2 Timothy Chapter 2

B. Review of Where We Have Been

We’ve only covered one chapter in this book, and so we introduced Second Timothy last week, gave some introductory information, and covered chapter one.

1. Chapter One Was About “Be Not Ashamed”

So chapter one is about “Be not ashamed.”

Paul talks about:

Don’t be ashamed of:

the testimony of the Lord, that is the gospel

or of me, his prisoner

2. Why Would Paul Need to Encourage Timothy Not to Be Ashamed?

Why would Paul need to write to Timothy and encourage him not to be ashamed?

We all need that exhortation, but Timothy, we gave some indication last week, probably needed a good dose of this.

Finish my sentence:

Timothy seemed to be just a little bit:

timid

Verse six and seven:

God has not given us, verse seven, the spirit of fear

but of:

power

love

a sound mind

We take it, because of the exhortation given in chapter 1 and chapter 2 as well, that maybe Timothy was a little bit timid and a little bit shy, and maybe the imprisonment of Paul had discouraged him a little bit, maybe of being so bold as Paul had been.

And so there is need for exhortation:

to not be ashamed of the testimony of the gospel

or of Paul his prisoner

C. Overview of Chapter Two

Now then we’re ready for chapter two, and here is our outline that we’re following of the book.

There are only four chapters:

Chapter 1 — Be Not Ashamed

Chapter 2 — A Workman

Chapter 3 — Perilous Times

Chapter 4 — Continue to Preach the Word

So we’re talking about this workman of chapter two.

Let’s be a little more specific now.

This is a workman who has these following characteristics.

Timothy, if you are — if I might paraphrase in one sentence chapter two — if you are a workman, there is no reason to be ashamed.

1. Key Verse of Chapter Two

I’ve tried to give key verses for each one of these chapters.

We gave verse 8, if you were not here last week, as kind of a key verse that summarizes that whole chapter.

Chapter 1 would be verse 8

Chapter 2 would be verse 15

Verse 15:

“A workman that does not need to be ashamed”

We’ll come to verse 15 a little bit later.

2. Characteristics of This Workman

But concerning this workman, he needs to be:

strong

willing to suffer

a workman

pure

a good servant

And so if you are a good servant, you’re pure, you’re working, and you’re willing to suffer, and you’re strong, Timothy, you are a workman that does not have any reason to be ashamed.

D. Illustration: A Workman That Needeth Not to Be Ashamed

Now let’s get ahead of ourselves to verse 15:

“A workman that does not need to be ashamed.”

Put this — let’s remove that concept away from preaching and from spiritual things and think about your job.

You’ve been hired, if you don’t have a job picture that you do, you’ve been hired to do a job, whatever the job may be.

What would it be? What would you have to do so that you’re not ashamed of the work that you do?

I don’t mean that you’re ashamed because it’s a lowly task. I don’t care what it is.

Let’s say you’re doing office work, and you’ve been asked to keep all these files updated, you’ve been asked to type all of this up, et cetera, answer the phone.

What would give you a reason that you have no reason to be ashamed of the work you’ve done?

When you’re doing the best you can

Somebody else?

Okay, yeah:

doing the best you can

doing the job that you’ve been assigned

doing it with the greatest ability that you have

There is no reason to be ashamed.

1. Why Would You Ever Have Reason to Be Ashamed?

If you’re not doing your job, you’re not keeping up, you’re not doing the things that were assigned to you.

You’re told to answer the phone:

the phone rings

you never answer it

You’re told to type up these letters:

none of them get typed

You have every reason to be ashamed.

So Timothy, when you’re doing the job that you’re supposed to be doing, you have no reason to be ashamed.

And that’s what we’re going to see in chapter 2.

I. Be Strong (2 Timothy 2:1–7)

A. Verse 1 — “Be Strong”

So let’s start with being strong.

In verse 1 he says:

“You therefore, my son, be strong.”

Now we’ll finish that phrase in just a moment, but “you therefore” suggests there is a connection to chapter 1.

1. Connection Back to Chapter One

Chapter 1:

don’t be ashamed

here are some who are ashamed

here are some who are not ashamed

In view of that principle, of the value of not being ashamed, you therefore need to be strong.

So I think the idea of being strong is parallel to not being ashamed.

Be strong, Timothy.

Be strong in the Lord.

The strength comes from relying upon the Lord.

