Good evening again. I ask you to turn your Bibles to
2nd Peter 3. Excuse me. 2nd Timothy 3. 2nd
Timothy 3. This will be our primary reference
here in 2 Timothy 3, and we'll start in verse 14 and read to
the end of the chapter. Verse 14. But continue thou in
the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing
of whom thou hast learned them, 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. 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, truly furnished unto all good
works. Owner's manuals are great tools.
Normally with a new vehicle comes this really thick book that tells
you everything there is to know about your vehicle. Flat tires,
how to change them, all the bells and whistles of your vehicle,
maybe your bass boat, everything. If you wanna know
something about your vehicle, your vacuum cleaner, a new phone,
pretty much any device, you can go to that owner's mail, you
can even get them online. You could look to a friend or
a stranger to tell you about your device. It may be partially
true. but they could leave you out
some small details. Remember, a little leaven leavens
the whole lump. These very small details could
be detrimental to the operation of said device, could possibly
even be deadly. Recently, as of Sunday, I was
watching a program, commercial came on, and the moderator said
in this commercial, longest thing we ever do is live our lives,
but life doesn't come with an owner's manual. Might have been
nice, huh? but that means we get to write
our own stories. That really piqued my interest big time,
and I said, hmm, I'm about to remember that one. So I go back
to 2 Timothy 3, verses 14 to 17, talking about all scripture
is given by the inspiration of God, and it's profitable for
doctrine. It's profitable for reproof.
It's profitable for correction. It's profitable for instruction. in righteousness. Brother Henry
Mahan stated, profitable for doctrine, for discovering, confirming,
and teaching all doctrine concerning God, man, redemption, eternal
life, and all subjects concerning our lives in every area. Profitable
for reproof of errors, heresies, and false teachings concerning
the gospel. Profitable for correction of
attitude, spirit, and practice in believers, and proffered for
instruction and righteousness in every branch of duty incumbent
upon men, whether with respect to God or men, the scriptures
are a perfect rule of faith and practice. That last one, Verse 17, that
the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all
good works. That throughly furnished kind
of made me thought about, you see these apartments and these
houses, fully furnished. If it's fully furnished, it's
complete. It's perfect. Nothing else needs
to be done. I'd ask you to turn your Bibles
to Romans 15. We'll be looking at verses three
through 11. Romans 15, three. For even Christ
pleased not himself, but as it is written, the reproaches of
them that reproach thee fell on me. For whatsoever things
were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through
patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. Now the God
of patience and consolation grant you to be like-minded, one toward
another, according to Christ Jesus, that ye may with one mind
and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ. Wherefore, receive ye one another, as Christ also received
us to the glory of God. Now I say that Jesus Christ was
a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm
the promises made unto the fathers, and that the Gentiles might glorify
God for his mercy. As it is written, for this cause,
I will confess to thee among the Gentiles and sing unto thy
name. And again, he saith, rejoice,
ye Gentiles, with his people. And again, praise the Lord, all
ye Gentiles, and laud him, all ye people. He says there in verse
four, these scriptures, they're inspired by God, were written
for our learning. These scriptures inspired by
God teach us patience and comfort. These scriptures inspired by
God that teach us patience and comfort, it's true comfort that
comes from the Spirit of God. These scriptures bring us hope.
In verse five, they teach us to have one mind, like-minded,
one toward another, according to Christ Jesus. If we have one
mind and we're like-minded, it will be Verse six, one mind and
one mouth together as we glorify God. That's what we're here to
do tonight. We are here to glorify our Almighty. Praise Him. Verse seven, receive ye one another. Be forgiving of one another. Wherefore, receive ye one another
as Christ also received us to glory of the God. Verse 11, It says there, and
again, praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and laud him, all you
people. That laud kind of made me think
of our, when I was in the military, and we'd write these fancy reports
to tell you about how you did this year, and Sergeant Martin
did so-and-so, he was lauded for these, such accolades, and
you look it up, and that's another word for praise, and it wasn't
enough to say, praise the Lord, he said, praise him, twice. And there's a reference there
that goes back to Psalm 117, verse one, and it says exactly
that. Oh, praise the Lord, all ye nations. Praise him, all ye people. If someone is living this life,
walking through the wilderness and darkness, serving man, looking
to man, working their way to heaven through a freewill works
religion, they certainly may believe there is no owner's manual.
