As Dwight Moody once alluded to, it is better to play with forked lightning or the most deadly disease, than to despise the Word of God.
Preaching the Word is serious business. We must pray for our pastor, that he will not fall prey to becoming a "popular preacher" who tickles people's itching ears.
The Word is God's key means of grace in this world, so it must be faithfully preached. That's what ministers are called to do, and that's what we are to pay attention to.
Discover why the Bible is "God-breathed," inspired, inerrant, authoritative, and sufficient for every season of the Christian life in this expository message on 2 Timothy 3:10-17.
Drawing on church history, Reformation theology, and practical hermeneutics, guest preacher Dr. John Wiers shows how Scripture alone (sola Scriptura) equips believers for sanctification, perseverance, and spiritual discernment—especially during persecution, suffering, and cultural confusion.
You'll learn:
* how Paul's charge to Timothy grounds our faith in the authority of Scripture rather than tradition or pop psychology;
* what "all Scripture is breathed out by God" means for inspiration, inerrancy, and biblical interpretation;
* why sound doctrine and Christ-centered application are inseparable;
* practical steps for reading, memorizing, and applying God's Word in tough times today.
Perfect for anyone searching for solid teaching on the sufficiency of the Bible, the reliability of God's Word, and living a godly life in a hostile world.
Watch now and be equipped "that the man or woman of God may be complete, thoroughly furnished for every good work."
This passage isn't just theological jargon; it has practical applications for our lives today.
Every Word of Scripture was breathed out to us by God Himself. It is foundational to our faith. It is profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness. And it is intended to thoroughly equip us and make us ready for every good work.
Reading the Bible will not automatically save us or make our lives great. But when we are familiar with God's Word, we will be able to respond properly in the situations that we find ourselves in life. We need to be properly trained so that we will be able to do the work that the Lord has called us to do.
This New Year, go and immerse yourself and your family in the Word of God so that you will grow in grace, love the Lord like never before, and glorify and enjoy Him forever!
In the last times – the times that we are living in now between Christ's first coming and second coming – there will be perilous and dangerous times. Scripture is very realistic, but there is still hope – even in this warning.
The natural human state is to look out for #1, and the rest of the list of bad things in this passage are just outworkings of that main sin of a distorted and perverted self-love. Our culture is puffed up with self-esteem and we are told to "believe in ourselves."
Pauls says to avoid these kind of people. We need to be watchful because hypocritical unbelievers will creep into the Church and they are almost more dangerous than outright pagans.
Do we understand and know the power of the Gospel? We need to be watchful against these false teachers, but we can also be encouraged because these people do not get the last word. The Lord Jesus has set up His Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it!
We can't avoid those who are in error, so how do we deal with them? We need to be careful about what we say to them and not engage in useless squabbles. It is important to take a stand for true doctrine, as Martin Luther did in the Reformation. What we believe is translated into how we live, so we do need to find the hills to die on. These things need to be talked about; but when we do, we need to be gentle and not obnoxious. And we need to remember that it is our job to present the truth to people, but it's God Who changes their hearts.
These exhortations that Timothy was to live by as a faithful minister are the same principles that we are to live by as faithful Christians. We are to draw upon God's gracious strength; this is fundamental to our lives as Christians. We must also be single-minded – like soldiers, athletes, and farmers – and keep our focus on Jesus, because that is the only thing that will ultimately satisfy us. If our life is not filled with Christ, it will be empty. When we look at ourselves, we will see ourselves as failures. But this is where the Gospel comes in... Even though we are faithless, Jesus remains faithful. And nothing can separate us from His love! Having a Gospel-centered approach to life will help us take the risks that are associated with whatever work God calls us to do.
The Lord's grace is a theme throughout the entire Bible. Grace was at the core of who Paul was as he gave his final advice to Timothy in this Book. Here he shows Timothy that grace is often shown intergenerationally. God is faithful to His Covenant from generation to generation, as was illustrated in Timothy's mother and grandmother. God's grace was also planned before the foundations of the world. He chose us in Christ because of undeserved grace, and this grace was embodied in all its splendor when Christ came into this world as our Savior.
God, in His grace, has given us the Gospel. And when we share the sound words of the Gospel with others, it is the loving thing to do. Since we know what we believe, we cannot help telling others and declaring what is right and wrong to the "woke culture" all around us. But only God's grace can make us strong. If we're saved by grace, we're called to live boldly by grace.
