The Challenge of Biblical Preaching

2 Timothy 2:14-21

Keep reminding them of these things. Warn them before God against quarrelling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. Their teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have wandered away from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some. Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.”

In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble. If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.

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f you were to attend seminary, what would you learn? Historically, ministerial students were taught to read the biblical languages, systematic and practical theology, and Bible exposition. Each student would be expected to serve under a mentor for a period of time in order to solidify their theological positions and to study at close hand hermeneutics and homiletics. Today, the course of study has changed.

While most students will be expected to take at least one course in Greek, the study of Hebrew and Aramaic has largely fallen out of favour. Students capable of reading the koine Greek of the New Testament are a rarity. It is doubtful that more than a handful of pastors still read the original languages after three years in the pastorate, if they could ever read those languages. Few students have a developed theology upon entering the ministry. Increasingly, ministers are compelled to develop their belief system after accepting their first pastorate. Though they avow a theology acceptable to the church which calls them, they really are incapable of defending their position.

Most of those graduating from seminary seem to be unable to articulate their hermeneutic and they will have had perhaps one short class in homiletics. Preaching skills will have been depreciated in favour of counselling skills. Few will know how to preach expositional messages, so they will deliver thematic sermons. They will have had few models to follow for expositional preaching. They will be better versed in psychology than in theology. Some will struggle to rise above the handicaps their education imposed, but the most will content themselves with thinking that being “nice” and endeavouring to be “well-liked” will stand them in good stead in the ministry.

Paul, writing to a young pastor, presented a different view of service to the Lord in 2 Timothy 2:1-13. You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others. Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs—he wants to please his commanding officer. Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor’s crown unless he competes according to the rules. The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.

Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained. Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.

Here is a trustworthy saying:

If we died with him,

we will also live with him;

if we endure,

we will also reign with him.

If we disown him,

he will also disown us;

if we are faithless,

he will remain faithful,

for he cannot disown himself.

The Role of a Pastor is to Remind of Biblical Truth. Keep reminding them of these things. What things? These things are four great truths which must be preached if the minister of God will honour Him who appoints to holy service. The Apostle first insisted that Timothy be unashamed to identify with Christ and His Gospel [2 Timothy 1:6-12]. Timothy’s foundation was laid when as a child he was taught by his mother and grandmother to accept the great truth of God and His love. Now he must boldly adhere to that truth. The Apostle then urged the young theologue to be consistent in presenting sound teaching [2 Timothy 1:13-18]. He was to accept responsibility to be ever vigilant against diluting the Faith or against compromising what God has revealed.

The young preacher must be prepared to endure hardship for the sake of the Gospel [2 Timothy 2:1-10]. He would need to be strong in the grace of Christ the Lord. He would be required to seek out reliable men qualified to teach others and entrust the teachings of the Word to those men. He would need to guard himself against becoming entangled in the affairs of this world—the young minister had no responsibility to join the local ministerial, the Elks or the Lions or the Zebras or any other social organisation. He will in time receive the rewards God has promised, but he must first stand firm in the face of threat. Above all, Timothy must be faithful to Christ [2 Timothy 2:11-13].

When Paul says keep reminding them of these things, he transfers responsibility to Timothy to ensure that these same truths are taught to all who were under his charge. Just so, each pastor is responsible to teach these same truths to the people whom God assigns to his care. Christians must be taught to live boldly; to be consistent in what is said and done; to endure hardship; and to be faithful to Christ.

If your pastor will honour God, he will not be acceptable to those fully identified with this world. If your pastor will glorify Christ, he will find it necessary to watch that these truths are not only taught, but that they are exemplified in his own life. There is always a temptation to be ashamed of the Faith in this godless day. Few of us are able to bow our heads in a restaurant before we eat. We have been taught that religion should be private, but how can that be if we are transformed? If our citizenship is in heaven [Philippians 3:20], how can we remain loyal to this dying world? We Christians need to be taught to refuse to be ashamed of who we are and that is the work of the pastorate.

The pastor must avoid the constant temptation to tone down the righteous demands of the Son of God. He is the Living Head of the church, and not merely a necessary addition to whom we give cursory acknowledgement before we do whatever we wish. He must direct our paths, and we must submit to Him and His Word. When the pastor preaches the Word, it will on occasion cut and slice the callused soul. The pastor must ensure that he loves God more than loving the praise of men. The man of God must ensure that he loves the Bride of Christ more than he loves any individual member of the Body. When the hard message must be delivered, the man of God must determine that he will courageously speak the truth in love—even though some may feel hurt by that Word.

