2 Timothy 3:14-17
14 But you must keep on believing the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know that you can trust those of us who have taught you.
15 You know how, when you were a small child, you were taught the holy Scriptures; and it is these that make you wise to accept God’s salvation by trusting in Christ Jesus.
16 The whole Bible was given to us by inspiration from God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives; it straightens us out and helps us do what is right.
17 It is God’s way of making us well prepared at every point, fully equipped to do good to everyone.
TLB
When All Else Fails…
Have you ever had one of those experiences of “some assembly required” where you tossed the instructions aside, got out your screw driver, and started putting it together the way you thought it should go? Sometimes, it doesn’t turn out very well. Sometimes, it’s better if you do throw out the instructions, but that’s only because those instructions are flawed.
What about the instructions that God gives us for this project we call “life”? We call the instruction booklet the Bible. Can you count on it?
Just like the constant pregame and post game shows, everyone has an opinion. The world is saturated with opinions. Self appointed experts abound.
What objective source do YOU use to govern your life?
DANGER!!!
If you ever hear anyone saying the following, watch out!
“Well, I know what the Bible says, but I believe…”
Biblical Illiteracy
George Linbeck, the noted scholar from Yale said that the “greatest challenge for us is Biblical Illiteracy.” Check out Pastor Jim’s sermon on “Time to dust off the Bible.” Do you really know what is and isn’t in the Bible? But 1 Peter 3:15 tells us that we need to be able to explain our faith.
Why do you go to church on Sunday?
Could you answer this? Would you be able to explain in terms of the truth in the Bible? We can’t do anything of eternal value apart from prayer and the Word of God.
Clark Pinnock said, “Modern theology of almost every shade is in crisis. While there is no lack of religious fibrosity, a sure word resonate with divine authority is scarcely to be heard.”
In other words, there’s a lot of stuff about religion out there. But most of it is fluff and opinion, and people are comfortable with that. Nobody want’s to hear “Thus Saith the Lord.” What’s really needed is something that’s consistent with the true will of God.
Amos 8:11– says that there will be a “famine” of hearing the Word of the Lord. It seems that our world is in the midst of that famine now. Throughout history, there have been many attempts to squash the Bible. But yet, the Bible has survived and still speaks to us today. God has decided that this is How He wants to communicate with us.
The Bible still stands as life’s instructions. Our challenge is to read them and follow them.
Stand Strong in the Word
OK. So other than reading the Bible consistently to get some head knowledge about it, how can studying the Bible change our lives? Why is this book different from any other “self-help” book? Is it really “God’s Word”? Is it really better to follow these instructions or to just go “build that bookshelf “without the assembly instructions?
Study the Truth…
We hold a lot of meetings and try to do things on our own. Leonard Sweeten said that “once we open the scriptures the windows of heaven open and we become drenched in showers of blessing and downpours of strength.”
Timothy was going through some rough times. He was surrounded by people who “knew a better way.” And so Paul was telling him to stay true to the word of God. Bring your Bible to meetings! Don’t just listen to some “bald guy’s opinion”- stay close to the Word of God. People out there are trying to deceive you and we don’t even realize it because we don’t know the Word.
FBI agents train for recognizing counterfeit dollars by studying the real thing. They never look at counterfeits; they just study all of the details in a real bill. But once they see a counterfeit bill they can spot it because they’re so used to the real thing. We need to be saturated and immersed in the Word.
The Bible Contains God’s True Mission Statement…
God is the definition of Truth. God is the standard we need to know. We’re surrounded by deception and “counterfeit bills”, so we need to know the real deal in order to avoid the pitfalls of lies.
- John 14:6 Jesus is the TRUTH
- 1 John 5:6 The Holy Spirit is forever TRUTHFUL
So where do we go? What are our marching orders as a church? What’s our mission statement? Instead of taking surveys or holding endless meetings, all we need to do is to turn to the Bible. To bring our mission down to it’s essence, take a look at 1 John 5:10-13 . Here’s what verses 11-12 say:
And what is it that God has said? That he has given us eternal life and that this life is in his Son. So whoever has God’s Son has life; whoever does not have his Son, does not have life.
We should never have a conversation or take a committee vote on the question of “should our church go out and tell people about Jesus”? God’s already decided that we are to share the Gospel.
Bishop Mack Stokes said “we read the Bible prayerfully because we want to know God’s will and purpose for our life.”
Train Up a Child…
The Bible is to used as a guide; not a weapon. It’s a roadmap to finding God’s will; not a list of does and don’ts. We need to plant seeds in our children and youth.
Proverbs 22:6 tells us to “Teach a child to choose the right path, and when he is older, he will remain upon it.”
