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(upbeat music) - Drive Time Devotions is a Saddleback Church podcast. We want to
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- Welcome to day four of Second Timothy chapter three.

We're going to focus on verses 14 to 17 today, some of my favorite verses in this
chapter in this incredible book, verses about God's word and how his word can
make a difference in my life and in your life in a daily way. We're going to really
focus on these verses the next couple of days. Today, let me read 14 to 17 and I
want to focus on one concept, one idea, one miracle that is in these verses, 14 to
17.

But as for you, continue in what you've learned and have become convinced of
because you know those from whom you learned it and how from infancy you have
known the holy scriptures which are able to make you wise for salvation through
faith in Christ Jesus. All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching,
rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness so that the man of God may be
thoroughly equipped for every good work. Now, these are verses about God's word
and what it does in our lives.

But before we get into these verses about what God's word does in our lives, as
you read these as a parent, those of you that are parents, at the beginning,
Paul talks to Timothy about how from infancy he had known the holy scriptures.
There had been something that happened in Timothy's life that had prepared him
for a life of service. And I think when parents read this, we ask ourselves, how
do I teach my children scripture from childhood?

Let me tell you two ways you can do that. Tell them the stories. Tell them the
stories of the Bible.

One-year-old, two-year-old, be telling them those stories. It's amazing how
they'll begin to memorize those stories and take them into their life. The faith
stories of how God worked in Moses' life and Daniel's life and in Peter's life
and Jesus' life and Paul's life.

As you tell those stories, they begin to grip a child's heart. You tell them the
stories and then you live out the truth. You live out the truth in your own
life.

You are in a very real sense a Bible that your children are reading day by day
by day. And to tell them the stories, to talk about the Bible, but not live it
out, that's giving them a mixed message. So you tell them the stories and you
live out the truth in your own life because you realize, and I realize, that
God's word can change everything.

God's word can change a character. It can change a marriage. It can change a
direction in life.

It can change a purpose in life. It can change an eternity. Why?

Why is it that God's word is so powerful? We recognize it when we read it. We
see it when a verse, maybe when a pastor's talking about it or I read it in a
daily time with God, when a verse jumps out at me and it just changes my
perspective.

It sets my whole world on right-ended. How is God's word able to do that? It's
able to do that because of what God says in verse 16.

All scripture is God-breathed. God's word is powerful and this is the word I
want to focus on today because God's word is inspired. That's what that word
means.

God-breathed, inspired, in-breathed, literally is what that idea is.
God-breathed life into his word. God-breathed truth into his word and when I
read it, I get his life back out.

It is a life-giving book because it is an inspired book. Now you've heard this
and I want you to understand this because this is the main scripture that talks
about the inspiration of scripture. What does it mean when we say the Bible is
inspired?

Inspiration. Inspiration is the process through which God gave us the Bible. God
worked in the hearts of human writers to inspire them to write down his words.

God's words written through these people, they are perfect, they're infallible,
they are trustworthy, they're inspired. Here's why this is so important. If what
I read in the Bible are only the ideas of men, I can just take it or leave it.

But once I am convinced that God said these words, God-breathed these words,
then what I read takes on a ring of authority like never before. Understanding
this word inspiration multiplies your confidence in the Bible. So what does it
mean when we say the Bible is inspired?

You and I, we're bombarded with words every single day and those words have
varying degrees of authority behind them. Just a picture. Suppose you're driving
down the road and you see a billboard that says, pull off at the next off-ramp.

You might pull off, you might not pull off. It's an invitation, you see it that
way. But let's say you're driving down the same road and you see a flashing
light in your rear-view mirror and you hear a voice from a police car behind you
saying, pull off at the next off-ramp.

You'd respond a little bit differently. It has a different kind of authority.
The word inspired, the word God-breathed, it's saying to us that of all the
voices that you and I hear calling to us each day, none speaks with more
authority than the Bible.

That's the truth behind this doctrine of inspiration because God said it and
because He knows and controls everything, each word in the Bible has this
immeasurable authority behind it. Norman Geisler, a theologian, has defined it
this way. Inspiration, quote, inspiration does not mean simply that the writer
felt enthusiastic, like Handel composing the Messiah, nor does it mean that the
writings are necessarily inspiring like some uplifting poem, although they often
are.

