[0:00] Let us turn now to the second epistle of Paul to Timothy, chapter 3, and we'll read from verse 14. 2 Timothy chapter 3, reading at verse 14.
[0:14] But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them, and that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
[0:31] All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction, righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, truly furnished unto all good works.
[0:54] Now you remember that last month I decided to do a series of addresses with you, and first Sabbath of every month in the morning, on the passages in the Bible in which the answers to the questions in the shorter catechism are based.
[1:30] And last month we looked at the first one, that we are to do all things to the glory of God, that our chief aim, our chief purpose, and our objective in life, is to show forth all that is true of God, to rejoice and to delight in God, and to honour and serve Him, to glorify Him, in time and throughout eternity.
[1:58] The question I follow from that, of course, is, there are many, how do I do that? How can I come to know God? What guidelines are given to me? For the way in which I am to glorify God?
[2:12] Where is the source of my knowledge? And we know that the answers that the catechism gives to that, found in the first, in number two and three in the catechism, what rule hath God given to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy Him?
[2:28] And the answer is that the word of God is contained in the scripture of the Old and New Testament, it's the only rule to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy Him. And what do these scriptures teach?
[2:41] The scriptures principally teach what man is to believe concerning God, and what duty God requires of man. And it is for that reason that I take the words in 2 Timothy 3, verse 14 onwards, as a passage in which to hang our thoughts and connection with the answers to these questions today.
[3:05] And in the verses we have two main thoughts. They tell us of the origin of scripture, and they tell us, secondly, of the purpose of scripture. Let us remind ourselves, before we pass on briefly, of what the apostles say here, the context in which the passage is sent.
[3:23] Paul, this experienced Christian and minister of the gospel, now nearly the end of his life's journey, is writing to the young minister, Timothy, the man who was going to take over from himself very shortly.
[3:39] And he encourages this young minister to remain steadfast to those things which he had learned from childhood.
[3:54] He reminds Timothy that from his childhood, he had known the Holy Scriptures, as he put it here, able to make thee wise unto salvation.
[4:07] He reminds himself that is simply one thing. From childhood, you have always had an open Bible before you. Continue in the teachings that you have learned from that source book.
[4:23] And remember, he says, that that book is given by inspiration of God, that it is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction, and that if you apply yourself wholeheartedly to the teaching of that word, you will become a perfect man, well equipped, unto all the good words to which God has called you.
[4:51] Hence, hence, we see in this short passage, as in many other passages in this book, the importance of the Bible for each and every one of us.
[5:06] Well now, what do we understand from, what are we told here, in connection with this book, the Word of God, the Scriptures, the Bible? Well, we're told about its origin, that it is given by inspiration of God.
[5:24] Now, before coming to deal particularly with the word inspiration, there is a question that we have to answer here, in the passing. It's not very well to say that, ouchie fend is to glorify God, that we are to do all things to the glory of God, no matter what it is, that we bring our lives under this one great umbrella, this is our objective in life, and in the light of eternity, to glorify and to enjoy.
[5:54] The question that confronts us there is this, how can I know that God? What is the source of my knowledge? Now, you will know of course, and the child here has been told this, I'm sure in the Sabbath school, indeed, if not at home, you will know that there are, we generally tend to speak of, three sources that we have, for our knowledge of God, and the Bible tells us of these three, nature, the nature around us, the world in which we live, our own conscience, and the word of God.
[6:25] Now, if you read the first two chapters, of the epistle of the Romans, you will find that there, emphasis laid upon, the way in which, the knowledge of the existence of God, can be communicated, to the human heart, through, what God himself has created.
[6:42] As you look around, look around the world, and you see there, the creation of God, the world, speaks, to people, of the presence, of God.
[6:56] But no man, by, going hill climbing, or mountaineering, standing by a lock side, or anywhere else, will ever come, and this is what the Bible teaches, will ever come to, believe, or, will ever come to, believe, in a God, who is a savior, by the mere study, of creation.
