SSL 10 - 2 Tim. 3:12-17; 4:1-8
LAST WEEK: In 2 Timothy 2:14-26, heard Paul give Timothy instructions on two important themes of leading the church: (1) avoiding "worldly and empty chatter," which can be categorized as human ideas, opinions, wisdom, values, politics that can sow discord in a church and (2) holding to sound biblical teachings with a warning that false teaching and doctrine can poison the body of Christ as surely as gangrene attacks the physical body. At the same time Paul adds a note of compassion, advising Timothy to correct error in the church with gentleness and patience. After all, those who do not believe are not our enemies: they're people we are trying to rescue from the control of the Devil!
THIS WEEK: In the first five verses of this chapter (we skip), Paul predicted: 1 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, 4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these." When we read these verses, can't help but recognize many of these same things in our society today. Every generation produces people with some of these characteristics, but they seem more prevalent today, particularly among those who occupy positions of great power. Paul tells Timothy to "avoid men such as these" (v. 3b) because they are led by human desire (v. 7), and while they may become "learned," they never learn (v. 8). But Paul holds out a ray of hope, stating that: "9 But they will not make further progress; for their folly will be obvious to all" (v. 9b). This is where we come into today's text.
Read 2 Tim. 3:12-15 - CONTINUE IN THE THINGS YOU HAVE LEARNED
12 Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. 13 But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, 15 and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
v. 12: "Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted" - Living "godly" means you live a life that outwardly displays your faith in and allegiance to Jesus Christ. Paul is saying that an unbelieving world-and that's the world we see today-will always be hostile those committed to the Gospel. In America, we have been insulated from much of this because we live in a nation with laws and political institutions influenced by Christian values; however, over the past 70+ years, we've witnessed a large scale erosion of these values, and now we find ourselves in the minority, don't we?
v. 13: "But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived" - Paul is talking about spiritual warfare generally and false teachers specifically. He's telling Timothy to expect the situation to go from bad to worse. We see this in modern churches today, do you agree? Churches that were once doctrinally sound have caved-in to social pressure and have allowed all kinds of apostasy to creep in on issues like creation, adultery, abortion, homosexuality, roles of men and women in church, and many other things-and this has resulted in many splits and factions in what we call mainline churches. And what about false teaching-look at the proliferation of cults like Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, Unitarians, Christian Scientists, Church of Scientology, Baha'I Faith, Nation of Islam, and literally dozens of lesser-known but equally false cults.
v. 14: "You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them" - The word "continue" (Gk. meno) means to remain in a particular dwelling place. It suggests a place like a home, among family and friends, where you reside. Paul is telling Timothy that "things you have learned and become convinced of" are a similar place of comfort and security. For us today, it takes great faith, courage, and self-discipline to "continue" in the things we've learned in church when the culture we live in is constantly trying to pull us in the opposite direction. In order to "continue' in this place, we must be steadfast in prayer, committed in Christian fellowship, and fervent in our study of God's Word. This is the whole armor of God.
v. 15: "and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus" - Timothy was fortunate in teachers, learning faith from his mother, Eunice, and grandmother, Lois, both believers, and then from Paul, who became his mentor. "Sacred writings," an idiom for God's Word, refers to the OT in Timothy's time but includes the NT-our entire Bible-today. Paul's point here is that God's Word has the power to save. Just ask a Gideon about Bibles placed in hotel rooms, hospitals, prisons, crisis centers and hand-distributed to school children, college students, military units, and many other places. Suffice to say that the testimonies from people saved by Gideon Bibles are virtually endless.
TRUTH 1: We see false teaching today in mainline churches that fallen into apostasy and by the proliferation of many different religious cults. Churches that were once doctrinally sound have caved-in to social pressure and have allowed all kinds of apostasy to creep in on issues like creation, adultery, abortion, homosexuality, roles of men and women in church, and many other things-and this has resulted in many splits and factions in what we call mainline churches. And what about false teaching-look at the proliferation of cults like Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, Unitarians, Christian Scientists, Church of Scientology, Baha'I Faith, Nation of Islam, and literally dozens of lesser-known but equally false cults.
TRUTH 2: When Paul refers to "sacred writings" in v. 15, he's making the point that God's Word has the power to save. Just ask a Gideon about Bibles placed in hotel rooms, hospitals, prisons, crisis centers and hand-distributed to school children, college students, military units, and many other places. Suffice to say that the testimonies from people saved by Gideon Bibles are virtually endless.
2 Tim. 3:16-17 - ALL SCRIPTURE IS GOD-BREATHED
16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
v. 16a: "All Scripture is inspired by God" - This is a monumentally important verse; it tells us that all Scripture is of divine origin-that is, from God, not humans. The word used for "inspired" (Gk. theópneustos) literally means God-breathed. This brings to mind that God breathed into the man's nostrils the breath of life and he became a living soul (Gen. 2:7). God's breath, wherever applied, brings life where there is no life. God has breathed into Scripture the breath of life so that those Scriptures can move and instruct us by breathing that breath of life also into us. So what does it mean that God inspired the Scriptures? Some believe in verbal inspiration, in effect, dictated word-for-word by God exactly as He intended; however, this raises questions like why are the vocabularies of Biblical writers so different and distinctive and why do various translations differ in small but immaterial details? Others simply believe that God inspired the writers to convey the message, but in their own words and language.
v. 16b-17: "and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work" - But regardless of the theory of inspiration you lean toward, Scripture is profitable for teaching, correction, and training in every aspect of life simply because of its authority, based on its divine origin-it's infallible and inerrant, 100% true! And if we apply Biblical teaching and learning-an ongoing process-to every aspect of our lives, i.e., marriage, family, church, work, recreation, etc., Paul says we will then be "adequate" (Gk. artios), which means fully qualified and equipped, both spiritually and morally. I think of the Bible as God's handbook for practical living. Don't leave home without it!
