The Authority and Relevance of Scripture in Our Lives

Devotional

Day 1: The Bible as a Divine Library

The Bible is a unique collection of 66 books, written over a thousand years by around 40 different authors. It is divided into the Old and New Testaments, each serving a distinct purpose in revealing God's plan. The Old Testament contains the law, the prophets, and the psalms, while the New Testament includes the Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, the Epistles, and Revelation. This library of books is centered on Jesus, predicting, revealing, preaching, explaining, and expecting Him throughout its pages. The Bible's unity and diversity reflect its divine inspiration and its role as a comprehensive guide for faith and life. [05:07]

"For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope." (Romans 15:4, ESV)

Reflection: How can you approach the Bible as a library of wisdom today, seeking guidance for a specific area of your life where you need hope or direction?

Day 2: The Bible's Personal Understanding

The Bible is unique because it understands us. As we read it, we often find it speaking directly to our circumstances, offering encouragement, guidance, and correction. This is because the Bible has a dual authorship: God and man. God breathed out the Scriptures, ensuring their reliability and authority, while human authors wrote using their own personalities and styles, without distorting the message. This dual authorship makes the Bible both divine and human, allowing it to resonate deeply with our personal experiences and challenges. [11:41]

"For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12, ESV)

Reflection: In what specific situation do you need the Bible to speak into your life today, offering guidance or correction? How can you open your heart to its message?

Day 3: The Reliability and Authority of Scripture

God breathed out the Scriptures, ensuring their reliability and authority, while human authors wrote using their own personalities and styles, without distorting the message. This dual authorship makes the Bible both divine and human. The church did not write the Bible; it was written by prophets and apostles under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the church has no right to rewrite what God has written. The Bible is the authoritative word of God, providing a trustworthy foundation for faith and practice. [13:57]

"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16-17, ESV)

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you need to trust the Bible's authority more fully? How can you begin to apply its teachings in that area today?

Day 4: The Church's Role in Relation to the Bible

The church did not write the Bible; it was written by prophets and apostles under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the church has no right to rewrite what God has written. The Bible is the authoritative word of God, and it is through the faithful exposition of Scripture that we truly encounter His voice. The church's role is to faithfully teach and uphold the Scriptures, ensuring that its members are equipped for every good work. [19:19]

"Knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." (2 Peter 1:20-21, ESV)

Reflection: How can you support your church in its mission to faithfully teach and uphold the Scriptures? What specific action can you take this week to encourage or participate in this mission?

Day 5: Hearing God Through the Bible

To hear God speak, we must read the Bible, as it is the safest and most reliable way to understand His will. Beware of mystical ideas or contemporary writings that suggest otherwise. The Bible is sufficient for hearing from God, and it is through the faithful exposition of Scripture that we truly encounter His voice. By engaging with the Bible, we open ourselves to God's guidance and wisdom, allowing His word to shape our lives and decisions. [20:23]

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." (Psalm 119:105, ESV)

Reflection: What specific step can you take today to prioritize hearing from God through the Bible? How can you create a habit of engaging with Scripture regularly to seek His guidance?

Sermon Summary

In 2 Timothy 3, Paul provides Timothy with guidance during a time when the church faced external pagan attacks and internal confusion. Paul emphasizes the importance of continuing in the teachings Timothy has learned, particularly the Holy Scriptures, which are capable of making one wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. The Scriptures are described as God-breathed, useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, equipping the man of God for every good work.

The Bible holds a central place in our church because it is not just a book but a library of 66 books, written over a thousand years by around 40 different authors. It is divided into the Old and New Testaments, each serving a unique purpose in revealing God's plan. The Old Testament contains the law, the prophets, and the psalms, while the New Testament includes the Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, the Epistles, and Revelation. The Bible is unique because it is a book about Jesus, predicting, revealing, preaching, explaining, and expecting Him throughout its pages.

