Well, it's been about two and a half months since I preached a sermon, and while I enjoyed
having a break from weekly sermon prep over the summer, I'm also excited to be back at
it this Sunday and to open the Word of God together with you.
This thing that we do right here every Sunday morning is arguably the most important thing
that we do together as a church.
And I'll say more about why this is later, because our passage this morning is actually
going to speak to this.
We're once again picking up the words of the Apostle Paul to Timothy, Paul's second letter
to Timothy, and quite likely one of Paul's last letters written.
If you remember from earlier this year, Paul at the time of this writing is in prison, and
he is very near the end.
History has it that not long after this, he was executed in Rome.
And so these are like Paul's last words.
And you can hear it.
You can feel it, even as you read through this letter.
These are the words of a man who knows his days are numbered.
And he's writing to encourage and instruct the younger man, Timothy, who is right now serving
as a leader in and around the church of Ephesus.
Now I'm not going to recap the whole letter for us this morning, but I would encourage you
to have a read through it again this week.
My last message back in June was on chapter 3, verses 10 to 15, and so I'm going to read
verses 10 to 17 for us this morning.
And then we'll continue on from verse 15 to the end of the chapter.
So 2 Timothy chapter 3, we're picking it up in verse 10.
You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience,
love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings.
What kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra, the persecutions I endured,
yet the Lord rescued me from all of them.
In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while
evildoers and imposters will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.
But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know
those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy scriptures,
which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training
in righteousness so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
So the first thing we hear Paul do is to encourage Timothy with the example of his own life.
You know my teaching.
You know my life.
You know my purpose, and so on.
His main point here is something like,
Timothy, you can trust me.
Unlike the evildoers and imposters of our day, you know me.
You know I am the real deal.
You know that my life and my teaching match.
And then here he points out another trustworthy source for Timothy.
In contrast to the religious imposters and pretenders of Timothy's day who cannot be trusted, there
is a source of truth that can be relied on, which can be trusted, and it is the holy scriptures.
This is what Paul is referring to when he says,
Continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of.
What you have known from childhood.
The holy scriptures.
And it's worth mentioning here, Paul mentions it.
How did Timothy learn the truth that is in the holy scriptures?
He says,
Because you know those from whom you learned it,
and how from infancy you have known the holy scriptures.
Who did Timothy learn the holy scriptures from,
from the time that he was a little child?
The answer is in chapter 1, verse 5,
right at the beginning of the letter.
It says there,
I am reminded of your sincere faith, Timothy,
which first lived in your grandmother, Lois,
and in your mother, Eunice,
and I am persuaded now lives in you also.
So Timothy learned and became convinced of the truth in the holy scriptures
because his grandmother and his mother taught them to him.
They had sincere faith in God,
and so they did what God commanded,
and they taught the holy scriptures to Timothy.
This is to be further confirmation to Timothy.
Because you know those from whom you learned it.
Again, it's not just Paul,
who has been a godly example worth following,
but look at your own mother,
and your grandmother, Timothy.
They too are the real deal.
And you can trust what they taught you since you were a child,
because look at how their lives match their message.
Unlike with these imposters we are seeing around us.
Do you hear this?
The life of Timothy's mom and his grandma have become like anchors for Timothy
in the storm that he now finds himself in.
Many are turning away from Paul.
Imposters and false teachers are arising.
But Paul tells Timothy to look at the example of faith in his mother and grandmother
and be reminded that the holy scriptures that they taught him are true.
Now, I know this is a tangent that I'm about to go on,
but it is worth mentioning here.
Are parents responsible to teach their children the holy scriptures?
Are parents responsible to teach their children the truth about God?
Are they responsible to exhort them to have faith in God and to follow God?
Two passages have been on my mind in the past several weeks.
First, there is what God said to the Israelites long ago in the Old Testament law.
Deuteronomy 6, verse 4.
Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts,
impress them on your children.
Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road,
when you lie down and when you get up.
So God commanded the Israelites long ago to teach their children his commands.
And not just once a week, but all throughout the course of the day
and throughout the various activities of the day.
