The Bible Gives You – Timothy 3:15-17
The Bible Gives You
Timothy 3:15-17
2 Timothy 3:15-17 and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for cor- rection, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
The title of today’s message is exactly as it appears in the Bible: “The Bible Gives You.” A world-famous Englishman, Sir Scott, suffered severely for three months leading up to his death. It is said that despite his intense physical agony, he never once showed any sign of pain in the presence of his wife, children, or grandchildren. I’ve read many of his books. He was just a man like anyone else, so how could someone face death like that? If the pain were that bad, you’d expect him to cry out, but in front of his family his face would always become bright, and whenever he was in pain, he would only say, “How much pain must the Lord have felt when He was on the cross?” That was all he talked about. He said, “I suffer for myself, but Jesus bore the sins of countless people and was nailed to the cross, naked and in shame. People cursed Him, beat Him, did all kinds of things to Him, yet He said, ‘Lord, they do not know their sin, so please forgive them,’” and he remembered those words. In Sir Scott’s household, even down to his grandchildren, the Bible never left their hands. Here we have pastors, elders, eldresses, and deacons. But have you raised your children like this? Don’t complain that your child doesn’t listen to you when you haven’t properly taught them.
He never once complained of his pain all the way to his final moments, and at the very end he asked a servant who was running errands to bring him a book. When the servant asked, “What book?” he replied, “What do you mean, what book? Is there any book other than the Bible?” He received the Bible, held it to his forehead, and wept, confessing, “God, thank You. I tried to live according to Your Word, but though the spirit was willing, the flesh was weak, so I could not live it properly. God, I’m sorry, and thank You.” His words, “If it’s a book, it’s only the Bible—what other book is there?” left a deep impact.
The Bible is the one and only book.
Even looking at today’s passage, the Bible is the Word of blessing that benefits us and makes us complete, and it is the Word that gives us wisdom leading to salvation (2 Tim 3:15). Those who grow older but stay immature and do not believe in God know nothing else but the world whether they are sick or healthy, and they are filled with only the world. Those who believe, even if they once had many desires, gradually let those desires go more and more. They let go of the material things and everything they were holding onto in their hearts. Humans come and go in only a brief period of time, and in the end, like Sir Scott, they will have the thought, “I must go before God,” and will ask their family to read the Bible to them and to sing hymns.
What is the proper foundation for a life of faith? In the nation of Israel, among the Jewish people, once a child turns five, the parents kneel before God and are obligated to teach the Law. As the child watches the father and mother kneeling, they follow along. And when they turn six, they are entrusted to a rabbi or teacher and begin to formally learn the Scriptures. Through early Bible education, understanding, wisdom, and insight grow from a young age, and knowledge increases. The teaching is like driving down a stake with Scripture, building a tall and strong pillar. That is why among the people of Israel there is no one who does not believe—they all believe. Whether the child goes out or comes in, whether at home or anywhere else, they read to their parents the Scripture they learned that day, and the parents listen and correct any mistakes. From a young age, their minds are filled with God and the Book of the Law. Even historically up to today, among all the nations of the world, the people of Israel have received the most Nobel Prizes, haven’t they? Even the world economy is led by Jewish people.
Early Bible education helps young children firmly plant the roots of faith.
All living things have roots. For a family to do well, children must be rooted in the Word of God. Only then will that household never collapse, and that family will not perish. The Word of God provides great help to both the spirit and the body in daily life; that is why the Apostle Paul adopted Timothy, who had a different surname, as his son by faith. When the Apostle Paul met Timothy, he was astonished to see that he knew the Scriptures deeply and extensively, and that his gait, posture when speaking, his way of sitting, and his attitude toward elders were all different. He said, “You have known the Scriptures from childhood. Your grandmother Lois must have taught you, seeing her sincere conscience and all these things.” Because Timothy’s whole household raised him with the Word from a young age, Paul said to him, “You have known the Scriptures from childhood.” This leads to a pure conscience—he does not act out of fear of others and does not lie. What amazed Paul was that Timothy’s grandmother Lois passed down a sincere and genuine faith to his mother Eunice, and that Timothy received it (2 Tim 1:5).
