Would you turn with me to 2 Timothy
chapter 3? 2 Timothy chapter 3. I'd like to begin reading in
verse 14 and read through the end of the chapter. Let's start in verse 13. But
evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and
being deceived. But continue thou in the things
which thou hast learned and 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,
throughly furnished, unto all good works. Paul says to Timothy,
continue thou in the things that you have learned. Now, our Lord
said to those disciples that believed on him, if you continue
in my word, then are you my disciples indeed. Then are you my true
disciples. Now it is a very sobering thing
to know and to see that there are some who seem to begin, who
do not continue in His Word. You know the Apostle Paul said
to the church at Colossae, in Colossians chapter 1 verses 22
and 23, he said that Christ would present you holy and unblameable
and unreprovable in his sight. Isn't that attractive? To be
presented holy and unblameable and unreprovable. But he said
in verse 23, if you continue in the faith, grounded and settled,
and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel. John says
concerning some, they went out from us, but they were not of
us. For if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued. There's the word. They would
no doubt have continued with us, but they went out that they
might be made manifest that they were not all of us. Now this word continue is also
translated to abide. If you abide in my word to dwell,
if you dwell in my word to endure, If you endure in my word, to
remain, if you remain in my word, if you stand, if you stand in
my word, if you tarry, you tarry in places you enjoy being, if
you tarry in my word, then are you my disciples indeed. Now,
Paul says to Timothy in our text, in 2 Timothy chapter three, but
continue thou in the things that you've learned. Abide in the things that you've
learned. Dwell in the things that you've
learned. Remain in the things that you've learned. Stand in
the things that you've learned. Tarry in the things that you
have learned and been assured of. Now, what have we really
learned and been assured of? I've asked myself that question.
What have I really learned? What has God actually taught
me? What is it that I really believe and am assured of? Well, we know from this passage
of scripture that I just read that it has something to do with
the scriptures. He said, but continue thou in
the things which you've learned and been assured of, knowing
of whom you've learned them, and that from a child you've
known the Holy Scriptures. Now, whatever it is we've learned
has something to do with the Holy Scripture. I don't trust
my experience. I don't trust my thoughts. I
really don't. All I trust that I've truly learned
is that which comes from the Holy Scriptures. The Word of
God. Now we have learned that this
book is the inspired Word of God. The Holy Scriptures. God breathed. You know what? I really believe
that. I really do. I believe this is
the book of God. I believe He wrote this book. And everything we believe, we
have to begin right here. The Holy Scriptures. I believe
this book is the inspired word of God. And we have learned that
God is as this book declares Him to be. We believe that, don't
we? We couldn't know a thing about
the living God without this book. We could guess, we could speculate,
but we couldn't know who he is or what he's really like apart
from this book we call the Bible. We know that God is. We know
that God is holy. We know that God is sovereign.
We know that God is just. We know that God is omnipotent,
all-powerful. We know that God is omniscient,
that He's all-wise. We know God is omnipresent everywhere. We know God is most gracious
and most merciful, and we know that from this book. We know
that God is as this book presents Him to be. We've learned that.
We believe this is the living God. And we have learned that man
is as the Bible declares him to be. We've learned that. And you hath he quickened who
were dead in trespasses and sins. Now, total depravity isn't just
a doctrine. It isn't just a doctrine we give
assent to. It's something we really believe. We really believe
we're totally depraved. That's what the scripture says
regarding us. Totally depraved. Now, understand, total depravity
doesn't mean we're all out murdering people. and stealing and committing
all kinds of horrible crimes. We could, apart from the grace
of God, but total depravity doesn't mean that's what we're doing.
What it means is all of our faculties are under the dominion of sin
by nature. I'm born into this world with a corrupt heart, with
a mind that doesn't understand, with a will that is chained to
an evil nature, with affections where I love what I ought to
hate and I hate what I ought to love. That's what total depravity
means. It means all of our Everything we are is under the dominion
of sin. Thank God for restraining grace.
