, and obedience, the Bible alone is our standard. And brothers and sisters, we must never ever waver from this point. The Bible alone. But secondly, our axiom tells us that this principle of sola scriptura requires us to acknowledge the place of the light of nature. And thirdly, It teaches us that the principle of Sola Scriptura requires us to receive the truth we are taught by the light of nature. And each of these is important. Let me explain. First, what is the light of nature? Well, look down in your confession. It appears in the very next sentence. It says, although the light of nature and the works of creation and providence do so far manifest the goodness, wisdom, and power of God as to leave men unexcusable, it goes on to speak about the necessity of the written word of God. Now this phrase, the light of nature, appears four other times in the confession of faith. In the sixth paragraph of chapter one, in the fourth paragraph of chapter 10, which those of you who will be at the pastors conference this week will hear an exposition of the fourth chapter of chapter 10. Then it appears in chapter 20, paragraph two and chapter 22, paragraph one. A simple definition might say that the phrase, the light of nature, refers to what we more commonly call general or natural revelation. Now think about the words of the phrase, nature, light of nature, nature refers to that which God has created. In fact, all that God has created, the world and all its parts, including the ability of humans to learn and to reason. The word light is exactly what the word means to us. An instrument that illuminates an object. So the phrase, the light of nature, speaks to us of the revelation that God gives in the created world. Now the fact that our confession places these two ideas together is excellent. For in doing so, our fathers recognized the place and the importance of both forms of divine revelation. Now turn over in the confession to chapter 22. One of the best statements about the light of nature is found in 22 paragraph 1. Read along with me. The light of nature shows that there is a God who has lordship and sovereignty over all, is just and doth good unto all, and is therefore to be feared, loved, praised, called upon, trusted in and served with all the heart and all the soul and with all the might. Now that's a great definition of the light of nature. What our fathers are saying to us is that the world around us, the world which God has made and that which he preserves in providence is a constant witness to the existence of God as well as to several of his attributes. Now let's come back to the Bible. You have your Bibles ready? Come with me to Romans chapter 1. We're going to be looking all over the Word of God this evening. Remember, Puritan sermon, Romans chapter 1. It is in my Bible, if I can find it. There we go. Romans 1, 18, especially verse 21. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them. Now remember, Paul's talking about wicked sinners. What may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world, His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse." Now notice what he says in verse 21. Because although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. We'll stop reading there. Now, let me read to you a lengthy quotation from John Calvin commenting on these verses. He suggests to us that there are seven truths that men, all men, all humans, ought to learn from the light of nature. Listen to John Calvin. Man was formed to be a spectator of the created world. He was endowed with eyes for the purpose of his being led to God himself, the author of the world. This clearly proves how much men gain from this demonstration of the existence of God, namely, an utter incapacity to bring any defense to prevent them from being justly accused before the judgment seat of God. Let me pause. You see what Calvin is saying? When all people stand before the judgment seat of God, they will have no excuse because the light of nature has given them the much truth that they need to learn about who God is. Now, back with Calvin. No conception of God can be formed without including his eternity, power, wisdom, goodness, truth, righteousness, and mercy. Some of you will recognize the divine appropriations are there. His eternity is evidenced by the fact that he holds all things in his hands. and makes all things to consist in himself. His wisdom is seen because he has arranged all things in perfect order. His goodness because there is no other cause for his creation of all things, nor can any other reason than his goodness itself induce him to preserve them. His justice is evident in his governing of the world because he punishes the guilty and defends the innocent. His mercy because he bears the perversity of men with so much patience and his truth because he is unchangeable. Those therefore who have formed a conception of God ought to give him the praise due to his eternity, wisdom, goodness, and justice. Wow. Calvin says a lot about what the world teaches people, all people, about who God is. Now let me repeat the doctrine. The principle of Sola Scriptura requires us to recognize and accept the importance of the light of nature and the truths it teaches us. That's my doctrine. Point two. Proofs. Now our doctrine is found throughout the Bible. Perhaps we may preface our survey with these words from Psalm 111. You can turn