Thoroughly Equipped

We are in Second Timothy chapter three today, talking about the Word of God, its power, its sufficiency, and its veracity. As we look at what the Scriptures do in our lives, follow along in Second Timothy chapter 3, starting at verse 14.

Paul writes, "But you must continue in the things which you have heard, of which you have learned and been assured, knowing from whom you have learned them. And that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 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 complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work."

I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; convince, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and teaching.

Father, as we open to this passage, I pray that just as it says of Your Scripture, that the word is useful and profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness, we would be thoroughly equipped. I pray that our time in the Scriptures today would bring about that further transformation and equipping, so that we would be ready to do those things that bring You honor, praise, and glory. Not only do they bring You honor, praise, and glory, but they also bring us increasing joy.

So God, work in us by the power of Your Spirit and by the power of Your Word. We pray this and ask this in Jesus' name. And all those who would agree said, "Amen." You may be seated.

This has long been a favorite passage of mine for a number of reasons, and being that it is a favorite passage of mine...

Second Timothy 3:16 and 17 is a passage I often return to in my teaching. Not just in my teaching, but many times as I'm praying and preparing to go into the Scriptures, I come back to the truth of this passage. In fact, it's my pattern. You may have observed it: when we gather together on a Sunday morning, we read from the Scriptures, and then I pray. I pray, "God, it's our belief, it's our conviction that this is your inspired Word." "God-breathed" is literally the way to interpret the word "inspired" there.

This inspired Word is useful in our lives; it has an impact and an effect, which ultimately ends up being a really good thing. I pray that God, by the transforming of our minds, would renew us and make us new so that we would bring glory to Him. I pray this many times as I go through the Scriptures, preaching them.

The word in verse 17, talking about being thoroughly equipped, has a strong connection to my call into the work or the ministry of preaching, pastoral preaching, and teaching. I just celebrated 20 years last month—20 years of teaching through the Scriptures. It was when I was 19 years old that I received that call very clearly and started to follow that call to preach and teach the Scriptures. It had a lot to do with the concept of equipping people in the church, in the body of Christ.

There were two passages of Scripture that the Lord impressed upon my heart when I started to move in that direction: one found in the Old Testament and one in the New Testament. In the Old Testament, you can just jot it down; you don't have to turn there. In the book of First Samuel, chapter 12, verse 23, Samuel, who was a judge and kind of the executive over the nation of Israel at that time, said this to the people: "Moreover, as for me, be it from me that I should sin against the Lord and cease to pray for you. I will teach you the good and the right way. Only fear the Lord and serve Him in truth with all of your heart, for consider what great things He has done for you."

That passage was strongly impressed upon my heart when Pastor Tony, sitting back there, asked me if I would teach the junior high ministry at this church. My first inclination was no. Have you ever had one of those moments when someone asks you to do something, and you just think no? But you have to do the spiritual thing and say, "I'll pray about it."

It’s like Christian for me to say, "Let me pray about that." So, I actually did pray about it, and I happened to be in First Samuel 12 when I was praying. I read, "Far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to teach you the good and the right way." I thought, well, there we go. Thanks for that.

There is another passage in the New Testament, in Paul's letter to the church at Ephesus, Ephesians chapter 4, verse 11, where Paul says, "And He gave some apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers for a specific work, for the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ." I knew very early on, from those two passages—First Samuel 12 and Ephesians 4—that God was calling me to equip the saints for the work of the ministry.

One of the things you can identify in church history, as you look at the movement of the Christian Church from the earliest days 2,000 years ago until now, is that probably the biggest low points for the church have occurred when the church has started to believe and expect that the work of the church, the work of the ministry, is done by the "professional clergy," those who are educated, trained, and called to the professional clergy. That’s not the way the church works biblically. According to Ephesians chapter 4, verse 11, the professionals, if you will, manage the ministry. Those who are doing the work of the ministry are equipping the saints—that's the church—for the work of the ministry.

We strongly believe that each time you see the church begin to have a greater impact, it’s when the church begins to understand this very strong biblical truth of what we refer to as the priesthood of all believers. If you're a follower of Jesus and a believer in the things of Scripture, then you are called to the work of the ministry. My task, my calling, is to equip you for that work.

