The Purpose of the Church - The Apostles' Teaching (2 Timothy 3:14-4:4)

Announcements

Every Wednesday evening we do a Bible Study & Prayer time virtually. We were doing these services through the video conferencing service Zoom, but we’ve made the decision to stop utilizing Zoom and to just live-stream the services on YouTube. There’s three reasons for this change: (1) it didn’t really work out the way I had hoped it would work out and I think it’d be easier for most people in the church to just watch the video on YouTube; (2) it actually saves the church money, which we can then utilize elsewhere; and (3) it’ll help prepare us for when we’re in a permanent location, which hopefully will be soon. That means that if you have prayer requests that you’d like for us to pray for on Wednesday evenings, you’ll have to send them to us through a different means—you can email us at [e-mail], you can text them to me or Natalie, or you could comment on the live-stream with your requests and we’ll pray for you in that way.

Speaking of a permanent location—we did hear from the building manger for the property located at 110 E Pine St. And from what I understand, the landlord has agreed to make the few structural repairs that we’ve requested and she has approved the cosmetic changes that we would want to do—like painting, putting in a small stage, and really just making the building more conducive for what we need it to. We’re essentially waiting for the contractor to do the work that the landlord has agreed to do and then we can start doing the work that we need to do to get the building ready to have services there—that would include things like painting, building the stage, wiring a sound system, and deep cleaning. So, I’m asking for two things in particular:

There is a lot of work that needs done and I’m estimating that the cost for that work to be somewhere around $10,000. I’m reaching out to some other churches, agencies, and private donors to fund that amount; but it is still large amount of money, so I’m asking for us all to pray for that money to come in as quickly as possible so we can start working—God will supply our needs.

Secondly, I’d like to encourage you to take time to consider ways that you can help with the work. If you can paint, we could use some help; if you can clean, we could use some help; if you can build a small stage, come talk with me. The building needs a lot of work, but once we get it cleaned and ready to use, I think we could use the building for many years as we continue to grow and as we add different ministries to the church.

One last announcement, I still have 13 tickets at $9 per person for the Altoona Curve game on August 22nd. We’re utilizing it as an opportunity to fellowship and share life with one another, if you’d like to attend, reach out to me and I’ll give you any information that you might need and you can purchase those tickets from me.

Please continue to worship the LORD through your giving—it is only because of your faithful giving that we’re able to move into a permanent location and continue to grow as a church. To help you give, we have three ways for you to do so: (1) in-person giving with check or cash can done through the black offering box in the back of the room—if you give cash and you’d like a receipt, please write your name on an envelope and slip you cash in that envelope; if you give a check, please write it to Grace & Peace Bible Church; (2) credit, debit, and bank transfers can be done by texting 84321 with your $[amount] or by (3) visiting us at graceandpeacepa.com and selecting “Giving” in the menu bar. Everything you give goes to the building up of our local church and the spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Prayer of Repentance and Adoration

Call to Worship (Psalm 26)

Our call to worship is Psalm 26, which is a psalm of David in which he delights in the presence and house of the LORD. The verses in this text points to God as a source of joy. In Psalm 26, the worshipper as he approaches God’s house, is searched by God for sincerity and the passage ends by David rejoicing for his access to God. Please stand to read Psalm 26 responsively with me—I’ll read the odd-numbered verses, please join me in reading the even-numbered verses.

Psalm 26 ESV

Of David. 1 Vindicate me, O Lord, for I have walked in my integrity, and I have trusted in the Lord without wavering. 2 Prove me, O Lord, and try me; test my heart and my mind. 3 For your steadfast love is before my eyes, and I walk in your faithfulness. 4 I do not sit with men of falsehood, nor do I consort with hypocrites. 5 I hate the assembly of evildoers, and I will not sit with the wicked. 6 I wash my hands in innocence and go around your altar, O Lord, 7 proclaiming thanksgiving aloud, and telling all your wondrous deeds. 8 O Lord, I love the habitation of your house and the place where your glory dwells. 9 Do not sweep my soul away with sinners, nor my life with bloodthirsty men, 10 in whose hands are evil devices, and whose right hands are full of bribes. 11 But as for me, I shall walk in my integrity; redeem me, and be gracious to me. 12 My foot stands on level ground; in the great assembly I will bless the Lord.

