God Knows...Be Diligent
Faithful Until the End | 2 Timothy • Sermon • Submitted
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· 8 viewsPaul exhorts Timothy to be faithful to the word of God and defend the faith against false teachings that cause division and spread like cancer through the church.
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Introduction
1, 2 Timothy, Titus ((1) Resistance of the False Teachers (2:14–19))
Paul had poured out many words urging Timothy to endure suffering with courage and commitment. Now he cast a watchful eye on the still-present threat of heresy. Paul warned Timothy about the false teachers and their errors (2:14). He also wanted Timothy to take the lead in resisting them and their teaching (2:15–18). He spoke a word of encouragement to the church, reminding them of God’s protective love and appealing for separation from evil (2:19).
Focus Passage
14 Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers. 15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 16 But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness. 17 And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus; 18 Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some. 19 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
Outline
Be Faithful to the People of God
14 Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers.
Paul had previously written in his letter to Timothy about remaining faithful during times of persecution and now he continues to encourage Timothy. Within our current text he encourages him to be faithful to the people of God, the word of God, and the righteousness required by God. This message is not solely for Timothy, but truly is for us all.
Timothy would be faithful to the people of God by reminding them to remain faithful during times of persecution and to themessageof Christ
Paul writes, of these things put them in remembrance. Paul was referencing to what he had just stated in the previous portion of his letter (vv.11-13), which deals with persecution, and he was also emphasizing that they remain faithful to the proclamation of the gospel.
2 And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.
Timothy would be faithful to the people of God by reminding them not to quarrel or dispute over words
Paul writes, that they strive not about words. Paul was saying remind the people not to be fighting over words, that is how something is stated or rendered. The people of the church at Ephesus were to stop majoring on the minors, but rather major on the majors. We see this same problem in the church today. We see people contending over what translation one is to use.
May I submit to you, that every bible that we have within this church house, KJV, NKJV, NIV, CSB, ESV, NLT, etc., all of them are translations. None of them were/are the original text, nor were any of them the original bible in the English. With that said, I’ll contend that same infallible God that used a fallible man to write His infallible word, is the same God yesterday, today, and forever, and does preserve his word for us today without error. I believe he allows or wills for the differing translations, not as confusion, because Satan is the author of confusion, but for clarity. While you and I may be able to read and understand the KJV or the NKJV, others may not be able to do that. They may need a different version, such as the NLT or the ESV, which states the same truth but in a simpler way.
While we are arguing over words, not the truth being presented, which is identical, we are birthing tension within the family of God rather than encouragement. The truth is that all of them are used of God to present His truth. Our preferences may not be this version or that version, but we must realize that we cannot put so much an emphasis on wording to the degree that it causes aimless word splitting. Although the people of God during the 1st Century did not have the cannon that we have, they were splitting hairs over words in dealing with theological truths. While we can discuss these differences, we must not let word splitting break down the church.
Paul goes a step further reveals what contention within the body of Christ does, especially when the contention is over words and preferences. He writes to Timothy, to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers. The Gk word within our text is the word, ‘katastrophe,’ meaning ‘overturn,’ ‘catastrophe,’ ‘demolition,’ and ‘apostasy.’ All of which show a grim picture of what is for brothers and sisters in Christ to have tension and fights over words. This ruin is two fold.
The ruin is within the body of Christ. Brothers and sisters in Christ, contending over words, not doctrinal truths, but words, goes completely against what God has called us to do. He has called us to be encouragers of one another not destroyers of one another. Rather than disputing over words, we, as followers of Christ, should be about building one another up in our commitment to Christ and reaching the 183,671/day, 7,653/hour, 128/minute, 2/second people that are dying (worldpopulationreview.com), many, if not most, have no relationship with Christ and thus are on their way to a devil’s hell. Our focus should not be about splitting words. Our focus should be on winning souls for Christ. Fellow Christians arguing about words accomplishes no good purpose other than personal preference and a personal victory and it works to ruin those that participating in it and those that are seeing it. Being that disputes about words, not doctrine, cause quarrels and apostasy, Paul calls God as a witness to this truth, charging them before the Lord.
Not only was Timothy to be faithful to the people of God, he was to be faithful to the word of God.
Be Faithful to Service and the Word of God
15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
How was Timothy to combat this tension within the church? How was Timothy to remind the people of these truths to remain faithful during persecution and to the Christian message? He was to be the example and remain faithful to service and God’s word.
As an example, Timothy was to strive to be approved of God
Paul writes, study to shew thyself approved unto God. The study in this text, does not have to do with words or linguistics, it has to do with life application. Timothy was to study what it takes to be approved, that is acceptable to God. Most are guilty of worrying about what it takes to be approved of man (i.e. our parents, our family, our friends, our bosses, our co-workers), but we are not to be worried about being approved by man. We are to be worried about being approved/accepted by God. Paul tells Timothy be diligent do all that you can to be accepted by God.
As an example, Timothy was to strive to be servant of God
Paul writes to Timothy, a workman that needeth not be ashamed. Paul calls Timothy to labour for the people of God. This is the same idea that Paul wrote in his first epistle to Timothy about those who desire to be pastors/preachers.