Back in the Old Testament, that's what God commanded.
And then as we look to the New Testament,
this is what Paul himself wrote about this to the church at Ephesus.
I'm reading from Ephesians chapter 6.
He writes there,
The first commandment�ist,
honor your father and mother,
which is the first commandment with a promise,
so that it may go well with you
and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.
Fathers, do not exasperate your children.
Instead, bring them up in the training
and the instruction of the Lord.
Now, it's easy for us who are fathers
to get focused in on that word, exasperate,
and we get thinking about our interactions with our children.
And have I been patient with them?
Have I been given to anger with them?
Have I been putting on them a load of expectation
that even I couldn't carry when I was his age?
And these are great questions to ask.
For us who are fathers.
But let's not miss the rest of the verse here.
That's what we should not do.
We should not exasperate our children.
But what should we do?
Do not exasperate your children.
Instead, bring them up in the training
and instruction of the Lord.
Are parents responsible to teach their children
the Holy Scriptures?
Yes.
Are parents responsible to teach their children
the truth about God
and exhort their children to have faith in him
and to follow him?
Yes.
And not just parents,
but us who are fathers.
This has been charged to us
by Christ.
This task is ours.
And we notice what it does not say here.
It does not say,
Fathers,
bring your children to church
so that Pastor Josh
and the alive teachers
can bring them up
in the training
and instruction of the Lord.
It says,
Fathers,
you do this
for your own children.
And yes,
part of that will include
bringing your children to church
and to alive
and to youth group.
But the bulk of that responsibility
is on your shoulders,
Dad.
And of course,
there are situations
when this doesn't happen.
Maybe Dad isn't a believer,
but maybe Mom is.
Or maybe neither of the parents are.
And this is why it's important
for us to do things
like alive
in our church
for the children.
In fact,
we notice that Paul
does not even mention
Timothy's father
as an example to follow.
It's the sincere faith
of his mother
and grandmother.
But where was Timothy's dad?
Timothy's dad was a Greek,
but it would seem
that he was not a believing Greek.
And so his mother
and grandmother
taught him the scriptures
and taught him to know
and love the Lord.
What are you doing
in your household
not just to encourage,
but to bring up your children
in the training
and instruction
of the Lord?
this is going to require
more than just telling them,
son,
read your Bible every day
and believe it.
If you have children
at home with you,
I strongly encourage you
to consider
incorporating
some kind of family
devotional time
into your family routine.
Donald Whitney,
a professor
at Southern Baptist
Theological Seminary,
has written this
wonderfully brief
and helpful
little book
called
Family Worship.
And it's a fantastic
starting place
if you've never done
anything like this before.
He says it can be
as simple as
read,
pray,
and sing.
each day
to read a passage
of Scripture together
from the Scriptures,
pray together
for a few minutes,
and sing a song
of praise together.
Even ten minutes
a day
after supper
is a great place
to start.
And as you get into this
with your kids,
it may not seem natural
or rich at first,
but stick with it.
You're creating
the time
and the space
and the place
for conversations
about the Lord Jesus
to happen.
And questions
may arise
as you read
the Scriptures together
and you may not
be a gifted teacher,
but you can explain
to your kids
what you think
God is saying
in a passage
and how we should live
in obedience to it.
Fathers,
this is your responsibility
to lead
in this.
And if you want
to get started
with something
and have no idea
what to do,
come and talk to me
and we'll get you
a copy of this
wonderfully brief
little book
to help you
get started.
But back to the
main point here
and Paul's
letter to Timothy.
Here in
2 Timothy 3
verse 15
he says,
continue in what
you have learned
and have become
convinced of
because you know
those from whom
you learned it
and how from
infancy
you have known
the Holy
Scriptures
which are able
to make you
wise
for salvation
through faith
in Christ
Jesus.
There's two
things we want
to see here.
First,
what are
the Holy
Scriptures?
What are
the Scriptures
that Paul is
talking about?
And second,
what does trusting
these Scriptures
do for a
person?
So let's
tackle that
first one.
What are
the Holy
Scriptures?
