God s Word Every Part Has A Purpose (#16 ) Text : II Tim. 3: 10-17

Transcription

1 Sermon : God s Word Every Part Has A Purpose (#16 ) Page 1 INTRODUCTION : God s Word Every Part Has A Purpose (#16 ) Text : II Tim. 3: A. For some weeks we have been studying different aspects of the word of God. 1. We looked at its nature : a. God s revealed word of God b. Verbally inspired - every word from God c. That by which God reveals Himself to man 2. We observed that it can and must be understood. a. God revealed it men are required to study it b. Man must use it as the standard for programming his conscience. c. The man of God develops spiritual discernment through familiarity. 3. We learned that God s word cannot be violated. ( Full authority of God ) a. God is sovereign over His universe. ( He doesn t need the consent of the governed. ) b. When He speaks, His words must be obeyed or there will be consequences. c. Man may not alter God s commands in any way. B. With this lesson we will begin discussing the process of using the scriptures to determine God s will. 1. Would it not be so much simpler if the whole bible was like the book of Leviticus? a. In Leviticus and Deuteronomy everything is listed by subject. b. There are clearly stated commands. ( Nothing left to interpretation ) 2. The New Testament is largely presented in story form and as a collection of letters. a. Though one may question why, the wisdom of God is far above that of man. b. God made HIS revelation in the form HE knew would best suit HIS purpose. 3. The format of the bible makes it easily adaptable to any culture. a. The eternal principles are clearly communicated. ( Nothing left to interpretation ) b. The form should eliminate the temptation to ridged adherence to specific rituals. C. The key to successful bible study is a surrendered heart. 1. One must approach the scriptures respecting it as the ultimate authority. 2. One must approach the scriptures with a totally blank slate. Seeking to learn.

2 Sermon : God s Word Every Part Has A Purpose (#16 ) Page 2 3. One must approach the scriptures not only with a desire to learn, but also with a desire to change. ( to conform ) a. Rom. 12: 2- And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, b. Rom. 8: 29- For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, ( must change us. ) Thus, let us consider some fundamental facts about studying the scriptures. I. Don t turn your brain off when studying the bible; use your common sense.. A. Have faith in God. He is neither illogical nor stupid nor maniacal. 1. The God who created man most certainly has the ability to communicate with him. 2. God would not judge anyone by a standard they were incapable of understanding. 3. Therefore, man can understand God s the message God has revealed in His word. B. Many don t understand because they have convinced themselves that they can t. 1. When one s preconceived idea is that the bible is mystical, he doesn t apply himself. 2. The use of antiquated translations makes it difficult for some to understand. 3. Others don t understand because they don t have ears to hear. ( hunger & thirst ) C. God wrote the bible for the common man. ( For you! ) 1. It would have been illogical of God to use uneducated and untrained men, ( Ax.4:13 ) to write a book that only educated and trained scholars could understand. 2. One s relationship with God is established via his response to God s word. 3. There is no clergy class in the kingdom of God; all are priests under one high priest. D. The bible is a straightforward revelation; it says what it means. 1. Unless there is some clear reason to believe otherwise, the bible is to be taken literally. ( Not always some deep hidden meaning ) 2. God has no reason to conceal anything in His revelation. a. Jesus demonstrated God s desire for man to be saved. b. It would be illogical for Him to then make word of salvation hard to understand. 3. The book of The Revelation of John is the singular exception. a. God used apocalyptic language to prevent the Romans from understanding. b. The Jews understood that symbolism so they understood the message. c. The eternal message is clear even through the symbolism. ( We win! )

3 Sermon : God s Word Every Part Has A Purpose (#16 ) Page 3 II. Christians must handle the word of truth accurately. ( KJV.. Rightly divide ). II Tim. 2:15- Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. ( Use each part for its intended use, i.e., as God intended. ) A. The textual divisions in the bible are of great significance to understanding. 1. Not the chapter and verse divisions men added, they can hinder understanding. 2. ALL parts of the bible are both useful and important. 3. Understanding the divisions is essential to understanding God s one message. B. The Old and New Testaments depend upon each other. 1. Biblical understanding requires knowledge of both the old and new testaments. The old saying is true : In the Old Testament the New is concealed And in the New Testament the Old is revealed. 2. This saying is born out in scripture : a. Col. 2: Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day 17 things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ. ( cf. - Rom. 5: 14, Heb. 11:19 ) b. Rom. 15:4- For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. ( cf. - II Tim. 3: 15.. Wise to ) C. Being New Testament Christians does not imply that we use only the N.T. 1. Christians are in no way bound by the Law of Moses. a. The Law was only for the Jews. ( Ex. 19 ) b. The Law was nailed to the cross along with Jesus. ( Col. 2: ) 2. Remember : The Law of Moses was never given as a plan of salvation. a. By it s very nature, law can only condemn, NOT forgive. b. It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. - Heb. 10: 4 3. HOWEVER truth is always true and right is always right. a. God never changes the rules. What was right for Adam is right for you. b. He is eternally consistent. Heb. 13: 8-9 yesterday and today and forever D. From before the foundation of the world there has been only one plan of salvation. I Pet. 1: For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you ( cf- Mt 25:34 )

