You Sure pt4

I referenced a passage of scripture in passing last week, and I want to return to it this morning. I do that, because the next couple of sermons in this series are going to address the most common ways the bible has been mishandled over the years since its composition. And I want all of us to be ready for these sermons to sting a little- myself included, because we are all sometimes guilty of these issues regarding the text.

I will tell you that there have been many times over the years as I grew in my faith and studied more and more that I went back and looked at early sermons and Bible studies that I wrote or spoke and said to myself, “What was I thinking?!?” For awhile that was tough to admit, but truthfully with age comes some humility and a willingness to laugh at myself. And be thankful that God can draw a straight line with an unintentionally crooked stick.

Today, I want to talk about why we don’t cut things out of the Bible. Now, some of you are shuddering with horror at the very idea. We have far too much reverence for the Word of God to take scissors to it! But in some ways that is what we do when we neglect parts of the Word, either out of boredom, or disinterest, or difficulty, or our own self interest.

Thomas Jefferson did this exact thing:

“The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth, commonly referred to as the Jefferson Bible, is one of two religious works constructed by Thomas Jefferson. The first, The Philosophy of Jesus of Nazareth, was completed in 1804, but no copies exist today.[1] The second, The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth, was completed in 1820 by cutting and pasting with a razor and glue numerous sections from the New Testament as extractions of the doctrine of Jesus. Jefferson's condensed composition excludes all miracles by Jesus and most mentions of the supernatural, including sections of the four gospels that contain the Resurrection and most other miracles, and passages that portray Jesus as divine.

Jefferson wrote, "A more beautiful or precious morsel of ethics I have never seen; it is a document in proof that I am a real Christian, that is to say, a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus."[25]

Jefferson's claim to be a Christian was made in response to those who accused him of being otherwise, due to his unorthodox view of the Bible and conception of Christ. Recognizing his rather unusual views, Jefferson stated in a letter (1819) to Ezra Stiles Ely, "You say you are a Calvinist. I am not. I am of a sect by myself, as far as I know."- Wikipedia article, citing Cyrus Adler, Forrest Church, and RP Nettelhorst

What is amazing is this flies in the face of Scripture itself, and many of us would be appalled and would never suggest such a thing, but we all do this in some ways, creating for ourselves what some call a “functional canon.” Those scriptures which we are most familiar and comfortable with.

In some ways this is understandable, as we all have to start somewhere. My functional canon started with the book of James, and then added Luke and Acts and broadened from there. I have been pretty honest with this church in saying I am way less comfortable in the OT, because I have studied it less.

The problem is, when we don’t seek to expand our functional canons, and refuse to engage with passages we find tough or that make us uncomfortable, we stunt our growth as believers and start to react with fear when our pet belief systems are confronted with passages of actual scripture that make us wonder if we are wrong.

I saw that personally and walked though it personally a number of years ago when I was confronted with some of the realities of racism in the church and in our country. A man named Dwight McKissic, an African American pastor from Texas, caught my eye with some appeals to OT prophets, that really stretched me. I won’t go deep into here, because that’s a rabbit that would take a long time to catch, but suffice to say, I had to call some dearly held positions into question and come into line with the Word- and that made other people angry with me, even to the point of questioning my salvation and my sanity. The Word will do that!

So let’s turn to 2 Timothy 3:10-17 together.

Verses 10-11 are a overview of Paul’s history with Timothy and his consistency in attempting to live out what he has taught. And what is has produced- both the good and the bad. He has displayed all this before Timothy- even when it has resulted in being persecuted for his faith (he’s in jail right now)- and God has been with him thru it all.

1, 2 Timothy, Titus (1) The Example of Paul (3:10–13)

The verb “know” described Timothy as someone who had carefully traced out the events of Paul’s life. It “does not imply that Timothy has always been at the side of Paul but that he has observed that life with close interest

1, 2 Timothy, Titus (1) The Example of Paul (3:10–13)

Paul’s words reminded Timothy of the certainty of suffering, but they also contained a promise of divine protection

He goes in verses 12-13 to contrast the momentary persecution those who follow Jesus will endure, with the fate of those who reject Jesus. They go from “bad to worse” and are “deceiving and being deceived.” In short, it’s better to suffer for what is good than to do evil to those who in the end will turn out to be righteous in the end. (And that is an important truth to grab hold of in our day and time. We are not “under seige” as followers of Jesus, and even if we were, it’s temporary. It’s not something to be fought against. It is an honor to suffer for Jesus.)

1, 2 Timothy, Titus (1) The Example of Paul (3:10–13)

They are also a reminder to every Christian to expect opposition for devotion to Jesus. Such forewarning allows the thoughtful Christian to be armed with commitment for spiritual battle.

