The Word that Transforms

The Word that Transforms
II Timothy 3:15-4:5
September 13, 2026

Paul has been writing to his son in the faith, Timothy, from prison, giving him final direction, exhorting him to stand strong and to teach the church the important things. One of those is to be grounded in and to continue in the truths he has been taught.

Paul then focuses on the scripture, which we looked at last time when we did a study on the authenticity and inerrancy of the word. This becomes the basis of our faith.

But the word is not the ultimate goal in itself. If it is seen as that, it can quickly become a book of rules and regulations. It has a goal though. The goal is that it points us to the Living Word, Jesus Christ. It is a love letter showing the heart of a living God.

This is part of our challenge. We cannot just treat the word as a rule book, or a historic, book. We need to make it personal. It becomes the primary way in which Jesus reveals Himself.

This is what transforms us: revelation of who Jesus is and what He has done for you personally. Are you struggling to change? Struggling to grow? Then these are critical principles we are going to look at.

I. Have faith in Christ

• I like the way the Amplified Bible describes this faith in Christ.

2 Timothy 3:15, …and how from childhood you have known the sacred writings (Hebrew Scriptures) which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus [surrendering your entire self to Him and having absolute confidence in His wisdom, power and goodness]. 

A. Surrender to Jesus

• There is a deep message hidden here. True life and true purpose are found in surrendering your entire self—your whole being—to Jesus. That is how you let go of and are saved from all the fleshly, carnal things that lead down the path of difficult times and destruction.
• The more you study the Word, the more you discover that God is truly wise—surprise, surprise—far wiser than you or I. He knows everything. He knows the end from the beginning; He knows your beginning and your end.
• He knows the best way and where true life is found. Not only does He know it, but He also has the power to accomplish all that is necessary when you walk according to His way and allow Him to direct your life.
• He does not stand by powerlessly while history unfolds; He is actively involved, and He is able to do exceedingly and abundantly above all that you can think or dream.
• Wrong thinking in this area has real-time implications. When you look at the future and think you have to sort out all the problems, plan for all contingencies, and have all the answers, it brings immense anxiety and fear if you do not see God as all powerful and in control of your life.
• Then we find the clincher: this God, who is all-wise and all-powerful, is also good. We can have absolute confidence in His goodness.
• Because God is good, we know that whatever we go through and whatever dark valley we must traverse, God is there with us. More than that, through His Spirit, He is actively WITHIN us, and we are encapsulated IN Him! Although we cannot see it now, we know that in the end it will be for our good.

• The more we see stories and evidence of people who have gone before us—people who endured hard times while God worked those circumstances for their good—the more our faith is built.

• We know that this same God is also our God, and He will also work all things for our good.

Illus  – We sing the song “Same God.” 

• This is the foundation of our faith.

B. Be Made Complete

• If you have placed your faith in Jesus Christ, then Scripture shifts into its second purpose.
• Paul continues by saying that all Scripture is given for instruction, conviction, correction, and training in righteousness.
• Instruction suggests that there is an instructor.

Illus – Whenever you want to do something new, you will first need instruction. Whether you want to learn to fly, drive around a racetrack, become a nurse, or become an electrician, every new endeavor begins with instruction. Most of the time, that instruction includes a great deal of theory. Someone may also show you examples of how to do something. If you are learning to rappel, for example, someone will show you how to thread the ropes through the shackles and use all the necessary safety equipment. You may even have to take a test. But practical application will follow. Suppose you are going to rappel down a cliff. The instructor may stand beside you and watch as you set up the gear, thread the ropes through the correct shackles, and make sure everything is secure. If you are doing it wrong, the instructor will tell you, “This is wrong.” We call this conviction. The instructor shows you what is wrong and what is right, and then brings correction by showing you how to do it properly.

• This is what Paul says the Word does. He says that all Scripture is God-breathed, given by divine inspiration, and profitable for instruction.
• God first instructs us. For example, right now we are receiving instruction. When you go out into the world during the week, you may be confronted with many of the things I spoke about tonight.
• If you handle something wrong, the Holy Spirit will bring conviction through the Word.
• But you must be humble to receive correction. If you thread the ropes wrong before rappelling and don’t want to listen to the instructor, it will have disastrous consequences.
• After you repent, meaning to align with the conviction, the Word will also bring correction. If you did something wrong, it can be corrected.

Illus  – Many times we have couples that come to us and ask us to marry them…

• There are a correction of error and a restoration to obedience. Why? Paul says it is for training in righteousness.
• The point is that we want to learn to live in conformity to God’s will, because in God’s will there is life. He is the designer of our lives, and He knows the right thing to do and why.

Illus – My daughter and new son-in -law just got a new fancy coffee machine as a wedding present… You need to read the manual, otherwise the machine will not operate to its full potential, or worse, could even be destroyed.

• It is the same with us. God made us. He knows how we function, and if we do not follow His instruction, destruction will follow.

