Approved by God 2 Timothy 2:14-26

-As God’s servant, I should pursue a life that seeks God’s approval.

Whitney Houston, in an interview with Diane Sawyer in 2002, discussed the pain and frustration she experienced in her failed comeback attempt. At one point in the interview she turned to Ms. Sawyer and asked, "Have you ever heard the sound of 10,000 people disappointed in you?"

I. Present the Truth vv. 14-15

In our passage, Paul continues his instruction to Timothy.

In last week’s sermon, we saw that Paul instructed him to live as a good soldier

Now, we will see his instruction to live as an approved workman

This instruction begins with a charge: remind God’s people of the truth

This is the Gospel, with all of its promises of eternal life in Christ Jesus

This is the teaching that accords with godliness

This is a call to unity:

There is always a temptation to quarrel about words

This covers a lot of territory, but I think it’s fair to say that most of the things that we argue about are just words and of relatively little importance; there are reasonable disagreements that we can have and there are times to separate, but the church should be marked by unity rather than division

Never forget just how “unprofitable” quarrels can be.

If we live in this way, consistently reminding people of our eternal hope and calling them to unity in Christ, we can stand before the Lord with confidence

The picture is of a workman whose work is being inspected by his Lord.

The Christian who can say with integrity that he has stood for the Gospel and the unity of God’s people can trust that, when his work is inspected, he will have no reason for shame

You’ve got to “cut it straight”

It takes hard work to stay settled in the truth, but it is absolutely worth it, because this is the mark of a life that pleases God.

1 Corinthians 3:10–15

[10] According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. [11] For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. [12] Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw—[13] each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. [14] If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. [15] If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire. (ESV)

II. Protect the Faithful vv. 16-19

Paul follows this up with a more specific insight: avoid irreverent babble

The irreverent babble here is a kind of false teaching regarding the resurrection of the dead

It is a step away from the plain teachings of the Scripture and of the core tenets of our faith

Sometimes this kind of teaching is speculative, sometimes it intentionally subverts some established Christian teaching, but its always a problem!

What is the problem? Isn’t this really just a search for the “deeper things” of God? Aren’t we just trying to apply truth to life?

It’s a problem because it speaks where God is silent or it is silent where God speaks, or outright denies His Word

It’s a problem because it leads us to ungodliness and deeper false teaching

It’s a problem because it upsets the faith of others, spreading like gangrene

However, there is good news: God’s people have a firm foundation we can stand on.

He knows His people and He does not lose them

He expects us to depart from iniquity

This is the calling God puts in front of us. We must help each other stand on the truth!

Avoid the foolish chatter

Stand on the truth!

We live in an era of armchair experts. We are expected to have an opinion on anything and everything and to make pronouncements out of our profound wisdom. One of the wisest things that we can do as believers is to be silent where the Scripture is silent and keep our focus on the truths of God’s Word. They will consistently point us to Jesus. If we have everything else and we miss Jesus, we missed the most important thing!

Matthew 21:42

[42] Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:

“‘The stone that the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone;

this was the Lord’s doing,

and it is marvelous in our eyes’? (ESV)

III. Prepare for Service vv. 20-21

Third, Paul addresses the issue of personal integrity for us. He notes:

In every home there are two kinds of vessels

Some are for honorable uses, some for dishonorable uses

What’s the difference between the two? It’s a question of quality!

If I want to be the kind of vessel that the Lord uses for honorable purposes, I need to pursue holiness

I need to live as though I am set apart for God’s particular purposes

If I am going to be useful to my Lord, I need to be ready by developing a holy character

Think about the difference between piece of fine china vs the old cup that you pour grease out into!

IV. Pursue Righteousness vv. 22-26

Finally, Paul gives Timothy a big instruction: Flee youthful passions

Passion in and of itself is not the problem, but it is the foolish nature of youth

Instead, we must pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace

This is an important contrast:

When we operate by youthful passion, we engage in foolish, ignorant controversies, breeding quarrels

We are called to pursue righteousness, unity, and a manner of living and leading that is consistent with the character of Christ

The Lord’s servant must live differently

We will have opponents, but we must pursue peace, even with them

When we have to correct, it should be done with gentleness

This may be the key to the Lord bringing them to a place of repentance!

Our righteousness may well have an important impact on someone else’s journey to Christ

When we live in this way, we can trust that we will be approved by God.

Campbell Morgan was one of 150 young men who sought entrance to the Wesleyan ministry in 1888. He passed the doctrinal examinations, but then faced the trial sermon. In a cavernous auditorium that could seat more than 1,000 sat three ministers and 75 others who came to listen. When Morgan stepped into the pulpit, the vast room and the searching, critical eyes caught him up short. Two weeks later Morgan's name appeared among the l05 REJECTED for the ministry that year.

Jill Morgan, his daughter-in-law, wrote in her book, A Man of the Word, "He wired to his father the one word, 'Rejected,' and sat down to write in his diary: 'Very dark everything seems. Still, He knoweth best.' Quickly came the reply: 'Rejected on earth. Accepted in heaven. Dad.'"