Play to Win: Study 2 Timothy 3:14-17 · Join the Journey

A couple months back I got the idea that I was going to try to start to learn Spanish. I mean I took 4 years of Spanish in high school so how hard could this be. I still remember my Spanish teacher. A short Filipino lady. Ms. Mi-sa-ki. So I downloaded an app and spend hours for a 20 days straight working through the lessons. But then I got busy and now it’s been a while and what little I learned is for the most part is gone.

If your trying to learn a new language. You can’t become fluent overnight. It takes daily practice, repetition, immersion—even mistakes. But eventually, it shapes how you think and communicate. I’ve heard that when you start to become fluent in another language your inner dialog will start to be in that language.

The same is true with studying Scripture. As we immerse ourselves in God’s Word. Studying Scripture shapes the way we think, live, and love.

We live in a culture that loves the idea of success but resists the discipline it takes to achieve it. Spiritually, we often fall into the same trap—desiring the results of a close walk with God, power in prayer, and clarity in our calling—without committing to the training required to get there.

But Paul reminds us: the Christian life is not aimless. It's not a spiritual walk in the park—it’s a race. A fight. A pursuit. And to run well, to fight faithfully, we need more than inspiration—we need discipline. We need to train.

We’ve been learning that spiritual disciplines are not a way to earn or repay God’s grace. Rather, they are our response to the grace He has given us through Jesus—when we repent and meet Him in baptism.

Our key verse for this entire series is:

1 Corinthians 9:24–27

We began with the foundation—Prayer. Then we explored Worship—offering our whole lives to God, not just songs on Sundays. Today, we look at the Spiritual Discipline of Study.

Why Study?

N.T. Wright says,

“The Bible isn’t there simply to be an accurate reference point... It is there to equip God’s people to carry forward his purposes of new covenant and new creation… . The Bible is not like an accurate description of how a car is made. It’s more like the mechanic who helps you fix the car, the garage attendant who refuels the car, and the guide who tells you how to get where you’re going.”

And again:

“When we learn to read the story of Jesus and see it as the story of the love of God, doing for us what we could not do for ourselves—that insight produces, again and again, a sense of astonished gratitude, which is very near the heart of authentic Christian experience.”

The goal of study is transformation, not just information. As we read the story of Jesus, we see the love of God doing what we could never do for ourselves—and this brings us to humility and gratitude. And at that point, God can begin to change our hearts and lives.

That’s the whole purpose of these disciplines—to transform us in response to who God is and what He’s done through Jesus.

Why Study? Because Study Leads to Transformation

We looked at this verse last week. Paul says in Romans 12:1–2

Romans 12:1–2

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

How are we transformed? By the renewing of our minds. And this happens through the discipline of study.

Many believers love Jesus but still live in bondage to fear, anxiety, or habitual sin—not because they aren’t sincere, but because they haven’t embraced the discipline of study. Faithful Sunday attendance and sincere worship aren’t enough if our minds are still shaped more by the world than by the Word.

That’s why we study God’s Word.

Study leads to transformation, because Studying Scripture Shapes Us

At Journey Church, we value growing in Scripture. One of our goals is to be like the Bereans in Acts 17, who examined the Scriptures daily. Because when we commit to studying the Bible daily, God begins transforming us—and through us, He transforms our families and our church. And through our church, He transforms our community.

But it starts with you and me. It starts with the small daily step of opening the Bible and reading it. God’s word shapes us and it…

God’s Word Shapes our Families

As the Israelites prepared to enter the Promised Land, God gave them this command:

Deuteronomy 6:4–9

The Lord our God, the Lord is one. y 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

400 years they were slaves in Egypt, seeing all kinds of things worshiped as gods. For 40 years they wondered in the wilderness, whining and complaining and not trusting in God.

God’s Word wasn’t meant to stay on a scroll or tablet. It was to be in their hearts, in their homes, in their conversations. Why? Because when God’s Word fills our minds, it begins to change our lives. And when it changes our lives it transforms our families.

God’s Word Equips Us

Paul tells Timothy:

2 Timothy 3:14–17

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 p may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

The Bible is inspired—written by human authors, but breathed out by God. This is God’s word, scripture, this is God breathed. What does that mean? This is a collection of writings that have been penned by men, that were inspired by the Holy Spirit and it is inerrant or without error. It contains poems, letters, laws, history—different genres, all communicating God’s truth.

As Dan Kimball says,

“The Bible wasn’t written to us, but it was written for us.”

That means we need to study it in context—understanding the original audience, culture, and purpose—so we can rightly apply its truth today.

So if you are studying the book of Romans, to know the context of the author, and the people that this letter is written to, will help you better understand what is written in it. Or the promises that God made to Abraham in Geneses are they promise to every person or just to Abraham? Will we all inherent a promised land, and will nations be blessed by our offspring.

Knowing the context is vital for us to be able to rightly apply its truth to us today. “The Bible wasn’t written to us, but it was written for us.”

So How Do We Practice the Discipline of Study?

1. Start reading the Bible daily.

o Do you have a Bible that’s easy to read? If not, we have some available—take one!

o If you’re new to this, start small. One chapter, one paragraph, even one verse. Build the habit.

o I keep my Bible on my nightstand and read it first thing. If I grab my phone instead? Game over. It’s taken years to build that habit—and I still miss days. But it’s worth it. Don’t let your phone distract you—try reading first thing in the morning.

“What’s the best translation of the Bible?”

As one of our elders Jeff says: “The best translation is the one you actually read.” And start reading the bible daily.

2. Let Scripture fill your heart. I encourage you this week to go read the whole chapter of Psalm 119 its all about God’s word. But lets just look at few verse.

Psalm 119:9-11

Psalms 119:9–11

How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word. 10 I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands.

11 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

Hiding God’s Word in your heart means reading it, meditating on it, and letting it shape how you think and live.

Start reading it daily, let scripture fill your heart.

3. Study with others.

At Journey Church, “We grow by studying the Bible together.”

Life Groups are a great way to do that. When we study with others, we get new perspectives, encouragement, and accountability.

I can spend hours writing a sermon, and then hear something in Life Group I’d never thought of. We need each other because we are better together.

Start reading it daily, let scripture fill your heart, study it with others.

4. Obey what you read.

Study isn’t just about learning—it’s about living. As James says, “Don’t just listen to the word… do what it says.” Obedience is where transformation takes root.

Study leads to transformation, because Studying Scripture Shapes Us. It shapes our families. It equips us for all that God has for us and…

Study Leads to Gratitude and Freedom

When you study God’s Word, you’ll come face to face with the truth:

You and I are sinners. Our way hasn’t worked—it’s led to death and separation from God. But because of God’s great love, He sent His Son Jesus to live the life we couldn’t and to die the death we deserved. And after three days, Jesus rose to give us not just forgiveness—but new life.

A life where our thinking and living are renewed by truth. A life where we are equipped for every good work. A life where we are set free from the bondage of sin. “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Final Challenge

Journey Church—let’s build the discipline of study into our daily lives.

Let’s open our Bibles, open our hearts, and allow God to transform us through His Word. This is how we play to win.

When you see who God is and what He has done for you, it will bring you to your knees in gratitude. The Creator of the universe loves you and gave His Son for you.

If you’re ready to respond to that truth—if you’re ready to repent and meet Jesus in baptism—I’ll be in the lobby. I would love to talk with you.

Let’s run this race together. Let’s study the Word. Let’s be transformed.