Ralph Douglas West - Why I Read The Bible | 2 Timothy 3:16 & 17

0:00 This is the day the Lord has made. We rejoice and we are glad in it. Thank you, choir. Thank you, Dana, for blessing us today and leading our women. One more time for our women voices today and how they blessed us. Incredible God. Incredible praise. While you're standing, take God's word, open the Bible to 2 Timothy chapter 3, to one of the great biblical passages that all of you know, and I want to spend a few minutes talking about why I read the Bible. born out of a question that people ask me all the time. 2 Timothy 3, verse 16 and 17.

1:04 Let's read it together. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness. So that the member of the church without walls may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. This is the word of God. Amen. You may be seated. Pastor Wes, almost everywhere I go and I run into some preacher, for some reason they are interested in my reading list. What are you reading? And I guess they're waiting for some profound response and I simply tell them the Bible.

2:02 And then their immediate response is always, no, I'm talking about what are you reading? And I said, the Bible. This morning, I want to encourage you to read the Bible by giving you my own testimony from verses 16 and 17 of 2 Timothy 3 of why I read the Bible. There are those of you this morning that may be in the maze of life looking for some sense of direction. And one of the ways that you try to find direction out of the maze is to take the Bible and just open it up. And you may have a mentality of wherever it lands, I'll read and I'll do.

2:50 Jan Darby was one of the great Ireland Bible teachers, a reverent scholar. and he made that comment once, living that way that all scripture is inspired by God. An infidel, well known to the people in the farmlands of Ireland, approach combatively Darby and ask him, do you really mean what you say that all scripture? He says, yes. And this man said, well, I opened my Bible and it fell open to these words and I read them and What do they mean? I sent Tychicus to Ephesus. And when you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus and Troas and my scrolls, especially the parchments. You see, it's interesting that your Bible would fall open to that particular chapter in verse, in chapter 4 of 2 Timothy, verse 13. because it was those exact words that prohibited me from selling my library when I left my ecclesiastical position, relocate to the rustic lands of Ireland to come here to teach the Bible to the people that needed to hear it.

4:09 All scripture had been given by God. Every word of it. That's what Paul said to Timothy. As a young pastor giving leadership to the church at Ephesus, he says, when people ask you, what are you reading? Tell them, I'm reading the word of God. And then you tell them the reasons why you're reading it. Because within it are the rules for right relationship. And how your relationship with God and others can be fashioned by the word of God. This service sounds just like eight o'clock, you're in for a treat. if you stay in with it. Remember I said that. You're in for a treat. And so Paul says, Timothy, I want you to work with the Scriptures.

5:04 Live in them, because the Word of God is not limited to the theologian, the academic, the pure scholar, the New Testament scholar. It's available to anyone that's bold enough to take a copy of it. And just read it. A few weeks ago, I was out preaching and I read from the scripture. And everybody there that morning was interested in one question. They kept asking the same question. They said, what Bible are you reading from? And I told them the translation. They said, I'm reading from that, but mine doesn't read like you read it. And we just had a practice in it. I said, slow down and just read God's Word. It's not for speed reading. It's not to see how fast you can get through it. Just read the Word. Now, let me give you a few things that I want to say.

6:04 One reason I read the Bible is because of the Bible or the Word of God is inspired. Look at verse 16 of our inspired word. The very first word in verse 16 says, all. Now, I don't have to give an etymology. I'll say what the Greek word for all is. I don't have to say syntactically what all is. I think we could come to the conclusion that the definition of all, all means all. and that's where the strength of this text rests on that one word all and so if you miss all and you just start saying scripture's inspired then you can pick and choose and say what is inspired what's not inspired and so Paul says no all scripture so let's begin then if you're looking at an outline is not only is the Word of God inspired, but the accumulation of the corpus or the books in the Bible or the books that make up the Bible, however you want to phrase it, the accumulation of it, all of it is God's inspired Word.