Which Scriptures
is Paul
talking about?
Notice,
Paul says
that Timothy
has known
these Holy
Scriptures
from infancy.
From infancy
you have known
the Holy
Scriptures.
And if we
think through
the chronology
given us
in the book
of Acts
and how
Timothy
was old
enough to
understand
and witness
the sufferings
of Paul
when Paul
first came
through Lystra
with the
Gospel,
these Holy
Scriptures
Paul is
referring to
are undoubtedly
the Old
Testament
Scriptures
which
Timothy's
Jewish
mother would
have taught
him.
I mean,
the New
Testament
Scriptures
hadn't even
been written
yet when
Timothy
was a
child.
And by
this time,
the time of
this second
letter to
Timothy,
only some
of the New
Testament
Scriptures
had been
written.
This letter
is a part
of them.
Another way
to say all
this,
Timothy's
Bible
growing up
was only
the Old
Testament.
That's the
specific
Scriptures
in view
as Paul
tells
Timothy
here to
remember
the truth
that he
has learned
and become
convinced of
from the
Holy
Scriptures.
And this
becomes
especially
important
as we
get to
verse 16
where Paul
says,
all Scripture
is God
breathed
and is
useful for
teaching
and rebuking
and correcting
and training
in righteousness.
All Scripture
includes
the Old
Testament.
In context
here for
Timothy,
it was
primarily
the Old
Testament
Scriptures.
So let's
consider now
the second
thing that we
want to see
here.
What does
trusting these
Scriptures
do for a
person?
how from
infancy
you have
known
the Holy
Scriptures
which are
able to
make you
wise
for salvation
through
faith
in Christ
Jesus.
We notice
the care
that Paul
takes in
his wording
here.
He does
not say
that the
Old Testament
Scriptures
are what
saves you
by believing
in them.
He does
say that
they are
able to
make you
wise
for salvation
through faith
in Christ
Jesus.
So it's
faith in
Christ
Jesus
that brings
salvation.
Believing
in Jesus
Christ is
what we
must do
to be
saved.
And the
Old Testament
did not
reveal Jesus
because he
hadn't come
yet.
But the
Old Testament
laid the
foundation
salvation for
Timothy.
It prepared
him to
understand
and receive
Christ Jesus
by faith
when he
came.
So the
Old Testament
Scriptures can
make us
wise about
how to be
saved because
they point
forward to
the Savior,
the Christ.
Christ.
So in
ten years
when Paul
is dead
and
Timothy
perhaps is
in jail
and false
teachers
and impostors
and wicked
men are
surrounding
him like a
pack of
dogs hungry
for his
blood
and when
the judge
gives
Timothy the
option to
renounce his
faith in
Jesus,
what does
Paul want
Timothy to
do in
those moments
when doubts
may arise?
Remember
the Holy
Scriptures
which you
learned from
your mom
and your
grandma.
Remember
the holy
words of
our God.
It was
he who
made all
these wonderful
promises
concerning the
Christ through
Moses and
the prophets.
it was
he who
foreshadowed
it how
things would
go with
Jesus Christ
hundreds and
thousands of
years prior in
the lives of
men like
Joseph,
David,
Solomon,
Daniel,
and in the
ordinances of
Israel with
the Passover
and the
sacrifices,
it was God
who foretold
the rising
of his chosen
king from
the dead.
if doubt
gets a hold
of you,
Timothy,
shake it
off by
going back
to that
which we
can be
confident in,
the holy
words of
God which
announced and
declared and
foretold and
foreshadowed this
good news of
Jesus coming
for salvation
long before we
were even
born.
The Old
Testament is
able to
make us
wise for
salvation,
specifically the
salvation that
comes through
faith in
Christ Jesus.
And this
actually makes a
lot of sense
when we stop
to think about
it.
Where do we
first come to
learn about
sin?
The Old
Testament.
Where do we
first learn that
our sin warrants
punishment because
God is just?
The Old
Testament
Scriptures.
Where do we
also hear that
God is merciful and
that he forgives
sin?
The Old
Testament.
