Rock Springs Reboot: God’s Word
June 16, 2021
The Bible is the greatest book ever written. Here are some facts about the Bible:
- The Bible is the best-selling book in history, total sales exceeding 5 billion copies
- Over 100 million copies of the Bible are sold each year
- The full Bible has been translated into 532 languages. It has been partially translated into 2,883 languages.
- Nearly 8 in 10 Americans regard the bible as either the literal word of Godor as inspired by God.
- The Geneva Bible is the first Bible to use numbered verses. It is also the Bible Shakespeare used and the one that the Pilgrims brought to America in 1620
- The last word in the Bible is Amen.
- Nearly all of the villians in the Bible have red hair.
The Bible is the greatest book ever written. But what makes it so great? Listen to the words of David from Psalm 19 as he describes the blessings of God’s Word. He says,
The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul;
The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;
The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;
The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;
The rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold;
Sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.
Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.
This morning as we continue our Rock Springs Reboot Message Series, we are going to look at why God’s Word is so great, Why God’s Word is so amazing. And to do this we’re going to look at a very familiar passage that speaks of the origin of God’s Word and how God’s Word benefits our lives. So if you brought your copy of God’s Word with you today, let me encourage you to open your Bible to 2 Timothy 3:16-17where we’re going to see why God’s Word is so amazing. So, if you’ve found 2 Timothy 3:16-17, let me read this Scripture for us: All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17
Now from this text where going to look at three ways God’s Word is so amazing. And the first thing that makes it so amazing is this: God’s Word Reveals God’s Will for Us This is such an amazing truth. By stating that “all Scripture is breathed out by God,” this means is that all of God’s Word, every part of the Scriptures has their origin in God. God is the source of every truth recorded in Scripture. In these pages is found not the wisdom or ideas of man; no in these pages every single Word, every single truth, every single command, every single promise has its origin in God.
I like how English Theologian John Stott explains this. He says, Scripture originated in God’s mind and was communicated from God’s mouth by God’s breath or Spirit. It is therefore rightly termed ‘the Word of God,” for God spoke it.
In other words, the key truth Paul wants us to grasp here is this. All of the Scriptures are the product of God’s Spirit. God produced the Scriptures we have today as a result of His Holy Spirit moving upon the writers of Scripture to express everything God wanted to reveal about Himself and His will through their personalities and in their own words.
J.I. Packer, said it this way: “What Scripture says, God says: for, in a manner comparable only to the deeper mystery of the incarnation, the Bible is both fully human and fully divine. So all its manifold contents – histories, prophecies, poems, songs, wisdom writing, sermons, statistics, letters and whatever else – should be received as from God, and all that the Bible writers teach should be revered as God’s authoritative instruction.”
All of the Scriptures are the product of God’s Spirit. That means we don’t get to pick and choose what is God’s Word and what is not. It is all the product of God’s breath, and therefore all of God’s Word is profitable for us as God’s people.
Now think about the implications for us: If all the Scriptures are from God, they are not just true, but absolutely reliable. His truth is unshakable. The more you know His truth, the more you will be able to stand on certain ground in an uncertain world. This means you can depend on God’s promises. If God says eternal life is found through faith in Jesus, and no other name has been given under heaven by which you must be saved, you can count on your salvation be secure in Christ. This means you can find life in His Word; you can find hope in His Word, you can find healing from His Word. And His Word can cleanse you, guide you and help you understand why God created you. You can know the mind of God, the plans of God and the desires of God for your life. And that’s pretty amazing.