Now, the simple question then is, if that task is to equip people for the work of the ministry, how exactly does one do that? In one sense, the passage before us here in Second Timothy chapter 3 begins to answer that question. Pastor Paul writes to Pastor Timothy and says, "But you must continue in the things," verse 14, "which you have learned and have been assured of, knowing from..."

Whom you have learned them from, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith, which is in Christ Jesus. You must continue in the things that you have learned. This is a command; it's in the imperative. When we read the word "continue" in the original language, it is a command. That's why in some translations it says you must continue in these things that you have learned.

The word "learned" is connected to the Greek word for disciple. So, Paul says to Timothy, "You have been with me." By this point, Timothy had probably been with the Apostle Paul for about 15 years, and during all of that period of time, he was learning as a disciple. Paul emphasizes that Timothy needs to continue in the things he has been discipled in, knowing from whom he has learned them. Paul says, "I have taught you this very thing; you've seen it, you've imitated me. Now continue in it."

These are Paul's last words. That's why it says in your sermon, "last words." As he gives exhortations to Timothy, he knows he is probably not going to see him again. Some historians believe that Paul, within a matter of weeks after writing this letter, was beheaded for his faith around the year 66 AD. He says, "Listen, you've got to continue in the things that you have learned from me as a disciple."

Timothy has learned these things from childhood, having known the Holy Scriptures. This brings up an important point: how did Timothy, who probably met Paul when he was in his teenage years, come to the knowledge of the Scriptures? The answer is found in the first chapter of 2 Timothy. There, Paul refers to his training as a child from his mother and his grandmother, Eunice and Lois. They have a place in Scripture because his grandmother and mother, who were Jewish individuals, raised him knowing the Scriptures.

The important truth to glean from that is to recognize how impactful it is to be one who shares the Word of God with your kids and grandkids. Never underestimate the importance of sharing the Holy Scriptures with your children and your grandchildren. As time goes by, the older we get, the more we start to think about things like legacy—what we are leaving behind. The fact is, every single one of us...

All of us are going to die someday. I hate to break it to you if you didn't know that, but it's the cold hard truth. Within about a generation or two, people will not remember you. That's hard for us to wrestle with. There are very few people who are remembered for a long period of time; 99.9% of people will not be remembered a couple of generations after they have gone on.

However, you can leave a legacy, and the greatest legacy you can leave with your kids and grandkids is a knowledge of the Word of God. Never underestimate how important that legacy is. Why is that legacy so important? Well, notice what Paul says about the Holy Scriptures. He states that the Holy Scriptures are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. How else will anybody know about the salvation that is in Christ Jesus apart from the Scriptures?

We can learn a lot through observation and through science. There is much that we can learn about the cosmos and the creation we have been given. But how will we know about the broken condition of man? How can we identify the brokenness in the world? How will we know where it comes from or how to address and deal with that problem apart from the revelation of the Holy Scriptures? Only the Scriptures have the words of eternal life. That is why they are so important.

Paul, in his letter to the church at Rome, builds on this idea when he writes in Romans 10:14: "How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a proclaimer, a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent?" As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things."

But they have not all obeyed the gospel, for Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed our report?" Then here’s the important verse, Romans 10:17: "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God."

In this, we are convinced that the words of eternal life are contained in the Scriptures. Therefore, it is essential that we be those who leave the legacy of giving the Word of God to our kids and our grandkids. Salvation by faith in Christ Jesus is not found anywhere else.

Except from the Holy Scriptures, and on this point of the importance of the Holy Scriptures, Paul writes that they are given by inspiration of God. In verse 16, the focus of our time here this morning is: "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and it is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." This is a very important verse, and it will be found at the beginning of nearly every systematic theology book that is available.