I am a person with a lot of spiritual zeal. I can see the nations of the world watching the History of Redemption Series, dancing and coming toward Korea, and it is not too late for the children of Pyungkang Church either. Grandfathers, grandmothers, fathers, and mothers can start teaching them now.
As soon as we open our eyes, we have to pay interest, and as soon as we wake up, we worry about what we will eat and how we will live. There is nothing but anxiety and worry in our hearts. But when we look at the Word of God, when we hear it and realize it, it says we will lack nothing (Ps 34). We all have things we lack, don’t we? We lack because our children don’t turn out the way we want, because our businesses aren’t going well, because we have conflict with our spouse, and because our sons and daughters live however they want. For many reasons, when weighed on the scale of God’s will, we are all lacking. In Daniel chapter 5, “Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin” means, “You have been weighed and found lacking.” King Belshazzar of Babylon, at the age of 62, held a feast with a thousand people, and when he received the revelation, the prophet Daniel interpreted it for him, and just as the prophetic word said, he died that very night. He did not fear God, and his kingdom fell to the Medes and Persians. It is truly pitiful.
When the Word is taught, parents will have no worries.
Paul said to Timothy that because he had known the Scriptures from childhood, he came to receive the praise he has now. His sincere faith without hypocrisy was based on the Bible education he received from his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice. Faith without hypocrisy is honest. Whether pastors, elders, senior deaconesses, or church members, lies come out the moment they open their mouths. They curse others, put others down, and act arrogantly for no reason.
Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it.
Do not disregard young children. If the Word is taught to them, parents will have no worries, and the child will never fail. God will help without holding back those who are without deceit and are honest (Ps 84:11). Because wicked stumble over the Word, they cannot believe and keep falling. But for the honest, when the Word comes in, everything comes to life, because the Bible is the living Word. When the Samaritan woman spoke with Jesus, He said, “The water that I give is living water” (John 4:10). Teach young children well with the Word of God. Making money is not the issue. If you just believe and hold onto God’s Word, you become honest, and God will help such a person without holding back. A family that teaches God’s Word, and a child who receives that teaching—this is blessing upon blessing, a bundle of blessings, like a treasure, a greater blessing than silver or gold. Because that child seeks only God, they receive blessings when they go out and blessings when they come in, and through this, the household begins to prosper. Teach the Word. If you do not, tears will well up in your eyes when you grow old. Parents may go without eating or wearing decent clothing to pay all the tuition, but if they see their child not even recognize them, lying and living however they want, then in the parents’ hearts there is worry when they go out and worry when they come in.
If a child is given early education in the Word of God, the life of that one individual child will save their family, their neighborhood, their nation and people, and ultimately, the entire world.
Fletcher was a well-known professor of ethics in the United States. He emphasized “situational ethics,” the idea that our moral actions should be determined by the situation. However, while teaching situational ethics, he developed the argument that “there is no absolute morality,” and ultimately came to the conclusion that “only the morals taught in the Bible are absolute.”
His statement that the standard is in God’s Word the Bible, and not in the situation, is truly a powerful statement. That is why the Bible is the most accurate, without flaw, and like a vessel that does not leak whether it’s filled with water or oil. Although the Bible is an ancient book, it contains words that spring forth like a new spring every day. It has been said that the living water of truth always springs forth from within the Bible.
The roots of your sons’ and daugh- ters’ lives must be the Bible.
We must take note of the fact that the root of Timothy’s life of faith was the Bible. There is an anecdote about the American theologian George Peabody, who also lived with his faith rooted in the Bible. One day, the elderly theologian George Peabody asked a boy in his office to bring him a Bible. As the boy was carrying it, he tripped and dropped it on the ground. When the boy became flustered, he said, “My child, cherish the Bible. When you become old like me, the Bible will carry you.” It may sound hard to understand, but it is a weighty saying.
The Word of God brings change to our lives. The Bible is a book written under the inspiration of God. Because the Bible is inspired by the Holy Spirit, its words possess power, ability, and authority.
Dwight Moody was a poor and struggling man in the United States who worked as a shoemaker and only attended school up to the second grade. He later became a pastor and confessed, “I know the Bible is inspired because it inspires me.” The Bible is like a compass, a perfect guide for the life of faith, and an excellent guidebook for life. That is why even theologians who graduated from top universities and hold multiple doctoral degrees could not evangelize ten thousand people, yet a shoemaker with only an elementary school education evangelized over one million people. This number—one million—testifies to the power, strength, and authority of the Holy Spirit.