there if you'd like to. We read this Psalm this morning at Branches Church where I preached. I thought that that was wonderful that it was there up on the screen for us to read. Psalm 111. Praise the Lord. I will praise the Lord with my whole heart in the assembly of the upright and in the congregation. So here is a call for us to join together to praise the Lord and to do so among God's people. And what does the psalmist say? The works of the Lord are great, studied by all who have pleasure in them. His work is honorable and glorious, and His righteousness endures forever. He has made His wonderful works to be remembered. The Lord is gracious and full of compassion. He's given food to those who fear Him. He will ever be mindful of His covenant. He has declared to His people the power of His works in giving them the heritage of the nations. The works of His hands are verity and justice. All His precepts are sure. They stand fast forever and ever and are done in truth and uprightness. He has sent redemption to his people. He has commanded his covenant forever. Holy and awesome is his name. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. A good understanding have all those who do his commandments. His praise endures forever. forever. Did you notice how this psalm, like Psalm 19, which was read to us earlier, compares the works of God in creation and places them side by side with the revelation of himself in his holy word. Both are essential parts of understanding God's purposes. It teaches us, Psalm 111, that God's works in creation and redemption are good. and we must recognize them as such. Now think about several other texts with me. We've already read Genesis 1. Our chapter there calls us to recognize the creation of the world and all things in it. The stars above, the sun and the moon, all the creatures, and especially the man and the woman, Adam and Eve. We are committed to a doctrine of special creation, accepting at face value these inspired words of Moses. Now this is the beginning, this is the foundation of our doctrine. God made the world and all things in it, and many times in Genesis chapter one he calls it good because it demonstrates his goodness. Another text that has already been read this evening is Psalm 19. It beautifully speaks about God's two books, The book of creation, that's the first part of the psalm. And the book of scripture, which is the second part of the psalm. And there David extols both of them for their usefulness in their proper sphere. The heavens declare the glory of God. The unreachable stars above us proclaim the greatness of their creator. When you look up at night, learn this lesson. God is the one who made them. God is the one who placed them. Give him glory for his power and his might. Now turn with me to Acts 14. This is a rapid survey of selected texts. There are many more that we could look at. Acts chapter 14. After Paul healed a man who had been disabled from birth, the local priest of Zeus assumed that Paul was a messenger of the gods and initiated pagan worship, animal sacrifice, and the spreading of garlands as a means to honor Hermes and Zeus, he thought that Paul and Barnabas were Hermes and Zeus, who had come to his city. Luke tells us that Paul was deeply disturbed by this and immediately sought to disavow the Liconians of this idea. Let's pick it up in verse 14. But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard this, they tore their clothes and ran in among the multitude, crying out and saying, men, why are you doing these things? We also are men with the same nature as you and preach to you that you should turn from these useless things to the living God who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all things that are in them. who in bygone generations allowed all nations to walk in their own ways, nevertheless he did not leave himself without witness, in that he did good, gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness." You see, Paul tells these Gentiles that their offerings are worthless. And he preaches to them the one true God, and the point of contact that he has with them. Remember, they're idol worshippers, they're Gentiles. The point of contact is creation and providence. He calls these things a witness to God as the living God who made heaven and earth, sea, and all creatures. What he's saying to the Lyconians is this, just by looking around and thinking about the implications of what you see, you ought to reject your idolatry and serve the only true and living God. That's what Paul says. That's his point here. Look around you and learn a lesson from what is around you. Two chapters later, turn over there to chapter 17, I suppose it's technically three chapters later. We see the famous encounter between Paul and the Athenian philosophers. His method of preaching to them was to point them to the unknown one they worshipped in ignorance. Let's pick it up in verse 22. Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, now he's speaking to a quorum of Greek philosophers. Here Luke tells us a little bit earlier in the chapter that all that they did all the time was talk to each other about philosophy. That was their life. And so he has the opportunity to preach to them. Verse 22, Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, man of Athens, I see that in all things you are very religious. For as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription to the unknown God. Paul had been walking around Athens and noticing all of the altars that were set up to various gods. And there was one, it was sort of the idea, sort of like, in case we missed it, let's cover our tracks and have one more to the unknown God. Paul picks up on that. He preaches to them about it. Pick it up again here. Therefore, the one whom you worship without knowing, him I proclaim to you. God who made the world and everything in it, since he is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands, nor is he worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed anything, since he gives to all life and breath in all things. And he's made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth and has determined their pre-appointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings so that they should seek the Lord in the hope that they might grope for him and find him. though he is not far from each of us, for in him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, for we are also his offspring. Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the divine nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man's devising. Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because he has appointed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he has ordained. He has given us assurance of this to all by raising him from the dead. Paul's method in preaching to these Athenian philosophers was to point them to the unknown one that they worshipped in ignorance. Now, it's important to note this. As at Liconia, Paul's method of preaching to Gentile audiences does not assume any common theology. That's what he could do when he went into synagogues. You ever notice the difference when the apostles go into the synagogues, there's a common theology. So their message is simply believe on Jesus who fulfills the promises that were given to the fathers. But when we find them in gentile situations, we find them doing something different. They begin with creation and providence in order to lay a foundation to preach the gospel to these philosophers. Now we're going to return to this text in a few minutes, so if you want to keep a marker here, do so. Going back to the Old Testament, let me just read these words to you rather than having you turn all over your Bibles. Proverbs 6, 6 through 11. I'm giving you examples of how the light of nature is shown for us in the Word of God. Proverbs 6, 6. Go to the ant, you sluggard. Consider her ways and be wise, which having no captain, overseer, or ruler, provides her supplies in the summer and gathers her food in the harvest. How long will you slumber, oh sluggard? When will you rise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep. So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler and your need like an armed man. What does Solomon do? Solomon is addressing a sinner, a sluggard, a lazy man. I'm not sure that we use the word sluggard very much. But that's what it implies, someone who's characteristically lazy. And Solomon calls upon this man to consider a tiny insect of the natural world. The industry and the diligence of the ant serves as a moral lesson to the sluggard. If this seemingly insignificant member of God's creation can be so industrious, How can you excuse your indolence? You feel the pressure of this? And what Solomon is doing, he's using the light of nature to teach a lesson to the sluggard. Our Lord Jesus makes similar observations about nature and the light it shines. I'm in Matthew now, Matthew 6, 25 through 30, in the Sermon on the Mount. Therefore I say to you, words from our Lord Jesus, Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you, by worrying, can add one cubit to his stature? So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They neither toil nor spin, and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? See what Jesus does? He teaches the multitudes that they are to learn theological lessons from birds and flowers. If God cares for sparrows, and if God clothes wild lilies with beauty, how much more will he care for people? These are lessons about faith. Jesus rebukes the little faith of those who are seated before him. I wonder, have you ever considered this fact? The light of nature, here described in the lives of birds and the beauty of flowers, is a means that God has given to teach an important theological lesson. Your faith and my faith ought to grow as we contemplate what God does in the world. That's what Jesus is saying. Now there's more, for the scripture recognizes that even the thoughts of men may at times be useful in teaching us about theology and ethics. Did you know that the Apostle Paul uses words from Gentile sources in four different places recorded for us in the New Testament? In none of these cases does he cite these Greek authors as if they were inspired. That's not at all the point. But he uses their thoughts in his argument because those ideas are true. For Paul, it doesn't matter to him that the content is found in unbelieving and uninspired writers. He uses them to make his point. Now we've just read Acts chapter 17 and two of the quotations there in verse 28. Notice these times. While he's at the Areopagus, this place of philosophical debate, the center of Greek intellectual life, Paul twice provides citations from Greek authors. The