Congregational Singing

Complete in Thee

O Church Arise

Reformation Song

Scripture Reading (Acts 2:36-47)

Our Scripture reading is Acts 2:36-47, which will be familiar to you because we studied through this passage last week. Because we’re in a series concerning the purpose of the church and we’re utilizing Acts 2:36-47 as the basis for the series, each week that we’re in this series, we’re going to utilize this passage as our Scripture Reading to keep it fresh in our minds.

Acts 2:36–47 ESV

36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” 37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” 40 And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” 41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. 42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Sermon

Introduction

We’re currently working through a series on Sunday mornings concerning the Purpose of the Church—we started the series last week, but last week’s sermon was more of an introductory message to the whole series that focused in on what I called the purpose statement of the church in Acts 2:42. We re-read that passage this morning as our Scripture reading and we’ll continue to re-read that passage each week for our Scripture reading during this series to keep the point of this series fresh on our minds as we continue. That passage shows us that the church is united on a common belief in Jesus Christ and for the church to grow, we must be dedicated to what the early church was dedicated to—the apostles’ teaching, the fellowship, the breaking of bread, and the prayers.

To help us understand what that means, each week through this series, we’re taking each one of these elements and we’re digging into what the Bible means by each element. Doing this will give us a more robust idea of why we exist as a church. Last week, again, was more of an introduction to the series, but in that introduction we focused in on the fact that the church is built upon the foundation of our common belief in Jesus Christ. That this is what distinguishes the church from other gatherings of people. Without that common belief in Jesus, a gathering of people isn’t a church.

This morning, we’re taking a look at the first element mentioned in Acts 2:42—that the early church was dedicated to the Apostles’ teachings. And I want to take a moment to mention one thing before we continue—what Luke called the apostles’ teachings in Acts 2, we typically just refer to as doctrine today. Because of that, I’ll probably utilize both terms interchangeably, so be aware that both terms are referring to the same thing—we know that from passages like the one we’re going to work through this morning in 2 Timothy 3.

If you have your Bible with you this morning, turn it to 2 Timothy 3:14-4:4. As you turn there, let me give you some background information to help you understand what we’re reading in 2 Timothy 3 and 4.

2 Timothy is considered a pastoral epistle because it is a letter written by Paul to a pastor named Timothy. Timothy at this point in time was the young pastor of the church in Ephesus and of course, he has a relationship with Paul that we would consider a mentor-mentee relationship. Or in other words, Paul (being older and more experienced) is writing to Timothy (the younger and less experienced) in order to help Timothy in his ministry in Ephesus. It seems as if Timothy was a little bit more timid than Paul because Paul frequently encourages Timothy to not let people look down on his age and to continuously be an example of what it means to be a Christian to those that he’s ministering to.

As we get to the passage that we’re working through this morning, Paul talks about the last days and he makes the comment that in the last days, people will epitomize sin—they will be sinful in the ways that they act and the ways that they behave towards other people. He explains that people will be “lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God” and he points out that this includes people who seem to appear godly, but rather deny God and his power. Or in other words, in the last days there will be people who seem to be doing right when in reality they’re doing wrong; and in the context of what Paul is saying in 2 Timothy 3, he’s speaking specifically of people who are supposedly ministering the Gospel, but in reality have opposed the truth of God by telling lies with a corrupt mind.

What Paul is doing in 2 Timothy 3:14-4:4, is essentially telling Timothy to focus on right doctrine or focus on the Apostles’ teachings rather than focus on the false teachings of those who oppose the truth. Whereas these people are subverting the Gospel, Timothy is to preach the Gospel correctly and teach the truth rightly; and this same exhortation from Paul applies to us today.

Read with me 2 Timothy 3:14-4:4, after which I’ll explain how we’ll break the passage down, we’ll pray together, and we’ll dig into Scripture.

2 Timothy 3:14–4:4 ESV

14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. 1 I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.

As we study this passage, we’ll take it in two parts: (1) All Scripture is Doctrine (3:14-17), and in the case of Timothy, this includes Scriptures that he had been taught from childhood. It is the doctrine that is found in Scripture that can make someone wise to salvation through faith and it is this doctrine found in Scripture that God utilizes to sanctify the believer even today. (2) Because all Scripture is doctrine, Christians are to Preach and Teach all Scripture Accurately (4:1-4), this passage is very clear that because all Scripture is doctrine, we are to not only use it in our own life for our own teaching, correction, and training; but we are to proclaim the Word of God to all who will listen. Both sections will encourage us to seek the truth in the Word of God and it will exhort us to actively proclaim the truth to all who will listen.

