2 Timothy 3:16-17

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16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. ~ 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Having reminded Timothy of the awesome possibilities that believers in the Lord Jesus have in the midst of a people who know not God, in today's text, the Apostle Paul writes: "All scripture is God-breathed." This means God breathed all scripture out. In Genesis we learn that God created man by heaping up a pile of dust and breathing into it, out from Himself, the spirit of life, and man became a living being. 

Just as God breathed into the dust of the ground and made man a living, vital person, so He breathed into the words of men the Spirit of vitality and life. The words of the Bible have a unique quality about them: Whenever a heart is touched by them, it moves toward life. This is the power of the Word of God.

According to today's text, the Bible produces four things in all who read and believe it. First, the Bible is "useful for teaching." The Bible instructs us about things that no one, except God, knows anything about. In particular it teaches us things about ourselves, things that can happen to us, and things that will happen to us. And, only God knows this information beforehand.

Second, the Bible has the power to rebuke us. The Greek word used here for rebuke is better translated convict. How often have we read the Bible and we were made aware that something we had been doing all our lives, something we did not think was wrong at all, was the reason why we were hurting or were hurting others? The Bible makes distinction between God's way of thinking and living from this world's way of thinking and living. The product of all of this is called conviction. 

Next, the Bible "trains us in righteousness." That is, the Bible has the power to finely tune us, like a skillful coach, enabling us to walk day by day in God's way leading us to experience the life of God in us. The Bible is able to train us, to lead us along into ever-expanding experiences of living that is right. The Bible is God's culture delivered to us resulting in us experiencing the very life of God in the here and now.

The contents of the Bible is revelation of God to man from God. The process by which the Bible was written down is called inspiration. It is not the product of any human activity. Certain men were used by God, carried along by the Holy Spirit and enabled to write for God. God used their experiences, intellect and personalities to produce the Bible, but the content is from God not man. 

The Bible knows nothing of inspired men; only of inspired words, of God-breathed words.  No Biblical writer was inspired as a person so that he could write any scripture any time he wanted to. There were only very special moments when God gave these men His Word to be written down. It was more than dictation. They weren’t just listening to some voice and writing mechanically every word. It was flowing through their heart and their soul and their mind and their emotions and their experiences, but every word was and is the Word of God.

In v.17 we read, "so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."

This verse reveals any believer can become a "servant of God" by studying the Word of God, obeying it, and letting it define him. All of the “men of God” named in Scripture, including Moses, Samuel, Elijah, Elisha, David, and Timothy were all men who were not only devoted to God’s Word but had the wisdom to be defined by it.

Two words in v.17 are especially important: “thoroughly” and “equipped.” The word translated “thoroughly” means “complete, in fit shape, in fit condition.” It does not begin to suggest sinless perfection. Rather, it implies being made fit for use.

“Equipped” has a similar meaning: “equipped for service.” In other words, the Word of God furnishes the believer to walk with God and it provides the believer with the life of Christ that pleases God. The better we know the Word, the better we are able to relate to and to work for God.

The purpose of Bible study is not just to understand doctrines or to be able to defend the faith, as important as these things are. The ultimate purpose is the equipping of believers who read it. It is the Word of God that equips God’s people to know Him personally and to do His work on His behalf.

2 Timothy 3:14-15

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14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. ~ 2 Timothy 3:14-15 

Having reminded Timothy of the need for strong men of God to do God's work in this world, Paul now gives Timothy instructions on the utter necessity of the centrality of the Word of God in his life. When we get to that place where we realize that we can be a part of what God is doing in this world, everything changes. But, we must be diligent to make the Word of God the essential tool that He uses in tandem with His Spirit or else we will not be in tune with Him nor will we be used by Him.

In v.14 we read, "But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it."

