The Sufficiency of Scripture in Preaching

The Sufficiency of Scripture in Preaching

2 Timothy 3: 14-17

2 Timothy 4: 1-5

Ephesians 4: 11-12

Text Scripture:

2 Timothy 3:14 But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;

15 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.

16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

2 Timothy 4:1 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;

2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

5 But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.

Ephesians 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

Intro:

Brother Fitz assigned me the subject: The Sufficiency of Scripture in Preaching – and it shall be my intention to deal fairly with my assignment!

Rick Warren said: I was once asked what the best translation of the Bible was. His answer: The version you translate into your life.

God gave us the Bible to transform us, not simply inform us.
It should give us a bigger heart, not a bigger head.
In James 1: 22 we're told, “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”
In other words, God wants our beliefs about the Bible – to translate into a behavioral/lifestyle change!

The purpose of Bible/Scripture is more than just showing us what is wrong in our lives or how we should live; God gave us His Word to radically transform our lives. (Repeat!)

The Bible describes itself in different ways:

For example, it calls itself a hammer, a sword, and a scalpel.
All of those are tools designed to make radical changes.
God intends for the Bible to dramatically change our lives.
The Bible also describes God’s truth as milk, water, bread, and meat.
What do all those things have in common?
If you don’t eat or drink them regularly, you’ll die.
We were never meant to live without the Bible.
The Bible is essential to our lives because - it gives us life.

Now, there are three distinct areas in my assigned subject that I want to examine as part of this sermon:

1: Understanding The Sufficiency of The Scripture

Sufficient: Enough; adequate.

Sufficiency: The condition or quality of being adequate or sufficient. An adequate amount of something, especially of something essential.

*Without a doubt, the Holy Scripture of God is, in all things: SUFFICIENT!

There are some “implied questions” regarding this “sufficiency” - that I want to address in my assignment today:

A. Who Makes Scripture Sufficient?

The Author Makes it Sufficient!

2 Timothy 3: 16(a) All scripture is given by inspiration of God
Isaiah 45:22 Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. 23 I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.

It is not a book of “fairy tales” or a “book of allegories” designed to “vaguely” steer mankind in the right direction.
It is rather, God’s written instructions to humanity
It is, in effect, “The Manual of Life” – “Written by The Creator of Life! “

B: What Makes it Sufficient?

The Content Makes it Sufficient!

2 Timothy 3:16(b) “… and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness”

C: What is the Evidence of Its Sufficiency?

The Change it Produces in the Life or the Reader/Hearer

2 Timothy 3: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

4: What is it Sufficient to do?

Save us/change us, sustain us, sanctify us, teach us, call us, empower us, enlighten us qualify us, and instruct us!
The Word of God is the answer to all of life’s questions!

Again, there are three distinct areas in my assigned subject that I want to examine as part of this sermon:

1: Understanding The Sufficiency of The Scripture

2: The Veracity of The Scripture

The “implied prerequisite” regarding scripture is that we must believe and agree that it is the Inspired, Inerrant, and Infallible Written Word of God!

“The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God's revelation of Himself to man.
It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction.
It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter.
Therefore, all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy.
It reveals the principles by which God judges us, and therefore is, and will remain to the end of the world, the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried.
All Scripture is a testimony to Christ, who is Himself the focus of divine revelation.” – BF&M 2000 Edition

It is eternal: (Psalms 119:89 For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.)
It does not contain The Word of God – IT IS the Word of God!
It does not contain truth – IT IS Truth! (John 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.)
Its commandments - are NOT SUGGESTIONS!
It is self-interpreting - Scripture interprets scripture! (Says what it means and means what it says!)
The answers to all of life’s questions – are found in it!

Sola Scriptura is one of the “Five Solas” (Tenants of Belief of the Protestant Faith) - birthed from Martin Luther and the Reformation:

Sola fide ("by faith alone")
Sola gratia ("by grace alone")
Solus Christus or Solo Christo ("Christ alone" or "through Christ alone")
Soli Deo gloria ("glory to God alone")
Sola scriptura (Latin: by Scripture alone) is a Christian theological doctrine which holds that the Christian Scriptures are the sole infallible rule of faith and practice. ... Sola scriptura is a formal principle of many Protestant Christian denominations

“We should hold the Word of God in the highest possible esteem - and we should give to it a trust which we cannot give to any other word. For the Word of God is certain and can never fail. It is clear and will never leave us in darkness.” Huldrych Zwingli

As pastors, Teachers, and Christian Laypeople, we need to recover a Zwingli-like confidence in Scripture.

We need to be convinced that the Word of God is fully capable of achieving God’s purposes.
We need to “Present the Word”– “Then Allow” The Word - to Do the Work of The Word!
We don’t need cheap (or maybe even expensive) parlor tricks to build a life - or church.
What we need is to recover the Protestant belief in the sufficiency of Scripture and thus, commit ourselves to preaching the Word of God! (Repeat!)
Because, as Zwingli has correctly stated, “[God’s] sacred Word shall prevail in Heaven and on Earth.”