Prayer for Illumination

All Scripture is Doctrine (3:14-17)

Paul as he writes to Timothy turns his direction from talking about the sinful false teachings of those surrounding Timothy, to focusing on Timothy himself. And he does this by contrasting Timothy from those teaching false teachings. Vs. 14-15, “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.”

Unlike the people that Paul mentions starting in chapter 3 that teach false doctrine and subvert the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Timothy is to continue in what he has learned and have firmly believed. The question is, what exactly has Timothy been taught? Vs. 15, tells us that these are things in which he was acquainted with from childhood. Paul says “from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation.”

But let me be clear, in Timothy’s case, he had learned the sacred writings from youth and he came to believe in Jesus Christ, but let me clearly state that just because you’ve learned something from youth, doesn’t necessarily make it truth.

Timothy apparently grew up with at least one parent who wanted him to understand the Scriptures and taught it to him well. But that isn’t always the case.

In fact, I would argue that in the majority of cases—many people have learned things throughout their childhood and into adulthood that isn’t truth, but is actually tradition or opinion.

So, what makes what Timothy was taught as a child truth? Or put another way, why is what Timothy learned praised by Paul in 2 Timothy 3:14? Why is Paul telling Timothy to continue in what he was taught from childhood? There’s two reasons for this:

At the end of Vs.15, he was taught from childhood the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. What he learned as a child was what was necessary to gain salvation in Jesus—it was right doctrine.

In Vs. 10, Paul tells us that Timothy has been following his teaching, his conduct, his aim in life, his faith, his patience, his love, his steadfastness, and his persecutions and sufferings. Or in other words, what Timothy had been taught from childhood was able to help him come to Jesus Christ in faith and it was in line with what Paul had been teaching.

Why is that important? Because Paul was an apostle of Jesus Christ—one who had seen the resurrected LORD physically and had been commissioned by Jesus to teach right doctrine and to write the New Testament.

Or in other words, what Timothy learned as he grew up was sufficient to lead him to Jesus and it coincided with what the apostles had been commissioned by Jesus to teach; and that’s why it is considered truth.

Now like I’ve mentioned, many of us have grown up going to church or have attended church for several years as adults and you might be wondering how you can be sure that what you’ve learned from youth is accurate truth. And what Paul has done here is essentially taught us what is truth and it’s actually quite simple:

What Timothy was taught as a child and what Paul was teaching as an Apostle agreed with the truth written in Scripture.

So, it wasn’t an issue of tradition or opinion, what Timothy had learned as a child was what was written in Scripture. What Paul had been teaching as an apostle commissioned by Jesus Christ was written in the New Testament and is now Scripture.

It is Scripture that determines truth—not our opinion, not our tradition, not our feelings, and not our culture. It is what God has said through his Word that is truth

And Paul tells Timothy to continue in that truth. The very fact that Paul has to encourage Timothy to continue in the truth tells us that there is a very real temptation to walk away from the truth. I mean this in two ways:

First off, there is a very real temptation to just leave the truth altogether and live life however you please—now, this isn’t the way that Paul means it because Timothy isn’t tempted to leave the truth altogether, but it is important to know that there is a very real temptation to leave God’s truth and live life however you want. My encouragement to you is to reject that temptation and continue in what you have believed.

Secondly, there is a very real temptation to leave the truth by twisting it or by subverting it in such a way that it becomes false doctrine—this is what every false teacher in the Bible did, this is what every false prophet throughout church history did, this is what every cult that claims to be Christian does. It is very easy to take a small truth from Scripture and twist it to make it say whatever you want it to say. And that’s precisely what the false teachers in 2 Timothy 3 were doing.

And that’s exactly what Paul tells Timothy not to do, but rather stay firm in the truth that he has been taught through Scripture and by the apostles because only what is found in Scripture is able to make someone wise for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.

But not only that, Scripture is useful for more than just salvation and that’s found in Vs. 16-17. Paul writes, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

Paul starts off by telling us the nature of Scripture in that it is breathed out by God. Sometimes this is translated as “All Scripture is inspired by God,” but I believe the connotation behind the word inspired is a little misleading.

