may be seated. Let's open up our Bibles. Did you bring a Bible to church? Wonderful. About a third of you. That's okay. For the rest of you, this is church. We read the Bible and encourage you to bring along every single week so we can open up together and you can read along. Turn with me to the book of 2 Timothy chapter 3. That's not my dyslexia. There actually is a 2 Timothy. 2 Timothy chapter 3 is where we are going to be today. And just really briefly, some kind of contextual background to this letter. It was written by a man named Paul who is now towards the end of his life. And he's in prison in Rome. And he is equipping Timothy, one of his disciples, one of his protégés, to officially step into the leadership role of overseeing a network of churches in the ancient Roman city of Ephesus and the surrounding area. And Paul has a lot to impart to Timothy, but not just to Timothy, still to the church today. We can derive a lot out of the text that we're going to spend some time in. What I want to do is I want to begin with where we'll end up. And so we're going to be in a passage from verses 10 to 17. But I want to begin the message with a message that I want to begin with. And I want to begin the message with a message picking it up in verse 16. 2 Timothy chapter 3, verses 16 and 17. You've probably heard this before. It says,

Now, what I want you to notice about those couple of verses right there is how it describes the role of the Bible in your life. That all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for what? For teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness. That is, for forming you. For helping you to become who God intends for you to be. For helping you to become more like Jesus in your character. Right? So there's an internal working that the Bible wants to do by the Spirit of God in your life. But not just internal. It goes on in verse 17 to say, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. So it's not just character, but it's also calling. It's internal. But it's also external. Scripture plays a irreplaceable role in your life to ready you in here and also to equip you for out here. Does that make sense to you guys? This is actually something we see all throughout the Bible. That we see this theme of the role of God's Word in our lives from cover to cover in the Scriptures. When you hear that word, God-breathed, that probably makes you think of a moment in the beginning in Genesis chapter 2 where God took the dust of the earth and he formed it in his hands. And then he what? He breathed into that and it became a living being. Adam and Eve, the first couple. God breathed into his existence. And in the Scripture, the breath of God is associated with the Word of God. So it's the same kind of picture of God's Word being given to Adam in his formation. But also in his mission. Right? Because then God literally says, be fruitful. Fill the earth. Multiply. Subdue the earth. Essentially take Eden and fill the rest with this Garden of Eden reality. Scholars call that the Edenic or the cultural mandate. To fill the world with the reality of Eden, which is filled with God's presence. And so we see again that God's Word plays the role of forming mankind, but also empowering mankind in the mission that God has for them. This is the role of God. I'm talking to you today about the role of God's Word in your life. That God's Word is given to you to form you and also to empower you. That God wants to deal with you on the inside of here. That's the power of God. That's the power of God. The power of the Gospel, by the way, is that it doesn't just clean you up on the outside, but God gives you a new heart. That's why we sing so passionately about the worthiness of Jesus, because only Jesus could change us from the inside out. So He forms us, and then He also empowers us in the mission that He has for us in this life. And He does have purpose and mission for you, as we'll talk about today. One of my favorite little anecdotal kind of moments in Scripture is in the book of Jeremiah. How many of you read the book of Jeremiah before? It's in the Old Testament. How many of you got depressed after you read the book of Jeremiah? Right? Yeah, tough book to read. But there's something really significant in the book of Jeremiah. Oftentimes when you read the prophetic books, they'll have little phrases that will timestamp their moments in their prophetic ministry. And Jeremiah has one of those phrases. It's in the fourth year of Jehoiakim. Jehoiakim was one of the final kings of Israel before they were attacked by Babylon and exiled. And so in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, Jeremiah describes two really significant events that happened in that year. It's the year 605 B.C. So like 2,600 years ago. 605 B.C., the fourth year of Jehoiakim, two really significant events happened, and Jeremiah records them both. The first one is a really famous battle known to historians called the Battle of Carchemish. Everyone say Carchemish. There's no theological reason why I had you do that. It's just a fun word to say. The Battle of Carchemish. And historians, they talk about the significance of the Battle of Carchemish because this was the battle where the people of Israel were