Where do we
first learn that
forgiveness of
sins can only
come through a
blood sacrifice?
The Old
Testament
Scriptures.
Where do we
first learn that
there's going to
be a forever
kingdom for the
people of God?
The Old
Testament
Scriptures.
And I could
go on for a
long time here,
but I think you
get the point.
And so we
must not
neglect the
Old Testament
Scriptures.
This is why we
are crazy enough
here in our
church to take
two out of
every three
years with
our kids
in alive
to work
through the
Old Testament.
It is the
foundation
for the
Gospel.
The Old
Testament
Scriptures
are able to
make our
kids wise
for salvation
through faith in
Jesus Christ.
They are able to
prepare the
heart and
mind to
understand what's
going on so
that by the time
we come to the
New Testament,
we understand,
we appreciate
why we need
Jesus in the
first place.
In fact,
I will be so
bold as to
say that
even for the
adult who
has grown up
never going to
church,
half of what's
in the Gospels,
Matthew,
Mark,
Luke,
and John,
half of it
doesn't even
make sense.
unless you
know what's
in the Old
Testament.
Let us
not neglect
the Old
Testament.
Oh,
but I'm
already saved,
Pastor Josh.
I believe in
Jesus.
I've learned
what I need
to from the
Old Testament
and now I
just mostly
read the
New Testament.
But wait,
Paul has
more to say
here.
All Scripture
is God
breathed,
he says.
All includes
the Old
Testament.
And all
of it
is useful
for teaching,
rebuking,
correcting,
and training
in righteousness
so that the
servant of God
may be
thoroughly
equipped
for every
good work.
God
So the
Old Testament
doesn't only
make us
wise for
salvation,
it too
is part
of the
All Scripture
that is
useful.
It's not
irrelevant
to our
lives today.
All Scripture,
even the
Old Testament
is useful
to us
today.
It's useful
for teaching
us,
teaching us
about who
God is
and who
we are
and what's
happening
in the
grand story
of our
world.
It's useful
for rebuking
and correcting.
And because
all of us
are sinners
and are
still tempted
by many
things and
even fall
into sin
or stray
from God's
ways,
we need
rebuking
and correcting
at times.
And the
Old Testament
in particular
is a
treasure trove
of divine
material
perfectly
suited
to helping
us see
the error
in our
ways
and the
path
back to
God.
And there's
more.
All Scripture
is useful,
even the
Old Testament,
for training
in righteousness.
Do you
want to know
how to live
a righteous
life as a
follower of
Jesus today
in 2024?
All Scripture,
even the
Old Testament,
is useful
for training
us how.
All Scripture,
even the
Old Testament,
is useful
so that the
servant of
God may be
thoroughly
equipped,
for every
good work,
writes Paul.
Do you
want to be
thoroughly
equipped for
every good
work?
Do you
want to have
just what you
need from
God to do
the many good
things that he
would like you
to do in
life?
All of
this is
useful for
God's
life
situations
and
circumstances.
Even the
Old Testament.
Let's just
camp for a
moment on the
word all
here.
All Scripture
is God-breathed
and is useful
for these
good purposes
in our lives.
All Scripture
includes the
history of
Genesis and
how our
world began.
All Scripture
includes the
commands God
gave in the
law through
Moses.
It includes
the details of
the various
covenants that
God has made
with man.
All Scripture
includes the
prayers and the
poetry of the
Bible, the
songs and the
Psalms.
There once
was a
Christian man
who said
to me,
I hate
the Psalms.
There's too
much expression
of feelings
in them that
I just
can't relate
to.
But they
too are
God-breathed
and are
useful to
teach us,
correct us,
train us,
and equip us.
All Scripture
includes the
book of
Ruth and
the book of
Esther.
Sometimes we
men would
rather read
about David
and his
mighty men
fighting battles
against the
uncircumcised
Philistines.
But God has
something useful
to us in
Ruth and
Esther as
well.
In Job
and in some
of those
difficult books
written by the
prophets,
all Scripture
even includes
the lists and
numbers and
genealogies of
the Bible as
our brother
Nate reminded
us of last
Sunday.
