Intro: During the Great Depression, there was a man named Yates who lived in Texas and owned a sheep ranch. But his financial situation was so strained he knew it was only a matter of time before he lost everything.
-Every day Yates and his family did all they could to keep food on the table. After a period of time they had to accept a government subsidy or lose their home and land to creditors. But one day, in the midst of financial bleakness, a geological crew from an oil company came knocking on Yates’ door. They asked if they could have Yates’s permission to drill a well on his property promising him a large portion of the profits if they struck oil.
-Yates agreed to the deal and the crew began drilling. When the crew hit 500 feet, they came up dry. When they hit 800 feet, nothing happened. They hit 1,000 feet and it was no different. But whenever they dug down to a little over 1,100 feet they hit pay dirt. They ended up tapping into one of the richest oil reserves in Texas. The hole in the ground began to spray out 80,000 barrels of oil a day. Over night Yates and his family became millionaires.
-Pretty cool story. Yates was a man who’d been sitting on wealth for a # of years but he never knew it. As a matter of fact he was at a point to where he was @ to lose the only life he knew. But whenever he began to search out his land he discovered he was rich.
-You know what? There’s no doubt in my mind that we can identify w/this man. The reason why is b/c there are a lot of us who struggle in this life. We have a void in our life that just doesn’t seem to ever get filled up. We search and struggle for hope and meaning. But very few people ever discover that right underneath their noses is a vast source of wealth that can totally transform their lives.
-What am I talking @? I’m talking @ God’s Word, the Bible. Far too many of us have the Word of God sitting on our coffee tables or stashed away in some dark corner in our bookshelf, never having been opened or seriously looked in to. And the result is we’re missing out on a great wealth of information that leads to a prosperous and meaningful life.
Sermon Idea: Today in our passage of Scripture we’re going to see Paul share w/Timothy 3 important pieces of information to learn @ Scripture. 3 important lessons that will show the true value of the Bible.
-If you have a Bible I want you to know that you’ve got a gold mine on your hands. Now some of you might wonder how it is that the Bible could be called a gold mine. You might wonder how the Bible is more than just a book. Well, fortunately for us Paul shared w/Timothy 3 principles every person ought to know @ the Bible.
2 TIMOTHY 3: 16-17
Bckgrd: In this Scripture we see one of the strongest statements there is for the authenticity, the wealth and the power of the Bible. And b/c of that it’s important we look into this passage of Scripture. We need to understand that the Bible is a book of great wealth. We need to understand that Paul, a man who lived 2,000 years ago, understood the Bible was a very important book.
-Before Paul was to die he wanted to establish the credibility and power of the Bible. It wasn’t just some ordinary book. It was a uniquely special book that could transform lives. But Paul knew that there were going to be people who didn’t see the value of the Bible and there’d be people who’d try to pervert what the Bible said.
-So he clearly set out to show what every person ought to know @ the Bible. The 1st principle every person ought to know @ the Bible is:
DIV. 1: THE BIBLE COMES FROM GOD (v. 16)
Exp: If you’re a person who likes to read, one thing that will be important to you is “Who wrote the book?” I remember when I was in seminary learning @ the importance of “Who wrote the book?” When I was in preaching class I learned that there are a lot of materials you can go to to help you prepare for sermons.
A. But as you look to different resources for help it’s important to know who the author is. The reason why is b/c there are some authors who might not hold scripturally sound beliefs. Let me give you an example.
1. One resource that’s very good is the author William Barclay. He has excellent information on the historical perspective of Scripture and every day living during the times of Christ.
a. But something I have to be careful @ as I read William Barclay is to remember that he didn’t believe in the miracles of Jesus. He doesn’t believe that Jesus performed any of the miracles written @ in the Bible. So it’s important I don’t read Barclay if I’m preaching a series of messages on Jesus’ miracles.
b. Now we all know that there are some authors we really enjoy and others we don’t care too much @. But if you’re wondering why the Bible is so important to Xians, it really comes down to one simple thing. It’s important b/c of who the author is! God is the author of the Bible! Now you might be thinking, “But I thought a bunch of guys helped write the Bible. Guys like Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.” That’s true, but God worked thru those men to write His Word. He inspired them.
2. V. 16 says, “All Scripture is God-breathed.” Now what in the world does that mean? It’s implying that God sometimes breathed His words into the human writers so that they’d know what to write. He said to Jeremiah in Jer. 1: 9-“Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.”
a. So what does that mean for us today? It means that we can know that the Bible is literally the Word of God. We can know that God has faithfully given His Word to us that we might know Him and have the opportunity to discover the way to forgiveness and eternal life as prescribed by God.
b. Why do you think it’s so important for us to know that the Bible is God’s Word? B/c if it’s anybody else’s word it’s not going to be totally reliable. Why? B/c man in fallible. We make mistakes. You know, if I’m going to be getting information @ how I can be forgiven of my sins, how I can be brought into a relationship w/God, how I can have eternal life, I want to make sure that the information I receive is correct.