first says this, in him we live and move and have our being. According to F.F. Bruce in his commentary on the Book of Acts, he says, this is from an address to Zeus, the Greek god Zeus, by his son Minos, And it's attributed to a poet named Epimenides who lived about 600 years before Christ. He was a famous Greek philosopher and poet. Paul cites him to make a point, a connection that he has with the philosophers. The second quotation also found in the same context are these words, for we are also his offspring. This comes from a different writer. It comes from a man named Aratus who lived about 350 years before Paul. But in both cases, this is the point. In both cases, Paul addresses Greek philosophers right at the heart of their world and employs the thoughts and the words of earlier Gentile philosophers to make his point. These earlier writers, Gentiles, long before Paul, understood that there is a God and they grasped some truth about them, about him. Now Paul doesn't say go off and read them for your theology. He simply uses their phrases. He's not afraid to use their phrases to make his point. In 1 Corinthians 15.33 is another example of Paul doing this. Verse 33 of 1 Corinthians 15, do not be deceived, evil company corrupts good habits. Maybe in your Bibles like in mine, that phrase is surrounded by quotation marks. Well, interestingly, this is another time that Paul cites an older Greek source. This comes from a famous Athenian playwright whose name was Menander. He lived about 340 years. He was born about 340 years before our Savior. Now, some have suggested that Menander was citing a line from Euripides, another Greek poet, but in any case, this is a line from a play by Menander called Thaes. Here is a point of ethics, good, evil company corrupts good habits, a point of ethics that is recognized even among the Gentiles because the light of nature penetrated to their philosophy, at least in this point. Now the fourth time that Paul uses Gentile writings to make his point is in Titus chapter 1. Titus 1.12. You may have scratched your head once or twice when you read these words in the past. Titus 1.12. One of them, they're writing about Cretans. One of them, a prophet of their own, someone who was born on Crete said, Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons. That's kind of like saying something that about Southern Californians are. You fill it in. I loved living in Southern California, by the way. I just want you to know that. So I wasn't meaning anything bad by that. But like Act 1728, this is a quotation from Epimenides, who was a native of Crete and thus especially appropriate as a source for Paul's argument. It wasn't somebody from elsewhere, it was one of their own, who said this about his own, and Paul used it to make his point. Now these quotations illustrate well Paul's point in Romans 121. They knew God, though they suppressed the truth in unrighteousness, but the light of nature broke through in certain ways. If we consider these four citations, we may say that the apostle was quite willing to recognize that even Gentile authors could say true things about God and about morality. Our old Puritan authors called this right reason. By this they recognize that God, by common grace, gives to some men wisdom to understand certain things revealed by the light of nature. We might go back and read that lengthy quotation from Calvin again because these authors seem to see the things that Calvin describes as they write in their poetry or in their philosophy. Now let's think about what we've learned. In each of these cases, scripture uses examples and draws theological or ethical conclusions from the created world around us. The light of nature teaches us some things about theology. Frequently, the conclusions we must draw are doctrinal in nature. The heavens declare the glory of God. If God provides for birds and flowers, he will care for you. Sometimes, as in Proverbs 6, we find ethical theology, how we are to live. Go to the ant. Learn from it. Some of you are thinking about Judy Rogers' song right now. Go to the end. We teach our children that principle. Since we believe that the Holy Scripture is inspired, inerrant, and infallible, we must receive these accounts of history and doctrine as true. When David sings of the glory of creation as it reveals his Lord and God, when Paul vigorously seeks to correct the false ideas of the Lyconians, by speaking of the true God and his acts towards humanity, when he visits Athens and debates with the philosophers and turns to the doctrine of God, when Solomon tells the sluggard, a man wallowing in his sin, to contemplate a tiny ant, and when Jesus tells the multitudes to meditate on the birds of the air and the lilies of the field, the Word of God teaches us about the importance of the light of nature. It shines light. It teaches us much. In fact, we may appropriately call the conclusions we draw from these contemplations natural theology. Now, we must be careful with this terminology because some have used the phrase natural theology to assert that if people simply live up to whatever light they've received from nature, whatever laws are in place in their societies, they will be rewarded with the gift of eternal life. We say never, never, To think this way is to say that the proclamation of the gospel is not necessary and that missionary activity is not needed. Only