“The Word Equips Us” 2Timothy 3:14-17; 2:15

I don’t know if you watch much ice hockey, but if you do, it’s hard not to notice the goalie’s equipment. I started watching hockey in the 60’s, and the equipment has really changed over the years. Every hockey game I’ve ever seen, the goalie had a mask on and some protection over his chest, not unlike a baseball catcher. The stick was basically the same stick as every other player carried.

Nowadays, the goalie is decked out in pads so thick that he almost fills the goal without moving. His stick is twice as thick as other sticks, and his mask is now a highly decorated helmet. It’s amazing how the goalie’s equipment has evolved in the last 50 years.

Looking at photographs of old football players is also a reminder of how helmets and equipment have evolved over the years. Seeing some of the old helmets, nothing more than glorified leather hats really, with no face guard or real padding. And the shoulder pads were so tiny compared to today’s pads. It’s interesting to see.

It’s important for us to have the right equipment. A farmer gets so much more done with a tractor than he or she ever could with just a rake and hoe. Lawn care people using rather large riding mowers do so much more in so little time than they would if they were required to use manually powered push mowers. It’s good to have the right equipment for the job.

The same is true in our walk with Christ. We need to be properly equipped to be able to effectively grow in and serve our Lord. And one of the most important means we have of being equipped is through the Living Word that richly indwells our hearts.

Central Truth: The Word of God is useful for equipping us for every good work.

We are equipped through:

A solid foundation in the Word (14-15)

Paul is writing to Timothy, the young man who has been discipled by the apostle for some time. Timothy has travelled and learned from Paul’s words and actions. In this passage, Paul begins by reminding Timothy of the kinds of people who will push themselves off as Christians but will be anything but (vs. 1-9). In contrast, Paul reminds Timothy of what the young man learned from Paul. Paul lists a series of things he did and said, all in keeping with his commitment always to Christ.

Having given this reminder to Timothy, Paul then makes it personal for Timothy. Paul’s advice is to follow the apostle’s example and remain true to the Christ who saved them both. He reminds Timothy that he has a solid foundation from what he learned both from Paul and from his mother and grandmother, who taught him Scripture from his infancy.

Since we are observing Father’s Day, it’s a good time to remind ourselves that a father can play such an important part in the life of his family, particularly if that father is a follower of Christ. The dad can model Christ in his life. He can demonstrate to his children what it means to be a disciple through the very things that Paul mentions in vs. 10-11—his way of life, his purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions and sufferings in the name of Christ. The father can demonstrate to his family that, even though we live in a world that screams at us to compromise in order to get along in the world, we still hold to Christ. By staying true to our faith, we also lay a foundation of faith that our children can return to as they become adults and move out into the world.

This foundation of Scripture, Paul writes, is laid upon the bedrock of Scripture—God’s Word—and that bedrock makes us “wise for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.” Jesus reminds us that our foundation is fundamental to our survival, stating that a person who hears and does His teachings is a wise man who builds on a solid foundation that is able to withstand all that Satan can throw at him. A person with a solid foundation is rooted in Christ, fed by the Living Water and the Bread of Life, anchored in the Truth, the Way, the Life. Such a person is led by the Great Shepherd and is implanted into the True Vine.

By being based upon a foundation of the Word, we are equipped to know and do God’s will.

A willingness to learn from the Word (16)

The significance of Paul’s first words in this verse cannot be overstated. Having reminded us that we have a solid foundation in the Word, he reminds us immediately that this Word is not just a series of philosophical and moral teachings, but it is the God-breathed expression of Christ in written form. The Spirit that was promised to remind us of all that Christ taught and that would lead us into all truth is the One who oversaw the inscription of the written word. Last week, our Sunday School lesson reminded us that, like Jesus who is fully God and fully man, so is Scripture fully divine and fully human. It is fully divine in that it is inspired by God through His Spirit, and it is fully human in that it was written by 40 different men over a period of 1400 years. There is a unity and consistency in the Bible that cannot be explained really in any other way.

This inspired Word was given to us to introduce us to God, what Paul referred to as being wise for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. But more than that—as if that wasn’t all we needed—the Word also is useful for daily living. Paul lists four ways we can use the Word.

First, we can use it for teaching, both ourselves and others. As we read Scripture, we learn about God, about people and about God’s relationship with us. We learn what God expects from us, but also what He has done for us, and how He works through His love to bring us ever closer to Him. We can use these lessons we learn and teach them to others as well. The Bible is good for teaching.