The man of God must emulate the Apostle in calling people to endure hardship. Join with me in suffering for the gospel is the call of the Apostle [2 Timothy 1:8]. I never cease to marvel at the contrast between the message presented in far too many churches today and that which Paul delivered to disciples in the churches established during the first missionary journey. Today we would hear that we are a king’s kids and we should have everything we want. We would be told that we will never suffer, never experience hardship, never hurt, never want. Now consider the message which the first disciples heard. We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God [Acts 14:22].

This apostolic message is akin to that which Jesus delivered to the disciples as He approached His passion. If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember the words I spoke to you: “No servant is greater than his master.” If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates me hates my Father as well. If I had not done among them what no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen these miracles, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. But this is to fulfil what is written in their Law: “They hated me without reason” [John 15:18-25].

The world will hate the disciple because it hated the Master. The world will persecute the disciple because it persecuted the Master. The unbelieving world will stand in opposition to all that the child of God represents. The man of God must remind the disciples that they will be required to endure hardship. Later, in this same letter, Paul will assert, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived [2 Timothy 3:12, 13].

If the man of God will teach these things, he must remain focused. I question whether there is room for the pastor to become involved in denominational affairs. I am quite convinced based on 2 Timothy 2:3-7 that the minister of Christ has no mandate to unite with unbelievers in promoting any activity. I haven’t time to join any social organisation or service club. I am too busy fulfilling the responsibility Christ assigned when He appointed me to this ministry. I certainly will not unite in the local ministerial to link arms with those who affirm the ordination of sodomites and lesbians, with those who affirm papal infallibility, with those who refuse to honour God through standing against the spirit of this age. If that is offensive to some, let them change their own approval of wickedness and let them go to Him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace He bore [see Hebrews 13:11-13]. I will gladly meet them there.

Above all else, the minister of Christ must remain faithful to Christ and His Word. He must always call the people to resort to that Word instead of relying upon their own best thoughts. This call will not be appreciated by those who wish to please the world about them or who wish to avoid the hardship which will attend the Gospel. Nevertheless, the man of God is responsible to call the people to honour Christ the Lord. Perhaps we have too many today who have sought a Saviour but who have no need of a Lord, and that would account for the offence of the Gospel. I am compelled to say in this vein that Jesus is not your Saviour if He is not your Master.

The Role of a Pastor is to Avoid “Word Splitting” and Godless Chatter. Not only should the pastor himself avoid quarrelling about words and godless chatter, but he must also guide the people away from such verbal filth. As a point of interest, quarrelling about words [logomacei`n] translates a verb which comes from the same family of Greek words as quarrels about words [logomaciva"], a noun, in 1 Timothy 6:4.[1]

First, Paul insists that the man of God must avoid waging a war of words with false teachers, for this can only result in the victory of the speaker and not in the victory of truth. Word splitting whets an appetite for argument rather than building commitment to the Living God. The Apostle likewise insists that the minister of Christ must avoid godless chatter. Focus on these concepts to discover what is pleasing to God.

I am compelled to pointedly address this issue. Whenever someone begins to make the Word of God of no effect through explaining away what God has said, they have begun to quarrel about words and to engage in godless chatter. The reason such activities merit a warning is that it is of no value (it is useless – nasb). Beyond that, permitting such “word-splitting” will ruin those who listen [14b], it will bring shame on the one teaching such error [15], it will lead to ungodliness [16], it spreads rapidly [17a], it upsets the faith of some believers [18], and it is characteristic of those who do not belong to the Lord [19]. Those who would empty the Word of God of its demands are guilty of “word splitting.” To reduce the great doctrines of the Faith to matter of mere opinion or to confuse the unwary by calling such differences a matter of interpretation is “word splitting.”

I grieve as I observe a world in which supposed teachers of the Word promote ungodly teachings. I warn against teaching tolerance of wickedness, abortion and theistic evolution. I warn against those who teach acceptance of homosexuality, evangelical feminism with the attendant promotion of women pastors, optional commitment in marriage or approval of divorce. In the same vein, I warn against open membership and the mode of baptism as optional. Perhaps one of the most hurtful heresies taught under the guise of contemporary Christian Faith is exaltation of self-esteem as a virtue.

As Christians become less and less familiar with the Word of God and as firsthand knowledge of the great truths of Scripture becomes less common, they are ever more susceptible to strange teachings that sounds Christian but which negate the truth of God. We hear of those who advocate being “slain in the Spirit” and of “binding Satan” and of “speaking in tongues” as evidence of the fullness of the Spirit. Tragically, far too many otherwise good Christian men and women are seduced by just such errant doctrine.

May I say lovingly, but pointedly, it is not without reason that Christians are referred to as sheep by the Master. They are susceptible to the sound of error when they fail to hear the voice of the Master. Those who do not read the Word with regularity will find that they are easily led astray. Getting in touch with your feelings about the Faith of Christ the Lord may lead you to violate the will of God.