When we first entered into a personal relationship with God, most of us had no idea what was going on. We knew something was different because we found ourselves longing for something new and that something we eventually figured out was Him. I remember having a desire to read the Bible. So, everyday, I carved out time to read it, and I did not understand a lot of it, but I understood enough to keep me going. I agree with John Nelson Darby who said, "The Bible is often darkness to my intellect but light to my soul." Well, over the time of a few months, I began understanding what I was reading in God's Word. And, my hunger and thirst increased.

In v.14 Paul writes, "But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of."

The phrase, "become convinced of," is an aorist passive verb, meaning to confirm, assure, convince, or establish. It means something that is a fixed and firm belief. This is what a conviction is and it is non-negotiable. These are the fixed immovable realities in our personal constitution, and we will not budge on these, not matter what. Our convictions are those Bible-based beliefs that keep us from capsizing in a world of torrential waters.

In a very real sense Paul didn't need to exhort Timothy to continue in his convictions because the indwelling Holy Spirit has the responsibility to make the believer persevere in the truth. Yet, we do factor in by making ourselves available for Him to lead us and teach us. Our role is the bending of our wills and He will not do that for us.

As we learn the contents of the Bible we are being convinced of its veracity. In Hebrews 4:12 we read, "The Word of God is living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to the dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow, it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."

This is the way it works. The words found in the Bible are living and they run into our brains through our eyes as we read them. They find their way to our hearts. And, as we entertain them, they are changing us little by little. These words are convincing us of their truthfulness. The Bible is effective, it's able to produce the effect it desires.

The Bible is also life-giving. If a biologist is studying and looking through a microscope at a living cell, plant or animal, that biologist knows one thing, that living cell came from something living. If something is alive, something living gave it birth. So also dear friends, since we are alive spiritually, it is the living God who gave us this life. Life comes from life, it doesn't just show up out of thin air. We were spiritually dead, and now we are alive because of God's life-giving presence in our spirits. And, the Holy Spirit, in tandem with the Word of God, arrests the death-giving ideas of the old man and He is infusing the life-giving Word of God into our being. This is why we must be in His Word daily, not as a chore but as a matter of life or death.

In v.15 we read, "and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus."

Men of conviction are usually formed out of the soil of a strong parentage and a strong teaching environment. It starts with childhood. The Greek word translated "known" is the word from which we get our word "disciple." Paul is saying, "you've been discipled, don't deviate. Continue in what you've learned."

Due to the investment of his mother and his grandmother, by the time Timothy had come out of his teen-age years, his convictions were in place. Our convictions were well in place by the time we became teen-agers. And, then God sent someone along, and they are used of God to help us in our walk with Him. For Timothy, that one who came along was the Apostle Paul. 

At the end of v.15 we read, "which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus."

The Scriptures have one subject and His name is Jesus Christ. Salvation can come only through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. We are saved by Christ through faith. And, the Word of God was a major tool used of God in the development of our faith in Him. Our faith doesn't save us, faith just links us to the One who does the saving and that One is Christ Jesus. Faith is the instrument that brings us to the One who alone can save.

The Bible is no placebo, it is alive in a strange way to do God's work in our lives. In Isaiah 55:10-11 we read, "As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth, it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." 

God sends forth His word and it comes back to Him having done the job. The Word of God produces the effects specifically on human willing hearts. The word is used of God to bring us His life, and sustains us in this life until we are glorified in the presence of God.

2 Timothy 3:10-13

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10 You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, 11 persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. 12 In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. ~ 2 Timothy 3:10-13

After describing the false teachers in the previous verses, now the Apostle turns to describe God's man. We return to 2 Timothy 3 which describes, in very graphic terms, the times of distress which will come upon the people of earth during "the last days." And, in order to endure the onslaught of evil, there are certain elements which must be present in us.

In v.10 we read, "You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance."

In this one verse the Apostle gives seven musts for the Man of God. First, he has strong mentors. Strong men tend to be the producers of other strong men. Yet, in this very context, the Apostle talks about sufferings and persecutions. These are the ingredients that go in to making a man strong. For those who do not have faith that is tested, they will not be strong leaders.

