Folks, as we begin today, ask yourself this question: What does the Bible mean to me? What difference does the Word of God make in my life?
As was mentioned in the ‘Intro to Worship’ today, my Jewish brother from Jerusalem always says of Israel, “We are a people of God’s Word. If we’re not, we have no business being here.” We feel the same here at the Dodgeville United Methodist Church. If we are not a people of God’s Word, we have no business being here … because that is our business…
The Apostle Paul was speaking to the young pastor, Timothy, about the importance of scripture—in his second letter to him—and here is how the conversation went (2 Timothy 3:10-17, NLT)…
But you, Timothy, certainly know what I teach, and how I live, and what my purpose in life is. You know my faith, my patience, my love, and my endurance. 11 You know how much persecution and suffering I have endured. You know all about how I was persecuted in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra—but the Lord rescued me from all of it. 12 Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. 13 But evil people and impostors will flourish. They will deceive others and will themselves be deceived. 14 But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. 15 You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.
So, all scripture is ‘Inspired and Useful.’ Many people today want to simply use this scripture as the basis of argument as to how scripture became inspired. If you look at our scripture for today closely, you’ll see that that is not what concerned Paul at all. He was more concerned not with the how of inspiration, but with the what of inspiration—what the Bible can do for our lives…
I don’t believe it’s any coincidence that as we remember Jesus, the Son of God, we know of one (and only one) who was both human and divine. The same is true of the Word of God…
• Jesus was the living and/or divine Word of God…
• The Bible is the written and/or human Word of God…
Both are inspired by God and Paul makes it pretty plain what he’s talking about when he calls scripture ‘inspired.’ Look at the sermon title for today: ‘Inspired and Useful.’ Verse 17 then talks about the purpose of the Bible—to equip us to do good. Folks, Paul is much more concerned with what the Bible will do in the life of a believer than with anything else. It is ‘inspired’ because God has used these words—this collection of writings—to speak to humanity for thousands of years … and continues to to this day. That’s inspiration…
And, if we truly believe that the Bible is inspired in this way, then we also know the Bible as trustworthy. And, if that is true, then we should take what it is able to do for us … seriously. We should read it … and apply it … to our lives. Here’s what Paul tells us today:
ALL SCRIPTURE IS INSPIRED BY GOD. Verse 16b tells us, “It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.” Now, remember, the reason ‘all scripture is inspired’ is because God has been able to use it for thousands of years to speak to humanity—very clearly if we’re listening (reading it)…
It corrects us when we’re wrong! Correction usually begins with someone pointing out the error of our ways—a part of a very important process… Sometimes when we’re in the middle of many situations in life, it’s hard to see things clearly on our own. God’s Word can help us to see—clearly—the error of our ways, when we can’t see it on our own. And…
It teaches us to do what is right. The Greek here (paideian) literally refers to ‘child-training.’ When it comes to our children, we want not only for our kids to see the error of their ways, but we also want to teach them how to live right … don’t we?
I can’t help but think of my very brief, but very vital sports career—Jr. High and High School (like many of us). One thing that every single coach seemed to be able to do … is the first part of this process—the correction or reproof. They all seemed to be able to do that! Some call it the ‘tearing down’ process…
But, the very best coaches in my life were those who not only could correct, but also those who went on to teach and show me the right way to do things. “Rom, you screwed up! If you keep blocking like that, the quarterback will never have a chance! … No. Instead, learn how to block like this! Watch these guys (i.e. college or pro football reference) and learn how to do it like them!” Those were the very best coaches I had—those who not only would correct, but those who would go on to complete the process and teach me the right way to do things…
This is what the written Word of God will do for every single one of us. It is the very best coach … for our lives! Paul goes on to say this, which is so important…
ALL SCRIPTURE IS USEFUL IN TEACHING US THE TRUTH! Verse 17, again, says, “God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.”
God uses it to prepare… BE PREPARED … is the Boy Scout Motto! Paul may not have been a Scout leader, but he knew the importance of being prepared; we wouldn’t get through this life and all that it will throw at us in a way that will be pleasing to God … without being prepared!
God uses it to equip … his people for life!
The Greek word for ‘equip’ (exertismenos) here literally means ‘to furnish.’ It’s like setting up house. Would it be more useful to have an empty room to live in … or to have one that is ‘furnished’ appropriately? ‘Better to have a kitchen with empty drawers? Or, a kitchen that has just the right tools?
Folks, God’s desire is to use his Word to speak to us so that we will be ‘furnished’ or ‘equipped’ for this life … and beyond!
The truth is that Paul placed heavy burdens of ministry on this young pastor in this letter, but not irresponsibly!
- He was confident of Timothy’s commitment to and dependence on the Word…
- He was even more confident of God’s ability to supply all Timothy’s needs for life through the Word…
And, folks, the Word of God can do the same for us, too…
Paul said to Timothy, “You’ve read my life” (first verses of this section of scripture)! So, what do people see when they read your life? Are you, like Paul, allowing the Word of God to lead you in…
- Your faith…
- Your patience…
- Your love…
- Your endurance…
Are you struggling in any of these areas in your life? For Paul, the Word of God was his textbook… Is it yours today? It will never lead you astray (we do that pretty well on our own)… It will always keep you walking with God in a way that would please him … and, eternally speaking, that’s all that really counts! Let me mention one more thing today…
Verse 13 warns us all of dangers in this life that can lead us astray. Paul says, “But evil people and impostors will flourish. They will deceive others and will themselves be deceived.” What protects us from things that come at us in this life that could harm us—things we’re not always sure of? The Word of God. There’s no other book like it; I’ve never found one… Follow it. Trust it. Let it lead you into the future God has planned for you…