Sunday School 2-12-06 2nd Timothy 2(14-26)
2nd Timothy 2:14 Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers.
Put them in remembrance
The job of the New Testament preacher is to constantly remind his flock of righteous living and of how to be a good soldier for the Lord. I have been preaching 2o years at Addison Church. I have no new things left to say. My job is to remind you as God reminds me of the principles upon which He wants to build our lives.
Strive not about words to no profit
The phrase means to wrangle about empty and trifling matters. Nothing is better than when Godly men and women gather to discuss and learn God’s word. Nothing is worse than when someone wants to fuss about some miniscule pet project of theirs and disagree with everyone else in the world in the matter. I will give you a little nugget of wisdom: when no one sees a scripture the way you do, you are probably wrong. Here’s another one: when no one else has ever thought of the idea you have, it is probably wrong. The Bible is 2000 years old. I doubt if you will discover a principle which has not been contemplated by greater minds than yours. The only thing this kind of vain-jangling accomplishes is to subvert which means to overthrow or destroy someone. That should not be our goal!
2:15 Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2:16 But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.
Study
The Apostle commands the minister to study the word of God. Study means to exert one's self, or to give diligence. It is not a passive word. When we read the Word of God we can be passive; when we study we should dig into the subject matter and search the rest of the Scripture to bring light to the passage. Notice the phrase “rightly dividing.” The connotation is to make straight and smooth, to handle aright, to teach the truth directly and correctly. The Word of God must be divided or made plain if we are to benefit from the subject matter.
Vain babblings
The phrase means empty discussion, discussion of vain and useless matters.
2:17 And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus; 2:18 Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.
Canker
Canker means a gangrene, a disease by which any part of the body suffering from inflammation becomes so corrupted that, unless a remedy be seasonably applied, the evil continually spreads, attacks other parts, and at last eats away the bones. The only treatment if allowed to go far enough, is amputation. Gangrene may appear harmless at first, but it spreads rapidly, devouring flesh as it goes. These profane arguments start out harmless, but they don’t end that way. The longer it goes the worse it gets. People take sides, get offended, and then leave the church. It is totally unnecessary and evil. It needs to be stopped before it cripples the ministry involved. If you are guilty of this habit; stop it!
The resurrection is past
The heresy these fellows were spreading was that the resurrection had already occurred and that they were living in the Tribulation Period. Some today are spreading this same nonsense. The only purpose in spreading this doctrine is to gain notoriety for the authors. There is no hint that we are living beyond the resurrection. This is a common misconception. Believe me, when the Lord returns to rapture His flock, the world will take notice. He is coming with a shout, the voice of the arch-angel, the trump of God will sound, the dead in Christ will rise, and all the saints of God who have already died will be with Him. What a commotion that will be! When the Lord uses the illustration that He is coming as a thief in the night He is referring to the fact He is coming unannounced at a time which the world will not be looking for Him. He never said He was leaving without notice!
2:19 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
The Lord knoweth His own
The word translated foundation literally means beginnings, or first principals. The primary foundation of our relationship with Christ is He knows us and we know Him. Paul in another place said “I know in whom I have believed.” (2nd Timothy 1:12) This wishy-washy, hope so, maybe, salvation is not Biblical. God knows who have dedicated their lives unto Him. He knows the ones who truly believe and trust in Him. Those who are saved know that God has redeemed them from sin. They can place their head on the pillow at night and rest assured they are sons and daughters of God. If Christ comes before morning, we can be confident in our election.
2:20 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. 2:21 If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.
Vessels
In these 2 verses Paul is referring to Church members by using an illustration of household utensils. The visible church, not God’s redeemed church, but the church you and I and the world behold, is made up of precious vessels made of gold and silver, but also of vessels which are earthly and ordinary, referred to as made of wood and earth. The folks Paul was referring to above (Hymenaeus and Philetus) which were spreading false doctrine were vessels of wood and earth. They are not truly saved. They are earthly and know of earthly things. Notice the charge here; if a man “purge” or separate himself from these kinds of people, he can be used for the master’s service. God’s house is a great house; He only uses the best utensils for His service. If we want to be fit to be used by our Father in Heaven, we must purge ourselves from the imperfection and false doctrines of the world with its lusts. We need to allow God to birth us into the family by His Spirit and to polish us with His word. Gold and silver must be mined; then it must undergo the fiery furnace to purify it from all of the junk that has attached itself to it. Once we are pure from imperfection through the fire of testing and trials (1st Peter 1:6-7), we can be fit for the master’s use and “prepared unto every good work.”