This blind understanding did not just happen. It is the evidence
of unbelief. Looking anywhere other than to
Christ is unbelief, and it's evidence of sin, the sin nature
inherited from our Father Adam. When the Spirit of God sends
forth an effectual call to his sheep, his sheep hear his voice,
because he knows every single one of his sheep, and they have
no other choice but to follow him. The believer who's looking
to Christ for everything knows this book. This book, the Holy
Bible, is the believer's owner's manual. What is the Holy Bible? What this Holy Bible holds is
the believer's life manual, Christ, the whole Bible. God created
man, God is our creator. He knows his sheep. He inspired
men to write down in the whole of the Bible everything concerning
himself, the father, his son, Christ Jesus, and his Holy Spirit. He is a trained God. And when
we first open this Bible up to the very first verse in Genesis,
Genesis 1.1, everybody could probably tell you it. In the
beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. In Genesis 1,
26 and 27, it says, and God said, let us make man in our image,
after our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of
the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle,
and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth
upon the earth. So God created man in his own
image. In the image of God, created
he him. Male and female, created he them. In Genesis 2.7, it says, and
the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed
into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living
soul. Over in the New Testament, in
Acts 17.24, it says, God that made the world and all things
therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth. By showing
these couple passages, a couple words pop out to me. Made, make,
created. If I made something, it's mine. I have ownership of it. I am
its creator. You want to turn over to Daniel
4 and read a couple of verses there. Daniel 4, we'll start in verse
34. And at the end of days, I, Nebuchadnezzar,
lifted up my eyes unto heaven, and my understanding returned
unto me, and I blessed, I kneeled before the Most High, and I praised
and honored him that liveth forever. whose dominion, dominion meaning
sovereignty, is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is
from generation to generation. And all the inhabitants of the
earth are reputed as nothing, and he doeth according to his
will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the
earth, and none can stay his hand or say unto him, who doest
thou? It is his will, not ours, He
doeth as he sees fit. 36, at the same time, my reason
returned unto me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my honor
and brightness returned unto me, and my counselors and my
Lord sought unto me, and I was established in my kingdom, and
excellent majesty was added unto me. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise
and extol and honor the King of heaven, all whose works are
truth, and His way's judgment. And those that walk in pride,
He's able to abase or humble. In the beginning, God is our
creator. We establish that through Genesis
and Acts. In regards to the manufacturer
vehicle, God manufactured us. God created us in his own image. We had no control over how we
came into this world. God is in control of every single
detail of our life from the beginning to the end. In Jeremiah 1.5 it
says, before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee. And before
thou camest forth out of the womb, I sanctified, I set thee
apart. and I adorn thee a prophet unto
the nations. Before we ever entered the world,
God knew us and our purpose. That same person in that commercial
said we get to write our own stories. In order for me to write
my own story, that would mean that I am the author of my life.
I'm in control of my own destiny. Nay. Hebrews 12 says, verses
one and two, Wherefore, seeing we also are compassed about with
so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight,
and the sin which doth easily beset us, and let us run with
patience the race that is set before us. Verse two, looking
unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy
that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame,
and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. My life as a believer is from
the faith of and in Jesus Christ. Everything Christ did for his
sheep is called the ones God elected to come to him. He authored,
he ordained them to be. If I think I have any say or
anything to do with my salvation, I am lost and I am without Christ. I am trusting in everything Christ
did for me, and I'm looking to Christ and Christ alone. Christ
is the example for us. We're gonna turn to 1 Peter 2.
