The Foundation of Sound Faith (2 Timothy 3:12 – 17)

 

 

12 In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,

13 while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.

14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it,

15 and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,

17 so that the servant of God[a] may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

 

Introduction)

1. The history of the United States is relatively short in comparison to other countries. Founded in 1776, the country we live in today is only 238 years old, only a fraction of Korea’s history which spans over 5,000 years.

But despite its short history, between the 1950s and 60s, 50% of the world’s GNP belonged to the US. Records show that the number of cars in the US at the time was almost the same as the number of cars in the world. The same applied to the numbers of telephones and the national defense expenditure. During this time, the world looked at the US in awe and people lined up to immigrate into this amazing country.

 

But, in the 1960s, US President John F. Kennedy ended curriculums that taught the Bible in schools and the Ten Commandments saying, “Religion is one’s freedom, not something we should force.” Following this, the US quickly fell. America left God, so God left America.

 

After this things worsened: the US was defeated during the Vietnam War, “hippies” started to appear and with them the use of drugs and lust, families were broken, AIDS became widespread, homosexuality became an open norm and each year the US was losing 100 billion dollars.

 

President Kennedy, who declared the end of Bible teachings in schools, was assassinated, his siblings were also killed or died through some unnatural cause, and even his children died untimely, early deaths. Some say this is all just coincidence while others claim it is because of Kennedy’s sin. What do you think?

 

2. In the Bible, it says that Sodom was destroyed because there were not even 10 righteous people and Jerusalem fell because it did not have even one righteous person. Living a life of righteous devotion is the best and wisest way for us to prevent God’s wrath.

 

In verse 14 of today’s scripture, Paul tells us the secret to living a sound life of devotion: It comes from God. In other words, it comes from learning what is written in the Bible and being sure of our faith. This is what I will talking about with you today.

 

A. Learn.

1. To God, the only way for us to live a sound life of faith is to first learn what is written in the Bible and learn it well because the it is the Bible that gives us the wisdom to meet God through Jesus. In other words, it tells us the way to receive salvation. Also, the Bible is not a book of fables, legends, or fiction; it is filled with God’s truth, thus provides us humans the essential lessons in wisdom, righteousness, the rebukes we need. The Bible is a manual that teaches us how to live sound and complete lives. It is a textbook that gives us the power to do any good deed.

 

2. The 63 Building is in Yeouido, Seoul and is one of the tallest buildings in Korea. It is built beside the Han River. Normally, tall buildings are impossible to build near rivers because the ground is all sand, thus is too soft. Yet the 63 Building was built beside the Han River and decades later it is still standing firm.

Why do you think the 63 Building was able to stand? Was it because of special construction? No. It was found that beneath the sand was rock therefore the 63 Building had a firm foundation.

 

Just as a building needs a firm foundation, our faith needs a solid foundation in order for it to stand strong, and the foundation of our faith is the Bible. This is why we must learn all we can about the Bible

What does it mean to live a sound, complete life? It means that we live according to God’s will and the Bible is a book that contains the records of what God’s will for us is, hence we must learn it and learn it well.

 

3. There was a pastor who was touched by the Holy Spirit in high school, and from then on he lived a devoted life of faith. About 30 people were touched at the time, so they would gather near the choir seats and pray. During these prayers meetings some of the pastor’s friends would even speak in tongues. But as time passed, most of these friends strayed away and abandoned their life of faith. Most of them cast their faith aside and went to join the worldly society, but the pastor’s faith alone grew and he eventually became a pastor.

 

One day, the pastor found it strange how he alone had been able to keep his faith, and so he asked God, “Lord, why did my faith grow while my friends all left theirs?”

The voice of the Holy Spirit replied, “Because you read the Bible.”

 

Yes, it is true. The pastor had regularly read the Bible after receiving the Holy Spirit. Romans 10:17 says, “17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

 

Faith grows when you keep the Word of God close to you. Please take the time to always read the Bible, no matter how short or how long. To understand the Bible, one should attend worship service because the Bible often contains messages and concepts that are difficult for one to figure out on their own. Our Wednesday services are focused on specifically teaching the Bible and its message, so it a great opportunity to get to know the Bible better.

 

Not only the adults in our congregation, but our students and young adults should also take the time to read the Bible instead of playing games or watching TV. Attending Wednesday services whenever possible is also strongly encouraged.

 

There is nothing more important than hearing the Word of God. There is nothing more beautiful than praising God. There is nothing more valuable than understanding God’s will. Faith that is shaped by the Word of God will become the foundation of a great asset, a guiding light, wisdom, and blessings in the future.

 

Please attend our Wednesday services.

 

4. When Satan was tempting Jesus after Jesus had been fasting for 40 days, Jesus defeated Satan with a message from Deuteronomy:

 

8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;

9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him. (Matthew 4:8-11)

 

There are many trials we face while living in faith. No one can avoid it. But everyone can overcome it if they learn, read, listen, and act according to the Bible. It is a vital weapon in defeating Satan, hence Paul called the Bible a sword to destroy the devil.

 

5. It is said that psychoneurosis is caused by demons and the devil. Being of the devil, the Bible is useful and effective as a spiritual weapon do defeat these demons.

 

A famous Swiss physician Paul Tournier would have depressed or clinically neurotic patients read Psalm 23 every morning and evening. In doing this, all of his patients were cured.

If you are even facing troubles, try posting Psalm 23 around your house. The Word of God is a strong weapon against evil.

 

B. Have certainty.

 

1. To have certainty means to completely believe in the Bible. To be uncertain means to be suspicious and second-guess the Bible. For faith to grow, one must learn and then believe in what they have learned.

