Big Questions 2: Is the Bible Relevant?

Last week, Barbara Bush passed away at 92 years old. I want you just to think of the changes that took place over the course of her life. Though young, she was a witness to both the roaring twenties and the Great Depression. She saw the troops come home victorious from World War two, and the wall come down in Berlin. Men in space, walking on the moon, went from being the stuff of science fiction novels to inspiring speeches to reality in the course of her life. She was born in a time in which homes dirt floors and no indoor plumbing and were normal for many Americans, as they were for my grandparents, and she leaves us in a time in which we can livestream ourselves internationally with handheld computers that are so standard that many children have them. There is little doubt that change is happening around us, and it is happening quickly.

Things aren’t just changing technologically, are they? Our world isn’t just in the midst of a technological revolution, but at the very same time at social revolution and a moral revolution. Moral and social constructs that were unquestioned just a generation ago are now being brought under extreme scrutiny and in some cases upended entirely. It’s being asked: Is gender something that is assigned physically from birth, or is there another unseen component in play? What is a marriage, and who qualifies for a marriage, and should anyone get married at all? And, what studies are showing is that professing Christians are becoming more and more persuaded by what they’re hearing from the word and less convinced that the ethics of historical, orthodox, Biblical Christianity are true. Almost half of professing Christians now believe that it is okay to co-habitate prior to marriage, and over 30 percent of professing Christians under 35 see no moral issue with homosexuality. And so, there’s a big question that comes in the midst of these changing times and this moral revolution: Is the Bible still relevant? Does its message still apply and still matter all of these years later, or is historical, orthodox Christianity an outdated value system?

God’s Word

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Three Reasons for Relevancy

This morning, as we ordain and charge two men into the gospel ministry, I can think of no better text for us study and no better subject for us to tackle. From our text, I want to give you three reasons why God’s word is entirely relevant for our generation, and in fact, ever generation. Tony, Alan this is three reasons why the Bible will always be relevant in your ministry and will never need your help for relevancy, despite whatever pressures your may feel.

Reason 1: People Haven’t Changed.

“For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching” Second Timothy is, to the best of our knowledge, the very last written words of Paul’s life. It could be that he died within days of writing this letter. And, so much of what he says to Timothy is about suffering and hardship that Timothy is dealing with. Just before we get to our verse in verse 12, he even says, “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” But, as you read, what’s extraordinary to realize is that for this young pastor much of the persecution and hardship that he would come to know wouldn’t come from outside of the church, but from within the church. Paul is constantly calling Timothy to share in the sufferings of Jesus Christ, and the primary way that Timothy would share in the sufferings of Jesus would be to deal with the betrayal and dissension of his own disciples just as Jesus had dealt with the betrayal and denial and dissension of his disciples.

Some Want Their Passions, Not God’s Power

“having itching ears” And so, Paul warns Timothy. Some people within the church will prefer their passions to God’s power. Understand here, and we’re going to unpack this a little bit more in a minute, but Paul equates God’s word as being filled with God’s character and thus God’s power. So, he’s saying some people would rather have what they want and what they love more than what God wants and what God loves. From within the church, there will be people who want 'new truth', or what they consider more relevant truth, rather than gospel truth. They won’t have much of a stomach for sound teaching. They won’t have much of an appetite for that. They will want something else. Something more appealing. He says that they have ‘itching ears.’ In the HCSB, it says ‘they have an itch to hear something new.’ In other words, they keep saying, “This isn’t relevant to me! This doesn’t matter in my world! Give me something new! I don’t need anything else on holiness, and I don’t need anything else on prayer. Give me fewer crosses, fewer commands, and more jokes! Out with this old world stuff, and give me something new!”

Some Want Their Message Preached, Not God’s

“accumulate for themselves teacher to suit their own passions” And so, Paul prepares Timothy. “They’re going to go looking for a different preacher, and it’s going to rip your heart out. You’re going to give your life, your blood, your sweat, your tears to preparing to preach to them and to tell about Christ. And, from within the church, there will arise people who want the pastors to work for them and not God, who will want the pastors to preach their message and not God’s. These teachers are called by men, not by God. They work for men, not for God. They will please men, not God. And, they will condemn men, not save them.” APPLICATION: If you find yourself listening to a man who preaches the Bible and sound doctrine, and yet you want to 'accumulate for yourself a teacher of something new' and more exciting, you should quickly rebuke that impulse. You have become susceptible to a false teacher.