It’s also good for rebuking. There are times when someone needs to be put in their place, and the Bible enables us to do that when someone completely misquotes Scripture or claims it teaches something that it doesn’t teach. That doesn’t mean we slap people upside the head with a family Bible. Instead, as we learn from reading the Word, we learn from Jesus’ example. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus repeatedly said, “You have heard it said . . . but I tell you.” He affirmed that people misunderstood Scripture, then pointed out the true meaning.

A while back, someone told me that the Bible said God helps those who help themselves. There’s a problem with that statement, because the phrase is nowhere to be found in the Bible. In fact, the idea is completely counter to the Bible’s message. Rather than waiting for us to begin moving toward Him, God has always taken the first step. While we were dead in our sins, Christ died for us. While we were still enemies of God, God sent us His Son. The message of the Bible is that we are incapable of helping ourselves; we must place our faith in Him first and always. The Bible is good for rebuking.

The Bible is also good for correcting. Unlike the rebuke, the correction process is getting us back on track. Putting this in a modern way of thinking about what this means, think of using Google Maps to go to a place we’ve never been before. We plug in the information, start driving and put Siri on to tell us how to get there. As we’re driving along, we follow Siri’s instructions, but as we get nearer, we drive into a neighborhood or urban area we aren’t familiar with. We find ourselves in the wrong lane when Siri tells us to turn right. We can’t, so Siri corrects our error and still shows us how to get to our destination.

Like Siri, we use the Bible to show us how to get where we’re going in our relationship with God. Sadly, there are times we go off the correct path. The Bible then shows us the error and corrects our path direction. The Bible is good for correcting.

And the Bible is good for training in righteousness. Throughout the giving of the laws in Leviticus, God repeatedly tells the people of Israel, “Be holy, because I am holy.” Holiness in the case of God’s people is to be set aside for His purpose, and righteousness is a part of that holiness. This righteousness does not come to us naturally, and we have to train—to practice—what it means to live holy lives. One of the things athletes learn is that the practice and training really comes in handy on game day, because when it’s time to do what has been practiced, we are able to do so without thinking, since it has been drilled into us at practice. The Bible is good for training in righteousness.

A solid training in the Word (17; 2:15)

All of these things that Paul has been writing to Timothy culminates in this: the man of God being thoroughly equipped for every good work. As he writes earlier in the letter, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).

Every time I read these words in 2:15, I go back to a rainy day at the Baptist Student Union building. There were some umbrellas laying around, and I picked one up and started acting like it was a sword. The BSU director walked in, picked up another umbrella, and I took my stance and said, “En garde.” The next thing I knew, my umbrella tip was pointed to the floor, while the director’s umbrella tip was pointed at my heart. We did it again a few times, with the same result every time. It was only after my frustration level was really rising that my director told me he had taken a class in fencing while attending Texas A&M. Don Emmitte knew how to correctly handle the sword, and I clearly did not.

Throughout the Bible, the written Word is often referred to as the sword of God. When we read about the armor of God in Ephesians 6, the only offensive weapon Paul refers to is the sword, the word of God. It is imperative that we become skilled at using the Bible, and the only way we can do that is through study, memorization and meditating on the word regularly.

When we are able to correctly handle the word of truth, then we really are thoroughly equipped for every good work. Like the hockey goalie, we are able to defend our goal and also take the offensive as we need to. By letting the Word equip us, we grow in our confidence and faith in God. We walk with the assurance that we have all we need—filled by the Spirit, knowledgeable about the Word, saved by the grace of God.

Conclusion

How good would the hockey goalie be if he didn’t have the equipment he needed? Imagine telling someone, “I want you to go into that net, and don’t let any of the pucks get past you.” Then off that person goes, sitting in that net without a stick, without pads, without gloves, even without skates. I can’t imagine the goalie being very successful.

Or the farm hand being told, “You need to plow and sow ten acres today.” Then he’s sent out without a tractor or a plow or any tools. He finds a sturdy stick, and starts out, but you and I both know that he will never get it done in a day.

We need the tools to equip us for working effectively. Without the proper tools and equipment, we find ourselves outclassed and overwhelmed.

We can thank God that He has fully equipped us for every good work. He has given us His Spirit and He has given us His word in written form. All we have to do is put it into practice.

Are you equipped?