[7:15] In other words, creation may tell us, of the existence of God, of the reality, of God. But it doesn't tell us, that that God, is a savior of sinners, because as I stand there, and contemplate creation, I do it as a sinner.
[7:33] What I need above all else, is someone who can deal, with the sin, that I carry around with me, no matter where I go. Where is my knowledge, of God the savior, to be found?
[7:45] from a study of nature? No, that's what the Bible says. Because, it isn't that, maybe God, it isn't that, that there is anything wrong, with nature, as a source of our knowledge, of God, the problem lies, with me and with you.
[8:01] That we need more than that, because, we are sinners. We are blinded, to the glory of God, in creation. Then of course, another source, that we have, this thing that you and I, carry around with us, no matter where we go, the thing that we call, conscience.
[8:19] For though we, in a sense may, though, though, though, though, we may, deny, from creation, as many people do, the existence of God, at least, as many people claim to do, they still carry around with them, this thing that, always nags away, when they do wrong, it reminds them, of the wrongness.
[8:42] This is again, what Paul is speaking, about in the first two chapters, of Romans. This innate knowledge, that you and I, carry around with us, that we call, conscience. What our wee boy, once called, the voice box, through which, we hear the voice, of God speaking to us.
[8:57] When you do wrong, when you do something, you shouldn't have done, there's this witness, inside you, that tells you, that you shouldn't, have done it. And the wrongness, is discovered, seen, in the light, of what is right.
[9:12] And the great, supreme right, of course, is God himself. The great truth, is God himself. And we recognize, ourselves as wrong, this voice telling us, that what we've done, is contrary, to what we, ought to have done.
[9:27] And yet, with that alone, we could never come, to the knowledge, of God, as a saviour. We need something, more than that. And so, God in his goodness, has revealed himself, in his word.
[9:40] This is what we call, the revelation, of the goodness, and the grace, and the glory, and the love, and the mercy, of God, in his own word. God has, communicated, his own mind, to men.
[9:56] That is what we call, the revelation, of God. The communication, by God, of his mind, to men. And what we call, the scriptures, is that, communication, of God, to men, put into writing, by men.
[10:21] Either by the men, to whom God, revealed himself. Or by men, who were told, by God, of the revelation, that he had made, to men, in the past.
[10:36] And this, is, the revelation, put down, in writing, which we call, the written revelation, or the scriptures, which as we read here, is given by, or are given by, inspiration, of God.
[10:51] And the scriptures, therefore, this, this word, scriptures, is, to put it, to define it as simply, as we possibly can, the scriptures, are the, written, form, of God's, revealed will, to men.
[11:07] That is the difference, between, speaking of, the Bible, as revelation, and the Bible, as the, revealed will, written down, or the Bible, as scriptures.
[11:19] They, they are, inspired, by, God. Now, we've got to, look at it a wee bit, more closely. The scriptures, we discover, therefore, are the, written form, of God's, revealed will.
[11:33] Put it, so if we can, carry this away with us, maybe, easier, and seeing there are, so many, young people, children present, let me put it like this. You see, God, as you know, revealed himself, often to the likes of, Abraham.
[11:49] Often, to Abraham. Now, that was the revelation, of God's will, to Abraham. Now, Abraham, didn't write, write it down, but Moses did.
[12:04] And, God, told Moses, what to write, about the revelation, that he had made, of himself, to Abraham.
[12:17] And, when Moses, was writing, that revelation, Moses, was inspired, by God, to write.
[12:28] And, when Moses, when Moses, was writing, what God, was telling him, to write. Because, he was, inspired, by God. The product, of his hand.
[12:42] if you can, if you can imagine, if you can imagine, him writing, with pencil, and paper, and pencil, as he wasn't, of course, but if you can imagine, him writing, with pencil, and paper, you can say this, that when he finished, a page, see, he wrote 20 lines, and see, he was writing, the history, of God's, calling of Abraham, out of, Mesopotamia, and so on, and he wrote 20 lines.