From within the church, there will arise people who want the pastors to work for them and not God.

Same People, Same Problems

APPLICATION: So, here’s what I want you to see. People really haven’t changed. We’re looking here at the Church at Ephesus which is bringing considerable hardship into the life of their pastor because they are vain and superficial and want to be entertained rather than confronted. Man, we haven’t even gotten outside of the church yet! There’s a sense in which we’ve been living in the last days since the time of Paul. It’s easy for us to look around at the transgender crisis and the marriage crisis and the new information age, and wonder: How in the world can the Bible still be relevant here? But, these are old questions, old temptations, and old sins repackaged for a new generation. The problem of mankind is still that we are born with a sin nature that rebels against God in all types of ways and that we see ourselves as the center of the universe, and not God. This was the issue of sexual immorality and greed and divorce and racism in the New Testament 2000 years ago, and brothers and sisters, this is the issue with sexual immorality and greed and divorce and racism in the complex days we live in today. And, God’s word is just as able to rightly handle them now as it was then because people are now just as they were then: in need of redemption and regeneration.

Be Surgeons with Your Bibles

You know, a couple of years ago, when I was so sick, I was just screaming out with all of these pains and symptoms that I was having. And, I was misdiagnosed once because someone locked in on only one particular symptom. But, there was another doctor, who focused not so much on a singular symptom, but searched for a singular source for all of the symptoms, and so he ordered a scan so that he could see what was beneath the surface. And, he was able to help me get well by getting treating the source of all of my symptoms. This is what the Bible does, and this is why the Bible is relevant. The world screams at us with all of these symptoms, and it asks, “Where is this in the Bible?” But, the Bible is the scan that allows us to see the deeper issue that will bring the ultimate healing. Brothers and sisters, be surgeons with your Bibles! Be surgeons in the midst of dying generation! Tony, Alan be lead surgeons!

Reason 2: God Doesn’t Change.

“All Scripture is breathed out by God” So, as Paul is trying to steady Timothy in the midst of such an unnerving ministry, he reminds him of something: these aren’t his words, and that’s the best news in the whole world. This is God’s word that we’re talking about. It was God’s word breathed out that we see in Genesis that had the power to create the entire universe. It was God’s word of God the breathed life into the dead bones found in the Valley of Dry Bones in . It was the word of God in the Gospel of Jesus Christ that had breathed life into Timothy himself that we had just heard about in . This isn’t some dead, lifeless, impotent word of man or word of yours. This is the God-breathed Scriptures that we’re talking about here.

So, there’s a real sense in which Paul is saying this to Timothy: As those around you begin to clamor for something more relevant and something new, remind them about who’s word this is! Remind them that this is the living word of the eternal God! You see, Paul says that every, single nook and cranny of the Bible contains the very character of God. And so, if we’re going to ask whether or not the Bible is relevant, we must ask simultaneously whether or not God himself is relevant. Why would the eternal God give us a temporarily helpful book? The Bible can only become outdated if God himself becomes outdated. If God’s word contains God’s breath and is derivative of God’s character, then it must stand that it is only as relevant, trustworthy, and eternal as He is or is not. But, praise God, in , God says, “For I the Lord do not change.” says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”

APPLICATION: He is the eternal God filled with omniscient wisdom who wrote the ages before they were to pass! Brothers and sisters, He is never irrelevant! He is never outdated! He is never antiquated! He is never passed by the times! He is never surprised by the times He is the founder of time. He is the beginning and the end! And, his word contains his character and his wisdom according to his plan. Trust it! Trust it!

