My dad was one of those guys that never got rid of clothes. He would keep things that moths no longer desired. And truth be told I have a few things of his to this day. Somewhere I even have a few of his old ties that are so wide you could use them for a sail on a sailboat. He was one of those people that said it will eventually come back in style and I won’t have to buy anything new because I will have the original.
You know style says something about us, - Culture says something about us, - Uniforms say something about us, even Costumes say something about us. But let me share a fact with you, Styles change – Cultures change – Uniforms change and Costumes change.
But God’s Word never changes!
(slide 2&3) So, grab your Bible and open it to Isaiah 40:8 that is Isaiah 40:8, and once you find it stick your finger there and then turn over to 2nd Timothy 3:16-17. That’s 2nd Timothy 3:16-17. Once we finish reading from 2nd Timothy we will flip back to Isaiah. Now as we read this from 2nd Timothy, we need to be reminded that Paul is writing this letter to Timothy from Prison in Rome. Paul writes: All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Now look back at Isaiah where the prophet writes: The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.”
One of the reasons I wanted to use two pieces of scripture this morning is to remind you that the Old Testament still has meaning to you and I in our Christian Walk.
So, let’s start with the first piece of scripture we read this morning. Again, this is Paul's letter to his young protegee Timothy. We learn something right off the bat from just that piece of information. You see Paul was concerned with his disciple.
By the time Paul wrote his second letter to Timothy, the young pastor had been ministering to the church at Ephesus for four years, and it had been almost that long since he had received his first letter from Paul.
Timothy had been a faithful servant to Paul since he had left home with the apostle more than a ten years earlier. Since then, Timothy had ministered alongside Paul during his second and third missionary journeys, in places such as Troas, Philippi, and Corinth.
Timothy was not unfamiliar to the Ephesians when he settled in Ephesus to minister, having served there alongside Paul for a period of close to three years on Paul’s third missionary journey. Paul wrote again to this young leader in the church at Ephesus to provide him encouragement and support in the face of difficulties and trials.
(slide 4) So, mature Christian let me ask, who are you pouring into. You have so much to offer them, and they need to know it. You see this morning we are talking about God’s Word, and you have the wonderful opportunity to share it with your children, grandchildren and the young people here at East Columbia. When our young people see that the Word is important to you, it will become important to them.
This second letter to Timothy offers a picture of Paul at the end of his ministry, just before his death. Certain personal details in the letter reveal a man putting his affairs in order and preparing for the inevitable.
Even as we age, we can still share that God’s Word is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
This piece of scripture is actually one of the most important and frequently quoted statements in the entire Bible: " The "All Scripture" in this case most specifically referred to the Old Testament, since the full New Testament did not yet exist.
At the time Paul wrote these words, books such as the Gospel of John and Revelation had not yet been written. However, this principle would still apply to all Scripture given by God, including the 27 books of the New Testament. New Testament writers recognized Scripture even as it was written
As such, this written Scripture is perfect. Because all Scripture is perfect, it is "profitable" for many areas of life. Paul lists four areas in this verse.
(slide 5) First, Scripture is profitable for teaching. It is to be used to instruct people to know God better. One of the reasons we have Sunday School.
(slide 6) Second, Scripture is profitable for reproof or rebuke, the idea of exposing or pointing out sin. Not judging it but pointing it out.
(slide 7) Third, Scripture is useful for correction. Scripture both points out sin and offers a solution to it. We must share that solution.
(slide 8) Fourth, Scripture is profitable for training in righteousness. Though similar to teaching, training is more focused on practical application. From Scripture we learn what is true, what is wrong, how to correct those wrongs, and how to apply truth.
And as we arrive at verse 17, Paul concludes the chapter by saying that Scripture can equip us and make us complete to do every good work. Notice that Paul doesn’t say we can do some good works, but that the servant of God is fully and thoroughly equipped to do every good work.
In other words, Timothy will lack nothing to step into the calling that God has placed on his life and neither will you.
(slide 9) And it is the same for us today, when we apply God’s Word to our lives, we will be thoroughly equipped to live out the calling God has given us.
One of the most important things you can do to grow your faith is to read the Bible. If you aren’t in the habit, start small. A couple of verses a day is better than zero verses a day. One minute reading the Bible is better than zero minutes reading the Bible.
And then make it a habit, strive to spend more time than you did yesterday. It’s okay to start small and build that habit. If you’ve never consistently read the Bible don’t feel like you have to read it cover to cover in the next month. Just make it part of your routine and increase the time as it becomes part of what you do. Focus on building a habit, not checking a box.
AGAIN, ONCE YOU BEGIN TO READ AND LEARN, APPLY GOD’S WORD TO YOUR LIFE.
Reading the Bible is the first step, but it can’t be our last step. Life transformation doesn’t happen when we know what the Bible says, but when we apply it to our lives.
It’s more important to be faithful to what we know about Scripture, than to know everything about Scripture ad fail to listen to it. Far too many Christians strive to gain more and more knowledge but never turn that knowledge into action, to do those good works Paul talks about.
Now let’s take a quick look at what we read in Isaiah where we heard Isaiah write this: The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.”
I know you have heard me say before that the world will tell you that the Bible is outdated, that it has been misinterpted, that it is not relevant in today's world. To them I say let’s talk, let me show you how the ten commandments are a good thing, let me show what Jesus dying on a cross really means, let me show you the importance of the empty tomb.
Did you know that the prophet Isaiah wrote his prophesy some 1500 hundred years before the birth of Jesus. Now why is that important? It is because as the prophet says the word of our God stands forever.
Pray as led.
