Profitable Promises
lass=MsoNormal align=right style='text-align:right'>1) 11-25-07…SBC…AM 2)“Profitable Promises”
2 Timothy 3:16-17
Introduction: Context = Timothy being mentored by Paul for the ministry
1- Timothy may not have had the constitutional strength of Paul and was more easily intimidated and discouraged. But he did not lack a foundation for strength of faith or character.[1]
2- Paul admonished him to hold on and to stand firm, but he never had to correct Timothy for faulty doctrine or sinful living.[2]
3- He was qualified to take the revelation he had heard from Paul “in the presence of many witnesses” and to “entrust [it] to faithful men, who [would] be able to teach others also” (2:2).[3]
Paul’s ministerial instructions to Timothy, at this point in the letter is all centered on the Doctrine of the Bible
Ø Paul knew that Timothy was going to face trials in the ministry and his Christian life and so it was imperative that he had the proper teaching or reminders on the Doctrine of the Bible
Ø Paul reminds Timothy of his godly heritage and challenges him to continue in what he has learned, specifically in his commitment to the Holy Scriptures
Proposition:
Our job this morning is the same as Timothy’s, to be reminded that God’s Revelation is intended for Sanctification and is to result in the Maturation of believers.
Read 2 Timothy 2:10-17
&
Pray
Let’s look first if all at…
1) God’s Revelation v16a
Ø no doctrine since the fall of man has been more scrutinized as the Doctrine of Inspiration
Ø Eve was deceived by Satan’s lies to defy God’s Word
- the Israelites repeatedly left God’s Words to them for other gods
- Jesus’ own teachings were constantly challenged by the religious leaders of the day
- Karl Barth (1886-1968) and his followers have purported that the parts of Scripture that speak of Jesus and His ministry are more important than the teachings that don’t speak of Christ – these other teachings are seen as important but not necessarily accurate
- Today we have many who do not want to ascribe deity to Jesus Christ and in doing this they attack the veracity of the Bible
Ø Paul began his reminder to Timothy by saying that all of Scripture is from God
A- All of Scripture v16a
1- Some scholars suggest that All Scripture is inspired should be translated, “All Scripture inspired by God is . . ,” which would leave open the possibility that some Scripture is not inspired by Him.[4]
§ But that rendering would make the Bible worthless as a reliable guide to divine truth, because we would then have no way to determine which part of it is inspired by God and which is not.[5]
§ Paul’s thought is that the Scripture that gives salvation must therefore be inspired by God. The words of men could never transform the inner person (Ps. 19:7).[6]
§ Inspiration and Profitable are adjectives that are telling us something about the main noun Scripture and can’t be manipulated to say that only parts of Scripture are accurately from God
2- When we affirm that every Scripture in the Bible is inspired then we come to assert that its entire content is inspired.[7]
· both OT and NT
· one section is not more inspired than another
· even if the letters in those sections happen to be colored red in your Bible
Transition: After stating how much of Scripture is from God, Paul gives us the first of two adjectives that
describes how God’s Word came to us.
B- Breathed out from God v16a
1- literally means, “breathed out by God,” or simply, “God-breathed.”[8]
· He said to Jeremiah: “Behold, I have put My words in your mouth” (Jer. 1:9).[9]
· It is of utmost importance to understand that it is Scripture that is inspired by God, not the men divinely chosen to record it.[10]
· When speaking or writing apart from God’s revelation, their thoughts, wisdom, and understanding were human and fallible.[11]
· They were not inspired in the sense that we commonly use that term of people with extraordinary artistic, literary, or musical genius.[12]
2- The Bible is not a collection of the wisdom and insights of men, even of godly men. It is God’s truth, His own Word in His own words.[13]
3- Paul is explaining to Timothy that the Bible is the results of God’s breath or God’s actions
· the flip side is to say that the Bible actively speaks of God’s Word, which is true but not what Paul is saying here in this verse
· Paul is careful to construct the meaning of this verse to say that “the Bible originated as an action of God who breathed it out”[14] – this we call the Doctrine of Inspiration
Application:
Ø all of us in this room probably believe everything that I just said about the Bible
Ø But what about our actions? – Do our actions confirm our convictions?
Ø Lucky for us we are not left to figure out what actions the Bible is intended to effect
- Left to ourselves we would be like the mountain climber climbing Mount Everest without the proper protective clothing to protect against the weather – Doomed!
Transition: Paul’s intention is to show, Timothy that God’s Revelation is…
2) Intended for Sanctification v16b
A- It is profitable for:
1- Doctrine – teaching (ESV, NIV, NASB), divine instructions, teaching of God
2- Reproof – rebuke (NIV), rebuking in order to convict of misbehavior or false doctrine.[15]
3- Correction (NKJV, NIV, ESV, NASB) refers to the restoration of something to its original and proper condition[16]
Application:
1- This verse applies to all relationships in the believer’s life beginning with one’s vertical relationship with God
2- When we begin with right teaching on God (doctrine) then we are properly convicted on what sinful behavior and false doctrine is.