[13:03] When he was finished writing, these 20 lines, as he was divinely, inspired by God, there were 20 lines, which were, free of error. Inspiration means, that the, that the thing, the words, which were produced, by the means, God employed, by this man, say Moses, what was produced by him, was perfect, infallible, inerrant, free, from all, error, because they were, inspired, by God.
[13:44] It doesn't mean, by the way, maybe I shouldn't, maybe if I say this, I only confuse the issue, but I might as well say, see, I mentioned, it doesn't mean, you see, that, Moses wrote something, as it were, under his own steam, and then after a period of time, God inspired that, or God inspired other people, to believe, that what Moses wrote, was true.
[14:06] It doesn't mean that. It means that, what Moses wrote, originally, was the product, of the Spirit of God, breathing in him, and breathing through him, and the finished article, was the, Word, of, God.
[14:26] And we write there, in Peter, for example, that, men, holy men of God, were, born along, by the Spirit of God, as they were putting, into writing, the revelation, of, God, they were born along, and, that, that, that suggests, was not, means, that teaches, that, these people, were, so much, on the influence, of the Spirit, they were, completely, on the influence, of the Spirit, so, when they were, writing like that, there was, no error, in what they wrote, and, that is, why we claim, not for the authorized version, not for the RSV, not for the NIV, not for the New English Bible, not for the good news, to modern man, that's, why we claim, not for any, of these versions, but for the original, word of God, the complete, inspiration, of the Holy Spirit, of God, and a product, which is, absolutely, free, from all error, does it mean, that the versions, are free from error, of course they aren't, but that, which is the original, upon which they are placed, and from which they, themselves proceed, is, absolutely, totally, free, from all error, all scripture, is, inspired, in that way, by God, all scripture, without, any, any, single, exception, not a, portion, of that chapter, not, two or three, verses out of 43, not what Jesus said, out of what John said, but, every, single thing, that, every, single writer, of the Bible, wrote down, is written, by the, inspiration, of God, the history, the historical, setting, the geographical, occasion, in which, incidents, are recorded, all these, things, are written down, as divinely, inspired, by the, spirit, of God, and that is why, you have to take, your stand here, on the authority, of God's word, in its totality, and subject, as I see in a minute, your own understanding, your own recognition, your own thoughts, to the authority, of that word, which comes to you, as the divinely, inspired, word, of God, and, extra revelations, as they are called, are there for a distortion, of the truth, and a denial, of the completeness, of the truth of God, because, as I said, all scripture, is given, by this, inspiration of God, and the confession of faith, and the short of catechism, which we are here studying, affirm the, absolute, objective, completeness, of scripture, as a guide, to a service of God, as a guide, to a faith, and to the life, that we live, we require, nothing else, to believe, and we require, nothing else, to live, the way you and I, ought, to live, and to deny that, is to deny, the authority, and the inspiration, and the completeness, of the word of God, for faith, and, for life, and that is why, we object, and that is why, we expose, the error, of cults, and faiths, and religions, that do not, subscribe, to the authority, of the word of God, and that are not, bounded by, the all sufficiency, of the word of God, of the word of God, that is why,
[18:33] Mormonism, and, the, the, the, the, the Jehovah witnesses, and, the teachings, of the mermies, are exposed, as things, which are wrong, because, they deny, the finality, and the totality, and the authority, and the inspiration, of, the word of God, all scripture, is given, by, inspiration, of God, and is ever complete, and is final for us, for faith, and for life, and that is why, the, the, the short of Catholic, put it like this, the word of God, which will contain the scriptures, of the Old and New Testament, is the, only rule, to direct us, the, only rule, not a rule, among many, but the only one, to direct us, how we may glorify God, and enjoy Him, and that is why, it goes on to say, the scriptures, principally teach, what man is to believe, concerning God, and what duty God requires, of man, the scriptures teach, other things, but they principally teach, what we are to believe, concerning God, and that's why, it goes on to say, all, given by inspiration, of God, and is, is, is, is, is able, to make the wise, unto salvation, through faith, which is in,