If you go and buy any systematic theology book, you will find that there are volumes and volumes of them. Virtually every theology book begins with a chapter on the Word of God, on the Holy Scriptures, because where do we get theology? Where do we study God other than in the Scriptures? So, every theology book begins with a chapter dealing with the importance of the Word of God and why we believe that it is authoritative, that it has a place in our lives, and that it is inerrant. It all starts there, in chapter 1 of every theology book. On the first pages of virtually every one of those chapters on theology and the Word of God, this verse is found. It is very important to an understanding of the Scriptures: "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God; it is profitable."

Point number one on your outline is a simple point: all Scripture is inspired and useful. That is our conviction here at Cross-Connection Church.

Now, I'm sure it won't surprise you that this point is contested by many. All Scripture is inspired and useful, but it is contested by those who are outside the church, who do not consider themselves to be believers in the Scriptures and who question the things of the Scriptures. I completely understand those questions, and I think there are great answers to them. Oftentimes, their own questions need to be questioned.

There are people who have questions about these things and would say, "I don't believe that all Scripture is inspired and useful." That's perfectly fine; we have answers for those difficult questions. So, there are those outside the church who have a problem with this point, but there are also those within the church who have a problem with it. Different ways in which people within the church will look at the truth of 2 Timothy 3:16 or the way in which they will read 2 Timothy 3:16 can lead to varying interpretations. There is a group within the Christian circle that understands the church...

The Big C Church is a big tent, and there are a lot of people from different areas within that tent. Some will look at this passage and read, "All Scripture inspired by God is profitable." Now, that may not seem like a big change from what I read in 2 Timothy 3:16, but it has major implications. When someone says that all Scripture that is inspired is useful, they are implying uncertainty about whether all Scripture is inspired. They become the arbiters, the judges, of what is inspired and what is not.

There have been those who have actually gone through the Scriptures and underlined the passages they believe are inspired while crossing out the passages they do not believe are inspired. One very notable person in our own history who did this was Thomas Jefferson. He went through the Bible and cut out, with an actual blade, large sections of the Gospels that he claimed were not inspired. Therefore, the idea that "all Scripture that is inspired is useful and profitable" becomes problematic when individuals take it upon themselves to judge what is inspired and what is not.

You may be able to see the problem with that. What ends up happening is that people begin to read the Scriptures and say, "Listen, those things that say you should love your neighbor—that's inspired; you should do that, that's useful." They will affirm passages that say you should take care of the poor, claiming that is inspired and should be followed. However, when it comes to anything related to sexuality, immorality, or sin, they may say, "Oh, well, you can disregard that."

You may not think this is a problem, but it is a huge issue. This has been happening for a very long time within the Church, and it is occurring quite frequently today. It was a problem in the Church that Timothy was overseeing in Asia Minor 2,000 years ago, and it is certainly a problem in the United States of America in the 21st century.

The correct way to interpret this passage, according to the actual reading of the text, is just as it reads here in the Scriptures we have before us: "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable." That word "and" is in the manuscripts. When we see it read in that way, we must wrestle with it. Sometimes it is a wrestling match to accept the fact that all the Scriptures contained here are inspired; they are God-breathed.

I believe it comes from Him, and they are useful and profitable. Now, that's a challenge for us because we read passages that, as you read the Bible, it is a book that also reads you. The Apostle James speaks of the Scriptures being like a mirror. When we look into the perfect law of liberty, it shines back on us, and we see ourselves. This means that all those passages in the Bible that you don't like are actually showing you something about yourself. That's what you don't like.

This is why my nature, our flesh, doesn't really like to read the Bible. This is why you have a wrestling match with reading the Bible. Has anyone struggled with this at some time? You don't have to raise your hand. I do. You might think, "You're a pastor; you can't struggle with reading the Bible." Yes, my flesh doesn't like it just like anybody else. There are things you read, and it reads you.

One author in the New Testament, Hebrews chapter 4, says the Word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword. It cuts deep and divides between joint and marrow, soul and spirit. It is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of our hearts. It exposes the deep thoughts and intents of our hearts, and sometimes, as it does that, it is painful.

However, we do not get to be the arbiters or judges of what is or is not inspired. The Scriptures attest to the fact that they are inspired, and the writers of the New Testament were conscious of the guidance of the Holy Spirit in their writing. Peter makes this clear in his letter, 2 Peter chapter 1. He says in verse 20, "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation. For prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit."

