The Necessary Word

When the Apostle Paul was mentoring and training his protégé Timothy for church leadership, he stressed to him the importance of depending on scripture, just as Jesus had done. Today on Truth for Life, Alistair Begg explores Paul's teaching to discover why God's Word is not only profitable, it's absolutely necessary. We're continuing a series titled The Work of the Word. Father, as we turn to your Word, before we come around the table as Jesus has bidden us, we pray that you will constrain and curtail our thoughts and guide them into your truth. Because as we were thinking this morning, as we were learning this morning, that you have breathed out your Word, and your Word is profitable for teaching. Teach us, we pray, for your Son's sake.

Amen. Well, I want essentially to give you three more observations that would have been part of this morning if I hadn't done such a poor job of trying to keep time. And I want to do so largely from the Psalms, and particularly from Psalm 119. For those of you who weren't present this morning, we're still going through 2 Timothy. We've reached the section where Paul at the end of chapter 3 reminds Timothy that the Scripture, the Bible, is breathed out by God, and because of the authority that is in it as the very Word of God and the breath of God, it therefore is profitable in a number of areas, four he mentions in particular.

And when these aspects of teaching ministry are in place, then Timothy and others like him can anticipate that the people of God—expressively, he says, the man of God—will then, through the teaching of God's Word, be equipped for every good work. And as I was preparing for this Sunday, and as I had in mind our closing hymn from this morning, which, of course, was The Word of God Is and Begins Light in My Darkness and Hope for the Hopeless or Help for the Helpless, I can never remind. And so my mind was running along those lines, and so what I wanted to do was to remind us that although there are many ways in which the Bible is profitable for teaching, it is, first of all, profitable because it is absolutely necessary, and it is absolutely necessary because we need light in our darkness. We need the darkness of our lives to be exposed and for the light of the truth of God's Word to shine into that darkness. So, Psalm 119—those of you who have been doing Mary McShane have been reading through Psalm 119.

We're beyond it now. But Psalm 119 and verse 105, your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. It's a well-known word, and it is a straightforward statement of the truth that runs through the entire Bible. Sometimes when we pray, we use a little chorus that some of us are familiar with since our youth, where we ask God to make the book live to us—not that it isn't already alive, but we mean in terms of its application to our individual lives. And the chorus goes, Make the book live to me, O LORD. Show me yourself within your Word, and show me myself, and show me my Savior. And the work of God is to shine into the life of an individual and do exactly that. It is, of course, appropriate for us to have sung that hymn by Martin Luther, and it's also equally appropriate for us to remind ourselves that God did exactly that in the life of a Roman Catholic monk, Martin Luther, when in 1511, in the sixteenth century, he himself, in great anguish of spirit, had gone to Rome to spend a significant period of time in order to try and unburden his soul.

And despite the religious exercises which he pursued dutifully for a period of one month, he writes that it only served to deepen his sense of disillusionment. He was operating on the basis that a good God is bound to accept a good monk if he is doing all that he can. But he was wrestling with this essential problem. How could he ever be good enough?

How could it ever be possible to tip the balance in favor of himself? He would need to be absolutely perfect. And he couldn't be perfect. And he was completely overwhelmed by the notion of the righteousness of God, that God demanded a righteousness, demanded that men and women were placed in a right standing before him.

And then, he says, suddenly the light went on. And I realized that Romans 1 17 was not talking about a righteousness that he, Martin Luther, needed to produce, but rather a righteousness which God in Christ had provided. In the gospel, a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last.

A righteousness that is by faith from first to last. It is the Bible that we need to show us that, to shine into our darkness, to show us that we are actually, by nature, walking in the dark. That's what Jesus said.

The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. And by nature, we're lost. That's why Jesus again says that I came seeking to save those that were lost. You know, Jesus has nothing to say to the person who says, I'm religiously fine. I'm perfectly okay. No, I'm not lost.

I'm not in need of anything at all. What does that person need? Well, they need that the Bible will be taught to them in such a way and applied by the Spirit in such a way that they will see themselves as God sees them and then that they will see Christ in all of his fullness. That's why we remind ourselves consistently that the Bible is not a science book. It's a salvation book. It's a Bible. It's a book that is all about salvation, so that even as we're reading this story here with the youngsters tonight and we have this thought of Joseph in the appointed place of God in order to be essentially a Savior for the people of God, it points us forward to the one who is the Savior for the people of God, namely Jesus himself.

And so the light of the Word of God teaches us that we are glorious, made in the image of God, that we are guilty sinners, spoiled by our rebellion against God, that we are the beneficiaries of the seeking and saving grace of God, that we are able to come to this table because of the sin-bearing, substitutionary death of the Son of God, and, as we learned in the children's lesson, even when the bad days come and the difficult days come and it would appear that everything was against us, the Bible tells us that we are under the jurisdiction of he who is a sovereign God and a triumphant King. When I went home this afternoon and had a little time, I'm always very happy when the Banner of Truth magazine comes. I don't know how many of you take the Banner of Truth magazine.