[19:50] Jesus Christ, our, Lord, not a rule, but, the rule, and the only, way, in which we can, glorify God, is through, an acceptance, of this word, that He Himself, has given, and there is no other rule, whatsoever laid down, for Christian living, no tradition, that is handed down, to you, or to me, no church practices, no regulations, by this church, or by any other denomination, be the FP, or church of Scotland, or whatever church, no regulation, no rule, will ever, and must never, take the place of scripture, as the one, which directs me, regarding the way, of salvation, and the way, in which, I live, and to go beyond, the truth of God, is to introduce, a system, which is nothing short, of legalism, and this is what happened, to the church in Galatia, that Christian liberty, was being bound, by things, which were being brought, into the church, by the enemies, of the truth, and they lost their liberty, when the American, theologians,
[21:00] B.B. Warfield, put it like this, one of the chief effects, of confessions, of declarations, under the short, of Catholicism, statement, regarding, for example, the only rule, and listen to this, is to protect, the people of God, from the tyranny, of human requirements, which laid upon, man's consciences, burdens, that God, had not laid upon them, and burdens, that are too grievous, to be borne, by any individual, and you and I, have to be extremely careful, that we do not, bind, what God, has set free, so for example, I have no right, I have no right, and my church, has no right, to demand, that you, do not associate yourself, in acts of public worship, for example, with fellow believers, out with the confines, of your own, denomination, on pain of, church censure, that would be a denial, of the authority, and of the completeness, and finality of scripture, as the only rule, of faith, and, of life, the church, into whose membership, you come, at the same time, on the, on the base of the word of God, expects, a degree, of faithfulness, from you, and from me, as members, of this church, to the stand, that our church takes, and, beyond that,
[22:48] I cannot go, and, as I said, we have to be, extremely careful, that we don't, add, to what the Bible, demands, of people, for faith, and, for practice, that we don't, add, to the scripture, and, use our common sense, by deducing, from scriptures, standards, that we may, biblically apply, to ourselves, and to others, for example, with reference, to church discipline, let me give you, a simple example, of this, there's nothing, in the Bible, that tells me, that the three church, congregation of Stor, we must meet, in the seminary, on a Sabbath morning, at 11 a.m., there's nothing, that says that, I deduce, from what the Bible, says, that the church, the free church, congregation of Stor, ought to meet, every Lord's day, for public worship, it doesn't say, that we ought to meet, at 11, it doesn't mean, that we ought to meet, at 7, as a matter of fact, if I may, make a personal, reference here,
[23:55] I wish the evening, service in this town, services were, earlier, by half an hour, to help many, young families, I know that, and perhaps, to encourage, younger families, to attend, as well, because by the time, they get to home, it's getting rather late, on a Sabbath night, when you have a, congregational fellowship, as well, that, itself, makes things later, but you see, it so happened, that the church, the church officers, and their wisdom, and days gone by, determined, that the best time, for me, to have public worship, in this town, was 11, and 7, there's nothing in the Bible, to say that, it ought to be that, but you see, you deduce things, from the Bible, and you've got to, exercise your common sense, and, you've got to apply, these principles, sensibly, to the way, in which you live, and the way, in which you worship, always remember, that your, soul, your chief authority, and your only role, for faith, and life, is what you have, down here, in the, word, of God, and, that is why, we have to, submit, our own understanding, and our reason, to the scriptures, and, let the word of God, be true, at all times, and every other man, a liar, now, if, the scriptures, are thus given, by inspiration of God, for what purpose, are they given, well we're told here, that they're given, for this purpose, they are able, to make thee wise, and to salvation, through faith, which is in Christ Jesus, and they are profitable, for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction, righteousness, that the man of God, may be perfect, throughly furnished, unto all, good works, they're able, to make thee wise, unto salvation, now,