And be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, that is, relying on the help that comes through Christ.

I think that’s parallel to chapter 1, verses 7 and 8, where he talked about:

God gave us the spirit of power, love, and a sound mind

then he talked about the power, verse 8, of the Lord resting in and putting your full confidence in the Lord

The same Lord that raised His Son from the dead and delivered the gospel is the same one that will help you through these trials and these persecutions or whatever else that you may face.

All right, so verse 1 simply says:

Be strong

Now let’s talk about the areas in which he needs to be strong.

There are four areas that he talks about here.

B. Be Strong as a Teacher (v. 2)

First of all:

be strong as a teacher

Now look at verse 2:

“These things that you have heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou unto faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.”

1. What Are You Learning from Verse 2?

Absolutely, yeah.

We learn several things here.

One is:

I learn the qualifications to preach, do you not?

the qualifications to teach Bible class, do you not?

What are the qualifications?

They’re basically two.

Everything else — you buy a book that’s been put out on preachers and their qualifications, you may find somebody that lists 10 different qualifications, somebody’s got 8, somebody’s got 15 — but they all can be summarized under two found here in this text.

What are they?

faithful

able to teach

Faithful to the Lord, number one.

Secondly:

able to teach

If he’s able to communicate, able to teach — that may have to do with knowledge, that may have to do with the ability to communicate that knowledge — but able to teach.

But also he has to be, or she has to be:

faithful to the Lord

Those two qualifications.

2. Question Number One — Who Is Included in the Word “Men” in Verse 2?

Let’s go to question number one.

We’ll come back to the flow of the text in a moment.

Who is included in the word men in verse 2?

All right:

faithful men

All right, that’s good:

mankind

I would use this verse to justify having women teachers in Bible classes.

Why would I do that?

Because in the original there is a word that means males only.

We saw that in 1 Timothy 2 and verse 8:

a word that men pray everywhere

that’s the word aner, meaning males only

Talking about men leading in prayer.

But this is the word anthropos, which has — Thayer says — with reference to sex, that is male or female.

Contextually we determine by the context.

So sometimes this word is used and it means males because of the context; sometimes it refers to mankind.

So it means mankind. It doesn’t mean males only.

So the things that you have heard, you teach it to mankind who shall be able to teach others also.

Women can and should teach:

older women teach the younger women

Titus 2, remember that

other passages

So I would use that passage, and it has been used effectively in discussions.

3. Principle About the Spread of the Gospel

But I also learned a principle about spread of the gospel.

Here’s how the gospel spreads.

It really doesn’t take:

a lot of money

a lot of committee meetings

a lot of classes on “here’s how you go about it”

Here’s how it works:

You teach someone else, who then teaches someone else, who then teaches someone else, who then teaches someone else.

Or if you teach two, those two then teach, and then the gospel spreads through the whole world.

That’s how the gospel spreads.

So someone says:

“Teach us how we can spread the gospel to the world.”

Just teach a neighbor.

And then if they learn the gospel, they will teach their neighbor.

And most likely if you teach two, then each one of those that you teach, you’re going to teach two, and then it starts multiplying until we’ve covered the whole world.

That could be done in a short order.

4. Return to the Flow of the Text

All right, let’s go back to the flow of the text though.

What Paul is telling Timothy in verse 2:

be strong

be courageous

don’t be ashamed

have confidence

have boldness

And do that as a teacher.

You take the things that you’ve learned and you teach it to others, and then they’re going to teach even others.

So keep in mind, Timothy:

your boldness is going to help with the spread of the gospel

Does that make sense?

C. Be Bold as a Soldier (vv. 3–4)

All right, here’s the second point about boldness.

Be bold as a soldier, verses three and four.

What’s his point here?

Then we’ll get the details.

How would you summarize his point?

be strong like a soldier

All right:

be committed

be dedicated

What else?

focus

unbothered by the distractions of the world

Three things I list here.

1. Endure Hardships

First of all, you have to, as a soldier, endure hardships.

What does that mean literally as a soldier?

Forget about spiritual for a moment.

Those of you — Tim, you’ve been in the military.

What does it mean to endure hardness as a soldier?

You’ve been a soldier. What does that mean?

Okay, react to this.

Since you’ve been in the military, react to this.

It’s not my thoughts, but if someone said:

“It’s all a piece of cake.”