ILLUS: Getting the wrong information @ something important can be very disturbing. Supposedly 2 women from Southern California spent the day doing some last minute X-mas shopping in Tijuana, a town on the Mexican border just below San Diego. After a successful day of bargain hunting, they returned to their hotel. One of the ladies glanced down in the gutter and noticed something moving, something sort of squirming around.
-As they bent down, the 2 women saw a little animal struggling for its life. Their hearts went out to this little animal, which they figured out was a Chihuahua. So they picked it up and tried to nurse it back to health.
-They decided to take the dog back to San Diego w/them so they hid the animal in their X-mas packages to get across. After they got across the border they pulled the little dog out and loved on him and petted him all the way to their homes. One of the ladies kept the dog w/her when she got home.
-The little dog slept in her bed. But the next morning the dog wasn’t doing well. So she took him to the vet. When the vet saw the dog he immediately turned to the woman and said, “Where’d you get this animal?” She said, “We were shopping in Tijuana and found this little Chihuahua in the gutter near our car.”
-The vet looked at her and said, “Lady, I don’t know who told you this was a Chihuahua. What’s you’ve got is a rabid Mexican river rat.”
1. Folks, it’s important that your information is coming from the right place, especially whenever you’re dealing w/matters of faith that will affect your for the rest of eternity. And you can be assured that as you read the Bible you’re reading the very words of God. You’re not reading some commentary @ how some guy felt or how some guy perceived things during his day.
a. Well, how much of the Bible comes from God? We’re told that “all” Scripture comes from God. Is it true? Can we count on it? Ps. 119: 11 lets us know that obedience to God’s Word keeps us from sin. The same chapter tells us that God’s Word guides us on the right path of life. And we’re told that no lie or sin comes from God. That means His Word is dependable. It can be counted on! But far too many of us ignore the Word of God and listen to teachings and ideas contrary to Scripture and accept it as truth.
b. If you’re listening to people over the Word of God; if you’re living your life in a way that contradicts the Bible you’re settling for something less than what God wants for you. You might think, “But God’s Word is so harsh! It’s so difficult and living the way I choose, or living the way another religion teaches is so much easier for me.” Well, you need to know that you’re settling for a teaching and a life that will lead you to eternal death instead of into eternal life.
Reit: The 1st principle every person ought to know @ the Bible is the Bible comes from God. The 2nd principle every person ought to know @ the Bible is:
DIV. 2: THE BIBLE IS RELEVANT (v. 16)
Exp: Over recent years there’s been a heavy debate @ whether or not the Bible is even a relevant book. Many people believe that the Bible is an old-fashioned book that’s out of touch w/our day. Some see the Bible as being obsolete.
A. But I want you to know that the Bible is as relevant for today as it was in the time of Christ. Look at v. 16 again. What does it say? It says, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” 1st of all notice it says that God’s Word is ‘useful.’
1. Now be honest w/yourself. If God’s Word is “useful”, how much use are you getting out of it? B/c let me tell you something. If you’re not taking time to read the Bible; if you’re not taking time to apply the Bible to your life, it’s not going to be of much use to you. The word “useful” carries w/it the idea of being sufficient. But I’m afraid many of us view the Bible as being insufficient, which is why its teachings are so widely ignored.
a. David understood the sufficiency of God’s Word. He wrote in Ps. 19: 7-13-“The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the judgments of the Lord are true; they are altogether righteous. They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; sweeter than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward.”
b. What are some specifics of usefulness from God’s Word? V. 16 gives several. 1st, it tells us the Bible’s good for teaching. Teaching what? The Bible’s very similar to a map in that it gives us direction on how to live our lives in such a way as to please God.
2. Have you wondered why we live in a world where it seems like ungodliness is the norm? Have you wondered why we live in a world where people don’t seem to really know how to live in a way that would please God? The reason why is b/c we simply don’t know what the Bible says. Hosea 4: 6-“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.”
a. You see, if we don’t know the Bible then we can’t know God’s design for our lives. To not know the Bible leads to destruction. And anything that keeps us from being destroyed is definitely something that’s relevant. As you read the Bible nowhere will you find instructions being given that lead you to harm. Nowhere will you discover that if you apply the Bible to your life that it’ll be detrimental to your future. But a lack of knowledge of God’s Word will destroy you.
ILLUS: I’m sure we can all think of different illustrations of how a lack of knowledge can be destructive to a person. My father has a friend who’s a lawyer who worked on a case where a man went in for surgery to have his left foot amputated. But the wrong foot was prepped for surgery and when the doctor came in he ended up amputating the wrong foot.
-Now how in the world can something like that happen? The doctor had a lack of knowledge and b/c of that it led to the destruction of something that was healthy.
b. I guarantee you the Bible is relevant. If you don’t believe me then let me ask you a question. Do you find your eternal destination to be relevant to you? Do you find the opportunity to have your sins forgiven by God to be relevant to you? Rom. 10: 9-10, 17-“If you confess w/your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; for w/the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and w/the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation…So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.”
B. I find my eternity to be of great relevance to me. God’s Word says it’s useful. But it won’t be useful until we apply it to our lives.
1. And if you choose not to apply the Bible to your life you need to understand it will lead you to destruction b/c you’re making the choice to ignore the instructions of life.