We react far too emotionally to many statements instead of resting in the Word. The Federal Communications Commission in the United States has been regularly flooded with communication from Christians since at least the 1975. Since that time, they have fielded over 700,000 letters. Now they are regularly inundated by Emails addressing the same false rumours. Those Christians continue to react to false calls to protest the efforts of Madeline Murray O’Hair to remove Christian broadcasting from radio stations, or to remove “Touched by an Angel” from television. Let me state emphatically that Ms. O’Hair has been declared dead (together with one of her sons and a granddaughter) and the American Atheist Association which she founded is no longer a force in the United States.[2]

If something which five minutes of research on the Internet would resolve yet results in such an emotional response from Christians, stampeding them into reacting, should we be surprised that those same Christians are susceptible to being led astray through arguments in the church? Young Christians in this congregation are confused because they hear arguments concerning baptism and membership and women preachers. Though they see the clear teaching of the Word they are nevertheless confused as respected members argue that the error they promote is simply a matter of interpretation. The minister of God is compelled to oppose all such efforts as wicked, regardless of how nicely those arguments are packaged and presented.

What is the minister’s responsibility? The preacher must ensure that his supreme ambition is to obtain God’s approval. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved [15a]. The New English Bible translates this, try hard to show yourself worthy of God’s approval. The minister who will honour Christ must become a workman who does not need to be ashamed [15b]. Finally, this same workman must correctly handle the word of truth [15c]. What an awesome responsibility rests upon the man of God.

The godless chatter [16] which the man of God must avoid is the threat of heresy. The minister of Christ must always be alert to the introduction of error. He must oppose all such teaching, knowing that it will become the basis for increasing ungodliness. Underscore in your mind that Paul is saying that heresy unchecked will result in the heretics becoming more and more ungodly. At the last, such heretics will be exposed as unchristian and ungodly, just as it seen in his earlier letter to the young minister of God. Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, which some have professed and in so doing have wandered from the faith [1 Timothy 6:20, 21].

The Role of a Pastor is to Oppose Error. When the Apostle says of false teachers that their teaching will spread like gangrene, he is charging the man of God to oppose that error. Paul uses the Greek word gavggraina, the word from which we obtain our English word gangrene. The word usually referred to a cancer, and it is thus as apt to say that heresy spreads like a cancer. Just as cancer destroys healthy tissue by overgrowing it, or just as gangrene destroys healthy tissue through cutting off the blood supply, so heresy will wreck havoc in the Body of Christ. What is important for you to know is that heresy is destructive and there is scant antidote against its insidious destruction if ignored.

The minister of Christ is responsible to protect the flock from heresy. Know that bad doctrine leads to bad practises. Poor theology is the basis for ungodliness, and for that reason, the man of God must ever stand opposed to error. The minister of Christ cannot trifle with heresy, but he must rather expose it. I acknowledge that the pastor must not overstate the case by claiming every disagreement with other good people is heresy. However, the shepherd of the flock is responsible to stand opposed to all teaching which is opposed to sound doctrine, for all such errant teaching is heresy.

Paul did not hesitate to name false teachers. Here in the text before us he names Hymenaeus and Philetus as two individuals who have wandered away from the truth. In this case, they were teaching what appears to be a form of amillennialism, saying that the resurrection was past. Such teaching destroyed the faith of some of the people in Ephesus. This is not so very different from the admonition which Paul issued to the Corinthian Christians: Bad company corrupts good character [1 Corinthians 15:33].

In 1 Timothy 1:18-20, Paul had banned Hymenaeus from the congregation. Timothy, my son, I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight, holding on to faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith. Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme. I call your attention to this fact because you must learn that heresy is persistent. Though an individual promoting false teaching may be removed from leadership, though such individuals may even be expelled from membership in the assembly, they seem always seek to pervert the sound teaching of the Lord and to make every effort to draw off followers after themselves. They seldom go away quietly, but they repeatedly endeavour to change the faith of the saints. You thought it was only separatists in Quebec who persisted after a defeat!

I invite your attention as I read the Apostle’s final admonition to the elders of the Ephesian church as appropriate in light of the text which I have chosen for this message. I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears [Acts 20:27-31].

The charge to the minister of Christ is to protect the flock against error. This is accomplished both through exposing error and through teaching the truth. Some will doubtless complain that the servant of Christ is mean spirited because he confronts error and stands on guard against heresy. The minister must nevertheless insist that those wishing to introduce error authenticate their claims. In doing this, the minister honours God through resisting heresy and opposing false teachers if necessary.

It is not an easy task to correctly handle the truth. It is an awesome responsibility. It is made no easier in an age which resists authority. There will always be false teachers. Peter warned, there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping [2 Peter 2:1-3]. False teachers are characterised as surreptitious, destructive, and unfaithful. Their ways are shameful and disreputable. They are motivated by greed and not by a desire for God’s glory.

