Good morning. I'm so thankful for the opportunity
to be with you all this morning. A couple of things. I'm so thankful for your pastor. He means, Brother Paul means
so much to us. We're thankful for the opportunity
to be able to hear him on the sermon audio. We often download
messages. He's just such a wonderful person. I know you know that. Gifted
preacher. So thankful for Henry Endoris.
25 years ago, I started following Abby to church on Wednesday
nights and occasionally Sunday evenings. And that was just an
excuse for me to sit beside her and spend a little extra time
with her. And little did I know, I'd end
up hearing the gospel from Brother Henry. So, so thankful for you
guys. I'd ask you to turn with me to
2 Timothy. 2 Timothy. Chapter 3. And I want us to look at one verse
of Scripture this morning. I have the privilege of teaching
our young people back home, and I frequently think of them. I frequently think of our young
ones. This passage of Scripture has
been on my mind for a while. Here we read in verse 15. 2 Timothy 3 verse 15. 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. I want us to look at three things
this morning, possibly four, if time allows. But first, from
this passage of Scripture, the need for a reverence for the
Scriptures. These are the holy Scriptures.
Second, the importance of knowing the Scriptures. And then third,
the fact that these scriptures, this of God's Word is able to
make thee wise unto salvation. Last week, last week when we
came up, we ran into some directions and made some wrong turns and
we got here about 6.59. I keep telling myself that so
I can say we weren't late, but one of the first things I noticed
out here on the back of the door, There was a sign hanging up there.
I didn't pay attention this morning, but that sign said, if the scriptures
are being read or prayers being led, wait, wait. Well, that's because there's
a reverence for God's Word. When God's Word is being read,
We don't want to be disruptive. We don't want to create any kind
of a distraction. There's an honor. There's an
honor for God's Word. It's the Holy Scriptures. Back
in Nehemiah chapter 8, if you want to turn there, Nehemiah
8. Look at the first three verses of Nehemiah 8. We read here that all the people
gathered themselves together as one. They gathered together
as one man into the street that was before the water gate. And
they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the Law
of Moses. which the Lord God had commanded to Israel. And
Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation, both
men and women, and all that could hear with understanding upon
the first day of the seventh month. And he read therein before
the street that was before the water gate, from the morning
until midday, for the men and women and those that could understand.
And listen, the ears of all the people, the ears of all the people
were attentive. were attentive, they were paying
attention, they were listening to what was being read from the
book, being read from God's Word. So we need to have a reverence,
a reverence for God's Word, and not just a reverence for God's
Word, but those who preach God's Word. Those who faithfully declare
the truth of God's Word. Back in 1 Timothy 5, verse 17,
it says, Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of
double honor, especially those that labor in the Word and in
doctrine. Your pastor is faithful to preach
the Word. He's worthy. He's worthy of your
honor and respect. And you know that. You know that
as one who labors in the Word, one who labors in the doctrine,
he's worthy. Well, our text reads, Thou hast
known the holy Scriptures. The Scriptures, God's Word, is
holy. It's set apart. It's a book like
no other. 2 Timothy 3.16, all scriptures
inspired by God. The Bible, God's Word, 66 books
written over a period of 1,500 years by 40 different men, most
of which never met each other. It was written in three different
languages from three different continents and yet it's all in
agreement. I bet we could find three of
us to write three things down that would be in agreement. Think
of that. Think of that. But this Word,
this Word, it tells the same story. It tells of the creation,
God's creation. It tells of man's fall. And it
tells of the redemption of man. And these Scriptures are all
in agreement. Hebrews 1 verse 1. God who at
sundry times and in diverse manners spake in times past by the fathers
to the prophets. That's why they're all in agreement.
They're inspired by God. They're God-breathed. He spoke
them and they're holy. God's Word is holy. And God's
Word says we don't add to them. We're not to add to God's Word.