We may have
our preferences
we may have
our favorite
passages and
even genres
in the Bible
but we should
choose to
love all
of the
Scriptures.
Old Testament
and new,
poetry and
prose.
May we not
neglect any
of it for the
reason that we
think it's
irrelevant or
boring.
Paul is
telling us
right here that
it's not.
We just
haven't seen
perhaps or
appreciated
what God
has there
in a
particular
passage for
us yet.
How many
of you have
ever spent
money on
tools?
Maybe a
saw or a
drill, a
wrench, a
pair of
pliers, a
hammer?
Many of us
have at least
one toolbox
full of tools.
Some of you
I know have
entire sheds
and even shops
full of
them and
tools are
awesome because
sometimes you
need just the
right device to
fix something or
to build
something, to
get the job
done or that
project finished.
Wouldn't it be
awesome though if
instead of going
to home hardware
to get another
tool every time
that you do
something new,
wouldn't it be
awesome if you
could just get a
toolbox that
has every tool
you'd ever need
in it for the
rest of your
life?
Wouldn't it be
awesome if the
toolbox was only
this big?
That's essentially
what Jesus is
saying to us
here.
all scripture
is God
breathed
and is useful
so that you
might be
thoroughly
equipped
for every
good work.
Every
good thing
that God
wants you to
do in your
life, every
one of them,
what you need
to do every
one of those
things, the
equipment you
need is right
here in the
holy breathed
writings, the
holy God
breathed
writings, the
scriptures that
he has given
us.
We tend to
underestimate the
value, not
just of the
Old Testament
writings, but
of this entire
book.
I mean, it
almost sounds
too good to be
true, doesn't
it?
Can a single
book, a
single collection
of writings be
the perfect
multi-tool for
all of life's
work?
can it be the
toolbox with
no bottom,
having just the
thing we need
for all of
life's moments
and situations?
That's what
Jesus is telling
us here
through Paul.
Believe it
so that the
servant of God,
man of God,
may be thoroughly
equipped for
every good
work.
How can this
be true?
It's true
because of where
this book comes
from.
Let's just look
at our last
word for today.
All scripture
is God
breathed.
Now I want to
dig into this
word for a
minute with you.
in the original
Greek that this
was written in,
this word is
just one word.
And it's
basically the
word God
and the
word breathed
sandwiched
together to
make one
word, as
you can see
on the screen
there.
Here's a place
where I think
the translation
of the Bible
you use is
significant.
The New
International
Version,
which is the
translation on
screen,
renders this
best.
Some of the
other translations
render this as
inspired by
God or
something similar
to that.
Some of them
have a footnote
which says that
this is literally
God breathed
or breathed
out by God.
So this is not
a disputed
thing.
But here's why
this matters.
Today,
in our modern
English,
the word
inspired often
means just
to have a
great idea
or to
influence
something.
You might
watch a movie
that tells the
true story of
something that
happened in
history.
But then if
you're like me,
you might want
to look it up
online and see
how accurate
the movie was.
and you might
be surprised to
find out that
the movie
actually embellished
a few things
and changed
a few things.
Or in some
cases, you
might find out
that it was
inspired by a
true story,
but only very,
very loosely.
Sometimes the
movie barely
resembles the
true story that
it was based
on because it
was inspired only
in the sense of
giving one
great idea
or one
big motivation
for the film.
But scripture
is not
inspired
like that.
God didn't
loosely
impress his
ideas upon
the biblical
writers such
that they wrote
some things
that have
only some
of his wisdom
or ideas
in them.
In fact,
in my opinion,
inspired has
never been
the best
translation of
this word
because even
400 years ago
when the King
James was first
translated,
to inspire
meant to
breathe in,
to inhale.
And you can
sort of see
how the word
came to mean
what it does
today.
If someone
was under
the influence
of something
in the air,
they might
behave differently.
Some of the
pagan worship
over the centuries
has involved
smoking or
breathing in
of stuff
that when
burned
causes
hallucinations.
But this
word that's
used here
in the
original
is not
about
breathing in.
It's about
breathing out.