In v.10 the Apostle reveals the foundation of the strong man. We read, "You, however, know all about my teaching." Strong leaders know the Bible for themselves. And, as a result, they teach true doctrine. It is the Word of God which provides the strong foundation for a strong leader. If we neglect our investment in our study of God's Word, it's investment in us will not be born out. We will not be known as strong leaders.

Paul wrote, "You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life." 

When strong leaders face trouble, they teach the truth; they focus on what is real about life; they expose illusions and delusions to the revelation of Scripture so that people could get their heads on straight and think rightly, and realistically about life.

Strong leaders practice what they preach. Paul’s "way of life" backed up his message. He did not preach sacrifice and live in luxury. He gave to others far more than he received from them. He stood up for the truth even when it meant losing friends and, in the end, losing his life. Paul was a servant, not a celebrity.

In v.10 we read, "You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance." 

There was never a question about Paul’s "purpose" in ministry: He wanted to do God’s will and finish the work God gave him to do. He was a man of “faith” who trusted God to meet his needs. 

Faith is the confidence that there exist certain invisible realities which are extremely important to us, and then acting in the light of those realities. Faith is believing that God is at work in everyday human affairs, and He will give us power to love and to speak with patience when we are being mistreated or abused. 

The strong Man of God is "patient" even when he is under  attack. He is a man of "love" who willingly gives himself to serve others with "endurance".

In v.11–12 we read, "11 persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. 12 In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." 

Strong leaders expect suffering. Paul did not ask others to suffer for him; he suffered for others. The fact that he was persecuted from city to city was proof that he was living a godly life. Some people today have the idea that godliness means escaping persecution, when just the opposite is true.

The Apostle Paul had a prison record; he had a physical affliction; he stirred up problems in just about every place he visited. He was poor, and he did not cater to the rich. Yet God used him, and we are being blessed today because Paul was faithful til the end.

Christianity was never intended to be merely a creed that we recite on Sunday morning in the safety of the church building. Christianity is a person whom we relate to, rely upon and walk with day-by-day. Christianity is counter-cultural and it will often be against the grain of the norm in society. We who believe in the Lord Jesus enough to be defined by Him will be misunderstood, marginalized and persecuted. And, God knows this world is getting worse but He has seen fit for us to be on earth at this moment to make a difference for His glory. May God grant that we will be faithful til the end...

2 Timothy 3:6-9

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6 They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, 7 always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these teachers oppose the truth. They are men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. 9 But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone. ~ 2 Timothy 3:6-9

We return to Paul's description of the End Times Man. As we have said before, the emphasis in 2 Timothy 3 is about acquiring a healthy biblical worldview because the days are increasingly evil. At the beginning of this chapter, the Apostle gives the background information on the false teachers that were present in Ephesus when this letter was written, in order to magnify the truth that he shares throughout the chapter.

In v.6 we read, "They (false teachers) are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires."

In Ephesus, at the time of the writing of this letter, there were certain women were particularly gullible because they lacked the wisdom that a lifetime of studying God's word renders in our lives. They had come out of sexually loose lifestyles and these false teachers were taking advantage of them. The words "evil desires" at the end of v.6 is also translated "divers lusts” in the King James Version. These women were probably involved in the prostitution ring that was being run at the Temple of Diana before they were exposed to the truth. 

The words “worm their way in” are used to describe how these men duped these weak women, something God is very much against. These false teachers promised quick and easy solutions to these women. I find it quite instructive that these women were on the heart of Paul, for it reveals the Lord's heart for these women. Throughout the Scriptures we see that God has the biggest heart for the most vulnerable among us. 

In v.7 we read, "always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth."

These false teachers were devoid of truth. They didn’t have the epignōsis which is Greek for a deep understanding of truth. They didn’t know either justification or sanctification because they lacked a personal relationship with the God of the Bible through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. They lacked this because "they were unwilling to have this Man (Jesus) to rule over them."

