2 Timothy 2 DO THE RIGHT THING *** Before we get to the sermon, I wanted to let you know that a precious Saint of God in our congregation went to be home with her Lord Friday night Debi Foster passed from death into TRUE Life with Jesus And she will most assuredly will be missed But her suffering is over, and she has received her new, glorified body, and likely doing cartwheels and riding her unicycle Psalm 116:15 [15] Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints. // INTRO By way of review, let’s take a moment to look where we’ve been, when it comes to the correspondence that took place between Paul, who was in prison, and young Timothy, who was pastoring the Church at Ephesus We’ll just hit the main ideas from each chapter: 1 Tim 1- STAND STRONG IN THE FAITH 1 Tim 2- STRIVE FOR A QUIET AND PEACEFUL LIFE 1 Tim 3 - MANAGING GOD’S HOUSE 1 Tim 4 - DON’T FALL AWAY! 1 Tim 5 - PRIORITIZE THOSE IN NEED 1 Tim 6 - FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT 2 Tim 1- REMAIN FAITHFUL (to the Lord and His Gospel) This section of Paul’s second letter to his disciple contains a good amount of what ends up being practical advice for Timothy, as a young pastor And as a Pastor, I’ve given and received a fair amount of advice over the years Some of it was immediately tossed out, and some of it was taken and weighed against the Scriptures, and then either tossed or embraced And there has been some that has been gold - words of wisdom that have helped me stay the course, whether applied in ministry or at home The truth is that God’s Word is gold! We should treat it as such! It’s our lifeline to what God has already spoken, so that we may know how we are to live in this life, and how to prepare for the life to come As we get into the text this morning, the thrust and direction of this chapter is really about DOING THE RIGHT THING regardless of the circumstances, regardless of the pressure, and regardless of the outcome // TEXT & EXPOSITION 2 Tim 2:[1] You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, Paul considered Timothy as a son, not having had any natural progeny of his own But He gives this advice to young Timothy, who was shepherding a congregation to be strengthened in grace Grace is God’s unmerited favor In other words, you can’t earn it - no one can It is freely given, and anyone can humble themselves and receive it But it is those who continue in the flesh, trying to make things happen for themselves, that miss what God intends for them Grace is given for our strength because Jesus knows how circumstances and hardship can wear us down He knows because He’s experienced it Himself Praise God for the gift of His Son! The phrase or epitaph used all through the New Testament is “Christ Jesus” or “Jesus Christ” That’s not his first and last name When I was a kid, I thought Christ was Jesus’ last name But Jesus is His name, and Christ is His title, which means the “Anointed One” So Paul urges Timothy to be strong, not in or of himself, but in the grace that is only found and accessed through Jesus Christ, through the Anointed But the question remains in the minds of many: How? How can one be strong in grace? It’s simple - so simple in fact, that many people stumble over it and can’t believe that it’s so easy to apprehend It is simply by faith in the Son of God One simply has to believe And when one turns to Christ, grace abounds [2] and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also. Paul urges Timothy to pass along and entrust to faithful men what he has heard from Paul He wanted him to do this in the presence of many witnesses, and this was because the Gospel was given in order to be spread to every corner of the earth - to every tongue, tribe, and nation And here in America, we MUST be passing our faith on the next generation That’s a struggle for us here at Emmaus Road It wasn’t always the case - we has children and youth and college-aged men and women in our congregation, but they all grew up and moved on for various reasons We need to make it a priority in our prayers corporately and individually, that God would once again fill this church with collegiates all the way down to newborns And the purpose behind all this is NOT to build a large congregation The purpose of God is that we would disseminate and pass on the faith to others, and especially the next generation Therefore, we must entrust and pass on these truths to faithful men who in turn will teach others also There will never be a time until the Lord comes when we cease making disciples who make disciples [3] Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. Suffering is an inevitability in our fallen world, and as the Lord would have it, an integral part of the Christian life But for the Christian, living with the hope of glory, it is not burdensome, knowing what awaits us in the life to come We must embrace suffering like a good soldier on the battlefield would Of course, he’d rather not be there, and would rather not be shot or killed But he is there for a reason, and that reason is for the good of others Civilians aren’t trained to wage war, but the soldier is And this text is aiming right at us, telling us in no uncertain terms that we need to pick up a weapon and fight Good soldiers of Christ Jesus suffer It’s not a form of punishment, but simply a fact of life in a fallen world But our warfare is not against flesh and blood… Ephesians 6:10–20 [10] Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. [11] Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. [12] For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. [13] Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. [14] Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, [15] and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. [16] In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; [17] and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, [18] praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, [19] and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, [20] for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak. And now Paul give us 3 real world examples: the Soldier, the Athlete, and the Farmer [4] No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. The soldier is not free to get caught up in the affairs of everyday life, because the soldier is called and trained for battle He or she is no longer a civilian His or her aim is to please the C.O. (Commanding Officer) and the one who enlisted him for the fight One must put all the rest aside and focus on the mission [5] An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. It’s similar to an athletic competition That person must compete according to the rules in order to win the competition He or she cannot claim that prize if that one has cheated in any way - they have to compete according to the rules Additionally, that one will fail to win if he or she has failed to condition their body, which necessarily means prioritization of some things over others, and the loss of some things, if only for a season [6] It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops. I’ve known farmers, and that is HARD work! It requires long hours and hardship So it’s only right that He and his family should get the first share of the crops He was the one who put in the most effort to bring them about [7] Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything. Paul is inviting us to think about the take-aways from those metaphors that are so important for God’s kids to know and understand? We need to consider them carefully, and the promise is that the Lord will give you understanding regarding all these things There is a better reward to be had than the one an athlete receives, or even a wounded soldier who fought for his or her country But like any physical competition, it requires much of the individual This is where those 3 examples come together to make the same point for us as readers of Scripture When you stand on the winner’s podium, all that was hard or mundane or difficult and undesirable fades away with the praise of winning The same is true for the soldier who gets his or her commendation for valor And so it is for the farmer who enjoys the fruits of his labors and shares them with his family and friends In all of this, the Lord loves to give wisdom and insight to those who ask for it So consider these word pictures carefully, and the Lord will bring understanding [8] Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, How many of you know that the Gospel is offensive? Not just to pagans, but also to us It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been saved and in God’s family, at some point we receive discipline Why? Because the message of salvation through Christ alone is exclusive It is a narrow way, which means it excludes EVERY OTHER WAY that man might choose We must always remember this One of the most offensive realities that send people packing when it comes to Jesus is that NO ONE is saved by works Fallen people (that’s all of is, by the way) persist in trying to get God to love and accept them on their own terms But God only accepts us on HIS terms, and His terms are coming in humbleness and taking ownership of our sin, such that we can therefore be forgiven by Christ If we can’t humble ourselves, and own our sin so as to repent before Him, there’s nothing to be done That person will continue in his or her sin apart from the love of Jesus and the Holy Spirit who would have come in to take up residence The Gospel must be shared Our faith is not so much a “come-see” faith as much as it is a “go-tell” faith The mission comes first, above all else It’s hard work at times, and you need to know that up front The Lord will be with you and in you (via the parakletos - the Holy Spirit) He promised that to us Also, there is a historical reminder here embedded in v8 Jesus is the rightful heir to the Throne of Israel via David’s lineage, which makes Him heir to that throne of Israel But He’s also heir to the world, as the Son of God, which means He’s the King over planet earth And we are promised that we will reign and rule with Him! Can’t wait!! (( [8] Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel,...)) [9] for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! [10] Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. Paul would choose chains if it would mean the propagation of the Gospel message And He did suffer much, even being imprisoned as if he were a dangerous criminal, instead of someone with a different religious conviction Being imprisoned was a weight he was willing to bear if it meant serving Jesus and participating in the Lord’s agenda for the world Paul and others might have been jailed as criminals, but God’s Word can never be locked up It can never be shut out So because God’s Word prevails, Paul says that he can endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen But who are those people? This is a HUGE issue in theology, and most people don’t understand it, and even the ones that think they do Paul says that he can endure all things for the sake of the elect, and in