In our modern-day world, when we talk about being inspired we usually don’t mean it the same way that the Bible means it in 2 Timothy 3:16.

When we use the term inspired today, we typically mean that we get a sense of creative impulse to do something. Artists typically speak of feeling inspired to paint something.

But that type of feeling or sense is actually pretty subjective and to utilize that sense of the word to describe the writing of the Scriptures makes it seem as if the authors of Scripture were essentially sitting around waiting to see what creative things they could write.

However, that’s not how Scripture was written. The word used here is theopneustos—this is the only place in the Bible where that term is utilized.

Theo is the Greek word of God; pneustos is the Greek word for breath—so the text is very literally saying, “God breathed” all the words of Scripture.

Even though that term isn’t utilized elsewhere, we’re told in 2 Peter 1:21, that “prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

The idea being that the authors of Scripture didn’t write Scripture on their own volition, but rather God utilized the authors of Scripture to write the words that he wanted them to write in such a way that each individual author could still utilize their own writing style, their own vocabulary, and their own life experiences.

We could describe the writing of Scripture like this, that God superintended the writing of Scripture through the Holy Spirit who led these authors like a ship gets blown around by the wind.

The idea is that all of Scripture was ultimately written by God through the human authors; and because all of Scripture is written by God there are multiple uses for it.

First off, the idea that Scripture is useful to lead people to faith in Jesus Christ. That’s coming from Vs. 15 and its corroborated with Psalm 19 in which David writes that God’s word is perfect, sure, right, pure, and true; and that God’s word revives the soul, makes wise the simple, rejoices the heart, and enlightens the eyes.

Paul then gives four more ways that Scripture is useful:

All Scripture is breathed out by God and is profitable for teaching or what we sometimes refer to as doctrine, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness.

We don’t have enough time to break down each way that Scripture is useful, but let me give you a little bit of information regarding what Paul is saying.

Paul is saying that Scripture is useful to teach us—if you want to learn, turn to Scripture. The Bible, when read properly will teach you.

Paul is saying that Scripture is useful to reprove us—to reprove means to convict. The Bible, when read properly will convict you of sin.

Paul is saying that Scripture is useful to correct us—not only will Scripture convict you of sin, it will show you how to correct error within your life. The Bible, when read properly will correct wrong thinking.

Paul is saying that Scripture is useful to train us in righteousness—this is the idea of living how God wants you to live. The Bible, when read properly will train you to live in a God-honoring way.

Or in other words, what Paul is saying in 2 Timothy 3:14-17 is that Timothy needs to continue in the faith that he learned from childhood that was taught to him through the Scriptures. Timothy needs to continue in the faith that he learned from the Apostle Paul, which is written in Scripture. And it is by continuing in this teaching, which again, is found in Scripture that Timothy will hear the words of God and will be taught, and will be reproved, and will be corrected, and will be trained. Why is this so important?

Vs. 17, “That the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” It is through the study of Scripture that a believer is made complete. It is through the study of Scripture that a believer is equipped for every good work.

It is through the teachings found in the Bible that a believer is matured in his faith; and it is through the teachings found in the Bible that a believer is equipped for the work of ministry.

It’s no wonder why Paul is exhorting Timothy to continue in the faith and to ground himself in the Scriptures. And it’s apparent through this passage as to why the church in Acts 2:42 felt it to be so important to dedicate themselves to doctrine.

It is through the learning of doctrine that a person comes to believe in Jesus Christ, it is through the learning of doctrine that a believer then matures in his faith, it is through the learning of doctrine that a believer is equipped to do every good work.

It is no wonder why modern-day, mainstream Christianity is so weak spiritually—how can you expect to be spiritually mature if you don’t even take the time to learn what you believe? How can we expect that church to grow if the individuals within the church don’t bother to ground themselves in the teachings of the Bible?

It is through the reading and studying of Scripture and the learning of the doctrine found in Scripture that a person is sanctified by the Holy Spirit and made to be more like Jesus Christ. Without Scripture, we simply won’t grow.