the Babylonian Empire attacked the Assyrian Empire and the Egyptian army who had come up to help Assyria. And because of Babylon's victory at the Battle of Carchemish, the balance of power in the ancient world turned from Assyria to Babylon. So Babylon became the new superpower, 605 BC. But it also, and this is why Jeremiah records it, it also positioned Babylon just north of Israel, because they were over here in the east, but now they had come west, and now they're just north of Israel, and they're perfectly positioned to be able to attack, destroy, and exile Israel and Jerusalem. Really significant event. There's a second thing that Jeremiah records happening in 605 BC, though, and it's the day that God told Jeremiah, write down all the prophetic words I've given you, put them in a scroll, take that scroll and have it read, have it preached, essentially, as a sermon in the temple. So this temple... This temple sermon gets preached, and it gets brought from the temple, actually, to the palace of the king, and the sermon of Jeremiah, God's word to Israel, is preached, it's read to the king of Israel, and you'll find this in Jeremiah chapter 36, I believe, that with every segment of the sermon that is read to the king, he took his sword, he cut off the section of the scroll, and he threw it into the fire. And he did that with the word of God until the entirety of the scroll, all of Jeremiah's prophetic words to Israel, were burned in the fire. Both of those events, the battle of Carchemish and the burning of God's word in Israel, happened in 605 BC. What's Jeremiah's point to us? His point is that in the natural realm, it might look like the battle of Carchemish is what settled the destiny of Israel. But in actual fact, it was their rejection of the word of God that settled the destiny of Israel. You see, destiny is determined not by the affairs of mankind, which you cannot control. Destiny is determined by your obedience to the word of God, which you can control. Who you are and what you do is directly impacted by your love for and your submission to the scriptures. And when we reject God's words, two things happen. We get corrupted in our character, and we fail to fulfill our purpose. And that's exactly what happened with Adam and Eve. That's what happened with Israel. But it should not be the case, with you, Timothy, says Paul. If you stick with God's word, you, Timothy, will be formed, and you will fulfill the purpose of God for your life. You see, this is the overall intent of Paul as he writes this letter to his protege, is to encourage him to fulfill his purpose and embrace the hardship that comes along with doing that. And it's a powerful book for us because you and I, as followers of Jesus, we all have a spirit-led inclination to fulfill the purpose of God in our lives. But in that process, we also experience a great deal of hardship and even what we would categorize as outright suffering, both internally and externally. And so we have to reconcile that reality that as we obey the Lord, as we fulfill His purpose in our lives, how do we reconcile that with the hardship and the suffering that we experience and still be able to get to the end of the line, and say, I served God faithfully the whole time. Consistently, not sporadically, not from time to time, but the summation of my days could be characterized as having lived faithfully to God, having served Him as His son and daughter. How do we do that? That's the question that Paul is answering as he describes Scripture in the way that we had just read. And what I want to do is go through this passage and show the work, so to speak, and help us get to where Paul has arrived in his conclusion by beginning back in verse 10. Paul says to Timothy, You, however, Now you should know, for the faithful follower of Jesus, your life will include always a you, however. Because Christianity is a life of contrast. There is darkness, and you are called to stand in the light. There is evil, and you are called to do good. Christianity is a life of contrast. And this is part of what Paul is speaking to Timothy about here, particularly the contrast that needs to exist between Timothy's life and the lives of what Paul describes as false teachers, which is a problem that Timothy was dealing with. And in this passage that we're unpacking today, he's emphasizing the contrast between Timothy and the false teachers, but not just the existence of the contrast, rather how the contrast is achieved. In other words, he's instructing Timothy, Here's how you carry on with purpose, embrace hardship, when the other guys, the false teachers, are promoting exactly the opposite kind of lifestyle. Now, we can't fully reconstruct what it is that these false teachers were teaching, but what we do know, is that the effect of their teaching essentially minimized the importance of morality, minimized the need for living a godly life and conducting yourself, particularly in your actions with your body, your words, in a godly way. They had elevated the role of knowledge. It's probably an early form of what's called Gnosticism. So that salvation really had become about what you achieved through what you know. Mystical sounding, knowledge and religious looking activity, but no real impact