“It’s just a piece of cake being a soldier.”

“It’s all just a bunch of fun.”

“You get paid a lot of money to be a soldier.”

Reaction?

Do you mean hardships like:

separation from family

when you’re called to do your duty in foreign places

Yes.

And so picture people who sign up for the military because they like the package, the retirement they’re going to get, et cetera, and then they suddenly get called out to the front lines.

What do you say to that person when they said:

“I want to be a soldier”and they get called up to the front lines?

You signed up for it.

This is part of the job.

This is part of the job.

It is not all a piece of cake. It’s not all fun. It’s not all about pay. It’s not all about the retirement.

You have to be enduring hardships to be a soldier.

Timothy, you signed up as a soldier in the army of the Lord, so that means there are some hardships you’re going to have to face.

Yeah, you’re going to get shot at a few times.

And yes, it’s not all a cakewalk.

2. Do Not Entangle Yourself in the Affairs of This Life

So in your hardships as a soldier, verse 4:

“No one who is engaged in warfare entangles himself in the affairs of this life.”

What does that mean?

All right.

All right, that’s good.

Absolutely.

Barnes suggests it was always a condition of a good soldier that he must give up his business during the enlistment and devote himself to the service of his country.

The farmer leaves his plow. The merchant his store. The lawyer his briefs.

The Roman soldier was not allowed to marry or engage in any husbandry or trade, and they were forbidden to act as tutors to any person.

In other words:

his whole focus needs to be on being a soldier

So if you had someone fighting for your freedom, and he’s there fighting the enemy, you want him thinking about:

“I’m on my phone here”

“I’m trying to see, I’m running the business back home”

“I’m trying to see if everything’s going to balance here”

“Oh wait, here comes an enemy”

I don’t want him focused on his business. I want him focused on the task at hand.

That makes sense.

Now as one writer observed, that doesn’t mean that he can’t engage in something besides merely preaching, because Paul himself was a tentmaker.

But his focus is to primarily be on the preaching of the gospel if he’s a servant of the Lord.

Make sense?

So:

don’t be entangled in the affairs of the world

Absolutely.

It was Lipscomb who said:

“It’s not a soldier’s employment that is forbidden, but the entanglement with it.”

I like that quotation.

3. His Focus Is to Please the One Who Enlisted Him

Verse 4:

his focus is to be what?

Yeah:

pleasing the one who enlisted him as a soldier

In this case it’s the Lord Jesus Christ.

In other words:

all you’re interested in is pleasing the Lord

I’ll tell you some of the best advice I ever got.

I reached a point one time I was ready to throw up my hands and quit as a preacher.

And Connie Adams had me sitting across from his desk, and he looked over — if you know Connie, he looks over those glasses — and he said, “Let me tell you something.”

He said:

“You’re not serving anybody but the Lord. You understand?”

I understood.

You’re not serving anybody but the Lord.

And if you please the Lord, it doesn’t matter what anybody else may think.

Your soul is not for sale.

D. Be Strong Like an Athlete (v. 5)

All right, let’s move further to verse five.

What’s the point of verse 5?

All right:

they compete to win

And so be strong like an athlete.

If an athlete’s going to engage in athletics and the Grecian games of field and track, he must play by the rules.

Now that’s interesting to me that he words that:

according to the rules

That while even under severe persecution and tempted to back away, you still have rules to play by.

Do you see people that sometimes think under pressure, under the moment, the rules are cast aside? The rules don’t apply because of the pressure at the moment.

Paul is telling Timothy:

I’m in prison

you may be too if you preach

But just like an athlete still has to play by the rules, you’ve got to play by the rules even under pressure.

And so:

be strong like an athlete

E. Be Strong Like a Farmer (vv. 6–7)

All right, then there’s another illustration given in verses six and seven.

What’s that illustration?

that of a farmer

“The hard-working farmer must first partake of the crops. Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things.”

So what’s the point about a farmer?

Yeah:

you don’t get your rest yet

One who’s timid and shy wants the peace and the tranquility now instead of the combat or the conflict.

And Paul, I think, is telling Timothy:

the farmer has to wait for his crop

he plants and he doesn’t eat at the front

he doesn’t eat till later

he doesn’t gain the harvest until later

But he has to wait patiently.

And you have to wait patiently for your peace and tranquility.

