2 Timothy 3:10

Second Timothy, Chapter 3, beginning there at verse 10. It says there—and this is the Apostle Paul writing to Timothy, a young man, not so young actually, but in those days they considered him a young man; he was about 40 years old or so, Bible scholars say. But Timothy had the distinction of having been a pastor and a disciple of the Apostle Paul, and Timothy was carrying out certain pastoral duties, and so Paul, the veteran Apostle, writes to his disciple and gives him advice about how he should conduct himself in his life and how he should conduct himself in his ministry as well. So it is a letter of pastoral counsel.

Second Timothy 3:10. Paul is counseling Timothy and says to him: “...but you, Timothy, you have followed my doctrine, conduct, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, patience, persecutions, sufferings such as befell me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra—persecutions I have endured, and out of them all the Lord delivered me. And indeed, all who desire to live godly lives in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. But evil men and deceivers will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But you, continue in what you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you learned it, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which can make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God or the woman of God may be perfect, thoroughly prepared for every good work.” May the Lord bless His holy Word.

I was thinking about how one of the fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith is this matter of the inspiration of the Scriptures—the inspiration of the Scriptures—and that is one of the main points I want to address this morning. But in addition to that, there is the question of what we should do in light of the fact that we have a word called the Bible, which we believe is the Word of God, inspired by God, written in a sense by the Holy Spirit, and what we should do with that fact—how we should conduct ourselves in light of the essential belief of God’s people that the Bible is the Word inspired by God. I hope we will examine that subject a little more closely: what this inspiration of the Bible, the inspiration of the Scriptures, means. But let me take an exegetical journey through this passage in an effort to make the same synthesis that the mind of the Apostle Paul makes with these different themes.

In Chapter 3 of this letter, the Apostle Paul is deeply concerned about how dangerous the time in which they are living is, but at the same time he also gives a prophetic word concerning a future time, a future time that I believe is being fulfilled now, in these days, because we are in the last days, we believe; we are in difficult times, in dangerous times that fit very well the description given by Christ, the Apostle Paul, and other writers of Scripture when they speak about what the last days will be like.

If you look at Chapter 3 of Second Timothy, in verse one Paul says to Timothy: “...you must also know this: that in the last days perilous times will come, for men will be lovers of themselves, covetous, boastful, etc.,” and he gives a whole description of the kind of person there will be in those days, and they definitely look very much like what we see in these times, when there is every kind of sinfulness in the world to an unbelievable degree. The Apostle Paul even speaks of many who are still preaching the Word and serving the Lord, who are said to have an appearance of godliness but deny its effectiveness, deny its power.

That is to say, the Apostle Paul says that it is a time of great instability, great wickedness, great deception, and great difficulty in knowing exactly who is who and what is what in the things of the Gospel. It is a time of great sin in humanity and society, and that is where the “but” of verse 10 comes in. In light of that negative dynamic in the spiritual atmosphere, Paul says to Timothy, and says to us, to each one of us as Christians, “But you”—and you can put your own name there in place of that “you”—“you have followed my doctrine, conduct, purpose, etc....” In other words, the Apostle Paul is saying to Timothy: Timothy, your conduct is different. You are a different man; you belong to a different spiritual category from those people who have gone after sin and rebellion against God, or after doctrinal and religious hypocrisy; you are a different person. Why? Because you have followed my doctrine, etc., etc. And there begins in the Apostle Paul’s mind this idea of the importance of faithfulness to the values of truth, to the values of righteousness, and to the values of true biblical doctrine.

The importance of remaining faithful to what God has declared and not going along with the rest of the world. And then, interestingly, Paul presents himself as the standard in this case. He says: But Timothy, thank God that you have followed; and the Greek word translated “followed” almost suggests the idea of discipleship, of following in every dimension—in the physical dimension, like the disciple who stayed close to his teacher and followed him wherever he went, just as the disciples followed Jesus Christ; the disciple who follows his teacher mentally because he receives his teaching and the concepts that the teacher is passing on to his disciple; and who also follows him spiritually because he adopts the spirit of his teacher, absorbs it, and becomes a reflection of his teacher’s spirit as well. So all of that is contained in the word “followed,” which in the original Greek is a word almost like “disciple.” But you, Timothy, have followed; and brothers and sisters, how important it is that we as believers do precisely that...