on how they actually lived. And you can go read the list that Paul uses in the first five verses of chapter three in 2 Timothy to describe their behavior. We won't dive into it because you'll all be extra depressed by the end of this message if we do. But it is interesting that in that list, it begins with the fact that they are lovers of self and ends with the fact that they are lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. And that connection between love of self and love of pleasure is not an accident because wherever there is the idolatrous love of self, there is always the perverted love of pleasure. It has to be that way because when you are your own God, your desires become your true north. And when your life is all about fulfilling your own desires, satisfying your own pleasure, then that's what you make priority, no matter the cost, even though you might pay the cost. The people that you love, your friends, your family, your church might pay the cost. You don't really care at the end of the day because God's not God, you're God. And your desires, your longing for satisfying your pleasure has become what's most important to you. And so Paul says that not only do you love pleasure as a result of the idolatrous love of self, you also have a lack of love for God. And that's like what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, right? You cannot serve two masters. You will love the one and hate the other. Now, we don't have this exact concoction of false teaching in the church today hanging around, but we do have a similar obsession with the psychological. Because what happens in the secular world is we teach that you are what you think and you are what you feel. And so it's no surprise that just like with the false teachers in Ephesus, the result is that we reach the same idolatrous love of self and the perverted love of pleasure. And so when Paul says to Timothy, you, however, he is contrasting how he is supposed to live with the way that the false teachers and their followers were living. And here's the crazy part. You go and read in verse five in 2 Timothy chapter three, and Paul says that these false teachers, they have a form of godliness, but they deny its power, have nothing to do with such people. That's the big surprise at the end of the list. These false teachers, they aren't pagans. They're professing Christians. They claim to follow Jesus. They claim to be godly people. But the furthest thing from that, and that's why Paul says have nothing to do with them. He never spoke that way about unbelievers because unbelievers were his evangelistic goal. He wanted to reach non-believing people. But Paul did draw really clear lines for people who claimed, to be in, but lived in exactly the opposite way. People whose claim was godliness, but whose unashamed behavior denied that the power of God had actually transformed their lives. Of course, we know that the true Christian life comes with power to change because the spirit God gave does not make us timid, but gives us power, love, and self-discipline. 2 Timothy chapter one and verse seven. The gospel comes with power to be made like Jesus for Christian living and Christian ethics and Christian service and endurance of hardship for the sake, of Christ. Now here's the application of the first two words of this segment of scripture for you today. Pay attention to the fact that after Paul describes the false teachers, he does not say to Timothy, make sure other people don't go that way. You, however, Paul puts the magnifying glass on Timothy himself because Paul recognizes every single one of our propensities to remake the gospel according to our own desires, our own dysfunction, our own sin, and our own selfish choices. Go read the list, chapter three, verses one to five, and you'll see, wow, those things are all knocking at my door on a pretty regular basis. But we are all called to live with a you, however. It's like what Joshua said when he was leading the Israelites into the promised land in the Old Testament. He said, as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. You see, every single Christian needs at all times to have a you, however, on the inside of their spirit. That when those, those people are going that direction, you, however, are going to follow Jesus. That when that person is living unrighteously, you, however, are going to live righteously for the glory of God. That person over there is lazy. You, however, are going to work hard for God's glory. That person is filled with bitterness, self-pity, and envy. You, however, are going to steward your life for the glory of God. That man over there is throwing the towel in on his marriage. You, however, are going to work through your issues with your spouse for God's glory. Every follower of Jesus needs a you, however, on the inside of their spirit. inside of their spirit. So that's what Paul points Timothy to. You, however, what? You know my teaching, way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, and sufferings. I want to break the first three of those down for us because it has a lot of application power. When Paul says that you, however, know my teaching, he's referring specifically to the gospel. That is the message about Jesus. His death, his