"KEEPING THE FOCUS"
Notes
Transcript
Have you ever had a bad experience in a church?
Have you ever been hurt by another believer?
Have you ever been hurt or offended by a Pastor?
Have you ever disagreed with a Sunday School teacher and decided to quit SS or to leave the church?
Have you ever had difficulty in your marriage and wanted to throw the towel in and quit?
Have you ever been overwhelmed with your kids and or grand kids thinking there is no hope?
Let me remind you that are as believers are in a Spiritual battle -
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Keep in mind what we have learned about the last three weeks -
Be Strong in the Grace that is in Christ Jesus -
Be Discipleship Making for Christ Jesus -
Be Committed to Suffer because of Christ Jesus -
Proposition - As we continue in our text this morning we are going to look at three analogies and see that every believer is called to 1) remain focused on the goal, 2) remain faithful to the rule book, and 3) remain dedicated to the task.
Interrogative question - What are you doing in the midst of the battle?
1. Remains Focused on the Goal - vs. 4
1. Remains Focused on the Goal - vs. 4
4 No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.
“Solider in active service” - (strateuo) - verb, present, middle, participle, singular, nominative, masculine - contemporaneous participle - wage war; fight
Sense: to serve (militarily) - to do military service.
The Greek word is used the following ways throughout the NT -
To War -
2 Corinthians 10:3 (NASB95)
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh,
1 Timothy 1:18 (NASB95)
18 This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you fight the good fight,
James 4:1 (NASB95)
1 What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members?
1 Peter 2:11 (NASB95)
11 Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.
To Serve (militarily) -
1 Corinthians 9:7 (NASB95)
7 Who at any time serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat the fruit of it? Or who tends a flock and does not use the milk of the flock?
2 Timothy 2:4 (NASB95)
4 No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.
Soldier -
Luke 3:14 (NASB95)
14 Some soldiers were questioning him, saying, “And what about us, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not take money from anyone by force, or accuse anyone falsely, and be content with your wages.”
“entangles himself in” - (emleko) - verb, present, passive, indicative, third person, singular - finite verb - be involved in
Sense: to be hindered - be entangled - to be ore become involved in some task or role to the point that it interferes with other activities; conceived of as being or becoming intertwined in a line to the point of immobility.
2. empleko (ἐμπλέκω, 1707), “to weave in” (en, “in,” pleko, “to weave”), hence, metaphorically, to be involved, entangled in, is used in the passive voice in 2 Tim. 2:4, “entangleth himself;” 2 Pet. 2:20, “are entangled.”¶ In the Sept., Prov. 28:18. Vine, W. E., Unger, M. F., & White, W., Jr. (1996). In Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (Vol. 2, pp. 202–203). T. Nelson.
4 No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.
20 For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first.
18 He who walks blamelessly will be delivered, But he who is crooked will fall all at once.
He avoids worldly entanglements (v. 4). He is totally committed to his Commanding Officer, the One who enlisted him. In our case, this is Jesus Christ. I recall a story about a Civil War soldier who happened to be a watchmaker. One day the bugle sounded and the men were told to break camp. “But I can’t go now!” the soldier complained. “I have a dozen watches to repair!”
It is sometimes necessary for a pastor, or a pastor’s wife, to be employed because their church is not able to support them. This is a sacrifice on their part and an investment in the work. But a pastor who is fully supported should not get involved in sidelines that divide his interest and weaken his ministry. I have met pastors who spend more time on their real estate ventures than on their churches. Our purpose is to please the Lord, not ourselves. Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 245). Victor Books.
“affairs” - (pragmateia) - noun, dative, plural, feminine - locative dative - activity, occupation
Sense: work (business) - any occupation in a person’s life that they do to earn money.
2:4 entangles himself. Just as a soldier called to duty is completely severed from the normal affairs of civilian life, so also must the good soldier of Jesus Christ refuse to allow the things of the world to distract him (cf. James 4:4; 1 John 2:15–17). MacArthur, J., Jr., ed. (1997). The MacArthur Study Bible (electronic ed., p. 1877). Word Pub.
The soldier was concerned to obey his commander twenty-four hours a day, and Paul wanted Timothy to display the same zeal in commitment to the Lord. Lea, T. D., & Griffin, H. P. (1992). 1, 2 Timothy, Titus (Vol. 34, p. 203). Broadman & Holman Publishers.
Paul’s appeal shows the importance of developing an ability to distinguish between doing good things and doing the best things. Servants of Christ are not merely to be well-rounded dabblers in all types of trivial pursuits. They are tough-minded devotees of Christ who constantly choose the right priorities from a list of potential selections. Paul prohibited the loss of single-mindedness and the longing for an easy life. Lea, T. D., & Griffin, H. P. (1992). 1, 2 Timothy, Titus (Vol. 34, p. 203). Broadman & Holman Publishers.
