Guard The Gate

INTRO:

Today’s sermon is unique because the majority of the application points in this text apply to me as your pastor. Every sermon, if it’s going to be a good sermon, must be applied to preacher before he can properly “apply it” to the congregation. But that’s especially true of today’s text. I apologize to you moms who were expecting a mother’s day sermon. We are continuing our series in 2 Timothy with a message entitled Guard the Gate.

TODAY IT’S ON THE PREACHER:

The reason we’re studying this book is because being “multi-generational” is one of our core values. We have a commitment to reach boomers, millennials & everyone in-between. The past few weeks there’ve been unique applications to each group & some broad applications that apply to us all. This week Paul is zeroing in on how Timothy’s pastoral responsibilities are going to play a part in successfully entrusting a genuine biblical faith to the next generation. So most of today’s message is targeted at ME since I’m the pastor. That said, there are also many implications for you as a congregation.

HOW WE WILL PROCEED:

There are five commands (imperatives) in the text but I’ve summarized them under 4 headings. (1) preach the Gospel & pick your battles; (2) get it right & give it straight; (3) confront error & keep yourself pure; lastly (4) serve the Lord & skip nonsense. One of the ways you can listen to/apply today’s message is to pray for me (all our leaders) with respect to these things. Secondly, there are things you can do, as a congregation, that will make our church leaders much more successful in doing these things. Lastly, you’ll notice all of the applications applied to me would also translated to good parenting.

READ THE TEXT: 2:14 REMIND THEM OF CONTEXT

Let’s pick it up in 2:14 “Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers.” What are the “these things” Paul is talking about? Everything we’ve discussed the past two weeks. The need to be (1) strong in the grace, the need to (2) entrust what you have received to the 3rd and 4th generations, the need to (3) share in suffering like a good soldier, a disciplined athlete and hardworking farmer, the need to (4) remember the person, power and promises of the Gospel. Remind your church of the main things and the plain things.

BEST PREACHERS ARE REMINDING PREACHERS:

“Repetition is the mother of all learning.” The best preachers find creative & powerful ways to preach the same Gospel every weekend. The same story in new & innovative ways. The best preachers are also plagiarists – not in that they copy another preacher’s sermon – but in that they simply “re-present” what God has already clearly said in his Word. That’s why I believe in “expositional preaching.” The Sprit enables us to meet Christ “in the Word.” The Word points us to Christ. Christ points us to the Father. That’s why my job is to just “Re-present the text.” You don’t need my opinion. You need Christ.

PREACH THE BIBLICAL GOSPEL: NOT PROSPERITY GOSPEL

That’s why the Ephesian church was suffering. False teachers were pushing their own agenda/theology not rooted in Scripture. They were pushing what we would today call a “health and wealth” Gospel. Paul is encouraging Timothy to remind them of the biblical Gospel. “We die with Christ to live with him. Endure suffering now to reign later. If we reject that message, we reject Christ and the Father rejects us, faith matters!” That’s the biblical Gospel. Preach THAT Gospel. Comfort the afflicted & afflict the comfortable.

PICK YOUR BATTLES:

Timothy was to remind them of the main things. He was also to warn them about getting sidetracked from the plain things. In other words, “Pick your battles.” For some reason these church people, like many church people, loved getting into “word fights” about things that didn’t really matter. So he says, “… charge them before God not to quarrel about words, [lit. word fights] which does no good, but only ruins the hearers.” IOW, use your pastoral authority to remind them that some things matter more than others. Major on the majors. Minor on the minors. Petty “word fights” will only ruin your church.

DO YOU KNOW “THAT GUY?”

Ever had to deal with that guy? The guy who spent too much time on You Tube the night before listening to sermons on the “deeper meanings” in the book of 2nd Opinions. The guy who has the “secret knowledge” that God specially revealed to Him because only he was the one smart/worthy enough to get the “special truth.” When you listen to him talk and walk away really “confused” and “uncomfortable?” Not only is this how cults get started (as an extreme example) this is also how churches get sidetracked(all the time). One of my jobs as the pastor is to keep this church focused on the GOSPEL.

GET IT RIGHT AND SHOOT IT STRAIGHT:

How was Timothy to do this? By getting the Word right and giving it straight. 2:15“Do your best [be zealous/eager for!] to present yourself to God [not man] as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth [Gospel then, all Scripture today].” What’s Paul saying? As one person paraphrased it, “Timothy, as you preach the Word, preach it correctly and preach it clearly.” Get it right and shoot it straight. Don’t deal in confusion. Make it CLEAR! That’s my goal as your pastor.

ONE CONFUSES THE OTHER CLEARS:

A thing that helps people grow in their faith is when they sit under Bible teaching that makes the text understandable & clear. This was in direct contrast to what the false teachers were doing. They were drawing people into “word fights” by muddying up the clarity of the Scripture. They were majoring on the minors just enough to twist the truth of the Gospel so that they could push their agenda. Timothy’s job was to snuff that stuff out and preach the Gospel clearly. [Parents, pursue this for your kids too!]