resurrection, his exaltation to the right, and to the Father, his ongoing reign from the heavenly realm over the universe. That is the gospel. And Paul's understanding of the gospel is that it impacted every single part of our lives. If you look back in chapter 1 of 2 Timothy, verses 9 and 10, Paul says this, that God has saved us and called us. In other words, God's salvation did not stop at just what he did inside of me, but God also called me to a holy life. That word holy means devoted, to a devoted life. This isn't because of anything that we have done. That's such good news. But because of God's own purpose and God's own grace. And that grace was actually given you in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time. In other words, God always planned on being this gracious to you. And now that grace has been revealed through the appearing of our Savior. That is the incarnation of Jesus who has destroyed death through his death and resurrection and has brought life and immortality to light forever. Through the gospel. I just love how real the gospel was to Paul. That he can say that Jesus Christ had destroyed death even though that he is in Roman prison and he himself is near death. The gospel is the ultimate reality for Paul. That even though he himself is about to die, he can look death square in the eyes and say, you have already been destroyed through the good news of Jesus Christ. There's no need for me to have fear because I'm living for Jesus. So Paul's teaching was that the gospel had saved him and called him to a, let's say, a peculiar life. A life of devotion to fulfilling the purpose of God. And that's why the next thing he says to Timothy is that you have observed not just my teaching but my way of life. That way of life is patterned after the gospel itself. It has to do with your character. It's a life of carrying your cross for the sake of trusting God. Trusting God to bless you. Trusting God to vindicate you. It's a life of serving instead of expecting to be served. It's a life of generosity. It's a life of loving your neighbor and your neighbor. It's a life of loving your enemy. It's following Jesus faithfully. And you see, contrary to the false teachers in Ephesus, Paul's understanding of the gospel is that the gospel actually changes you and impacts how you live. It made him exercise self-control over his actions, over his words, over his thoughts. You see, any gospel that leaves you unchanged at the level of your morality is a false gospel. Any understanding of grace that just becomes licensed for you to sin is a cheap and distorted view of grace. Friends, the gospel changes us. Paul says in 2 Corinthians, I became a new creation when the gospel got a hold of me. And the same needs to be true for you and I that the gospel powerfully works within us to change us that we become more like Jesus in our character, our inner life. But of course, the gospel is not just dealing with our inner life. Paul also says that because of the gospel, because of the teaching that I've received and I've passed on to you, you've also been able to observe my purpose. The English Standard Version says, my aim in life. And I love that the gospel comes with a way of life and an aim in life. You see, it's character and it's calling. Now Paul's talking about fulfilling the call of God. Paul was called to be an apostle to the Gentiles, to spend his life on mission, bringing the good news about Jesus Christ throughout the Roman Empire that pagan people would come to faith in the one true living God. You see, Paul's life had intention. Paul's life had direction because it was lived in light of the fact that God had a purpose for him. Does your life have direction? Does your life have intention because you understand that God has purpose for you? When Paul uses the word purpose there that we just read, it's the same word that we read a moment ago when he talked about God's purpose that he had before the beginning of time. And just like God fulfilled his purpose, was undeterred by the animosity of the enemy, by the disobedience, by the disobedience of humanity, God still fulfilled his purpose down through the ages until it came time for Christ to fulfill it completely. So also Paul says, I remain undeterred in my purpose. I embrace and persevere through hardship and suffering as well. If Jesus Christ could fulfill the purpose that God had for him, then me also as a son of God in Christ Jesus, I can fulfill the purpose that God has for me and remain undeterred no matter the obstacles that are in my path. And remember this is exactly what Paul, is driving home to Timothy, fulfill your purpose no matter the cost. And purpose comes at a cost. That's why Paul goes on to talk about needing faith and patience and love and endurance because there is persecutions and there is suffering. Let's just pause a moment and consider what have we learned so far from what Paul says to Timothy. Well, first and foremost, what we learn based upon teaching way of life and aim in life that the gospel gave rise to a new life. It gave rise to two things in Paul's life. It gave rise to character and it gave rise to calling. It gave rise to who he is becoming and what he is doing. And I find that sustaining both of those