Again, what Scripture says, God says. And what God says will never change or pass away. That’s why Jesus was able to say, “Man must not live by bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:4
That’s why God’s Word is so amazing. It reveals who God is and how much He loves us. That is why David was able to say: It is more to be desired are than gold, even much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. God’s Word Reveals God’s Will for Us, it reveals everything He wants us to know about Him and about life, but it also reveals this:
God’s Word Reveals God’s Ways for Us: Look again at 2 Timothy 3:16. It says, All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, God’s word is profitable for us. It’s meant to benefit us and help us. It is useful and relevant for our lives. Today we constantly hear the lie that God’s Word is archaic and irrelevant for life in the modern world. That’s simply not true. God’s truth is timeless. His grace to us never changes. He forgiveness never runs dry. His peace surrounds our hearts. His patience is long suffering. His love is eternal. But we would know none of this if God’s Word wasn’t profitable to us. So let’s look at some of the ways Paul says God’s Word profits us:
God’s Word teaches us: All that we need to be taught to understand God’s salvation is found in Scripture. Paul reminds Timothy of this truth in the verses previous to this, saying, But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 2 Timothy 3:14-15 The Bible is essentially a handbook of salvation. A love letter from God to His wayward children showing them the way back home to their Father. Its over-arching purpose is to reveal the story of God. The whole Bible unfolds this story as the divine scheme of salvation – beginning with man’s creation in God’s image, man’s fall through his disobedience and sin; and God’s continuing love for him in spite of his rebellion, found in God’s eternal plan to save him through His covenant of grace with a chosen people, culminating in the coming of His Son, Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Jesus came to be one of us, live a sinless life, then offer his life on the cross as an offering for the sin of all mankind. So Jesus shed His blood and died in our place bearing our sin. Then after three days he rose triumphant from the grave, defeating sin and death, was exalted to heaven, whereupon He sent the Holy Spirit to dwell in the hearts of all believers, who now walk by the Spirit and proclaim the good news that salvation is found in Jesus. None of this would be known apart from this book: God’s Word that teaches the way of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. And that alone makes God’s Word so amazing. For it reveals His amazing grace to us in Jesus.
The Bible is also a handbook for living the way of Christ. It’s God’s revelation of the new kind of life found in walking with Jesus by the Spirit. It teaches us how to love one another, carry one another’s burdens, serve one another, honor one another and build up one another as God’s children. It teaches us the way of the kingdom. It teaches us His ways of mercy and grace, His ways of life and peace, His ways of compassion and love. And when we learn His ways and put them into practice, we show the world around us the way of Christ. So God’s Word teaches us the way of salvation through Christ, and God’s Word teaches us the new way of life with Christ. But God’s Word does more than just teach us. It also does this:
God’s Word reproves us The idea here is that God’s Word convicts us of sin. It shows us when we are rebellious or when we go astray. And since it reveals truth, it rebukes us if we are being deceived by the lies of the evil one. Lies like, “God just wants you to be happy” “You only live once” or “You need to live your own truth.” Let’s take that last one, “You need to live your own truth.” The evil one has been abusing this lie since the very beginning. In the Garden of Eden, the devil used this lie to get Adam and Eve to eat the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden. In Genesis 3, we read this: He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. Genesis 3:6-7
Did you catch it? Did you see how the evil one convinced Eve, “To live her own truth?” The evil one convinced Eve that God was holding out on her. “Don’t listen to God. You will not surely die.” So the woman saw for herself the tree was good for food and it was a delight to the eyes, and it could make her wise. So she decided to live her own truth. What was the result? She took Adam down with her. Soon both discovered they were naked. They were ashamed of their nakedness so they covered themselves. And then if you continue reading, you see they were also afraid, so they hid from God. The lie of the evil one led them to distrust God’s Word, go their own way, and the result was that their sin broke their relationship with God.
We live in a world where the lies of the evil one are constantly telling you to “Live your own truth, your life is what you make it, God wants you to be happy.” But when we read God’s Word, we see that God’s Word not only exposes the lies of the evil one, but convict us of the sin of failing to trust God. So God’s Word reproves us. It refutes the lies of the evil one and brings us back to the truth. So one way God’s Word benefits us is that it convicts us of our sin. It rebukes us. But we also see that…
God’s Word corrects us God’s Word corrects the errors of our ways. God’s Word reveals to us when our motives are wrong, when our behaviors are ungodly and when our actions are sinful. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve open the Word of God and started reading, and realized the error of my ways. And one of the errors that God’s Word constantly reveals to me, is my error of trying to earn God’s favor. When I open God’s Word, especially to books like Ephesians and Colossians, God corrects my thinking and reminds me that there is nothing I have to do to make God love me more, and there’s nothing I have done that can make God love me less. God’s love is bigger than my sin. God no longer accuses me, judges me or condemns me. God’s grace is abundant. He now accepts me fully in Jesus Christ. And He has set me free from condemnation so I can enjoy life with Him. God’s Word corrects us so we will stop living under the law, but rest in His grace. And again, this is what makes God’s Word so amazing. God’s Word corrects us, and finally:
God’s Word trains us God’s Word is given to educate us in the way of righteousness. It not only shows us our faults, but always restores us to the right path. It trains our mind, our heart and our character to think like Christ, to love like Christ, to become more and more like Jesus Christ. God didn’t send Jesus just to save you, but to change you. And the way He changes you is that He trains you in this new way of life with Jesus. As Hebrews 4:12 says, “God’s Word is living and active, piercing to the division of the soul and spirit.” And that’s good news, for God’s Word has the power to transform you from an anxious and selfish sinner into a peaceful and generous saint. And that’s just amazing. God doesn’t leave us the way we are, but His Word works in our lives to make us like Jesus. God’s Word trains us. And because of that, the last part of 2 Timothy 3:17, tells us why:
3.God’s Word Reveals God’s Hope for Us Let’s read our original text now in its entirety: All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. 2 Tim. 3:16-17
God Word reveals God’s hope for us in this: God’s Word meets our deepest needs I love what the text promises. It says that as God’s Word teaches us, reproves us, corrects us and trains us in righteousness – the end goal of God’s Word working in our lives is that it is meant to complete us – to make us whole.