The Bible is also unique in that it understands us. As we read it, we often find it speaking directly to our circumstances, offering encouragement, guidance, and correction. This is because the Bible has a dual authorship: God and man. God breathed out the Scriptures, ensuring their reliability and authority, while human authors wrote using their own personalities and styles, without distorting the message.

The church did not write the Bible; it was written by prophets and apostles under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the church has no right to rewrite what God has written. To hear God speak, we must read the Bible, as it is the safest and most reliable way to understand His will. Beware of mystical ideas or contemporary writings that suggest otherwise. The Bible is sufficient for hearing from God, and it is through the faithful exposition of Scripture that we truly encounter His voice.

Key Takeaways

1. The Bible is a library of 66 books, written over a thousand years by around 40 authors, divided into the Old and New Testaments. It is a book about Jesus, predicting, revealing, preaching, explaining, and expecting Him throughout its pages. [05:07]
2. The Bible is unique because it understands us. As we read it, we often find it speaking directly to our circumstances, offering encouragement, guidance, and correction. This is because it has a dual authorship: God and man. [11:41]
3. God breathed out the Scriptures, ensuring their reliability and authority, while human authors wrote using their own personalities and styles, without distorting the message. This dual authorship makes the Bible both divine and human. [13:57]
4. The church did not write the Bible; it was written by prophets and apostles under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the church has no right to rewrite what God has written. The Bible is the authoritative word of God. [19:19]
5. To hear God speak, we must read the Bible, as it is the safest and most reliable way to understand His will. Beware of mystical ideas or contemporary writings that suggest otherwise. The Bible is sufficient for hearing from God. [20:23]
** [20:23]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[01:01] - Context of 2 Timothy 3
[01:14] - Paul's Instruction to Timothy
[01:38] - The Purpose of Scripture
[02:14] - Centrality of the Bible at Parkside
[03:08] - The Importance of the Bible
[04:42] - What is the Bible?
[05:07] - The Bible as a Library
[06:35] - Historical Context of the Bible
[08:29] - The Bible's Uniqueness
[09:40] - The Bible as a Two-Act Play
[10:16] - Jesus in the Bible
[11:41] - The Bible Understands Us
[12:08] - Dual Authorship of Scripture
[13:57] - Reliability and Authority of the Bible
[19:19] - The Church and the Bible
[20:23] - Hearing God Through the Bible

Bible Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
- 2 Timothy 3:14-17
- 2 Peter 1:21
- Psalm 33:6

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Observation Questions:

According to 2 Timothy 3:14-17, what are the purposes of the Scriptures as outlined by Paul? How do these purposes equip the "man of God"? [01:38]
In the sermon, it was mentioned that the Bible is a "library of 66 books." What are the two main sections of the Bible, and what types of writings do they contain? [05:07]
The sermon describes the Bible as having "dual authorship." What does this mean, and how does it affect the reliability and authority of the Scriptures? [13:57]
How does the sermon explain the role of the church in relation to the Bible? Why is it important that the church does not rewrite what God has written? [19:19]

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Interpretation Questions:

How does the concept of the Bible being "God-breathed" influence our understanding of its authority and reliability? What implications does this have for how we approach reading the Bible? [13:57]
The sermon mentions that the Bible "understands us." In what ways have you experienced the Bible speaking directly to your circumstances, offering encouragement, guidance, or correction? [11:41]
Considering the dual authorship of the Bible, how do the human authors' personalities and styles contribute to the richness and diversity of the Scriptures? [14:30]
The sermon warns against relying on mystical ideas or contemporary writings to hear from God. Why is it important to prioritize the Bible as the primary way to understand God's will? [20:23]

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Application Questions:

Reflect on a time when the Bible spoke directly to your situation. How did it offer guidance or encouragement, and how did you respond to it? [11:41]
The sermon emphasizes the importance of reading the Bible to hear God speak. What specific steps can you take to make Bible reading a more consistent and meaningful part of your daily routine? [20:23]
How can you ensure that your understanding of the Bible is not influenced by contemporary writings or ideas that contradict its teachings? What resources or practices can help you stay grounded in Scripture? [20:23]
The Bible is described as a book about Jesus, predicting, revealing, preaching, explaining, and expecting Him. How can you focus more on Jesus when reading the Bible, and what impact might this have on your faith journey? [10:03]
In what ways can you share the centrality and importance of the Bible with others in your community or church? How can you encourage others to engage with Scripture more deeply? [02:14]
The sermon highlights the Bible's dual authorship. How does recognizing both the divine and human elements of Scripture affect your approach to studying it? [14:30]
How can you apply the teachings of 2 Timothy 3:14-17 in your life, particularly in terms of being equipped for "every good work"? What specific actions can you take this week to live out these teachings? [01:38]

Sermon Clips

Paul writes to him as follows but as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you've known the holy scriptures which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. [00:01:14]

If you've been attending Parkside for any length of time at all you will be familiar with this steady drum beat of biblical exposition you know that it doesn't matter who is standing behind this pulpit whether it's myself or one of my colleagues or perhaps a visitor, but in each and every instance it will be apparent to all that the Bible is afforded a central place in all we do. [00:02:14]

The Bible is a library. It is a collection of books. It is one book but it is one book encompassing 66 other books. Anybody who takes a Bible and opens it up will notice that it is apparently broken into two disproportionate pieces. There is a part which in the table of contents is called the Old Testament, which goes from Genesis to Malachi, and then there is the New Testament which goes from Matthew through to Revelation. [00:05:07]

It is a book like no other book because it is a book about Jesus. If you lose your way around the Bible, always take your eyes back to Jesus, always look for Jesus and it will gradually bring you back to an even keel. I've made almost a mantra here or I have tried to my own Sunday school instruction so that you would have it as well if you didn't get it when you were small. [00:10:16]

The Bible is unique because it understands us. We're familiar with being given books all the way through school the teacher says I want you to take this book and go home and read it and see if you can't understand it and write a paper on it and of course there is a real sense in which that's what we do with the Bible. [00:11:41]

Scripture has a dual authorship, a dual authorship on the one hand God wrote it, on the other hand, men wrote it or if you like God spoke and man spoke. We read here in 2 Timothy 3 this great statement in verse 16 all scripture is God breathed. [00:12:08]

God breathed out the holy scriptures and it is this which provides scripture with its reliability and with its authority that God has spoken revealing truth and at the same time preserving the human authors from error and doing so in such a way so as not to violate their personalities. [00:13:57]

The church did not write the Bible; prophets and apostles wrote the word to the people of God and the reliability of what they wrote lies in the fact that behind them is the work of the Holy Spirit and this is the reason why the church has no right to rewrite what God has written. [00:19:19]

If you want to listen to God open your Bible, the safest way to hear God speak is to read your Bible and beware of every other notion about how you're going to hear from God, the mystical ideas that have come out of the dark centuries understandably so when they didn't have a Bible to guard them and to keep them they came up with all kinds of notions. [00:20:23]

Some of the bypass meadows of contemporary evangelicalism are directly related to a willingness to listen to books no matter how influential the author may be which suggests that the answer to your quest is to be found over here in a corner somewhere listening for something finding out where God is going finding out what God is doing. [00:21:17]

If you want to know where he's going and what he's doing read your Bibles, you see why this is so important and this incidentally is the importance of the sermon is it not some of you are saying well I'm sure you were building to this to justify your employment or something I mean you have to say that don't you. [00:21:57]

To be made the vehicle of God's truth through the Bible, to be simply its servant to be underneath it to be holding in one's hand to be offering it afresh, that's something very different. [00:22:48]

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The Authority and Relevance of Scripture in Our Lives

Devotional

Day 1: The Bible as a Divine Library

Day 2: The Bible's Personal Understanding

Day 3: The Reliability and Authority of Scripture

Day 4: The Church's Role in Relation to the Bible

Day 5: Hearing God Through the Bible

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Chatbot

The Authority and Relevance of Scripture in Our Lives

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