outcomes in the life of a believer is a challenge for a lot of Christians and we tend to gravitate towards one end of the spectrum and leave the other one neglected. You see, on one end, we're serving God on the surface and maybe there's a lot of purpose-like activity, but beneath the surface, there's, there's undealt with sin and so the activity becomes a cover-up for our hypocrisy. But on the other end of the spectrum, maybe we try our best and we're so focused and committed to living a pure life and we try to avoid sin and we try to uproot sin from our life and remove ourselves far from temptation, but in that process, we also neglect and avoid the purpose of God in our lives. And I actually think that this is a lot of Christians today. I'm alarmed. In our increasingly post-Christian culture, how low the bar has become for Christians to consider themselves living the way that Jesus intends. It's almost like that because the world has so lost its mind on issues of morality and purity, we've allowed that reality to lower the bar of what righteousness looks like. And so we think that just because I'm not committing any of the obvious sins that the culture is celebrating, I can give myself a pat on the back and say, wow, good job, soldier. You're really living the way that Jesus intended you to live. But I just want to repeat myself from last week that we do not do justice to the gospel simply by avoiding sin. We do justice to the gospel by engaging in purpose and living the life that God has called us to. When you look and you see the dysfunction of the world, don't let that lead you to feeling justified in your holiness. Rather, let that motivate you in the mission that God still has for your life. Because yes, the world is lost, but guess what? You're found and you're called to bring broken people home. Into the kingdom of God. And God has given all his grace to you you would succeed in that endeavor. His spiritual gifts, just the very presence of his Holy Spirit in your life, who you are, your unique perspective and your passions and what makes you you, your finances, your resources, all of that is given by God for you to steward in overcoming the evil one and advancing the kingdom of God in the earth. And if you take that purpose up, it will come. It with a cost. Paul says persecutions and sufferings. He goes on, he says, what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, in Iconium, in Lystra, the persecutions I endured? Now I read that and I thought that was really interesting because persecution basically followed Paul every single place that he went with the gospel. Every city that Paul preached in, he faced a lot of pushback from spiritual powers that manifested their power through human beings who pushed back against Paul. And persecuted him. So it's interesting that he lists these three cities here. And what I found out is that these three cities were on Paul's first missionary journey. And so what Paul is reminding Timothy here is the fact that that hardship and suffering has been a feature from the beginning. It's been a part of my experience from the very onset of serving the Lord. He was chased out of the first two cities and then his opponents caught up to him in Lystra in the third city. And they stoned him until they believed he was dead and they dragged him to the outskirts. And they said, and they left him there for dead. Now as an apostle, Paul considered his suffering unique. Maybe a notch or two above what the everyday Christian would experience. But remember his point to Timothy, fulfill purpose, embrace hardship. If you choose to follow God, become the person that God intends for you to be, do the things that God intends for you to do, that will come with hardship. But it's also where power is. This is why the false teachers, they had no power. Not only a lack of power to change internally, but also a lack of power to change internally. They had no lack of power to minister to others. Because all they could offer was religious-looking practice and mystical-sounding knowledge and there is no power in being impressive. There is only power, the New Testament teaches, in our weakness. There is power in our surrender. There is power in our submission to Jesus. And that was constantly Paul's experience. So next time you feel weak, next time you feel inadequate, understand that that is the perfect window of opportunity for the power of God to flow through your life, in your workplace, in your family, in your church, here in this place. When you feel inadequate, understand that's when God's power can be displayed. I find that the Christian life, I don't know if you watched any of the Olympics, but the Christian life is not like a Noah Lyles 100 meter dash. I learned of a new event in the Olympics this year in the track and field. It's the steeplechase. Have you heard of the steeplechase? Neither had I. It's crazy. It's 3,000 meters around the track. They're jumping over hurdles and some of the hurdles land in water. I'd never seen anything like that. I looked up some pictures of athletes not making it over the hurdle and face planting into the water. I was going to show you some, but they were wearing, you know, their clothing is too tight, so I decided it was inappropriate.