1 This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.
Timothy needed to be worried about serving and toiling for the faith and building the kingdom of God more than he did over the semantics of words. If some of us would put as much energy in witnessing and service to the kingdom of God as we did about our rebuke of other translation than the one we use, there would be a drastic change in the bride of Christ today. We would no longer be contending with one another over words, but we would be unified in a common goal, that is win every lost soul that we could for Christ, which the Bible calls wise.
30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; And he that winneth souls is wise.
As an example, Timothy was to strive to present the word of God without error
Timothy is told, rightly dividing the word of truth. Timothy was to be faithful in a clear and pure presentation of the Gospel message. He was not to pervert the Gospel, but with accuracy and clarity, present the gospel truth. It is within the Gospel that one comes to know their need for Christ. Paul writes the church at Rome the following about the power of the Gospel...
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
It is highly important for Christian to be faithful in their understanding and presentation of the word of God. Timothy was to commit himself to the word of God and not be turned aside by mere words. He was to be faithful to the message itself.
Be Faithful to Defend the Faith
16 But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness. 17 And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus; 18 Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.
Timothy was told to avoid fruitless discussions
But shun profane and vain babblings, is what Paul writes to Timothy to identify that he is to stay clear of or away from worldly and fruitless discussions. Timothy was not to get in the trap of arguing about words and semantics with those that were promoting heresy within the Church. These false teachers did not have any desire to hear the truth, they just wanted to build their on self-centered empire. Timothy was to combat false teachings, but he was not to get to discussion that would not bare fruit, but would rather cause more moral failure and apostacy, for they will increase unto more ungodliness.
Timothy was to defend against the false doctrines of the false teachers
Paul writes, And their word will eat as doth a canker. The New American Standard Bible reads, and their talk will spread like gangrene (2 Timothy 2:15 NASB2020). The word ‘spread’ is an idiom with the literal meaning of “have pasture,” which is a medical term for the consuming progress of mortifying disease. As the KJV version rightly states, “eat”.
New American Commentary states about this verse...
1, 2 Timothy, Titus ((1) Resistance of the False Teachers (2:14–19))
Paul compared the spread of the heresy to the spread of gangrene through the body. The term for gangrene, used only here in the New Testament, describes the death of bodily tissues due to the loss of blood supply. Just as gangrene progressively brought death to the human body, the sickening progress of the heretical teaching worked havoc with the body of Christ in Ephesus.
Timothy mentions two leaders within this passage, that are only remember for one thing, destruction within the church. They are named Hymenaeus and Philetus. What a way to be remembered, a cause for destruction and division with in the church. Let us not be remembered as the one who sowed division among the body of Christ and causes others to apostatize.
Timothy was to guard the foundation of our faith
Hymenaeus and Philetus had missed the mark, wandered away from the faith, who concerning the truth have erred. They had wondered far from the faith and began to teach heresy among the body of the believers there at Ephesus. Their heresy was false teachings about the very foundation of the Christian faith, the resurrection. They taught that the resurrection had already taken place. That there would be no other resurrection than that of Christ and that the resurrection was purely spiritual in nature and not physical. In doing so, they removed the hope of the believer and also took away a very strong reason to live lives holy and righteous before God. To live holy and righteous before God is to bring the flesh into submission of God and His truths. If there is no physical resurrection, then what is the point of worrying about the physical realm. However, we know from the Scripture that the resurrection is very much physical as well as spiritual. It is the resurrection that our faith is built upon. Without the resurrection, we have no hope.
Take Courage in the Firmness of God’s Truth
19 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
The foundation of God’s church is unshakeable
Paul writes this affirmation to Timothy when he writes, Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure. Jesus told his disciples...
18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Again, Paul writes to Timothy this description of the church in his first epistle to him...
15 But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
God has shown his approval and ownership of his church by sealing her
God’s sealed his church in two different ways. He first sealed his church by showing that he owns and cares for his people, The Lord knoweth them that are his. In the book of Numbers, when Korah, Dathan, and Abiram rebelled against God and gave up strange smoke, we find that God declares that he knew who was his and he would spare those that were legitimately his and judge those that were not.
5 And he spake unto Korah and unto all his company, saying, Even to morrow the Lord will shew who are his, and who is holy; and will cause him to come near unto him: even him whom he hath chosen will he cause to come near unto him.
He sealed his church by a second seal, which was a requirement for genuine holiness. God demands a righteous life to lived out in application by those who claim his name, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. Brothers and sisters let us remember these words from the book of Psalms and Proverbs respectively.
14 Depart from evil, and do good; Seek peace, and pursue it.
7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: Fear the Lord, and depart from evil.
If one has genuinely surrendered to the salvation of Jesus Christ, that is through His name only...
12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
God demands a response of a holy commitment.
15 And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.
Conclusion
May we learn to be committed to God in times of persecution, committed in our service to God, committed in our defense of the doctrinal truths of God, and committed to stand against heresy within the church. In all that, may we learn to not fight over words and semantics that do not proper in any way but simply cause division. May we learn to edify one another and therefore glorify by God by being obedient to his word and his call on our lives. May we learn to live for him who died for us and not ourselves, knowing that God does not ask for righteous living but demands it.
Which leads me to my question. Where are you with the Lord? Do you know Jesus as Lord and Savior? Have you accepted His gift of Salvation? Have you repented of your sins and called on the name of the Lord? If not, come and surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. If you have, where are you in your walk with the Lord? Are you being faithful to His call on your life? If not, comes to the altar and make it right.