3/5/23 Truth Revealed - Part 2
Truth Revealed – Part 2
2 Timothy 3:14-17
The older I get, the more I’m beginning to see the wisdom in reading owner’s manuals. As a young person I would always throw away the owner’s manual for the new power tool I just purchased or the assembly instructions for the piece of furniture needing to be assembled. Why? Because as we all know, when we are young, we know literally everything, right? – Oh, If I could just have the wisdom that I had 30 years ago! 😊
About 10 years ago I realized that I should probably begin reading owner’s manuals. I was cutting some wood on my property when my old chainsaw finally died, and I needed a new one. After returning from town with a brand-new saw, I was in a hurry to get back to cutting limbs so I quickly put the new chainsaw on the tailgate of my truck and began filling it with gas and oil. The new saw that I purchased was the same brand as my old one, so I naturally assumed that the oil and gas reservoirs were located at the exact same places – Well, they were not.
After unknowingly filling the gas tank with oil and the oil reservoir with gas, I began walking toward the woods to finish my project. Halfway across the lawn, I realized that I had left my gloves in the truck. Back to the truck I go and as I placed the chainsaw on the tailgate, my eyes just happened to glance over at the oil symbol on the cap of the reservoir that I had just filled with gasoline.
Needless to say, I felt really stupid – but that feeling was quickly replaced by one of thankfulness to God for the distraction that sent me back to the truck. God used my own absent-mindedness to save the engine of my new chainsaw AND, more importantly, to save me from having to tell Lisa about the idiotic thing I had just done...although, because she is here this morning, now she knows about it…guess I didn’t quite think that through very well 😊
After that incident, I have made a concerted effort to actually read (or at least look over) installation instructions and owner’s manuals!
We have an owner’s manual for life – It’s called the Bible….God’s Word.…the Holy Scriptures written by the Holy Spirit through the pen of mortal men.
It is absolutely essential that you & I read this owner’s manual. Not only do we learn about salvation through Jesus Christ, but we also learn about the nature of God. We learn about God’s attributes including His love, His Mercy, His Grace, His holiness, His righteousness, His wrath, His justice, His law, His will, His patience, His humor (If you don’t think God has a sense of humor, read the first five verses of 1 Samuel chapter 5), His righteous jealousy, His Wisdom, His Omniscience, His Omnipotence, His Omnipresence….and the list goes on.
This disclosure of God to mankind found in His Word is called God’s Special Revelation.
Last week, we looked at God’s General Revelation – How God reveals basic things about himself to all mankind directly through His creation. We looked at Romans 1:20 that says when we look at the complexity and beauty of nature, man has no excuse to not believe in a creator behind the creation.
To help us visualize the difference between General & Special revelation, think of a can of soda. We can see just by the physical nature of the can – by its appearance, its weight, observing condensation, etc – that there is some sort of liquid inside of it….this is General Revelation.
Now, the words on the side of the can listed under “Ingredients” tell us specifically what that liquid consists of – its exact chemical composition….this is Special Revelation.
Today’s passage from 2 Timothy chapter 3 deals with God’s revelation of Himself to us through His Word – and the importance of consulting scripture in all of life’s circumstances.
Technically, God’s Special Revelation includes all of the ways in which He chose to speak to His creation throughout history. Instances such as when God spoke directly to Moses through the burning bush & on Mt. Sinai, or through Angelic visits to people such as Abraham, Hagar, Jacob, Mary, Joseph, Zechariah, etc.
God would also occasionally use dreams, visions, and miracles to reveal Himself to specific people at a specific time for a specific purpose.
In the Old Testament, God would speak in various ways to prophets entrusted with the task of delivering God’s truth to the people of Israel.
The line of prophetic ministry for Israel would culminate in the person of Jesus Christ who would be the ultimate way in which God would choose to reveal himself to mankind. Jesus was literally God in the flesh – Every action, deed, and word of Jesus was a direct revelation of God to mankind.
Fortunately, we now have a single book that informs us of the many ways God communicated to mankind throughout history – the Holy Bible.
Today’s passage in 2 Timothy specifically deals with God’s Special Revelation through the written Word, the Holy Spirit-inspired writings contained in the Bible.
In Verse 14 & 15, Paul instructs his young protégé Timothy to continue in the faith despite the probability of persecution and oppression. Timothy is then reminded that in order to do this, he will need to continually rely upon the Scriptures for stability in His life – they would need to remain the anchor of his soul.
Like rebar in concrete provides strength, God’s Word provides strength and assurance in our lives. We can withstand the weight of life’s burdens if we have God’s Word in our hearts.
We can also be comforted that God (And His Word) never changes. Our lives change, but He does not. I’m reminded of the reassuring words to the Hymn “Great is Thy Faithfulness” that we sang last week: Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth, Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide, strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow, blessings all mine with 10,000 beside.
Paul also reminds Timothy (And us today) in verse 15 that the scriptures contain the greatest message ever conveyed to mankind – salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. This is why its so important to distribute Bibles to as many places in the world as possible. Jesus is the only path to salvation, and the only way for people to know Jesus is through the pages of scripture.
There is supernatural Power within these pages – this is the only book in the world that produces an eternal change in those who believe the words that they are reading….its the only book in the world that will literally bring life into a heart that was born in a dead state of sinful disobedience.
The Bible is a truly miraculous book. Actually, its a collection of 66 books (39 in the OT and 27 in the NT)
It was written in 3 languages over the course of more than a thousand years.
It has over 40 authors including Kings, poets, fishermen, peasants and scholars spanning 3 continents (Africa, Asia, and Europe)
It is by far the best-selling book of all time and has been translated into over 3,000 languages.
….And it all tells a unified story – the metanarrative of God’s redemption in history of His covenant people through the perfect sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ.
