God’s Word: Our strong foundation amid persecution and deception

(2 Timothy 3:10-17)

What: Be grounded in Scripture amid persecution and deception

Why: Scripture will strengthen us amid trials and guide us to the Truth amid deception
How: How do we deepen in being Scripture-grounded?

1. Continue in the truth of God's Word (v. 14)

2. Teach God's Word to the young (v. 15)
3. Grow in your convictions of God's Word (v. 16)
4. Apply God's Word in your life (v. 17)

I. INTRODUCTION
Context of the Book
-Paul was in a cold dungeon, most probably the Mamertine prisonarrested because of emperor Nero’s
persecution of Christians in AD 66-67 (he blamed them for a great fire that ravaged the empire)
-In that dark prison, Paul was deserted by several friends, as he awaited his execution
-It is in this context where he wrote his 2 nd letter to Timothy whom he left in Ephesus (probably last letter)
-Why? Interestingly, he wrote it to encourage his spiritual son amid ministry trials, persecution and deception
 don’t give up, face trials with faith, (2 Tim 1-2:13)
 rebuke false teachers, preach the Word, live a godly life (2 Timothy 2:14-4:5)
 passing on of the baton, “Timothy, continue the great commission, disciple, evangelize even after my death”

Persecution and Deception

-The themes of persecution and deception from false teachers are clear in 2 Timothy
-2 Timothy 3:11-12 Paul speaks of his own experience of persecution in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra
(imprisonment, lashes, shipwrecks, stoning ect.)
(v. 12) he even promised that all who live a godly life in Jesus will be persecuted
-2 Timothy 3:13 What happens to false teachers, impostors? V. 13 they will grow from bad to worse

Respond by being Grounded in the Word

-What was Paul’s command to Timothy in the face of persecution and deception?
- If I may summarize his response in vv. 14-17 it is this:
Be grounded in Scripture amid persecution and deception
-Why? Scripture will strengthen us amid trials; Scripture will guide us to the Truth amid deception
-Let me show you this short clip to illustrate this point

-Bounchan desired God’s Word amid torture for God’s Word gave him strength to endure
-Bounchan desired God’s Word amid solitary confinement to fight the enemy’s deception that he’s forgotten
- Truly amid persecution and deception be grounded in Scripture

Connect to our present time

-Is there persecution in our time? Yes, perhaps not severely in the Philippines but in Communist countries, and in
countries with Christian minority, followers of Jesus experience severe persecution for their faith
-Is there deception in our time? Definitely Davao (a man claims to be the appointed Son of God); South Korea
(an old woman claims to be god the mother); Arians demote Jesus’ deity (just a man, lower God); Secularism/
Humanism promote false teachings on gender & sexuality among others
-Paul’s command to Timothy still rings true for us today Be grounded in Scripture amid persecution and
deception

Connect to DCBC’s Context

-I am happy that DCBC embraces Scripture-groundedness as one of its core values
-Simply put, being Scripture-grounded is related to the Reformers’ battle cry of Sola Scriptura (Scripture alone)
 -That is, in matters of faith, life, conduct, worldview we submit to the clear teaching of God’s Word as originally
intended and taught by the authors
-It is our final authority—not tradition, not councils, not dogmas but the Word of God as correctly interpreted

Outline
-So, the bulk of our message this afternoon will go to the more practical aspect of the core value
-How can we deepen in being Scripture-Grounded as individuals and as a church?

1. Continue in the truth of God's Word (v. 14)

2. Teach God's Word to the young (v. 15)
3. Grow in your convictions of God's Word (v. 16)
4. Apply God's Word in your life (v. 17)
-may these encouragements help us to be truly Scripture-Grounded
TRANSITION: The first one, we can be truly Scripture-Grounded if we…

II. BODY
1. Continue in the truth of God's Word (v. 14)
POINT: We must hold on to the truths of Scripture as originally taught by its authors
PROOF: v. 14 after discussing persecution and deception, Paul immediately commands Timothy to “continue in
what he has learned and firmly believed” from Scripture
 Word Study: Continue- abide, dwell, stay (John 15) not abandon, nor move away, nor swerve from the
right or left, nor follow new teachings, other than the truths that he has learned and believed from
Scripture
Word Study: not just learn (intellectual truth/comprehension) but believed (trust, find assurance or
confidence in the Word) understood and applied