I believe that what defines a disciple, a believer in Jesus Christ, is that faithfulness; it is following the teaching, following the standard God has established. It is not so much coming to church, or even giving those tithes that we insisted so much that you give when the time came, or having a membership letter. No, it is adhering in obedience to the standard of what is good, what is right, what is true. That is what God calls us to do. There has to be obedience. For me, that is the key, I believe, to a fruitful and happy Christian life: that there be in us that obedience, that following, that clinging to the Word of God and clinging to the truth of God. Many of us do not experience all the abundant life Christ came to give us because I believe we are still playing the little game of, well, do I go all in or not? And there we are, undecided, while what the Lord asks for is that total surrender, that complete following of the standard of Scripture.

And how interesting—the Apostle Paul... Look, another curious thing is that Paul presents himself, in a sense, as the standard. He says: “But you have followed my doctrine, my faith, my purpose, my conduct....” It is not that the Apostle Paul was a proud man; it is not that he was a man who thought he was such a great thing, because he himself said, “I am the worst of all sinners; I am the chief of sinners.” Paul once described himself that way. But Paul was a man who, when he embraced the teaching, when he embraced the doctrine of the Gospel, devoted himself completely. He yielded mind, heart, soul, and body; he gave his entire life to the Lord and devoted himself exclusively to serving Him.

I do not believe there is anything wrong, when a person has lived a life like the one the Apostle Paul lived, with presenting himself as an example. And how important it is, brothers and sisters, that in the Christian life there be men and women who can serve as examples, right? Because many times we can speak about many of these doctrines and these virtues abstractly, doctrinally, theologically. But how wonderful it is when we can see someone who exemplifies faith, or exemplifies patience, or exemplifies love. The world needs examples; the world needs men and women who embody the values of the Gospel. May God help each one of us always to have that goal of being an example and an inspiration to someone. Because we do not live in isolation; always remember that many people are watching each one of us, and as Christians we have to be conscious of that and make every possible effort to be a model for others.

One of the things included in our church’s vision is to be an exemplary church. Why? Because we believe the world needs examples of institutions or individuals who are living the Christian life, as fully as possible, with integrity and in a way that pleases the Lord. And Paul says to Timothy: Timothy, you have followed my doctrine. Look at the variety of qualities Paul embodied: by doctrine, Paul is referring to biblical faithfulness, teaching, faithfulness to the Word of God; conduct, his behavior, his walk in the Lord; purpose—Paul was a man of purpose, Paul was a man who had a clear vision of where he wanted to go. He knew who had called him and what he had been called to, and he was a man of purpose. How important it is for us, brothers and sisters, to be men and women of purpose, to have a vision that inspires our lives.

I ask you this morning: What is the vision that inspires your life? If you were asked to summarize in three phrases, three sentences, the kind of life you want to live, what you want to become in God, and where you would like to be in the Gospel five years from now—or what financial, family, or personal goals you have set for yourself—could you answer quickly? Could you say, “Look, this is my purpose, this is my vision as a man or as a woman, and this is what I want to become”? Because many of us live life by improvising. We simply get up each day and improvise, but we have no sense of purpose or direction. And Paul was a man of purpose and also a man of faith, who knew in whom he had believed and who dared to do anything for the Lord, and who was not wavering between “I believe” and “I don’t believe.” No, Paul was a man who knew. He says, “I know in whom I have believed.”