Now, I realize that we’ve come to the end of one chapter, but let me remind you that the chapter numbers and verse divisions weren’t originally written into Scripture. They were added at a later date to make it easier for Christians to find their way to certain passages of Scripture. This means, that Paul isn’t finished talking at the end of Chapter 3. In fact, he continues into Chapter 4, and we’ll continue into the first four verses. Read with me 2 Timothy 4:1-4.

Preach and Teach all Scripture Accurately (4:1-4)

2 Timothy 4:1–4 ESV

1 I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.

Because Scripture is breathed out by God and because Scripture provides the teaching that’s necessary for doctrine and that because doctrine is necessary for the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, Paul exhorts Timothy to do something. In Vs. 1 of chapter 4, he starts by telling Timothy that “[he charges him] in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his king: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.”

To charge someone in this context (according to Oxford Languages) means to “entrust someone with a task as a duty or responsibility” Paul is giving Timothy a specific responsibility because of what Scripture is as the breathed out Word of God.

And he makes this charge in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus. By making this statement, Paul is adding weight to his statement.

Paul is grounding his charge to Timothy based on the presence of God and Jesus, who is the judge and the king of his kingdom.

In many ways, what Paul is stating is that the charge that he’s giving to Timothy is consistent with what God and Jesus has taught us to do—and we know that from what his charge actually is and from Matthew 28.

What is Timothy’s charge? It’s found in Vs. 2, “Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.” Timothy’s charge is summed up in three words, which Paul then goes into further detail with.

He tells Timothy to preach the word. The word “preach” can also be translated as “proclaim” and the idea is to announce it or to declare it—essentially to make it known. What is he to make known? The Word of God.

Paul tells him to do this in every season with complete patience and teaching. Which simply means that it really doesn’t matter how he feels or what is going on around him and it really doesn’t matter if he feels like proclaiming the Word of God. He is to proclaim the Word in every season.

This also means that he is to be patient with people and he is to teach people, which simply means that he isn’t to proclaim the Word of God in a way that shoves Scripture into someone’s face, he is to do it in a way that actually teaches them to understand the Word of God.

And he is to do this intentionally regardless of what’s happening around him for the purpose of reproving, rebuking, and exhorting, which parallels back to 2 Timothy 3:16. That Scripture is breathed out by God and is profitable for teaching, reproof, for correction, and training.

Paul tells Timothy that he is to preach the Word and as he is preaching the word, he is to utilize the word of God to reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.

Now you might ask, how exactly is he to utilize the Word of God to reprove, rebuke, and exhort? And that’s actually a good question, so let me remind you 2 Timothy 3:16. Paul says that the Word of God is breathed out by God and is profitable for teaching, reproof, for correction, and training in righteousness. So, how does Timothy reprove, rebuke, and exhort?

He does this by accurately preaching the Word of God because the Word of God itself is what reproves, rebukes, and exhorts. And I’m purposefully using the word accurately in this statement.

The reason why is because the point in preaching is to teach what the passage itself says not what the preacher wants it to say.

Paul is telling Timothy to preach the Word in order to reprove, rebuke, and exhort by teaching what the Word of God says.

Which is precisely what we are to do today—we are to proclaim the Word of God accurately in order to reprove, rebuke, and exhort by teaching what the Word of God actually says, not what we want it to say.

So far through the text, we’ve seen Paul encourage Timothy to stay grounded in the Word of God that he was taught as a child and that he was taught from the Apostle Paul himself. We’ve seen how Scripture is breathed out by God and that it is useful or profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training; and we’ve seen Paul’s charge for Timothy to keep preaching the Word regardless of season. That he is to utilize Scripture for reproving, rebuking, and exhorting with complete patience and teaching. Now the question is, why?

Why is Timothy supposed to do these things? And Paul answers that question in Vs. 3-4, “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander into myths.”

Paul stresses the importance of Timothy preaching and teaching the Word of God to reprove, rebuke, and exhort with patience and teaching; and the reason for this, is because there will be a time when people will not listen to sound teaching.

Rather they will only listen to teachers who suit what they want to hear and they’ll turn away from the truth.

And this is precisely what happens in our modern-day world. We have mega-churches filled with thousands of people that are teaching false things, but because they say what the people want to hear, people flock to those church buildings.

We have people preaching and teaching on the TV, on the radio, and online that have millions of viewers and listeners that are teaching lies, but because they say what people want to hear, people still listen to them.

