2 Tim 2:1-14
Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 4 viewsNotes
Transcript
Be Strong in Grace
Be Strong in Grace
The word strong in 2 Tim 2: 1 is the same as in Eph. 6:10.
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.
You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
Grace shows not only that the grace comes from Christ alone, but also that all Christians possess it and may rely on its enabling power.
This power is an act of grace which flows with union in Christ.
Timothy is to entrust this truth only to reliable men who will also qualified to to teach others.
Two qualifications are demanded:
a loyalty to the Truth, which has to be proved;
an aptitude to teach (1 Tim 3:2)
An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,
In verses 3-6 suggestive illustrations are used to encourage Timothy in various aspects of work:
The soldier
The athlete
The laborer
These are metaphors applied here in a specifically spiritual sense.
From the soldier, Timothy must learn endurance.
From the athlete, self-discipline.
From the laborer, perseverance.
Military metaphors are great with Apostle Paul (Rom. 6:13; 7:23; 1 Cor. 9:7; 2 Cor. 6:7; Eph. 6:11-18).
in the word of truth, in the power of God; by the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left,
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?
but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members.
How did Paul describe his own struggle to do what was right?
and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.
What change in attitude and action toward God happens in a person who follows Christ?
In 2 Tim 1:8, Timothy is told to suffer hardship.
Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God,
In what way did Timothy need courage?
Anyone serving as a soldier has to be a man of one mind.
The duties of military service must take precedence over civilian affairs.
A soldier must resist the flesh!
It is our responsibility as stewards of God’s Word to guard the deposit entrusted to us and then invest it in some bloke worth watching, who is able to teach others.
Timothy is to entrust in others what he has heard Paul say (1 Tim 1:18 Acts 14:23; 20:32).
“And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.
When they had appointed elders for them in every church, having prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.
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,
Why did Paul give Timothy these instructions?
When a leader in Christ seeks a faithful man who is called and led by the Holy Ghost, he will recognize the one who is being called with hands laid on him by faith.
We must be taught by a seasoned saint to grow in the Lord. I saw some that were not and who went off what they thought the Truth was.
Often these that misinterpret the Word of Truth are prideful and unteachable.
We must be qualified!
Two qualifications are demanded: a loyalty to the truth and a reliability that has been proven!
Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior is excellent and this is what He requires out of this approved workman:
An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,
Too many false teachers and so-called leaders have distorted this fact.
That’s why this gospel needs to be rightly divided.
2 Timothy 2:3-26—We must take our share of suffering for the hardship is part of the witness in Christ.
It may be that Timothy was oversensitive about the evil treatment, which constantly threatened him. But more probably the apostle Paul is particularly burdened with the intensity of the spiritual struggle he is about to lay down and which will naturally fall heavily on Timothy’s shoulders.
Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
How was Timothy to endure hardship?
Epaphroditus and Archippus Paul addressed as fellow soldiers in Philippians 2:25
But I thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger and minister to my need; and Philemon 2
and to Apphia our sister, and to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house:
Timothy needs this military approach for his task at Ephesus.
Endure hardship was also used in 1:8. The root meaning is “take your share of suffering,” for the hardship is part of the witness of the Christian.
After Paul’s death his successor did in fact suffer imprisonment.
Anyone suffering as a soldier has to be a man with one mind.
V. 4—We must be of sober mind. Our focus needs to be fully in Christ.
We must protect the love of God through the anointing.
V. 5—The connection link between the soldier and the athlete is found in the expression “according to the rules” (nomos in Greek).
In the Olympic games there were strict rules which had to be obeyed.
These are fully fledged athletes, professionals not amateurs.
Each athlete for the Olympics was on oath that he had fulfilled the necessary ten months of training before he was able to enter.
Any athlete who had not subjected himself to the necessary discipline would have no chance of winning and in fact would lower the standard of the games.
There were several penalties imposed on any who infringed the rules.
Applied to the ministry this metaphor stressed the absolute necessity for self-discipline.
Going through this Christian life hurts, but there s something more greater—pleasing the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul is exhorting Timothy to keep strictly to the rules fixed by the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.
There is a difference though between the metaphor and the application; only 1 athlete may join the victor’s crown but every Christian who strives loyally in the contest will be crowned.
V. 14—We must correct opponents.
The false teachers’ teaching will spread fast.
As a faithful teacher our job is always to preach and teach sacred doctrine.
This isn’t what someone thinks they know (personal opinion).
People will fight over all kinds of issues if they have no common source of authority for evaluating experiences, opinions and traditions.
There are good workmen and bad workmen.
The good workmen are devoted to the Word of Truth.
The good workmen are also “approved,” having been tested like metals, being recognized as pure and excellent.
Paul says to be diligent. There is no room for slackers in the ministry, especially the one giving the Word of Life.
But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.
What does Paul call to our attention?
“Last Days” means the New Testament age ushered in by Jesus Christ.
1 Tim 4—Predictions of Apostasy
v.1—We must be aware of the strategies of the devil. satan and his imps are Truth’s enemies.
It is crucial for the church to understand what God has revealed about these enemies.
This is why we sit underneath the teaching and preaching for the edification of the saints (Eph 4; 1 Pet 4:1-18; Jude 17-18; Mark 13:22
for false Christs and false prophets will arise, and will show signs and wonders, in order to lead astray, if possible, the elect.
What do Christ’s words “if that were possible” mean?
2 Pet 5:1-18; Acts 20:29
“I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock;
2 Thess 2:1-12, 2 Tim 3:1
But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.
keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith.
What did Paul say some have done with their faith?
We must be a notetaker and study!
We are in the days of the falling away.
We open doors that need not be opened by hidden sin.
That’s why it is so important to fellowship with other believers, pray and be in the Word!
The gift of discernment is crucial in this fight!
I believe one of the most important things to cultivate in our lives is being soberly minded.
The only way we can hear the voice of God is to be attentive.
Spiritual error is seldom due to innocent mistakes. It is more often due to conscious strategies of God’s spiritual enemies (Eph. 6:12)
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.
The teachers of demons are false doctrines taught by teachers who spread teachings full of errors whose views are instigated by demons.
There are many victims of these false teachers, who are hypocritical liars (2 Cor. 11:13-15; 1 Tim 6:17
Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.
Everything God created is good. (Gen. 1:31)
God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.
What was the goal of the command Paul urged Timothy to enforce?
Paul identifies the 3 channels through which this love flows.
Heart
Conscience
Faith
This is how Paul says to deal with the teaching of the law.
The Heart—this is a person’s innermost being. Paul says that the heart must be pure, that is, “cleansed,” (a clean heart). The pure heart is the heart continually cleansed from sins by the purifying work of God.
Conscience—this is a man’s God-given ability to self-consciously evaluate whether an action is wrong or right because he is made in the image of God.
Even though man may suppress the truth or damage the conscience’s function, it remains an instrument by, which God’s standards, “the requirement of the law,” are written on the hearts of men. (Rom 1:18).
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
One has a “bad” conscience when he “knows” he has done something wrong or has failed to do the right.
A good conscience is the self-conscious awareness that people have when they desire to live honorably in every way.
3. Faith—trust in God and reliance upon Him. Love is channeled through those who genuinely believe that God provides by His Spirit the very love they are called to give.