 How did he learn these truths? From whom did he learn these things?
- from trustworthy and equally Scripture-grounded people
-1 Tim 1:2; 2 Tim 1:5 Lois (grandmother), Eunice (mother), Paulbelievers who also abide in God’s Word

 Why is it important that Timothy knows these teachers to be Scripture-grounded?  because of the
proliferation of false teachers Hymenaus and Philetus (resurrection is finished 2:17-18), irreverent
babbles or quarrels about words (2:16), people who are well-educated but do not understand and even
oppose the truth (3:7-8)

RESTATE: So we should not just continue in any truth claiming to be from the Bible, but truths that have
withstood time and have been taught and learned by faithful Christians through the ages

PROBLEM: Can false teachings emerge from the Bible?

 Judaizers: twisting salvation by grace through faith by adding the requirements of Judaism (circumcision)
 Modalists: twisted the truths of the Trinity (F,S,HS transform)
 Revisionist Theology: aims to reformulate Christian teaching by viewing the Bible using different
perspectives (feminism, marxism) honestly speaking, this is akin to eisegesis (reading into the text)

PRACTICE: How can we combat these?

Learn how to study the Bible for yourself (exegesis), following Historico-Grammatico-Theological
Hermeneutics “What does the author/text actually say?” “What is the original intended meaning of this
passage?” NOT “What do I feel or I think it says…”
 Learn to be critical about the people, books, scholars, pastors, websites that we follow. There are many
teachers who sound very good, but actually have wrong teachings (ie. Joseph Prince hyper grace). Test
them and their teachings in light of Scripture (Matt 7:15-20)
  better to be disciple by dead Christians who have proven their faithfulness by God’s grace (books by the
Puritans, Reformers, etc.)

PONDER:
-These are good applications, but I also want us to reflect, “To begin with, do we know the clear teachings of
Scripture? Do we embrace the reality that everyone’s a theologian?
-Are we making an effort by God’s grace to study and reflect on His Word?
-Do we love the Lord with all our minds, enough for us to tackle even the hard stuff and questions of faith?

RESTATE: Let us be more grounded in Scripture by holding to its truths as originally taught

2. Teach God's Word to the young (v. 15)

POINT: Even the young can be more grounded in Scripture if we teach them God’s Word from an early age
PROOF: What can we learn from Timothy’s own experience growing up?
v. 15a: from childhood, he was acquainted with sacred writings
Word Study: childhood- infant, new-born child or even an unborn child (5 years old)
 Word Study: acquainted- given the knowledge of, heard, learned God’s Word
-from the time he was in the womb, Timothy’s grandmother and mother have been exposing him to Scripture
PICTURE: Letting babies listen to Scripture, Biblical hymns, talking to them about God

What’s the effect of this constant exposure?

v. 15b God’s Word made him “wise (WS: instructed) for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ”
-Timothy learned what it means to be a believer at a young age through the Word of God
-The LORD used His Word to convict him of sin, draw him to Himself for salvation

PRACTICE: The application is obvious

 Parents or soon to be parents: the Biblical design is for you to be the primary disciplers, teachers and
evangelists for your children (Lois and Eunice’s example)
-we should not leave them totally to youth programs or Sunday school, but we should partner with them
-when evangelizing, let us be patient and help them understand the Gospel fully, asking God always for His
grace to enlighten them of their sinfulness and their need for Jesus (the last thing we want is to give
false assurance)
PICTURE: Tablante parents encouraged their children to learn the Bible, led evening family devotions,
even challenged their children to reflect on their lives if they see evidence of salvation (prayer vs trans)

DCBC: as a church, we should not neglect the 4-14 Window (children aged 4-14) who are very open and
sensitive to the Word Sunday School, VOICE for elem students, Youth ministry (Proverbs 22:6)
PICTURE: I didn’t like children’s ministry before those who were faithful in YM are those who were
consistent in Sunday School when they were young

The rest: let us volunteer to teach, disciple (young literal, young spiritual) 2nd point, not only the young will
be more grounded in Scripture, but even us who will be teaching them
-one of the best ways to learn is to teach (you will also study the material, master it, live it out)

PICTURE: Someone reached out recently because he’s concerned about his stagnation in spiritual
growth I challenged him to pray about leading BS ministry is not only for the mature, it’s also
actually God’s means of helping us mature (Jesus sent out the 72, OJT style)

PONDER: Are there opportunities to teach, or ministries in need of teachers? I encourage you to pray about it.
What could be hindering you from helping? Pray to God to change your attitude, and make you more willing to
serve in these ministries. Trust that the Lord will enable you if you say yes, and will even bless you with spiritual
growth as you teach!
RESTATE: Children are not exempt from the world’s deception and even persecution. We should prepare them with
the truth from a young age. We should discuss the hard issues of faith with them as their disciplers. Let us help
them be grounded on Scripture. Remember, if they don’t learn it in church, they’ll learn it from the world.