2. Remains Faithful to the Rule Book - vs. 5
2. Remains Faithful to the Rule Book - vs. 5
5 Also if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules.
“competes as an athlete” - (athleo) - verb, present, active, subjunctive, third person, singular - finite verb - compete
Sense: to compete - to compete for something; engage in a contest; measure onelsef against others.
STRIVE
1. agonizomai (ἀγωνίζομαι, 75), “to contend” (Eng., “agonize”), is rendered “to strive” in Luke 13:24; 1 Cor. 9:25; Col. 1:29; 4:12, RV (KJV, “laboring fervently”). In 1 Tim. 4:10, the best texts have this verb (RV, “strive”) for oneidizomai, “to suffer reproach,” KJV; see FIGHT, B, No. 1.
2. machomai (μάχομαι, 3164), “to fight, to quarrel, dispute,” is rendered “to strive” in John 6:52; Acts 7:26; 2 Tim. 2:24. See FIGHT, B, No. 3.
3. diamachomai (διαμάχομαι, 1264), “to struggle against” (dia, intensive, and No. 2), is used of “contending” in an argument, Acts 23:9, “strove.”¶
4. erizo (ἐρίζω, 2051), “to wrangle, strive” (eris, “strife”), is used in Matt. 12:19.¶
5. logomacheo (λογομαχέω, 3054), “to strive about words” (logos, “a word,” and No. 2), is used in 2 Tim. 2:14.¶
6. antagonizomai (ἀνταγωνίζομαι, 464), “to struggle against” (anti), is used in Heb. 12:4, “striving against.”¶
7. sunagonizomai (συναγωνίζομαι, 4865), “to strive together with” (sun), is used in Rom. 15:30.¶
8. sunathleo (συναθλέω, 4866), “to strive together,” Phil. 1:27: see LABOR, B, No. 3.
Notes: (1) In 2 Tim. 2:5, KJV, athleo, “to contend in games, wrestle” (athlos, “a contest”), is rendered “strive.” See CONTEND. (2) For philotimeornai, Rom. 15:20, see AIM. Vine, W. E., Unger, M. F., & White, W., Jr. (1996). In Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (Vol. 2, pp. 604–605). T. Nelson.
“he does win the prize” - (stephanoo) - verb, present passive, indicative, third person, singular - finite verb - crown
Sense: to be crowned - to be or become provided with a laurel symbolizing victory.
stephanoo (στεφανόω, 4737), “to crown,” conforms in meaning to stephanos; it is used of the reward of victory in the games, in 2 Tim. 2:5; of the glory and honor bestowed by God upon man in regard to his position in creation, Heb. 2:7; of the glory and honor bestowed upon the Lord Jesus in His exaltation, v. 9 Vine, W. E., Unger, M. F., & White, W., Jr. (1996). In Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (Vol. 2, p. 139). T. Nelson.
“to be crowned” - to be or become provided with a laurel symbolizing victory -
5 Also if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules.
9 But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.
“to honor - crown” - to honor, conceived of as placing on ornamental headdress or crown on the head of a victor -
7 “You have made him for a little while lower than the angels; You have crowned him with glory and honor, And have appointed him over the works of Your hands;
“according to the rules” - (nomimos) - adverb - adverb of manner - rightly; lawfully
Sense: legitimately - in a valid or legitimate manner
nomimos (νομίμως, 3545), “lawfully,” is used in 1 Tim. 1:8, “the Law is good, if a man use it lawfully,” i.e., agreeably to its design; the meaning here is that, while no one can be justified or obtain eternal life through its instrumentality, the believer is to have it in his heart and to fulfill its requirements; walking “not after the flesh but after the spirit,” Rom. 8:4, he will “use it lawfully.” In 2 Tim. 2:5 it is used of contending in the games and adhering to the rules. Vine, W. E., Unger, M. F., & White, W., Jr. (1996). In Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (Vol. 2, pp. 356–357). T. Nelson.
“legitimately” - in a valid or legitimate manner -
8 But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully,
5 Also if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules.
2:5 competes in athletics. The Gr. verb (athleō) expresses the effort and determination needed to compete successfully in an athletic event (cf. 1 Cor. 9:24). This is a useful picture of spiritual effort and untiring pursuit of the victory to those familiar with events such as the Olympic Games and the Isthmian Games (held in Corinth). crowned … rules. All an athlete’s hard work and discipline will be wasted if he or she fails to compete according to the rules. This is a call to obey the Word of God in the pursuit of spiritual victory. MacArthur, J., Jr., ed. (1997). The MacArthur Study Bible (electronic ed., p. 1877). Word Pub.