 

Ephesians 4:13 says, “13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.”

 

To become a sound, whole, and complete person, what we believe and what we know must be united. This is how we become more like Jesus.

 

2. Three problematic scenarios can arise in the realm of what we know and what we believe.

 

a: The first is one where you know nothing and you believe in nothing. A hopeless case, really.

 

b: The second is where you do believe, but you don’t know what exactly you believe in. These are the people that are easily swayed and confused. These days, there are many heretics and cults on the rise. The people who don’t know what they believe in are the people that are easily reeled into cults. Because they do not know the truth, they are not aware when they are being fed lies disguised as truth. They are not aware that what they are being told is a distortion of the real truth.

 

In 1992, Korean society was loud and bustling with the craze of Dami Missions. These people believed that Jesus would return on October 28, 1992. Of course this was the wrong thing to believe. But despite the fact that this belief was wrong, there were many who strongly believed it was true and vigorously acted on it. They went out to the streets proclaiming the end of the world; some people wore all white in preparation to meet Jesus Christ, all because their faith was in the wrong place.

 

 

 c: The last situation is one where you know, but you do not believe. There are those who have the knowledge, but they do not believe in what they know. Some have attended church since a young age, yet they had never met Jesus on a personal level. These are the people who know a lot, but do not believe in any of it. These people do not have devoted or sound lives.

 

2. A vital aspect of Christianity is faith. Healthy faith is one that is close with the truth. Salvation is received by having faith in what is written in the Bible. Answers to prayers are received through faith. Becoming a child of God is also achieved through faith. We go to Heaven through faith.

 

Faith gets us into Heaven. Having faith is like riding and elevator. Though it was attacked, destroyed, and a new building stands in its place, the World Trade Center in New York was once 110 floors high. once, a healthy young German man took the stairs from the 1^st floor all the way to the last 110^th floor. It took him 1 hour and 40 minutes. He started with ease, but around the 30^th floor, he started to sweat and grow tired. After than he climbed 20 more floors before resting to catch his breath. He then climbed 10 floors at a time, resting in between. When he reached the last floor he collapsed in exhaustion.

And yet, if he had taken an elevator he would have gone from the 1^st floor to the 110^th in merely 28 seconds just standing.

 

Anyone can go up 110 floors of stairs, but it takes time and immense effort. The highest mountain in the world is Mount Everest at 8,848m above sea level. Even Mount Everest can be climbed with effort. But Heaven is not a place that can be reached through effort alone. only through Jesus Christ, and our faith in Jesus Christ, can we get to Heaven with the ease and comfort of riding an elevator.

 

3. Hebrews 11:6 says, “6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

 

This scripture tells us of two things we must believe in:

One is that we must believe that our God is a living God who has been always will be living. He is where we are, wherever that may be. When we pray, He will always be there and we must believe this.

 

The second is that we must believe that God blesses those who seek Him. How do we find Him? We find Him through prayer. When God sees us praying and seeking His presence, God is pleased and blesses us. It does not matter whether you pray with others or alone, but praying in numbers can make things easier and is often more rewarding.

 

We must properly learn the Bible. Thus, the church we select to teach us the Bible is crucial.

We must also be certain in our faith. We must not waver or falter.

 

C. Stay.

 

1. In today’s sermon, to “stay” means to stay in the Bible we have learned and are sure about in order to live a full, sound life. It means to “stay” in one place, the Bible, and not sway here and there. It means to “stay” in the right and proper place.

 

A tree must stay in one place to grow. If you keep replanting it in different locations, the tree will quickly die. It may be okay to move it once or twice when it is a sapling, but to do it frequently will surely kill the tree.

 

We too must stay and grow in one place to the end. Moving around will kill our faith and us.

 

2. Judas Iscariot was one of Jesus’ disciples. He was chosen among countless people as one of the Twelve Disciples. What an honor that is! Yet Judas was not able to keep in position as a disciple. In the end, he sells Jesus for money and driven with guilt hangs himself, facing a pitiful death because he was unable to stay in his place as a disciple.

 

3. Before Rome accepted Christianity, the Romans heavily persecuted Christians. one cold winter, the Roman soldiers captured Christians and threw them into cold waters and then told them that they would let them live if they denied Jesus. To keep their faith meant that they would freeze to their death. Yet no one denied Jesus. Then, one man could no longer take the physical pain and jumped out of the water. But a strange thing happened. one of the Romans soldiers jumped in the water and took the place of the man that ran out. He had seen a vision where angels as many as there were Christians freezing in the water appeared holding crowns. When the one of the men jumped out, he saw that one of the angels turn back the way it had come with the crown still in its hands. The soldier, seeing this, jumped in the water to take the place of the Christian who ran out.

 

There is no way to know if this story is true, but it is a good story and comparison nonetheless.

 

Conclusion)

 

Dearest congregation! Please do all you can to learn about the Bible. Please do all you can to be certain in your faith and be unwavering in it. Please do all you can to put what you learned into action. Please do all you can to stay in the truth that you learn and know.

 

This is the way to living a whole, complete, and sound life in the eyes of God.

 

Some military soldiers families have good faith, but when they go to Korea they find themselves too busy having fun that they stray away from faith. If a pastor knows about such happenings, then surely God knows too, right?

 

We must not let this happen to us. We must learn, believe, and act on God’s Word with unwavering love, regardless of location, circumstance, health, emotion, or money. This is the way to live a sound life of sound faith and receive, not broken bits of blessings, but full and abundant blessings from God our Father.