Turn over to Revelation 22. We're not to add to God's Word
and we're not to take away from it. Revelation 22. Look at verse 18 and 19. For I testify
unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this
book, If any man shall add to these things, God shall add to
him the plagues that are written in the book. And if any man shall
take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall
take away his part out of the book of life and out of the holy
city and from the things which are written in this book. If
we go back to Genesis, we'll see an example of this in Genesis
chapter 3. Genesis chapter 3, don't add,
don't take away. Look at Genesis 3. Let's begin with verse 2. And the woman
said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees
of the garden, but of the tree which is in the midst of the
garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, Neither shall
you touch it, lest you die." She added to God's Word. God
said this, look over there. He said, of every tree of the
garden thou mayest freely eat, but the tree of the knowledge
of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it. Thou shalt not
eat. Such a small, such a small thing. But it's changing God's Word.
It's adding to it. And the serpent, he said, you
shall not surely die. Just one small little change. God said in the day you eat near
us, you'll die. You'll die. Back not too long
ago, I guess it's been a little longer than that, back before
Christmas, Abby and I were out shopping. So I guess it must
have been October, November. And we were looking at some different
gifts. And one of the stores we were
in, I picked up a coffee mug. Abby was shopping, I was just
walking around the store looking at things. But I picked up a
coffee mug, and on that mug it said, it said this. It said,
I can do all things through Him that strengtheneth me. I can
do all things through Him that strengtheneth me. And I thought,
I didn't catch that at first. Read it a couple of times. You
know, that leaves an awful lot up for interpretation. Who's
him? Who's him? Is that... It could
be any number of people. It could be myself. It's changing
God's Word. I don't know what translation
of the Bible that was. I don't really care. I know this. I know it wasn't the King James
Version. Philippians 4.13 says this, I
can do all things through Christ. Christ will strengthen me. Think
of that. That's just one word. One little
word. All that means, that completely
changes the meaning of that verse of Scripture. I can do all things
through Christ. Christ will strengthen me. And
some of these translations, I know there's so many, some of them
are convenient for study, but some of them have just went completely
astray. God's Word is holy. God's Word is holy. Let's stick
to what we know is true. Because every time it's translated,
it gets watered down just a little bit more and a little bit more.
And Christ is completely taken out of it. Well, these Scriptures,
they speak of God. They speak of our Savior. They speak of the Lord Jesus
Christ. They're the Holy Scriptures. Second, the importance of knowing
the Scriptures. That's what's said right here. From a child thou hast known. Thou hast known the Holy Scriptures. I looked that word up, known,
just in the dictionary to see what it meant. And it says to
be aware of something. To develop a relationship through
meeting or spending time. You know, I was thinking, we've
spent, we've spent the last, we've had the privilege, the
last couple weekends of spending some time with Rick and Janine
and Rebecca, and we've gotten to know them, and love them,
and enjoy their presence, their company. Had we not spent time
with them, we had not gotten to know them. Well, God's Word. God's Word. We need to spend
time in it. We need to spend time in God's
Word. We need to spend time hearing
God's Word preached. We need to spend time in study,
in reading God's Word. Consider a couple of Scriptures. Look over to 2 Timothy 2, verse
15. Just to cross the page there. Here we read, "...study to show
thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not be ashamed,
rightly dividing the Word of truth." We're to spend time studying
God's Word. And then another thing, and I
say this to old and young alike, as we hear God's Word preached,
as we read God's Word, as we study God's Word. If there's
things we don't understand, ask. Ask. I don't know why that's
so hard for us to do, young and old alike. Don't understand. One, ask God. Ask God. Reveal this to me. Make this
known to me. Ask your pastor. Ask your pastor. He's so knowledgeable in the
Scriptures. If we don't understand, ask. Ask. Well, and it's okay
to ask. Look at Exodus chapter 12. Look at verse 26 of Exodus 12. It shall come to pass when your
children shall say unto you, what mean ye by this service?