I fear that many of you have never even seen it. This is the best value for money in any magazine that you have ever found. It's very small. We bring it to the bookstore, but apparently nobody buys it at all.

And I don't say that in any spirit of judgment. I'm just telling you that it's there, and then I think they give them away in the end. But it's the best thing because there's no advertisements in it, except maybe you could buy a book or something.

But it's just a great wee magazine. But it's remarkable how, you know, when your mind is going in a certain direction and you're picking things up casually, it reinforces where you are. I'm sure you find that too. And so, you know, I went home, and I was thinking Martin Luther, and then there's a wonderful article here on John Knox. And it identifies a number of things about Knox, who was a Scottish reformer, as you know. And the one that struck me most forcibly was that John Knox was convinced that when the Bible speaks, God speaks.

I said, Oh, that's good. So at least we're standing on the shoulders of Knox. And then you have this wonderful quote from his works, volume four. Listen to this.

This is John Knox. For as the word of God is the beginning of life spiritual, without which all flesh is dead in God's presence, and the lantern to our feet, without the brightness whereof, all the posterity of Adam walk in darkness. And as it is the foundation of faith, without which no man understands the goodwill of God, so it is also the only organ and instrument which God uses to strengthen the weak, to comfort the afflicted, to reduce to mercy by repentance such as have sliden, and finally to preserve and keep the very life of the soul in all assaults and temptations. And therefore, if that you desire your knowledge to be increased, your faith to be confirmed, your consciences to be quieted and comforted, and finally your soul to be preserved in life, let your exercise be frequent in the Word of your God. Teaching us, bringing light into our darkness. So, clarity. Secondly, and more briefly, purity, still in Psalm 119.

You remember how the second section begins? How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your Word. So as the Bible has taught to us, not only is it a means whereby we come to salvation and where the deceptions of our hearts are exposed and where we are brought back into the mainstream of God's purposes, but also, as we're taught, we are made aware of the fact that temptation is a reality, that impurity is a mark of the godless, that the danger of being sucked into that vortex is real, particularly for young men and young women. And therefore, if they would inquire of us, how in the world am I supposed to make it through my life, we would tell them, read your Bible. Read your Bible. Because this book is breathed out by God, and it is beneficial for you, it is useful for you, it is profitable for you.

It will bring clarity to the darkness of your heart, and it will lead you in the pathway of purity. As with some college students this week—and I was reminding them of the old chestnut of a story, but it still is good, isn't it? And some of you youngsters may not have heard me tell this—of how the chaplain to the sailors in the British Navy down in Portsmouth on the south coast of England was doing a Bible study with some of the sailors. And in the course of that, the sailors said to him, You know, pastor, it's because you don't live in the real world that you don't understand how we just can't stand against many of these temptations. We're just led away by them.

We're unable to do anything about it. Where essentially they were saying, We're not really responsible at all. And the chaplain, in a moment of inspiration, said, Hey, turn around, and let's just look at these boats as they're moving back and forth across the bay here in Portsmouth, with their sails up and going. He said, It's interesting, isn't it, that they're going in different directions but only by one wind? And then he said, One ship, one boat goes east, one boat goes west, by the selfsame winds that blow.

And it's the set of the sails and not the gales that determines which way they go. And the Word of God sets our sails—clarity, purity, thirdly and finally, security. Still in Psalm 119, verse 73, this time, Your hands have made and fashioned me. Give me understanding that I may learn your commandments. And then in verse 75, In your faithfulness you have afflicted me.

And then in 76, Let your steadfast love, your chesed covenant-keeping love, comfort me. You see how it's going to be the Bible that teaches us this. Some of us have difficulties in our lives that appear perhaps insurmountable, perhaps physical things that we never really talk about or elements in our psyche that is a destabilizing force or whatever it might be. We're tempted to say to ourselves, You know, God has really made a bit of a mess of me, hasn't He?

I mean, I don't think I should be the way I am. Well, no, you need your Bible here to help you. Your hands have made and fashioned me. And then we say, Well, if I was really a good Christian, if I was a really diligent Christian, then of course I would be free from any kind of difficulty and heartache and so on.

Well, then you need your Bible to help you. It is in your faithfulness that you have afflicted me. And therefore, I need your steadfast love to comfort me.

You've made me, you've afflicted me, and you comfort me. Which then led me to my conclusion, which is just back one psalm, which is Psalm 118, and to two verses that were first pointed out to me by my boss, Derek Prime, a hundred years ago when I was with him in Edinburgh as his assistant. And one day at our team meeting, he said that he had been struck by verses 13 and 14 of Psalm 118, which read as follows, I was pushed hard so that I was falling, but the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.

And some of you may be here tonight, and that seems to be an accurate description of your circumstances. You're pushed hard, being pushed back, feeling that forces are against you in an untoward way. Maybe physical, maybe psychological, maybe just a spiritual warfare that you feel unable for. I was pushed hard so that I was actually falling. You know, when somebody gives you a push and you have that moment where you almost go down, that's the position that he has.

