Let's Be People of the Book
The 18th century French philosopher Voltaire once claimed that the Bible would become obsolete and would eventually lose all its influence within 100 years or less. He believed that humanity had finally progressed so much, that we would no longer need the Bible.
Well, 250 years later, the Bible is still just as relevant and is still very influential around the world. And, here’s some irony… less than 100 years after Voltaire’s death, the French Bible Society actually purchased Voltaire’s property at auction and set up its Bible-printing headquarters in Voltaire’s old home in Paris.
So, why was Voltaire wrong? Why did the Bible not become obsolete? Because, this book is no ordinary book. That’s the Apostle Paul’s primary sentiment in this passage.
Last week we were looking at the first half of 2 Timothy chapter three, where the apostle Paul, is reminding Timothy about the fact that there are people in our midst that are looking to do evil things.
They teach flawed doctrines. They pervert the truth, and they cause harm. But then in verse 10 the Apostle Paul begins to contrast Timothy with those corrupted evil persons… and that’s where we’ll pick up today.
Paul says to Timothy… but you, Timothy, you’re different. Look at verses 10-11:
“You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me.”
Paul is saying to Timothy, “Those other men, they’re corrupt… but certainly you know what I taught and therefore I know that you’re different than those guys. You saw me suffer… and you saw the power of the Gospel at work in my life.”
And then Paul says to Timothy…. anyone who really wants to live the Christian life is going to suffer. Look at verses 12-13:
“Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted… while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.”
If you are here this morning, and you desire to live a godly life, you should expect to face to some persecutions. Now, for those of us living in the US in the 21st century, the persecution we face at current time is very mild, compared to what many Christians around the world today face.
That doesn’t negate the seriousness of some of our persecutions, there are indeed some real variations of persecution that we face as Americans, as Christians in the United States today… I just think it’s important to pause for a moment and just remember that a lot of our brothers and sisters in the faith around the globe have faced persecutions way worse than any of us have faced.
I was in India several years ago and I met a group of 50 pastors. Nearly all of them at some point had been imprisoned or severely beaten for their faith. I asked one of the pastors, Pastor V, I asked him, “How do you keep going?” He said, “Brother Kenny, we read the Bible, God gives strength.”
The Bible gives us the truth that gives us strength.
Side note, we shouldn’t feel guilty for the religious liberties we enjoy here, but it ought to certainly inspire us to pray for our brethren around the world… And we should all expect to face some forms of persecutions… even if it’s mild compared to what others around the world face.
Then Paul continues. Look at what Paul says to him in verses 14-15:
“But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.”
Paul is saying, Timothy, there’s a lot of craziness going on all around you… there’s going to be evil people… imposters… detrimental theologies… but you Timothy, stay firm… you stick with it Timothy… that’s Paul’s exhortation to Timothy.
And then Paul gives Timothy the instructions of how to stick with it… on how to remain firm… and how to spiritually thrive, even in the face of persecutions. Here’s what Paul says… remember what you learned from the sacred writings. Remember what you learned from the sacred writings.
He says, “Timothy… remember… from the time you were a kid… you were acquainted with those sacred writings… and they are “able to make you wise for salvation…”
If you remember, back in chapter one, the apostle Paul had reminded Timothy of the faith of his “grandmother Lois and [his] mother Eunice…” (2 Tim. 1:5), and they had apparently raised Timothy to have faith in God. Timothy had been acquainted with the Scriptures from young age because of this grandmother and mother.
Timothy would’ve been familiar with God speaking the world into existence in Genesis 1.
And Timothy definitely would’ve been familiar with the account of the flood… which demonstrates both God’s judgement and God’s mercy.
Timothy would have been familiar with Joseph; how Joseph’s brothers betrayed him and sold him to slavery… and yet God uses the sufferings of Joseph’s life, turning the incredible pain into a great purpose…
Timothy would’ve been aware of how God’s people had suffered for 400 years under Egyptian tyranny… And yet God rescues them.
Timothy would have been keenly aware of Moses’ sins and inadequacies, and how Moses fled… but God redeems him and brings him back to Egypt and uses him mightily to rescue the people.
Timothy would have been well-acquainted with the sacred writings that speak about God’s faithfulness to Gideon and to many others during the era of the Judges.
Timothy, no doubt, would have been familiar with King David’s sins and failures and moral deficiencies… and yet we watch God redeem David’s life.
Timothy would have been aware of God’s people—the nation of Israel—and how they failed over and over and over again, generation after generation, and yet God remained faithful to them.
Timothy would have been well-acquainted with the God’s faithfulness to Esther and to Daniel in exile… and how God saved Meshach, Shedrach, and Abendego from the flames of the fire… and later, God was faithful to Nehemiah and Ezra during the return to the Promise Land.
Timothy would have known all these things… so Timothy would know that God is faithful, even amid chaos—and even when it appears the evil people are prospering, God is faithful.
