Sermon Tone Analysis

ESV                                                                                          October 7, 2007

*Seeing God’s Breath?*

*2 Timothy 3:16-17*

* *

*Introduction:** *Normally you cannot see anyone’s breath.

But if they breathe on you, you might be able to feel or even smell it.

Yet there are those wondrous times of going outside on a crisp winter  morning when as you exhale the warm air from your lungs and the droplets of water vapor appear as a mist before your eyes and then dissipate in the wink an eye.

While in a similar vain you cannot see God because He is a Spirit He has revealed some general characteristics of Himself to you in creation as it proclaims in:

*Psalm 19:1-6:** **The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.**

2**Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.**

3**There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.**

4**Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.

In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun,** 5**which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his course.**

6**It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from its heat.*

And God has chosen to much more specifically reveal Himself to you in His Holy Word the Bible.

It is here that He has given you all that you need to know to be saved and to live as His obedient child.

It is in the Scriptures that He even declares that of all things you can see His breath!

So turn with me to *2 Timothy 3:16-17 *where He describes this fantastic phenomenon to you!

* *

*I.

Not Only Can You See God’s Breath, But You Can Read It As It Is His Word!*

*A. 2 Timothy 3:16a /All Scripture is God-breathed/*

1. God's Word, the Scripture is inspired or God-breathed:

a.      Inspired is how many bibles translate this truth but it is not what is meant in the original languages.

b.

Because normally, inspired pictures someone who sees a beautiful sunset and then writes a moving poem or love song.

c.

An accurate description is expired: a breathing out by God.

The words of scripture are the actual words that God wanted you to have, he breathed them out for your direction and benefit.

d.

That is to say, it is as much God's word as if it were audibly from His own mouth.

If you were literally to hear God's voice, He would say nothing more, nothing less, and nothing different from what He has said in His book, the Holy Bible.

e.

It is to be read, heard, and obeyed as fully as any literally breathed out words of God would be.

2.     Bible Scholar: E. J. Young:

a.     Paul is not asserting that Scripture is inspiring, true as that may be, nor is he declaring that something has been breathed into Scripture.

b.

What he is saying is something quite different; what Paul is maintaining is that the Scripture itself is God breathed.

c.

That which God breathed forth from His mouth is Scripture.

d.

To put the matter in slightly different terms, Scripture is the Word, which God has spoken, the product of divine breath.

*3.    **2 Peter 1:20-21**, **Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation.

21 For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.*

* *

*II.

God Has Shown You His Breath, His Word, To Use!*

#. *2 Timothy 3:16** **All Scripture is God-breathed and /is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness/*

1.     Do you the understand the wonder of what is revealed here for you, as you have been given all that you need “to get right with God?”

a.     Teaching: that is doctrine - “what is right”

b.     Rebuke: that is conviction - “what is not right”

c.      Correction: that is restoration - “how to get right”

d.     (Disciplined) Training in righteousness: “how to stay right”

                                           i.

*Psalm 119:9** **How can a young man keep his way pure?

By living according to your word.*

*III.

God Has Allowed You To See His Breath, His Word, In Both The Old And New Testaments!*

#. *2 Timothy 3:16** **/All Scripture/** is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness*

1.

As the Apostle Paul speaks of the Scriptures at this point the New Testament had not been given entirely so that he is mainly describing the Old Testament.

#. *Psalm 19:7-14** **The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul.

The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.**

8**The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart.

The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.**

9**The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever.

The ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogether righteous.*

1.     Pastor John MacArthur gives you a preview of what you should spend more time looking at for yourself:

a.     Here, there are six titles for Scripture.

i.

The Law of the Lord, the statuettes of the Lord,  the precepts of the Lord, the commands o the Lord, the fear of the Lord and the ordinances of the Lord.

b.

There are six characteristics of Scripture:

                                           i.

It is perfect, trustworthy, right, radiant, pure and sure.

c.

There are six benefits of Scripture:

                                            i.

It revives the soul, makes wise the simple, gives joy to the heart, enlightens the eyes, endures forever and a final one, and produces comprehensive righteousness.

d.

The phrase “of the Lord” is repeated six times.

i.

Lest there be some confusion about who is the author.

ii.

It is redundant.

Six times the covenant name of Yahweh, the covenant name of the Creator~/God is used.

iii.

Here then is God’s own testimony to God’s own revelation in Scripture, God’s witness to the sufficiency and the adequacy of His Word.

*IV.

God Has Given You His Word To Thoroughly Equip You To Follow Him!*

A.    *2 Timothy 3:16-17** **All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,** **/17/**/so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work./*

1.     Thoroughly equipped: “ready to do right”

     B.

Three times and in three ways in this verse Paul has emphasized the sufficiency of the Scriptures so that you won't miss the point.

1.

The scriptures */equip/* you for each task God gives to you.

a.

They are capable, fitted, complete, proficient.

b.

If you feel inadequate, it is not because the Bible is inadequate but simply because you do not know your Bible adequately.

2.  The Scriptures */thoroughly/* equip you.

a.

To thoroughly equip you, so that you are completely furnished

i.       Before a ship would set sail, all contingencies on the journey would be considered, and supplies to meet each would be stowed on board (i.e.

extra canvas from which to make new sails should the original sails be damaged) the ship would be "thoroughly rigged out”.