It is the belief of the Church for the last 2,000 years that God inspires people to pen and write these things. He breathes these things, and therefore they are useful. What are they useful for? Well, Paul gives four things in this verse that the Scriptures are useful for. First, he says the Scriptures are profitable or useful for doctrine. What exactly is doctrine? Paul uses that word no less than 11 times in 1 and 2 Timothy. He exhorts Timothy and Titus in what are called the pastoral epistles, which we've studied over the last couple of years, to maintain a strong adherence to sound doctrine.

When the Greek text states that the Scriptures are useful for doctrine, it emphasizes that they are inspired by the Holy Spirit of God. They are beneficial for our training and instruction. One way to understand this usefulness in doctrine is that doctrine establishes what is right and true. If the Scriptures are useful for doctrine, then they are essential for establishing what is right and true.

Here’s what happens when you establish what is right or true: it immediately leads to the next purpose of the Scriptures, which is reproof. What is reproof? Reproof is that which exposes what is out of alignment. One Greek lexicon defines it as to expose and to shame by exposure. It rebukes us. When you establish the right line and declare what is true and righteous, you immediately see all the ways in which we do not align with that truth and righteousness.

This is why the psalmist in Psalm 119 says, "Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." It enlightens us regarding our true condition. Paul discusses this in Romans chapter 3 and again in Romans chapter 7 when he states, "Therefore, by the deeds of the law, no flesh will be justified in God's sight; for by the law is the knowledge of sin." In Romans chapter 7, Paul says, "How will I have known sin unless the Bible said, 'Thou shalt not covet'?"

Every one of us, from a very young age, is remarkably good at being jealous and covetous. If you have not noticed this and you haven't had children, just wait. We are, by nature, jealous and covetous beings. We might think that this is just normal, that it is simply the way we are. However, the Bible comes in and states, "Thou shalt not covet," exposing and revealing the areas where we are wrong.

The best illustration of what the Bible does in setting the right line and exposing our errors is this tool right here. Some of you may recognize it. This is one of the oldest tools used by humanity, dating back to the Bronze Age, approximately 4,600 years ago in Egypt. It is a simple tool called a plumb bob. What does a plumb bob do?

Because of gravity, we see the perfect straight line. As soon as you have the perfect straight line, you immediately notice all the things that are crooked. That's what the Scriptures do; they establish the perfect straight line, and that perfect straight line is the nature of God. The Bible, the Scriptures, the holy Scriptures are the revelation of the nature of God. They show us God's nature, His perfect righteousness, and what He requires of us. He has shown you, O man, what is good and what the Lord requires of you: to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God.

The Bible shows us what is right and then reveals all the ways that we are out of alignment. Herein lies the problem with humanity and human-created religion. Human-created religion causes us to focus not on the nature of God and the revelation of God, but rather on the actions of others. When we use that as our guideline, we can always find someone more crooked than ourselves. We tend to think, "I realize I'm not that good, but I'm so much better than that guy." Isn't that what we do? It is. The misdeeds of others justify us and make us feel like we are better than we actually are.

If you're having a hard time finding someone worse off than you, it's not too difficult. You can always say something like, "Well, I'm better than Dahmer." That's easy. But if that's your standard, you're in trouble. We generally look for standards of righteousness that are worse off than we are and say, "Well, I'm better than that." However, when you set up the perfect law of liberty, you realize that you are way out of alignment.

The Word of God is useful for setting the right line and reproving the wrong. It shows us where we are out of alignment and exposes our error after establishing what is right. This tool has a very simple purpose: it shows the right line, but it cannot fix it. It has no power in and of itself to resolve the problem. However, Paul says the Word of God is more powerful than this because it is useful for doctrine, establishing the right line for reproof, and exposing our error. The third thing it is useful for is correction, which literally means to set right, to amend, to restore, to improve, and to correct. This is why...