Be bold. Be strong. Et cetera.

Questions or comments through verse 7?

Yes ma’am.

Yourself — good point, good point.

Very good.

1. Summary of Verses 1–7

Be strong like:

a teacher

a soldier

an athlete

a farmer

You need strength, Timothy. Don’t be timid. Don’t be shy. Don’t be ashamed.

Questions or comments on one to seven?

I think that verse seven probably refers to the verses following — I think it probably refers to those that are before.

“Consider what I say.”

In other words:

consider all these points that I’ve just made

and may the Lord give you understanding in all things

That is, may you come to an understanding and be strong.

May, when you consider the farmer, when you consider the athlete, when you consider the soldier, when you consider your job of teaching, may you be strong.

Questions or comments?

II. Be Willing to Suffer (2 Timothy 2:8–13)

All right, let’s go to the next section.

Let’s go to question number three.

A. Question Number Three — Why Was Paul Suffering in Prison at This Time?

Give a verse in this chapter.

Absolutely. He’s preaching the gospel, and particularly he’s preaching the resurrection from the dead.

That was the thing that upset them, the resurrection from the dead, and that’s why he’s in prison the first time, and no doubt that has everything to do with that now.

He mentions that in verses 8 and 9:

“for which I suffered trouble as an evildoer, even in chains”

B. Question Number Four — Was Paul Feeling Sorry for Himself While He Was in Prison? How Do You Know?

Exactly:

“I endure”

Notice that at verse 10:

“Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect”

He wasn’t feeling sorry for himself, but rather he was using it as an opportunity to continue to preach.

Now let’s look at verses 8 through 13.

I can’t keep up with my remote this morning. I don’t know what I did with it. Ah, here we go.

Let’s look at 8 through 13.

Three things happen here.

C. Paul Is Suffering for the Preaching of the Resurrection of Christ (vv. 8–9)

He said:

I’m suffering for the preaching of the resurrection of Christ

Now let’s get to that point in verses 8 and 9.

Remember — here’s something to keep in mind:

“Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel.”

Think about the resurrection. Think about the hope that it brings. Think about the power that’s involved.

Now there’s a number of things I think implied.

If you think about the resurrection:

you think about the salvation that comes through that

therefore you’ll keep preaching and be bold

you’ll be a workman

Perhaps alluding to the principle mentioned in chapter one, you think about the power of the resurrection:

the same power that raised Jesus

is the same power that will help you through this

But I think his point is more:

be willing to suffer for the cause

Look at verse 9:

“For which I suffer trouble as an evildoer even to the point of chains.”

In other words:

I’m in chains

I am bound

I am imprisoned because of my preaching of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ

1. “But the Word of God Is Not Chained”

Now at the end of verse 9:

“But the word of God is not chained.”

What does that mean?

The fact that they put him in prison didn’t keep him from preaching.

In fact:

he’s writing prison epistles in the first imprisonment

he’s writing this one in his second imprisonment

he was able to preach to some in the palace

remember that

preached before King Agrippa in that first imprisonment

and Felix

So he said — Philippians 1 says — it fell out to the furtherance of the gospel.

In fact he said:

this didn’t shut down the gospel

it fanned the flame of the gospel

So they can put me in chains, but they can’t control and confine the word of God.

It’s still going.

2. What Is Timothy to Take Away from That?

So I think, what’s his point?

What’s Timothy to take away from that, I guess is what I need to ask.

When Timothy sees this point:

you’re in prison because of preaching Christ

but the gospel wasn’t confined

Timothy’s to take away from that what?

He can preach under any circumstance.

He can still preach it.

Even if Timothy faces imprisonment, the effect of the gospel is not being stopped.

And:

keep preaching

Say again:

don’t be afraid

don’t be timid

D. Paul Suffers for the Sake of Saving Souls (v. 10)

Now look at verse 10.

Now Paul is saying:

suffer for the sake of saving souls

He said:

“Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.”

What’s that saying?

Paul just said:

I’m suffering for the cause of Christ

But I’m willing to endure it.

Why?

That’s what he’s telling us in verse 10, which is:

saving souls

Yeah:

when we preach the gospel, we’re saving souls

So be willing to endure, Timothy.

Don’t be timid. Don’t be shy. Be strong.

That’s the point being made.

Be strong and don’t be ashamed, but be a workman, and I’m preaching that the salvation may be obtained in Christ.