Napoleon once said, "Jesus Christ was more than a man, He asks for the human heart. He demands it unconditionally. And all who sincerely believe in Him experience that remarkable supernatural love toward Him. Time, the great destroyer, is powerless to extinguish this sacred flame. This it is, which proves to me, quite convincingly, the divinity of Jesus Christ."

Paul writes in v.8 of today's text, "Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these teachers oppose the truth. They are men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected." 

In Exodus 7 we read that when Moses was sent by God to Pharaoh, his brother Aaron performed miraculous signs in order to impress Pharaoh that he was dealing with the Living God, not just a couple of strange shepherds from the country. There were magicians in Pharaoh's court whose names were Jannes and Jambres, and they did miracles, just like Aaron. 

Finally, Aaron cast Moses' rod down and it became a snake. These magicians cast their rods to the ground and they appeared, too, to turn into snakes. But they did it by sleight of hand. Any good magician can pull rabbits out of hats, or snakes out of sleeves. These magicians imitated the miracles of the Living God.

This kind of counterfeit faith is what we run into in times of stress, such as we are living in today. They offer to do what only God in Christ can do; give peace of mind, an untroubled heart, and a sense of purpose in life. And, many fall for their sleight of hand, and for a while they think they have found the truth. But, in the long run, the truth is born out and the enemy shows his hand of deceit and destruction.

In addition, the Apostle describes these false teachers as men with depraved minds. They had been made perverted and corrupt because they had believed the lies of the devil. Having refused the truth, they became unable to receive the truth which delivers us from the false. And then, of course, when tested by the true faith they were rejected because they lack a personal relationship with the God of the Bible who initiates, when we are willing, this personal relationship with Him. God's rejection of these false teachers was a result of their rejection of the truth.

In v.9 we read, "But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone."

When the serpent which Aaron's rod had formed saw the other two snakes, it ate them up. This was a visible sign that God's power is always more powerful than the devil's. This is what happens with counterfeit groups. But, we must not panic, because evil always has its limits. The devil always overreaches and his success at winning converts will ultimately leave them so empty, so hungry, and still searching for the truth that they are made more likely to be open to the appeal of the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is happening today in America. In fact, Bible sales are out of the roof.

In v.9 we read, "their folly will be clear to everyone." The progress of false teachers is more apparent than real because all that the Father gives to the Son will come to Him and He will build His church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. They can suck the life, the joy and the power out of the church, and, they can weaken the testimony of the church. But, they cannot damn the redeemed. Their power and progress is more apparent than real and they will never be able to stop the work of the living God in the lives of the willing.

2 Timothy 3:3-5

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3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people. ~ 2 Timothy 3:3-5

The emphasis in 2 Timothy 3 is on the utter importance of biblical knowledge and the responsibility to teach truth. As time marches on, the Scriptures are clear that the people on earth will experience increased difficulty, ending in cataclysmic chaos at the end of the Tribulation.

We return to the middle of Paul's description of the End Times Man who will be living on earth at the end. This person will not be operating out of a personal relationship with the God of the Bible. Yesterday, we considered the first eight hallmarks of the End Times Man, today we con the final ten.

In v.3 we learn of the ninth hallmark of the End Times Man. The Apostle uses the words "without love," which is one Greek word: astorgos. Found just twice in the New Testament (Romans 1:31; 2 Timothy 3:3), "astorgos" means without natural affection, heartless, unloving. This is the natural movement of the soul that knows no love itself. 

The End Times Man will be "unforgiving" due to the fact that he will have no connection with the source of forgiveness. And, since he is not in relationship with the Lord, he can not share forgiveness with others. Since this person will be very familiar with self-love, he will see no need for personal forgiveness. 

As the result of being without love and forgiveness, this person will be a "slanderous" person who is known by tearing others down. The Apostle uses the word that is used in the New Testament for "the devil," which is diabolos. Every time anyone slanders, they are embracing the character of Satan who speaks evil against all who represent God in Christ.  

