Untitled Sermon (5)

Intro

For a long time now, our church has hosted the AWANA kids program. Does anyone remember what it stands for? That is right, Approved Workman Are Not Ashamed. Today’s passage is going to include the theme verse so let’s turn in our Bible’s to to 2 Timothy 2:14-19. This kids program is built upon this passage. The idea is that the students devote themselves to truly memorizing Scripture. Yes there are games and silly songs. But there is hard work involved. I remember when my cousin finally got her Timothy award. By the time she left Awana she had memorized thousands of verses. This reward also required a test where she answered plenty of doctrinal questions. The last one was an essay. In this essay she was given a scenario where a pastor had been preaching a false Gospel. Using verses she memorized she had to correct what was wrong and rewrite the sermon excerpt. She had a big task to accomplish. And Scripture was her foundation. Let us read the text.

14 Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to fight about words. This is useless and leads to the ruin of those who listen. 15 Be diligent to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who doesn’t need to be ashamed, correctly teaching the word of truth. 16 Avoid irreverent and empty speech, since those who engage in it will produce even more godlessness, 17 and their teaching will spread like gangrene. Hymenaeus and Philetus are among them. 18 They have departed from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already taken place, and are ruining the faith of some. 19 Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, bearing this inscription: The Lord knows those who are his,, and let everyone who calls on the name of the Lord turn away from wickedness.

Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), 2 Ti 2:14–19.

Let us pray together.

Father, thank you for the abundant truth of your Word. Open our eyes and ears to your truth. Root us in truth. Protect us from those who would seek to lead us astray. Build us into the image of your Son. And thank you for keeping us as yours until the end. Amen

Hook

Passage

IQ- What question does this passage answer?

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Positive

When approaching any text it is important to be aware of the context. Paul is aware that the hour is late. He believes and is correct, that he will shortly be executed in Rome for his faith.

A. Duane Litfin, “2 Timothy,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 749.

This is the last letter we have from Paul. He suspected that this might very well before the case. So as he approaches this letter, there is a real sense of urgency. Timothy had been like a son to Paul (1 Ti 1:2). Not only that, but when Paul’s friends all abandoned him, Timothy refused to. Their bond in the faith was great. Therefore Paul wants to leave some last instructions in case this is the end. He wants Timothy, and all Christians to live a life worthy of their calling which leads to the very practical nature of this book. You can feel the weight in the verses before. Paul has been discussing the blessings God had given him and the importance of the Gospel in Chapter one. Chapter two begins with a call to stand firm not in one’s own strength, but in the grace given by God alone. This is concluded by a reminder to avoid false teachers. And that brings us to verse fourteen, “Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to fight about words. This is useless and leads to the ruin of those who listen” ( 2 Ti 2:14).

Paul is giving Timothy his marching orders. And his first one is to maintain good Doctrine. To not forsake the Word, but to submit to the authority of Scripture. The call to remind them of these things does not read as a call back to the passage before. Rather it applies to all sound teaching. And it is crucial that the people devote themselves to what is profitable. There are endless debares about theology that may draw a person away from what is actually good. The wording seems to suggest that Timothy was seeing an early form of gnosticism rising. This ancienct heresy is one that detests what is physical, thinking only the spiritual can be said to be good. And these apparent false teachers were luring people away from the true Gosepel. By its nature gnosticism is obsessed with hidden knowledge. It rejects the obvious and gets lost in pointless arguements about words.

Donald Guthrie, Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 14, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990), 164.

False teachers and those who waste their time on this discussion deserve condemnation. But the real damage is done to the one who listens. Those who teach the Word must never forget the burden it carries. They can edify or destroy. Over and over again, the people need to be reminded of what is good. They must immerse themselves in good teaching and the Word.

Verse fifteen, “Be diligent to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who doesn’t need to be ashamed, correctly teaching the word of truth.”

Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), 2 Ti 2:15.

The best way to destroy a false teach is to a live a life that is ethical, fully submitted to the Scripture. Some of your older translations may say “study” instead of “be dilegent.” That is a rather unfortunate translation. The word here means “‘zealous in ethical responsibilities,’ not studious.”

Bruce B. Barton, David Veerman, and Neil S. Wilson, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Life Application Bible Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1993), 191.

A preacher who teaches truth and lives accordingly silences a false teacher. Moreover any Christian who passionately lives for the Lord in truth squashes the plans of the wicked. This responsibility is to all Christians, and especially teachers. Do live ina way that seeks to honor God? or do you seek the approval of the world? One day we will all answer for the time we have been given. The unashamed man stands before God having known they have given Him their all in the task they have been given. What is that task? Paul tells us that it is “correctly teaching the word of truth.” This word certainly includes all right doctrine. But there is a more narrow meaning intended. “Word of truth” is used elsewhere in the Bible to refer specifically to the Gospel. Look at Collosians 1:5-6,“because of the hope reserved for you in heaven. You have already heard about this hope in the word of truth, the gospel  that has come to you. It is bearing fruit and growing all over the world, just as it has among you since the day you heard it and came to truly appreciate God’s grace”

Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Col 1:5–6.