Go through a couple of verses there. Starting verse 19. 1 Peter 2,
verse 19. For this is thankworthy, if a
man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it, if when
ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? But
if, when ye do well and suffer for it, ye take it patiently,
this is acceptable with God. For even hereunto, were ye called,
because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example
that ye should follow his steps. Who did no sin, neither was guile
found in his mouth. Who, when he was reviled, reviled
not again. When he suffered, he threatened
not, but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously. Who his own self bare our sins
in his own body, on the tree, that we, being dead to sins,
should live unto righteousness, by whose stripes you were healed.
For you were a sheep going astray, but are now returned unto the
shepherd and bishops of your souls." That word buffeted back
in verse 20 means to strike with a fist, treat with violence. In verse 21, we see says, leaving us an example that
you should follow His steps, Christ being our example. In
verse 23, when He was reviled, reviled not again, He didn't
send it back. When He was criticized in an
abusive and angrily manner, no, He didn't send it back. Christ
was committed to what His Father had sent Him to do. He knows
his father judges righteously. Christ suffered on this earth,
being reviled, threatened. He was despised, rejected. He
knew he had a purpose for which his father had sent him. Christ
endured the cross, bearing all sins of his people, all his sheep. In his own body on the tree,
he was made sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made
the righteousness of God in him. If you look over in just the
next chapter, 1 Peter 3, we're just going to read a couple verses
there. In this last verse, in this verse, Peter's writing how
Christ is the chief cornerstone, the most important piece of the
entire church. He is the piece that holds the
church together. These verses are concerning the
duties of subjects, servants, wives, and husbands, and the
exhortation to unity and love. We'll start in verse 7. Likewise,
verse 7 of 1 Peter 3, likewise ye husbands, dwell with them
according to knowledge, giving honor unto the wife as unto the
weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life,
that your prayers be not hindered. Finally, be ye all of one mind,
having compassion one of another, love as brethren." In my margin,
it even says, loving to the brethren. Be pitiful, be courteous. I love like how Chesney and I,
Sometimes like, she'll be thinking of something, and I'll be thinking
the same thing at the same time. It's just crazy. And we have
that one mind together. It's almost a little crazy sometimes
how alike we think, but it's a true love. Continuing on in
verse nine, not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing,
but contrarized blessing, knowing that ye are there unto called,
that you should inherit a blessing. I just want to stop there for
a second in verse nine and jump back over to our previous chapter
we were in where it talked about when he was reviled. When Christ
was reviled, he reviled not again. When he suffered, he threatened
not. Right here. Remember, he's the example. He's
what we want to follow. Not rendering evil for evil or
railing for railing, Contralized blessing, known that ye are there
unto call, that ye should inherit a blessing. Continue on in verse
10. For he that will love life and
see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil and his
lips that they speak no guile. Let him eschew evil and do good. Let him seek peace and ensue
it. for the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his
ears are open unto their prayers. That made my heart so happy. His ears are open unto their
prayers. Man. But the face of the Lord
is against them that do evil. And who is he that will harm
you if you be followers of that which is good? But, and if you
suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye, and be not afraid
of their tear, neither be troubled, but sanctify, set apart the Lord
God in your hearts, and be ready always to give an answer to every
man that asks you a reason of the hope that is in you with
meekness and fear, meekness and reverence, that fear in their
margin also refers to reverence. having a good conscience, that
whereas they speak evil of you as of evildoers, they may be
ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.
For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer
for well-doing than for evil doing. For Christ also hath once
suffered sins, the just for the unjust, that ye might bring us
to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the
Spirit, being made alive by the Spirit. by which also he went
and preached unto the spirits in prison, which sometime were
disobedient, when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of
Noah while the ark was preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls
were saved by water. The like figure, wherein to even
baptism doth also now save us, not the putting away of the filth
of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God.
by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven
and is on the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers
being made subject unto him. There in verse 22, that word
authorities caught my eye and who has gone into heaven and
is on the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers
being made subject unto him. God is the author of us. He tells
our story. He knows our story. Authorities
are made subject to him. It's interesting, the words authority
and author come from the same Latin word, which means auctor,
A-U-C-T-O-R, meaning originator, master. leader, author. Authorities, the leading and
more powerful, excuse me, the authorities in Blue Letter Bible
means, for this verse, the leading and more powerful among created
beings, superior to man, the spiritual potentates or ruler.