That the
scriptures
are God
breathed
means that
God breathed
out the
words that
are in the
scriptures.
as the
biblical authors
put pen
to paper
and wrote.
God was
breathing out
the words
they were
writing
such that
those words
were ultimately
coming from
God's mouth.
In,
with,
and under
the words
the biblical
authors wrote
was God's
own spirit,
God's breath,
such that
the words
they wrote
on the
papyrus
ultimately
have their
source
in the
mind
and heart
of God.
God's
love.
And this
is the
key.
If we're
wondering how
an old
collection of
writings like
the Bible
can be
useful and
relevant to
us today,
equipping us
for every
good work,
this is
how.
This is
why.
Because it's
not just the
thoughts and
ideas of
men from
2,000 plus
years ago.
These words
ultimately come
from God
himself.
he breathed
them out
as men
like the
apostle Paul
wrote them
down.
This is
why the
scriptures are
so valuable.
This is
why Paul
tells Timothy
to remember
the scriptures
and anchor
yourself in
the scriptures.
They are
the words
of God
himself.
And so
they have
everything you
need
for life,
for the
situation
you find
yourself in,
for every
good work
that God
has given
you to
do.
Once we
wrap our
minds around
this truth,
that these
words in
our Bibles
come from
God and
are his
words,
it changes
everything.
And this
is not
just an
old book
anymore.
This is
the single
most important
book on
planet Earth.
God
is
God
to
God
to
God.
And this
thing we
do on
Sunday
mornings,
having a
sermon from
the word
of God,
is arguably
the most
important thing
we do.
And this
is why.
During this
time on
Sundays,
we open
up and
read and
unpack and
reflect,
not just on
some thoughts
of a dude
who lived
2,000 years
ago,
but on
the very
words of
God
himself,
our
creator.
And if
we have
everything else
wrong in
how we do
church,
how we are
living life,
but we have
this one thing
right,
that we are
regularly and
continuously going
back to the
words God has
given us,
the scriptures,
then the rest
will follow in
time.
Day by day,
week by
week,
year after
year,
God's word
as we hear
it and
believe it
and obey
it will
teach us.
It will
correct us
as a church.
It will
give us
the timely
rebukes
that we
need.
And it
will train
us in
righteous
living.
It will
equip us
as a church
for the
good works
that God
has prepared
in advance
for us
to do
here in
this
community.
sometimes we
think of
God's word
as being
a part
of what
we do
at church
but it's
so much
more than
that.
God's word
is what
forms his
church.
It's what
shapes us
and molds
us and
nurtures
us and
grows us
so that
we are
the church
that God
desires us
to be.
Almost
20 years
ago now
our church
went through
a difficult
time.
And it
was around
that time
that our
church
changed
its name.
I'm not
going to
go into
all the
details
of it
but
after
withdrawing
from a
particular
conference
of churches
for the
first time
in decades
we had
no
affiliation
with other
churches
not with
the
associated
gospel
churches
not with
the
Baptist
churches
and at
that time
those who
remained
sought the
Lord
together
about
what to
change
our church
name
to
and the
name
chosen
was the
Davidson
Community
Bible
Church
who are
we
as a
church
in this
community
of Davidson
what is
it that
most
defines
us
what is
it that
determines
how we
operate
and what
we value
and how
we should
live
our answer
as a
church
is
not
the
Pope
not
some
archbishop
or king
or council
not
tradition
but the
Bible
this
is our
highest
authority
because
these
words
we believe
are
God
breathed
and useful
to equip
us
and so
I smile
every time
someone refers
to our
church
by its
nickname
the
Bible
church
because
while that
may sound
weird
or pretentious
that's what
we want
to be
it doesn't
mean we
follow the
Bible
perfectly
or know
it better
than everyone
else
it means
we value
it
supremely
above all
other sources
as the
word of
God
it means
that we
are aiming
to submit
ourselves
to his
authoritative
words
in our
lives
and so
may we
continue
as a
church
to
treasure
these
words
which
God
has
given
us
may we
continue
to be
changed
by them
let's
pray