He also speaks about his longsuffering, which is a somewhat archaic word. Longsuffering—the word more appropriate for our time would be patience, although here it later says love and patience. But the word “patience” that is translated here into Spanish is that word we have seen before, makrothymia, which means persistence; it means endurance, having endurance, steadfastness in times of crisis and need. So he was a man who possessed all these virtues, and Timothy had imitated him, had followed him in these things. And suddenly something surprising appears, because after that entire list—purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, patience—suddenly it says persecutions, sufferings. And you are somewhat surprised: Where did that come from? Because all the other things are virtues, but he also speaks—Paul often spoke in his writings—about the persecutions he endured, about his sufferings.

There in Second Corinthians, Chapter 9, there is a very long list of all the afflictions the Apostle Paul went through. And why is this also unexpected? Not only because it seems like a mixture of things that do not fit together, but because one would expect that a man who has love, faith, patience, doctrine, purpose, and proper conduct would be kept from all suffering—as though the Lord would protect a man as valuable as Paul from afflictions and trials. And yet He did not. How interesting that many times, even when you are walking in the ways of the Lord and being faithful and greatly useful to the Lord, that does not exempt you from going through tribulations and difficulties. We must always remember that, brothers and sisters, because I know that many times when we are going through trials, we say, “But Lord, if I am serving You, if I am going to church, if now is when I am praying more than ever and seeking more of You, why are these trials coming upon me?” Brothers and sisters, let us always remember: indeed, many times the closer we are to the Lord, the more the enemy will sometimes want to come against us, and sometimes God will also do so—because it is not only the enemy who tests us; sometimes God Himself also allows certain afflictions to come into our lives. What for? To shape us. To strengthen us. To form the character of Jesus Christ in us. Affliction does not come only from the devil to make you fall; many times it also comes from God to strengthen you.

And this week I was reading an article in Christianity Today, a Christian magazine, by a Christian writer who was speaking about trials, and he said that many times God even brings trials into our lives. Do you know what for? So that through the trial, and through the comfort we receive in the trial, we may also be able to comfort others. The only person who can be truly useful in counseling, exhortation, and encouragement—in giving encouragement to others—is the person who has personally gone through trials, whether a man or a woman, and whom God has shown that He is faithful; that person is then prepared to comfort others.

This very week, when I appeared before this panel, the Boston Redevelopment Authority, this agency of the City of Boston that deals with all the permits and all those things. By the way, let me tell you that there are two major moments, so to speak, that we have had to get through. One of them was this Thursday, and the other will be December 14, and we ask you to pray, because that will be the final one. This is a process we have been going through for many months. We were able to appear there before those authorities and present the project for the construction of the new sanctuary, and this has been a great affliction for my flesh because we have had to deal so much with the neighborhood and with agencies, and fill out so much paperwork, along with the uncertainty of whether, after all this trouble—we have already spent about a year and a half, two years in this design process and everything—it will work out or not, whether in the end we will be able to do it or not. It has been a heavy burden, and this Thursday, when we appeared there before that authority, glory to the Lord, they gave us their approval, and I thank the Lord for that. And I hope that after December 14 I can come before you in the name of the Lord and give you the great news that finally.... But in my innocence I thought that by the end of July I would be finished, that this process would already be over, because that was the first time we appeared before one of those authorities. And it was not so.

They have kept postponing us, and we have had to enter into a process from which I hoped the Lord would spare me—the neighborhood process. One says, “Lord, You can do anything; let this cup pass from me, Father, if it is Your will.” He said, “No, no, you have to take it; you have to drink it.” I had to plunge into battle with the neighborhood beasts around here and with the beasts of the City of Boston as well, and one wonders, “Lord, but why? If this is for Your glory, if this is to build You a sanctuary, why don’t You make my life easier? Don’t You see that I have so many other things to do in the ministry? Come on, give me a break.”

But the Lord says, “No, I don’t want to.” And I have clearly understood in my heart that the Lord wants me to go through those processes and to learn as a pastor who is involved in the affairs of the city. And I have learned, brothers and sisters, a ton of things that you cannot imagine. Appearing there before that group of such sophisticated people, having to prepare an entire strategy in the neighborhood, and fighting there with that pack of lynxes in this neighborhood—professional people who know the city’s laws very well and all that—has helped to form me better as a pastor, as an administrator, and as a person involved in a public process. And on Thursday morning, I confess, my heart was beating a little faster, with the uncertainty of what was going to happen and all of that. After it was over, as always happens after I get into these predicaments and God gets me out of them, I thanked the Lord. I said to Him, “Father, what a privilege to be able to take part in a process like this, and to learn and struggle and see Your faithfulness.” I believe that, with the Lord’s help, this will equip me to do other things God may have for my ministry.