Cities Church, Paul’s exhortation to Timothy certainly applies to us today too… when there seems to be evil people and imposters all around… when we face persecutions and tough times… Do not forget the things you have learned about God from the sacred writings!
I love the sacred writings… the Bible!
Now, two quick side notes I want to make that I think are important.
First, in this context, Paul is specifically referring to the Old Testament… that’s what Timothy would have grown up with, right, the New Testament had not yet been completed.
However, we, in our modern context, we know that the New Testament is included in the sacred writings… not just the Old Testament.
There’s a few ways… eight reasons… we know we can put the New Testament on par with the Old Testament.
1) Jesus said in Matthew 24:35, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” Jesus’ words are eternal… And his disciples know this… they say to this in John 6… Jesus had just given them a hard teaching, and Jesus asked, “Do you guys want to leave me?” And Peter replied, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” The New Testament are the words and teachings of Jesus.
2) On the night of His betrayal, Jesus said to His disciples (in John chapter 16), that there would be more teachings to come. He was alluding to the fact that the Holy Spirit was going to come and inspire authoritative writings through the disciples.
3) Jesus told us his words were on par with Scripture (John 14:10) and that his words are truth because they were given by the Father (cf. John chapters 16 and 17).
4) In 1 Thessalonians 2:13, the Apostle Paul asserts that he had given them the “word of God” not merely “human words.”
5) In 1 Corinthians 2:13… Paul claims that his writing are inspired by God.
6) Later in 1 Corinthians… 14:37, Paul asserts that his teachings are “commandments of the Lord.”
7) In 2 Peter 3:16, the Apostle Peter claims that there are people perverting or twisting Paul’s letters as they do with the “other Scriptures.” Peter is clearly placing Paul’s letter on par with the Old Testament.
8) The earliest Christians read the letters in church services and preached from them and believed them to be authoritative.
The earliest Christians treated these writings as if they were sacred.
So for those eight reasons—there are more than eight, but that’s all we have time for this morning—for those eight reasons, it is fair and right to assume that what Paul is saying in this passage about Scripture applies to the New Testament too.
That was the first side note… it is fair and right to put the New Testament on par with the Old Testament.
Second side note.
The Bible has not been changed since the time of the first century.
This is a common attack on the Bible, people say things like, “Well, the Bible has been changed a bunch throughout the centuries, so there’s no way to know what the original authors actually wrote.”
If you’re here, and you’re not sure what you think about the Bible, I’d love to talk to you, feel free to come up after service if you like, I’ll be up here.
Also, I intend to put some additional resources on our website—when we post this sermon tomorrow afternoon, Lord willing, we’ll have some additional resources—so if you like, you can head to citieschurch.com, look under sermons, look at the manuscript for this sermon and you’ll see some additional resources at the bottom of the page. Those resources can substantiate the claims I’m about to make.
The primary one I’d commend to you is a short book called “Why Trust the Bible?” by a pastor from Kentucky, Greg Gilbert. It’s short, easy read, very helpful. That one and others will be listed. One of the things we learn we actually examine the evidence is that the Bible has not been changed. The collection of manuscripts we have from the last 2,000 years is overwhelming, so we know for sure that the Bible has not been maligned. Anyone who says, “we cannot know for sure,” with all due respect, that person is simply unaware of the actual evidence that exists.
So, if you’re here, and you’re not sure if you can really trust the veracity or authenticity of the Bible… I want to say… yes, you can trust it… and if you want, feel free to come up after the service, I’d love to chat about it, or visit out website and check out some of those extra resources and books.
Okay, let’s look back at the final words of this text… Paul has some powerful things to say about Scripture. Look at verses 16—17:
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
These words are inspired by God, breathed out by God. This book is not just any ordinary book… these words are not merely good advice from Paul… these words are not merely a historical record of how God revealed himself to others in past generations, in the world of antiquity… no, this book is unique… it contains the sovereign exhalings of a Holy God. These words are breathed out from God himself, and he has revealed himself to us through these sacred writings.
The apostle Peter says, in 2 Pt. 1:21: “No prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”
After Paul assures us that Scripture is breathed out by God, he then says it’s profitable… the Bible is profitable… and then he tells him the ways the Bible is useful:
For teaching. For reproof. For correction. For training in righteousness. Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase of verses 16-17 go like this:
“Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, [and] training us to live God’s way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us.”
The Scriptures are powerful:
The Psalmist says, in Psalm 119:105: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
The prophet Isaiah says, “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever” (v. 40:8).
Jesus says in John 10:35, Jesus says that the Scripture “cannot be broken.”
Paul is saying, “Hey Timothy… are there people in your church that need to be taught… use the Scriptures!”
“Hey Timothy, are there people that need to be rebuked and corrected… be sure, when you correct them, use the Scriptures.”
“Are there people in your congregation with flawed theology… or detrimental ideologies… or people with unrepentant sin… rebuke them, admonish them, don’t be bold, be assertive, don’t be passive aggressive, challenge them… and when you do, be sure you use the Scriptures..”