Although Peter was an uneducated man, after becoming the Lord’s disciple and receiving the Holy Spirit, every time he proclaimed, three thousand people were cut to the heart and cried out, “What shall we do?” and repented (Acts 2:37–38, 19:20). It is truly amazing. The Bible was written by people through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, but it was written because God made His Word known to them. Not even 1% of human thoughts, knowledge, or wisdom went into it. If you rely on the Word of the Bible, there is nothing to fear in all the world; worries and anxieties disappear, and there is peace. Heaven and earth are mine, because everything in the universe belongs to my Father. Are we not His children? It gives you boldness and courage. That is why the Apostle Paul clearly said, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness” (2 Tim 3:16).
The Bible makes those who are straying from the right path realize it themselves and rebukes them, making them feel a pang in their conscience and leading them to return. To those who cannot pray, it gives the wisdom, ability, strength, and love to pray, and it sends the spirit of zeal so that they can pray. Whenever you pray, God comes near (Deut 4:7). If you do not live a life of prayer, God is far away; then how can that household stand? How can the business succeed?
The Bible gives the will and faith to protect oneself from evil forces.
Elisha’s servant Gehazi, when hundreds of thousands of Aramean soldiers came, panicked and said, “This is a disaster! They’ve surrounded us like a swarm of ants!” Elisha didn’t even go out to look, but from inside he prayed, “God, please open the eyes of this servant so that he may see that You are with us.” At that single prayer, he saw horses of fire and chariots of fire, with heavenly hosts surrounding Elisha, countless in number. Then he prayed, “Make all the Aramean commanders and soldiers unable to see,” and at that moment their eyes were blinded, so that hundreds of thousands could not see. They were led by a young child, and when their eyes were opened, they found themselves in the middle of Israel. The God of Elisha, who believed in the power, authority, and might of the Word, became the God of Gehazi as well, didn’t He?
From now on, do not think that money is everything. If money were everything, then why do people get sick, and why do they commit suicide? Why do wealthy people jump from rooftops? There are unbelievers in this world with assets worth tens of trillions, but do not envy them. Compared to those who believe in Jesus, they are actually worse off. They cannot take any of it with them and will have to leave it all behind. Not even a single coin can be taken. But we take the Word with us to heaven. When you understand this spiritual reality, God tells us not to envy the world. Do not covet wealth that is uncertain, and do not strive to possess it.
“But you, man of God, pursue righ- teousness and justice.”
Abraham, the father of faith, became a source of blessing (Gen 12:2). The condition was that if he taught God’s Word and righteousness to his children, God would make him that way (Gen 18:18–19). Do not insist that your child must become president. If everyone becomes president, who will be the people? A president exists only because there are people, and a general exists only because there are soldiers. Everyone has their assigned role, so do not force your own ambition upon your child. If they hear God’s Word, sing hymns, and pray, they will come to believe in God, and they will always drive away doubt so that the sin of unbelief does not enter, and they will not set their hearts on the things of the world but will overcome temptation. In particular, Job confessed, even when looking at those who possessed great wealth, “My heart was not shaken. I look only to God”(Job 31). When you see that, one is led to wonder, “How can a human being believe to such an extent?”
The Word of God protects us wherever we go. It also says that angels guard us so that the wicked cannot harm us (Ps 34:7). The evil one cannot even touch us (1 John 5:18). When young children walk through the dark paths of this harsh world, if they pray before God and go trusting in Him, the wicked cannot touch them. Even if they tried, fear will come upon the hearts of the wicked, and in that moment they tremble, and thus they cannot touch the child as they pass by.
The Bible is not a book of the past. It is not a book of the future either. It is the living Word of God that is active right now. Look at Genesis 1:1: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth”. Because this Word is alive, it creates immediately and works immediately. The Bible is a book for those who believe in the now. If you do not believe, what past or future can there be? A past and a future exist only when I believe. We must believe in the Word of God that is living and active right now. Only the Word of God.
George Washington, the first president of the United States, set the standard of politics on the Bible and said that governing without the Bible is impossible. The Bible contains the wisdom that leads to salvation. In studying, in business, in politics—wisdom is needed in all things, but the wisdom that leads to salvation applies only to those who believe in Jesus.