We have churches that twist the Scriptures to make it so that people will listen to them and in doing so, people will come to hear them, but the issue is that if they aren’t teaching the truth according to Scripture, then they aren’t actually proclaiming the Word of God.

Paul stresses the importance of Timothy preaching and teaching the Word of God because the point of Timothy’s ministry is for people to hear the truth of God and respond to the truth in Scripture.

Which is ultimately one of the main purposes of the church—to proclaim the truth of God found in the Words of God and for people to respond to God’s truth.

For the church to proclaim anything other than the truth of God—whether that’s politics, philosophy, psychology, or really anything else is to turn people away from listening to the truth and it is to to lead people into what Colossians 2:8 calls captivity according to the spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.

And for a person or a church to proclaim politics, philosophy, psychology, empty deceit, or human tradition rather than the truths of God found in the Word of God is to show a low view of God and a low view of Scripture—in other words, for a believer or a church to be alright with proclaiming politics, philosophy, psychology, empty deceit, or human tradition rather than God’s Word shows that they care more for the things of the world than they do the Word of God.

And the things of the world aren’t what teaches, reproves, corrects, and trains a believer. The things of the world don’t spiritually mature believers. The things of the world don’t equip believers—God’s Word does.

That’s why Timothy is charged by Paul to preach the word; in season and out of season. That’s why Paul charges Timothy to reprove, rebuke, and exhort with complete patience and teaching.

Because the Word of God is what leads people to Jesus Christ for repentance

Because the Word of God is what teaches those who repent

Because the Word of God is what leads believers by the working of the Holy Spirit to become more like Jesus Christ

So, Paul writes to Timothy and in his writings, he exhorts Timothy to stay grounded in the Word of God, which Paul writes is breathed out by God and ultimately is what is utilized by the Holy Spirit to lead unbelievers to repentance and to progressively sanctify believers to be more like Jesus Christ. Paul then charges Timothy to preach the word of God always, regardless of the season, and he exhorts Timothy to utilize the Word of God to reprove, rebuke, and exhort with patience and teaching. And he stresses the urgency of doing this because people are turning to false teaching that suit their own passions and they’re turning away from the truth and wandering into myths.

Now the question then becomes, how exactly do we apply this passage to our own lives? Let’s take the last few moments to discuss applying 2 Timothy 3-4 to our own lives.

Application

All Scripture is Doctrine (3:14-17)—starting at the beginning of the text in which we see Paul exhorting Timothy to ground himself into what he had learned as a child and what Paul himself had taught him. He explains that what he had learned had acquainted him with the Scriptures and it is through Scripture that he eventually found faith in Jesus Christ. He continues by stating that “all Scripture is breathed out by God” and because all Scripture is breathed out by God, it’s useful for teaching, reproof, correction, and training, that the man of God may become spiritually mature and equipped for every good work. I have two application points from this section:

First off, Paul makes the point that what Timothy had learned as a child and what he had taught Timothy acquainted him with the Scriptures, which is why he exhorts Timothy to ground himself into what he had learned.

I warned that what Paul says about Timothy’s childhood might not be the case for you—that what you grew up learning in church or from your parents about God and the Bible, might actually be wrong. That what you’ve learned might have been human opinions or traditions and not necessarily God’s Word.

The truth is, that only God’s Word is breathed out by God and thus, only God’s Word is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and training in righteousness. Only God’s Word through the working of the Holy Spirit will sanctify you and help you to be more like Jesus Christ. Thus, only what the Word of God teaches is considered doctrine or the apostle’s teachings.

So, the application then is, that we need to stand firm and ground ourselves on what Scripture says, not what we want it to say, but what it actually says.

You do this (1) by actually reading what it says; and (2) by reading it how it was intended to be read—taking into account the grammar and the historical context and realizing that every passage in the Bible has a context. And then taking the plain reading of the text—don’t allegorize it, don’t moralize it, just read it for what it says. That alone will give you a solid idea of what most of Scripture says and (3) in the few cases where it seems contradictory, you always compare Scripture to Scripture. Scripture doesn’t contradict, thus, if something seems to be contradictory, you compare it to the rest of the Bible.

To ground yourselves on what Scripture says, you have to read Scripture, you have to study Scripture, and you have to learn to delight in the Word of God.

