Introduction:

The Bible clashes today with the morality of our culture and to many it is not “politically correct. Therefore much of the world believes the Bible to be obsolete and even a book of hate. Paul charges Timothy to hold fast to the truth of God’s word and we must do so too even amidst the evil climate we live in. God’s word is true it truths are forever.

Only God’s can precisely predict future events and they are in the Bible. His word proves that it was authored by Some-one who not only can see the future, but who can also shape the future. For example, there are at least 332 distinct Old Testament predictions regarding the Messiah which Jesus fulfilled perfectly (such as His virgin birth in Bethlehem, His emergence from Egypt, His healing of the sick, His death on the cross, and so forth). Collectively, the combination of this evidence together is absolutely tremendous. Josh McDowell and Professor Peter Stoner have both calculated that the probability of any one man fulfilling just eight of these prophesies is one in 100,000,000,000,000,000 (10 to the 17th power). Someone noted just for an understanding of this overwhelming evident. That many silver dollars would cover the state of Texas two feet deep. Stoner says that if you consider 48 of the prophecies, the odds become one in 10 to the 157th power. In this passage we learn three things that we must do in relationship to God’s Word to have spiritual power in our lives. 81/2 feet,,, 268,597 mi²

I. Embrace God’s Word (3:14 -15).

1. He says, “Now, Timothy, you must embrace the things you’ve learned, don’t deviate, remains fixed, hold fast, don’t move no matter what the pressure, no matter what the difficulty. Evil may increase, don’t you compromise. Neither should we! Hostility may rise, don’t you waver. You stay true you remain in the things you learned.” The verb “learned, “man-than’-o means to disciple someone, to increase one’s knowledge…so continue in what you’ve learned.

2. But the second verb is the key, “hast been assured of.” That’s an aorist passive, the Greek verb pis’sdot’o / pistoo, means to confirm, assure, convince, establish; something that is a fixed and firm belief. That’s what a conviction is. That means its non‑negotiable. It’s not up for grabs. That is someplace where I don’t compromise. Those are our convictions. Timothy, don’t let anything change your convictions.
What made Timothy such an effective soldier in defending the truth was that he had such strong convictions. He had learned and become convinced of certain things, things that were truths regarding the Word of God.

3. Timothy was to hold to his convictions because he was to recall from whom he learned them…the worthiness of his teachers. Now you say, “Who were the teachers?” Look at verse 15, Paul reminds Timothy that from a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures (3:15). For Timothy, the Holy Scriptures was the Old Testament Genesis to Malachi. Timothy’s mother and grandmother taught him the OT from a child (bref-os), which means babe or infancy. From the time of childhood his mother and his grandmother had taught Timothy the truths of God’s Word. It is important to start young. – 2 Tim 1:5
Illustration: Brendan Corr interviewed Ken Ham for a podcast sponsored by Australian Christian College in October 2020. Quote, he said, “I remind people that when you look at what Paul said about Timothy and about how he was trained from a young age to know the Scriptures; we need to be teaching our children. That’s what our parents did with us. They taught us to be Vegemite kids, Vegemite is a dark coloured spread made from vegetables and yeast extract. It has a very strong and unique salty flavor. It is an acquired taste, but for Aussies who are raised on it as children, it is part of their everyday diet. Most Americans, you give them a taste of Vegemite they hate it. I love Vegemite and the reason is because our parents brought us up to acquire a taste from a young age, and that taste is with us for the rest of our lives. To acquire a taste for the things of the Lord, for apologetics, for a defence of the faith, for evangelism, for standing on God’s Word without compromise must start from a young age.

Nearly half (43%) of all Americans who accept Jesus Christ as their savior do so before reaching the age of 13 years of age.