We could be much worse. You can be sure of that. We could
be much worse, but we believe that we are, as the Bible declares
us to be, sinners. Have you been taught that? Have
you been taught that you're a real sinner in need of a real savior? Now, if you've been taught that
you're a sinner, you know that salvation is as the Bible declares
it to be. Jonah said in Jonah 2, 9, salvation
is of the Lord. And this is exactly what you
need. This is exactly what I need. Salvation to be a work of the
Lord. Salvations of the Father and
eternal election when He chose who would be saved. Salvation
is of the Son in redemption when He redeemed me and paid for my
sins and made me perfect before God. Salvations of God the Holy
Spirit when He invincibly and irresistibly gives me life. When
He says, live and I believe. I've learned that. I've learned
that. Continue in the things that you've
learned and been assured of. I've been assured of this. The Bible is the word of God.
God is as the Bible declares him to be. Man is as the Bible
declares him to be and salvation is As the Bible declares it to
be, salvation is of the Lord. Now, Paul says to Timothy, continue. Don't get away from this. Don't
move on. Don't go on to bigger and better
things. Stay right here. That's why Paul said to write
the same things to you. To me, indeed, is not grievous,
but for you, it's safe. Continue, dwell, remain. Don't
leave here. knowing who you learn them from. Notice what he said, but continue
down the things which thou has learned and has been assured
of, knowing of whom thou has learned them. Well, was Paul
talking about himself? We may have been, he may have
been, you know, Timothy did learn the gospel from Paul. I learned
the gospel from Henry Mahan. The Lord used a man to teach
me the gospel. Some of you have learned the gospel through my
instrumentality. God uses men to teach people
the gospel. But Paul may have been talking
about Timothy's mother and grandmother. Look in 2 Timothy 1. He says in verse 3, I thank my
God whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without
ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and
day, greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears. His tears of repentance, his
tears of joy, that I may be filled with joy when I call to remembrance
the unfeigned, the unfaked, the unacted out. It's not an act.
The unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy
grandmother, Lois, and in thy mother, Eunice. And I'm persuaded
that is in thee also. Surely these women had a tremendous
influence on Timothy. His grandmother, and his mother. They had unfeigned faith in them,
and they taught Timothy the way of faith. From a child you've
known the Holy Scriptures. I thought of some of you, the
first person that came to my mind was John Walmsley. He was
the first kid in this church. Well, from a child he's heard
the gospel. I remember when he was born and what a blessing
from a child you've known the Holy Scriptures. What a blessing
to be under the influence of the gospel. He could have meant
his grandmother and his mother. And notice he says from a child,
you've known the Holy Scriptures. He was taught a reverence, a
reverence for the word of God, the word, The word read and the
word preached. Now it is so sad. It's heartbreaking
to see parents teach their children by example, that it is okay for
some things to take priority over the preaching of the gospel.
It's just so sad. We would never say that, but
our actions speak louder than our words, but you can be sure.
that Lois and Eunice taught Timothy the gospel. But let me ask you
this. Notice how he says in our text
in verse 14, but continue thou in the things which thou has
learned and been assured of, knowing of whom thou has learned
them. If you've really learned something,
who's taught you? If you've really learned something, who taught
you? It wasn't me. It wasn't any man. Men might
have been used as the instrumentality, but if you've learned anything,
God has been your teacher. Our Lord said in John 6, 45,
it's written in the prophets, they shall all be taught of God. And if you and I know anything,
if we've ever truly learned anything, it's the Lord who has taught
us. There was a time When I didn't
really understand that I was a sinner, I'd take the term,
I knew it was proper, but I didn't really know what it meant. I
learned that I really was and really am a sinner. Who taught
me that? Only the Lord can teach that. There was a time when I didn't
know what it meant to trust Christ as my righteousness before God.
Didn't even know what that meant. It was words, it was theology,
it was doctrine. Didn't know what it meant. I
do now. I know what it means to trust
His righteousness as my only righteousness before God. He's
all I've got. Now, who taught me to do that?
That was the Lord who taught me that. Only the Lord can teach
a man the gospel. So I really believe what Paul
meant when he said, knowing of whom you've learned them. Who
taught you what you really believe? It's the Lord Himself. I couldn't help but thinking
of those two thieves. Both of them began cursing Christ
and insulting Christ, having no love for Christ. One continued
his cursing, and swearing, and blasphemy. The other grew strangely
silent. He said, don't you fear God,
seeing you're in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we
receive the due reward of our deeds, but this man hath done
nothing amiss. Who taught him that? And then
he looked at this one who nobody else saw he was Lord. And he
said, Lord, he knew he was the Lord who taught him that. Remember
me when you come in your kingdom, you're not going to stay dead.
