AWANA
Notes
Transcript
Handout
I love AWANA
Acronym - Approved Workman Are Not Ashamed
Paul goes from Timothy Remember Jesus Christ to Remind Them Of These Things.
The main thrusts:
Accurately Handling The Word Of Truth
Workman
Ashamed
Firm Foundation
Remind Them
Remind Them
Solemnly charge
Testifying continually
In the presence of God
What we do, we do knowing that in the end we will be accountable to God.
“As God is our witness.”
Accurately Handling The Word Of Truth
Accurately Handling The Word Of Truth
Sound words / Gospel / Faithful men teaching
To Cut or Divide Skillfully
to cut a straight line like a road or a furrow. my winrows...
an OT construction term taken from the word for “river reed” which was used to confirm the horizontal straightness of walls, streets, etc.
handling the material correctly
could be in reference to his tent-making.
cutting a straight line.
precept upon precept
to present the truth rightly
to handle it in accord with its intention and to communicate properly its meaning.
not abridging it , not handling it as a charlatan.
treating the word honestly and fully, in a straightforward manner.
The heretics twist the Scriptures to fit their own theology
Making Ready a Straight Way For the Word of Truth to Ably Enter
Implied
By teaching the straight way.
By his behavior of walking straight forward in the truth.
Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain.
Do Not Wrangle About Words (NASB)
Starts with examples of those who do not accurately handle the Word of Truth
Do not have a war of words over things of little value, substance, or importance)
It is useless - of no profit, nothing gained. Not even one benefit.
Leads to the ruin (katastrophe) of the hearers
This is what Satan did in the Garden.
Doubt - Did God really say?
What does it mean by knowing good and evil? Simply your eyes will be opened.
What does God mean by die? Surely you won’t die.
Confusion - exactly what Satan wants.
Mental gymnastics.
Can cause people to be subverted or pulled down.
Their faith takes a hit.
What happened to Eve? Trusting the Serpent over God.
To be turned under as the soil with a plow.
The opposite of edifying.
instead of building up, it tears down.
Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.
Avoid Worldly And Empty Chatter (NASB)
worldly (irreverent) - profane, one who should have been debarred from the entrance of the temple.
Void of religion.
One who lacks all relationship or affinity to God.
Empty chatter (idle babbling) - vain or fruitless.
Hollow or empty words
Senseless and wicked discourses.
What was the point of all that pontificating?
I see your mouth is moving, but nothing is coming out.
Speeches that are devoid of any divine or spiritual character, fruitless as far as the satisfaction of man’s need of salvation and the molding of Christian life and character are concerned.
What does that have to do with salvation, sanctification, or discipleship?
Those who indulge in it - it will lead to further ungodliness
It comes from an image of pioneers cutting away all obstacles before an advancing army.
They pretend progress; the only progress they make is to a greater pitch of impiety and ungodliness
it does not refer to character as much as attitude, specifically towards God.
Godless chatter is like a deep Whirlpool, from which there is no escape and into which men plunge deeper and deeper.
that kind of talk will spread like Gangrene - will eat; as opposed to healthy teaching.
literally “will have pasture”. Flesh eating bacteria.
Will be a rich source for the flesh eating bacteria to feast upon.
Giving sugar to cancer. false teaching can be like a cancer in the body.
An example
Hymenaeus and Philetus
Men who have gone astray from the truth - erred, deviate - in context, the sound words...
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, keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith. Among these are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan, so that they will be taught not to blaspheme.
concerning the truth, they have missed the mark.
not setting proper aim at which one ought to aim.
Not focusing on the right goal.
Could simply be not focusing on what is essential and central.
Why? Their minds had been seared and blinded. (I Tim 4:2; 6:5)
Saying the resurrection has already taken place
O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called “knowledge”— which some have professed and thus gone astray from the faith. Grace be with you.
The beginnings of the Gnostic heresies.
Greek philosophers typically viewed the soul as immortal, but the body as its temporal prison and upon death, the soul was released from its prison to exist in a bodiless state.
As a result there was a tendency toward heresies which rejected bodily resurrection.
Irenaeus reported that the Gnostic Manander claimed to have already undergone the resurrection by virtue of having been baptized (Romans 6:1-14) and that other Gnostics claimed that resurrection took place in the acquisition of truth on the basis of their commitment to the immateriality of the resurrection body.