The Bible Can Be Irrelevant (For You)

“that the man of God may be complete” But, there is a way that the word of God can be irrelevant in your life. In verse 17, Paul gives us the ultimate effect of the words power. This is the effect that Paul knew and that Timothy was coming to know. When the power of God’s word is turned loose in your life, it will be found to be up to the task to make you into exactly who God wants you to be. In other words, when its relevance for your life is put up to the test, it will always be proven powerful and relevant to make you into the man or woman God has called you to be. But, it’s relevant only to that effect. God’s word has no relevance to a self-centered, me-centered person, apart from repentance. In fact, the word of God only increases the severity of the final judgement of a person like that.

APPLICATION: So, if you come to the Bible to ask: How can I get ahead in this life? It’s irrelevant. If you come to the Bible to ask, how can I feel better about my unrepentant sexual sin? It’s irrelevant. If you come to the Bible to ask, how to make things easier for yourself? The Bible is irrelevant. The question that the Bible answers with great power and with great completeness is how you, a hopeless and wretched sinner, can be made holy and complete, righteous and equipped, serving and doing good in the Kingdom of God. How many of our relevance questions are really motive issues? How many of our issues with the Bible’s relevance are really issues with the submission of hearts? Brothers and sisters, do you come to the Bible asking God to give you what you want, or do you come the Bible telling God that He’s all you want?

Reason 3: Christ’s Church Endures.

“I charge you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus....preach the word” Paul looks to his young protege, and he’s leaving him with his very final words. The very last words that he will say to this man who he has given so much of himself to. And, what does he say to him? “Preach the word! In the face of persecution, preach the word. When your church listens, preach the word. When your church wants a new preacher, preach the word. Whether it’s in season or not. Whether it’s popular or not. Whether it’s received or not. Whether you feel like it or not. Whether you are liked for it or not. Whether the church is growing or not. Whether it seems to be working or not. Whether people are listening or not. Preach the word.”

“I have kept the faith” In Paul charging Timothy this way, there is this acknowledgment of a temptation that every pastor feels and knows. Paul felt it. Timothy felt it. I feel it. Alan, Tony, you will feel it, if you haven’t already. There are times in our ministries in which our eyes and flesh conspire together to convince, even if slightly so, that we should back down just a little bit, soften the message just a little bit, make our the message more relevant, more fresh just a little bit. If not, the church will die, we tell ourselves. If not, I will be fired, I’ve convinced myself. If not, this new generation, will not listen. Brothers, this is not a new temptation, and this is not a new struggle. And, so I want you to notice two things that Paul does to rid Timothy of this temptation. 1) First, he charges him in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus. “Timothy, this is Christ’s church, and you are answerable to him and him alone! Not to itching ears or empty chairs!” Paul doesn't want Timothy to do it for him any more than he wants him to do it for the people clamoring to have their ears tickled. It's God's word preached by God's man to God's glory. 2) Secondly, he reminds him of his own ministry. “Timothy, I was tempted to do the same thing. People said that I would have to change for the Jews to listen, but I didn’t, and you know that they’ve listened. I’ve kept the faith, Timothy, and now I don’t regret it. Christ was faithful, and his church has endured!” One of the greatest testaments to the relevance of the Bible is that against every attack by every generation from every angle, Christ’s church still stands. Some have believed it not philosophical enough and some have believed it not enlightened enough and some have believed it not scientific enough and some have believed it not tolerant enough, but brothers and sisters, look around, it is living and active! It is alive today, and it is still saving today! Christ’s church is still standing upon the very same Gospel with the very same premise that she has stood upon for millennia!

“the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day” APPLICATION: Paul starts and ends this charge by looking to the judgement seat of Jesus Christ. For Paul, this was not a terrible place though, but a joyful place. As he looked down the barrel of his own execution, he knew that the only irrelevant parts of his life were the parts that were not devoted to knowing God through his word and making him known. But now, he was to be ushered into glory, where he would taste every, single promise yet to be fulfilled to him. “That day,” that glorious day had finally come. And, all of those temptations to shrink back to impress people and grow crowds were now in perspective so that he could see the truth. You see, if you live for this day and for this world and for this life, this book is irrelevant. But, if you live for ‘that day’, if you live for ‘that crown,’ if you live for ‘that king’, nothing is more relevant.

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