[26:01] I wonder if I could, introduce this subject, in this way, the Bible, is not our source book, for all our knowledge, for all our knowledge, the Bible, isn't the source book, for my knowledge, of the multiplication tables, which, and even with the, is enlightened age, which we live, education, themselves, will have come, to accept that, well, after all, we need to know the tables, after all, we need to know them, in the same way, as we need to know, the alphabet, but it's not my source book, for knowing the alphabet, it's not my source book, for telling me, how to, how to go up, how to become a good, fisherman, or a good, crafter, there are other, source books, for these things, it is my best, source book, for geography, authority, though, what it does have to say, on these things, is authoritative, if the Bible, says anything, on any subject, no matter what it is, what it says, on that subject, is authoritative, but it is not, the source book, for my knowledge, for all my knowledge, but without a shadow, of doubt, it is my, source book, for my knowledge, of salvation, it is able, to make thee wise, unto, salvation, and the short, salvation, puts like this, the scriptures, principally teach, what man is to believe, concerning God, what duty God, requires of man, it is the only rule, to direct us, how we may glorify, and enjoy, and remember, last week, last month, we saw that, we set out, on this life, of glorifying God, by believing God, this is the first step, we take, in the life, of glorifying him, and showing forth, all that is true of him, we believe, in him, and how do I believe, how can they believe, this Paul, unless, they hear, hear what, hear about this,
[28:22] Savior God, and this is what the Bible, is principally, about, it is all about, the provision, that God, in his grace, has made, for the salvation, of man, it begins, at the very, at the very outset, it begins, with the story, of how God, made the world, and man, and how man, brought sin, into a perfect environment, and from that moment on, the Bible, is an unfolding, of the revelation, of God, an unfolding, of God, as the Savior, of this, lost man, from the very outset, God determined, that he would, send, a son, into the world, to save man, and the history, unfolds, for hundreds, and hundreds, of years, bringing the world, nearer, and nearer, and nearer, the point, where this God, would be revealed, in the flesh, and the time, came, in the fullness, of time,
[29:32] God, was manifested, in the flesh, and that God, lived in this world, suffered in this world, as a sin bearer, was crucified, in this world, rose from the dead, and ascended, into heaven, after a period of time, and is in heaven, and we're waiting, till he comes again, to judge the world, he's going to come, a second time, now this is the whole, thrust of the Bible, Timothy says Paul, from the time, you were a child, you've got an open Bible, and that Bible, has told you, about the salvation, of God, and it's through, that Bible, you come to know, your Savior God, hence my friend, the importance, of taking your Bible, off your shelf, taking it, off your bedside cabinet, and reading it, as often, as you possibly can, you'll never know enough, about the God, who is, our Savior, and this is where, we come, for the knowledge, of ourselves, in our need, of our Savior, what does Paul say, about, were it not for the Bible, he says,
[30:43] I wouldn't have known sin, think of that, were it not for the Bible, he says, I wouldn't have known sin, oh, you say, there are people, that don't read the Bible, they'll be the first, to admit that, they're sinners, yes I know, but isn't it significant, maybe there's some of you, here today like that, isn't it significant, that the moment, the Spirit of God, begins to deal with you, convicting, you, of what, of your sin, what do you do, what have you started doing, you've started, reading your Bible, isn't that significant, oh, you say, I'm not getting any comfort, from it, no, that might be true, I don't seem, to be any further on, that may be true as well, I don't seem, to discover the Lord, as my Savior, I know, that may be true, you see, don't you be, of the mistaken impression, that the moment, you begin to read, the Bible seriously, for the first time, that then you're, going to get, light, and liberty, and comfort, and consolation, oh no, it doesn't always, work like that, you remember, what happened, the day of Pentecost, when Peter preached, the gospel to them, and the Spirit of God, blessed the word, to their heart, what happened, they were cut, to the heart, they were hurt, they didn't like, what they heard, didn't like it, didn't bring, consolation, and comfort, and peace to them, it shattered their hopes, spoiled their lives, it is very often, what the Bible does, when the Spirit of God, blesses it to you, you read it, and what do you discover,