2:22 Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
Youthful lusts
Youthful lusts are the desires which accompany one who is not mature. Young men desire wealth, social standing, and fame. Age, experience, and the Word of God, teach us that there is more to life than what we see. We come to the place where we understand this world is not our home. We are pilgrims and strangers here. I desire no big house or ostentatious demonstrations of wealth; I only desire to live righteously in the presence of my God. Sometimes Satan can get my eyes off the goal, but it is easier as I grow in Christ to climb back into the right frame of mind. My waverings do not last near as long. We are not to pursue these things, but we are to pursue Godly things. Righteousness, faith, charity, and peace, are actually more valuable eternally and in this present world. May we mature to the point where we comprehend this principle.
2:23 But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes.
Foolish and unlearned questions
Foolish means impious, or godless. Unlearned means uneducated, ignorant, or rude. Where did Cain’s wife come from? How long did Adam and Eve live in the Garden before they sinned? Why did God ask Abraham to offer His only Son Isaac as a human sacrifice when He knew He would not allow Abraham to finish the offering? Why did God need Abraham to demonstrate his faith; doesn’t God know everything? Why does the Bible say God hated Esau and loved Jacob? Why did God harden Pharaoh’s heart so that he would not let the Israelites leave Egypt? I’m going to save you a lot of heartaches and problems by giving you some simple advice an elderly woman of God gave me when I was a very young minister. I was asking some silly question, I don’t even remember what it was, and she advised me that this kind of thing is “God’s business, not mine!” She told me to attend to my business and let God attend to His. She was right. We need to believe the Word of God. When we try to answer question which are impossible to answer we only gender strifes or create arguments. When you cannot understand, then it is time for faith to rule!
2:24 And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, 2:25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; 2:26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
The character needed for a servant of God
Paul teaches us proper character for a minister. Let’s examine some of Paul’s directions. The minister must not strive or look for quarrels and confrontation. He should be a gentle man. He should be apt to teach. The phrase means willing and skillful in teaching. A teacher does not have to be a Pastor, but a Pastor needs to be a teacher. The Pastor must be willing to teach the young and immature members as well as dive deeply into the Word of God to satisfy the mature in Christ. It is often not an easy task. The Sermons and lessons should challenge the elders in the church and inspire the new converts. Please pray that I get better in this task. The minister should instruct with meekness. The word means gentleness or mildness. He is not to offend nor discourage the young person needing help; he is to kindly and gently lead him in the correct way. We need to understand when folks follow wrong paths and heretical ideas they are opposing themselves. They are damaging their own lives both spiritually and physically. They need to repent so that God can help them recover themselves from the snare of the Devil. It is our job to inform them of this need to repent. The word repentance means a change of mind as to a purpose a person has formed or of something he has done. Repentance does not mean to cry though Godly sorrow brings repentance.(2nd Corinthians 7:10) Satan goes about seeking whom he may devour. We need to strive so that he doesn’t devour those in our care.
New Living Translation (to be used as a commentary only)
14 Remind everyone of these things, and command them in God’s name to stop fighting over words. Such arguments are useless, and they can ruin those who hear them. 15 Work hard so God can approve you. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth. 16 Avoid godless, foolish discussions that lead to more and more ungodliness. 17 This kind of talk spreads like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are examples of this. 18 They have left the path of truth, preaching the lie that the resurrection of the dead has already occurred; and they have undermined the faith of some.19 But God’s truth stands firm like a foundation stone with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and “Those who claim they belong to the Lord must turn away from all wickedness.” 20 In a wealthy home some utensils are made of gold and silver, and some are made of wood and clay. The expensive utensils are used for special occasions, and the cheap ones are for everyday use. 21 If you keep yourself pure, you will be a utensil God can use for his purpose. Your life will be clean, and you will be ready for the Master to use you for every good work.22 Run from anything that stimulates youthful lust. Follow anything that makes you want to do right. Pursue faith and love and peace, and enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts.23 Again I say, don’t get involved in foolish, ignorant arguments that only start fights. 24 The Lord’s servants must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone. They must be able to teach effectively and be patient with difficult people. 25 They should gently teach those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will believe the truth. 26 Then they will come to their senses and escape from the Devil’s trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants.
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PASTOR RICK BARCUS