I love how Matt Chandler speaks to this. He says, “The Word can heal the broken and break the proud. The Word can assure the weak and weaken the strong. It brings wisdom to the foolish and makes fools out of the wise. The Word of God bears the uncanny ability to do what you and I cannot: transcend human limitations.”
You see, sin damages us, but God’s Word restores us. Sin leads us astray, but God’s Word leads us home. Sin limits who God intended us to be, but God’s Word helps us become more than we ever thought we could be. This is God’s hope for us. When He redeemed us with the blood of Jesus Christ, He didn’t just purchase for us a ticket to heaven, but made it possible for us to become joyful, gracious, compassionate people who can now enjoy the favor of God and become the people of God He’s saved us to be. We can become whole, complete, not lacking anything. This is God’s hope for us. And this is what God’s Word can do for us, if we allow God’s Word to work in us. And again, this is why God’s Word is so amazing. But not only that, Paul shares one final hope for us that comes from God’s Word. And that is this:
God’s Word equips us to bear the fruit of good works Now that we are free to become all that God wants us to become, God’s Word is given to us to equip us for the good works He has prepared in advance for us to do. His Word supplies us with love so we can love the unlovely. His Word equips us with mercy so we can forgive those who wrong us. His Word outfits us with compassion so we can help to those in need. That’s how God’s Word is meant to work in you, so you and I might serve the world around us. It can equip you, supply you, outfit you to be the blessing God means you to be. And when we learn it, hide it in our hearts, and put it into practice in our everyday lives: God’s Word will equip you to see the world like our God sees it and serve the world like Jesus served it. That’s God’s hope for us. And that’s why the Church is the hope of the world. That’s what makes God’s Word so amazing.
I want to close with an illustration that comes from Karl Barth that helps us grasp the amazing impact God’s Word is meant to have upon our lives. You see, Barth insists that we do not read this book in order to get God into our lives or get Him to participate in our lives. No. We open this book and find that page after page it takes us off guard, surprises us and draws us into reality, and pulls us into participation with God on His terms. So, here is his illustration of the amazing revelation of God’s Word to us:
Imagine a group of men and women in a huge warehouse. They were born in this warehouse, grew up in it, and have everything there for their needs and comfort. There are no exits to the building but there are windows. But the windows are thick with dust, are never cleaned, and so on one bothers to look out. Why would they? The warehouse is everything they know, has everything they need. But then one day one of the children drags a stepstool under one of the windows, scrapes off the grime and looks out. He sees people walking on the streets; he calls to his friends to come and look. They crowd around the window – they never knew a world existed outside the warehouse. And then they notice a person out in the street looking up and talking excitedly. The children look up but there is nothing to see but the roof of their warehouse. They finally get tired of watching these people out on the street acting crazily, pointing up at nothing and getting excited about it. What’s the point of stopping for no reason at all, pointing at nothing at all, and talking up a storm about nothing?
But then, what would happen, if one day one of those kids cut a door in the warehouse, coaxed his friends out, and discovered the immense sky above them and the grand horizons beyond them? That is what happens, writes Barth, when we open the Bible – we enter the totally unfamiliar world of God, a world of creation and salvation stretching endlessly above and beyond us. Life in the warehouse never prepared us for anything like this.
As Barth tells it, the apostle Paul was the little kid who first scraped the grime off the window, cut out a door, and coaxed him outdoors into the large, “strange” world to which the Biblical writers give witness. Under this school of writers, beginning with Paul, Barth became a reader of God’s Word, reading these Words of the unfamiliar world of God that not only formed his life but changed everything for him.
That’s why God’s Word is so amazing. This is why the Bible is the greatest book ever written. For it is God’s gift to us, not just as a handbook of salvation, but a doorway to whole new life with God. May God draw us into His World through His Word and change everything for us. Let’s pray.
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