Now I realize, that it takes a considerable amount of time to read through the whole Bible but it is possible and it is worthwhile. In the meantime, perhaps you just need help determining what the basic doctrine of Christianity is and if that’s your case, let me encourage you to do two things:

Go online—visit www.graceandpeacepa.com and go to our “beliefs” page. This will give you a basic outline of what Christians believe and it’ll give you the verse references for you to be able to look it up and read the passages themselves—I’d encourage you to do that.

If you want something a little more substantial in addition to your Bible reading, let me recommend two books. Each of these books essentially works through the whole Bible and it shows you what the fundamental doctrines of Christianity are throughout the Scriptures. If it’s the first time you’ve ever done reading on the doctrines of Christianity, there’s a book called The Moody Handbook of Theology by Paul Enns. It’s what’s called a systematic theology book and it’ll essentially break down every belief of the Christian faith. It’s written for the average person, so it’s easily readable and worthwhile. If you want something even more in-depth that is written more for a seminary student, you can get the book Christian Theology by Millard Erickson and it does the same thing as Enns’ book.

The point being, that right doctrine is found in Scripture—so read it, study it, learn it, and apply it to your lives.

Secondly, this means that anything that is not in Scripture shouldn’t take the place of Scripture at all.

It doesn’t matter if it was taught to you by a pastor, a teacher, a parent, or a friend. If it isn’t in the Bible, it cannot take the place of Scripture

And if it is contradictory towards Scripture, you must choose Scripture over your opinion or tradition.

Seek doctrine through Scripture and don’t elevate opinion or tradition to the level of doctrine.

Preach All Scripture (4:1-5)—from the last section, there’s a charge from Paul to Timothy to preach the word regardless of the season or what’s going on around him. To utilize the Word to reprove, rebuke, and exhort in patience and teaching; and there’s a warning that people will not accept sound teaching, but will wander off into myths by rejecting the truth of God. I have one application point from this section:

Even though you might not be a pastor like Timothy, and you might never be a pastor like Timothy, the charge remains the same. Remember that the word translated as preach can also be translated as proclaim and in light of Matthew 28, which is Jesus’ last command to all his disciples, you are to go and make disciples of Jesus and you are to teach them all that Jesus has taught you.

How do you do that? By proclaiming the Word of God. Considering 2 Timothy 4, this means that you need to be prepared to proclaim the Word of God in any season of life that you’re in, this means that you need to be able to reprove, rebuke, and exhort people with the Word of God, and this means that you need to be able and willing to do this with patience.

This also means that you need to be aware that we live in a time period in which most people (even people who claim to be believers) are not enduring sound teaching, but they’re accumulating teachers that suit their own passions. And thus, many people are listening to false teaching claiming that the false teaching is truth.

What should you do? Recognize that not every pastor is preaching the truth, not every church is teaching God’s Word, not every person who claims to be a Christian is following the teachings of Scripture.

And learn what the Bible actually teaches, so that when the opportunity arises (which it will), you can proclaim the Word of God and you can reprove, rebuke, and exhort in patience.

Learn proper doctrine through Scripture and proclaim proper doctrine to all who will listen.

And as we wrap up, one final piece of application—we’re in the midst of a series on the purpose of the church. The first purpose of the church is for the church to be dedicated to doctrine.

Because true doctrine comes from Scripture, the church is to be dedicated to the Bible.

Because the individual believer is called to proclaim the Gospel and teach doctrine, the church as a body is called to proclaim the Gospel and teach doctrine.

For the church to be dedicated to anything other than true doctrine through Scripture is blasphemous and heretical—human opinion, psychology, philosophy, and human tradition can never be elevated to the level of doctrine

Because only what the Bible teaches can help to lead someone to salvation; and only what the Bible teaches is profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness. And the doctrine found in Scripture is what the Holy Spirit utilizes to sanctify and equip believers.

Put simply, as a church and as individuals, (1) we are to be devoted to right doctrine found in Scripture because right doctrine will lead people to faith in Jesus Christ and right doctrine will help believers to mature spiritually and be equipped for the work of the ministry; and (2) we are to actively proclaim the Word of God in every season for the purpose of reproving, rebuking, and exhorting with all patience and teaching.

We are to seek truth in Scripture, learn truth from the Bible, and proclaim that truth to all who will listen.

Pastoral Prayer

Congregational Singing

O Great God