If you want to turn to Proverbs
16. We'll read these first nine verses
here. The preparations of the heart
in man and the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. All
the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes, but the Lord waited
the spirits. Commit thy works unto the Lord,
and thy thoughts shall be established. The Lord hath made all things
for himself, all things for himself, yea, even the wicked for the
day of evil. Everyone that is proud in heart
is an abomination to the Lord, though hand joined in hand, he
shall not be unpunished. By mercy and truth, iniquity
is purged, and by the fear of the Lord, men depart from evil.
When a man's ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies
to be at peace with him. Better is a little with righteousness
than great revenues without right. A man's heart deviseth his way,
but the Lord directed his steps. I love this verse because the
heart of mine thinks it knows what is good for me. but the
Lord knows what is truly right and good. And as the verse says,
but the Lord directed his steps. How can I be the author or authority
of my story if the Lord directeth my steps? Just like the message
we heard on Sunday, brother Angus from Australia came all across
the world and to preach in a conference, and when he reached his destination,
which he knew in his heart he was called to do, the Lord directed
his steps in a different direction. Is it really my story to write?
If I say I have the ability to do anything apart from Christ,
I'm still in God's glory, and I'm lying on God. Shame on me. In Revelation 4.11, it says,
thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power. For thou hast created all things,
and for the pleasure they are and were created. We are not
here because of our story, but because of his. We are not here
because of our story, but for his glory, his honor, and his
power. He hath created all things for
his and thy pleasure. For by him were all things created. If you turn in your Bibles to
Colossians 1, we'll be reading verses 16 to 20. Colossians 1, beginning with
verse 16, For by him were all things created that are in heaven,
and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether they be
thrones or dominions or principalities or powers, all things were created
by him and for him." As if we didn't get it the first time,
gotta send it again the second time because our thick skull
just can't get it, but all things were created for him, by him. 17, and he is before all things,
and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body,
the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn, from the dead,
that in all things he might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that
in him should all fullness dwell, and having made peace through
the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto
himself. By him, I say, whether they be
things in earth or things in heaven." In that verse 18, it's, we'll
actually just start back at the 16, and I talked about, for by
him were all things created. Everything I'm trying to wrap
here together is it's his story, it's not ours. We can't write
our own story because he created it all, from the beginning to
the end. And that's what it says in 16, it's created by him and
for him. If it's by him and for him, then
we really don't have any part in that. And he is before all things,
and by him all things consist. And in all things, he might have
the preeminence. That preeminence is to be first, hold the first
place. Christ holds the first place
in everything. In 19, in him should all fullness
dwell. If we are in him, we are full. How can I write my own story?
I can't do something that's already been done. The potter didn't
tell the clay, shape yourself. That is the same as telling a
dead man to make himself live. How can I write my story? I can't. It's like people say, well, if
I could go back then, man, I'd do things different. No, you
wouldn't, it'd probably be just as worse, because that's our
sinful nature. That's the problem with men of
the world, constantly trying to save themselves by their good
works, always doing when the work is done. trying to steal
God's glory. When Christ was made sin, taking
on the whole body of sin, shedding the blood of his people for their
sins, he looked up to his father and said, it is finished. In
closing, I just want to go back through and kind of review our
initial text. If you want to read with me,
we're going to read 2 Timothy 3 one more time. It will be 2 Timothy verse 15
to 17. 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. All scripture
is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine. profitable for reproof, profitable
for correction, profitable for instruction in righteousness,
that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all
good works. And then over into Romans 15, verses four through seven. For whatsoever things were written
aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience
and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. Through patience
and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. Now the God
of patience and consolation grant you to be like-minded one toward
another according to Christ Jesus. That ye may with one mind and
one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Wherefore, receive ye one another as Christ also received us to
the glory of God. We don't need an owner's manual.
If we be in Christ, then Christ is all we need. I don't want
to write my story because my story without Christ is vanity
and shame. In Christ, my story is complete.