Hearing God's Word

Let me tell you about two conversations I remember. One was with someone who was just looking into the Christan faith. He said to me, 'I'm not sure whether God's even there, so I'm praying that he'll show me.' The other was a Christian agonising over a decision. She said to me, 'I sometimes wish that God would just tell us what to do.' What they both wanted was for God to communicate. And I guess we can all identify with them. Which is where tonight's passage 'scratches'. Because it makes the claim that God has communicated; that he's said everything we need to know; and that it's all here in this book, the Bible.


Firstly, GOD HAS SPOKEN IN THE BIBLE (3.14-15)

The background of 2 Timothy was that church-leader Timothy was surrounded by other church leaders who, like 2.18 says, had, 'wandered away from the truth.' They were still telling people what they thought God was saying - only it was false. Which is what Paul says in 3.13: 'evil men and imposters will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.' Then v14:

But as for you [Timothy] continue in what you have learned and become convinced of…

Ie, Paul believed that there is just one place where you can find communication form God. And he says: stick to it, and don't be side-tracked from it. So what is it? Verse 14:

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and become convinced of, because [1] you know those from whom you learned it, and [2] how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. (3.14-15)>

What he's saying is that God has communicated with us by sending his Son Jesus into the world. And there are two sources of information about Jesus. The first is, v14, 'those from whom you learned it' – ie, the people from whom Timothy first heard about Jesus. Which I think must mean Paul, and the other apostles. Timothy was in the same boat as us: he didn't actually see or hear Jesus. So he needed to be told by those who did. That was his first source of information. And for us, that information is in the New Testament (NT) writings.

His second source of information about Jesus is in v15: he also knows, 'the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.' By 'the Holy Scriptures', Paul must mean the Old Testamen(OT). Because the NT hadn't been written yet. So Paul is saying: you also have the OT part of the Bible which explained the coming of Jesus in advance, so that when he did come, people wouldn't miss it.

So, Paul is saying: God has communicated by sending Jesus into our world. Our two sources of information about him are the OT and the NT, which make up the Bible. And that's it. So, v13, others may be getting completely side-tracked. 'But as for you,' stick to the Bible.

So if like that guy I mentioned at the start, you're unsure whether God's even there, can I encourage you not to pray that he'll do something to communicate to you. Because he already has. It's all here in this book. And he's waiting for you to get your nose into what he's already said.

But then if we're Christians who've already got our noses into the Bible, this passage calls on us to stick to it and not be side-tracked. So let me mention two common side-tracks from the Bible.

Some people get side-tracked onto expecting God to speak to them outside the Bible - directly, through some kind of audible voice or voice in the mind, or through dreams and visions. I'm not denying that in the Bible you can find specific examples of God communicating to specific people in those ways. But I am denying that the Bible leads us to expect that God will normally – or even ever – communicate with us like that.

The other way to get side-tracked is to start trusting Chrsistain tachers instead of the Bible. Christian writers and speakers are not God. So, eg, a sermon like this is not the word of God in the way that 2 Timothy most certainly is the written word of God. Any sermon is (or should be) an attempt to help us understand God's word and receive it and respond to it. But it's the Bible which is God's word. And you should only believe and act on anything a Christian teacher says if you are convinced (v14) that it is what the Bible says. That's why it troubles me when I look around the congregation and I can't see people following in the Bible and checking what is being said against what God has said.

So that's the first thing: God has spoken in the Bible, so can I say: stick to the Bible, and don't be side-tracked from it.


Second, GOD IS SAYING TODAY WHAT HE HAS ALREADY SAID (vv15-16)

You may be with me so far, but thinking, 'I still wish God would speak to me today, directly.' Well, this passage says he is speaking to us today – but indirectly. Look at what Paul says about the Scriptures (which for us includes both OT and NT – see, eg, 2 Peter 3.16). In v15 he says to Timothy:

the Holy Scriptures … are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

Which is about what the Bible is doing for Timothy today. What was written hundreds of years before Timothy's lifetime is the way God is making him wise today for living as a person in the process of being saved. Or look at verse 16:

All Scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness

'God-breathed' is a word-picture to explain how the Bible came into being. We use the expression, 'Don't breathe a word about this to anyone.' Ie, your breath is what carries your words from you to others. And the picture here is that God breathed his words out, through the human writers of the Bible – so that they carried onto the page exactly what he wanted written. So that in this book alone, the words of men are simultaneously 100% the words of God.

'All Scripture is God-breathed.' Not was God-breathed - as if it was the word of God, but now it's lost its active ingredient, like sun-cream that's out of date. Is God-breathed. Ie, this book is God speaking whenever and wherever it's opened.