“Hey Timothy, are there people in the church that are afraid or nervous or feeling insecure?”
Encourage them with the sacred writings.
Paul is exhorting Timothy to cling to the Bible… and that’s what I want for our church… that we would cling to the Bible.
I’ve heard Pastor David Mathis say several times in the years I’ve known him… “We are people of the book!”
Let’s be that! This is what Paul is challenging the churches to be.
In his first letter to Timothy, Paul tells Timothy to have the church “devote [themselves] to the public reading of Scripture…” (1 Tim. 4:13).
And he says to the Colossian Christians, in Colossians 3:16:
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom.”
Church, let’s be people of the book! Spend time in the Bible.
I was recently having lunch with someone. And at the beginning of the lunch, they made mention how they had binge watched a TV show on Netflix. They had binged watched multiple seasons of “Parks and Rec” over the previous few days.
Later in that conversation… like 30 minutes later… we were talking about something that they were struggling with, and I asked if they had carved out time for Bible reading and prayer, and the person said something about being too busy. So I said, “You’ve prioritized time with Leslie Knope and Ron Swanson, but you haven’t been able to prioritize time with the Bible?”
I know that many of us are legitimately busy in life. Yes, that’s true. Many of us legitimately have lots of things on our plates. Yes. But if we really believe this is the inspired word of God, let’s devote ourselves to it. Let’s be ruthless with our calendars, and say “No” to whatever gets in the way. Honestly, we have no excuse.
If you read at average speeds, you could read the Bible for 12 minutes a day… and read the entire Bible in a year… just 12 minutes per day.
And we have resources that very few Christians have ever had… throughout most of church history, very few people had access to a Bible in their homes…. It’s a relatively recent phenomenon… within the last 125 years or so.
On my iPhone right now… I have 61 English translations of the Bible… and, I’ve got 178 translations in 65 other languages. Not to mentioned access to thousands of commentaries, resources, articles, and podcasts to help me better understand the Bible.
And there are tons of apps it seems like… Dwell, YouVersion, and the Daily Audio Bible, and iDisciple, and She Reads Truth, and Got Questions, and Logos… oh yeah, and YouTube too. Friends, we have no excuse!
I don’t if you know, here at Cities Church we have a women’s blog—women from our congregation contribute to it several times a month. I would highly encourage all our women to read it.
And this week’s article—the article we intend to post to the blog this coming Wednesday, God willing—is by Linda Linder, member here at Cities Church. I wanna give you a sneak peak.
The blog is entitled, “Why I Read the Bible and Want You to Read It, Too” and she says this:
“Our God is a God of words. He always has been and always will be. God created the universe by speaking words. Every stage of Creation in Genesis 1 is introduced with the words, ‘And God said….’ And today? Today we have the written Word of God, the Bible. The Bible gives wisdom when you don’t know what to do. It furnishes light when you’re in the dark. It penetrates your heart and can change your thoughts and attitudes. The Creator of the universe wants to speak to you! His Word is true. [And] His Word is life-changing.”
Cities Church… the word of God is true and life-changing… let’s get acquainted with those sacred writings!
Last thought:
The question I’ve asked myself… “What does the existence of the Bible tell us about God?” The fact that we even have the sacred writings tells us that God wants to be known, and he is knowable. God is knowable… the God of the universe invites you to commune with him.
The existence of the Bible tells us that intimacy with the almighty is possible. Even though we are sinners, God invites us to get to know him.
Even though we deserved wrath, God beckons us and ushers us into intimacy with himself… God was under no obligation to save us. God created us and we betrayed him… we sinned… we deserved the full wrath of God.
But God, being rich in mercy… abounding in steadfast love, he intervened in the human story, and he made a way for us to be saved… God became a man, he lived a perfect a life, and died in our place… and if he believe in him, if we trust in him… if we recognize that we cannot save ourselves, we acknowledge our sins, if we humble seek the mercy of God, and we ask him to save us, he promises to forgive us and adopts us into his own family.
He becomes our daddy… the God of the universe, the creator of everything… he calls us his children.
And… he gives us this Bible, so that we can know him, so that we can be equipped in this life, and so that we can have intimacy with him.
The very existence of the Bible shouts to us the kindness of our God.
Church, let’s be people of the book!
Pray with me… God, forgive us for our laziness and apathy. Thank you for the Bible, the sacred writings. Thank you for revealing yourself to us in these writings. Thank you for your kindness. God, help us see our sin, and may we humbly repent and draw us closer to you, by your Spirit, I pray. Oh God, help us be people of the book. Amen.
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Additional Resources:
Barrett, Matthew. God’s Word Alone—The Authority of Scripture. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2016.
Gilbert, Greg. Why Trust the Bible? Wheaton: Crossway, 2015.
Jones, Timothy Paul. How We Got the Bible. Peabody: Rose Publishing, 2015.