In the Pastorals, Paul had used athletic images in 1 Tim 4:7–8; 6:12 in order to emphasize that the Christian life demands the practice of self-discipline which affects both personal behavior and inner attitude. Christians must practice self-control. Each Christian must also have an inner preparedness to endure cheerfully the demands and hardships that spiritual commitment will bring. Paul made a similar point in 1 Cor 9:24–27. Lea, T. D., & Griffin, H. P. (1992). 1, 2 Timothy, Titus (Vol. 34, p. 204). Broadman & Holman Publishers.
3. Remains Dedicated to the Task - vs. 6
3. Remains Dedicated to the Task - vs. 6
6 The hard-working farmer ought to be the first to receive his share of the crops.
“hard-working” - (kopiao) - verb, present, active, participle, singular, accusative, masculine - attributive participle - toil; labor
Sense: to toil - to do wearisome labor, or labor unto extreme fatigue.
Verb: κοπιάω (kopiaō), GK 3159 (S 2872), 23×. In the NT, the kopos word group is used in three main ways: it refers to hard manual labor (like the farmer in 2 Tim. 2:6) or to working to physically exhaustion (cf. Jn 4:6); Paul often uses it to refer to Christian ministry; and with the verb parechō (“to offer, supply, give”), it means “to trouble or bother” someone (i.e., giving someone a “hard” time). Mounce, W. D. (2006). In Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old & New Testament Words (p. 386). Zondervan.
“farmer” - (georgos) - noun, accusative, singular, masculine - subject of the dependent clause - farmer; tenant farmer
Sense: farmer - a person who operates a farm.
Noun: γεωργός (geōrgos), GK 1177 (S 1092), 19×. geōrgos can refer to the owner of a farm or to those who work the farm (a “tenant”). Jesus uses this term in the parable of the tenants for those who have rented the vineyard from the landowner (Mt 21:33–41; Mk 12:1–9; Lk 20:9–16). He also uses metaphorically to refer to God the Father as the owner of a vineyard, the “vinedresser” (Jn 15:1). Paul compares the Christian minister to a “hard-working farmer” who should receive the first share of his crops (2 Tim. 2:6). According to James, the patience needed in waiting for the coming of the Lord is the same as that required by a farmer waiting for his crops to bear fruit (Jas 5:7). Mounce, W. D. (2006). In Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old & New Testament Words (p. 240). Zondervan.
“Farmer” - a person who operates a farm -
John 15:1 (NASB95)
1 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.
2 Timothy 2:6 (NASB95)
6 The hard-working farmer ought to be the first to receive his share of the crops.
James 5:7 (NASB95)
7 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains.
2:6 The hardworking farmer.“Hardworking” is from a Gr. verb meaning “to labor to the point of exhaustion.” Ancient farmers worked long hours of backbreaking labor under all kinds of conditions, with the hope that their physical effort would be rewarded by a good harvest. Paul is urging Timothy not to be lazy or indolent, but to labor intensely (cf. Col. 1:28, 29) with a view to the harvest. MacArthur, J., Jr., ed. (1997). The MacArthur Study Bible (electronic ed., p. 1877). Word Pub.
Paul frequently used the verb for “hardworking” to describe the work of ministry (Rom 16:6, 12; 1 Cor 15:10; Gal 4:11). He was underscoring the fact that the farmer who works hard will be the first to enjoy the fruits, and the diligent Christian servant can expect the same. He was deliberately contrasting the energetic farmer with the farmer who is afraid of work. As Bernard aptly observes, “The main thought is that labor, discipline, striving are the portion of him who would succeed in any enterprise, be he soldier or athlete or farmer.” Lea, T. D., & Griffin, H. P. (1992). 1, 2 Timothy, Titus (Vol. 34, pp. 204–205). Broadman & Holman Publishers.
SO WHAT?
How are you responding to the battle?
What needs to change in order for you to be ready for the battle?
How are you doing with -
Remaining focused on the goal?
Remaining faithful to the rule book?
Remaining dedicated to the task?
The key is to realize that the purpose of the metaphor is to stress Timothy’s call to suffer hardship, that regardless of the degree of suffering Timothy must, like a soldier, persevere in his ministry and by so doing please God. Mounce, W. D. (2000). Pastoral Epistles (Vol. 46, p. 508). Word, Incorporated.
When we apply this to the present subject we see that it means that everyone who wants to fight under Christ’s command must let go of all the diversions of the world and devote all his energies to the fight. We must, in short, remember the old proverb, “Do what lies to hand.” This means that when we undertake our sacred duties we should be so completely absorbed in them that nothing can distract us. Calvin, J. (1998). 1, 2 Timothy and Titus (p. 132). Crossway Books.