Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Dad Jokes

Now that I am a father of two, my dad jokes have reached another level.

Before, when it was just Anna and I, my wife would hardly ever laugh at my jokes.

I thought they were funny, but apparently...my dry sarcasm only works when you have child-induced sleep deprivation.

Over the weekend my wife asked me what I was planning to preach on today and I looked at her with a wry smile and said, matter-of-factly, “the Bible” to which she chuckled more than I had expected.

But then I clarified to her that, no really I am preaching on the Bible - I am preaching today on having a High View of Scripture.

Core Values

In preaching on this topic, I am continuing on in our series preaching on the Heritage Core Values.

Two weeks ago, Pastor Greg did an excellent job teaching us what it looks like to have a high view of God, our first core value, from Isaiah’s vision of the thrice Holy YHWH in Isaiah 6.

And this week we will be looking at our other “High View” value - a High View of Scripture.

We as an eldership are striving to constantly lead you and guide you into a higher view, a higher estimation, a higher comprehension, a high understanding of God and His Word.

That is in a sense the idea or concept of treating something as holy - God and His Word are set apart, in a category of their own, elevated above everything and anyone else.

And we are to see and to respond to God and His Word this way.

And these are our first two core values for reason.

And the reason that we are studying them now is to remind and reiterate that as a church this is our goal, this is our fundamental mission.

In fact this is in the very mission statement of our church - which is exalting Christ through His Word.

Everything that we strive to do, every aspect of ministry that this church does flows from these core values.

And so, what we desire is that each of you members walk away from these core value sermons knowing these are the the values of my church family, these are my family values - this is who we are.

Main Point

So then the main point of my message today is this: The reason why we must always have a High View of God’s word is because it is just that... the very word of God.

Text and Context

And I get this main point today from Paul, who is impressing this very message on the man handpicked to carry on his mission, his disciple Timothy.

Our text today will be from the book of 2 Timothy chapter 3:14-17.

This text is split into two sections and our sermon will follow the same division.

In verses 14-15 we see Paul’s command to Abide and in verses 16-17 Paul gives the reason for this command.

So...

Main Point: Since the Holy God breathed the Holy Scripture we must treat it, then, as holy.

Structure:

The Command to Abide - vs 14-15

The Reason to Abide - vs 16-17

With that, let’s start to look at our text.

Read with me verses 14 and 15 where we find the Command to Abide.

1.

The Command to Abide - 2 Timothy 3:14-15

But You - Context

Now these verses serve as the main thrust of Paul’s argument in chapter 3. Paul is driving this message to Timothy, continue in or abide in in the holy scriptures, in God’s Word.

Don’t forsake it, cling to it!

But Paul sets up for this command in verse 14 by giving Timothy a couple of contrasts in the verses that come before.

Walk with me through this chapter so we can get some context.

If you drop back to the beginning of chapter 3, in verse 1, we see that Paul begins by warning Timothy that “in the last days”, which refers to this age, between Christ’s first advent and the final Day of the Lord, “In the last days, difficult times will come.”

Paul is saying, “Timothy, difficulty is coming, the church is going to be under assault and the Devil’s attacks will only grow more intense.”

Paul is not telling Timothy this to make him afraid, which would only increase the timidity he struggled with, but to prepare him.

The source of this difficulty is the wicked world around and even within the church.

In verses 2-4 we see Paul describe the wickedness of men with similar words to what he used in Romans 1 and Romans 3.

And spearheading this wickedness are these men who enter the church and prey on the weak and the burdened, who are those verse 5, “Having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power.”

They are the ones who verse 8, “oppose the truth”.

Then in verse 10, Paul gives us our first contrast, “10 Now you, followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, perseverance, persecutions, and sufferings...” Unlike the wicked world, who have been diabolically lead away by the opposers of the truth, Paul reminds Timothy that he didn’t fall after falsehood, he followed after Paul.