1. Question Number Five — Where Is Salvation and How Does One Get There?

Salvation is in Christ.

How do we get in Christ?

If salvation is in Christ, Paul says:

you are baptized into Christ

Right?

Galatians chapter 3, verse 27

All right.

E. Verses 11–13 — A Faithful Saying

Now let’s get verses 11 to 13.

There’s some controversy over 11 to 13.

I don’t mean major controversy, but exactly what is being quoted here.

This is set off as a quotation.

It doesn’t seem to be a quotation from any Old Testament reference.

Some think that it may be the lines of an ancient song.

That’s one question, and I probably — I’ll just give it:

an ancient song

I don’t know where it came from. Paul just quotes it.

The other thing is what exactly is he referring to?

I think we can put it in context.

1. “If We Die with Him, We Shall Also Live with Him”

If we die with him, we shall also live with him.

There’s the question:

is it that if we die with him in repentance or something, we’ll live with him?

or if we die with him physically, we’ll live with him?

I don’t think he’s talking about dying spiritually separated from God.

So what’s he talking about?

I think, as per the context where there’s this timidity and fear, that what Paul is saying makes sense to me:

that this is a true saying

that if we died with him, we shall also live with him

In other words:

if you end up facing death

and I face death because of that

If we endure, we’ll also reign with him.

So don’t let the pressures get you down.

But on the other hand:

if we deny him, he’ll deny us

if we are faithless, he remains faithful and cannot deny himself

Notice the contrast:

the beautiful contrast between man’s lack of faithfulness at times

and God’s faithfulness

No matter what, even when we’re unfaithful, God is still faithful.

2. Point of Verses 11–13

So what’s the point of 11–13?

I think his point is:

be willing to suffer

endure hardship

be willing to suffer

And through that we gain victory.

If we die with him, we’ll live.

So we’re going to gain victory through that suffering.

So Timothy:

don’t be timid

don’t be shy

Shoot for gaining that victory.

III. Be a Workman (2 Timothy 2:14–19)

Now let’s go to 14–19 and let’s see what this is about.

Be a workman.

This gets to the heart of the chapter.

Be a workman.

Now we’ve already seen multiple times in Timothy — First Timothy, that is — about not wasting your time with things that were absolutely useless.

Let’s get to that, verse 14.

A. Do Not Strive About Words (v. 14)

Let’s get to the verse and then we’ll see what it means:

“Remind them” — that is, those you teach — “these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers.”

What’s that about?

I think in application it would apply to anything that does not promote godliness and does not promote an understanding of the revealed will.

I’ve made this point repeatedly here:

in talking to younger men

and by preaching

I tell them constantly:

don’t waste time on useless material

Don’t waste your time in the pulpit, in the Bible class, spending 10 to 15 minutes and when you get through, you wrap that all up and you’ve accomplished nothing.

There’s nothing to it.

It didn’t accomplish a thing. Nobody’s edified. Nobody learned a thing.

But:

it was entertaining

it was an interesting story

it was a funny thing to tell

or whatever

Don’t waste time on useless material.

But striving about words to no profit — perhaps the things we saw in First Timothy chapter 1 as well, about the things that have to do with:

fables

endless genealogies

verse 4

verse 5

That similar kind of thought.

But charge them:

if you’re going to be a workman, a workman that has every reason to be ashamed is one who’s spending time on controversial things that amount to nothing

He’s not saying:

don’t contend for the faith

That’s not his point.

But his point is:

wasting time on things that are of no profit

That’s to the ruin of the hearers.

B. Be Diligent / Study to Show Thyself Approved (v. 15)

Now verse 15:

“Be diligent…”

Your King James, if you’re using the King James, may say:

“Study to show yourself approved unto God”

The word really and literally means the idea of:

being diligent

Be a diligent, dedicated worker to present yourself as approved unto God.

Then you’re a workman who does not need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.

So:

be diligent

put forth an effort

more than just reading and studying

in every area of your service

be diligent

1. Question Number Six — What Does It Mean to Rightly Handle or Rightly Divide the Word of Truth?

What does that mean?

All right, a good point.

Quite often you hear people talk about rightly dividing the word of truth:

“You’ve got to divide the Old from the New Testament.”

And that’s true, but that’s not even the point under consideration.

