The Word: The Complete Word

February 15, 2015

The Word

The Complete Word

2 Timothy 3:16-17

Jeremiah 3

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Introduction

Thomas Jefferson is known as:

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• Our 3rd president, a ‘founding father’, a statesman, a patriot, some would even say a hero.
• Most Christians do not know that he also created his own version of the Bible.

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• The ‘Jefferson Bible’ was also known as “The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth.”
• Jefferson took several copies of the Bible and a knife.
• He rejected any parts of scripture that was ‘contrary to reason.’
• He could not accept the reality of God reaching down and getting involved in the works of men.
• So, miracles were considered ‘contrary to reason’ and all miracles of Jesu were excluded:
• Healings; resurrections, feedings of large groups of people; and Jesus’ own resurrection.

This was not the first time something like this had happened.

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• In Jeremiah we read of a king, Jehoiakim.
• Jeremiah had written down a prophecy from God, and Jehoiakim did not like what God had to say.
• The king had allowed evil to take place and God was telling them to repent!
• Instead of repenting Jehoiakim lashed out against God.
• In fact, what he did was cut out the things he didn’t like and tossed them into the fire.

This is still taking place today.

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• Maybe we don’t do it as drastically as Jefferson or Jehoiakim, but we do ignore teachings that we do not like or are offended by.

• Why do people do that?
• It is simple...they do not believe in the COMPLETE Word of God.
• They do not believe that scripture was ‘God Breathed.’
• These people throw accusations about errors.
• Yet, they never seem to name them.

The Bible is accurate, and is the best-selling, most printed book of all times!

• The Bible has lasted as long as it has because it is GOD BREATHED.

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Text

16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17

This is a verse that I believe we are quite familiar with.

• When we talk about the inspiration of God’s Word we turn here.

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• I wholeheartedly believe that to be true, but lets consider WHAT the inspired Word can do!

Paul is saying that the real proof of the importance of God’s Word is what it is capable of doing in the lives of those who read it and follow it!

• Paul is saying that it was the power…
• The power to transforms us and make us better than before.

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David also wrote about the power of God’s Word:

98 Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with me. 99 I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation. Psalm 119:98-99

The Word of God has the power to make us wiser than the enemies and smarter than my teachers!

• Isaac Newton - father of numerous scientific discoveries (gravity, laws of motion, calculus)
• Robert Boyle - father of modern chemistry
• Johann Kepler - studies helped us understand the solar system
• Each of these men formed the foundation of what we call science
• They formed their foundation based on their studies of the Bible and the Creator!
• These men believed what Paul wrote...

Lesson

This book has been fought over.

• Still today men and women will die because of their belief in it.
• Even still it can change people, and it is ‘good news’ for us!

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Scripture Can Change People

The Bible, when followed, has the power to change entire civilizations!

• We see examples of this in the work of missionaries that regularly baptize, teach, and influence in the name of God.

But what causes the change?

• The Bible is the ‘Good News’ that transforms.
• It transforms because it is full of God’s grace and God’s forgiveness!

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Once again, if the Bible is ‘good news’ why would anyone want to take disobey or cut out parts.

• Probably because they don’t believe that ALL of the Bible is good.
• The fact is that the Bible has some ‘bad news’ of people too.

CONSIDER:

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9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 1 Cor. 6:9-10

• For the people that live like this...it is not good news.
• It’s easy to ignore or avoid such scripture like, but it doesn’t change the truth.

God told Jeremiah this about Jehoiakim:

“...his dead body shall be cast out to the heat by day and the frost by night. 31 And I will punish him and his offspring and his servants for their iniquity. I will bring upon them and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem and upon the people of Judah all the disaster that I have pronounced against them, but they would not hear.” Jer. 36:30-31

• Why did God condemn them?
• “they would not hear”

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The Bible as “Good News”

There are a lot of things in this world that we would like to pretend do not hurt us.

• How can we accept the ‘Good News’ of His salvation is we ignore these dangers?

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What if…

• We listen to God and realize that God wants to save us from those dangers.
• When committed to, the Bible, is the ‘good news’ that WILL change our lives.

A few moments ago I read:

9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

• That IS bad news...but keep reading:

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11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

• This IS the ‘Good News’ for us!

Conclusion

When Jesus was being tempted in the desert, wheat did he turn to to combat Satan?

• With every temptation He began, “It is written.”

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• He used, “God breathed” instruction and what happened?
• Satan departed Him...

Do you believe in the power of the Word of God to effect change in your life?

• Eph. 6 refers to the Word of God as the ‘Sword of the Spirit’

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• This ‘sword’ is the perfect battle weapon.
• Jehoiakim, and others, have preferred to use a dagger to change God’s Word!

Which weapon will you choose?

The ‘Good News’ of the Bible is not that it was used as the foundation of modern science.

• It was not that the Bible is historically accurate...both of which are true.
• The ‘Good News’ is that God loved us and made us into His image.
• That images not shows the effects of sin.
• But God sent His Son to restore our image!