As a process, it refers to the writers and the writings being controlled by God.
And as a product, it refers to the writings only as documents that are God's
message, end quote. What does it mean that God's word is inspired?

How does that increase my confidence in the Bible? Inspiration, let me just tell
you two or three things that will just tremendously impact your confidence in
the Bible. Number one, inspiration means that God wrote the Bible through
people.

No prophecy ever came from what a person wanted to say, but people led by the
Holy Spirit spoke words from God. That's what Peter says in 2 Peter 1. 21.

Now, the exact details of how God inspired the Bible are a matter of great
discussion and conjecture, but one thing is obvious as you read the Bible. He
didn't use people as robots. You can clearly see people's personalities and
passions and circumstances in what they wrote.

God, he did this miracle of creating a perfect Bible through real people,
fallible people. Just write this down in your mind. He didn't just use them
externally.

He moved them internally to create a word that will last eternally. Now, if
you're thinking, how could God do that? How in the world could God create
something perfect through an imperfect human being?

I just remind you that Jesus was born into this world through a faith-filled but
imperfect woman by the name of Mary, and Jesus was and is certainly perfect.
That's the miracle of what only God can do. Inspiration means God wrote the
Bible through people.

Number two, inspiration means that the Holy Spirit is the author. The scripture
had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago, Acts 1. 16 says.

The Holy Spirit spoke the truth, Acts 28. 25 says. Who wrote the Bible?

God did. He worked through people, but ultimately God is the author. That's what
God breathed means.

The fact that God created a perfect book through so many imperfect people is one
of his greatest miracles, I believe. Splitting the Red Sea, nothing compared
with that. Now, it's true that some books and some portions of the Bible are
going to be more personally inspiring to you than others, but that does not change
the fact that all the Bible is inspired.

And Augustine, the ancient theologian, gave us a clear warning of the danger
when we start to decide which parts of the Bible are inspired. He said, "If you
believe what you like in the gospel and reject what you don't like, it's not the
gospel you believe, but yourself. " So God's the author, I can trust it.

So that means number three, the third thing. Inspiration means that God's word
is to be our final authority. Understanding this word, God breathed,
inspiration, it just increases my confidence in God's truth.

That the truth behind inspiration is that I can trust God's word above my
feelings, above my values, above my opinions, above my culture. J. I.

Packer defines this authority from God's word as treating his word as having
decisive force for your life. You know what that means? That means that whenever
there's a conflict between what the Bible says and the way I feel, or the way
I've been taught, or the opinions of others, or what seems reasonable to me,
whenever I have a difference of opinion with the Bible for any reason, the
Bible's always right.

Not because God has to be right, he just is right. He is God, he knows
everything. Sometimes when it comes to letting the word of God lead you and
following God's word in your life, you'll hear a person say that it's
close-minded to accept the Bible as an authoritative truth.

You gotta be open to all truth. Why would you focus just on God's truth? Belief
in the authority of the Bible is not being close-minded, it's being
right-minded.

It's not close-minded to say that on a compass there's only one true north, that
on a map there's only one geographical location for your destination. God
inspired the Bible, and since he inspired it, it is not close-minded to say that
it has the final say in our lives. C.

H. Spurgeon, the preacher, one time said, "I would recommend you either believe
God up to the hilt, or else not believe God's word at all. Believe this book of
God, every letter of it, or else reject it.

There's no logical standing place between the two. Be satisfied with nothing
less than a faith that swims in the depths of divine revelation. " That's what
it means to accept God's word as God breathed, as inspired.

That's why we do drive-time devotions, because God's word has changed my life.
God's word can change your life, and will continue to change it day by day by
day. Let's talk to him together.

As you pray, just say, "Father, today I reaffirm my faith in your word. I want a
faith that swims in the depths of your truth. So I pray that you would enable me
not just to talk about the authority of your word, but also to live that truth
in my life.

Help me to see, right now, where it is that your word is calling me to act and
to change. And I pray that you'd give me the faith to take you at your word. And
I ask this, Jesus, in your name, amen.

" Tomorrow, we're going to focus again on these verses, and we're going to see the
awesome impact that the inspiration of the Bible makes on our daily lives.