3. Grow in your convictions of God's Word (v. 16)

POINT: We can be more grounded in Scripture if we believe in its inspiration, inerrancy, authority and sufficiency

PONDER: Have you wondered why the enemy uses persecution and deception against believers?
-he wants to undermine God’s Word he uses pain to cause us to doubt the promises of God’s Word he
uses lies and deception to twist Biblical teachings in order to confuse us
-We should not allow him to succeed; instead let’s aim to deepen in our conviction on being Scripture-
grounded. Remember v. 16 (read)

PROOF: v. 16- one of the most famous verses on the nature of Scripture
“all Scripture”: OT and even NT
-“scripture” and “sacred writings”though the Gk literally refers to the Old Testament Scripture (some
of the NT books have not been written yet), we also see that the writings of Paul and the Gospels
were considered Scripture by the 1 st century believers (1Tm 5:18; 2Pt 3:15–16) it became clearer
that the OT and NT are included when the Canon of Scripture was finalized
MISCONCEPTION: the formation of the Canon it is not a selection or elimination process per se with
thousands of book up for debate (only around 2-3 were debated intensively—RC Sproul)
-more of a formalization of the books that were already being used from the beginning of the
church era
-based on 3 criteria: a) written or supervised by an apostle, b) reception of the early church, c)
consistency of teachings with core books came up with the 66 Books of our Bibles today

 “God-breathed”: inspiredScripture is from God, though He used human authors to pen it

-Doctrine of Inspiration: The Holy Spirit moved in and through the 40 human authors, using their
uniqueness, writing abilities and circumstances to pen God’s Word (2 Pt 1:20-21)
(vs Quran w/c claims to be given in visions by the Angel Gabriel)
-Doctrine of Inerrancy/Infallibility: bec the Bible is God’s Word, it’s incapable of making a mistake, it
does not err in its entirety, “down to the individual words” thus, being the “only infallible source of
Christian doctrine.” (RC Sproul) (Psalm 19:7; Psalm 12:6)
PRACTICE: may mga mahihirap na passages, discrepancies, contradictions etc apparent lang, do
research (2 vs 1 angel)

PROBLEM:
both the NT and OT are inspired, but which modern version? (KJV? ESV? NIV?) The original NT and
OT are the ones inspired WHY Original? There is no promise of inerrant transmission (as scribes
copied from generation to generation, variants in spelling, form etc.)  reason behind Textual
Criticism: scholars work to ascertain how the original most probably looked like based on available
manuscripts (20 plus thousands for the NT alone)
 NT and OT are astonishingly well persevered, and the differences do not at all affect the core
message of the Bible (armor vs armour)

 “Profitable for…” Bec the whole Bible is God’s Word, it is infallible (no mistake), then, it’s an authoritative
and sufficient guide for believers
a. Teaching: giving of instructions, information, doctrine
b. Reproof: rebuke, convict one of his sinfulness
c. Correction: restoration, setting straight or right again
d. Training in righteousness: instruct, discipline to increase in virtue
PICTURE: I was so judgmental towards a friend discipler tackled Matthew 7:3-5 conviction
PRACTICE:
We can deepen in conviction when we begin by knowing and examining what we believe be diligent in
understanding what the Bible says about inspiration, inerrancy, sufficiency, authority
 don’t be afraid to tackle controversies, questions always asking wisdom from the Spirit
 Let’s not end by simply knowing but let’s actually live out what we learn Bible becomes our go-to guide
in our life and conduct as believers
Growing in conviction has a supernatural element, so we need to ask God’s help When we have done
everything and still can’t find the answer, we must be honest to admit our human limitations while still
trusting in God’s wisdom (be excited because you’ll be able to ask this face to face with Jesus)

