I thought I would keep in the theme of the beginning of this new school year by preaching on being a student of the Word and how important it is that we have the knowledge of God’s word. Can you imagine what life would be like if we did not have a bible? And if we had no access to the Word of God? However, I think sometimes, if not careful, we can take it for granted. It can remain on our coffee table or bookshelf and never read, much less studied. Along these lines, there are common popular expressions used today that are quite dangerous. They may be true but only under certain circumstances. But if we try to apply them more generally it can be disastrous. One of those statements is:
Ignorance is bliss.
In some contexts, not knowing is better than knowing and worrying. A: I never knew that the kid who mows our lawn has been in trouble with the police. B: Ignorance is bliss!
Another expression used commonly and very similar is:
What you don’t know won’t hurt you
If you do not know about a problem or a misdeed, you will not be able to make yourself unhappy by worrying about it. (Often used to justify not telling someone about a problem or misdeed.) Ellen: What a beautiful diamond necklace! Thank you! But how on earth did you get the money to pay for it? Fred: What you don’t know won’t hurt you.
But more often what we do not know can be quite serious and lead to unwanted results, even tragic results…We see this on a personal level and on a corporate level…
First, a personal level. Several years ago, my father-in- law, Jim Crombie, was found to have cancer at stage 4. Of course, that meant the cancer had metastasized to a point where it was too late. He lived only 4 months after the cancer was discovered. Of course, if he had only known before the cancer spread through his body, he may have had a chance to treat it. He may have had a chance to become cancer-free or at least live a few years longer. But he did not know about the cancer until it was too late. In his case, what he did not know was tragic.
Now let’s think about this on a corporate level. September 11th is coming soon. We are reminded of that dark day in our nation when we were attacked by terrorists that took out the Twin Towers in NYC, hit the Pentagon and would have hit the White House if the plane had not been taken down by courageous passengers like Todd Beamer. But again, if we had only known about this diabolical terrorist plot we could have saved so many lives and averted such tragic loss… But our knowledge was lacking and a horrible terrorist act was carried out. What we did not know was very costly and a horrible event claiming many innocent lives.
I know these are extreme examples. But they point to the greater reality and seriousness of having the right information to help determine a better course in life events and to prevent heartache and unnecessary pain or even deliverance from a disaster.
But even more importantly, the right information helps direct us toward eternal life beyond what we face in this life. Paul is giving great instructions to the young pastor and son in the faith, Timothy. But beyond Timothy, his instruction is very relevant to all of us today. Paul is nearing the end of his life. This would be almost like Pual’s last will and testament for Timothy. So, what are these important words of instruction? As you might imagine it is quite the opposite or ignorance or not knowing.
Study to Show Yourself Approved (KJV)… rightly dividing the Word…
I am using the KJV for the scripture because it has the word STUDY and the idea of being a student of the Word. But this verse is translated in many ways. Here are 3:
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved NIV
Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive His approval NLT
Make every effort to present yourself approved to God Berean Bible
But no matter what word or words are used, it relays the idea of effort or energy. It implies a word that is often difficult for us…discipline. I recall one famous coach who said, “you can have the pain of discipline or the pain of regret”. Of course, the word discipline contains the root word for “disciple”. This reminds me that this word from Paul parallels Jesus’ teaching about what it means to be a disciple or follower of Jesus. This would be an absolute indispensable practice for Timothy’s work as a pastor and leader. But it was also applicable for everyone who would be a follower of Jesus.
Jesus said, IF you continue in my word, then you are truly my disciples. John 8:31. Now that would imply that if we do not continue in His word, we are disqualified from being His disciple. The IF statement implies that we must continue to be engaged with His word and that means that we never stop being a student of the Word. I know that sounds rather harsh. But Jesus made another difficult statement related to this. If anyone wants to be my disciple, they must deny themselves, take up their cross and follow me. Luke 9:23
Of course, I think the inherent danger here for all of us is that we may begin well but then falter. The real danger is simply neglecting God’s word or not continuing in His word. I remember a young man by the name of Ricky when I was growing up. He was very bright, much brighter than me. We used to have competitions to see who could turn in their test or paper first. This happened all the way through elementary school. Seldom did I ever finish first. Ricky was also athletic, very popular, and the all-star pitcher of our baseball team. I happened to be the catcher on that team and counted myself fortunate to catch for him. Ricky was left-handed and had an excellent curve ball! In almost every way he excelled beyond my abilities and others in our class. But when he started high school family concerns and issues became a huge factor. I saw him start to drift from his studies. He started to miss school. And then finally he ended up dropping out of school. As I reflected on his life and what great talent and opportunities that awaited him and how intelligent he was and how popular he was, it was very disturbing to see what had happened in his life. He had great potential, but he failed to CONTINUE in the necessary studies, and he lost direction.