Paul, I'm sorry. Jesus, on the night that He would be betrayed, is praying to the Father in John 17, verse 17. He says, "Father, sanctify," that is, cleanse and make right, "them with Your truth. Your Word is truth." The Word of God has the ability within it to transform us. In Romans 12, Paul says to transform us by the renewing of our minds. God begins first with His Word to renew our minds, and then He transforms our thoughts, deeds, and actions.

In Ephesians chapter 5, Paul says that Jesus desires to wash us by the washing of the water by His words. The Word of God is useful for doctrine and establishes the true line for correction. It exposes where we are wrong, but it also has the ability to correct.

At this point, there may be some of you who are skeptical of this. You might say, "Come on, do you really believe these things?" Wisdom, it is said by Jesus, is justified by her children. So here's the test: Is it true or not that we see people who live according to the principles of Scripture and their lives are made better? I would suggest to you that we have 2,000 years of history, empirical evidence of people being transformed by the power of the Word of God. Why is that? Because it is the inspired Word of God, and it is useful for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness, training, discipline, and discipleship.

The Scriptures establish righteousness and expose error. They restore us to rightness and help us maintain a righteous heading. A good illustration of this is the navigation system you might have on your smartphone or in your car. I'm sure that many of you have used one of those. What does it do? You input into the navigation system where you want to go. It shows where you're at, where you want to go, and it draws a line between those two points, showing you where you're out of order.

If I were making one of those systems, I would have to talk to you and say something like, "You're on the wrong path, bozo." We are able to see where we want to go, where we are, the true line of doctrine, and where we are in need of reproof and correction. The Scriptures guide us back on the line and help us maintain that line in our lives. The proof is in the outcomes. Yes, as people give themselves to the Scriptures, we see that this is the truth. How can a young man cleanse his way?

The psalmist says in Psalm 119, verse 9, "By taking heed according to Your word." Psalm 1, the opening psalm of the one hundred and fifty psalms of Scripture, states, "Blessed is the one who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he does meditate day and night." That person shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, who brings forth its fruit in its season. Whatever he does shall prosper.

Joshua, the great leader of Israel who brought the children of Israel into the Promised Land after the death of Moses, received a word from God as he prepared to enter the Promised Land. It is recorded in Joshua, chapter 1, verse 6: "Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give to them. Only be strong and courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses, My servant, commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go."

Here’s the point: This book of the law, as stated in Joshua, chapter 1, verse 8, "Shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will have success and be prosperous."

The Holy Scriptures are useful. Paul says they are useful for doctrine, showing us the right line; for reproof, showing us where we are out of order; for correction, bringing us back in alignment; and for instruction in righteousness. This is what we read in verse 17 of 2 Timothy, chapter 3: "So that the man of God, or woman of God"—the universal word for man in Greek—"may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work."

God breathed the Scriptures for the purpose of ensuring that the man or woman of God would be complete and thoroughly equipped. That is God's aim in inspiring the Scriptures, and that is our hope in preaching the Scriptures: that God will accomplish what He said He would do with the word, and His word will not return void. It will accomplish what He set it forth to do, as the prophet Isaiah proclaimed.

Said 2,800 years ago, God's Word will not return void. When you come to discover God's end and His purpose in inspiring the Scriptures, you begin to realize that all people need what the Scriptures have to offer. This is why I have been so committed to the Bible for so long. I believe that all people need what the Scriptures have to offer to be complete. Isn't that what people are seeking—a completeness, a wholeness?

We are surrounded by people all the time who are realizing, at the deepest level, that there is some sort of brokenness; something is missing. We live in a nation that arguably has more than any other people at any other time in history, and yet we feel like we are missing something. A crazy article came out in the New York Times about a week and a half ago. Charles Duhigg, the author of a great book called The Power of Habit, attended a reunion with all of his Harvard MBA friends for their 20-year reunion.

There, he met all these guys, some of whom are making millions of dollars a year trading stocks on Wall Street, earning five hundred million dollars a week and making big money. His entire article was about how he met all his friends who are doing this and saying, "I have no meaning, and I hate my life." What on earth is going on? Money will not make you complete. Relationships will leave you incomplete. Everything that this world has to offer will not satisfy humanity's deepest need.