Notice, brothers and sisters, that God does not always take us out of trials. God may sometimes allow us to go through very severe afflictions, but it is always for a positive purpose: to prepare us, form us, sometimes break us, humble us on other occasions, and teach us patience, faithfulness, and perseverance—but always for a good purpose. That is God’s purpose: to form Christ in us. And sometimes He uses very strange instruments, let me tell you, just as He used the cross. The cross is the most sinister instrument ever invented for torturing human beings, and God used it to bring salvation to humanity. So let us not be surprised. I wandered a little off the subject, but that is all right because this is part of it.

Paul, a man who, with all those virtues, was faithful to the Lord, suffered difficulties and hardships, but remained steadfast. It says, “...and out of them all the Lord has delivered me.” Glory to God.

Let me tell you, my brother, my sister: if you are going through a trial, the Lord is faithful to deliver you. Do not give up. Do not stop crying out to the Lord; do not stop serving the Lord. When you have come through that trial, you will emerge shining like gold, more prepared than ever. God will never leave you. That I can promise you. I cannot promise that He will spare you the affliction and the trial, but I can promise you that He will bring you victoriously through your difficulty. Glory to the Lord, amen. This calls for applause to the glory of the Lord.

Look at what it says there in verse 12. It says, “...and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus—each one will receive a Cadillac in his driveway....” No, it says, “will suffer persecution, will suffer persecution.” Every person who wants to please the Lord, who wants to be faithful to the Lord, who wants to remain steadfast in the ways of the Lord, should know that in one way or another you will have to face some kind of suffering. But that will be for the glory of God and for your strengthening, so do not be afraid of the devil; do not be afraid of circumstances. Remain steadfast in that purpose of being faithful to the Lord, because God has good things for you. But evil men and deceivers will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. That is the destiny of every person who wants to play that little game of “I’m here, and I’m there,” deceiving others. What happens? In the end, they themselves will be deceived and will deceive others, and they will always be devouring others and devouring themselves and being devoured as well. For that is the destiny of the person who lacks that faithfulness, that integrity in the Lord.

Again, look here at the call to Timothy and to all of us to faithfulness and obedience. It says, “...but you must continue in the things which you have learned and been persuaded of, knowing from whom you have learned them.” Glory to the Lord. Again, you see that idea that we have learned; all of us have learned from someone, and I hope that you have a male or female mentor, that you have someone who can serve as a model for you. How important it is to have the figure of a father behind us, or a mother, or an older person who has been a male or female mentor to us, or has been an example to us and has blessed us in life. If you do not have one and are young in the faith, find someone who has more experience than you, stay close to that person, and learn from them. And you, brothers and sisters who have more experience, find a younger person who is less experienced in the faith and try to be someone’s male or female mentor, so that we may continue leading them forward.

The Apostle Paul says, “Timothy, you must continue; hold on. Do not be like the others. Stand firm; persevere.” Much of the Christian life is perseverance, because many times in the Christian life it is a matter of endurance. It is not a matter of everything going well for us or of always feeling enthusiastic about the Lord. Look, many times even the pastor himself does not want to come to church. That is how it is. But if one were guided by, “I don’t want to come,” imagine that! How many of you get up on Monday morning and say, “How wonderful that I have to get up at five in the morning, put on my clothes, go out into that ten-below-zero cold, go to work, punch the time clock, and spend the whole day there”? How many say, “I’m happy to do it”? But you do it. Why? Because you know you have to do it. Because it is a discipline.