7:29 Take your Bible or your phone, click to Luke. The other of you turn, flip, yeah. to Luke 24. Now, while you're getting there, let me tell you what's happening in Luke 24, beginning at verse 13. That's rain. You can't go nowhere. Let me tell you. You can take that. Just turn the clock off. Yeah, yeah. Thank you, Lord.

8:15 Yeah, you know, I got to get, no, no, take your time, you know. So let me show you, are you in Luke 24? At verse 13, this is the scene after the crucifixion of Jesus Christ where Cleopas and his companion, for many years we just said the nameless disciple, but we know now it's probably Cleopas and his wife are walking home after the ghastly, brutal crucifixion of Jesus in Jerusalem. They're seven miles from Jerusalem on their way home when a stranger comes up to them and begins to talk to them. And so the stranger asks, you know, what are you doing? and the stranger is waiting on the response and the two people say, well, apparently you are a stranger.

9:17 You are a stranger to these parts if you don't know what just happened in Jerusalem. He said, Jesus of Nazareth was crucified. And here's the phrase, we had hoped that he had come to redeem Israel. And when he said this, look at verse 25. 25. This is where I want you to pick up with me, and I want you to read it with me. In verse 25, let's read together. He said to them, how foolish you are, and I'm slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken. Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then into his glory. Verse 27. Now, this gets good. And beginning with Moses and the prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the scriptures concerning himself.

10:19 So you know who the stranger is, is Jesus. And wait, he starts explaining beginning at the book of what? Moses. Now split your mind for a minute. What did Paul tell young Timothy, who's leading the church? Verse 16, first word, he said what? All scripture. And then what does Luke say? Luke says that he begins explaining to him all the scriptures concerning himself. So what were the scriptures concerning himself? Oh, but then he names the books of Moses. You know them, let's say them. So he started in the book of Moses, he says, explaining himself. Book of Moses, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy.

11:19 how did he explain himself in the books and how would they know what he was talking about I'm glad you asked there had been the new members orientation they had been the bible study they had been the Sunday school I'm serious they would have had to memorize the books of Moses and in the books of Moses they would point to the Messiah so in pointing they would say when you read Genesis, you come across the seed and that's Jesus. When you come to Exodus at the Red Sea, chapter 14, the rod in Moses' hand, that is Jesus. When you get to Leviticus and you talk about the atoning sacrifices, that's pointing to Jesus. When you get to Numbers and you see the bronze serpent raised in the wilderness, that's Jesus. When you come to Deuteronomy and see the covenant fulfilled, That is Jesus.

12:20 When you get to Joshua and see the mighty battle axe, that's a picture of Jesus. And so he started with the books of Moses. But he didn't stop there. Because he said, some of you may have skipped new members orientation. So let me take you to the prophets. And he says, we have prophets. And you know them. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Amos, Joel, Jonah. He goes down the line of the prophets. So what would he say to them when he came to the prophets? He said, when you read Isaiah, under us a child is born, under us a son is given, the government rests upon his shoulder, he shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father. Isaiah was talking about Jesus.

13:16 What about Ezekiel? Wheel in the middle of the wheel. Jesus. Daniel's stone hewed out of a mountain, tearing the wonders of Babylon down. Jesus. Jeremiah's bomb in Gilead. Jesus. By the way, Jesus' fingerprints are on every book and chapter and verse throughout the Scripture. And that's why Paul said, all Scripture. Thank you so much. All Scripture. And so it begins with the accumulation. One more verse that's beautiful. And that is, now this time we're going right to Acts chapter 8. This is the story of the Ethiopian eunuch. this is the person that we probably can say goes and takes the gospel to Africa and the first church being established there we can we could that's not a wild guess that's a conclusion and so then this eunuch before he can go and establish the church got to get a few things straight You ready?

