Untitled Sermon (4)

Intro

We live an an age where absolute truth is all but forgotten. Fake news, fake friends, fake leaders have become the norm. If you talk to anyone from a younger generation you will hear them talking about things such as “my truth” or the phrase “live your truth” as if reality is subject to our beliefs. Not only that but Christians in the west are leaving the faith in numbers never seen before. What is our hope? How can we know truth? What will we hold firm to in uncertain times? Has God spoken? If so, how can we know that we have what he said accurately recorded?

We as Christians, believe that the Bible is the word of God. We affirm that it holds absolute truth. But do we know why? And what do we do with Scripture when we find that it is true?

These questions bring us to our passage today. Our main focus will be verses sixteen and seventeen but we will begin in verse fourteen. Let us read together.

2 Timothy 3:14-17 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed. You know those who taught you, 15 and you know that from infancy you have known the sacred Scriptures, which are able to give you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is inspired by God, and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), 2 Ti 3:14–17.

Let’s pray. Father thank you for the truth of your Word. Thank you that in an age of uncertainty, we can know with certainty where our hope is found. Open our eyes to the inspiration of your word. Not just for intellectual comfort. But let us apply it to our livers as we grow in discipleship. For it is in Jesus’ name we pray

Transition

Scripture is inspired

When it comes to theollogically loaded terms, how often do we truly ponder what they mean? Often we do not consider the impact that it has on our faith. But I can tell you that the evangelical church in the west is reaping the benefits, or lack there of, of not taking doctrine seriously. We are in a crisis of deconstruction. Every day a celebrity Christian declares that they no longer trust in Christ for salvation. Or a church proudly declares themselves as progressive. I promise you they do not wake up one day and decide to do so for fun. It is a slow and deliberate process of questiontioning spiritual things without the Bible as their foundation. It is asking the same question as the serpent in the garden of eden, “Did God really say?” It starts with the abandonment of the doctrine of Inspiration.

We will begin today by looking at the beginning of verse 16, “All Scripture is inspired by God”

The word translated as inspired is θεόπνευστος, But what does Paul mean when he says that the Bible is inspired? Does he mean to day that the Bible inspires us in these dark days?

Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, vol. 34, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 236.

Well the Bible does do that. But that is not what he is saying here. Rather he is talking about the origin of Scripture. Some of your translations may say that all scripture is God breathed. I love that picture. It flows out of God. Though the Bible was written by human hands, it comes from God himself. The authors maintain their personality and writing syles. They write under their own agency. But the Holy Spirit still chooses each and every word to covey the exact message intnded by God.

Peter records, “Above all, you know this: No prophecy of Scripture comes from the prophet’s own interpretation, 21 because no prophecy ever came by the will of man; instead, men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), 2 Pe 1:20–21.

Scripture is not subject to the opinions or changes of man through time. It comes directly from God through human authors.

What is with this phrase here “all Scripture?” How much of scripture is inspired? well all of it. But more specifically Paul is writing this in the first century. Some of the New Testement had been written up until this point. But it cetainly had not been compiled in any meaningful way. The passage says that Timothy had been instructed from the Scriptures from his youth. This passage is primarily talking about the Old Testament. We get the New Testament thrown in there too. We may want to throuw out the Ond Testament. Or unhitch it as some preachers say today. There are numerous laws and stories that make us uncomfortable. But we cannot do that if we take the New Testament seriously. Conservative estamimates say that the New Testamite directly quotes the Old Testament 855 times. But over a third, or 7,967 verses refrence the Old Testament in some capacity. Not only that but we just saw Paul affirming the inspiration of the OD Testament. To be logically consistent, if one belives in the inspiration of the New Testament, they must also believe in the inspiration of the Old. Later we will take a look at how Scripture is profitable for discipleship. Just remember that the Old Testement has a place in it.

https://www.blueletterbible.org/study/pnt/pnt08.cfm

If the Bible is Inspired, or rather since it is, there are three important truths that follow. Scripture is infallible, innerant, and authoritative. To say that the Bible is infallible is to say that it is reliable on all matters it speaks of. It does not mislead people. To say Scripture is inerrant is to say that the original copies are free from any mistake of doctrine, teaching, or fact recorded. Our English copies have come a long way as well. I can be quite the nerd when it comes to Textual Criticism. To avoid that rabbit trail, many of our modern copies are faithful interpretations of the past. The King James and New King James worked off of the Textus Receptus as their basis for the original languages. They are truly remarkable and beautiful works. But since their writing, scholars have found older and more manuscripts, giving even greater confidence that we know what the Bible originally said and can translate it faithfully. Normally translations are put together by a committee. This committe is made up of some of the best scholars on the original languages from across denominatipnal lines. The idea is to translate the words without adding or taking away meaning, I will encourage you to mark and avoid translations that do not work this way. One that has been rising amongst some in the community is the Passion translation. This has been put together by one man with little to no language training. His writing has clear hyper-charismatic leanings. Not only that but he claims to have been visited by an angel named passion that gave him so called secret knowledge. This is very reminiscant of Joseph Smith and the mormon “corrections” to Scripture.