EXAMPLES OF BAD PREACHING: UNBIBLICAL, BARELY, DECONTEXT, LENSED

The sad thing is, there’s not a ton of this kind of preaching out there today. There are those who preach “unbiblical sermons.” They pick a text they can twist and twist it to support an idea that is clearly condemned in the Scripture. (health/wealth preachers do this all the time). There are the “barely biblical sermons” that barely communicate a biblical truth or the “de-contexted” sermons that preach a biblical truth but not from the right biblical text. “Lensed” preaching which filters a text through a preacher’s favorite lens (psychology, therapy, political) instead of what it originally meant.

EXAMPLES OF BAD PREACHING: MORALIZED, DOCTRINALIZED, SILENCE

More popular examples are what I’d call “Moralized preaching” where the preacher promotes the need for moral virtue instead of the need for redemption through Jesus. Or “doctrinalized preaching” where a preacher preaches a theological doctrine from a text instead preaching the text. Or a less popular example is where a preacher preaches on the “gaps.” Preaching on what God “didn’t say.” Speculating what “could be” since Scripture never clearly stated what “will be” or “should be.” All of these miss the mark of getting it right and shooting it straight. Preach the Gospel well.

PREACHING THIS WAY IS HARD:

Bad preaching is so prevalent b/c doing good preaching is HARD! Success in the pulpit requires diligence in the study. Preaching well requires discipline and spiritual sweat. Pray for me. This is why sermon prep takes up the majority of my week. That’s why the Lord gave the church deacons in Acts 6. To free up the pastor to devote himself to prayer and the Word. You can’t microwave this kind of preaching. It is to that kind of hard work every pastor is called. (1) Preach the Word, (2) Pick Your Battles, (3) Understand the Word correctly and (4) preach the Word clearly. Which leads to our next point.

CONFRONT ERROR: VV 16-18:

Sometimes that means pastors have to use the Word to confront error. 2 Tim 2:16-18 “But avoid irreverent babble, [pointless/godless small-talk. Why?] for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, 17and their talk will spread like gangrene. [medical term] Among them are Hymenaeus [excommunicated 1 Tim 1:20] & Philetus, 18 who have swerved from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some. [not as annoying others but killing faith]”

RESULT OF FALSE TEACHING:

In other words, “If you don’t confront false teaching, it’ll destroy your church.” It leads people away from God. It results in spiritual decay that spreads quickly & pervasively. He uses gangrene as an illustration. [picture] It’s the decay of tissue in a part of the body where the blood supply is blocked due to an injury or disease. Think of the Gospel as the heart that pumps blood into the Church. Deviate from the Gospel & the blood flow stops, decay starts & death spreads. Just as gangrene progressively spreads throughout the body bringing death so does false teaching in the church. Confront error!

I DON’T LIKE DOING THIS BUT I WILL:

One of my rolls as your pastor is to confront error when I see it. Not b/c I like confronting people (I don’t) but b/c false teaching destroys God’s church. Especially the kind of false teaching Timothy had to confront. It prevents people from exercising saving faith in Christ and perverts the faith of genuine believers so that they’re impotent in the kingdom. Instead of promoting holy living it promotes sinful lifestyle choices. It spreads quickly and pervasively. The only way to save the church is to amputate the infected limb or restore blood flow by having the false teacher repent and start teaching biblical truth.

SOMETIMES INTOLERANCE IS WHAT IS RIGHT:

We live in a culture that promotes tolerance over the truth. For Paul, that’s a recipe for disaster. There’s a true path & false path. Hit the mark or miss it. Communicate truth that births/nourishes spiritual life or communicate falsehood that brings spiritual death. That’s why you MUST confront error! Correct it. The application to all of us would be “avoid it!” Don’t toy with it. Notice also the correlation between accepting false teaching and living a sinful life. One feeds the other. It’s a trap. It’ll make you a slave.

BUT DON’T DESPAIR: V 19

At this point Timothy might’ve started to feel overwhelmed so Paul offers some encouragement 2:19 “But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.” The church belongs to God & he won’t let it be destroyed. In other words, “be encouraged Timothy. At the end of the day, it’s not all about you and it’s not all up to you. Trust the Lord. The church has always been a mixed bag. It’s not the pastors job to say who is and who isn’t. You just preach the truth, confront error, and life a pure life.

HONORABLE AND DISHONRABLE: VV 20-21

To illustrate his point, Paul talks about a house with honorable & dishonorable vessels: “Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable” (2:20). A large house would have buckets & jars made of wood & clay used for dishonorable purposes like disposing of garbage/excrement. It would also have vessels of silver & gold that were used for noble functions such as dining and entertaining. The “Great House” is the church. Paul’s point is that the church is a mixed bag. Always has been. Two types of teachers.

KEEP YOURSELF PURE:

“Timothy, it’s up to you what kind of teacher you want to be.” Want to be used by God for great things? It won’t be because of your talent. It’ll be because you kept yourself pure. (2:21) “Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.” The “cleansing” from what is “dishonorable” is literally “cleanse yourself from “these things.” Meaning (1) erroneous doctrine and (2) a sinful lifestyle.