Verse 16 (2 Timothy 3:16) is one of the most famous passages in all of scripture, and it speaks to the importance of scripture in our lives.
Again, if you are a Bible “Underliner”, then I highly recommend that you underline this verse.
Paul writes that ALL scripture is God-breathed. This has enormous meaning and implications. The fact that EVERY Word is from God Himself means that the entire canon of scripture is inerrant (without error) and eternally true, therefore, we must submit to the authority of every word in the Bible.
When a passage conveys a specific truth that we personally dislike, if we find it distasteful or we consider it difficult to submit to, there is a highly technical theological answer to this dilemma – “Too bad.”
Yes, it can sting when scripture exposes sin in our life.
During my childhood in the 70’s and 80’s whenever I skinned up a knee or an elbow (which happened quite frequently) my mom would always head to the medicine chest and bring back the dreaded brown bottle….do you know what I’m talking about? Has anyone else here had experience with the brown bottle?
The brown bottle was full of Hydrogen Peroxide and back in the day, it was the go-to method for cleansing wounds. Mom would tell me to put the injured body part over the sink (or the tub if the cut was leg related) Then I knew to brace for the pain that, quite honestly, would hurt more than the wound itself. Mom would always give a countdown: 3…2…1 (As if that were going to help reduce the sting 😊) Then, BOOM. Instant Pain! Instant foam!
Then she would be like, “just in case I missed a spot, here’s a little more for ya”…….Round 2 !
God’s Word acts like Hydrogen Peroxide poured over our wounds of sin & disobedience in our lives.
Hebrews 4:12 says “For the Word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Another underline-worthy verse)
Scripture exposes the areas in our lives where we need spiritual improvement, the rooms in our spiritual house that need some renovation.
Scripture cuts deep at times because we don’t like to think about our weaknesses, our disobedience, our sin. But, like Hydrogen Peroxide, there is healing in the pain, there is deep cleansing that takes place. The harmful bacteria of sin is flushed out of our spiritual wounds of disobedience. Then, after repentance takes place, the healing process can begin.
God’s Word is also complete. John warns us in Revelation chapter 22 not to add anything to, or take anything away, from the canon of scripture. Many false religions and cults that incorporate a measure of true Christianity in their doctrine have also taken certain passages out of their Bible translations (Or they erroneously reinterpret them to their own liking) as well as elevating other writings or traditions to the authoritative level of scripture.
Practices such as these are strictly forbidden. Christians, individually and corporately, are to submit ourselves to the complete & sufficient 66 books of the Bible – nothing more, nothing less.
Paul goes on in verse 16 (2 Timothy 3:16) to inform us that scripture is “Useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.”
All of these disciplines are central to the life of a Christ follower.
We must be submissive enough to be taught, humble enough to accept correction or rebuke, and patient enough to be trained in the ways of God.
Many times, these disciplines are derived straight from the reading and studying of scripture.
At other times, it may be from a brother or sister in Christ that these disciplines are administered, with God’s Word as the authoritative “plumb Line.”
Many of you have probably used one of these – It’s called a level. If you notice, there is a small liquid-filled cylinder with an air bubble in the middle of it. When marking a straight line on a wall, you need to make certain the bubble is in the middle of the cylinder. When this is accomplished, your line will be straight.
The bible is our spiritual level. As John MacArthur puts it: “Scripture is the divine plumb line by which every thought, principle, act, and belief is to be measured.”
Regular exposure to the Bible is essential in order for our lives to continually be on the straight and narrow path of salvation.
Joshua 1:8 reminds us of the importance of scripture when it tells us to “Meditate on it day and night.”
On many occasions, Jesus himself reminds us of the importance of scripture. When tempted by Satan in the wilderness, Jesus responds with “For it is written” each and every time as he quotes passages from the book of Deuteronomy.
Jesus even quotes Psalm 22 while hanging on the cross! While life was slowly seeping from his body, Jesus had scripture on his mind.
In fact, Jesus cites specific passages from the Old Testament at least 48 times and in Matthew 5:18 during His famous Sermon on the Mount, tells his listeners “For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.”
Scripture – God’s Special Revelation – is absolutely essential to our Christian walk.
Psalm 119:105 says: “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.”
The world around us is spiritually blind because it refuses to utilize the torch of truth that is God’s Word.
Finally, In verse 17, Paul reveals the ultimate goal of integrating these scriptural disciplines in our lives: “So that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
If we are teachable, if we accept rebuke & correction, if we submit to spiritual training through God’s Word – then we will be prepared for doing Kingdom work.
Contextually speaking here, Paul is reminding Timothy in verse 17 that if he integrates these disciplines from God’s Word into his life, then he will be ready to lead others effectively in the faith.
This is true for all of us as well – not just for pastors and teachers. If we are obediently submitting to God’s Word, then we will be mature enough to equip others in the faith.
Paul ends this verse with the words “Every good work.”
God’s Special Revelation is meant to introduce us to the creator of the universe. When we come to realize just how much God loves us and has sacrificed for us, we ought to be motivated to respond obediently through the performing of good works toward others.
Ephesians 2:10 says “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
When our faith is authentic, we will display fruit in our lives.
When our souls have been regenerated and we have placed our faith and trust in Jesus Christ, when we know him as our savior and friend, good works will naturally flow out from that relationship.
In conclusion, through the pages of this miraculous book, God has graciously granted us the ability to know him. The God whom we serve isn’t some cold, stern, aloof commander of the cosmos.
Through these inerrant and infallible pages of scripture, God has revealed himself to be a loving heavenly Father who desires to have a relationship with us.
If you haven’t already, won’t you give your life to Christ today….Serving him in obedience will fill that aching hole in your heart.
At last - Joy, peace, and contentment can finally be yours! Let’s Pray.