SERMON SPOTLIGHT * 5/11/25
The Holy Spirit, God's manifest presence in the world, takes people who have been transformed in Christ and progressively transforms them to Christ through the Word of God. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.
SERIES: Sanctification: Being Conformed to Christ
TEXT: 2 Timothy 3:16-17
TITLE: Transforming Words for Transformed People
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet
BIG IDEA: God's Word is God's words for our sanctification
POINTS:
I. God's Sanctifying Word
II. The Word's Sanctifying Work
SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes and text emphasis are taken directly from the pastor’s notes.
”(16) All Scripture is breathed out by God. This is an astounding claim—God speaks to us. Think about that—the God who…speaks to us.”
“God has been speaking since the beginning of time:
- Creation
- Adam
- To and through Moses (Ten Commandments)
- Through the OT prophets—Thus saith the Lord
- Through Jesus, the living Word of God.”
“Now, to the degree God has chosen to reveal Himself to us, the Bible is the fullness of God's self-revelation, telling us what He is like, what He has done, what He desires, and what He has promised.”
“What does breathed out by God mean? It means God breathed out (expire) His words into (inspire) the minds and hearts of chosen writers to reveal precisely what He wanted to reveal about Himself and His purposes, not as robots, but through their personalities, abilities, and experiences. Theologically speaking, this is inspiration, the work of the Holy Spirit that ensures the writers wrote precisely what God intended.”
“What does all mean? Paul and Timothy did not have the whole canon of Scripture—Paul's reference to the sacred writings in 15 references the OT. But the NT itself, and its writers, affirm that all Scripture means the Old and New Testament. In 2 Peter 3:15-16, Peter calls the writings of Paul Scripture. In 1 Timothy 5:18, Paul quotes the words of Jesus as Scripture. Paul even speaks of his own words as the commands of God in 1 Corinthians 14:37. All means the whole Bible, the 39 books of the OT and the 27 books of the NT as originally written, every word and part is entirely and equally breathed out by God.”
“God's Word is God's Word. This is the basis for what Paul says next.”
“In 14-15, Paul reminded Timothy how the Scriptures made him wise for salvation. His point is that the Scripture reveals our need for a Savior and who that Savior is. In this way, the Bible is a powerful means by which God brings people to salvation. But Paul also points us to the Word for sanctification. In 10-12, he talks about living and continuing to live a godly life in Christ. How? (14) by continuing in the Word of God. That's the language of sanctification. If we are called to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, how do we know, where do we go to learn what that looks like?”
“God knows exactly what we need, even more than we do. It’s right here (Bible). His promises fuel our perseverance in godliness. His commands put us back on the right path. The examples of His people that went before us affirm our faith and strengthen our hope. The Bible is God's primary tool for transformation in our lives. Jesus himself affirmed this when he prayed for his disciples after he was gone: Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth—John 17:17”
“The Word of God is profitable. Or, given the fact that the Scriptures are God-breathed and make us complete, we could say even stronger—they are sufficient. What is God's Word sufficient for? Paul mentions four things that fit in two categories.”
“The context Paul was speaking into was Timothy's battle with false teachers. So Paul tells Timothy—(16) All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof. The Bible is the only true source for teaching sound doctrine. Whatever doctrinal books you enjoy learning from, they must be rooted in the Bible. Why? Because the Bible alone is breathed out by God. Not the church fathers’ writings. Not the systematic theologies. Not the creeds and catechisms. Those books deepen and broaden our understanding of God's Word, but God's Word alone is sufficient to teach us sound doctrine.”
“That makes the Bible our best ammunition for—notice what Paul says next—reproofing or rebuking the false teachers and preserving sound doctrine. This is why just a few verses later in Ch. 4, Paul tells Timothy to fight the false teachers and protect the church by doing one thing—Preach the Word!”
“Doctrine is critical if God is progressively sanctifying our hearts. Wrong doctrine leads to wrong living. So Paul's progression is intentional.”