2 TIMOTHY 2:22: FLEE AND PURSUE

Just in case he didn’t get it Paul clears it up in the next verse. (2:22)“So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. Timothy, pay attention to your LIFE and your DOCTRINE. That’s what matters most. As one of my mentors said “It’s not great talent that God blesses so much as it is likeness to Jesus. A holy minister is an awesome weapon in the hand of God.” If you’ll do that here’s what will be true of you. V 21.You’ll be (1) set apart, (2) useful to master, and (3) ready for anything that God wants you to do.

TALENT AND GIFTING DOESN’T COME INTO THE PICTURE:

I’m always amazed that a person’s talent and gifting rarely plays a part as to whether or not God will use someone in his kingdom. Character is what matters. An unclean vessel is an unused vessel. The condition for usefulness is not skillfulness but holiness. For those who are very talented and gifted, their competency will oftentimes take them to a place that their character cannot sustain. (Paige Patterson story) If you want to pray for your pastor pray that I stay (1) set apart, (2) useful, and (3) ready. God will take care of the gifting part. In 2:22 Paul gifts specifics on how this ought to be done.

FLEE AND FOLLOW:

Timothy was to flee (pheugo=fugitive) “youthful passions.” But in v 24 the vices listed aren’t sexual. Instead it’s things like being impatient, unkind, arrogant & stubborn. Run away from those things! At the same time, sprint after righteous conduct, faith, love for others, and peace. Doing those two things would ensure his life as a vessel for honor. Fleeing is as important as pursuing. Our no is as important as our yes. What should you flee? What should you be pursuing? On Monday our staff prayed for humility & a spirit of mutual submission. Why? Because that matters far more than our skill set.

FOOLISH, IGNORANT CONTROVERSIES: V 23

Paul gives his last admonition in 2:23 “Have nothing to do with foolish [moronic], ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels.” This is similar to what he said earlier. I call it skipping the silliness. Being a good solider and servant of the Lord is knowing what not to waste your time on. Leave the conspiracy theories alone. Your job is to keep people focused on the Gospel not the latest political headline or theological controversy. Serve the Lord, Timothy. Skip the silliness. He elaborates in 2:24

THE LORD’S SERVANT: VV 24-25a

“And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone [everyone includes enemies], able to teach [knows his stuff well enough to correct others in error], patiently enduring evil [not resentful. Quick to forgive], correcting his opponents with gentleness.” In every church there are negatives, positives and neutrals. When the negatives get out of control (like in Ephesus) it’s up to the pastor to shut them down. But the way he does it matters. The neutrals – sometimes swayed by the negatives – need to see a Christlike attitude towards those who are harming the church. What does that look like?

THE BATTLE / THE ULTIMATE GOAL: VV 25b-26

2:25b, “…God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.” This is so instructive. I’ve seen so many pastors/church leaders fall into the trap of us vs them. There’s only one enemy and it’s the devil. Paul knew that. Timothy your battle isn’t against the false teachers. It’s against the false teaching. And you don’t win people when you hurt people. It’s God’s kindness that leads us to repentance. So correct. But correct with kindness and gentleness.

THE GOAL IS RESTORATION:

Here’s an another reason why a pastor’s character matters more than his skill. The heart of the Father is not that “any should perish but that all should reach repentance.” (2 Pet 3:9) That’s why God is patient towards us. And, as the Lord’s Servant that’s why Timothy was to be patient towards the negatives in his church. They just fell into a snare set by the devil; captured by him to do his will. He’s the real enemy. Not them. So be patient and gentle. Just as God has been patient and gentle towards you in Christ.

JESUS AS THE FULFILLMENT:

Really that’s the only sufficient motivation. The only way to stay motivated to do Gospel ministry is to stay motivated by the Gospel FOR ministry. We love because he first loved us. We forgive because we’ve been forgiven. We suffered because he suffered for us. These challenges made me want to cry this week. (joke!) I’d say with Paul “Who is sufficient for these things?” (2 Cor 2:16) The answer? No one. Not by themselves. But we are not alone are we? We have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit. We can be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

HOW TO BE STRENGTHENED BY GRACE:

And the way we experience that grace is by remembering the Gospel. That’s what Paul hammered right before giving Timothy all of these “pastoral responsibilities.” Our Lord never gives us responsibilities in his Word without empowering to do those things by his Spirit. So remember. Remember that Jesus is the ULTIMATE FULFILLMENT of all that Paul talked about in this passage. He is the ULTIMATE unashamed workman, the ULTIMATE honorable vessel, and the ULTIMATE servant of the Lord.

JESUS AS THE FULFILLMENT:

As an unashamed workman he perfectly taught God’s Word. He taught with authority unlike the Pharisees and religious teachers of the day. As the honorable vessel he perfectly lived up to the righteous requirements of the Law. He lived the life we should have lived and died the death we should have died. Because of that we now have the power we need to live the same kind of life. As the Lord’s Servant he was obedient to death on a cross. As a lamb led to the slaughter. Gentle & meek. Remember. Remind. Preach the Gospel, pick battles, get it right, give it straight, confront/keep, serve/skip.