14:30 Look at verse 26. So Philip, who is one of the church leaders, let me set this up. Philip is a disciple of Jesus. Stay with me. Follow this now. The spirit of the Lord, the angel, directs him to where an Ethiopian eunuch is reading the scriptures. And he's reading of all things what? Look at it. from the prophets. You see it? You don't see it yet. Okay. I want you to make this thing up. Okay. So you see, he started out on the way, meets an Ethiopian, works for the queen of Egypt. And so this man had gone to Jerusalem. He had worshiped on his way home in the chariot. Verse 28, he's reading from a book, but the book got a name, right? So he's reading from the book of what? and Isaiah is a and Jesus started teaching on the road from Moses and all of the prophets and who would be one of the people that Jesus would have taught in three and a half years of his pedestrian pedantic ministry it would be Philip now Philip gets a chance to put in practice what Jesus had given to him and he's been waiting all his ministry to ask one question.

15:57 He said, brother, what are you reading? He said, I'm reading the prophet Isaiah. He says, well, what does he say? He said, I don't know. And I'm serious. Look at it. And that's a great thing. Stop saying you know if you know you don't know. There's nothing wrong with saying I don't know. You make yourself a candidate to be taught that day. Preach Brad West. So he doesn't know. You say how can I know if someone Except someone Tells me what I'm reading And look what happens At that very moment It says This is The passage of scripture The eunuch was reading Tell me if you know Who he's reading about Let me read it he was led like a sheep to the slaughter.

16:59 Just think about that. And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth. In his humiliation, he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants for his life was taken from the earth? The eunuch asks Philip, tell me who is this prophet talking about let's read it together verse 35 then philip began i don't hear you let's say it together then philip began with every and told him, let's say it one more time. Y'all now, Acts 8, verse 35. Let's say it one more time.

17:50 You can get that quick on your phone. Let's go. Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news of who? Jesus. All Scripture is pointing toward Jesus. y'all gonna make me concerned about you in this service so that's the first point that Paul is making to Timothy and to you and why I read the scripture is because it's inspired that is what is all the accumulation of the corpus of the word of God is inspired. One more word. Accumulation moves to inspiration. Stay with me. So we say all scripture from Genesis to Revelation is God's word. It's inspired. Look what it says. And all scripture, let's say it together. Don't look at me like you think you know. I'm serious. Nothing, you'll never grow doing that. Never grow doing that. And I don't want you to be the person that's always nodding like you know, and then somebody asks you, you say, well, I don't know. And if you know it, then you're saying, now Lord, teach me to a deeper level of how to apply that anew to my life.

19:24 So all scripture is God-breathed. Now I grew up remembering scripture from the King James. All scripture is given by God. The NIV says all scripture is inspired or God-breathed, inspiration. Now, I mentioned King James because you don't have to get nervous. You know, reverent scholars do their best to interpret God's word, to put it in a language that we can take with us that becomes facilitated for us. All right? So God's word has been inspired. So there's accumulation, but then there's inspiration.

20:17 but inspiration doesn't mean that God dictated his word to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John and said, no, you say it this way. That's the reason why when you read it, you pick up differentiations in the way that they write it. That God inspired the word and says, Mark, I want you to write it out of your age background experience. Matthew, I want you to write out of your age background experience, customs, religiosity. Luke, I want you to write your way. John, write your way. That's why when your friends come say, well, I don't read the Bible because it's contradictory. No, it's not. It's one portrait that people are looking at it from different angles. And so different writers focus on different things. So you do see a particularity in the writing of Mark that differs from the nuances of Matthew.

21:18 That's different from the historiography of Luke and the Christology of John. But it's the same story. He was born. He lived. He was crucified. He died and he got up to say, y'all can come and know who I am. Preach, Pastor West. So, all scripture is what? Inspired. It is God breathed. God breathes his word upon his people. All right? So, he breathed his word on these different people that write the story. One big story looked at in vision from different angles of vision so that we can have new perspectives about the Word. Let me ask you a question. I asked him at eight o'clock. Those sinners, none of them read the Bible. Not one of them. Not one of them. Not one. None.