2 Timothy 3:15 and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to sal- vation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
All people, in their foolishness, turn away from salvation. But the one who knows the Bible drinks from within it the living water that quenches thirst forever, and those who eat the heavenly manna will never die. Jesus said, “You ate the manna that Moses gave and died, but the manna that I give will never die” (John 6). Those who know the Bible are guided through it to the way of salvation and come to know the mystery of God’s salvation. Moreover, since the Bible was written because of Jesus alone, when you continually search the Scriptures, you will naturally come to believe in Him and know Him (John 5:39; Deut 4:9; 6:4–9; 32:46).
A child raised in the Word honors their parents (Deut 5:16; Prov 3:3; 6:21; 7:3). And when you discipline your child, you must not strike them out of hatred, as if you want to harm them. With the Lord’s love, you must truly have the heart of “I would rather die a hundred times over than not save this one child.” Only then it is acceptable to rebuke, correct, or even discipline them. In that case, even discipline with the rod is not sin (Prov 29:15; 10:13; 22:15).
Proverbs 23:13-14 Do not hold back disci- pline from the child, although you strike him with the rod, he will not die. You shall strike him with the rod and rescue his soul from Sheol.
The Bible contains wisdom that leads to salvation.
The Bible is not theory or philosophy. If the Bible had not been given to us as a gift, humanity would not be able to find the way to salvation. Just as you must buy a ticket to ride a train, the Bible is the ticket for the train to heaven that leads to salvation. We who have received the Word of God must always be thankful. Whatever we do, we must live by God’s Word. Even at the final moment when we are sick and about to die and go to heaven, only God’s Word alone is the Word of eternal life that will help us, guide us, comfort us, and give us the strength, courage, and hope to enter heaven.
You did well in coming this evening for this Word. From now on, may the hearts of your entire household not be set on other things, but like Timothy, live with a faith that never departs from the Word of God, with a pure and sincere conscience and faith without hypocrisy. With a heart of faith like Timothy’s, and even beyond that, may all of us—including this unworthy servant, the senior pastor, and the entire congregation— move forward together in unity from this day on. Even if you forget everything else, do not forget the Word of God; hold it firmly in your hearts, cherish it, and continue on in faith. I bless this upon you all in the name of the Lord.
Let us pray.
The Bible serves as a map and compass for those navigating through the seas. It contains the wisdom that leads to salvation, brings peace into our daily living, and furthermore becomes the true foundation of our life of faith. Even if we forget everything else, may we never forget Your Word, the Bible, and may it remain in the center of our hearts by the Holy Spirit until the day we reach His kingdom. Even if the evil one tries even now to steal away the Word we have received in this life of grace, please protect us from those forces of evil with the authority and power of the Holy Spirit. Though our spirit is willing, our flesh is weak, and we often fall; in those moments, please walk with us at our right hand and stay with us, driving away and blocking all evil. Whether we eat or drink or whatever we do, there is nothing apart from Your Word that enables us to give glory to You. Apart from Your Word, we cannot give thanks to You. Apart from Your Word, we cannot glorify You. May Your Word alone fill all the saints of Pyungkang Church. May every home and every family be filled with Your Word, filled with grace, and filled with the Holy Spirit, always giving thanks to You. May the Word of Scripture never depart from our hearts, but remain with us as a blessed life until the end.
From now until the day we enter Your kingdom, may we become people who keep Your Word in our hearts, walk according to the Word, speak according to the Word, and do all our work according to the Word. May every home be filled with the Word, so that the evil darkness of Satan and the devil cannot gain any foothold, and may all forces of evil be overcome by the sharp sword of the Word. May our lives be filled with the Word so that thanksgiving overflows, giving thanks through Your Word, speaking through Your Word, meeting others through Your
Word, receiving help through Your Word, and helping others through Your Word. In everything, may our lives be filled with the Word so that thanksgiving overflows. With gratitude for Your Word, and offering all our prayers and requests through it, we lift up this prayer of thanksgiving in the holy name of Jesus. Amen.
November 2, 2011, Wednesday Service
Sermon by Rev. Abraham Park
- 26년 4월호