On my sabbatical I visited a church in Johannesburg and they asked me on the Thursday to preach on the Sunday. Which wasn't much notice – especially when I arrived at the church and saw on their programme card that I'd been advertised as Guest Preacher that morning 3 months in advance. But that's where the JPC web-site comes in handy. You log on in the middle of South Africa and up come the transcripts of all you've said in the last 5 years. They're all there – still saying today what you've already said.

And you could say the Bible is God's transcript - God saying today what he's already said. The difference being: I had to re-work my transcript a) because I now understood the passage better and b) because I was speaking to a different audience. Whereas God's transcript, the Bible, needs no re-working. Because his understanding of every subject is perfect. And because the audience never changes: the Bible's written for sinners - and underneath our different cultures, clothes and complexions, we sinners are the same in every place and at every time.

So, when people ask, 'Isn't the Bible out of date?', the answer's, 'No'. Because God hasn't changed. And his will for human life hasn't changed. And our sinful rebelliousness against his will hasn't changed. And the cross of Jesus, through which we can be forgiven, hasn't changed. And the work of the Holy Spirit by which our sinful natures can be changed hasn't changed. And the future certainties of judgement, heaven and hell haven't changed. If we find ourselves thinking the Bible is out of date, or not relevant, it really means we don't believe we're sinners needing saving.

But then others ask 'Is the Bible sufficient?' Has God said everything we need to know? Think of that Christian I mentioned at the beginning – agonising over a decision and saying, 'I sometimes wish that God would just tell us what to do.' But you look in vain in the Bible, if your name is Joe Bloggs, for the verse that tells you, Joe Bloggs, to do biology at Bristol then work for Barclays and marry Belinda and move to Birmingham. So has God said enough, or in large areas of life, has he left us in the lurch?

The answer is: he's said everything we need to know. The Bible is sufficient. Verse 16 again:

All Scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

'Man of God' was Paul's way of talking not about Christian men in general, but Christian leaders like Timothy, in particular. So he's saying to Timothy the preacher that with the Bible in his hands (v16), he is thoroughly equipped for every good work (v17). Ie, the Bible is sufficient. If he teaches his congregation the Bible, it will tell them everything they need to know.

And there are really only two things in life we need to know. The first, and by far the most important is: how to get saved, ie how Jesus can forgive and bring us back into a relationship with God which lasts through death and on into heaven. And according to v15:the Holy Scriptures … are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.The only other thing we need to know is how to live in response to being saved. And according to v16, the Bible says enough that we can know what is right. It's:

useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness

Ie, it tells us what is right and wrong. So, eg, if you're agonising over whether or not to sleep with your girlfriend, the Bible says it's wrong. Etc. It's as if in the Bible God has marked out for us the boundaries of the pitch on which life is to be played. It draws the lines between right and wrong; sin and not sin.

But back to Joe Bloggs' dilemmas. What about biology and Bristol and Barclays and Belinda? Does God tell us exactly how and where on the pitch to play? No. He's given us a vast amount of freedom. He doesn't treat us like radio-controlled toy cars, 'zapping' us with guidance – or rather, control – at every turn. He treats us as children, like a wise and loving Father, saying enough for us to make our own decisions.

Eg, take the matter of Belinda (or Bill, if you're a woman). Should you marry her/him? Well, the Bible draws the right/wrong lines clearly. I am only to marry a member of the opposite sex; they must be not a close relative; they must be unmarried; and they must be Christian (see Genesis 2.24, Romans 1.26-27, Leviticus 20.17, 1 Corinthains 7.10-11 and 7.39). Apart from that, the Bible gives a large amount of what it calls wisdom so that we can make the best or wisest decision. Decisions within the boundaries of the pitch are not right/wrong decisions. They're 'what's wisest, or best?' decisions. Eg, whether you work for Barclays or Bradford & Bingley – neither is morally wrong. So how do you decide what's the best move to make? Well, in any game, you need to know the goal. Eg, if the goal is putting the ball in the back of the right hand net, then passing back all the time is not the best move.

So what's the goal of a Christian's life this side of heaven? Verse 15: salvation – your own, and others'. That's by far the most important thing in life. Living out God's saving work in us. And helping as many people as we can to hear the message of salvation. So, eg, what evidence do you have that Belinda/Bill helps you to live for God better? (That's why they must be a Christian, by the way.) Or, which work-place will best enable you to share the message of salvation – both at work, and which leaves you maximum time and energy for that outside work?

So, that's the second thing. God is saying today what he's already said. So can I call on us to be content with the Bible. It's not a direct word from God - but it's no less God's personal word for that. It is an old book - but since it's God's word, it's not, and never will be, out of date. And it doesn't have a verse specifically about every decision we'll ever face - but it is sufficient. It says everything we need to know: the boundary lines of the pitch, and the goal of the game.