It means:

handling it properly

handling it right

handling it with care

A workman that has no reason to be ashamed is one who takes the word of God and he handles it properly.

He takes the text:

he puts it in context

he makes application of the text

rather than abusing the text

Or rather using it to flavor.

There are some preachers that take the scriptures and they flavor their message with scripture, but their message is really their own thinking.

It’s:

a promotion of self

or maybe it’s an agenda he has

But he flavors it with a little scripture so it has the flavor and the taste of scripture, but he’s not really preaching the scripture at all.

Makes sense?

So:

he’s misusing the scriptures

he’s mishandling the scriptures

Now I think verse 14 and verse 15 are in contrast:

those who strive about words to no profit are mishandling the scriptures

but you, Timothy, be the kind of workman that handles the scriptures aright

You use it with skill. You make proper application. You put passages in their context. You preach the whole counsel of God.

You’re mishandling if you only preach the positive and not preach the negatives, et cetera.

C. Shun Profane and Vain Babblings (vv. 16–18)

Now verse 16, which tells me that we’re going back to the thought of verse 14:

“But shun profane and vain babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness.”

What’s that about?

In fact your footnote will say, in the New King James at least:

empty chatter

What does that mean?

Chatter is:

a lot of talking

And empty means:

it doesn’t mean anything

Just because someone can talk for an hour and throw a few scriptures out, does that mean he said anything?

That doesn’t mean he said a thing.

It may amount to nothing. May not have taught a thing. May not have exhorted you. May not have encouraged you.

Just a lot of empty chatter.

But profane and vain babbling, or empty chatter:

just increases to more ungodliness

And that’s because the truth is not taught.

1. Case in Point — Hymenaeus and Philetus

He mentions a case in point, verse 17.

And that is the case of:

Hymenaeus

Philetus

They are fitting into that category.

What did they teach, verse 18?

the resurrection had already taken place

What does that refer to?

I don’t know for sure.

In some shape, form, or fashion they taught a doctrine that said the resurrection is past.

Some think that means:

those who had died have already been resurrected to eternal life

and so the resurrection is past for some

there’s not a resurrection in the future for them

maybe for us, but not for them

because they’ve already been resurrected

Some think they were arguing for some kind of spiritual resurrection and that there is no bodily resurrection in the end of time, but it is a spiritual resurrection that’s already taken place.

I’m not sure what they were saying.

But I know this:

there is a resurrection taught in the future

1 Corinthians 15

and they said it’s already passed

That means they were wrong.

For sure.

And verse 15 — or verse 16 — says it just increases to more ungodliness.

2. Danger of That Error

The danger of that is what, verse 18?

I mean, what’s the big deal?

They say the resurrection is past. We know it hadn’t. But let them teach it, and if people believe that, they can’t change the resurrection.

What happens?

They’re teaching something — yeah, what’s the wording here?

You’re right:

it overthrows the faith of some

It overthrows the faith. It debunks their faith.

That happens with a number of things.

For example:

some of the teaching on Genesis 1 and 2

Genesis 1 to 12 being kind of a myth

or not true history

You teach that to your young people, and that will overthrow their faith.

They will have no confidence in:

Genesis 1 and 2

in the creation account

or in the God that wrote it

D. The Foundation of God Stands Sure (v. 19)

All right, now verse 19.

Let’s get that quickly.

In contrast to that:

“The foundation of God stands sure, having this seal…”

What is this seal?

That’s a legal inscription.

But what’s the — in other words it’s assurance.

What is the assurance we have?

Absolutely:

God knows those that are his

What does that mean to us, or to Timothy?

Yes, absolutely.

The Lord never loses sight of His own.

So the faithful have no reason to be shaken or be disturbed or discouraged.

Timothy:

don’t be discouraged

There are those teaching empty chatter, and you keep fighting against that. You hold to the truth, and the Lord will know those that are His.

If you’re His, the Lord knows who you are. And the Lord will keep that in mind. And the Lord will take care of that.

And that’ll encourage the man or the woman who is discouraged.

IV. Be Pure (2 Timothy 2:19–22)

Now let’s talk about being pure, 19 to 22, as we work through this.

A. Depart from Iniquity

Look at the end of verse 22 — part B of verse 22:

“Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”

In other words — I’m sorry, that’s verse 19, yes, yes.

In other words:

stay pure

Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.