this context he means his imprisonment and beatings (and later, his execution) The Jews were the ones that God elected/chose, but God widened the circle with the inclusion of Gentiles who were coming to faith in Jesus This was always God’s plan But the wording here causes people to stumble due to their theological presuppositions So this topic can become a huge problem in theological circles, as many do not understand what it actually means What makes these people elect? And what does it mean to be elect or elected? Well, it’s actually quite simple The Elect are those who choose Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, and therefore are chosen to be IN Christ It's not Calvinism (and honestly, that systematic theology has poisoned the well regarding many of these terms we use) This passage does not support Reformed Theology (AKA - Calvinism) So let me make this is simple as I possibly can You are CHOSEN when you CHOOSE Jesus!! You are IN Christ when you put your faith in Christ!! The choosing is our prerogative to COME TO Christ, because He has invited us to do so So God’s Word prevails! So what was predestined? Where does that come into it? So it works like this - ANYONE who chooses Jesus is saved, and once they’ve given their lives to Him, there are some gifts and promises that become your own, because you’ve now been adopted into God’s family Those gifts and promises are destined before hand, such that anyone who puts faith in Jesus will also receive those promises as their own And in that way, the effects of salvation are predestined (it's what you get as a result) It’s not about who will and won’t be saved God knows who will and won’t, but that’s not what’s in view in this letter from Paul It’s not about God picking His team in eternity past to the exclusion of most of humanity God’s exhaustive knowledge of all things does not mean that God has determined all things whatsoever comes to pass Those are bad and wrong concepts that have been overlaid on top of the text of Scripture and pushed on people who didn’t know different So once again, just to make it crystal clear, God absolutely does know who will and won’t put their faith in Him for salvation But it does not follow logically that He has therefore chosen some and damned most by some arbitrary decree in eternity past Every human is a free moral agent who can actually make choices I mean, just consider the language of the Bible when God talks about those who sin against Him “...but they would not repent…” And this truth makes clear the true volition and freedom that God has given unto Man, even to be able to reject the most wonderful Person in existence [11] The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; [12] if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; [13] if we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself. This was an early Christian creed, or what we would call an early confession of the Church It would be something they memorized and would repeat aloud when they gathered for worship If we give our lives to Christ, we will surely spend eternity in His Presence If we endure hardship for the sake of Christ, we will reign and rule with Him But if we deny Him, He will deny us He is the one who is Faithful and True, and that is why He also gives us the Holy Spirit to live in us, because He knows we are weak and we need help The Deconstruction movement over the past several years has picked up steam in our culture, and it seems like many Christians are abandoning their faith And in the light of this creed, it become that much more damning for those who turning their backs on Jesus and denying Him Would a true Christian deny Christ? I don’t believe so - if their hope is solely in Jesus and the hope of Heaven, they will persevere till the end of their lives, or the ending of the age, whichever comes first Romans 1:18: Paul describes those “who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth”. Romans 8:7: Paul says, “The mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law”. 1 John 2:15: John warns, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him”. 1 Peter 5:6: The gospel calls you to “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you”. [14] Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. Paul did not want the Christians to debate are get into arguments when they were gathered to worship It takes the focus off of Jesus and hinders the Holy Spirit, as we’re focused on ourselves Don’t waste your time nitpicking over the minutia of words when the Body is gathered to honor the Lord Jesus It ruins those who are listening Focus on Him, not your best thought about Him [15] Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. Who cares what Man thinks? I mean, really? Who cares? Only God’s opinion matters This is to the particular verse is aimed at Pastors - those who are tasked with guarding the flock from false teachers and teachings Pastors must be diligent to present themselves to God as one approved A Pastor must handle the Word of god rightly To fail to do so is to set your listeners on a faulty or bad path This is something that I see most, not in overtly BAD churches (health and wealth churches or LOOK AT ME celebrity churches) - both of those have major pitfalls, to be sure But just in the all- around American Church culture, there is a hunger for more of the wrong things There is a metric that is not God’s metric - not His way of measuring things to see if they're good or not, if they’re useful to the Kingdom or not Paul tells Timothy, with all candor and