Pelagians and Socinians think in these terms. We deny in every sense that humans may be saved without the revealed word of God. Remember the words of the confession. We read them at the start. The Holy Scripture is the only sufficient, certain, and infallible rule of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience. We are unequivocally and permanently committed to this doctrine. We make no apology for our commitment to the Bible as the only source of light for salvation, saving knowledge, faith, and obedience. This commitment requires us to appreciate properly what our fathers called the light of nature, but which we more commonly call general revelation. It is an important means by which the Lord teaches humanity basic theological, ethical, and reasonable truths. When phrases like the light of nature or natural theology are properly understood, they help us to value the universe in which we live. Point three, objections. Some might supply objections to our doctrine. The first is this. But aren't sinful minds darkened so that they are unable to see the glory of God in the works of creation and providence? In a sense, what about total depravity and its effects on our minds? So what's my answer? Aren't sinful minds darkened so that they are unable to see the glory of God in the works of creation and providence? Number one, yes, that's right. But several other factors need to be considered. The first is this. God's revelation is true no matter what men say. When the opinions of men contradict the word of God, we must reject them. But that does not mean that we ought to reject every conclusion that men draw from the light of nature. I am very thankful for advances in medicine or meteorology or chemistry. I'm glad to be able to take Tylenol from my backache. I'm glad for weather reports to warn of heat and cold and rain and snow. Sadly, they can't yet predict earthquakes. I am thankful that we know that lead is harmful to our health. I would suggest even in our study of scripture, I'm glad for the insights that come from unbelievers. Now give me a minute here. We would not be able to study or translate God's word in its original languages without linguists to teach us how to read Greek and Hebrew. Not all of them are believers, but they provide us with tools based on the light of nature to open up God's word to us. The vocabulary of the Greek language is the same whether you're a believer or not. Likewise, as Paul did, I'm glad to receive instruction from many teachers. Though we must be careful to always give scripture the primary place, when the observations of men support its doctrines, we need not reject them. Secondly, though, second answer to this. The same objection, aren't sinful minds darkened so that they're unable to see the glory of God and the works of creation and providence? The same objection may be made against scripture, or at least our interpretations of scripture. Even believing minds misunderstand and misapply it. I want to be bold here for a moment. I want to say that even you misunderstand and misapply scripture, at least at some point. And so do I. I've spent my whole life, my whole adult life, trying to understand the Bible in its fullness, to know properly and believe certainly all its doctrines. But I am under no illusion to think that I have arrived at the perfect system of theology. I am certain, I have no doubt, that I am incorrect on some points. I don't know what they are. But I desperately wish that I did. Because if they were revealed to me, I would gladly repent. I want to believe the truth in its fullness. But my limited mind doesn't do that. And there are some things, I wish I knew what they were. There are some things upon which I am incorrect. I fully expect that when I know, even as I am known, when the perfect comes and my partial, seen through a glass darkly, knowledge gives way to eternal life, I will recognize my errors. As I just said, I would repent of them now if I knew what they were. But I don't. I don't know what they are. And there's a certain sense of frustration in my heart because of that. Brothers and sisters, love calls us to pursue humility, recognizing that we are prone to error. I urge you to work hard to understand the Bible, draw careful conclusions, but respect those who within the bounds of orthodoxy differ from you. Prepare to be shocked. Reformed Baptists are not the only members of the kingdom of God. Amen. Thank God for that, right? We are not the kingdom of God. We're part of the kingdom of God and we owe love to those who differ from us and we can learn from them. The second objection, but doesn't this doctrine undermine the doctrine of the sufficiency of scripture? Doesn't this doctrine undermine the doctrine of the sufficiency of scripture? Well, I ask this. If this is what the Bible teaches, how can it undermine its own sufficiency? We've considered many texts of scripture, but we've only scratched the surface. Creation and providence are mentioned in every section of the Bible. They're used to teach theology and morality. Paul even says that the light of nature is sufficient to render all men without excuse on the judgment day. The problem is not with God's revelation, but rather with man's unbelief. Once again, I go back to the language of the confession. The Holy Scripture is the only certain and sufficient certain and infallible rule