B. Illustration of Vessels in a Great House (v. 20)

Now he gives an illustration here at verse 20.

What’s his point?

“In a great house there are vessels of gold and silver, and of wood and of clay, some for honor and some for dishonor.”

If you cleanse yourself, your vessel is in honor.

I think his point is:

there are men like Hymenaeus and Philetus

they are vessels of dishonor

But you, Timothy, make sure you are a vessel unto honor.

So in order to do that, what you need to do, verse 19 is:

depart from iniquity

purge yourself of the sin

Now look at verse 21:

“If anyone cleanses himself of the latter, he is a vessel of honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.”

In other words, his point is that if you become a vessel of honor, you’re of use in your purpose in the Lord’s kingdom.

C. Flee Youthful Lusts (v. 22)

Now let’s get ahead to verse 22.

I’m convinced we sometimes lift that out of context, and that is:

“flee youthful lusts”

I don’t think we misapply it. I just think we apply it usually to sensual lust.

We tell folks:

flee youthful lusts

temptations and lusts peculiar to youth

and so you need to run from it

That’s true. That is a youthful lust. Flee from it. The text says so.

So let’s put it back in its context.

Probably here it refers maybe to — y’all don’t know anymore and I do, do you?

[Laughter]

I’m thinking it probably refers to the temptation toward:

pride

or toward being timid

toward fear

I guess is the word I’m looking for, as per the context.

Where Timothy — or where Paul is older.

Paul is aged. Paul has been around the block, and perhaps he’s developed this boldness to the point it’s old hat for him, but Timothy’s just learning some of this.

Maybe that’s what fits into the context.

Maybe it includes other things, and I think it would.

But it seems in the context he may be talking about:

live up your life

avoid

and run away as far as you can from the youthful temptations

maybe that timidity and that fear

D. Pursue Righteousness

Then he talks about following after purity.

Look at verse 22.

I’m wanting to get to some other points here. Our time is running out.

Look at verse 22:

“Pursue righteousness, faith, love…”

“With those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”

In other words:

when you run from something

you run toward something else

So if you run from sin:

run toward righteousness

and godly living

V. Be a Good Servant (2 Timothy 2:23–26)

Now the rest of the chapter has to do with being a good servant.

So let’s see what he says in this context.

A. Avoid Disputes and Quarreling (vv. 23–24)

It goes back to this point of avoiding disputes and quarreling.

Look at verse 24 — or beginning before that:

“Avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing they generate strife.”

So here’s foolish and unlearned questions.

American Standard just says:

questionings

They gender strife.

Things that amount to nothing:

that when you get through

and you’ve argued over it

and you settle it

you still haven’t accomplished anything

We’ve talked about that already.

Now let’s get verse 24:

“A servant must not quarrel, but be…”

What?

kind to all

gentle to all

able to teach

patient

So Timothy, if you’re a good servant:

you’re going to avoid the disputes and quarreling

you’re going to be gentle in your dealing with people

you’re going to be able to teach

and you’re going to be patient

1. What Does Patience Have to Do with Being a Good Teacher/Preacher?

Absolutely.

One of the most frustrating things is trying to teach somebody something that you think is as clear as a bell, and they’re just totally confused.

And so you can get frustrated and drive them further away, or you can methodically back up and work through that somehow.

Your point is:

to teach them the truth

not to win the argument over them

B. Correcting with Humility (vv. 25–26)

Now verse 25 and 26.

Let’s talk about humility.

“In humility correcting those who are in opposition.”

What does that mean?

be gentle in your teaching

don’t lord over knowledge

That’s good.

There is going to be opposition, Timothy.

But as you deal with those people, deal with them with a dose of humility.

You’re going to deal with them with a dose of humility.

And here’s why, verse 25 at the end:

We’re hoping maybe, just maybe, they’ll come to their senses.

Yes, say again:

that they will repent

Absolutely, yes:

that they may repent

and they may come to their senses

and escape the snare of the devil

having been taken captive by him to do his will

We don’t have time to develop that thought of being taken captive by Satan to do his will, but that’d be an interesting study within itself.

VI. Final Summary of the Chapter

All right, so that’s what Second Timothy chapter two is about:

be a workman

who has no reason to be ashamed

Next week we’re going to deal with perilous times.

There’s a lot in that chapter:

perilous times that Timothy has to face