II. Be Trained in Righteousness

• Paul continues to say that we are trained in righteousness to live in conformity to God’s will, publicly and privately, behaving honorably with personal integrity and moral courage.
• If you do not live in conformity to God’s will in private, you will lose personal integrity, and your moral courage will break down.
• You will not be able to point out the way for others if you are not living a life of integrity yourself. A person becomes ineffective when still stuck in and bound by sin. This is what God wants to free us from.
• This is the plan of the enemy. If he can trip you up, make you feel ashamed, he makes you ineffective as you do not have the spiritual confidence to be used by God.
• This either leads to acting very defensive, or feeling totally useless.
• But this is not hopeless. The way out and way to freedom is to repent with humility. Jesus came to set the captives free.

Luke 4:18-19, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

• We are no longer slaves to fear, slaves to sin, we are new creations in Christ, called to show forth His praises and His power. We need to take hold of this, proclaim this, stand in this truth even in the face of evidence against it.

A. Be effective in good works

• Verse 17 says that the man or woman of God may be complete and proficient, thoroughly outfitted and equipped for every good work.
• That is the point: God wants us to be effective and to live a life of purpose. He wants us to grow toward completeness.
• That does not mean perfection; we know we will not be perfect until we reach heaven. It means being fully prepared, outfitted, and equipped for every good work.

Illus – A friend of mine went on a very special hunt…

• In the same way, God is outfitting, preparing us, equipping us.

Illus – There is a story about a problem in a huge commercial factory that the company could not solve. They were losing millions a day because the one broken-down machine was halting production…

• God wants us to grow and become experienced in that which He calls us to steward. Maybe today you are young. You are sitting here saying, “I do not know what I am supposed to do. I do not know what my purpose is.”
• Here is the thing: you need to trust God. You need to know that He is wise, powerful, and good. Even if you cannot yet see what He is preparing you for, trust Him.
• The situations He leads you into are preparation for what He wants you to do. When you reach that point—when crunch time comes—you will be developed, proficient, and effective in doing what is needed for your life to make a difference.
• If you are led by God, He has already prepared you for what you need to handle whatever you are facing right now. Maybe not for next week, or next month, or next year, but right now.

1 Corinthians 10:13,  Every test that you have experienced is the kind that normally comes to people. But God keeps his promise, and he will not allow you to be tested beyond your power to remain firm; at the time you are put to the test, he will give you the strength to endure it, and so provide you with a way out.

• Do not fight God in the process. Trust the process. Like Joseph, who may not have understood where God was taking him, you can know that God used it for good.
• If you surrender to God, lay down yourself, and remain teachable, obedient, and humble rather than rebelling against everything that happens, God will use you for great things and for His glory.

B. Preach the Word

• This was a command to Timothy, but it is indirectly written to all of us.
• We have been focusing on the importance and relevance of the word for a couple of weeks exactly for this reason. You need to be confident that the word is the ultimate truth before you can use it with confidence.
• We are all called to handle the word correctly, but not only that, to use the word to defend the faith.

Verse 2 – preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.

C. Be Grounded in sound doctrine

• Doctrine is so important –Doctrine refers to a set of beliefs or principles that are taught and accepted by a particular group, often in the context of religion or politics.
• So, Paul says that a time will come when people want to have their ears tickled, finding teachers that speak in accordance with their own desires.

Illus – Makes me think of scratching a dog behind the ears.

• Again, it seems like Paul time traveled to our time and saw what was happening all around.
• People will be drawn towards teaching that is comfortable, nice, whatever helps them reach their goals, expands their abilities and enlarges their
• Some churches have turned into self-help, self-development seminars. You can judge it by one criteria: Is Jesus still the center of what is taught, or is man?
• Many have gone so far off track that Jesus is not even seen as the Savior, or the only way, truth, and life.
• Paul warned that many will turn from truth and turn to myths. Many people say they believe in Jesus, but the “Jesus” they describe or believe in is not the Jesus of the Bible.
• We can know Him, know His character, know His heart, but many have fashioned their own Jesus who they are in relationship with. To some He is just another guru, another prophet, or had great philosophies. But HE is much more than that.
• Many believe myths that are not in the Bible. Remember, the enemy is cunning. The Bible says he will come like an angel of light to deceive.
• Therefore, Paul says, be sober in all things. Don’t be swayed by the crowd or emotions. Don’t be swayed by the next fad.

Matthew 24:4-5, And Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one misleads you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many.

• But it is more than just speaking the word. That is critically important, but sound doctrine does something more.
• Right believing leads to right living. Modern psychology teaches us that we are inevitably growing in the directions of our dominant thoughts. This is actually a truth from the word of God.

Proverbs 23:7, For as he thinks within himself, so he is.

• What are your dominant thoughts? What mostly occupies your mind?
• Then, what is your dominant thoughts about Jesus and God? If your dominant thoughts are that He is angry, He is hard, you are a failure, you are struggling, you can never measure up, then your life will be a constant strife to perfection, but you will never measure up.
• This will inevitably filter into every area of your life; how you treat and your expectations put on your spouse, your kids, your friends, workers.
• But if you understand that God is all powerful, all loving, and all good, and he calls Himself your Abba-Father, it changes who you become and how you act.
• This is knowing the truth, the TRUTH, and the truth shall set you free.
• Be sober. Be anchored in the word. Know the word and let it transform you into the true image of Jesus.
• For this we need to surrender our successes, our failures, our struggles, our sin habits, but also our giftings, our talents, our future: in short all of who we are.