of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience. Although the light of nature and the works of creation and providence do so far manifest the goodness, wisdom, and power of God as to leave men unexcusable, yet are they not sufficient to give that knowledge of God and his will which is necessary unto salvation? The doctrine of the sufficiency of scripture does not teach us that it addresses every matter of life under the sun, simply that it provides us with everything we need to know, believe, and obey God. And because it is sufficient, we may accept its testimony to the place. and the importance of the light of nature. Brothers and sisters we must recognize the limits of general revelation of the light of nature. It does not teach us that God is one and God is three. It does not teach us about the incarnation of the second person of the Holy Trinity. It does not speak about justification by faith alone and it cannot and will not will never lead anyone to faith in Christ, the forgiveness of sins, nor eternal life. It is completely insufficient for these things and other important truths. But at the same time, that which it teaches to us is true and we dishonor God and his word if we reject it and the light it brings. Third objection. What about sola scriptura? I think the answer should be clear by now. If we genuinely believe that all scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness, then we must receive its teaching about the light of nature. It is absurd to assert sola scriptura and then minimize or reject its own teaching on any subject, in our case, the one at hand. If David teaches us that the heavens declare the glory of God, if the apostles could appeal to creation and providence when they preach to Gentiles, when Proverbs tells sluggards to go to the ant, and if Jesus urges the multitude gathered on the mountain, the multitude gathered on the mountain to consider birds and lilies, How can we neglect this gift from God? To recognize the proper place of general revelation in creation, providence, and right reason is to uphold the principle of sola scriptura, for this is what the Bible teaches. Fourth, let's talk about some uses. Perhaps the uses of the text have already been demonstrated. Let me mention several. I think I have five. First, We must see God's hand in the world around us. We must. John Gill put it this way. His work is honorable and glorious. There is nothing mean and trifling done by him, nothing unworthy of him in nature, providence, and grace. Every work of his serves to display his glory and set off the greatness of his majesty. The heavens and the earth are full of his glory, and he does all things well and wisely in the government of the world. Do you recognize these truths in the world around us? Can you see the hand of God in the sunrise and in the sunset, in the rain, and even in the summer heat or the winter cold? See, we believe that his glory is displayed in every part of the world around us, even sometimes, as did Paul, in the thoughts of Gentile poets and philosophers. We don't go to them first, but if they can help to illustrate a point, we can learn from them. Secondly, we must contemplate or meditate on God's works in the world. Again, let me quote John Gill. He expressed this nicely in a comment on Psalm 111.3. He says, there is a pleasure in the contemplation of the works of nature and providence. to behold the power, wisdom, and goodness of God in them, and his care over all his creatures, and particularly how he makes all things to work together for the good of his people, and especially it is delightful to observe the works of grace, how the glory of all the divine perfections is displayed in them. Angels themselves take pleasure in looking into them. Now these are sought and found out by those who delight in them. The works of creation are to be sought and found in the book of nature, the works of providence in the book of experience, and the works of grace in the book of God. And indeed, all of them are recorded there which are searched with pleasure by those that are inquisitive after them. Sam said how wonderful it was for the association to be together, the best thing about Southern California, represented in this room. That's the grace that we see in each other and the fellowship that we have with one another. But when we look at the sky at night, even with all of the brightness of the Los Angeles lights, we can still see the glory of God. You know, one of my bucket list items is to see Aurora Borealis. And of course, many times in the last few weeks in the northern United States it's been visible. Micah and Heather sent pictures to our family chat. They were unbelievable with the red and the green in the sky. And I was so happy for them. I mean it. I was happy for them because I've never seen it and I want to see it in my lifetime. But for them to enjoy it, it just is a wonderful thing. To see it and to glorify God in what the Aurora Borealis is. That's what we ought to be doing as Christians. Thirdly, remember that this created world, heaven and earth, is a testimony to the being and majesty of our God. As you look at the world around you, bring this to mind. When you do so, you train your mind to recognize the presence of God at all times in your life. We believe that God is everywhere. Our confession in chapter 2 at the end of paragraph 3 speaks of our