In 2 Peter 2:10 Peter charged that these false teachers who would plague the churches would follow the corrupt desire of the sinful nature and despise authority. In this he is one with Jude who charges that such people would reject authority [Jude 8]. Ours is a contentious age and it seems that as error multiplies, God’s authority is constantly challenged by error. Those introducing heresies doubt the Word as it is given; they wish to reinterpret what God has said. They resist the authority of God’s appointed leaders for the flock, instead promoting themselves as leaders. You know that you are responsible to obey your leaders and submit to their authority [Hebrews 13:17a], and that also there is no authority except that which God has established [Romans 13:1a]. Thus, ultimately those who try to introduce error at the last rebel against God and resist His authority. Jesus alone is able to say, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me [Matthew 28:18].

The Role of a Pastor is to Teach the Truth. God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.”

In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble. If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.

That is a beautiful truth which Paul has written: The Lord knows those who are His. Also, the truth that everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness. The man of God must promote righteousness, teaching the great truths of God. In doing so he will oppose error, and also provide a solid foundation for the people to build upon. Whereas false teaching tears down the faith of God’s people, the man of God must build up the Body of Christ. Should he, in the course of building the Body, expose error, let those enmeshed in the error forsake their way so that they may be whole and healthy.

Let those who are strong in Christ and mature in the Faith unite with the minister of Christ in standing against the introduction of error. Let the whole Body unite in openly condemning heresy and opposing those who would lead the people of God astray. However, while they must stand firm in opposing error, let their opposition always be gentle in hopes that they may free the errant ones from the devil’s snare. You must know that the man of God always works under constraint of the Word of God which teaches that the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will [2 Timothy 2:24-26].

The man of God must be holy. In verse twenty, Paul is not advocating that every type of vessel is useful to the Lord, but he is leading to the charge that the man of God must continually seek to cleanse the church from false teaching. The separation from sin which is implied in verse nineteen is specially urged in verse twenty-one. Timothy must guard himself from accommodating the error presented by the false teachers. Paul is not specifically urging that the false teachers be excluded with this verse, though he did himself exclude one of those named, but he is cautioning Timothy against even listening to the heresies taught.

The man of God who will be a useful vessel to the Lord, and that call would include all Christians who long to be used of God, will discover that God does something glorious in his life. First, he will be made holy. By standing with God on the great issues which God has addressed, the man of God will be separated to God and set apart from sin. This is not an issue of one making oneself holy, but the clear statement is that God will ensure that the one standing with Him is made holy. Dear people, the way in which to honour God is to find where God stands, and then stand with Him. If you will reject error, if you will reject all that stands opposed to the clear teaching of the Word, you will discover that God sets you apart for His purpose.

Again, whenever the man of God resists evil and opposes error, he will be made useful to the Master. Perhaps it will encourage you if you hear that the word which Paul uses when he states that you can be useful to Christ the Lord is the same word he used of Mark [2 Timothy 4:11] and of Onesimus [Philemon 11]. Mark, who was a failure in his first attempt at servicing Christ, is at last said to be useful in the service of the Apostle. Onesimus, a formerly useless slave, is transformed by the presence of Christ and made useful both to Paul and to the slave’s owner. Perhaps you have thought that you ruined your life and your ministry for Christ. On the authority of God’s Word I declare to you that you may be made useful to the Master through resisting error and following Him.

The minister of Christ who stands against heresy will in short order find that he is prepared to do any good work. The servant of Christ who stands where Christ stands will soon realise that he is ready to undertake whatever responsibility the Lord calls him to. Those whom are recognised as holy, those who are most useful to Christ, those are best equipped to serve the Master, have discovered that there are ignoble practises, unworthy attitudes, unrighteous ideas which they must avoid. Paul is here urging each of us to effect such a separation.

Do not permit heresy to be presented unchecked. Speak against all such error. Do so gently, but do so firmly. You are no friend to the one promoting error if you are silent in the face of that error. Stand with the man of God who must ever endeavour to balance these commands as he presents the Word of God. This is the challenge of preaching, and the more so as we near the end of this age. Amen.

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[1] Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, Jr., The New American Commentary: 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, Vol. 34, Broadman Press, Ó1992

[2] Religious Broadcasting Rumor Denied, www.fcc.gov/mmb/enf/forms/rm-2493.html

FCC 75-946 RM-2493, www.fcc.gov/mmb/asd/decdoc/letter/1975—08—13—religious.html

Touched by an Angel Hoax, http://w3.gwis.com/~jrich92/angel.htm

William J. Murray, www.wjmurray.com/

William J. Murray, www.wjmurray.com/madalyn/default.htm