The Word of God
Part 2 - November 13, 2016
2 Timothy 3:12-16 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
Serving God will cause persecution.
(13) But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.
2000 years ago men were waxing worse, so what about NOW?
• There is going to be a lot of falsity, and we
need the STANDARD of the BIBLE to tell what is true or not.
• IS THE DOCTRINE WE ARE FOLLOWING the one Jesus wants us to follow?
• What is of man and what is really of God?
• Basing salvation on a false doctrine leaves us without a second chance.
• We die and it’s over.
(14) But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and
hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;
Notice Paul’s reason for telling Timothy to stay in the teaching that he was taught.
• Because it sounded good?
• Because it’s better compared to other beliefs?
• No.
• Because OF WHO TAUGHT TIMOTHY.
This is not speaking about what you personally have learned from someone.
• It is not saying that whoever taught you the word, you need to abide by that.
• Paul was writing to TIMOTHY.
• And Paul was telling him that what TIMOTHY LEARNED FROM PAUL was what Timothy had to continue in.
• If this is going to benefit you, you need to learn what Paul taught Timothy and believe it, too.
• THAT is what WE must obey as well, unless it
was something personal about Timothy that doesn’t apply to anyone
else, such as something like Timothy’s personal situation with a
problem he was in.
• What PAUL TAUGHT TIMOTHY as TRUTH is what WE must obey as well.
(15) And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures,
which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is
in Christ Jesus. (16) All scripture is given by inspiration
of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction,
for instruction in righteousness:
It is not man’s opinion.
• What scripture contains is INSPIRED OF GOD, and not man’s ideas.
• It is useful for what to know about doctrine,
you can correct with it and instruct ourselves for righteousness.
2 Peter 1:20-21 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the
scripture is of any private interpretation. (21) For the
prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God
spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
Not a man’s personal opinion.
• These men wrote what God told them to write.
• For example, they wrote of visionary things flying and knew not what it was fully all about.
• They just knew they had to write about it.
• Like writing a letter for an employer and not know all his point.
The BIBLE is the STANDARD.
• We cannot go by what is convenient for us or what we think.
• Or what avoids persecution.
One person told me they did not like the idea of a hell so they did not believe it.
• It doesn’t matter what we LIKE if something is actually real.
• We have to believe what is real whether we like it or not.
2 Peter 3:15 And account that the longsuffering of our Lord
is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the
wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;
Peter spoke about things Paul wrote.
• He said GOD gave Paul wisdom.
• And Peter was the one who walked with the Lord
in the inner circle of all the apostles while Jesus was on earth.
Peter said Paul wrote some things hard to be understood.
2 Peter 3:16 As also in all his epistles, speaking in them
of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which
they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other
scriptures, unto their own destruction.
EPISTLES are letters to the churches.
• They people in these churches were already saved people.
• We don’t read words explaining to them how to get saved, but how to stay saved and serve God.
• And Peter put Paul’s words in his
letters on the same level as the scriptures of the rest of the Bible.
• Their scriptures were the Old Testament.
• They were in the process of writing the New Testament when Peter said this.
• So, by “scriptures” Peter meant the Old Testament.
• Paul’s words were as much scripture as
David’s book of Psalms and Moses’ Pentateuch, and
Isaiah’s prophecies.
• Peter said “AS THE OTHER scriptures”, putting Paul’s in the same category.
And he said that twisting what Paul said brings a person to their own destruction!
• That can only mean that he spoke GOD’S
WORD, because only twisting God’s Word would bring destruction to
you.
2 Peter 3:17 Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these
things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of
the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.
It is possible to take these scripture, misunderstand them and bring your own destruction.
• You have to RIGHTLY DIVIDE IT.
The early church had stedfastness of the apostles’ teachings.
• He warned they could get away from what apostles taught.
2 Peter 3:18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever.
Amen.
This shows us that what the epistles said were to those already saved WHO HAD TO GROW.
It is important to realize the epistles are written to people ALREADY SAVED.
Revelation 22:18-20 (18) For I testify unto every man
that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall
add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are
written in this book: (19) And if any man shall take away
from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his
part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the
things which are written in this book. (20) He which
testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so,
come, Lord Jesus.
Many say, correctly, this is in reference to the BOOK of Revelation.
But in Deut 4:2…
Deuteronomy 4:2 Ye shall not add unto the word which I
command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep
the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.
Same principle.
• If add or take away.
• Even newer versions better be checked.
• As far as technically good, the is
extremely scholarly and had dozens of Greek scholars working on it.
• But it is hard to follow due to old English.
• So we can get help from newer ones and even GREEK meanings.
• But make sure you LEAVE THE WORD ALONE and not delete from it or make additions to it.
Proverbs 30:6 Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.
2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a
workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of
truth.
Study what?
• We are commanded to study the WORD OF TRUTH, and rightly divide it as we do.
• False prophets and deceivers specialize in taking Bible OUT OF CONTEXT.
• Make it say something it is not saying or apply to what it is not applying to.
• Wrest it to their own destruction.
• Ensure you know the SETTING when we read any given verse.
• Read the whole chapter.
• Get what he is writing about.
When will they be ashamed?
• AT JUDGMENT.
DIVISIONS OF NT.
• NT is OT revealed.
• OT is NT concealed.
• NT often quotes from OT.
• Apostles expose the true meaning of the OT scriptures.
• Study it with THAT in mind.
• You can find the OT verse quoted in the NT, and study what the apostles said about it.
FOUR GOSPELS
• Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
• Start with birth of Jesus and end somewhere around death and resurrection of Jesus.
• That is why similar experiences are written in all four.
• BIOGRAPHY OF LIFE OF JESUS.
ACTS – ACTS OF THE APOSTLES.
• Only book in entire bible with verbatim words of what they told the lost in order for them to be saved.
• You have to go to Acts to find the info of what to tell the lost to do.
Some say this is only one book in the bible, but so is GENESIS.
• But to learn in detail how God created the earth the only book you can go to is GENESIS.
• The only place creation is recorded in detail is Genesis.
• The following books CONFIRM what Genesis said to be true.
• BOOK OF ACTS THE SAME THING IS TRUE.
• Every book before Acts leads up to and
confirms what happens in Acts, and all after confirms what is recorded
there to be true.
• It has the actual sermons preached to the lost.
• VERY IMPORTANT BOOK to learn what the apostles preached.
EPISTLES.
• Letters to churches of people already saved.
All the rest of the epistles are to people already saved.
• Paul wrote two to a person named Timothy.
• CORINTHIANS is to CHURCH at Corinth.
• Already saved.
• You will find confirmation from Acts of how to
be saved, but primarily will read in epistles of how to live once saved.
• So emphasis is upon HOW TO GET INTO CHURCH, and then HOW TO LIVE AFTER IN CHURCH.
REVELATION
• Totally prophetic.
• Much like Old Testament.
• Symbolic imagery like old testament prophecies.
• Dragon there is symbolic of devil.
• Very little literalism.
• Jesus a lamb.
• Two women – true people and false people.
• Do not start reading the bible by going to REVELATION first.