Many times we brush our teeth not because we like the taste of toothpaste, but because we have to do it. And likewise, in the Christian life there are sometimes dry seasons, just as there are in marriage and friendship, and one cannot simply be changeable, like a weather vane in the wind. One must persevere. I love people who persevere in the Christian life, people who are there standing firm whether it rains, thunders, or the wind blows. Sometimes they do not speak in tongues very much; sometimes their hair bun does not come loose because they dance so much, or whatever. But they are faithful people. They are faithful in their tithes, faithful in their church attendance, and faithful in service. You can assign them something, and you know they will be there even if they are dying. Sometimes they come coughing, dragging themselves through the door, but they arrive because they are faithful people; they persevere. Brothers and sisters, do not be led by your emotions. We have to break our bondage to emotions, and we have to be people who persevere in the Christian life. Those are the people whom, as the years go by, you see growing and developing, because they are simply there, putting one foot in front of the other until they reach the goal. Continue in what you have learned, and remember from whom you learned it. Let us honor our teachers. And from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures.

Brothers and sisters, how important it is that we teach our children the Word of God. Timothy was a young man who even learned from his grandmother; his mother taught him the Word of God. He was a boy raised in the ways of the Lord. Paul says, “Timothy, remember what you learned from childhood.”

How important it is, brothers and sisters, that we spare no resources for our children so they can have experiences that instruct them in the Word of God. Instead of buying them a Nintendo or one of those strange games out there that will corrupt them, buy them a set of Christian books, or tie them to the leg of a table and make them watch a Christian video or something like that. Brothers and sisters, instruct your children in the ways of the Lord. Brothers and sisters, as long as we can, let us bring them to church. And when they become teenagers and at age thirteen tell you, “I don’t want to go because I’m tired on Sunday,” put a rope around their neck and bring them. Tell them, “If you want to eat, you are going to have to come to church with me today.” Perhaps psychologists will not support what I am telling you, but... take it from your pastor.

Brothers and sisters, I believe that sometimes we have to be firm with our children so that they will drink the milk of the Word; afterward, they will thank you for it. A day will come when that Word will begin to do something in their lives. Many years may pass; perhaps they will stray from the ways of the Lord, but that Word will be there like a time bomb. One day, when a crisis comes in their marriage, or a health situation or a financial problem, they will remember those messages they heard when they were children and will return to the ways of the Lord. The Word says, “Train up a child in his way so that when he is old, he will not depart from it,” or, “When he is old he will not depart from it.”

So it is important to teach and instruct our children in the Holy Scriptures. I believe churches should do everything possible to instruct children in the Word. Today we have so many things to entertain young people and all kinds of methods and things to entertain them and keep them interested, and this and that. That is not bad, but I believe that if there is no teaching of the Word of God, we are wasting our time. We must teach them the great doctrines, the great events of the Bible, the people of Scripture, and the great events recorded in Scripture, because these things are what anchor a life to the Word of the Lord. There is nothing like the Word of God entering a person’s heart and mind. You can tell them nice stories and this and that, but the Word of God nourishes like nothing else in this world. So instruct your children in the Word of the Lord.

It says, “...the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” There is no source of wisdom like the Word of God. How many would like to be wise? How many are asleep? I believe everyone here wants to be wise, isn’t that right? Brothers and sisters, there is only one way for you to find wisdom: through the Word of God. The Bible says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” The Word of God is practical in its teachings. The Bible says that the entrance of Your Word gives light to the face. There is something special: a person who has been instructed in the Word of God, even if he has not gone to college or high school, will nevertheless be an educated person and will always be able to hold a good conversation. Yet there are people with doctorates in philosophy who are fools—forgive the word—ignorant people; and you see that their way of life does not reflect the great knowledge they possess, because they are often devoid of the wise, age-old teaching of the Word of God. At any time, I would rather know the Word of the Lord well than have any doctorate that men might bestow upon me, I tell you, because it gives us wisdom—and not just any wisdom, but wisdom for salvation. Eternal life.