But you know, the Christian life is a lot more like the steeplechase than it is the 100 meter dash. It's not over in a split second. You don't get there just by running the fastest. There's going to be obstacles. Some of those obstacles are going to land you in water. They're going to land you in all kinds of muck and mire. And it's continuing to trust. Trust God in the midst of that hardship. Continuing to follow Jesus even when things get difficult. Trusting Him that He will pick you back up and help you to keep going. And that, in fact, is what Paul says. He says, Yes, I have yet had many persecutions, yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. I love that. Here Paul is quoting from Psalm 34, 19, which says that the righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all. So Paul reaches back to the Old Testament to help him understand his own experience with God's faithfulness. He uses Scripture to help him carry on in purpose. And I love this about Paul's theology, that he did not just have a good theology of suffering, he also had a good theology of divine rescue. You see, if God is not done with you, then that hardship will not be the end of you. Hardship is not God's ultimate goal or point for your life. God will use hardship as a window of discipline to make you more like Jesus in character and in calling. But the hardship will not last forever, because hardship is not the point. The love of the Father is the point. And in the Father's love, He'll allow you suffering to make you more like Jesus in who you are and what you do. But then the window of hardship will come to an end, because God doesn't just discipline. I've found that God also redeems. God also vindicates. God also delivers. God also rescues, heals, and saves. This is in the nature of God. Paul says for as many times as I've fallen down, for every story I have of hardship, I have an equal and opposite story of the faithfulness, the goodness of God, helping me to get back up again. And in fact, that's exactly what happened in Lystra. When Paul was stoned and dragged to the outskirts of the city and left for dead, it says that the other disciples, they gathered around Paul. And as they gathered around him, Paul miraculously got back up and went back into the city and carried on with God's purpose for his life. That's why you need the church of Jesus Christ, because you don't get back up on your own. You get back up when fellow disciples gather around you and pray for you and believe in you. And because of God's power at work through the church, you may have been knocked down, but you also, like Paul, are going to get back up and carry on with his purpose for your life, for your marriage, for your career, for your plans. God wants to work this way. In your life. And this is what he's reminding Timothy of. He says, as for you, Timothy. And Timothy's probably thinking at this point in the letter, Paul, I get it. Fulfill purpose. Embrace hardship. Be like Jesus. Got it.

How do I do that for a lifetime? Especially when I hear so much doctrine and other opinions from other people about other ways of living and being in the world. How do I do it? Paul tells us, keep going in the text. He says, well, continue in what you've learned and have become convinced of. I love that language. You don't need a new thing. You just need to continue in the thing. Stop being so hungry for something new all the time. You don't need a new book. You need the book.

Go to the scripture. Because you know those from who you learned it and how from infancy you have known the holy scriptures. Timothy, I know there's all this mystical, impressive sounding knowledge out there. Just go back to the scripture, which are able to make you wise for salvation. Through faith in Christ Jesus. Now this is the perfect conclusion to Paul's point. Because for the entirety of this chapter, he's been holding up the example of the false teacher and the example of Paul's own life. He's saying, Timothy, go this direction. This is the way that you're called to live. And now here, we see the answer for how. How to live a life that is pleasing to God, both in character and in calling. This is the thing right here that produces a life of godliness when other people are reveling in sin. This is the answer here for how you continue on in living missionally minded when other people are seeking and gravitating towards comfort. Paul says it's really simple. Timothy, you were raised on scripture. In other words, scripture got you this far. Why would the word of God not be able to carry you on into his ongoing plan for your life? Now that you're stepping into this deeper level of purpose, Timothy, taking on the leadership of these churches in Ephesus, Timothy, be prepared. Be reminded scripture's what got you here. Scripture's what's gonna keep carrying you on. And it's so great because we can make the Christian life so complicated. We can make understanding and finding the will of God for our lives needlessly complicated because it doesn't really need to be all that complicated. You see, God's word to you has everything you need to equip you for every single stage, every single season. No matter what your circumstances are, God's word is not just for you. It's also to you. It's there to equip you, to empower you, and to help you keep going. And Paul has just demonstrated that in his own life, hasn't he? He says, Timothy, I've been knocked down a thousand and one times. What does he do? He reaches back to Psalm 34. Paul stands upon the scripture. He does it again in the next chapter of 2 Timothy. He's in Rome. He's facing death. And then he quotes Psalm 121. Paul had built his life upon scripture because Paul understood that scripture had made him wise for salvation in Jesus. It had helped him to become like Jesus. And it carried him in God's purpose for his life. And it would continue to carry him in God's purpose for his life. Sometimes our future can feel very uncertain. Sometimes the obstacles can seem insurmountable. And we can get worried and afraid. But we need to pay attention to what Paul says to Timothy.

