TOPIC:“Going Places With the Bible”
by Rev. Dr. Reg Dunlap
TEXT:II Timothy 3:14-17
“And that from a child thou has known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” (II Timothy 3:15)
Perhaps many of you are not aware that the Bible is the most traveled book this world has ever known. Though it continues unchallenged as the world's best seller, it also continues uninterrupted to go more places than any other book. The missionaries have taken it to distant lands. The Bible translators have had it published in many foreign languages. The Bible colporteurs have distributed it among the peoples of the world. It should be noted that according to the American Bible Society, the Bible has been translated into more than sixteen hundred languages. Even into forbidden countries where it is a crime to read it, the Bible is on the advance. Thus you can see that the Word of God has gone places.
And yet, perhaps we should not be so much concerned over the distance the Bible has traveled geographically, as compared to how far it has gone individually. I ask: To what degree has the Bible made progress in your life? Has it done something for you? Has it changed you? Has it spoken to you? Has it revealed to you your sin and disclosed to you the Savior? If not, then I would say to you, my fellow friend, you have not gone very far with this priceless and timeless Book. To put it in the words of F. B. Meyer, famous Bible teacher of past years, who said: “We are blessed by the Bible in so far as we have exposed our hearts to its entrance and rule.” I fully agree with him! Dr. Howard Hendricks, former professor at Dallas Theological Seminary, once had a lady come to him boasting about how many times she had been through the Bible. Dr. Hendricks looked at her and said, "Madam, the real question is how many times the Bible has been through you."
Or to put it in the magnificent words of Paul S. Rees, former dynamic pastor of the 20th century: "To be really in touch with the Word of God is to live in it, be steeped in it; be repeatedly searched and shaken by it, be constantly lighted and lifted by it, be increasing cleansed, corrected, and controlled by it." This is precisely what the Apostle Paul was urging his young friend Timothy to do. To let the Bible speak to him. To let it change him. To let it rule over him. Let us now turn our attention to what this first-century Christian, the Apostle Paul, wants his friend, young Timothy, to know about God's holy Word.
I.
We have, to begin with, some BASIC INFORMATION about the Bible that we need to know. Notice again Paul's words in verse 15: “And that from a child thou has known the Holy Scriptures.” As we look at the Word of God, we ought to be informed . . .