(2 Timothy 3:13-17) In an age of deception God's people must know what they believe - and why! We must be ready to share with others, not what we think, but what God thinks. It is time to know and make known what the Bible says. (0938250211/13)

The Purpose and Profit of the Bible

Everywhere I go, it seems that the favorite verse of people today seems to be 2 Timothy 3 and verse number 13, where the Bible says, "But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived." I hear everybody quoting that verse and talking about how bad things have gotten and the pitiful condition of churches and communities and culture, and there's no doubt that's true. But I want to remind you that verse does not stand alone. That text has a context. As a matter of fact, immediately after the Apostle Paul writes to Timothy, those words, "Evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived," he says in the very next verse, 2 Timothy 3:14, "But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned, and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them."

In other words, yes, there are negatives all around us, but on the positive side, we're supposed to continue in the truth. Yes, this is an age of deception, all the more reason for us to take a strong stand on the truth. Yes, there is a spirit of Antichrist at work in our world that's trying to deceive people. But friends, just because the spirit of the deceiver is at work does not mean that the Holy Spirit has stopped his work. Oh, the spirit of truth is alive and well. He's at work in me today. He's at work in you today. He's at work through the Word today. And that's why God's people need to know what the Bible says.

Listen to the verse again, 2 Timothy chapter 3 verse 14, "But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned. And has been assured of knowing of whom thou hast learned them. "

Learning the Bible

The three great principles, the three great truths in that verse. Number one, you have to learn the word. He said, if you're going to live it, if you're going to teach it and preach it to others, you have to learn it. So we must learn what God says.

Assurance of the Bible

Then, you must develop some assurance about what you're learning. He not only says you've learned it, he said you've been assured of these things. You must develop some deep personal conviction that the Word of God truly is that, the Word of God. It is the revelation of God Himself. It is the truth. And I trust and pray that you're developing a deeper and deeper conviction and confidence in the Word of God. This is the very Word of Truth. And you can trust a God who never lies. As a matter of fact, he says at the end of the verse, "Knowing of whom thou hast learned them." What's that a reference to? He goes on in verse 15 to say, "And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus." He's saying that faith that was laid for you in childhood. That simple truth that you were willing to accept in your youth, don't ever get away from that.

No matter how complicated the world may get, no matter how complex the problems may be, always go back again and again to the simplicity that is in Jesus Christ. Only Christ, only the Word of Truth can cut through the mess and the mayhem of our world and of our lives. Only the Lord can do that. So never forget. Where you learned it and who you learned it from. Timothy had a godly mother and a holy grandmother. Do you remember Lois and Eunice? Never forget those people who gave you this heritage. Never forget the people who taught you the truth. Perhaps there's some hint here as well of Paul reminding Timothy of what he personally had taught him in his youth. You remember how Timothy joined Paul when he was just a very young man. Paul is saying, don't ever forget the things that you were taught early on in your life. Don't ever get moved off the foundation of your faith. So number one, you must learn what the Bible says. Then you must be assured of what the Bible says.

Continue in the Bible

And then, you must continue in what the Bible says, but continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and has been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them. Look, we're living in a world of quitters. Even when it comes to faith, even when it comes to ministry, even when it comes to, to so called Christians, we're living in a world of people that just are giving up on the Lord, giving up on the truth, giving up on the church.

Don't be one of those people. You be one of those people that continue. I want to cross the finish line of glory. Not coasting in heaven, but with a pedal to the metal. I want to finish strong. I want to finish well. Is that what you want for your life? And you're going to have to make up your mind today that you're going to continue in what the Bible says.

The Sufficiency of Scripture

At the end of this very same chapter, he goes on to say these words, 2 Timothy 3 verse 16, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works." In other words, we believe in the sufficiency of Scripture. It is enough. God has not told you everything He knows, but He's told you everything you need to know. We have all things that pertain to life and godliness. In the Word of God, God gives you all the truth you need to live a victorious life. The Bible says here that Scripture makes us wise unto salvation.

That's where you have to begin, by knowing the Lord as your personal Savior. You can't understand the Word of God if you don't know the God of the Word. So if you're not a believer, let's start here with the most basic thing, God loves you. Jesus Christ died for your sins. He was buried and rose from the dead. He wants to come live in your life and He wants you to live with Him eternally. He wants to give you today everlasting life. Would you put your faith in the Lord Jesus right now? Would you look to him in simple childlike faith and call on him and say, Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner. At first, you must be saved. But then, we don't end there. That's just the beginning. (Visit enjoyingthejourney.org/gospel to learn more.)

The Purpose of the Bible after Salvation

The Bible says once the scripture makes us wise in a salvation, then it goes on to profit us in these ways: doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction. Now, notice the divine order here. Doctrine is the foundation. It's what we believe. That's what the word doctrine means. Our beliefs. So you've got to start with what you believe. Honestly, what you believe is going to affect how you behave. We might say it this way, your doctrine affects your deportment. Your life grows out of what you truly believe in your heart. So he begins with doctrine. Then he says, for reproof, That's to show us where we're wrong. Then he says for correction, that's to show us how to get right. Then he says for instruction in righteousness, that's telling us how to stay right. But notice, before he deals with the practicality of our individual life, before he deals with us personally. And the way we live every day, he begins with doctrine. That's why we're beginning this brand new series on what the Bible says. Why? Because only by learning what the Bible says can we learn truly what God wants. When you come to study the Bible, you shouldn't come to, to learn things. Some people study the Bible almost like they're getting ready for Bible trivia, and that's very dangerous because you can know things without knowing God. In fact, the Apostle Paul said, knowledge puffeth up. You can get full of knowledge and just be full of yourself instead of full of God.

A Personal Prayer for Understanding the Bible

When we approach the Scriptures, we must come to the Word of God saying, Lord, reveal yourself to me. Lord, I want to know you. And if you'll come with that spirit, that hunger, that thirst, that heart, then God will begin to reveal his truth to you. And you must begin by knowing what the Bible says with doctrine. It's really not so much about formula as it is about desire. Do you hunger and thirst after righteousness? Jesus says you'll be filled. David said, As the heart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. Moses said, Show me now thy way that I may know thee. I want to challenge you today to begin this study of what the Bible says with a simple prayer. A personal prayer from your heart. Dear Lord, show me yourself. Dear Lord, help me know God better. Help me to know the God of truth so that I'll have the foundation to become the person that God saved me to be. This is the only way to truly understand what the Bible says. Repeating what other people have said about the Bible is not enough. We must know the biblical reason behind what we believe. 

Outro

We hope you will visit us at etj.bible to access our library of Bible teaching resources, including book by book studies of Scripture. You'll also find studies to watch, listen to, or read. We are so grateful for those who pray for us, who share the Biblical content, and for those who invest to help us advance this ministry worldwide. Again, thank you for listening, and we hope you'll join us next time on Enjoying the Journey.