This is what Blaise Pascal, a 16th-century French theologian and philosopher, said: there is a void in the heart of every human being that can only be filled by what the Scriptures have to offer—by Christ Jesus. We are disconnected from God, and without a connection to God, we will not experience satisfaction or completeness. Therefore, all people need what the Scriptures have to offer because only by the working of the Scriptures are we equipped and complete. There is an incompleteness in humanity that all of us can identify, even those who are the most ardent.

Atheists or agnostics are deeply seeking meaning. One of the most outspoken atheists of our day, a man by the name of Sam Harris, has talked about this frequently. He is on a mission in his life to find sustainable meaning, which he believes will be found in psychedelics and meditation. I suggest to you that this won't do it. Some of you tried that like fifty years ago; you probably have more experience in that than he does. But he is searching for something. Why? Because he realizes this truth: there is a gaping hole in what we call our soul.

Only by working with the Scriptures are we equipped and complete. This completeness speaks of sufficiency; it speaks of being proficient and capable. One of the literal definitions of this is "exactly fitted." The picture that came to my mind is how many of you have ever had the curse of buying a piece of furniture at IKEA? Lift your hands up; come on, confess! It was confession time. You get this box home and wonder how it is going to turn into a couch. You open the box expecting a giant entertainment center, but then you break it out and find these instructions that were created by someone who is sadistic and just wants to make you live in frustration.

There are all these pieces to put together, and maybe you've had this experience—I have. You take out this nut and this bolt, trying to put these things together, only to realize that this nut is not threaded to this bolt. Meanwhile, your wife is saying, "Come on, build it! You can do it!" So what do you do? It's not fitted, but you make it work. You make that thing work, no matter what. You'll never be able to move it, and if you do, it falls apart. That's where IKEA makes their money; they know they're going to sell it to you again in six months.

Well, that's tangential. Anyway, it's not fully fitted, but we try to make it work. There are a lot of people out there trying to make something work that isn't exactly fitted, hoping to piece their lives together, but it's not working. The Scriptures make us complete; they make us thoroughly equipped, fully qualified, finished, and adequate for whatever we will face in this life. You know, the biggest challenge that skeptics bring...

The biggest challenge that skeptics bring against the Christian Church is the question of suffering and God. While there are plenty of hypocrites in the Church, there are also hypocrites everywhere. However, if you engage with a skeptic, you will find that they do not have any better answers for dealing with suffering. In reality, Christians are far better suited and more equipped to handle the difficulties and trials of life than non-believers.

This morning, I received a call at 5:53 from the battalion chief of the Escondido Fire Department. He informed me that there had been a major fire, and a woman was distraught because her house had burned down while she was away. She was asking questions about why God allowed this to happen, and the chief admitted he did not know how to answer her. He asked if I could come by, and I agreed.

When I arrived in my uniform, the battalion chief introduced me to the woman, saying, "This is Pastor Miles, our chaplain." She looked at me and said, "Pastor, I didn't expect that." As I began to talk with her about the truth of the Scriptures and the nature of God, I realized that even though she was distraught over what had just happened, she was more equipped to navigate the difficulties of life.

If it is true that the Scriptures are God-breathed and useful for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness, then they are essential for our completeness and equipping. There is plenty of empirical evidence that many people have found this to be true. So, what ought we to do with the Holy Scriptures?

Let’s look at 2 Timothy 4:1 in light of this. Every time you see the word "therefore," it signifies that, because of all that truth, we have a charge. The Word of God is inspired; it gives us knowledge of salvation and makes us whole and complete. Therefore, I charge you, Timothy, because of all that truth. This is not just a strong exhortation; it is a command.

I charge you before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing: preach the Word.

We must hold the Scriptures as accountable stewards. Here’s what this means: if you are a believer in the Scriptures today, and you are convinced based on what you’ve learned from them and how they’ve worked out in your life, you recognize that they make you wise unto salvation. They bring completeness and wholeness to your life, showing you the right line and revealing where your life is out of line, helping you return to alignment and walk the line.