The phrase “in Christ Jesus” carries the usual Pauline meaning of union with Christ. The believer experiences fellowship with Christ in suffering as a part of the mystical union with him

1, 2 Timothy, Titus (1) The Example of Paul (3:10–13)

Paul’s explanation for the certainty of suffering was that evil would grow in its intensity. Paul described the false teachers as “evil men” and branded them as religious swindlers or “impostors.” Although the word “imposter” is used outside the New Testament to refer to a dabbler in the occult or a wizard, Paul may have been designating them as impostors, not magicians. The term does link them with Jannes and Jambres, whom he had mentioned in 3:8. The only progress of these ungodly heretics was in the direction of evil. They succeeded in deceiving others and also in losing their own ability to distinguish between truth and falsehood. They were to be pitied!

Paul’s description of the progress of evil in v. 13 outlined its growth in intensity and in its effect on the false teachers themselves. They would progress more deeply into bondage. Observers could see through their folly (see 3:9). The heretics themselves would be caught up in their own practices as unwilling slaves (John 8:34). They would deceive others, but sadly they themselves were deceived.

Paul introduced an implied contrast between the destinies of the persecuted believers and the persecuting false teachers. The persecutions and difficulties of the godly made it appear as if the future were frightening, but they were in reality bound for glory (Rom 8:28–30). The evil persecutors, who appeared to be in charge of events that were going on, were progressing from bad to worse and were heading blindly for destruction

In verses 14-15, Paul continues on reminding Timothy of his faith and its source- the witness of faithful people (his mother and grandmother) and his understanding of the scriptures. Indeed, Timothy had what some of us had, a family that helped us to faith.

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

The term “continue” (menō) is the same term translated “hold to” or “remain” in John 8:31; 15:5–6. It demands more than merely continuing in orthodoxy. It called for a commitment to live and abide in what Timothy had learned

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

The aim of the content of the sacred writings is to relate God’s saving purpose in Christ. Timothy’s study of the Scriptures had grounded him in that wisdom and enlightenment that leads to faith in Jesus Christ. The Scriptures lead to salvation but only as they point to Christ. The Scriptures themselves do not provide salvation, but they do point to the Savior who can provide it. The phrase “through faith in Jesus Christ” shows how the Scriptures make individuals wise. They enlighten them to the necessity for faith in Jesus Christ

But it is verses 16-17 where I want to land this morning. They tell us what we have to gain from knowing the Word as fully as possible and warn us what we can lose when we don’t expand our study beyond where we are comfortable- indeed they tell us what Jefferson lost.

all scripture is from God- when we disregard some of it, we are saying God didn’t have anything to say in that passage- do you really believe that? Is that consistent with the character of God?

it exists to teach us- to provide instruction- about who God is, what He is like, what He says is holy and unholy, how He wants the world He created to function, and how He wants us to relate to Him and one another

“Because of the prominence of heresy among his readers, Paul emphasized the importance of sound teaching. In commending the Scriptures as a source for teaching, Paul was actually commending the Old Testament as a source of doctrine. Such doctrines as creation (Gen 1–2), the fall of man (Gen 3), and the nature of the atonement (Isa 53) have a foundational statement in the Old Testament

Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, vol. 34, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 236–237.”

to reprove us- to make us more holy- literally to discipline us, to call us to repent and leave sin

“Scripture can show sinners their failures, clarify the point of the mistake, and lead them to a new sense of peace and wholeness

Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, vol. 34, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 237.”

for “correction”- another translation is for our restoration- to restore us into right standing with God and other people

“The term “correcting,” used only here in the New Testament, suggests that Scripture helps individuals to restore their doctrine or personal practice to a right state before God.

Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, vol. 34, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 237.”

for training in righteousness- instruction, learning- like a person in school who is having a new subject explained to them so they can put the subject matter into practice

“This positive purpose is expressed by a term (paideia) that also appears in Eph 6:4 (“training”). There it denotes a system of discipline used by a parent to develop Christian character in a child. Here it describes a system of discipline in Scripture that leads to a holy life-style.

Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, vol. 34, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 237.”

And verse 17 gives us the end goal- to be complete (exactly fitted) for every good work we were designed to do.

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

The use of the Greek perfect tense for “equipped” suggests that this is an abiding condition. 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!

Go back to verse 16, what does God use to accomplish this. ALL of scripture. Not part of it. Not just what we like or is comfortable. All of it.

Where do we start? (Gospel presentation here)

And we continue from there, so that we can know all that God has to teach us.

What is your functional canon?

When was the last time it expanded?

What keeps you from reading parts of the Bible?