Again, there are three distinct areas in my assigned subject that I want to examine as part of this sermon:

1: Understanding The Sufficiency of Scripture

2: The Veracity of The Scripture

3: The Sufficiency of Scripture in Preaching The Word

2 Timothy 4:1 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;

2 Preach the word; (Not opinions, traditions, or the doctrine of man) be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

3 For the time will come (and is here now, I might add) when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

5 But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.

Preaching without scriptural basis - is just hollow speaking – it offers nothing for the listener - or the speaker. (Sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.)

It is the Word of God that is sufficient - not the empty words of man.
Truth be known, the Scripture is the most “cutting-edge” book in existence, literally, being sharper than any two-edged sword.
The preacher does not have to make the Bible relevant; it is relevant.
Seeing that the Bible is a living, breathing book, perennially fresh, full of timeless truths, and as relevant as today’s headlines - why preach anything else? (Repeat!)

There are in this congregation today people who, while in the same church, are barely in the same universe.

The Effective Preaching of The Word of God - bridges the gap between the diversity of culture, race, age, gender, socio-economic status, education, and any other thing that places us in opposite quadrants of the universe.
Rich man, Poor man Beggar man, Thief, Doctor, Lawyer, or Indian Chief – The effective preaching of Scripture/The Word of God brings us from wherever we are – and places us squarely into the narrative of – THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD!

It places two gates before us:
One broad – heavily populated - destruction
One narrow – scantly populated – eternal life!
It forces us to decide
Our CHOICE determines which story we become part of!
The Word of God declares all of us sinners!
We stand on level ground at the foot of the cross, Sinners in need of a Savior!
It’s the Story of Redemption!
Herein lays the Sufficiency of Scripture in Preaching: SALVATION!

The Greatest Preacher of all time, Jesus Christ, preached the Good News in such a way that He moved people from being, “a part of the audience,” to becoming "a part of the story."

Effective actors learn to do this.
They move people from being a part of the audience to becoming a part of the story.

ILLUSTRATION:

(Brother Big Head!) (Smoke on the Mountain or A sanders Family Christmas)

Effective, Biblical preachers have learned to do the same!
When others are made “a part of the story:”
They accept: “ownership.”
They experience: "buy in."

In my personal opinion, the weak & anemic state of most churches today – is caused by pastors, preachers, teachers, and church members who no longer make The Gospel PERSONAL!

They speak of Biblical concepts, theories, and ways to be a better person, but fail to preach a gospel that tells that heaven is sweet, heal is real, hot and eternal, salvation through Jesus Christ is available and free to anybody and that salvation is evidenced by a changed lifestyle! We demand no change in lifestyle – but the Bible does! (Preach!)

ILLUSTRATION:

Pastor invited an evangelist to preach revival services
The day the revival was to start, the pastor and the evangelist went visiting in the neighborhood
They went to a man whom the pastor felt had never trusted Christ as his Savior
The evangelists witnessed to him and ask him if he wanted to accept Christ as his Savior
The man repeatedly refused the evangelist’ invitation
Dejected, the evangelist and pastor got up to leave
As they were leaving the evangelist told the man, “Sir, if you die without Jesus you’re gonna go to hell and fry like bacon for all eternity!’
Three nights later, while the evangelist was in the middle of his sermon, this same man came busting through the door of the church, walked up to the pulpit, looked at the evangelist and exclaimed,
“You gotta help me!
I haven’t been able to sleep or do anything since you left my house.
Every time I close my eyes – I SEE BACON FRYING – I CAN HEAR IT SIZZLING – AND I CAN SMELL IT BURNING!” I GOTTA GET SAVED!!!”

What happened?

The evangelist set before the man: TWO GATES!
He made him: “Aa part of the story!”
He gave him “ownership” of his destiny!
The man “bought-in” to Biblical truth!
It changed him!

Again, effective preachers/teachers/soul-winners/leaders have learned to do the same thing!
They make the person hearing their presentation – a part of the story!

ILLUSTRATION:

John 3:16 (Wording change:) For God so love “Aaron” (Your Name) that He gave his only begotten Son – that if I would believe in him – I would have everlasting life!

Close:

The Sufficiency of Scripture in Preaching:

*You can believe everything I’ve preached today, but if the scripture is not, or has not produced a change in you, what good is it for You?

We’ve talked about three things:

1: Understanding The Sufficiency of Scripture

2: The Veracity of The Scripture

3: The Sufficiency of Scripture in Preaching The Word

As I close this sermon today, I have spoken about the “cause of preaching,” but I want to touch briefly on “The Call of the Preacher!”

Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?

17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

Again, “…and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?”

Preached: 2-11-18 @ Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church Butler, Georgia