TRUTH 3: God has breathed into Scripture the breath of life so that it can move and instruct us by breathing that breath of life also into us. So what does it mean that God "breathed" the Scriptures? Some believe in verbal inspiration, in effect, dictated word-for-word by God exactly as He intended; however, this raises questions like why are the vocabularies of Biblical writers so different and distinctive and why do various translations differ in small but immaterial details? Others simply believe that God inspired the writers to convey the message, but in their own words and language.
2 Tim. 4:1-8 PREACH THE WORD
1 I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, 4 and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. 5 But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. 6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; 8 in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.
v. 1: "I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom" - Paul begins the final chapter of his letter with a very intense command, using the word "charge" (Gk. diamartyromai), a Greek legal term which means to bear witness with force, which is related to our word "martyr," insofar as martyrs were people killed because they bore witness to Christ. Notice that Timothy is charged in the presence of God and Christ Jesus, who are linked here to emphasize their equality. The phrase "who is to judge" means that Christ will have the final authority to distinguish between good and evil. This pictures the Son of Man coming in glory-"by His appearing and His kingdom"-to sit on His throne and judge the gathered nations, where he will separate His sheep from the goats in the final judg-ment (Mt. 25:32-33). What can be more serious than the power to determine eternal destiny?
v. 2: "preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction" - The word "preach" (Gk. kerusso) means to proclaim a message on behalf of another, like speaking for a king. "Word" (Gk. logos) can mean two things in this context: (1) the Scriptures or (2) not the written word but the Living Word-Jesus-who was in the beginning with God, was with God, and was God (Jn. 1:1), and Paul certainly means both of these. Using the phrase "in season and out of season," Paul is telling Timothy to preach the word whether it's popular or not; he is to proclaim the truth whether people like or not. The term "reprove" means to demonstrate that a person is in the wrong; "rebuke" is stronger, meaning to silence a person; and "exhort" means to encourage with urgency. Finally, Timothy is told to treat people as God does, diligently, with patience and long-suffering, and to use thoughtful teaching as a tool of persuasion.
v. 4: "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires" - Now, Paul warns Timothy that the time will come when people will no longer listen to the truth. They will no longer be interested in sound doctrine but will turn, instead, to people who tell them what they want to hear, people who cater to their fleshy desires. This would describe churches that have bent to social pressures and fallen into apostasy. These are people who go to church for a "feel good" experience, i.e., "have their ears tickled," rather than being told God's truth.
v. 5: "But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry" - The word "sober" (Gk. néphó) in this context means to be careful and observant, taking your time to evaluate problems and arrive at reasoned solutions. As to "endure hardship," while Paul isn't implying that Timothy should enjoy or even welcome hardships, he should be willing step out of his "comfort zone" for the sake of the Gospel. The "work of an evangelist" (Gk. euaggelistés) literally means a bringer of good news and pictures an itinerant or street preacher rather than the pastor of a congregation. Connecting that with "fulfill your ministry" suggests that Timothy would be expected at times to get out of the "office" and go and meet the people in the traffic lanes of life.
v. 6: "For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come" - Here, Paul is describing his impending death in OT sacrificial language: the offering of wine poured-out at the base of the altar (Lev. 23:13; Num. 15:5-10). He saw his approaching death as the pouring-out of his life as an offering to Christ. The use of the passive voice-"being poured-out"-implies that God is the one doing the pouring.
v. 7: "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith" - A well-known and often-quoted verse. In this verse Paul looks back over 30+ years of labor as an apostle (36-67 A.D.). Using an athletic metaphor (typical of him), he declares at the close of his life that he has engaged in the one event-the Gospel message-truly worth one's life. Notice there is no claim of personal praise or credit; Paul is simply saying that he has finally completed the course God ordained for him and did it while teaching sound doctrine and keeping to the true faith.
v. 8: "in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing" - Continuing the metaphor of v. 7, Paul likens the "crown of righteousness" to the winner of the race. There are two interpretations of the "crown": (1) that it is the final righteous position of a believer in the glorified state, i.e., in eternity; or (2) as a reward for Paul's perseverance in delivering the Gospel. In either case, Christ will give a crown not only to Paul but to "all who have loved His appearing" which includes all true believers faithfully awaiting the return of Christ.
TRUTH 4: The expression "preach the Word" can mean two things. The word "preach" (Gk. kerusso) means to proclaim a message on behalf of another, like speaking for a king. "Word" (Gk. logos) can mean two things in this context: (1) the Scriptures or (2) not the written word but the Living Word-Jesus-who was in the beginning with God, was with God, and was God (Jn. 1:1), and Paul certainly meant both of these.
TRUTH 5: People who go to church to "have their ears tickled" are seeking a "feel-good" experience rather than seeking God's truth. They are no longer be interested in sound doctrine but have turned to people who tell them what they want to hear, people who cater to their fleshy desires. This would describe churches that have bent to social pressures and fallen into apostasy.