You're going to come back as a mighty ruling reigning king. Oh, would you remember me when
you return? Who taught him that? You see,
the Lord was that man's teacher. God taught him. You know, when
God teaches you, you continue, don't you? That's why he says
to Timothy, continue thou. Don't leave, don't graduate from
it. Continue thou in the things you've
learned, knowing of whom you've learned them, and that from a
child you've known the Holy Scriptures. Look at verse 15. And that from
a child, thou has known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to
make thee wise unto salvation through faith, which is in Christ
Jesus. You've known the Holy Scriptures.
Now, I love the way the Scripture speaks of itself. The Scripture
saith to Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee
up, that I might show my power in thee, and that my name might
be declared throughout all the earth. Now, wait a minute. Scripture
didn't say that. God said it. Yes, Scripture said it. For the scripture preached before
the gospel to Abraham saying that in thee shall all the nations
of the earth be blessed. Personality is attributed to
the scripture. The scripture, you see, the scripture
is the word of God. And what you and I think about
God himself is seen in our attitude toward this book, isn't it? From
a child you've known the holy scriptures, which are able to
make thee wise unto salvation. through faith which is in Christ
Jesus. Now this is the one thing needful.
Salvation. Salvation. I need the Lord to
save me, don't you? I need him to save me from my
sins. I need him to save me from myself. I need to save, I need
to save from myself. I need the Lord to do something
for me. The one thing needful is salvation. And the scriptures
are able to make thee wise unto salvation. through faith which
is in Christ Jesus. And I love the way his name here
is called Christ Jesus. I love Jesus Christ. I love the
Lord Jesus Christ. I love Christ Jesus. Christ is
his office. Jesus is his name as Savior. Christ, God's prophet, the prophet
Savior who brings me the word of God. Priest, Savior, who brings
me into God's presence and causes me to be accepted. King, Savior,
who rules and reigns and causes me to do His will, who as an
act of His sovereign will, gives me life. Faith in Christ Jesus. Verse 16. All Scripture. 2nd Timothy 3.16, all scripture,
everything from Genesis to Revelation, all scripture is given by inspiration
of God. And that is literally God-breathed. Now the Bible claims to be the
Word of God. Now it's either a fairy tale
and a bunch of interesting stories that really don't matter, or
it is what it claims to be, the very word of God, God breathed. Hold your finger there and turn
to Romans chapter 16. Verse 25. Now to him that is of power to
establish you according to my gospel. Don't you love it when
the gospel becomes my gospel? It's the gospel that saved me.
Yes, it's the gospel. It's the definite article. It's
the gospel. And what I believe about it doesn't have any bearing
on it. But oh, how precious it is when it becomes my gospel.
The gospel that saved me. This is the gospel for me. Now
to Him that is in power to establish you according to my gospel and
the preaching of Jesus Christ. according to the revelation of
the mystery which was kept secret before the world began but now
is made manifest and by the scriptures of the prophets according to
the commandment of the everlasting God made known to all nations
for the obedience of faith to God only wise be glory through
Jesus Christ forever and ever. Amen. Now that's what the scripture
are. Scriptures are the revelation of the mystery which was kept
secret since the world began, but is now made manifest through
the written word of God. All scripture is given by inspiration
of God. I love what Peter called it,
a more sure word of prophecy. I love that because I would have
loved to have been on the mountain. I would have loved to have been
in that inner circle of Peter, James, and John brought in the rest
of the disciples. He let the other nine out. He
brought those three in. I would have liked to have been
one of them, wouldn't you? I sure would have. And when he made
that made himself known the way he did, and they saw his divinity
burst through his humanity, and they witnessed it, but Peter
tells us we have something better than that. We have something
more sure than that. The holy scriptures, the word
of God. You and I have been given something
better than what they had, more sure. The holy scriptures. Turn with me for a moment to
Luke 24. Verse 25, Then he said unto them,
O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets
have spoken. If I look at you and I say, you
fool, slow of heart to believe, you'll probably get irritated,
and you should. I shouldn't talk to you that way. shouldn't. And you shouldn't talk to me
that way either, you fool, slow of heart to believe. I mean,
that's not the way we normally talk to each other, but isn't it interesting
the way the Lord can speak that way to us and we're not offended.