directness, to handle the Word of Truth rightly Whatever else a pastor does or does not do, this one issue determines much for those who listen to what is said in the “Name of God” [16] But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, [17] and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, [18] who have swerved from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some. [19] But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.” Avoid empty and worldly chatter and gossip It only leads to more ungodliness Their ungodly talk spreads through a community like wildfire Like gangrene spreads through a person’s body There were examples of this happening even in the early church, and Paul rebuked them for allowing it to happen And we have 2 names here - Hymenaeus and Philetus They were spreading ungodly talk in the church This issue has to do with the Rapture of the Church 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. These false teachers were specifically saying that the Resurrection of the Dead had already taken place, and it was upsetting to many in the Church for fear that they had missed it And if you’re worrying, then don’t - you haven’t missed it It is still coming, and very soon, in my estimation [20] Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. [21] Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work. So if anyone chose to cleanse of these things which were dishonorable, that person would be a vessel of honor instead But the individual must choose that for themselves God does not impose it on anyone In the same way, we must make the choice to love Him When anyone does choose honor and obedience to Christ, and cleanses himself from the world, that one will be a vessel of honor, now sanctified (made holy), useful to the Master and prepared for every good work [22] So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. [23] Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. [24] And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, [25] correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, [26] and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will. Paul urges Timothy to flee from youthful lusts and instead to give his energy and effort to pursuing righteousness, faith, love and peace He also calls us to make sure we are coming together as those who love Him, and doing it regularly, even as we see that Day approaching (and it is….rapidly!) Even though this is to Timothy, and about Pastoral leadership, there is some application for us We musn’t be caught up in foolish and ignorant speculations regarding things that cannot be definitively known in this life Those things inevitably produce quarrels and end up separating the Body, you don’t have to be a pastor to violate that But we need to be good students of God’s Word so that we handle it rightly in every situation Specifically, as the Lord’s servants in the Pastorate, I/we must not be quarrelsome, but kind to all A good Pastor must be able to teach the Word, not Man’s best thoughts about God And when there is any opposition to the teaching in the Church, the Pastor needs to be able to oppose that person or persons and correct them gently, if possible Sometimes, ‘gently’ is not on the menu And I’ve seen that up close and personal If all these things take place as prescribed, those who are wayward may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been in captivity to him, doing the enemy’s will, whether the person knew it or not // APPLICATION One of the big themes in this chapter is enduring hardship And this isn’t going to be a new idea for any of you, but hardship is an inevitability in this life, not because we deserve it necessarily, but because of the Fall of Man and the subsequent Curse There really is no escaping it, and those who try only end up making it worse Think back to Paul’s examples of the soldier, athlete, and farmer None of those are passive roles, nor are they filled by passive people A passive person in any of those 3 roles will undermine the desired outcome of each of those 3 endeavors It is only the one who engages with effort who sees a return on his or her investment All of this is simply to say that the Christian faith is not a passive system or endeavor One does not simply put one’s faith in Jesus only to sit down, make himself comfy and cozy, and then wait passively for something to happen No! It requires constant engagement Our faith is not passive - it is awake and alive! If it’s asleep, kick it in the bottom! If it’s wayward, let the Spirit course correct Engage with the Spirit right where you are Give your first and best to the Lord, and that includes your efforts and attempts to minister to others The Gospel is too precious to be neglected, and we are rapidly coming to the ending of the Age If there was ever a time to talk about Jesus and what He’s done for us, it is now If there was ever a time to study the Bible with other Believers and to edify one another, the time is now Now is the time to bring those who are not connected to the Church into the life of the Church, and into the knowledge of Christ Make disciples who make disciples Let’s pray and ask our Lord to help us do just that! PRAY SING GO The Christian faith is not a passive system or endeavor It requires constant engagement with the Spirit right where you are The Gospel is too precious to be neglected, and we are rapidly coming to the ending of the Age If there was ever a time to talk about Jesus and what He’s done for us, it is now GO and make disciples who make disciples