There was another young man in our class by the name of Gordon. Gordon was almost the exact opposite. Gordon was not the brightest student. He was unpopular socially. Gordon didn’t practice good hygiene. He was often belittled and made fun of by others. He often sat alone as he rode the school bus. Gordon went into the lunchroom every school day sitting mostly by himself. But to Gordon’s credit, even though he wasn’t the most intelligent, even though he wasn’t the most liked, even though he wasn’t the most athletic, day after day Gordon continued in his studies and needed work. And day after day and week after week Gordon attended the classes until he graduated. And I learned a great lesson as I reviewed both lives. It’s not the swiftest or the brightest or the most popular, or the most athletic, or the most well-adjusted…but it is the one who will be disciplined and continue in their studies. It is the one who will continue to do the necessary study and work to complete what is required. This is what Jesus is talking about here. The one who will continue (more specifically) in His word…will truly be His disciples. We never stop being students of the Word of God, not matter how many years of experience or biblical knowledge we attain or how many obstacles we must overcome.
In the very next chapter Paul continues his instruction to Timothy. Paul wanted Timothy to hold fast to the scriptures which would make him wise unto salvation. So, without the scriptures we do not have the knowledge of salvation. Then, Paul shares some great insight into the value or significance of scripture. And here is a key verse:
2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration from God and is profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction and instruction in righteousness that the person of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
I find it quite interesting that the only Word/Scripture available during that time was the OT. The NT was still being formulated. So, when Paul makes these statements, he is mainly referring to the OT. Can you imagine not having the NT in your bible today? I am so glad we do. But I think this gives great weight to the importance of not only the NT but the OT. I want to take a few moments to look over these statements about the scripture.
First, All Scripture is Inspired by God
The literal translation is that all scripture is “God breathed”. This is a supernatural word. It is not just human thoughts and concepts. We could say that Shakespeare was inspired. Bach and Beethoven can be inspiring. Athletes can be inspiring. But no other book, can claim to be “God breathed”. 2 Peter reminds us that prophets and apostles did not speak for themselves, but they were moved to speak the Word of God that was delivered to them (2 Peter 1:21). God continues to use His word for His saving and sanctifying purpose. And one of the ways the Word of God is used more specifically is:
For Reproof and Correction…
In great contrast to the expression, “what you do not know won’t hurt you” or “ignorance is bliss”, we read the inspired word from the prophet Hosea:
Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being My priest. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children. 7 The more they multiplied, the more they sinned against Me; I will change their glory into shame.
In Hosea’s time, the people of the second and third generation had either forgotten or ignored the commands and precepts from God. This brought about the devastation of their society and the destruction of their land. We must be reminded that the laws of God were given for God’s people for health, to order society and for holy living. Ultimately for their salvation. It has been said that you can break the commandments but more accurately it is the commandments that break you…
Go down the list and see the consequences…
If you lie or speak untruth… It destroys friendships or any vital relationship is impossible to keep or sustain because trust is broken.
If you commit adultery… it breaks trusts and destroys marriages and fractures relationships with everyone involved in that family circle.
If you kill… it brings alienation and sows the seeds of hatred in the family of the life that was taken. In many cases, nations and people groups are at war because of the bloodshed from previous generations. This is certainly the case in the Middle East.
If you steal… it places your character in question, and your trustworthiness prevents people from relating to you.
If you practice idolatry… and put other things before God… You become a slave to your own desires that become self-destructive, and you end up in a negative cycle of never having enough or experiencing no lasting peace.
In essence, if we fail to keep God’s word our lives go back to chaos…Remember the earth was without form and void… it was chaos… and then God spoke His Word into the creation and created ORDER… When we move away from God’s Word/Commands… it is always a move back to CHAOS. God’s Word brings about salvation both physically and spiritually. Next, he teaches that the Word gives us:
Instruction in Righteousness… The Word Sets our Standards…
In our Methodist history our founder John Wesley made a very important statement:
In all cases, the Church is to be judged by the scripture, not the Scripture by the church (Works of Wesley). It is the scripture that sets the standards that direct and instruct us. It is not our experience or traditions or opinions that change or transform the scripture. Rather it is the scripture that changes and transforms us.