22:19 How many of you will say, Pastor West, now my favorite gospel to read is Matthew. Okay, I see no Bible readers here yet. How many of you say, well, my favorite gospel to read is Mark. how many of you say well my favorite gospel when I'm reading through scripture the one I really enjoy is Luke yeah I'm gonna tell you why and then the others say my favorite to read would be John okay John writes his gospel with what you call a high Christology His stories are longer and they all point to Christ. I'm torn between whether I'm going to preach Acts 8 next week or begin a series entitled I Believe in Miracles, looking at the signs in the gospel of John.

23:24 And the reason is John points you to a high concept of Christ. again the stories are longer you know the long story of Nicodemus who comes to Jesus at night or the woman at the well or the man who's at the pool of Bethesda for 38 years or the long story in chapter 6 it has to deal with the different festivals and the bread of life or John 7 8 we like it because of the woman that's caught into an act of adultery all that kind of stuff the long I am pieces of John 10, the Good Shepherd, 11, Lazarus, on and on and on. It's because of the high concept. Everything's pointing toward Christ is the Christ or Jesus is the Christ.

24:13 My favorite reading is Mark. It's the oldest of the Gospels. It's where Matthew and Luke and John get their insight is our witness to him from Peter. Matthew has a very kingly, so when I'm looking at kingly parables, I'll read him. But we like Luke because Luke deals with justice issues. It's always a favorite to any marginalized group of people, whether it be by race or gender. It's because it focuses in, now that you know that, you sit down and say, yeah, yeah. It's always on the side of getting things right. but it doesn't matter which one you like or which one you favor over the other. Here's the key. Read it.

25:06 Just read it. All right? So all Scripture, accumulation, inspiration. Sometimes we can get so in love with the inspiration, we overlook the purpose, don't we? So this inspiration. how God does it. The Aeolian harp is a beautiful instrument. It's the symbol of Greece. In its entry, it hangs there. The actual instrument is what? Five by three or something like that. It has 10, 11, 12 gut strings on it. They are the same length, but they vary in thickness. And it is played when the wind blows.

25:55 When the wind blows, the harp makes musical sounds. The sounds are made by the wind blowing. The harmonies, because of the thickness, the way it's constructed the wind.

26:20 That harp is symbolic of the people that write the scriptures. You see those discrepancies and nuances because they are writing out of their own abilities and inabilities, but they are writing the best way that they know how to tell us the report of who God is, what Jesus has done, and how the Holy Spirit seals what the Lord has done until the day of completion. Preach Pastor West. Y'all are a little harder on me than 8 o'clock. Let me give you one last thing. I read the Bible because it's inspired, but then secondly because it is useful.

27:07 How do you use the Bible? For a doorstop? Is it what you put your coffee on? Do you put it in the window of your car So it just swells up or do you use it and say, I keep my Bible with me, and I read it every day? That's a line from the hymn, I found the answer. I learned to pray. Well, I don't know how you use the scripture. That's between you and God, but let me tell you what it's used for. It is, first of all, it's useful. the way that the King James says, it's for profit, it's profitable. I heard somebody just whisper out for instruction.

28:02 It's that and some other things. There are two negatives and two positives of how we use the word of God. One is it corrects on one hand, it rebukes on the other hand. then it teaches but it also trains so when I pick up the word of God several things are happening whether I want it to happen or not one thing that is happening it tells me what is right that's for teaching but then it tells me what's not right that's for correction then it tells me how to get right that's rebuke it. But then it tells me how to stay right and that's training. So when I pick up the word, that's what begins to happen in my life. It starts focusing in different directions.

