Agenda Uncovered

God-Breathed & Thoroughly Sufficient

1.30.22 [2 Timothy 3:14-4:5] River of Life (4th Sunday after Epiphany)

Grace, mercy, & peace from God the Father & Christ Jesus our Lord.

Life used to be simpler in so many ways. It used to be that people could tell you where and when they worked and what they did and you got it. But not anymore. Now, people describe what they do and you have more questions than answers. What did you just say? Why would anyone need someone to do that? Life used to be simpler. It used to be that you picked a career and a company and that’s what you did, that’s who you worked for, for your whole life. Now people don’t just switch companies, they switch careers. Multiple times. Life used to be much simpler. Today, it feels complex and complicated.

Communication used to be much simpler. If you needed to talk to someone, you stopped by. Maybe you called them on the phone, but they answered it. If you wrote a letter, they wrote back. It used to be simple. Now, there are a myriad of ways to reach people, but it still feels harder than ever to actually connect with someone. Life used to be much simpler. Today, it feels complex and complicated.

Relationships used to be simpler. People met when they were young. They got married young. Then they raised youngins. Then they watched their youngins have youngins of their own as they grew old together. These days, you don’t meet someone when you’re young. You meet when you’re online. You “date” for months without ever meeting in person. These days, people have no problem sharing a mortgage, but bristle at the idea of sharing a last name. Life used to be much simpler. Today, it feels complex and complicated.

For many of us, it may feel like life was better when things were simpler. Any change is hard. And while some change can be good—even when it’s painful—not all change is for the better. But Paul’s second letter to Timothy compels us to pump the brakes on any notions that life was better when things were simpler.

Paul opens this chapter by saying: (2 Tim. 3:1-5) Mark this. There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power.

Anyone else’s bingo board of ungodliness full? We can see all these signs in our world. But remember Paul wrote this to Timothy, first. This was Paul’s second inspired letter to Timothy: a young man he knew well, a young pastor he mentored, a dear Christian brother he lovingly referred to as (2 Tim. 1:2) his dear son. Paul wrote these words of warning for Timothy, first, because he faced these same terrible times. First.

Timothy also had to contend with (2 Tim. 3:13) evildoers and imposters going from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. Again, this all sounds very familiar, doesn’t it. And that’s what makes Paul’s charge all the more potent and pivotal. So what does he say?

(2 Tim 3:14) Continue in what you have learned. Be in the Word of God. Apply all the (2 Tim 3:16) God-breathed Scriptures to all of your life. Learn about the law of your Lord. Learn about the love of your Savior. Recognize where and how and why you’ve fallen short. Be restored by the refreshing news that Christ has earned you the full forgiveness of sins. Pursue righteousness in thought, word, and deed. Capitalize on every opportunity to do good and serve God. It’s not rocket-science. It’s simple. But powerful. Because it’s God working in and through you.

Yet, in our complex and complicated world, many underestimate the Word of God because it is just too simple. Paul warns Timothy of this challenge, too. (2 Tim. 4:3) The time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, they will stack up quick-witted experts and collect quotable quotes like cordwood (2 Tim. 4:3-4) to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn away from the truth and turn instead to myths.

Living in a world that is complicated, complex, and couldn’t care less about the Word of God is incredibly frustrating for believers, isn’t it? It’s maddening that so many parts and places in society have evicted God. It’s discouraging that so many of our neighbors and friends are so dismissive of our faith. It’s heartbreaking when even our own flesh and blood gives our Christ the cold-shoulder. How do we fix it?

We might dream about cracking some skulls in Hollywood or Washington or wherever we think is responsible for getting rid of God from our society. We might search for some program or event that would be irresistible to even the most dismissive of our neighbors. We might seek out that perfect passage or some well-written book that would have our unbelieving family member dead to rights. I get it. We’re mad. We’re frustrated. We’re even a little discouraged.

You know who else gets it? The man of God: Moses. Our world today is not much different than Moses’ time in the wilderness. The children of Israel evicted God and replaced him with the golden calf when Moses took too long on Mount Sinai. Moses’ neighbors were dismissive of his trust in the Lord as Pharaoh and his chariots closed in around them at the shores of the Red Sea. Even Moses’ own flesh and blood, Aaron and Miriam, questioned his authority and role as God’s prophet. In most of those situations, Moses behaved as a man of God. He was humble. He was faithful. But Moses was not perfect.

In Numbers 20, Israel was complaining about everything—as they had been doing for 40 years. People who never lived in Egypt began talking about it like it was the good ole days. They were opposing Moses and quarreling with him. (Num. 20:3) If only we were already dead, they said. (Num. 20:4) Moses why did you bring us out here?

So Moses went to God. God told him to (Num. 20:8) speak to the rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. But Moses was frustrated. He said to the children of Israel (Num. 20:10) Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock? Then he (Num. 20:11) struck the rock twice with his staff, instead of following God’s clear command to speak to it. The Lord rebuked Moses. (Num. 20:12) You didn’t trust me enough to do what I said.