This Gospel, or good news, consumes the Christian life. Our salvation is the core of our faith. Without it there is nothing. If Jesus did not die on the cross then we are to be pittied. Christians are to weild this Gospel as a farmer wields a tool. It is like cutting a straight path through an overgrown field. It guieds the Christian life. The Gospel, the Scriptures, and ultimately Christ is the straight path. The unashamed worker will be the one who weilds the Gospel to make straight the path and does not depart from it.

You and I must examine ourselves and truthfully ask if we are being dilligent. Are we devoting outselves to the study of God’s Word? Or have we become slothful? Do you hunger for your time alone with God? My friend if not, start today. Pray that God would give you a new heart.

Paul starts with positive instruction to be rooted in God’s word. He moves on to warn the believer what to avoid.

Look at verses sixteen through eighteen, “Avoid irreverent and empty speech, since those who engage in it will produce even more godlessness, 17 and their teaching will spread like gangrene. Hymenaeus and Philetus are among them. 18 They have departed from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already taken place, and are ruining the faith of some

Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), 2 Ti 2:16–18.

Time is too short to be caught up with useless speech. Paul just reminded Timothy a verses before not to get caught up in useless debates. But the reminder here is important. False teaching is not a game to be played with. It spreads fast and destroys all in its path. Gangrene is a nasty disease. It typically shows itself first in the fingers and toes but quickly spreads throughout the rest of the body. As it spreads, it kills the flesh, rotting it away by constricting the flow of blood. Treatment needs to be urgent, and it often involves the cutting off of affected body parts before it can spread further.

Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, vol. 34, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 216.

This metaphor seems to be playing out in the circle of Paul and Timothy. And they are naming names. In today’s cancel culture we are quick to condemn anyone and anything. But Paul wants to communicate how dangerous this truly is . If a false teacher does not repent., cut them off. It may seem harsh, but the costs are high. For the false teaching can spread quickly throughout the Body of Christ before it brings death. Paul actually refrenced these two individuals in 1 Timothy 1:20. He put them under church discipline and eventually excommunicated them. It appears that did not stop them from attacking the Faith.

The false teaching that was present was not over a secondary issue. It was denying things that the Scriptures had made abundantly clear. They have departed from the truth, denying the ressurection of Christ and of those who have died in faith. Their error denied a core tennent of Christian doctrine. Evidently this false teaching had already spread quite far. Paul refrences the importance of a physical resurection in his letters to the ethesians, corinthians, thessolicans, and others. He is explicit about the sriousness of this, “Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say, “There is no resurrection of the dead”? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised; 14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation is in vain, and so is your faith”

Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), 1 Co 15:12–14.

Christianity without the ressurection is as dead as any man will be. If Christ is found in a grave somewhere, then we are finished. Praise be to God that this is not the case. We serve the king who conquered death. He defeated sin. And that check cleared when He rose again three days later. That is our hope. We will have our own future bodily ressurection.

Do you believe in the true Gospel? Or have you fallen victim to these false teachers? Today is the day of salvation. Repent.

Despite all that would see the Faith of Christ’s bride falter, there is a firm foundation. Look at verse nineteen, “Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, bearing this inscription: The Lord knows those who are his, and let everyone who calls on the name of the Lord turn away from wickedness

Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), 2 Ti 2:19.

Nevertheless. In spite of. Totally unfazed by. Paul wants Timothy to know that there is no true threat in these wicked men. Paul often liked to use buildings as metaphors for the church and for Christ. He is likely refereing to the entire invisible church in these verses. The real intersting part of these verses is the inscription. Paul is directly applying two seperate Old Testament passaages to the Christian. The first, The Lord knows those who are his, comes from Numbers 16:5. Korah had started a rebellion. During a civil war, it is hard to tell who is friend and who is foe. But this inscription was used to show who was the Lord’s. The believer is to draw encouragement from this. God has them. The second inscription, let everyone who calls on the name of the Lord turn away from wickedness, comes from Numbers 16:26 or Isaiah 52:11. Regardless both these passages talk about returning to God and renewing their walk.

These inscriptions remind the Christian that God is sovereign. His church is secure. No false teacher will ever destroy it.

So what? Why does Paul Give these instructions? And what are we to do with it? Timothy, and every Christian, must abstain from both the knowledge of false teaching and the immoral practices.

The application is two fold.

First in order to avoid falling for false teachings, the Christian must know the word of God. The psalmist reminds us, “The entirety of your word is truth,each of your righteous judgments endures forever”

Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Ps 119:160.

The Christian delights in the Word of God. The live it. But they also take it in. Are you reading the word of God? You will almost certainly be decieved if ypu are not reading it for yourself. The Bible holds truth. It is authoritative. It is infallible. It is good. So pour yourself over it.

Second, the Christian grows in holiness. That is to say that they become a deeper and more devoted follower. The Christian life ought to be changed By God and His Word. The Christian will act differently once they are transformed.

So as you leave here today, are you zealous for the things of God? Do you make it your bussiness to care about the thungs He does? THis application is broad but so is the Christian life. Live your life like you actually believe yourself to be a disciple. Hate sin. Love good. Live accordingly.

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Conclusion

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