They upset the faith of some. Similar response as to those who wrangle over words.
subvert or overturn
It causes other believers who overhear to falter (1 Tim 6:20-21)
Heresy will sap the spiritual vitality of the Church.
Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.
The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.
Application:
Application:
Wrangling about words is not healthy or helpful.
Don’t waste your time on it.
Don’t pander to those who love to hear themselves talk and who are more interested in quibbles about minor points rather than evangelizing the lost and building up the church.
Avoid - to place oneself at a distance from.
literally means to shun.
give them a wide berth.
When tied into the irreverence of their speech,
You are not allowed in here.
That kind of speech is not allowed in here and if you can’t steer from it, you’ll have to leave.
There is a reason this is called a sanctuary.
This is a holy place where holy things are said and holy behavior is encouraged.
Workman
Workman
Soldier / athlete / farmer
Timothy, don’t stoop down to their level and engage in their antics.
Distinguish yourself from among them and be a good worker for God.
Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe.
Be Diligent
(for Timothy, but by application to us)
“Do your best”
Slaves, in all things obey those who are your masters on earth, not with external service, as those who merely please men, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.
Make haste, be eager, hurry on
To Present Yourself Approved To God
Present - to show the quality which the person or thing exhibits.
Approved - tested by trial and getting a passing grade.
Tried as metals by fire and purified.
a test with a view towards approval.
You have the stamp of approval.
God’s standard has to be the standard by which we are compared.
God tests us not to fail us, but rather to show us that we can shine.
We often feel like failures, but God is just sanding off the rough edges and polishing the brass.
Ashamed
Ashamed
Timidity / cowardice / suffering
In this case, it’s one who does NOT need to be ashamed.
One who has no shame when his work is being inspected.
Why? Shame, here, is a result of lack of proper training and skill in handling God’s message of salvation.
This thought ties into the being approved.
Just as a Workman takes pride in a job well done, proper use of God’s word requires training and skill.
The point is that a workman’s job must be performed with skill.
There is no room for incompetence or shortcuts, and an untrained Workman may do more harm than good.
Which makes sense why God challenges us to be diligent.
To make haste and with eagerness do your best.
The Firm Foundation of God:
The Firm Foundation of God:
In context - God’s truth remaining sure and solid in contrast to the false teachers.
The believer’s hope is in the character of God and His trustworthiness to His promises.
The Lord Knows Those Who Are His
These are those who have been presented for approval and are not ashamed.
Everyone Who Names the Name of the Lord is to Abstain From Wickedness.
the normal expectation of one who is a member of this family.
If you claim a relationship to Jesus, then you are called to reflect His character and to give a good name to His name.
If you are accurately handling the word of truth, then you will abstain from wrangling with words and irreverent babble that only leads to more ungodliness.
The terms solid foundation, stand firm, and seal all highlight the unshakable nature of the truths of Scripture invoked by Paul.
Truth and falsehood must not be allowed to co-exist.
Keep oneself free from the contamination of the false teachers.
Be careful who you are listening to.
Closing Challenge:
Closing Challenge:
The challenge is for all of us to be an unashamed workman who has passed the test, thus being approved by God.
The first way to do that is to put your faith in that which will bring approval before God.
And that would be putting your faith in Jesus Christ.
He passed the test with flying colors and will give us His grade, if we will accept it.
If we do, we will be approved because He was already approved.
Secondly, we do that by being diligent to study the Word of God and to accurately handle it as God intended.
We are not to have a war over words.
We are not to give irreverent, hollow, and unedifying speeches.
Finally, our lives reflect whether we have truly allowed the Word of Truth to purify us as a refining fire and to be a firm foundation under us.
God tests us and allows suffering to reveal our true character and identity.
The firm foundation of God’s Word allows us to weather the storm.
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. “And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.
Remember Jesus Christ:
Jesus
Christ - The plan of God from the beginning
Risen from the Dead - Fully God
Descended from David - Fully Man
Salvation only through Him - only His death provides forgiveness of sins
With Jesus comes eternal glory - If you have Jesus, you have everything you need, everything else is just the icing on the cake.
Communion:
Closing Song: Cornerstone