[32:22] I'm getting better, oh no, I'm getting worse, I thought, now start reading this Bible, that I would become, a better individual, and I thought years ago, that if I became, I would turn to the Lord, when I was better, but I'm worse than I ever was, oh yes my friend, you see, you're beginning to see yourself, in the light of the word, and it's making you wise, to seek salvation, as a sinner, who has been convicted, of his sin, and who discovers, that there is salvation, nowhere else, you thought, by reading this Bible, you'll be saved, but you discover, you can't, you thought by praying, that you'll be saved, but no, you don't have to, you don't seem to have a prayer now, you thought, you start coming to church, you'll get peace, but you're not getting peace, no, and you won't, until you come, to the Savior, who can give you peace, and this is what the Bible, is all about, it directs, the sinner, to the Savior, principally, principally, or there are other things, in the Bible, there's the story, of the creation world, there's the story, of the fall of man, there's the story, of the flood, that destroyed the old world, there's the story, of the covenant, that God made with Noah, and the salvation of Noah, by way of the ark, there's the story, of the exodus, of the children of Israel, from Egypt, the story, of her going into Egypt, in the first place, through Joseph, and Jacob, and coming out, hundreds of years afterwards, led by Moses, the Bible is full of the history, of this people, being led through the wilderness, for 40 years, entering into the promised land, the prophets God sent to them, in the promised land, the men of God, who told them about God, and told them about a coming saviour, through the history, of the rebellion, and their captivity, their restoration, and so on, the history, of the life of Jesus, as mentioned, and his death, and his resurrection, and so on, the history, of the planting of the church, and the extension of the church, full of many incidents, in the history, of these men and women, throughout the years, and throughout the ages, at the very heart, of all of our history, is this, great, saviour God, who saves, men and women, boys and girls, from their sin,
[34:52] Timothy, ever since you began, to read the Bible, you've read about this, salvation, of God, and this is not the case, with you and with me today, this is not what you, have the Bible for, and be sure, that when you come, to the Bible, that you look, for this God, that you pray, Lord, open my eyes, that I may see, thy salvation, see too many people, tend to be a God, of their Bible, in the same way, as too many people, tend to be a God, of their church, a God, of their denomination, a God, of Sabbath, of service, a God, of this rule, a God, of this rule, and this, this, this, this tradition, and the next, there's only one God, and there's only one, Savior God, and who you want to do, this is what the Bible, is all about, principle, supremely, able to make thee, wise, unto, salvation, salvation, but there is, something else to you, and this is the final thing, what the Bible does, it is profitable, for doctrine, for reproof, correction, instruction, profit, of make you a perfect man, throughly furnished, unto all, good, works, able to make you wise, unto salvation, before I leave it, notice the input, of through faith, in Jesus Christ, see my friend, you read the Bible, it leaves you no doubt here, there are many problems, that you come across the Bible, of course there are,
[36:29] I don't deny that, there are many passages, you'll find extremely difficult, to understand, you read the book of Ezekiel, and the book of Revelation, things there, that you and I, in this life, will probably never understand, what does this text mean, and what does that text mean, sometimes we have to say, well I'm not very sure, what it means, why does this passage, say this, and another passage, say the next thing, and there are times, when you admit, well, it's difficult for me, to know, why these things are there, but all I know, is that, God had a purpose, for putting them like that, of course there are difficulties, and of course, there's the great, what about this, predestination, and election, what about reprobation, what about all these things, I know, I know, God, coming in the flesh, can't understand, I know, I know, so many things, from our mind, is almost in a, in a state of unbelief,
[37:31] I know, I know, we're all pained, from time to time, by these floods, if not flashes of unbelief, and we have to cry, with that man of old, Lord, I believe, take thou away, my unbelief, I grant you, that there are problems, and there are difficulties, but we do not accept this, at the same time, that from the mantra of salvation, there is no difficulty, it's as clear as ABC, as Spurgeon put it, it's as clear as ABC, he said, but people, they're not DEF, and how true that is, and the mantra of salvation, is as clear as daylight, the Bible says, before you are Savior, and the condition of salvation, is this, through faith, in Jesus Christ, through faith, in Jesus Christ, that's all that you're asked to do today, that's all I'm asked to do, a committing of ourselves to him, a giving of ourselves to him, in this act of faith,
[38:36] Lord, I believe, I come to thee, and I give thee myself, to depend upon thy grace, that's all, no more, no less, never mind your difficulties, and your problems, the things that you've crafted with, in the history, and so on, of the Bible, leave that aside for a moment, your salvation, doesn't hinge, on your understanding, of this particular chapter, in Ezekiel, but I tell you one thing, your salvation, my friend, hangs on this, are you going to believe, in a Christ, that the Bible presents, to you as a Savior, that is where salvation lies, through faith, in him, and that is a clear, teaching, of the Bible, but it's also clear on this, that, here is, the basis, here is our creed, all that we believe, as Christians, is in here, it is profitable, for doctrine, and for, reproof, for correction, and for instruction, in Christ, so,