All of this to say that we know what the Bible says. So please read it in a translation that you can understand. Many readings are trustworthy today. I would love to talk more with you about this after the service if you need a hand picking a good one.

Since the Bible is Inspired, we ought to listen to it. That is to say that the Bible is authoritative in all that speaks of. There is no need to insert your opinion into the text. We live according to its guidelines. In Bible studies we have probably all been asked, “What does this mean to you?” Frankly my opinions do not matter. They are subject to God and His rule. The Bible has objective truth. My opinion on abortion must be subject to what the Scriptures have to say about the starting point of life and its treatment of murder. My stance on paying taxes is subject to Jesus’ words. My politics are subject to the authority of Scripture. All of my life is subject to what God has decreed. In a sense this is comforting. If I do my job properly as an expositor of God’s word, and you do not like something I say, I can just point back to the text and say take it up with God.

Verse 16 begins, “all Scripture is inspired by God.” Because this is true, we must live our lives subject to it. This applies to discipleship.

Prove

Illustrate

Apply

Scripture makes disciples

Explain

Do you know your Bible? It is a fair question. This book I hold in my hands has been brought to us through great sacrifice by our brothers and sisters in church history and the wisdom of scholars today. Paul is writing to someone who certainly knows his Old Testament. Look at verses fourteen and fifteen. “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed. You know those who taught you,  and you know that from infancy you have known the sacred Scriptures, which are able to give you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Ti 3:14–15). Timothy knew the scriptures. And it wasn’t just because of his own efforts or Paul’s teaching. It was because of the efforts of his mother and grandmother. Look at the beginning of the letter, “I recall your sincere faith that first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and now, I am convinced, is in you also.”

Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), 2 Ti 1:5.

Timothy’s faith was built by faithful women. We do not know what exactly happened to Timothy’s father, whether he died, left, or was simply an unbeliever. Regardless, he was not in the picture. These women devoted themselves to raising Timothy up in the Lord.

You see in jewish culture, learning the Old Testament was crucial. Starting at the age of five, mothers would help their kids memorize entire books of the Bible. At age ten, their fathers would teach doctrine and traditions.

Bruce B. Barton, David Veerman, and Neil S. Wilson, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Life Application Bible Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1993), 217.

God’s design has always been for a family to teach their children about their God. Are you training up your kids? I am not asking if you take them to church. But are you saturating them in the things of God? From sun up to sun down, the Israelites were constantly reminding themselves about God and His word. They would put Scriptures on their doorpost to be reminded. They would put little pieces of a scroll in a box and tie it to their forward to force themselves to dwell on the things of God. Find Reference

We all must dedicate ourselves to know and memorize the Scriptures.

Teaching little children is both an opportunity and a burden. Jesus fiercely protected children during his ministry. Look at His own words, “Truly I tell you,” he said, “unless you turn and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child—this one is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 And whoever welcomes one child like this in my name welcomes me.

To welcome a child is to welcome Christ. Lead them in the way of God. Guide them. There is great blessing in this. Many of you know that my wife and I have been praying for a child. We never got to hold Cassius in our arms. Please take this call to make disciples out of your children seriously. For Look at Jesus’ warning,

6 “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to fall away—it would be better for him if a heavy millstone were hung around his neck and he were drowned in the depths of the sea. 7

Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Mt 18:3–7.

As a Youth Pastor, that scares me. God does not mess around when it comes to children. Are you making disciples out of your children? Does your life revolve around the life of Christ’s bride or around the world? We get so busy sending our kids off to school, sports, friends, hobbies, and everything else. If we are honest, discipleship is the first thing we cast aside. All of us could think back to the last time we missed a Bible study because we had something else we would rather do. When is the last time you missed something else because you had to gather with the saints? When is the last time your child missed a sports practice to worship their creator? I’ll brace for the angry emails later.

My friends, discipling your kids is not an add on. It is not optional. It is a command. Not only should we dedicate ourselves to discipling our kids, but we must disciple ourselves. And how do we do that? Through dedicating ourselves to scripture.

Timothy’s faith was a direct result of studying the Word of God. May we never lose sight of this foundational piece of our faith. As verses fourteen and fifteen remind us, this is a lifelong process. We do not graduate from our dependency on the Word. We are to continue in what we have learned and believed.