Third, WE ARE TO LISTEN AND RESPOND TO THE BIBLE AS GOD'S WORD TO US (4.1-4)

Let me read from 4.1. Paul writes to the preacher Timothy:

In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage – with great patience and careful instruction. (4.1-2)

When we're reading the Bible, we need to remember it wasn't written to us, but it was written for us. Eg, 2 Timothy wasn't written to us; it was written to Timothy. So the application of 4.1f is not that we must all be preaching leaders of local churches, like Timothy. We first need to understand: what was it saying to Timothy? And then work out how does it apply to us?

So, what was it saying to Timothy? Well, preach the Bible to your congregation, even when they show signs of not wanting to listen. And I then take it that the application for the majority of us who are not preaching leaders of local churches is this: look to belong to a church with a preaching ministry like that. And work hard at listening and responding to the Bible.

First, how about listening to the Bible? There are two ways to do that: on your own, and with others. And we need both. Many Christians have found it a helpful habit to have a regular time of day where on their own they read part of the Bible, think how it applies to life and pray in the light of what they've just read. If you're a Christian, I would urge you to do that and to look for help in the form of the Bible notes display at the back. I would also remind you that God loves you as much on the day you don't do it as the day you do.

The other way is to get on the receiving end of the Bible with other Christians – like this, when it's being explained and applied publically; and in small groups when you can work out with others what it means and how it applies to life. Preaching and group-study do different things, and again we need both. And if you reckon JPC is the church you've settled at, you should get yourself into a Bible-group of some sort – Home Group, Focus, whatever.

So we need to listen. But then also respond. Sometimes Christians find themselves saying, 'You know, I read the Bible, but I don't find it does anything for me.' That's the sun-bathing view of the Bible. When you sun-bathe, you just lie passively under the sun. And the sun does the rest. It fries you. And some people think of reading the Bible like that: if I just expose myself to it – read a bit, turn up for a sermon, go to my group - somehow, magically, it'll change me. And if nothing happens, if I get nothing out of it, well, it's the preacher's fault, or the group leader's fault, or the Bible's fault.

Which is to miss the fact that we have to be active in working out how God wants us to respond. And this passage tells us the two responses God is always looking for. In 3.15:

the Holy Scriptures … are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

So what does God want me to do? He's always wanting to rely on Jesus. The number one question to ask whenever we read the Bible is: What does this tell me about Jesus and what he can do for me? When I was inWashington this summer, I visited JFK's grave in the Arlington National Cemetry. It's surrounded by quotations of him, one of which is this: 'Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.' But when it comes to reading the Bible, it's the exact opposite: Ask first not what you can do for God, but what God has done for you in Jesus. Because all motivation for living the Christian life flows from that. The Bible is first and foremost a book about his love for us. And if we keep making it into a book simply about our duties – what we should do - then we're misreading it, and no wonder it's heavy going.

So, the number one question to ask is: What does this tell me about Jesus and what he can do for me? And the number one response is to rely on him for everything from forgiveness on.

And the other response God is always looking for? 3.16:

All Scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness

Ie, he's always wanting me to change. To change the way I think and to change the way I live - in line with the way he thinks and the way he is. So the number 2 question to ask whenever we read the Bible is: How does he want me to live for him?

One final thought about listening and responding to the Bible. The main thing that makes it hard is the fact that we still have sinful natures. That's what vv3-4 are about:

For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires [ie, their sinful natures], they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.

These people wanted teachers who would make the Bible say what they wanted it to say. Ie, they wanted to interpret the Bible in such a way that they could avoid its plain meaning and go on doing their own thing.

The sinful nature in us still says, 'I want to do my own thing'. And therefore it wants to avoid the Bible. So we shouldn't be surprised that just getting ourselves on the receiving end of the Bible can be so hard. Getting down to reading it on our own. Getting to church. Getting to whatever groups we belong to. It shouldn't surprise us that we're so constantly tempted to avoid it.

And we should be aware that we can avoid the Bible even when we're reading it. A classic example is the incident of Jesus and the rich ruler – the guy he tells to sell all his possessions and give to the poor. And the first thing we say is, 'That was just this man's problem; Jesus doesn't call everyone to be so radical in using their money for him.' But the text doesn't say that, does it? There's no footnote in the Gospels saying that. We say that. For the very simple reason that we're rich, and that incident's uncomfortable for the rich.

So we can avoid the Bible by re-interpreting it, by talking our way round it – or just by talking. If all that happens as a result of Focus on Tuesday and Home Groups on Wednesday is that we talk about the passage, and we go home thinking we've done what God wants us to do, Satan will be laughing all night. Because talking is not the response God is looking for.

God has spoken in the Bible. God is saying today what he has already said. And what he's saying is: rely on my Son, and let me change you. And if all we do is talk in response, what it means is: we haven't really understood a word.