[39:53] I think I do want to sum up, what he's saying here, you need the Bible, to believe, the things, you ought to believe, and you need the Bible, to live, the way you ought, to live, now have you noticed, the order here, belief, or truth, and life, you see, there are some people, who say, it doesn't matter, what you believe, as long as you live, the way you ought to live, well that's rubbish, how are you going to live, the way you ought to live, what's going to determine, for you, the way you live, I'll tell you, what you believe, and if you don't believe, very much, you can live the way you like, and this is the trouble, of so many people, you see, if the Bishop of Durham, and other people, can tear away, and tear up the Bible, here, there, and everywhere, if the resurrection isn't true, if this isn't true, if the next thing isn't true, if the virgin birth isn't true, if that isn't true, what are you left with, nothing, and when you're left with nothing, you can do what you like, and this is what happens, in society, which abundons, truth, the more you abandon truth, the more chaotic, society, becomes, it's true, at individual level, if you abandon the teachings, of the Bible, you can do what you like, your life becomes, anarchy, same at home level, same in schools, if there are no, if there's no application, of discipline, if there are no guidelines, for doing things, and for, for, for, for, for, for a, for a, a, a,
[41:37] I can't, the word I'm looking for, I can't get the word, if there are no guidelines, for, doing things, and, if there are no guidelines, to show you, what things, that you should not do, chaos reigns, anarchy reigns, and that's why, there are some people, who are bent on, taking away, as many of the guidelines, as you possibly can, from the church, from the home, from the school, from the state, from society, as a whole, what do you end up with, what you ended up with, in the old days, every man, did that, which was right, in his own eyes, and that's the recipe, for chaos, for chaos, and then into that, chaos, will step, as you very often, see it happening, will step, for example, the communist party, and behind a lot, of the, some people don't accept this, behind a lot, of the, of this philosophy, this, this idea, of taking away, as many of the landmarks, and the guidelines, as you possibly can, behind them, is that left wing thinking, that wants, to create, anarchy, and disruption, and chaos, and then step in, with its own heavy boot, and stamp on it all, and apply, its guidelines, and its guidelines, have no reference, whatsoever, to God, the thing about,
[43:11] God's guidelines, is this, as I said earlier, quoting Warfield, they are there, to protect, the liberty, of the man in Christ, take them away, and you've taken away, as liberty, you give them license, and license is not liberty, so you see, it's desperately important, that you believe, the right things, because if you don't believe, the right things, you won't live the right way, it's as simple as that, this Paul, and this is what the Bible, is given, this is why it's given, to lead us to salvation, a sinner, shall need a savior, it's given, so that, we may have the right things, to believe, the Bible is profitable, for doctrine, that is, for teaching, fill your mind, with the knowledge, of the truth, get to know your Bible, get to know the doctrine, of God, and the doctrine, of the person, of Christ, the doctrine, of sin, the doctrine, of the Trinity, get to know these things, don't be afraid of them, those who were before us, knew them, through and through, but of course, we don't live in an age, when we read, we go to the box, too much nowadays, but whatever else, the box will do, it won't fill your mind, with the knowledge of God, and therefore, we don't read the book, we don't read books, the way they used to read books, we don't read the Bible, we don't read the catechism, on the confession of faith, with its own, disastrous effects, upon the life of the church, and when the church, weak in knowledge, and weak in doctrine, it then becomes weak in faith, and ultimately weak in life, that's a sad outlook, for the church, don't you be afraid, of people who accuse you, of being too full of doctrine, you tell them, that you'll never have enough of it, but remember, that doctrine isn't enough, you've got to know the Bible, for a purpose, that you might lose, according to the things, that you're getting to know, so you see, it always look at how beautifully, balanced the Bible is,
[45:09] I learn about God, why? So that I may be like God, be holy, for I am holy, I learn about Jesus, why?