Essentially Paul is saying, “don’t forget, you were not like them.

No you were right - by - my - side, hearing my preaching, hearing my teaching, reading my letters, witnessing my life.

What’s happening out there, is not what you learned from me.

Don’t follow after those men, avoid them As MacArthur notes, just as he did to the Corinthians, Paul is exhorting Timothy here to “continue to be an Imitator of me as I am of Christ.”

However, this imitation will lead to similar persecution and suffering that Paul himself experienced, look at verse 12, “12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,” And again, the source for this suffering, for this difficulty is the evil world, verse 13 “13 but evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.”

There’s a pattern here: there is this difficulty, this suffering, this persecution that the godly are going to face.

The source of this difficulty is the ever increasing wickedness in the hearts of men.

And these men are being lead further and further in their depravity by these false teachers who oppose the truth.

These false teachers are described in verse 13 as imposters.

But what are they imposters of?

The word here for imposter is only used this one time in the Bible.

But most often in other uses in Ancient Grecian writing its used to refer to a sorcerer - to someone who creates or conjures up a false sense of reality.

Actually, the word for imposter literally refers to someone who wails and howls.

In the ancient Greek world such activity was a part of the divination ceremonies of the temple oracles who would practice such sorcery in order to receiving knowledge from the greek gods.

So what Paul is communicating with this unique word is that they are imposters of divine truth.

These false teachers are deceiving the world and causing society to move from bad to worse, by teaching them "divine truth”

So we have a problem: coming difficulty - trials, persecution, suffering…the cause: wickedness and evil driven by imposters of divine truth…So what is the response that Timothy must have?

Look at verse 14.

Abide!…in what?

2 Tim 3:14-15 “14 You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them,

Paul said in verse 13 that the world proceeding from bad to worse.

And in response, Timothy is supposed to go no where.

He is to instead continue in the things he learned.

Timothy was to know or to remember who taught him these truths.

As we saw earlier Timothy sat at the feet of Paul.

As a boy he was instructed by his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice.

In verse 15 we see the source of his instruction, “15 and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”

What Timothy learned and was convinced of and was taught were the teachings from the sacred writings, the Holy Scriptures.

What Timothy was supposed to continue in and cling to was the Word of God.

And the reason is this, the Holy Scriptures are the only source of wisdom - true wisdom - a wisdom that leads one to salvation through faith in Christ.

As Paul said, in Romans 10:17 “17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.”

Gospel Application

Dear friends I want to press pause and tell you that this is a marvelous reality.

The God of the universe has communicated to us that He is Holy.

He has communicated to us His holy Law.

He has revealed to us that we are not holy but in fact sinful, that we violate His Holy Law and are deserving of death.

And then He communicates to us how we can be made Holy.

In this book we have the message of the gospel, that this holy God sent His Son to atone for our sin, to bear our punishment by dying on the cross and that we can receive this forgiveness and receive His holy righteousness if we repent of our sins and believe upon Him.

If you are a believer, God’s love is most recognizable in the truth that God sent His Son to die for your sins.

But where did this truth come from?

This book.

Every time you see your Bible, stop to think of what an immense gift of divine love God’s Word is.

And if you are not a believer, I want to call you to respond to the gospel I just summarized for you, repent of your sins and believe in Christ.

And if you don’t want to listen to me, I want to challenge you to go and read this book.

If you don’t have a copy come up to me after I am done and I will gladly give you one.

Now this is the reason why Paul calls this book the sacred writings - the holy scriptures.

There is no other writing with such wisdom.

There is no other source of truth with the power to produce saving faith.

This book is holy, set apart, sacred, in a category on its own, elevated above any other writing, by any other author, from any other time in human history.

It’s the Bible up here, and then there is everything else.

This is also why Paul reminds Timothy of those who taught him the truths of scripture - Timothy, do you doubt the power of this book?

Look at my life, Timothy.

Look at your grandmother’s life, look at your mother’s life.