communion with God and comfortable dependence upon him. We should live so that we see his hand in everything. Now the universe alone will not point you to Christ, but when you begin to see the hand of its creator, You may see things you've never seen before. As a believer in the Lord Jesus, there is much to contemplate. I want to read to you a beautiful poem written by a man named Frederick W. Pitt. He was a pastor active in London early in the 20th century. You might recognize this. Any of you who have listened to Phil Kege over the years, he put it to music, but it's beautiful. The maker of the universe as man for man was made a curse. The claims of law which he had made unto the uttermost he paid. His holy fingers made the bow which grew the thorns that crowned his brow. The nails that pierced his hands were mined in secret places he desired. He made the forest whence there sprung the tree on which his body hung. He died upon a cross of wood yet made the hill on which it stood. It's powerful stuff. The sky that darkened or his head by him above the earth was spread. The sun that hid from him its face by his decree was poised in space. The spear which spilled his precious blood was tempered in the fires of God. The grave in which his form was laid was hewn in rocks his hands had made. The throne on which he now appears was his from everlasting years, but a new glory crowns his brow and every knee to him shall bow. Now that's beautiful, isn't it? Thinking about the created world and our Lord Jesus Christ and his offering of himself on the cross. As we know the gospel, even creation becomes more precious to us. Fourthly, we must reject all human concepts that contradict the teaching of scripture, even those that masquerade under the phrase sola scriptura. And this is a problem today. There are some who would argue for a kind of chapter and verse approach to Christian theology and ethics. They forget that scripture itself teaches us to observe the world around us, to benefit from the light of nature, and to draw ethical and theological conclusions from what we see. If the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, with careful reliance on scripture and its teaching, we may interpret the things of this world properly in the fear of the Lord. We need not fear conclusions rightly drawn from creation and providence so long as they agree with scripture. Is it possible that we have forgotten this doctrine found in the word of God because we've overreacted to the conclusions of unbelieving philosophers and scientists? When they assert that everything around us is simply the product of time plus chance, we rightly reject their conclusions. God made the world. And because he created the world, we must recognize his hand in it. And fifthly, we ought to adopt the apostolic method of bringing the gospel to secular sinners. The difference in their method of preaching the gospel is striking. The apostle knew his audience. They could read the room. and couched his preaching in understandable forms. When in a Jewish setting, such as in Jerusalem at Pentecost, or in a synagogue as recorded in the Book of Acts, they assumed a common theology. The message was, Jesus is the fulfillment of the promises and prophecies given to the fathers. But when they were among Gentiles, they began with creation and providence, what we're calling the light of nature. in order to instruct their audiences about who God is. In our increasingly secular world, we need to adopt this methodology. Use the light of nature, God's creative power and providential governance, as an entry into people's lives. And to do this is simply to apply the principle of sola scriptura to our evangelism. Let me bring it all to a conclusion. In response to the question, why did God pronounce the light to be good, our patron saint Charles Haddon Spurgeon said this. You know what I mean by that. If Spurgeon said it, it must be true. He said this, I suppose it was because its creation displayed his attributes. The instantaneous coming of light revealed his power, his sovereignty, his goodness, his wisdom, and his love. He is not a God whose glory consists in darkness. but he covers himself with light as with a garment. God pronounced his creation good even before there was a man and woman to appreciate it. The heavens declare the glory of God. I hope that I have established the doctrine. The principle of Sola Scriptura requires us to recognize and accept the importance of the light of nature and the truths it teaches us. In the beginning, God created the light of nature. Let us receive it as a gift from God. Soli Deo Gloria. Let's pray. Oh Lord, thank you. You are so good to us in revealing Jesus Christ our Lord and opening our minds and allowing us to see him in his beauty. By your spirit to quicken our hearts so that we may trust in him. But we thank you also for the world in which you have placed us. Too often we look at it as our enemy. The evil system of the world is exactly opposite to who we are, to who you are, to what we would want. Yet in creation, you have revealed yourself and you show yourself in all of your beauty. Help us to see it. and help us to use it as a means to enter into the hearts and the minds of unbelievers around us. Thank you for giving us a full revelation in the word of God and in the light of nature. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.