Speaking of the Passover, what mean ye by this service? Ask. You young ones, ask. And then
look at Acts chapter 8. Turn over to Acts chapter 8. Verse 26. The angel of the Lord spake unto
Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south, and the way
that goeth down from Jerusalem to Gaza, where is a desert. And he arose, and behold, a man
of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace, the
queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasure,
had come into Jerusalem for to worship, was returning and sitting
in his chariot, reading Isaiah the prophet, When the Spirit said unto Philip,
Go near and join thyself to this chair. And Philip ran thither
unto it. He heard him read the prophet Isaiah and said, Understand
is what thou read. Do you understand what you're
reading? And he said, How can I? How can I except some man should
guide me? And he desired Philip that he
would come up and sit with him. And there, there Philip preached
unto Him Christ. How can I? How can I except some
man should guide me? Well, these Scriptures, they're holy. They're holy. They're God's Word. Let's have
a reference for them. These Scriptures, the importance
of knowing them. reading God's Word, hearing God's
Word preached. And third, these Scriptures,
these Scriptures, God's Word, are able to make thee wise unto
salvation. They're able to make thee wise
unto salvation through faith, which is in Christ Jesus. These scriptures, they testify
of Christ. Look with me at John chapter
5. What do these scriptures speak
of? Our Lord is speaking here in
John 5, verse 39. He said, search the Scriptures,
for in them you think you have eternal life. They are they which
testify of Me. These Scriptures, they speak
of Christ. They speak of man's sinfulness. They declare man as a sinner. And whether we want to agree
with that or not, that's what we are. Sinners. Sinners. They declare the efficacy of
Christ's blood. The efficacy of Christ's blood.
Turn to 1 John. 1 John 1 saying, If we walk in the light, as He
is in the light, we have fellowship one with another. And the blood
of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanses us from all sin. From all sin. Listen to some of these scriptures. Faith cometh by hearing. Faith
cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. be morn again
not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by the Word
of God, by the Word of God which liveth and abideth forever. Of His own will begat He us with
the Word, with the Word of truth, that we should be of firstfruits
of His creation. And the Holy Spirit uses the
Word of God to convince us of sin, and to reveal Christ's person
and work to us, and begets life where there was
no life, begets life in a dead center, gives us a new heart. And true wisdom in salvation
is in a spiritual knowledge of Christ, which comes from the
Scriptures, revealed in the Scriptures, the Holy Scriptures, Let's have
a reverence for Him. The importance of knowing the
Scriptures, listening to God's Word, reading God's Word. And these Scriptures are able
to make thee wise unto salvation. And then just one more thing
here. I was thinking about this. I was thinking about Timothy. Over in Ephesians 6-4 it says,
You fathers, provoke not your children to wrath, but bring
them up in the nurture. The nurture, that word means
instruction. Bring them up in the nurture,
the instruction and admonition of the Lord. That word admonition
is calling attention to. And then in 2 Timothy, 2 Timothy chapter 1, look at these first five verses. What a responsibility for fathers,
for dads. Hear that instruction? Bring
your children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. And
then in Timothy's case here, look at 2 Timothy 1, look at
verses 1 through 5. Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ
by the will of God, according to the promise of life which
is in Christ Jesus, to Timothy, my dearly beloved son, grace,
mercy, and peace from God the Father, in Christ Jesus our Lord. I thank God whom I serve from
my forefathers with pure conscience, Without seeking I have remembrance
of thee in my prayers day and night, greatly desiring to see
thee, being mindful thy tears, that I may be filled with joy.
When I call to remembrance the unfamed faith, the sincere faith
that was with thee, that was in thee, which dwelt first in
thy grandmother Lois, And then thy mother, Eunice. And I'm persuaded
it's in you as well, Timothy. I can't read that scripture without
thinking. Lois and Eunice. I wonder how
many times they had to send Timothy back to his room to clean his
ears or comb his hair or brush his teeth or put the right pair
of pants on because we're going to the worship service. We're
going to hear these holy scriptures preached. And Paul says, he says
to Timothy, he says, that unfeigned faith that I've seen in your
grandma and that I've seen in your mom, I believe I see it
in you too. What a responsibility. What a
responsibility we have. how thankful we are that God
has given us His Word, that God has given us the Holy Scriptures. Turn back there just one more
time. Let's read this one more time and then we'll close. From a child. Oh, that our children
would hear this word. Young and old alike, 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. It's all in Him. Alright. May
God bless His Word.