So often that’s where we find ourselves in these last days. We complain about the world’s disinterest in God and his Word, but we fail to see our own lack of trust in the power of God’s Word. We let our own impatience persuade us that God’s Word is insufficient for what really needs to be done in this world. We think that if God’s Word were really powerful, everyone would acknowledge its authority. We think that if God’s Word were really powerful, no one could dismiss it. We think that if God’s Word were really powerful, our relatives couldn’t reject Jesus.

God’s Word says there will be a day when (Php. 2:10-11) every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord. But God in his wisdom and mercy, has chosen reveal Jesus as Savior in only one place. The Holy Scriptures. It is the Holy Scriptures that unfold God’s plan of salvation. It is the Holy Scriptures that declare what the Son of God has done to make us his own. It is the Holy Scriptures that proclaim what God has done to redeem rebels, to make fools like us wise, and to save sinners and transform them into servants of God.

Look at what Paul says about the Holy Scriptures. They are (2 Tim. 3:16) God-breathed. They are not (2 Pt. 1:16) cleverly devised stories. They are not man’s (2 Pt. 1:20) interpretation of things. The Bible did not originate from any individual. Over the course of 1000’s of years, a multitude of prophets spoke and wrote because (Jer. 1:9) God gave them his words.

His Word is powerful. Sufficient. (2 Tim. 3:16) Useful. It teaches us everything we need to know about ourselves and our God. It rebukes sins we would never see in ourselves like hatred and lust, coveting and worrying. It corrects, or restores, us. God’s Word doesn’t just show us where we went wrong, it shows us how our wrongs have been made right. God’s Word trains us in righteousness, too. It reveals to us how we ought to love the Lord our God and our neighbor, too.

If we didn’t not have the Scriptures, we might think God just wants his cut and that our neighbor just wants to be left alone. But God’s Word shows us that God doesn’t need your money and he isn’t fooled by lip service. He wants our hearts. He wants his people to worship him in spirit and in truth. God’s Word shows us that God wants us to love our neighbor as ourselves. God’s Word is certainly useful. But, more than that, God’s Word is purposeful. Pointed. Powerful (2 Tim. 3:15) to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. If we miss this truth, we miss everything. If we only see what Scripture is useful for and not whom it is pointing us to, we are just as lost as the Mormons or the Muslims.

In John 5, the Son of God says something striking about the Scriptures. In rebuking the Jewish leaders, he said: (Jn. 5:39-40) You study the Scripture diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me. Yet you refuse to come to me to have life. Jesus is the focus of the God breathed Scriptures. God wants us to know our sin and Jesus as the perfect servant of God and our Savior.

Jesus loved the Word of God. He relied upon it. He put his trust in it. He didn’t just leverage it when he thought it might give him an advantage. He didn’t just quote it when he thought it might be advantageous. Jesus delighted to study God’s Word. As a twelve year old boy, he lingered in Jerusalem so that he might discuss what is says. Jesus trusted in God’s Word. He rebuked Satan in the wilderness with the Word of God. When Satan tempted Jesus to throw himself down from the peak of the Temple, Jesus responded that the servant of God does not put the Lord his God to the test.

Jesus relied upon God’s Word to correct and restore. Again and again, Jesus was patient with disciples, even when they had little faith. Remember how he corrected those two disciples on the road to Emmaus. They were discouraged because they thought the Messiah was going to be a political leader, an earthly king. Jesus reminded them that (Lk. 24:26-27) the Messiah had to suffer all these things before he entered his glory. And beginning with Moses and the Prophets he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.

Jesus relied upon the Word of God to train his disciples in righteousness. Jesus did not browbeat his disciples into living righteously. He didn’t put the fear of God into them. Instead he loved them. And he told them: (Jn 15:12) Love one another as I have loved you.

This is the Word you have learned. This is the Christ you have become convinced is your Savior. These are the Holy Scriptures that have made you wise for salvation. God has revealed your sin, his Son as your Substitute and Savior, and (2 Tim 4:8) the crown of righteousness that Jesus will award to you on that last day. You are thoroughly equipped and empowered to proclaim the Gospel. The pulpit does not make the preaching any more powerful. It is God who does that. It is God who has chosen to make known his plan of salvation through sinners like you and me. So keep your head in all situations. Continue in what you have learned. Because even when life is complicated and the problems seem complex, the solution is simple. Point people to Jesus. He’s everything everyone needs.

In a world that has lost perspective on the purpose & meaning of work, God’s Word gives us clarity. Work is the way we glorify God, serve our neighbors, & meet our material needs. When work becomes our identity, it becomes an idol—a false god that offers false hope.

In a world that is noisy and calls shouting & arguing “communication”, God’s Word gives us insight. We are to speak the truth—and do so with love for our listeners. Our goal is never to be the loudest or to look the smartest. Our goal is to be a humble servant of God—to communicate his Word which is able to make foolish sinners wise for salvation.

In a world that could not be more lost and confused when it comes to marriage and family, God’s Word gives us certainty. Marriage is not man-made. It’s God’s gift. Children are a heritage from the Lord. Marriage and family are relationships that are meant to imitate God’s faithfulness and sacrificial love. Life might be complex and complicated. But God’s love and his Word aren’t. Ps. 19:7 The law of the Lord is perfect, it refreshes the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, It makes the simple wise. May God continue to make us wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus through his God-breathed Word. Amen.