RESTATE: Don’t let persecution and deception lead us astray from God’s Word. Instead, trust that Scripture is
inspired, inerrant, authoritative and sufficient that we may deepen in it

TRANSITION: So we’ve seen the divine nature of Scripture and learned key Biblical doctrines. Is that all there is? Are
we learning these information just to win debates about the Bible? NO! I would say the ultimate goal, and one of
the most effective ways to be more grounded in Scripture is to actually…

4. Apply God's Word in your life (v. 17)

POINT: We apply and live out its truths everyday
PROOF: v. 17 What’s the purpose of using Scripture to teach, reproof, correct and train in righteousness?
So that the “man of God” (not literally just males), the messenger or worker of God (all believers)
complete: capable, proficient, fitted
equipped: able to finish, complete
 every good work: God’s will as seen in Scripture
 We learn from Scripture so that we can apply Scripture and in both instances, we become more grounded
in God’s Word

PICTURE: James 1:22-25 Let God’s Word be like a mirror that will reveal our true state (how we really look like
spiritually), what areas need improvement, how we’ve been growing and when we see our faces and comb
our hairs and wash up infront of the mirror, may we also do the same when we read God’s Word act on it

PRACTICE: How do we apply God’s Word?

-There’s no other way but to live it out!
PICTURE: like when we imitate famous artists’ (fashion or recommendations) they are our standard
 have the same attitude with God’s Word (Washing of feet as service paunahan sa service; Paul
sharing the Gospel/ Great Commission excitement everytime may opportunity to evangelize)

-There’s no other way but to trust and obey (hymn)

PICTURE: “The Bible says it, I believe it, that settles it”
PROBLEM: some may say this is so naïve, and bordering to fanaticism BUT if we have studied God’s Word,
interpreted it correctly (we understood the original intended meaning), indeed what it says, we are
called to believe and to apply!

-Oh may we be experts of the Word, not just for information but also for application—
PICTURE: I’m not sure ano’ng career ko (Colossians 3:23); nakakainis yung boss ko, ayun nagchichismisan ang
officemates ko, sama ba ako? (James 3:9-10)

RESTATE: Let us not just be hearers of the Word but doers also. For when we actually apply what we know from
God’s Word, we’ve truly shown ourselves to be grounded in Scripture.
III. CONCLUSION
-We want to be Scripture-grounded in DCBC. This is a lot easier said than done especially with the reality of
persecution and deception all around us.
-The temptation to just go with the flow or to go undercover to avoid persecution is so strong (bullying, judgment,
weird looks, rejection). But if we really want to live by the Word, by the grace of God, we will continue to apply
what it says--evangelism, worship, discipleship, service, holiness—even at a great cost.
-The temptation to be a relativist is also strong. Why don’t we just affirm all truths so that we will be more accepted
in society? But believers who live by the Book can’t accommodate relativism, falsehoods especially when we
proclaim the Truth!

-The call to be more grounded in Scripture is true then and now! We’ve seen 4 things that can help us deepen in our
commitment to this value:

1. Continue in the truth of God's Word (v. 14)

-aim to understand what Scripture originally intended to mean (exegesis) and stay in it, not following novel
interpretations that rely on personal opinions and theories (eisegesis) no matter how appealing

2. Teach God's Word to the young (v. 15)

-the 4/14 window (children aged 4-14) is a wonderful opportunity for the Gospel
-may we not neglect it as a church, as parents for as much as the children become grounded when they
learn, we too will be more grounded in the Word as we teach

3. Grow in your convictions of God's Word (v. 16)

-we are not blind followers of an ancient text. If you really want to know why we believe, read up on
apologetics on the Bible and you will see that no other ancient text compares to the Bible’s historical
reliability and accuracy
-spend time learning Doctrines on Biblical Inspiration, Inerrancy, Sufficiency; read up on the history behind
the formalization of the 66 books
-these are worthwhile and they will surely deepen your conviction

4. Apply God's Word in your life (v. 17)

-Let the Bible be the Bible of your life. (your Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth)

As I end, let me just show you another video, this time of Chinese believers receiving their first Bibles. May this
encourage us to appreciate, not take for granted the freedom that we have to own and read God’s Word.

Friends, let me challenge you to be more grounded in Scripture. And begin by committing to read the whole of
God’s Word in the next 12 months!