The Effective Word Series

The Effective Word

Text: 2 Tim. 3:16-17

Introduction

1. Read 2 Tim. 3:16-17

2. Illustration: The Department of Social Services in Greenville County, South Carolina sent the following letter to a deceased individual. "Your food stamps will be stopped effective March, 1992, because we received notice that you passed away. May God bless you. You may reapply if there is a change in your circumstances."

3. Know this is what we call ineffective communication. However, we never have to worry about ineffective communication with the Word of God.

Proposition: The word of God is always effective and accomplishes its stated purpose.

Transition: There are two reasons for this. First, because...

I. All Scripture is Inspired

A. Breathed Out By God

1. Verses 16 – 17 are the strongest statement in the Bible about itself. - (Liefeld, NIV Application Commentary, New Testament: 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus,279).

2. Paul says that "All scripture is given by inspiration of God..." First we must see that he says "all Scripture."

a. That means that everything from Genesis to Revelation.

b. I loose patience with those who says "well it’s not in the NT so it doesn’t count!"

c. My Bible says that "all Scripture" is profitable.

d. You cannot pick and choose what you want to believe. You must accept all of it, or none of it.

3. Second, we must notice that Paul says "All Scripture is given..."

a. That means that we didn’t think it up, dream it up, or make it up.

b. It was given by God to man.

c. 2 Pet. 1:20-21 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

4. This leads us to the third thing that we must notice "All Scripture is given by the inspiration of God..."

a. What does that mean?

b. The idea is that God breathed out the Scripture or God produced the Scripture somewhat like He did creation.—Practical Word Studies in the New Testament

c. Ps. 33:6 By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host.

d. The thought conveyed is that the writings under consideration are ‘the product of the creative breath of God’ - New International Bible Commentary, Pradis CD-ROM

B. Without Error

1. Illustration: I have always believed in the inspiration of the Holy Scriptures, whereby they have become the expression to man of the Word and Will of God. Warren G. Harding

2. Why is it so important that we understand that the Word of God is inspired?

a. If they came from man, they would be tainted.

b. If they came from man, they would be filled with error.

c. If they came from man, they would be unreliable.

3. However, because the Scriptures come from God we know that...

a. They are without error

b. They are life changing

c. They are powerful

4. Because the Scriptures are inspired, we can...

a. Stand on them

b. Trust in them

c. Cling to them

5. Because the Scriptures are inspired of God they...

a. Are what they say they are

b. They will do what they say they’ll do

6. Matt. 24:35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

Transition: Because the Word is inspired, we also know that...

II. All Scripture is Profitable

A. Profitable

1. Paul tells us that because the Scriptures are inspired they are Profitable.

a. The word profitable means useful, beneficial, and helpful.

b. Simply stated, the Bible is for man; God gave it to help man.

2 The point Paul appears to be making is that Timothy, confident of Scripture’s inspired nature, can rely upon it to be ‘profitable’. - New International Bible Commentary, Pradis CD-ROM

3. Illustration: We are apt to think that everything that happens to us is to be turned into useful teaching; it is to be turned into something better than teaching, that is, into character. We shall find that the spheres God brings us into are not meant to teach us something but to make us something. (Oswald Chambers, “Daily Thoughts for Disciples,” January 18th )

4. The word of God is profitable for everything and situation in life.

B. Doctrine

1. The content and teaching of truth, which must flow from and be consistent with Scripture.

2. By calling the Bible "God-breathed," Paul was identifying its divine source; by making it the source of doctrine, he was reminding Timothy of its authority.

3. Teaching that contradicted biblical doctrine was to be rejected, corrected, or replaced by accurate teaching.

4. God wants man to know beyond doubt who God is; who man is; and the beginning, meaning, and end of all things.