4. Lois and Eunice were following that Old Testament instruction in Deuteronomy 6 that they were to instruct their children and they were to talk about the law of God when they stood up, sat down, lied down, walk in the way. Therefore, when Timothy heard the Gospel, what he had been taught made him wise unto salvation through faith, which is in Christ Jesus (3:15b) and ready to receive Christ. The Bible prepares us to make all the right choices in life and to …

II Trust God’s Word (16a)
1. We must believe ALL of God’s Word, not just some or most. This is because all Scripture is given by inspiration of God (3:16a). The phrase inspiration of God means “divinely breathed.” When you speak words, you breathe them out. Words travel out of our mouths on our breath. The Holy Spirit, transported His words into the minds of the biblical writers, and they wrote down God’s words. Psalm119:160 reiterate this truth.
Thy word [is] true [from] the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments [endureth] for ever.

2. In today’s language this means the Bible is the infallible Word of God. Jesus often appealed to Scripture as His infallible authority by saying, “It is written. “ When being tempted three times by the devil in the wilderness, each time Jesus responds by quoting from the book of Deuteronomy (Matthew 4:1-11). Jesus repeatedly testified to the complete inspiration, authority, and reliability of the OT. “The scriptures cannot be broken”.

3. The word scripture in (2 Timothy 3:16) refers to the Old Testament, since the New Testament was incomplete at this time. But this verse certainly includes any biblical writings considered inspired. The apostles considered the writing of Paul to be Holy Scriptures inspired by God. However, today even in so called Christian circles no portion of the Bible is more under attack than the epistles of Paul. In reference to Paul’s writing, Peter writes that Paul wrote with the wisdom God gave him (2 Peter 3:15-16). Peter considered the writing of Paul to be Holy Scriptures inspired by God.

4. Bible truths clash today with the morality of our culture and are not “politically correct.” The entire Bible in its original manuscripts is given by inspiration of God. Peter describes this process in his second epistle. 2 Peter 1:21

By the inbreathing of the Holy Spirit, biblical writers, using their own style, penned the actual words of God as revealed to them. It is inconceivable an all-powerful, all-knowing God would allow us to have a Bible we cannot trust. We are in a spiritual war, in which the Bible is our two-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12), and our loving God would not send us into battle with a faulty weapon, but we must trust that …

III Benefit from God’s Word (3:16b -17).

1. God’s Word is not only inspired, it is profitable when we receive it as His Word. The Bible is not just a book of inspiring stories about ancient people or a book of doctrine for theologians. It is profitable in everyday life. It is profitable for doctrine (3:16). The word- translated doctrine refers to the content of teaching, not the method. This means our doctrine and Christian instruction must be consistent with Scripture. Our God-breathed Bible gives us clear teaching on how we should live, and we must carefully obey it. Joshua said, “But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” – Joshua 24:15.

2. The Bible is also profitable. .. for reproof (rebuke) This means as we read or hear the Word of God, it brings conviction to our hearts about any sin in our lives. Hebrews 4:12 This means God’s inspired Word is a living force, penetrating our minds and hearts, bringing to our attention any personal sin-attitudes, actions, or words. Just reading the Bible, can cause you to break down in tears because it rebuked you of some sin in your life.

3. That naturally leads to correction, which translates a word meaning “a straightening up again.” When we receive the reproof and correction of Scripture, we will find our lives straightening out because it always results in our asking for forgiveness. The Bible not only rebukes us when we sin, but also tells us what to do to correct our spiritual condition so that God can use us again. 1 John 1:9

4. The Bible is profitable for teaching us, rebuking us, and correcting us. It is also useful for instruction in righteousness (3:16e). This means it tells us how to stay on the right track or stay ready for God to use. As we study the Bible, we learn how to live righteously. The Bible describes it like this: Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee (Psalm 119:11) Through the pages of His inspired word, God tells us how much He loves us, He rebukes us when we are wrong, tells us how to get right, and how to stay right with Him. God wants to produce mature Christians to do good works, note verse 17.

Conclusion:

Let me ask are you feeding on the word of God, preaching etc.

A critic once wrote a letter to a magazine saying, “Over the years, I suppose I’ve gone to church more than 1,000 times, and I can’t remember the specific content of even one Bible sermon over those many years. What good was it to go to church 1,000 times?” The next week, someone wrote back: “Over the past many years, I have eaten more than 1,000 meals prepared by my wife. I cannot remember the specific menu of any of those meals. But they nourished me along the way, and without them, I would be a much different man!” The Bible will do its spiritual work in us, if we will let it.