If you believe all of that, what should you do in response? Paul says, "Therefore, preach the word." We should be those who hold the Scriptures as accountable stewards. Notice what he says: "I charge you therefore in the presence of God and Christ Jesus." One day, we will stand before Him and give an account of how we held the powerful Word of God. What did we do with it? Did we just learn it, study it, meditate on it, and memorize it, or did we use it and share it? How have we utilized these things?

This exhortation is not just for the pastoral class in the church; it is for the whole body of Christ. We are to be thoroughly equipped for every good work because God created you and me for good works that we would walk in these things. Therefore, we must hold the Scriptures as accountable stewards.

What has He commanded? What are we charged to do with the Scriptures? In 2 Timothy 4:2, we read, "Preach the word!" Put a star next to it, underline it, circle it—whatever you have to do to emphasize this. Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season at all times to convince, rebuke, and exhort with all longsuffering and teaching.

I don’t have enough time to dig deeply into this verse; we will do that next week. I hope you’ll be here as we look at verses 1 and 2 of 2 Timothy more slowly and pick them apart. What does it mean to convince, rebuke, and exhort with all longsuffering and teaching? It aligns with what we just saw: the Word of God is useful for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness. Therefore, we convince, rebuke, and exhort with all patience, which can be challenging.

For some of us, point number five is that faithful stewards of the inspired Scriptures preach the Word. We will give an account, church. We will stand before the Lord one day and give an account. Jesus says that for every idle word, we will give an account. That's frightening, but we will give an account.

As faithful stewards—managers of another's resources—of the inspired Scriptures, we must preach the Word. If the Scriptures are truly holy, as Paul calls them in verse 14, and if they make us wise to salvation, if they are inspired and useful for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness, then the only right response of the faithful steward is to proclaim and herald the truth of the Scriptures.

Even if it is perceived to be offensive, narrow, and politically incorrect by a culture that is increasingly antagonistic to the things of God, we aim to please God and not man. At the appearing of His kingdom, which is spoken of in this passage, you won't be standing before the court of public opinion. It won't really matter what other people have thought about the Word of God when you stand before the One who inspired the Word of God.

As a pastor, it is my aim to equip you with the Word of God so that we can corporately speak forth the truth of the Word. Why? Far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to teach you the good and the right way. Only fear the Lord and serve Him in truth, for consider what great things He has done for you.

This week, you're going to encounter a lot of people who are broken. Some of them will have experienced a loss this weekend. Some of them have recently found out that they have a terminal disease. Others may find out that they no longer have a job. Whatever the issue, we must be ready to respond with the truth of the Scriptures.

You may encounter people who are broken, and this brokenness is a result of living in a broken world. However, we have the words of eternal life. You will find people walking in ways that will ultimately not be good for them or for those around them. The Word of God provides instruction for these situations.

Sometimes, it requires a rebuke, showing the true line and where they are out of line. Typically, when you start to show someone with the Word of God where their life doesn't align, they will instantly turn it back on you and say, "You're just as bad as I am." You can respond by acknowledging your own shortcomings, saying, "Yeah, I'm totally crooked too. I have a problem. What are we going to do about it?" There is an answer in the Scriptures.

May it be that we have confidence in the Word of God, in season and out of season. Some of you might feel a little out of season, but God wants to equip you by His Word.

So, would you stand with me as we close in prayer and ask God to continue that work? It is a work that God does by His Spirit as He works in us to will and to do His good pleasure.

Father, we pray that You would work in us by Your grace and by Your all-sufficient power, where we are insufficient. As Paul said, "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as being of ourselves; our sufficiency comes from You." You are the one who makes us able ministers, servants of the Gospel. You enable us.

So, God, would You pour out Your Spirit upon us, Your church, and give us confidence in the Scriptures, in the authority, in the sufficiency, and in the power of Your Word? God, give us the confidence to walk in these truths and to share this good news with those we interact with.

In the areas of our lives where we realize we are not in alignment, God, would You bring us back into alignment as we confess and repent, allowing Your Word to work in our lives? God, do that work in us, we pray. Pour out Your Spirit upon Your church, for we ask this in Jesus' name.

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