The Bible says, what good is it to a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul? The Word of God is the only thing that can give you wisdom to know how to relate to God, how to relate to yourself, how to manage your emotions, how to handle human relationships, how to deal with the wounds and traumas of the past. If you do not ground yourself in the Word of the Lord, you are worse off than a ship in the middle of a storm at sea, without the sails our brother Luis Valles spoke about. We are adrift, at the mercy of circumstances, but the person who anchors his life in the Word, in the doctrine of the Lord, will know how to emerge from life’s difficulties even when life’s winds and storms come. That is why it is so important, brothers and sisters, that we remain faithful to that sound doctrine, to that Word of the Lord. Let us not be carried away by changes; let us not be carried away by all the strange interpretations of Scripture today, by all the teaching that seeks to strip the Word of the Lord of its very marrow. Let us remain faithful to the Word of the Lord.

Look at what it says here: “...all Scripture is inspired by God.” What was the Apostle Paul referring to when he said all Scripture? Well, first of all, he was referring to the writings of the Old Testament because at that time not all the writings of the New Testament existed yet. But there is already evidence in the Bible that the body of New Testament writings that would be included within the concept of Scripture was beginning to take shape, and that the Apostle Paul himself already knew something about this, because he himself quotes passages from the Gospels in a couple of passages in his letters, suggesting that certain New Testament writings were already circulating and would one day become part of the body of books that would constitute the Bible.

When the Apostle Paul says all Scripture, brothers and sisters, he means just that. For us today, now that we have gone through the entire process of the formation of the canon and all of this—which I hope we will someday have an opportunity to discuss, including how what we now call the 66 books of the Bible were formed—when the Apostle Paul says all Scripture, he is referring to all these books, from Genesis to Revelation.

Repeat after me: All Scripture. Amen. Brothers and sisters, it is not merely some books. If you hear someone out there saying that these books are more authoritative than the others, look, as orthodox Christians, we believe that every text, every sentence, and every word in the Bible is the Word inspired by God. Whether Paul wrote it, Peter wrote it, whether it consists of words spoken by Jesus in the Gospels, or words from Ezekiel, Isaiah, or Genesis, all those words are words of God inspired by God, a Word that, as it says here, is “...useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness.”

I am going to pause for just a moment because our time is almost up. The word inspired, theo neupstos, means—theo, as in theology, means God, and neupstos, as in neuma, air—it is as though Scripture were breathed out by God. When we Christians say that the Bible is inspired, we mean that God breathed. The idea is that the Spirit of God was breathed out, just as He breathed upon Adam and that piece of earth became a living man. In the same way, when God breathed during the process of writing these books, as different men wrote these books over centuries and centuries, every time one of those books was composed, and every time each one of those men sat down to write these words, the Spirit of God was there, as though breathing upon them and infusing Himself into their words.

It does not mean that God turned them into automatons who wrote every word under the dictation of the Holy Spirit. No, because these men also wrote while retaining their individuality and character, reflecting the customs of their times and even their temperament and other things. But even within their human originality, the breath of God was there, making sure that those words contained no error—that however they expressed it, it would be true. You can say the same thing in many ways. You can say, for example, “My mother is very noble,” or you can say, “My mother is very good,” or whatever else, but the idea is the mother’s nobility and steadfastness. Likewise, these men could write in many different ways and use many different expressions, but what was being said—the essence and content of those words—is completely firm and true, and we can trust it.

Today, in the time in which we live, many Christians have lost that sense of reverence for Scripture, and we question it. Especially today, in the area of human sexuality, there is so much questioning of what the Bible says, for example, concerning homosexuality. How many supposed Christians are out there teaching that it is all right for a man to marry a man or a woman to marry a woman, in direct contradiction to the Scriptures? And they are surprised when someone, as an orthodox Christian, says, “No, but that is what the Word of God says.” And they say, “But you still believe those things?” They almost laugh at you—Christians doing that to other Christians; just imagine. And the Word of God says to you, “But you, continue in what you have learned; continue in that of which you have been convinced.”