[45:21] So that I might cultivate, the mind that is in Christ, that this mind be in you, that was in him, but for me to have his mind, I must know more about him, and I might, I might study his life, I study the way he lives, and apply himself, to certain situations, so that I might follow, his example, you see the Bible, is profitable for instruction, the Bible is profitable, for doctrine, the Bible is profitable, for correction, to keep me right, and I need to be kept right, don't you?
[45:53] Of course you do, for instruction, right, is to make me live, a right life, to make sure, that what I'm doing, is right, according to the Bible, the Bible, the Bible, basic, to my faith, and basic, to my life, that the man of God, may be perfect, truly furnished, unto all, good works, perfect, I want to be a, as perfect, a Christian as possible, well, what do I do?
[46:27] I apply myself, to the word of God, and I bring my life, under its umbrella, and what it says, is final, not what I say, but what it says, and if I want to do the things, the best way possible, I do it, in accordance, with the Bible, let me close with this quotation, from a, recent writer, on the, epistle to Timothy, put it like this, he was commenting, on this chapter, and Luke commenting, particularly on the verses, in which we have taken, the verses of the time, to look at, this morning, and he says this, looking back, he says over this chapter, as a whole, we can appreciate, the relevance, of its message, to our permissive society, the times of stress, first one, which we seem, to be living, are very distressing, sometimes, one wonders, of the world, and the church, have gone mad, so strange, are their views, and so lacks, their standards, some Christians, it has swept away, from their moorings, by the flood tide, of sin, and error, others, go into hiding, as offering, the best hope, of survival, the only alternative, to surrendering, but he says, neither of these, is the Christian way, as for you,
[47:58] Paul says to Timothy, stand for him, what he said to Timothy, he says to you and me, stand for him, never mind, and listen, this is particularly, for you young Christians, never mind, if you are timid, young, inexperienced, and weak, and often alone, in your witness, Paul says to Timothy, you have followed, my teaching so far, now continue, in what you have come, to believe, you know, the biblical credentials, of your faith, scripture is, God breathed, and profitable, it and it alone, can equip you, for your work, let the word of God, make you a man of God, remain loyal to it, and it will lead you on, into Christian, maturity, can we sum it up, very briefly, you need your Bible, you can't do without it, you have come, to know yourself, as a sinner, through it, you can only come, to know God, as a saviour, in it, you need to know it, for the things, that you believe, you need to know, all of it, you don't know, you don't know, about the Bible, neither do I, and if you, fill your mind, with it, and let your life, be directed, by it, that's all you need, to equip yourself, to strengthen yourself, to meet your enemies, and to overcome them, let us pray, our Lord, bless us, have mercy upon us, and guide us, accept our thanks, for the truth, that thou hast given to us, in thy goodness, and go before us now, and prepare us, for our evening worship, forgiving all our sins, for Jesus' sake, amen, amen, amen, amen,