That's the truth. I think if you then being evil,
that's what he said to his disciples. If you then being evil know how
to give good gifts to your children, how much more so your heavenly
father give good things to them that ask him. The Lord can speak
differently, can't he? I mean, he's the Lord and he says to
his children, those whom he loves. And we say, yep, that's me. I
fit the description. Oh fools and slow of heart to
believe all that the prophets have spoken. Ought not Christ
to have suffered these things and to enter into his glory?
And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expanded unto
them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. Wouldn't you have loved to heard
that message? Look in verse 44. And he said unto them, these
are the words which I spake unto you while I was yet with you,
that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the law
of Moses and in the prophets and in the Psalms concerning
me. Then hopened he their understanding that they might understand the
scriptures. The holy scriptures, all scriptures
are given by inspiration of God. Every word from Genesis to Revelation. The scriptures alone. I had someone
write me just last week. And they said, I'd like to have
some kind of confession or some kind of that tells what you believe.
Some kind of document or confession or creed. And I said, well, believe
the Bible. I wasn't being smart Alec. The
Bibles are created. The Bibles are confession. I
don't, I don't give a flip about men's confessions or creeds.
I care less about them. What say if the scripture is
the only thing that counts. And you know, if somebody wants
to know what we believe, all they got to do show up once and
they're going to get a pretty good idea, aren't they? I mean, it's, we,
we believe the gospel and that's what we preach. The scriptures,
the scriptures, all scripture is given by inspiration. of God. And look what he says next in
our text, back to 2 Timothy chapter 3. All scripture is given by inspiration
of God and is profitable, is beneficial. is advantageous. What a profitable, beneficial
thing it is for us to have the Scriptures, for the kids to hear
the Scripture preached, to read the Bible in our homes. All Scripture
is given by inspiration of God and it is profitable. Now, most
things really are not profitable. Wouldn't you agree with that?
Things that we do, places we go, company we keep, which are
really no beneficial, no benefit to our soul. Oh, that we would
be like Mary. I love that passage of scripture
where the Lord said, Martha, Martha, you're careful. You're
troubled about many things, but one thing is needful. One thing is needful. And Mary hath chosen that good
part, sitting at his feet and hearing his word, and that shall
not be taken from her. Value nothing any more than you'll
value it on judgment day. What will be important on that
great day? All scripture is given by inspiration
of God and is profitable, and he gives these four things. This
is what inspired this message, thinking about these things.
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, throughly furnished unto all
good works. All scripture is profitable for
doctrine, for teaching the doctrine of God, the doctrine of Christ. God said, my doctrine should
drop as rain, the doctrine, which is according to godliness, the
doctrine of God. Now, whenever the scripture speaks
of doctrines in the plural, it's always bad. doctrines of devils,
doctrines of men. But the doctrine is the one singular
doctrine of God. In this whole book, it's the
doctrine of God. Now to some, this doctrine is
words of spirit and life, and to others, it's dry, dead doctrine,
depending upon the state of the heart. But the doctrine of God
is our life. All scripture is given by inspiration
of God and is profitable for doctrine and how we need doctrine,
teaching concerning who God is and what God says about sin,
about righteousness, and about judgment. Now, the next word
he uses is reproof. All scripture is profitable for
reproof. Let me read a scripture from
John chapter three, verse 20. We read, everyone that doeth
evil, hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his
deeds should be reproved or exposed. That's why he doesn't come to
the light. He doesn't want his deeds to be exposed for what they really
are. Do you know we can't really see
something for what it really is apart from the light of God's
Word? It's God's Word that exposes
the truth concerning all things. And then the next word is correction. All scripture is given by inspiration
of God and is profitable for correction. Correction. Now,
when we think of correction, we generally think of getting
whipped or something, being chastened, and that's really not the right
idea. Correction. Here's an example. When a plane,
you ever sit in a plane and you look at all the arcs of the different
places that the planes are going? When you look in the books on
the back, you know, you look at this, this was going here. It's an arc. Every
plane has a certain arc that it's got to stay on to reach
its destination. But the whole time that thing
is in the air, it's getting knocked off the arc. Wind blows it, it
has to be corrected. It has to be brought back to
the center. It has to be brought back to the right place. It's