Christians, this Word called the Bible is trustworthy. It was inspired; it was breathed out by God, and it must serve as the standard and foundation for your conduct in life. Let us never depart from it, brothers and sisters, and if we ever do depart from it, let us return to it. Let us not presume to judge the Word; let the Word judge you. We must have reverence for the Scriptures, and we must continue in what we have believed. We must be obedient to that Word. All Scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man or woman of God may be perfect, thoroughly prepared for every good work. May the Lord bless His holy Word.

Brother, sister, if you want to be a servant of God prepared for any good work the Lord may require, ground your life in the Word of the Lord. Let us be students of the Scriptures. My desire is that every one of you and I, brothers and sisters, throughout all the time we have left on earth, may be diligent students of the Word of the Lord, the Scripture. If you do not have a Bible, make sure you buy one. If you do not read your Bible, make sure you read it. Become knowledgeable about Scripture. Take advantage of these classes. Instruction is given here. So much good teaching is offered in this church, but we must invest time and make an effort to be prepared for every good work for which the Lord wants us.

Do you want understanding? Do you want wisdom? Do you want a solution to your problems? Do you want to have a more intelligent, wiser mind? Do you want your thoughts to be enlightened? Do you want to get out of the quagmire in which you are stuck? Study the Word of the Lord. Let the Word of God enter your heart.

An image came to mind; it came to me very clearly. You know how plumbers, when they want to unclog a pipe, use a steel snake that they insert into it? It is flexible, and they put it through the pipe to clear it when the pipe is clogged. That snake enters through an opening in the pipe and keeps moving until it encounters the obstruction, breaks through it, and continues forward until the water can flow again. That was the image that came to me a second ago of the Word of God unclogging the minds of some of you. Some of us have dulled minds. There is something there; there is a tumor in our brain, in our mind, placed there by some experience in life. Do you want it unclogged? Let the Word of God enter and begin to work, breaking through things in your mind and in your heart.

The Word says that the Word of God is sharper than any two-edged sword. It says that it penetrates until it breaks through joints and bones, and it says that it discerns thoughts and separates the intentions of the heart. It says that there is nothing beyond its scrutiny and its ability to examine it. Imagine how powerful the Word of the Lord is. Why deprive yourself of that effect in your life? Begin, and let the Word of the Lord infuse wisdom into your life. Be faithful to it, obey it, live by it, continue in it, be faithful to its teachings, and obey it, and your life will be blessed. You will be a man or woman useful for anything God may want you for.

Let us stand and make a covenant with the Word of God this morning. Take hold of the Word of the Lord there in your mind and say: “Father, I embrace Your Word. I bring it into my heart and my mind. I am going to live it, be faithful to it, and obey it. I am going to let it enter my mind and possess my thoughts, enter my heart and possess my feelings, enter my memories and wash my memories. I am going to let the Word of God instruct me in every aspect of my life, and I will not doubt it, deny it, question it, or criticize it irreverently. Instead, I will always approach it with a sense of great reverence and respect because it is the Word of God, inspired by God, into which God has infused a quality that no other human book contains. It is the very life of God moving in those Scriptures, and that is how I receive it; that is how I embrace it. I enter into it, and I bring it into myself.”

“I will live by it, study it, revere it, and always respect it.” As much as possible, let us make a covenant with the Lord to be obedient to the Word of God, to be obedient to the Word, and to continue in what we have learned and of which we are convinced. This morning, Father, this church declares its intention to remain faithful to Your Word. Father, never allow us to depart from it. May we as a congregation always demonstrate the high esteem in which we will hold Your Word, Lord. May this pulpit never be an instrument for teaching doctrines that are false, deceptive, or in any way displeasing to You, Father. May only sound teaching for Your people come forth from here, Father. Deliver us from ever presuming to be so sophisticated that we would dare to play games with Your Word, Lord. Instead, may we approach Your Word like children, Father, believe what it says, Lord, and obey it with all our hearts. Thank You, Father. We love You, in the name of Jesus. Glory to the Lord. Amen. Amen.