Reit: The 1st principle every person ought to know @ the Bible is the Bible comes from God. The 2nd principle is the Bible is relevant. And the final principle every person ought to know @ the Bible is:
DIV. 3: THE BIBLE ENABLES US TO BE GODLY (v. 17)
Exp: What good is advice if it doesn’t bring @ any change in our lives? What good is advice if it’s not helpful? It’s not any good at all! Has there ever been a time in your life when you weren’t thoroughly equipped; when you hadn’t been thoroughly prepared?
A. About 8 or 9 years ago I went to Israel w/a couple of people from the last church I served. And I remember Don asking me what he should wear to Israel. Obviously it was a mistake for him to ask me since I’m not the big fashion guru. But I told Don that he’d probably be most comfortable in short sleeve shirts and a windbreaker.
1. And when we got to Israel I was right on the $. The weather was comfortable but occasionally it would rain and Don was able to use his windbreaker. But the problem occurred when we left Israel and traveled thru Salzburg, Austria and Munich, Germany.
a. To say the least the weather was a little bit different than it was in Israel. When we left Israel, it was 80 degrees, but when we arrived in Salzburg snow covered the ground and it was 2 degrees. So you can probably guess Don wasn’t adequately prepared for that type of weather.
b. Well, the great news @ God’s Word is it doesn’t leave us in short-sleeve shirts in cold weather. We’re told the Word of God thoroughly equips us for every good work. The word “thorough” means “complete.” As in fully equipped, not lacking.
2. The word “equipped” was a Greek word that was used in documents to describe a completely outfitted wagon or a completely outfitted rescue boat. When people traveled back in those days they didn’t have a Sam’s Warehouse where they could go stock up on supplies just in case they didn’t pack enough.
a. When you went on a trip back then you had to make sure you brought enough before you ever left for the trip. You had to make sure you had enough food for travel, enough water to drink, and enough clothes for the difficult journey.
b. In our text, Paul is telling us that God’s Word thoroughly equips us for life and for eternity when we stock up on its supplies. How so? When tragedy comes your way, when you lose a loved one, when your job situation seems to be in jeopardy, you can look into the Bible and find out that God knows what’s happening in your life and He can provide a peace that’s beyond all understanding.
B. Maybe when you’re facing illness and even death you can look into God’s Word and find provisions that will safely bring you into the presence of God. The Bible clearly teaches us how we can come into a relationship w/God, which means we don’t have to worry @ our eternity. We can know for certain we have a home waiting for us in heaven.
1. And while we’re living on this earth right now, the Bible provides us w/information on how to live godly lives right now; how to live lives that will have power! We’re told the Bible will EQUIP us for every good work. You see, the Bible is a complete book. It doesn’t just leave us hanging. Instead it gives complete instruction on how to live life to its fullest.
ILLUS: A few years ago Emily and I went to see the movie “The Doctor.” In the movie William Hurt plays a doctor who’s cynical and doesn’t have a passion for the people he serves. But then in the midst of his very successful career he develops cancer. And it’s at that point his life begins to change. He becomes more of a loving and caring father. He becomes the husband he should’ve always been.
-As the movie was coming to a close we knew that he was either going to die or possibly have a miracle take place in his life. Well, as we were @ to find out, a storm hit knocking out the power at the movie theater. And we were left hanging. It was a very unsatisfying feeling and to this day we’ve never seen the end of that movie.
a. Now let me share the great thing w/you @ God’s Word. It’s complete. It doesn’t leave you hanging. Instead it fully prepares you for this life and the one to come. The question is “Do you desire to be prepared? Do you desire to be thoroughly equipped?” If you do then I want you to know you’ve got an information source right at your fingertips waiting to be applied to your life. You’ve got a gold mine waiting to be explored that can change your life.
b. I think we’d all agree that a person who had great knowledge; great intelligence but refused to use it could rightly be called foolish. Well, if you refuse the wealth of God’s Word then you too can count yourself among those who are foolish. Let me encourage you to look into God’s Word and take it seriously. And as you do you’ll discover that God’s Word is true. It’s not a fairy-tale, it’s not a lie; it’s just simply true.
Conclusion: There are some principles @ the Bible every person ought to know. 1st, the Bible comes from God. 2nd, the Bible is relevant. And finally, the Bible enables us to be godly.
-Xians, at this time I want to challenge you. Let me challenge you to spend 5 minutes a day reading God’s Word. We have a pamphlet at the Information Table you can pick up on a 5 minute regimen of spending time reading the Bible. If you do that, I believe you’ll discover the power and truth and importance of God’s Word in your life.
-Others of you know you have a void in your life. You know you don’t have a real relationship w/God. If that’s you, the Bible tells us we can know God. It tells us God desires for us to turn away from our sins and follow Him so we can have eternal life.
-If you’d like to have that, pray this prayer after me: Dear Jesus, I know I’m a sinner. Forgive me of my sins. I know you died and rose from the grave for me. Save me.
-If you prayed that prayer take your Welcome Card and tear it out of the bulletin. Put your name on it and check the box that says you committed your life to Christ. Then place it in the offering basket and we’ll get you some information in the mail @ how to grow in a walk w/Christ.