The next hallmark of the End Times Man is that he will be "without self-control." This is an adjective used only here and it literally means to have no inhibitions. This person is just a slave to his unrestrained lusts. 

Their lack of self-control reveals itself in a number of ways. "Brutal" means “untamed.” When this person cannot get his way, he becomes much like a savage beast. Instead of loving what is good, he will despise what is good and honor what is evil. This person is quite descriptive of many today in our world today where the standards of right and wrong have been twisted so that people literally get away with murder. The prophet Isaiah cries out, “Woe unto them that call evil good and good evil.” 

The word "treacherous" in v.4 describes the person who betrays others and cannot be trusted. Neither friendship nor partnership makes any difference to him; he lies and breaks his   promises whenever doing so helps him get his own way. This word basically means “ready to betray.” It draws attention to the idea of disloyalty.

The word "rash" in v.4 means “reckless, acting without careful thought.” This person is aggressive. This word, "rash," literally means "falling forward." It delivers the idea of moving forward fast, disregarding anything and everything around. It describes someone who is moving recklessly, stopping at nothing in the pursuit of fulfillment of self-loving desire.

The next hallmark of the End Times Man is "conceited." This person is so full of himself, he can not see beyond his faults, nor can he see them at all. The root for this word comes from the word “smoke.” This is the person who blows smoke because he is inflated with his own sense of self-importance.

To wrap up Paul's description of the End Times Man, the Apostle writes, "Lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God." His choice is between loving pleasure and loving God. If we love God, we will also enjoy fullness of life here and forever, but the pleasures of sin can only last for a brief time. No one can deny that we live in a pleasure-mad world.

Paul states that this man that he has just described would consider himself religious! "Having a form of godliness" suggests an outward appearance of religion, not true Christian faith, for he has never experienced the power of the God of the Bible in his life. 

This description of the End Times Man describes many in the world around us right now. This is why the Lord is so adamant in His Word that we love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Of course, this side of heaven, we will never accomplish this great feat. However, if we do not aim for perfection, we will never get very far in our attempts. This is the way to conquer diabolical self-love, by loving God as best as we can, and out of that, we seek to love our neighbor as God has loved us.

2 Timothy 3:1-2

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1 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy ~ 2 Timothy 3:1-2

The emphasis in this chapter is on knowledge and responsibility. In this chapter, the Apostle Paul informs us about the nature of the last days, and then instructs us on how to reach out to those caught in the spider's web. Our actions must be based on knowledge and our knowledge must be informed by the Scriptures. 

Within this period of “last days” there will be “times” of different kinds, but as the “times” draw to a close, they will become more and more dangerous. This word "times" is the same Greek word that is used to describe the two violent demoniacs in Matthew 8. Suggested in the usage of this word is the idea that the violence of the last times will be energized by demons. In other words, evil will not simply be ugly to watch, and grievous to the godly mind, it will be at times violent and fierce.

There is no doubt that these characteristics started to appear in Paul’s day, and now they have increased in intensity. As time advances, evil will increase in its intensity, and slowly it will be accepted by the average guy because of its gradual increase. It is not that we have small pockets of rebellion here and there. All of society is in rebellion and we are indeed living in “terrible times.”

In v.2-5, the Apostle Paul gives eighteen characteristics that will mark society at the end. We will just consider the first eight today. The first is love of self. The heart of every problem is a problem in the human heart. God commands us to love Him supremely, and our neighbors as ourselves, but if we love ourselves supremely, we will not love God nor will be able to love our neighbors.

Of course, if someone loves and worships himself, the result will be “You shall be as gods” was Satan’s offer to Eve in the Garden in Genesis 3:5. And, the result: man "changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than rather than the Creator." When we rebelled from God, we became our own gods; defining ourselves for ourselves! 

The next hallmark of the End Times is man will love money which flows out of self-love. If we love ourselves, then we will love money because we see money as the means to a more comfortable lifestyle. If we believe in the self-love philosophy, then we’re going to believe in the prosperity gospel, because if we are the most important person, and self-esteem is the highest virtue, then whatever feeds this philosophy is what we will pursue. 