4 Sermon : God s Word Every Part Has A Purpose (#16 ) Page 4 III. The divisions within the New Testament are also significant to understanding. A. From the gospels we learn the foundation upon which Christianity is built. 1. Jesus and His teaching is the corner stone of Christianity. ( grace thru faith ) a. Prophesied by the Psalmist. Psa. 118:22f ( Everything is measure from corner ) b. Prophesy pointed to by Jesus in reference to Himself. Matt. 21:42 c. Prophesy applied to Jesus by the Apostles. Acts 4: 11, I Pet. 2:7, Eph. 2: The gospels establish credentials of Jesus as the promised Messiah. a. He is shown to have fulfilled all of the Messianic prophesies of the O.T. ( 300+ ) b. The miracles of Jesus demonstrated the power of God working in Him. c. The genealogies show Jesus to be of the proper bloodline. 3. All of the primary doctrines of the N. T. are based upon the teachings of Jesus. a. Jesus explained how the Jews had missed the intent ( the spirit ) of the old law. Matt. 22: One of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, 36 Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law? 37 and He said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and foremost commandment. 39 The second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets. b. This passage is the Rosetta Stone by which the entire N.T. is interpreted. 4. The teachings of Jesus make it clear that He seeks to change hearts, not just secure external compliance and ordain a new set of rituals. a. One could be just before the Law of Moses on the basis of external compliance. b. The emphasis of Christianity is creating a new heart which transforms lives. B. The Book of Acts is more than a history of how the church began. 1. One enters the kingdom in the same way today as people did in the first century. a. There are 13 accounts of people becoming a Christian in the Book of Acts. b. One who learns these knows how to become a Christian... in any culture/era. 2. The kingdom will be established in the same way today as it was in the 1 st Century. a. Christians who were scattered went everywhere preaching the gospel. Acts 8: 1-5 b. Christians taught the gospel daily publically and from house to house. 5: 42 c. Therefore, the Book of Acts provides the guideline for ALL churches to follow.

5 Sermon : God s Word Every Part Has A Purpose (#16 ) Page 5 C. The Epistles of Paul demonstrate to us how independent congregations were trained to cling steadfastly to the doctrines taught by Jesus in the gospels. 1. The principle of love was strongly emphasized in all of the epistles. a. Applying love for each other is set forth as the solution to problems. b. Conformity to the doctrine is said to be to key to developing love. 2. Love for God is taught as the motivation for seeking His will, His doctrine. a. Those who love God will surrender their will to His. b. II Cor. 5: 14 Love prevents individuals or groups from straying. THUS - It prevents the I want what I want attitude from redefining truth. 3. Love for Jesus/God is shown to motivate one to change to be like them. a. The goal of every Christian is to be like Jesus, to be godly. b. The more one becomes like Jesus the less he is like the world. ( social pressure ) D. Paul s Pastoral Epistles instruct in how the teaching is to be done in churches. 1. The goal of all instruction is to be love. ( Tim. 1: 5 -cf- II Tim. 1:7 ) 2. The teaching is to be centered on the scriptures. 3. Qualified leaders and teachers are to enforce sound doctrine. ( Regardless of response ) a. Traditions may not be taught as doctrine. b. Opinions and desires may not be taught as doctrine or enforced. E. The General Epistles are instructions in long-term faithfulness. 1. Jesus had not returned quickly as many had thought so they needed encouraged. 2. The church was being persecuted so faith was being challenged. 3. Jerusalem was about to be destroyed.. stay faithful. F. The Book of The Revelation of John is a book of reassurance. 1. Rome had done ( or was about to do ) a horrible thing. ( destroy Jerusalem ) 2. The church was being persecuted and things looked really bad. 3. The Apostle reassures Christians that they will win in the end.. so remain faithful. CONCLUSION : A. Thus, we have seen that every portion of the scriptures has a specific function. 1. In order to understand the scriptures, one must understand the function of each part. 2. Using scriptures for things other than that for which they were written foster errors.

6 Sermon : God s Word Every Part Has A Purpose (#16 ) Page 6 B. The Old Testament : 1. God introduces Himself to man and reveals His righteousness. 2. It demonstrates man s need for a Savior and points toward Jesus. 3. Man learns that he cannot be righteous on his won; he needs a Savior. C. The New Testament : 1. Introduces man to the promised Savior and His love for mankind. 2. Explains how man can receive the benefits in the Savior s kingdom. 3. Encourages those in His kingdom to grow in faithfulness so as to remain in it. 4. Teaches citizens of the kingdom what are the duties of citizenship. 5. Admonishes citizen of His kingdom to support each other and stay strong. D. God Himself gave us this guidebook. 1. We can understand it : a. If we use our common sense. b. If we approach it with an open and unencumbered mind. 2. We can tell how well we understand it by the affect it has on our lives. 3. Those who truly understand will surrender their will and transform their lives. INVITATION : A. How are you coming with your transformation? B. Have you surrendered your life to Christ? C. You have the opportunity to do so now.