Take a look at the familiar story of the Prodigal son. In Luke 15:17 the son “came to his senses” and turned back to his father and to God. Like that father, we need to be planting seeds in the hearts of our young. Paul is telling Timothy to stand strong to stand against the temptations. Forge ahead and continue to plant seeds of truth.
Even Jesus had to learn the scriptures, just like you and I. Luke 2:52 tells us that “Jesus grew in stature and wisdom….” as he obeyed his parents and grew up in Nazareth. But this knowledge came in handy when Satan tempted Him in the wilderness. Satan used scripture; but He misquoted it and twisted it. But Jesus recognized the counterfeit. He was able to reply to Satan with certainty “It is written…” He was prepared. Could it be that we get tripped up because we don’t know “what is written?”
Alexander Rostovzev was a famous Russian actor who was playing the part of Jesus in a sacrilegious play called “Christ in a Tuxedo.”
He was supposed to read two verses from the Sermon on the Mount, remove his gown, and cry out, “Give me my tuxedo and top hat!”
But as he read the words, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted,” he began to tremble. Instead of following the script, he kept reading from Matthew 5, ignoring the coughs, calls, and foot-stamping of his fellow actors.
Finally, recalling a verse he had learned in his childhood in a Russian Orthodox church, he cried, “Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom!” (Luke 23:42). Before the curtain could be lowered, Rostovzev had trusted Jesus Christ as his personal Savior.
Conviction and conversion came just from reading the scriptures.
The Bible: True and Trustworthy
Unique…
The Bible wasn’t written by a bunch of wise men who wanted to create a religion. It was written over a 1500 year period. God put it together. It’s a unique book, set apart. Written in many different countries and literary styles. But God put it together.
The Bible is consistent. It keeps telling us about an almighty righteous God who wants our complete devotion. He can’t tolerate sin and yet He loves us so much that He provided a means for us to receive forgiveness.
Pastor W.A. Criswell speaks of a”Scarlet Thread” tying all of the Bible together…
“Did you know that a scarlet thread winds its way throughout the entire Bible? Skeptics and scoffers may fire their arrows at the validity and historicity of Scriptures, but believers throughout the centuries have seen this line of crimson weaving through every book of God’s holy Word. It is the story of redemption of mankind at the price of the blood of Jesus Christ.”
Whole countries have tried to destroy it. But the Bible keeps stepping up to the plate. If there is only one part of it that’s not true, the Bible can’t be trusted.
Trustworthy…
Did you know that Jesus isn’t only a New Testament thing? The Old Testament gives many references to a special One which can only refer to the pre-incarnate Christ. And the Bible proves itself true by giving many prophecies which became true years after they were written. Check out these Old Testament prophecies about Jesus… The references are so clear and familiar that you may forget that you’re reading the Old Testament!
Note: You’ll have to stay alert to click through these to keep up with Pastor Jim. Click on each number to see each verse (if you get lost, note that there is a bit of a pause after #7)…Just 17 examples. For just 8 of these happening exactly as stated,
the odds are 1 out of 480 x 1030. God’s hand is involved. The Bible can be absolutely trusted.
What do we use as the objective source in our lives? If we live by our opinions, or laws, or fads, we’ll be lost. And yet, how many of us really study it and live by it? Don’t wait until New Years to commit to reading the Bible. Let it become part of who you are. In all we do; even in ministry team meetings.
God Breathed…
The Greek word translated as “Inspired” in verse 16 of our text is Theopneustos. This literally means “God Breath,” a term the Bible consistently uses to identify the Holy Spirit. All scripture is “God Breathed”- this verse is telling us that the Bible really is the Word of God. The Holy Spirit will help us understand and apply the Word of God to our Lives, just as the Holy Spirit inspired and protected those who wrote the books of the Bible, the scholars who copied and translated them, and those who assembled them into the cannon that we know as the Bible.
Leaning Piazza? Or Leaning Tower?
It’s actually hard to take a picture of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. If you focus on the leaning tower, the tendency is to frame your picture so that the tower is straight. However, if you focus your attention on the surrounding buildings, you compose your picture properly. The Cathedral is straight and the tower is crooked.
The leaning cathedral of Pisa
The leaning tower of Pisa
What do we focus on? If the cathedral in Pisa represents the Word of God and the leaning tower represents us, do we focus on the cathedral and recognize that we are leaning and crooked? Or, do we compose our shot on the tower and twist the Bible around? Do we tilt the Bible to fit our own ideas of right and wrong so that our “crooked tower” appears straight?
James 3:1 says…
Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.
And yet we are all called to declare the truth to the world. James commands us to speak God’s Word, not opinions, fluff or fads.
Have you thrown out the instructions, or are you using them to “build the bookshelves” of your life?
Quiz Time!
As you reflect on what you’ve just heard/read, give this quiz a try. If you don’t understand an answer (or if you disagree with the “correct” answer, post a comment…
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