So we have the inspired Word. We know that we are to use it to make disciples. But how exactly does it transform us?

Luckily Paul does not leave us without an answer. Look at verses sixteen and seventeen again,

“All Scripture is inspired by God, and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” 2 ti 3:16-17

Paul gives a fourfold use of Scripture in these verses. The first two are teaching and rebuking. These things have to do with knowledge or doctrine. Useful for teaching is said in the positive. The Bible tells us who God is and what we are two belief. Rebuke is the opposite. The Bible teaches us what not to believe or teach. If you have read much of Paul you know that he includes both, often in the same thought. Positive and negative. Encouragement and warning. This way of teaching is present on every page.

The Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary (b. An Exhortation to Steadfastness (3:13–17))

Four spheres are now mentioned in which the usefulness of Scripture can be seen. The first two relate to doctrine and the other two to practice. Useful for teaching refers to positive teaching, while rebuking represents the negative aspect. The Scripture contains both encouragement and warning, and this double aspect is always present.

Beyond doctrine, the Scriptures provide us with correction and training. This is we live and behave. Correction here is the negative use of Scripture. It chides us when we venture off the right path. It is to get our attention when we behave in a way that does not honor God. If we are honest with ourselves, we do not like to give correction. This is true whether you have a child or people who work under you, or whatever the situation may be. And we certainly do not like to be on the receiving end of correction. But check out what Hebrews says, “ And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons:My son, do not take the Lord’s discipline lightly or lose heart when you are reproved by him, for the Lord disciplines the one he loves and punishes every son he receives” He 12:5-6

Hebrews 12:5–6 CSB

And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: My son, do not take the Lord’s discipline lightly or lose heart when you are reproved by him, for the Lord disciplines the one he loves and punishes every son he receives.

A loving parent corrects their child. A good boss corrects their employees. I substitute teach at the public school and there are many kids whose parents have never corrected them. It is not loving to let them live in such self destructive behaviors. God loves us. And He uses His Word to correct us.

The Bible also gives us training in righteousness. I want to be careful here to remind you that this is not the Gospel. The Christian message is not live a good life and things will work out in the end. For before we were saved we were dead in our sins. Unable to do good works. Now that we are saved, we better be living God’s way. We ought to now desire to live an ethical life. As we mentioned earlier, Pual and Timothy primarily have the Old Testament as their basis of Scripture. The Old Testement certainly provides a basis for Christian ethics. Even more so now that it has been illuminated by the arrival of the Messiah.

For what purpose? For what purpose has Scripture been inspired? Why should we use it to disciple others and ourselves?

Verse seventeen gives us the answer, “so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work”

Paul has given Timothy a great burden. But not without being equipped to do so. If he nurtures his spiritual walk, then he should have every confidence to live a live honoring unto God. The New American Commentary puts it this way,

1, 2 Timothy, Titus Excursus 5: Inspiration, Infallibility, Inerrancy, and Authority

. If Timothy would nurture his spiritual life in the Scriptures that he would use in his ministry, he would be fully qualified and prepared to undertake whatever tasks God put before him. What a tragedy for any Christian to be labeled as spiritually unprepared for a task when the means of instruction and preparation are readily at hand!

My own temptation as someone in seminary and one who preaches may be to fall in love with the truths of God’s Word and leave it there. But God has not given us His word to simply be hearers only. But doers as well. Look at Ephesians 2:10

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 2

10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.

Do I really need to convince you that the greater part of the Western church has failed misrteably at this? Look outside these doors. THe election is in just a few days from now. People are livning a life far from God. There are people in our own community without their basic needs being met. We must be the hands and feet of God. We are the church, His body. Souls are on the line. Their eternity is real. So do something about it. These good works have already been prepared beforehand. So step into whatever God is calling you to do. And serve. Put your faith into practice..

Chapter four furthers this idea if you are not convinced

1, 2 Timothy, Titus (2) The Enrichment of Scripture (3:14–17)

A final use of Scripture is to provide moral training that leads to righteous living

Conclusion

The whole Bible is the inspired Word of God. As such we know it to be trustworthy and applicable to our lives. We must read it and allow it test every claim made by the world. The Bible provides the means for discipleship. It is our anchor, safeguarding us from lies amd false teaching. And it tells us how to live a moral life.

But more than all of these, the Bible tells us about our Savior. It proclaims the Gospel with boldness, refusing to apoloigize. Do you want a closer relationship with your Savior? then have a closer relationship with His word.

Prove

Illustrate

Apply

Conclusion

List Points

List application

Exhort

Pray