This has been a key struggle in the church through the centuries. In our time there are many instances where personal experience and feelings have overruled the scriptures, particularly regarding issues surrounding gender and sexuality and other social issues. But while we have these issues in our time other generations have had their struggles concerning the place and priority of scripture.
In the time of the Reformation, Martin Luther stressed the authority of scripture over church tradition. Our key beliefs maintain that scripture is the final authority in all matters of faith and practice. Without the Word of the Lord, in a word, we are lost.
The late Chuck Colson of Prison Fellowship was in a meeting with the chairman of a company who boasted that their newspaper chain was instrumental in the removal of the 10 commandments from the wall of public schools. Colson asked him why he thought they should be removed. The CEO answered, “They offend people of other religions and besides, we must separate church and state”. Later in the same meeting the same executive brought up the subject of juvenile crime. “What are we going to do with the rising rate of teen delinquency? Occurrences of theft in schools have risen at alarming rate over the past decade. What can we do to teach kids that stealing is wrong?” Colson said, “Maybe we should put up a big sign on the wall that says You Shall Not Steal”. The newspaper man said, “That sounds like a great idea! But we know that laws on stone tablets or walls are not effective. Just ask Moses! They must be placed in our hearts. As Colossians teaches…Let the word of God dwell in you richly! This is the whole purpose of being a student of the Word.
I like Matthew Henry’s commentary on this passage…The scriptures we are to know are the HOLY scriptures; they came from a Holy God, were delivered by HOLY men, contain HOLY precepts and were designed to make us HOLY and to lead us in the way of HOLINESS…If we would know the holy scriptures, we must read and search them daily, as the noble Bereans did (Acts 17:11). They must not lie by us neglected, and seldom or never looked into. (Matthew Henry Commentary)
When we study the scriptures there is what I call the “word within the Word”. By spending time in the Word, you learn instructions for life. But you also learn about direction for decisions you are making right now. This is like picking up your mail everyday… or answering emails or texts. If you miss that for days on end your life will likely be in shambles. You could face financial struggles. You will miss vital communication that could affect your health or key events in life that you would miss! So, this is like the time you spend daily in God’s word… This is God’s mail to you. It is God’s text to you!!
I want to close with a couple of personal illustrations that will hopefully bring this to greater application.
I found this story of Dee. She was from an affluent family in Tennessee. But her family never went to church and never read the scriptures. She soon ran with the wrong crowd. They were a party crowd who would go to motels to drink and carouse. They had a contest to see who could steal more items from the motel. Dee stole a Gideon bible, and her friends gave her the prize for who stole the most unique item from the motel. But soon she learned she was pregnant, and her boyfriend deserted her and the baby. Her friends all went in different directions, and she was alone and very troubled. In her despair she turned to the Gideon bible she stole from the motel. In her reading, she found that she was not alone. She was convicted and found her way to Christ. The story of Dee is not uncommon. There are so many stories of people whose lives were changed by reading and studying the scripture. It truly gives us the knowledge of salvation and that is why each of us is here today.
There is a song recorded several years ago by Randy Travis that has been on my mind a lot lately. It seems fitting for the theme today. The song is entitled 3 Wooden Crosses. Here are the words:
A farmer and a teacher and hooker and a preacher riding on a midnight bus bound for Mexico. One was headed for vacation, one for higher education and two of them were searching for lost souls. That driver never, ever saw the stop sign. And 18 wheelers can’t stop on a dime. Now there are 3 wooden crosses on the right side of the highway. Why there’s not 4 of them, heaven only knows. It’s not what you take when you leave this world behind. It’s what you leave behind when you go. The farmer left a harvest and field and 80 acres and faith and love for growing things in his young son’s heart. And that teacher left her wisdom in the minds of lots of children and did her best to give them all a better start. And that preacher said, “Can’t you see the promised land?”, as he laid his blood-stained bible in that hooker’s hands. 3 Wooden Crosses on the right side of the highway. Why there’s not 4 of them heaven only knows. It’s not what you take when you leave this world behind. It’s what you leave behind when you go. That’s the story that our preacher told last Sunday as he held his blood-stained bible up for all of us to see. He said, “Bless the farmer and the teacher and the preacher who gave this bible to my mama who read it to me”. There are 3 wooden crosses on the right side of the highway. Why there’s not 4 of them? Now I guess we know. It’s not what you take when you leave this world behind. It’s what you leave behind when you go.
May we all renew the priority of the Word of God in our individual lives and be students of the Word. It truly is the only thing that can change, even transform our personal lives and our world. In the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.