3- A heart that is convicted of sinful behavior needs to be corrected – “setting upright an object that had fallen down and of helping a person back on his feet after stumbling.” [17]
- Correction is Scripture’s positive provision for those who accept its negative reproof.[18]
4- this process of teaching, convicting and addressing sin with the intention of restoration is a the channel to training in righteousness
Transition: this conviction and restoration process is done so that the believer may…
3) Result in Maturation v17
A- Paul (and the Holy Spirit speaking through him) is not satisfied until the Word of God has fully accomplished its mission, and the believer has reached “the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ”[19]
B- This process of doctrine, conviction, restoration and training in righteousness is what leads to a healthy, mature and complete believer
Application: Church Discipline
Ø these words to many just mean kicking people out of the church
1) Church Discipline begins the process just described here in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 and in Matthew 18
a- it begins by placing yourself under the authority of Scripture and in fellowship with a Church that preaches the right Doctrine about God
b- it is about confronting our own sin to bring our lives back into fellowship with God
2) What should happen when sin is exposed in the life of our brothers and sisters at Southview Baptist Church?
a- confront one-on-one Matthew 18, Galatians 6:1
§ When we are constrained by God’s Word to reprove a sinning brother or sister, we should do so in humility and love.[20]
1 Cor 4:14 I do not write these things jto make you ashamed, but to admonish you kas my beloved children. [21]
§ If the holy Lord obligates Himself to reprove and discipline His disobedient children in love (Heb. 12:5–11), how much more are His children obligated to reprove each other in love.[22]
§ It is just as important, although more difficult, to be gracious when we receive reproof, whether directly by God’s Word or from other believers who call us to biblical account. [23]
Ø Are we making ourselves vulnerable to each other in this way?
Ø When we make ourselves vulnerable to each other, true edification can be done
Ø This process of doctrine, conviction, restoration and training in righteousness is what leads to a healthy, mature and complete church – a church that is investing in hearts
b- Address sinful behavior because you may be the means by which God uses to bring a brother or sister back into restoration
§ it should never, ever be for the end of kicking someone out of the church
? – What will you do next time you see sinful behavior, will you confront it or let it go?
? – How will you react the next time someone addresses behavior that is less than godly?
Let SBC be a church that is edifying each other through right doctrine, confrontation of sin, restoration of the brethren and training in righteousness.
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[1]John MacArthur, 2 Timothy (Chicago, Ill.: Moody Press, 1996, c1995), 134.
[2]John MacArthur, 2 Timothy (Chicago, Ill.: Moody Press, 1996, c1995), 134.
[3]John MacArthur, 2 Timothy (Chicago, Ill.: Moody Press, 1996, c1995), 134.
[4]John MacArthur, 2 Timothy (Chicago, Ill.: Moody Press, 1996, c1995), 141.
[5]John MacArthur, 2 Timothy (Chicago, Ill.: Moody Press, 1996, c1995), 141.
[6]John MacArthur, 2 Timothy (Chicago, Ill.: Moody Press, 1996, c1995), 141.
[7]Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, vol. 34, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, electronic ed., The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2001, c1992), 235.
[8]John MacArthur, 2 Timothy (Chicago, Ill.: Moody Press, 1996, c1995), 141.
[9]John MacArthur, 2 Timothy (Chicago, Ill.: Moody Press, 1996, c1995), 142.
[10]John MacArthur, 2 Timothy (Chicago, Ill.: Moody Press, 1996, c1995), 142.
[11]John MacArthur, 2 Timothy (Chicago, Ill.: Moody Press, 1996, c1995), 142.
[12]John MacArthur, 2 Timothy (Chicago, Ill.: Moody Press, 1996, c1995), 142.
[13]John MacArthur, 2 Timothy (Chicago, Ill.: Moody Press, 1996, c1995), 142.
[14] Ryrie; Basic Theology, p69.
[15]John MacArthur, 2 Timothy (Chicago, Ill.: Moody Press, 1996, c1995), 156.
[16]John MacArthur, 2 Timothy (Chicago, Ill.: Moody Press, 1996, c1995), 159.
[17]John MacArthur, 2 Timothy (Chicago, Ill.: Moody Press, 1996, c1995), 159.
[18]John MacArthur, 2 Timothy (Chicago, Ill.: Moody Press, 1996, c1995), 159.
[19]William Hendriksen and Simon J. Kistemaker, vol. 4, New Testament Commentary : Exposition of the Pastoral Epistles, Accompanying Biblical Text Is Author's Translation., New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953-2001), 303.
[20]John MacArthur, 2 Timothy (Chicago, Ill.: Moody Press, 1996, c1995), 158.
j [ch. 6:5; 15:34]
k 2 Cor. 6:13; 1 Thess. 2:11; 3 John 4
[21]The Holy Bible : English Standard Version. (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), 1 Co 4:14.
[22]John MacArthur, 2 Timothy (Chicago, Ill.: Moody Press, 1996, c1995), 158.
[23]John MacArthur, 2 Timothy (Chicago, Ill.: Moody Press, 1996, c1995), 158.