always being knocked backwards and forward. Isn't that us? Isn't
that us? Prone to wonder. Lord, I feel it. Prone to leave. to leave the God I love. You
know what I need? I need Him to knock me back in
place. I need to be corrected. We can have wrong attitudes,
wrong thoughts. You know, I don't trust what
I think. I really don't. I don't trust I can see something
and it's not there. I need to be brought back to
the ark. I need to be brought back to
the Lord Jesus Christ. It's to take something and restore
it to an upright state. The word is actually also translated,
chase it. Whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth,
and he scourges every son he receives. And if I'm without
chastisement, that means I'm not one of his children. In that
sense, I want to be chastened. I want to be corrected. I want
to be brought back to the Lord Jesus Christ continually. You
don't correct other people's children, do you? You only correct
your own. I want to be one of his own children
whom he corrects. The Word of God is profitable
for correction, isn't it? My soul, I need corrected over
and over again. And then he says, the Word of
God is profitable for instruction in righteousness. You know, by
nature, we're so ignorant as to what this thing of righteousness
really is. The Word of God brings me always back to this. Christ
is the end of the law for righteousness. There's only one righteousness.
That's the righteousness, the perfect obedience, the law-keeping
of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's the only righteousness
there is. That's the only righteousness that I plead before God right
now. Right now. I don't want to be judged as
a preacher. I don't want to be judged as a husband. I don't
want to be judged about anything that has anything to do with
me. All I want to be seen is the life of the Lord Jesus Christ. His righteousness. Somebody says,
well, that's a cop-out. You say, well, it may be, but
that's the only hope I got. His righteousness. His righteousness
imputed to me. His righteousness imparted in
the new nature. If you're given a new nature
that believes, that's His righteousness. Partakers of the divine nature.
I need instruction in righteousness. To bring me always to Christ
as my righteousness before God. And there isn't anything that
makes me happier than that. To know that His righteousness is
my personal righteousness before God. Now this doctrine, This
reproof, this correction, this instruction in righteousness
has this end. That the man of God. I love that phrase. If I'm a
believer, I'm a man of God. A woman of God. But a man of
God. That's special, isn't it? A man
of God. The Holy Scriptures are profitable
for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect. That means
complete. Complete. I think of when Paul
said to the Thessalonians that he came to perfect that which
is lacking in your faith. I got plenty of that, don't you?
And I need to be perfected or completed. Paul said to Titus,
I sent you to Crete in order to perfect that which is lacking
with the churches there. Every local church has plenty
lacking because we've got a bunch of sinners in it. I mean, we're
sinners saved by the grace of God, but I'm so thankful for
that. I'm thankful for the local assembly
of God's saints, but there's plenty lacking with all of us
in there. And we need his grace to reprove us and to give us
instruction and righteousness and to correct us and to teach
us. That the man of God may be perfect,
throughly furnished unto all good works. Look in Titus chapter
three. Titus chapter 3. Beginning in verse 5. Not by works of righteousness
which we have done. Well, I'm thankful it's that
way because I sure don't have any works of righteousness that
I can plead before God. But thank God, not by works of
righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy. He saved us by the washing of
regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost, which he shed
on us abundantly through Jesus Christ, our Savior, that being
justified by his grace. We should be made heirs according
to the hope of eternal life, this is a faithful saying, and
these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that you preach
over and over and over again, that they which have believed
in God might be careful to maintain good works. Do you know the only
way you and I will be careful to maintain good works is if
we hear, salvation's not by works, over and over and over again. And the only way we'll be careful
to maintain good works is by hearing the gospel of God's grace. Now Paul says to Timothy, and
let's put ourselves in Timothy's place, but continue thou. Don't leave. lose your sense of need, don't
graduate past, but continue thou in the things which thou hast
learned and been assured of, knowing of whom thou has learned
and the Lord taught you these things, and that from a child
thou has known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise
unto salvation through faith, which is in Christ Jesus. All
scriptures 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, throughly furnished unto all
good works. I want to be taught. I want to
be exposed. I want to be corrected. and I
want to be instructed in righteousness. Let's pray.