The Holy Scripture is essential

2 Timothy 3:16-17

16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

The Holy Scriptures is essential for our faith and our daily walk with the Lord. Let me repeat that, the Holy Scriptures is essential for our faith and our daily walk with the Lord. Can I get an ‘amen’? Now do you believe that, New Hope? And do you govern your daily walk by the Holy Scriptures, New Hope? Research shows that more than six out of every seven members in the typical church do not share the biblical worldview of their pastor even when he has one. If I asked everyone who is here today to count off 1 to 7 and repeat that, only the people who said 7 would be the ones who shared a biblical worldview with mine.

I asked the men to come forward for prayer because I would like to talk with them in particular today. And Sisters I need you to listen also so that you will be able to remind them and remind yourselves of this message.

Are you a ‘Man of God’?
Adam and Apathy
We are responsible for what we see today
Do you believe in the Word of God?
Background to 2 Timothy 3:16-17

The church at Ephesus
Continue in the things you have learned
Know the Holy Scriptures
The acrostic KISS
In school KISS means keep it simple student
In church KISS means keep it simple saint
This background for Timothy is going on today – nothing new under the sun

Let me illustration from my job at high school

18 years I have seen up close the 14-18 year old student and there are some commonalities
the 14 year old freshman, excited, nervous, and naïve about being in high school
the 18 year old Senior who can’t wait to get out, to graduate. And amazingly after their last day, you find some lingering around school because of the mixture of emotions; glad that it is over, but sad that it’s over, excited about going away to College, but scared about College and being on their own. Learning for the first time, time management skills.
The 15 or 16 year old sophomore wise but foolish, knows the ins and outs but lacks the smoothness. Watch them as they learn to drive, they know the mechanics but lack the skill.
The 16 or 17 year old junior, the hardest academic year in high school, entry into varsity athletics, lead roles in plays and musical, and section leaders in the band. This is the first year of true independence, first job, first love relationship, first heart break or rejection. Parents and/or authority figures intellectual level drops below their and this will usually continue into the early twenties

Why the illustration because it is a microcosm of life in general, Solomon said that there is nothing new under the sun
We can learn much about ourselves by reading carefully this passage of Scripture
All Scripture is given by inspiration (God breathed) (keeping in mind the background that leads us to this portion of Scripture)

Therefore it is good because it is from God

Better than good it is profitable (beneficial, valuable, advantageous)

Reap what you sow is break even
Reap less than what you sow is a loss
Reap more than you sow is profit

Looking at the profitability of from two approaches

One is from Creed and Conduct
Creed:

Doctrine, teaching the truth (this is the positive)
Reproof, refuting error (the negative)

Conduct:

Correction, reformation (the improvement or amendment) of manners (this is the negative)
Instruction in righteousness, discipline in right living (the positive)

Another approach that I would use apply the KISS (Keep It Simple Saint)

Doctrine – what is right
Reproof – what is not right
Correction – How to get right
Instruction in righteousness – How to stay right

In teaching a subject like mathematics, after you have gone through and presented a wonderful lesson on Linear Programming using the Simplex method, there is always that student who by the look on his or her face there’s that question; ‘okay, so, so what?
Men of New Hope Baptist Church, Men of God, verse 17 is where I have been waiting to get to
That (so that) the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work
Anthropos the Greek word used here in our text has three meanings

Human Being
Man, meaning male human
Husband
I am using the second meaning to address this to our men directly

The phrase ‘may be complete’ means

Qualified, Functional, Capable, Efficient, Proficient, and Competent

Thoroughly equipped means fully complete, the King James Version calls this perfect
For what? For every good work!
Men of New Hope, regardless of what you say verses 16 and 17 give a plan, a plan to be followed. If you don’t or you won’t follow it then

Are you a man of God?
If you say you are then you are incomplete and not equipped for every good work
The work you are doing is inadequate, therefore it can not be called good work

Men the results of this is all around us

Our women, mothers, wives, sisters, daughters, attempting to do what a man won’t do

If that means leadership in the church then you find women who will argue that they are called of God to pastor, to be deacons, to be teachers of men
If that means leadership in the home then you find women attempting to rear a family and also be the bread winner trying to be father and mother to her sons and daughters

The decay of our families, our church and our community is all around us
And the worse are those who suffer from spiritual hypertension. Just like physical hypertension it is a silent killer, you look okay and feel okay but the high blood pressure is taking it toll on your inner body resulting in stroke, heart attack, and even death.
Everything looks okay spiritually, I go to church, I read some scripture (usually my favorite parts), I don’t see a need for all this church stuff at home, or in the worldly decisions I have to make. My children and grandchildren are okay. It good my wife, my mother, my sister, my daughter wants to do more for the Lord. More power to her!
This apathy among you, men. This absence or suppression of passion, emotion or excitement among you, men, is why we are in the very state we are in.
You have said you are the ‘man of God’, you are the saved one, the sanctified one, the one who is filled with the Holy Ghost, if not you then who?
If I can not, or will not join my voice with Isaiah and say “Here am I! Send me.” Then who?
If I can not, or will not stand with Joshua and proclaim the contra; “But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” Then who?
Scripture says “And if they want to learn something let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is shameful for women to speak in church” If your wife can not or will not do this because you are not in the word yourself. Then who?
This very passage of scripture in 2Timothy says “but evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceive. But you must continue, you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures which is able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. And you can not or will not identify with this. Then who?
Let me close with this

Deuteronomy 6:1-9

6 “Now this is the commandment, and these are the statutes and judgments which the Lord your God has commanded to teach you, that you may observe them in the land which you are crossing over to possess, 2 that you may fear the Lord your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, you and your son and your grandson, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged. 3 Therefore hear, O Israel, and be careful to observe it, that it may be well with you, and that you may multiply greatly as the Lord God of your fathers has promised you— ‘a land flowing with milk and honey.’

4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.

6 “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Men, of New Hope Baptist Church, if you are not willing to do this, then who? Let us pray