I'm being pushed back, and I was falling, and then all of a sudden, a hand reaches down. The Lord helped me. And then he says, Yeah, the Lord helped me, because he's my strength, he's my song, he's my salvation.

Pushed back, falling, helped, strengthened, singing, saved. Where do we learn all this? In our Bibles.

Oh, the B-I-B-L-E. That's the book for me. I stand alone on the Word of God, the B-I-B-L-E. There is no other place on which to stand. Our world is broken and phenomenally confused, and God has opened your eyes to this truth. May he then open our lips that we may declare his praise and so guard and guide our lives, that we might be useful to him, able to speak to the issue of clarity, strengthened by the reminder of security, and, yes, warned and enabled to walk in the pathway of purity. Well, Father, we thank you again that we're able to rehearse with the children at dawn the fact that your Word is fixed in the heavens, that you accomplish your purposes by the truth of your Word, and we thank you tonight that you have given it to us, have preserved it for us, and that we have freedom of access to it. We pray that you will come and refine us, save us from ourselves and from foolish temptations and tendencies. Help us not to be deceived by the allure of the pleasures of sin, which only lasts for a wee while, or by riches, or by our own sinful hearts. Accomplish your purposes, we pray, for Jesus' sake. Amen.

Amen. You're listening to Alistair Begg on Truth for Life with a message he's titled The Necessary Word. Alistair returns in just a bit with some closing comments. Like the Apostle Paul, our priority at Truth for Life is to teach from the Bible each day and to encourage pastors to rely solely on scripture as well. If you lead a local church or teach young men pursuing a career as a pastor, we want to encourage you to check out the four module online study called The Basics of Pastoral Ministry. This is a collection of 30 sermons and lectures from Alistair that reinforce the importance, authority, and sufficiency of the Bible. These are lessons drawn from his experience leading a congregation for more than 40 years. In this course, you'll listen to Alistair teach about church leadership, expository preaching, even how to handle opposition to change.

Each module contains five to nine lessons from Alistair and comes with a corresponding downloadable study guide to help you apply what you've learned. All four modules and the corresponding online study guides are freely accessible when you visit truthforlife.org and search for The Basics of Pastoral Ministry. Now, you may wonder how we're able to provide all of this biblical teaching for free. Well, it's because of the generosity of Truth Partners, listeners like you who consistently pray for Truth for Life and who commit to giving each month. Each Truth Partner chooses the amount he or she wants to give. The collective giving of our Truth Partners covers the operating expense needed to produce this daily program and make it available even in remote parts of the world. So to all of our Truth Partners, thank you. If you've been listening to Truth for Life for a while and you've not yet joined this amazing team, why not make today the day? It's simple to sign up. It takes a few minutes online at truthforlife.org slash truth partner, or just call us.

The number is 888-588-7884. And Truth Partners who give $20 or more each month can receive the two monthly books we recommend for no additional donation. It's our way of thanking you for supporting the teaching ministry of Truth for Life. Today, we're recommending a book called Helen Roseveare, The Doctor Who Kept Going No Matter What. This biography for children gives an example of what it looks like to faithfully serve God. Helen was a missionary who helped build hospitals in Africa.

She trained new doctors and nurses, and she shared the gospel. Her story is one of perseverance and unwavering faith in God, even in the midst of serious trials and imprisonment. This is an inspiring book about Helen's life.

It's a hardcover picture book that's perfect for reading to your young children, your grandchildren, or your Sunday school class. Alistair had the privilege of interviewing Helen when she visited Parkside Church several years ago, and here to share some thoughts about meeting her and about her book is Alistair. In the Christian life, all of us look to people who have gone before us and who have established a pattern of life that was exemplary.

One such person in my life is a lady, a doctor, called Helen Roseveare. I met her when I was just a young minister, and we spent a weekend at a conference together. And I remember being so forcefully struck by the clarity with which she spoke and out of a life that had been expressed on the mission field as a missionary doctor. All through her life, I followed her, I read her books, and I was absolutely delighted when Laura Caputo Wickham put together this little book on Helen Roseveare. Any young girl or young boy that wants to read about a life given over to Jesus will thoroughly enjoy this book. I had the immense privilege of being with Helen towards the very end of her life when I went to visit her in Ireland. She had very little to say, but her parting greeting to me was, Alistair, keep on keeping on. And read this book and you will discover that Helen Roseveare did exactly that.

I can't commend it any higher than this. Well, and again, you can request your copy when you sign up to become a Truth Partner or you give a one-time donation at truthforlife.org slash donate. By the way, if you'd like to listen to an interview Alistair conducted with Dr. Roseveare when she visited Parkside many years ago, you can find it on our website truthforlife.org slash Helen. You'll also find some activity pages that can be downloaded and printed that go along with the book.

I'm Bob Lapine. We hope you have a wonderful weekend and are able to worship with your local church. Now if reading the Bible sometimes feels to you like a task that you check off your daily routine, join us Monday when we'll learn how to get the most out of our time in God's Word. The Bible teaching of Alistair Begg is furnished by Truth for Life where the Learning is for Living.