Scripture got you this far. Scripture will continue to carry you. Why? Because scripture is no ordinary book. Scripture is God-breathed.

Inspired by the Lord himself. And therefore it is useful for teaching. Don't make up your own theology about the character of God. Definitely don't get your theology from TikTok. Don't import your own understanding into who God is and what his character is like. Get your theology, get your understanding of who God is from the scripture. Scripture is God-breathed and it's useful for teaching you about who God is. More than that, scripture is useful for rebuking. That word rebuking has to do with addressing God. It's addressing the lies and the false beliefs that you have. That leads you away from truth. Scripture can rebuke the lies of the culture and lead you into truth. Let scripture correct you because we all have behavior that needs correcting. Let scripture train you in righteousness so that every part of your life accords with godliness inside and out. So that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every single good work. In other words, scripture won't just make you better. Scripture will empower you to make the world around you better as well. The Bible says in Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 10 that you and I are God's handiwork. Created in Christ Jesus to do good works. It's the same good works that Paul is talking to Timothy about. And God had planned those good works in advance for you to do. So in the same way that God had a purpose before time began. A purpose to work salvation in your life. So also God had a purpose. He had a plan. He had set good works in your path for you to pick up and you to commit to and accomplish. God had planned how you'd be a light in your school. God had planned how you'd be a light in your family, in your workplace, in the church. God had planned how you'd be a light on the street that you live in. God planned all that out. And his word is there to equip you. In fact, God is so committed to you fulfilling the purpose that he has for your life. That he used dozens of different authors across hundreds and hundreds of different years. To tell one story that would point you to Jesus. So you go, wow. I want to be like Jesus. Not just in character, but also in calling. I want to live a life like the life that Jesus Christ lived. And make an impact like the impact that Jesus Christ made. That's part of God's plan. And it happens through the works that he's created you to do. And he's left you equipped with what you need. With the words of scripture to empower you to carry on that purpose that he has for your life. You see, here's the point of 2 Timothy chapter 3. Here's the idea. It's just as relevant today as it was to Timothy 2,000 years ago. You should write this down so you can meditate on it. Meditate on it on a Monday.

This is the point. word changes the man. So the man can change the world.

The scripture changes you. Molds you. Makes you.

So that you can be somebody who can have impact. Who can make a difference. Who can bring the power of God. Into the environment that God has called you to. That's the role of God's word in your life. Your formation. Your empowerment. Your character. Your calling. When everybody else is going 10,000 different directions. And you stop and ask, what direction am I supposed to go? Open your Bible. There's two things that you should do with what we've learned today. Number one, be in church every week. Paul says to Timothy in his first reading. He says, I want you to devote yourself to the public reading of scripture. You see, your Bible is not just for your quiet time. Scripture is to be read publicly. He says to preaching and teaching. Scripture is to be applied to your life. And simply by putting yourself in the environment where scripture is read and applied. Your own life begins to change as the spirit of God helps you to apply that to your own situation and context. Number two, find yourself a comfy chair. Set an alarm clock an hour before you need to get your day started. Buy yourself an NIV on Amazon for $16.99. Wake up every single day. Open that book every single day. Read it. Read it until scripture pops out at you. And then take that verse and commit it to memory. And meditate upon it. And think about it all day long. Because as you do that, you will begin to get formed through the word of God at work in your life. And that formation will overflow in the midst of your life. The mission that God has for you. Don't just do it every now and then. Commit yourself to it daily. And the change will be undeniable. The impact will be unignorable. Because that's the outcome of God's word in your life. Let's all stand to our feet.

Close your eyes. I'm going to read some scripture to you. Psalm 119.

It says, how can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart. Do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart. That I might not sin against you. Praise be to you, Lord. Teach me your decrees. With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. I rejoice in following your statutes. As one rejoices in great riches. I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees. I will not neglect them. I stand to your word.