29:05 So we take God's word, all of it's valuable, all of it's profitable for these what things? For teaching, for training, for correcting, and for rebuking. That's what it's for. We use God's word for that way. Now, I'm almost through. My time is almost up. So, let me point out one more thing in this, in chapter, in verse 16. is going to do some training me into righteousness. That is what is right. Okay? Verse 17, and I sit down. So that the member at the church without walls. Now, you don't mind me paraphrasing it that way because you will want to be able to say at the end of your life journey, I am a servant.

30:08 so that the servant, do you feel more comfortable making distance between the text and you? I don't, I want to be able to say so that Ralph West, the servant of God, here we go, maybe thoroughly, I think another translation said completely, thoroughly equipped. But Pastor Wes, you're supposed to be able to say all of what you said. You're a seminarian. You're a scholar. I'm glad you said that because scripture reading didn't begin with me as a seminarian. It began with me as a 15-year-old who confessed Christ and began to read a little green Gideon New Testament Bible trying to get God's word in my head and in my heart.

31:17 So the Bible is not for the theologian, the pure scholar, the academic. It is for everybody. Yeah. Who's willing to pick it up and just read it. so now you're not reading it to finish a project of reading through the Bible that just gives us a goal on how to work through the scripture that's just a goal but the purpose is is that I want to read the word because it is useful archival... for telling me what is right. telling me how to get right how to stay right.

32:19 I want to do that so that I can be thoroughly equipped. I'm done for every good work. I was thinking about this and I thought about some people in our congregation who've gone through some very, very tough times and very tough death, murder. abuse,

32:52 sickness. and two or three of them I just knew I wouldn't see after they had gone through what they had been through because I've seen people go through less than that and I'm not making one experience greater than the other but comparatively less than the stress that the others cause they just kind of quit on God but I knew these others would back out because they would say I don't want to be seen or involved and they have the nerve not only to show up but to participate in the middle of all of that hurt and that harm and that struggle.

33:38 Now I'm serious. I could point to some of them today but I hadn't asked them to do that but I could do that. And it always encourages me to see how people apply. It's one thing to know a whole lot about the Bible. You know, you can tell me how many books in the Old Testament, how many books in the New Testament. That's a point in a sermon. I just left it out. You know, there's 1,260 promises in the Scripture. And what the Bible teaches us is not only can God make the promise, but God can keep the promises that he makes. It's one thing to know all of that. How many words in the Bible? 773, 692. It's one thing to know all of that.

34:29 But it's something else for the Bible, the word to be applied to your life. And that's tough. It's tough. It's not as easy as people think it is. and yet we live through those dark moments of life like those other people who encourage us in the scripture, in history, in tradition, in the fellowship to say you can make it because why? All scripture is God breathed and it is useful for what? Teaching and correcting and rebuking and training so that you can get right. Amen.

35:19 Amen. So that we can get right. Yeah. Hallelujah. Yeah, I feel the same way. I told you when we started, it was rough. And here you are 30 minutes later saying, wow, wow, what a joy. What a joy. Let's pray together. Come on, Lord. Thank you for the word. Thank you for pointing out how it can be useful to us in our walk with Jesus Christ.

35:54 Now we ask of you to help us not just to know the word or to recognize the word, but to run out of these doors and put that word into practice.

36:15 There are those who are here today that needed that word for multiple reasons and others who are just simply saying I need to be in a place where Jesus is exalted it and the word of God is explained. Thank you for what you have done. Thank you for what you're getting ready to do in the strong name of Jesus and all God's people say together, amen. Give God praise if you don't mind. Yeah. Come on, the door to church is open. Those of you that want to unite with the fellowship and say, I want to belong to that family. Get on up from that seat. come down the aisle. Let the day be the day that we began afresh with the Lord Jesus Christ and say, I'm walking anew with God. I see you coming and yeah, I see you back there coming and you back there. Come on church. Yeah, come on. This is a good day. I see you God. Come on church, help me out and I see you coming. What a joy. Hallelujah. Come on, sing that. Yeah.