Made Complete
February 8, 2026
Morning Service
Psalms 139:23-24 Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; (24) And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.
This is the attitude in which we should be reading the Bible. We should be searching to know more about God, but also we need to seek to learn more about ourselves. God desires me to be totally honest with Him and also with myself. As we pray this prayer of David and see sin in our lives it should move us to follow the process we discussed that God set in place through I John 1:9. We own up to our sin, confess it to God in a repentant manner, and accept His forgiveness and move forward.
This Word is alive and it is how God has chosen to speak to us, mold us, and change us along our journey of life as we follow Jesus. The key again is that we are “not only hearers of His Word, but we are doers of it.” To be able to quote scripture and even memorize it means nothing if we don’t apply that to our lives. Remember as Satan was tempting Jesus in the wilderness, even he quoted scripture. When was the last time God confronted you with sin in your life and you allowed the process of forgiveness to work in you? Did you make changes and put up guardrails to keep yourself from going down that path again? Or did you casually confess and then find yourself doing those very same sins in a very short period of time. Notice David prayed for God to “lead me in the way of the everlasting.” We need to have a desire to please God and keep moving closer to Him rather than just to tread water or even move away from Him.
Today as we continue in Paul’s letter to Timothy, Paul is able to point to his own life as an example of what a “doer of the Word” life looks like. He reminds Timothy of the journey he has seen him walk before him and the faithfulness of God through it all.
2Ti 3:10-11 But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance, (11) persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra—what persecutions I endured. And out of them all the Lord delivered me.
Timothy was from Lystra and there is a good chance that he was there (Acts 14) when Paul was taken outside the city, stoned, and left for dead. He may have seen the crowd leave as grief filled their hearts, but then Paul “rose up” and moved on to preach in the next city. He reminds Timothy of the longsuffering and perseverance he displayed as he endured many persecutions and afflictions along the way. (2 Cor 11) He also reminds him that God was faithful through them all as he testifies that “out of them all the Lord delivered me.” Have you seen God work in this manner in your own life and the lives of others? What has He delivered you from? You too should testify of the Lord’s faithfulness in your life!
Psalms 34:19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the LORD delivers him out of them all.
Timothy in no doubt had seen many miracles traveling with Paul but it was not so much the “what” he saw that mattered, but the “why.” Paul’s life was driven with a calling and purpose to walk with Jesus and point others to Him. He reminds Timothy of those aspects of his life as he wrote; “you carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, long suffering, love and perseverance.” Paul not only was a “hearer but also of a doer” of what he believed and preached (I Cor 11:1) Is your life like Paul’s being purpose driven by your relationship with Jesus? Do others see your “doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, long suffering, love and perseverance” shine out from your life? If so, now look at the promise we are given next to hold on to.
2Ti 3:12 Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.
Don’t be surprised when people misunderstand you, criticize you, and even try to hurt you (persecute) because of what you believe; expect it. The students are no greater than the Teacher. The world persecuted Jesus and they will persecute us as well. You would hope that as people would see the attributes of Jesus in your life, they would respect that an even admire it and some do. But this world is a spiritual battlefield and when the world sees Jesus in us, they will attack us as part of the age old battle between good and evil. God is promising that we will be persecuted for our faith in Him. This persecution then can also be a conformation that we are on the right path. If we are making no impact on the kingdom of God, why would our enemy waste his time on us? If we are making an impact, then expect him to attack us. When conflict arises, the first reaction for many of us is to pull back and disengage to protect ourselves. Don’t give up, use the persecution as fuel for your fire to energize your walk with Jesus, not to slow you down. If you quit or slow down, our enemy wins. Do not let that happen in your life! We are more than conquerors in Christ! (Rom 8:37). Remember how the apostles reacted to their first persecution.
Act 4:29-31 Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, (30) by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.” (31) And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.
Notice they did not pray for the persecution to be removed, but for a boldness to speak despite it and God affirmed they were on the right track by shaking the building! We must be aware that persecution is part of our journey and now Paul warns and encourages Timothy and us to stay the course.
2Ti 3:13-15 But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. (14) But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, (15) and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
Our journey to follow Jesus is a lifelong commitment. We must always be aware of these false teachers, which “will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.” (we are seeing that!) To stay on track we must “continue in the things” we know to be true and faithful. We have seen God work in our lives, we see Him working even now, and we must keep our eyes on Him for the future. He has equipped us with all we need to live a life of righteousness (2 Pet 1:3) and He has done that through the giving us the “Holy Scriptures” Paul references here. God’s Word is able to “make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” God spells that out for us very clearly as Paul continues.
2Ti 3:16-17 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, (17) that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Peter put it this way for us:
2Pe 1:20-21 knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, (21) for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
The Spirit is proclaiming to us through two different writers the exact same truth. “All scripture is given by the inspiration of God, through men who were moved by the Holy Spirit.” By faith we must accept that God was able to inspire men to write down His Words and that He has been able to preserve them over time free from error or mistake. In understanding that fact, the entire Bible should become precious to us. God has given it to us to show us the truth about Himself and about us. Through the Word we have been given the knowledge of the path to salvation and our redemption with God. He has revealed to us the path of righteousness He desires us to walk down as clearly as a road map can lead us home. His Word is given to us as “profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for corrections, and for instruction for righteousness.” It indeed is a lamp for our feet and a light for our path (Ps. 119:105). It keeps us on track as we walk with Jesus in this lifetime. Notice what Paul tells us that the Word does for us when we use it as it has been given. The purpose of the Word is “that the man of God may be complete and thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
Knowing and studying the Word completes us and equips us for every good work God has purposed for us to do. Are you feeling a little less than what you know God has called you to be? Open up the Word and search it with the attitude of David that we began with and God will use that to lead, equip, and complete you to fulfill the calling God has placed on your life. Don’t use your own sense of direction to go through this life, but seek God’s will for your life through the Word to find the path He has called you to follow. Turn on the light of His Word to guide you down this dark path of life.