“The word correct means to straighten out. It implies the same idea of reproof only in regard to behavior. God's Word straightens out our behavior. It puts us back on the right track, which is righteousness. In this way, as Paul says, it trains us in righteousness by correcting us and showing us the right path. The truth is we don't drift to straight, i.e., God's ways. But God is merciful, and in His deep love for us, He uses His Word to turn us right-side up when our sins turn us upside down. This is precisely what Scripture teaches: For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and Spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart—Hebrews 4:12”
“The author of Hebrews reminds us that we can't escape the Word. Acting as God Himself, it exposes us. It reveals our hearts. It has its way with us, exposing and correcting our hearts. Scripture sanctifies by guarding our hearts: How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your Word….I have stored up your Word in my heart Psalm 119:9, 11”
ILLUSTRATION: Psalm 1 man like a healthy tree planted by streams of water
“It pleases and glorifies God to work through the means of His Word as we give ourselves humbly to preaching and personal time in the Bible, praying and trusting the Holy Spirit to illuminate our minds so we can understand, treasure, and obey His Word and become more like Jesus, the true Psalm 1 man.”
“This is the effect in 17. In a phrase—Spiritual Maturity. In a word—Sanctification. Capable for all that our Savior has for us and calls us to, foremost, living a life of godliness.”
“Are you confident in the power and sufficiency of God's Word for your Holy Spirit-empowered sanctification? You should be. We all should be because God's Word is God's words for our sanctification.”
QUOTES:
SGC Statement of Faith - “As we devote ourselves to God's Word, we commune with God himself and are fortified in faith, sanctified from sin, strengthened in weakness, and sustained in suffering by his unchanging revelation in Scripture.”
Sovereign Grace Catechism, Question 61 - “How do we grow to be more like Christ? A) Compelled by grace and dependent upon the Spirit, we joyfully devote our lives to God and his purposes, striving for holiness in every area of life. The primary instruments for our sanctification are the Word of God, prayer, and fellowship, which train us to glorify God, love others, and testify to Christ in the world.”
Charles Spurgeon - “This volume is the writing of the living God; each letter penned with an almighty finger, each word in it dropped from the everlasting lips, each sentence was dictated by the Holy Spirit…Everywhere I find God speaking; it is God's voice, not man's; the words are God's words, the words of the Eternal, the Invisible, the Almighty, the Jehovah of the earth…The Bible is a letter from Him, and we prize it beyond the finest gold.”
SGC Statement of Faith - “All of Scripture is breathed out by God, being accurately delivered through various human authors by the inspiration and agency of the Holy Spirit. We therefore receive the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testament as the perfect, infallible, and authoritative Word of God.”
Charles Spurgeon - “The prayerful study of the Word is not only a means of instruction, but an act of devotion wherein the transforming power of grace is often exercised, transforming us into the image of him whom the Word is a mirror.”
John Stott - “Let the Word of God make you a man of God! remain loyal to it and it will lead you on into Christian maturity.”
Kevin DeYoung - “Sanctification will be marked by penitence more than perfection.”
APPLICATION:
1. Study and memorize passages that deal specifically with your besetting sins.
Anxiety
Greed
Lust
Gluttony
Bitterness
Impatience
Learn to ask yourself—What does the Bible say about that?
2. Live in the indicative as you pursue the imperative
Paul's pattern
3. Prioritize putting on righteousness—This not that
Colossians 3:5-17
Ephesians 4:25-32
Romans 12-14
4. Park in Proverbs
John Calvin said—Scripture contains a perfect rule of a good and happy life. You want a good and happy life? Park in Proverbs! It's a treasure for sanctification because it corrects and trains us in godliness for so many areas of life in a joyful and hopeful way.
5. Read the Bible with a contrite spirit (Isaiah 66:2)
Repentance is a primary mark of the Spirit's work of sanctification because it's the pathway to genuine growth.
SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
Bless The Lord O My Soul (Psalm 103)
His Mercy Is More
10,000 Reasons (Bless The Lord)
Come Behold The Wondrous Mystery
Your Words Are Wonderful (Psalm 119)
NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
The Church: Hebrews 3:12-13
THE BOOK OF THE QUARTER:
