“LIVING IN FAITH BY THE WORD OF GOD DURING THE PERILOUS TIME IN THE LAST DAYS” (II Timothy 3: 1-10): By. Bro. Daniel Pasaribu 3. Let the Word of God Make You Complete ( II Timothy 3:16-17). The final strategy is found in verses 16-17: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” If verse 15 teaches the “sufficiency of God’s Word,” then verses 16-17 teach the “authority of God’s Word.” They tell us why the Bible is all that we really need in order to go to heaven. Paul says that all Scripture (the Old and the New Testaments) is “God-breathed”. That’s a literal translation of the Greek word theopneustos. It means that God breathed out the words, and Moses wrote them down. God breathed out the words, and David wrote them down. God breathed out the words, and Daniel wrote them down. God breathed out the words, and Matthew wrote them down. God breathed out the words, and Paul wrote them down. This is the highest possible view of Holy Scripture. It’s not as if Moses was inspired the way that Shakespeare was inspired. Shakespeare wrote wonderful plays; Moses wrote down the very Words of God. The difference is total and complete. Dear Precious Brothers and Sisters in Christ, We all know that the Bible comes directly from God, it equips us to do every good work. Do you want to know God’s will? Study the Bible. Do you want to fulfill your mission in life? Study the Bible. Do you want to know what God wants you to do? Study the Bible. Do you want to live a better life? Study the Bible. Do you want freedom from sin? Study the Bible. Do you want God to be pleased with your life? Study the Bible. It will tell you everything you need to know. Pay attention to the phrases Paul uses to describe the practical impact of the Bible. God’s word tells us what is right (teaching), what is not right (rebuking), how to get right (correction), how to stay right (training in righteousness). Here is the result: We are thoroughly equipped to do what God wants us to do. A soldier needs the right equipment in order to win the battle. The Bible is the Christian’s sword by which we fight the battles of life. But a sword does no good if it is left in the scabbard. You have to take it out and use it. Likewise, the finest study Bible in the world will do you no good if you do not read it. This is Paul’s final answer to the “terrible times” that are coming in the last days. Know the Word! Read the Word! Obey the Word! We Never Outgrow the Bible. Make the Bible the foundation of your life. Love it and believe it and obey it and follow it and then teach it to others. That will make you strong and give you confidence when trouble comes your way, as it must come sooner or later. Knowing the Bible now can save your life later. So we can say it this way: We never outgrow the Word of God. We will always need it as the foundation of the church. You need it in your life and I need it in my life. The Word of God will make you complete so that you are ready to do everything God wants you to do. If we stand back and look at this passage as a whole, we can summarize it in a few key statements: 1) The world will get worse—Don’t be surprised.2) Tough times are here —Don’t be discouraged.3) It’s easier to stand strong if you don’t stand alone. 4) Believers who build their lives on the Bible may be persecuted but they will never be defeated. Ministry in the last days will be tough business. Only the strong will survive. But God has given us two advantage: 1. He has told us what will happen 2) He has told us what to do. Build your life on the Word of God and you will be able to survive the coming hard times. As a practical matter, there are some questions we should ask ourselves as we think about this passage: (Part of Message by Bro. Daniel Pasaribu)
Posted on: Sat, 22 Nov 2014 22:41:58 +0000
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