The next characteristic of the end times man is he will be boastful, proud and abusive. These three go hand in hand because as we put ourselves at the center of our lives we will be all about self, pompously looking down our noses at others. 

The word the Apostle uses for abusive we get our English word blaspheme. In this universe there is God, and there are people and things. We should worship God, love people, and use things. But when we worship self, we will ignore God and start loving things and using people. This is the formula for a miserable life, yet it characterizes many people today. The worldwide craving for things is just one evidence that people’s hearts have turned away from God and we are certainly living in the end times.

The church of our day has gone into the entertainment business! People must be amused, and as the church needs the people’s money, the church must supply the demand and meet the craving! Since the people like drama more than sermons, then, the thinking is, give them more drama and less preaching! But, be careful not to mention sin, because they may start loving God instead of self.

The irony of it all is genuine pleasure is not to be found in all of the forms of entertainment that our culture so devotedly provides. David had it right when he wrote in Psalm 16:11, “In Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand are pleasures forever.” It’s not wrong to pursue pleasure as long as it is not outside of God. In fact, we are commanded to pursue and maintain our greatest joy in God Himself.

Finally, the last three hallmarks of the end times man are: disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, and unholy. As we descend to the end, rebellion, a lack of gratitude and the lack of the desire to be whole will begin the cascading march of evil, as God loosens His reigns on the devil. And, those who give themselves to evil will regret the day they said "no" to the God of all mercy. Until then, we must be diligent to share the life-giving message of the gospel to all who will hear. We will not stop the march of evil, but we can snatch as many as we can from its fires.

2 Timothy 2:23-26

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23 Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. 24 And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. 25 Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, 26 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 2:23-26

When the Apostle Paul wrote his second letter to Timothy from his dungeon in Rome, he realized that Timothy was living in a world that was about to explode in conflict. Fueling this was the threat that the Church in Ephesus was about to split apart and divide into factions over arguments and divisions which were separating believers. So, in this letter, the Apostle tells how to handle the problem, how to live in a world threatened with conflict, and how to live in a church that is threatened with controversy.

In v.23 we read, "Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels."

From the word translated "foolish" we get our word, moron. Paul references moronic controversies, foolish, trivial matters which, even when they are settled after long and loud debate, do nothing for us. These moronic ideas do not advance the cause of Christ in the least. Such trivial matters may be interesting in some limited way, but they should never be allowed to become controversies and have people divide over them. One example of this would be the age of the earth. Some believe in a literal interpretation of Genesis 1-2 and others believe in a figurative interpretation of those passages. In the end, what difference does it make? We must not divide over such.

The word "stupid" in v.23 really means unlearned, arising out of ignorance. As such, it refers to questions that can not be answered. With these topics, God has not clearly revealed enough in His word and we do not know enough to answer the questions that are being asked.

In v.24 we read, "And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful."

The word “servant” is the Greek word doulos which means “slave.” A slave has no will of his own; he was totally under the command of his master. Once, we were the slaves of sin, but now we are willingly the slaves of God. And, if we do not have this basic understanding of this life, we will see no need for a Savior.

Paul admonished Timothy to avoid the arguments that creates strife, but not to ignore the people. He must not argue or fight. He must be patient, gentle, teaching the Word of God in meekness. It is not enough just to expose error and refute it; we must also teach God's word and establish believers in the faith.

The Greek word translated "teach" in this verse is only used one other time in the New Testament, and that’s in 1 Timothy 3:2, and it means skilled in teaching. The emphasis here is on how well he communicates the Scriptures to those who want to learn.

God requires those who "teach" to be kind and not overbearing. The one who teaches must be skilled at communicating the truth in a gracious, gentle way. The final two words in v.24 means he must be ready to endure mistreatment, without resentment. Our work is unto the Lord and if we keep it that way, we have no one to be angry with, even when they treat us wrongly.

In v.25 we read, "Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth."

The word translated "gently" is better translated mild, meek, or humble. And there is to be a humble spirit which says, “I’m not the issue; you can attack me, you can do whatever you want to me; I’m not the issue. The truth is the issue."

Translated repentance, the Apostle Paul uses the word metanoia, emphasizing a change of mind and heart, resulting in a change of direction. God's desire is that we all come to the knowledge of the truth. Given that we were dead in our sins and trespasses, we had no power to turn from evil and back to Him. So, repentance is a gift of God. 

The motive for this correction is restoration. The only place repentance will ever come from in this world is from God. Repentance is a gift of God’s grace. 

In v.26 we read, "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."

The devil's traps are always designed to destroy, to wreck, to ruin, and to hurt people. But, his initial presentation is much different. He always makes sin to appear attractive. Then, he turns the tables on us. These traps are designed to take away our joy and peace and love and purpose. The devil does this by trapping people in ways that confuse and deceive them.

The word "escape" describes a man coming out of a drunken stupor. Satan makes people drunk with his lies, and our task is to sober them up with God's word, so that He can rescue them. After they come to their senses, they are taken captive to do God’s will.

2 Timothy 2:22

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Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. ~ 2 Timothy 2:22

We come back to the 2 Timothy 2 which began with a command to be strong in the grace of God. When we are becoming stronger in God's grace we will be more and more defined by those things which are most dear to the heart of God.

In our text today, the Apostle Paul commands Timothy to "Flee the evil desire of youth." The first word of this verse, "Flee," is the word from which we get our English word fugitive. The believer in the Lord Jesus should be a fugitive from all that is contrary to what God has said is good in His word. 

These evil desires begin in our youth, not because they end there. These are those desires which were activated when we became adults. Paul reminds us to run from these powerful lusts and we are to keep on running. These desires could be an inordinate craving for money, a craving for power, a never ending desire for material things, jealousy, envy, or pride. The idea is these desires were birthed in the domain of darkness and we do not want to embrace them or we will experience some measure of destruction.

Notice the choice is up to us, but, according to this verse, the separation from evil, the cleansing, precedes our pursuit. It is never the other way around. Everybody wants to be used of God, but we cannot be used of God for good purposes unless we are willing to say "No" first. We have to reject the philosophies of the one who is urging us to live for self. We cannot go on living like we had before and expect God to use us. 

In the next part of this verse, the Apostle Paul writes, "Pursue." This imperative pictures one who is chasing, running, or continuing to seek. The picture the Apostle is painting here is the pursuit of one who long's for another. And, we are to pursue four specific things: righteousness, faith, love and peace.

Note the ratio here between the way of God and the way of the enemy: it's a four to one ratio. Given that we were born into sin and we are waging this war on enemy turf, it is much easier to go the way of the enemy than it is the way of the Lord. 

The incredible thing about these four things is that every one of them is presented in the Scriptures as a gift from God. Though God wants to give them to us, we will not get them unless we pursue them. We have to go after them, they just do not fall into our laps. Receiving these things must be the result of our deliberate choice that continues daily. Our pursuit of these is essentially our pursuit of God for He is these and, of course, more.

The word the Apostle uses for "righteousness" means that which God has defined as right. This is obedience to God's word, His definition of things. There are times when we are called upon to choose between what we know to be wrong and what we know to be right. When we choose what God has said is right, we choose faith in Him and His word. When we choose contrary to what God has said is right, we choose unbelief in Him.

We’re not only pursuing righteousness we are also pursuing faith. This word is better translated faithfulness which speaks of our loyalty to God. 

Many believers struggle with little faith, most often this is due to their lack of being in God's word which is what He uses to awaken and feed our faith. In Romans 10:17 we read, "faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God." 

The more we avail ourselves to God's voice, the more of His word we will know. Then, we will be positioned to have an awakened faith, a faith that recognizes that it is foolish to not obey God. When we do not have time for the Scriptures, we will not hear His voice which is what creates faith in us. 

In addition, we must deliberately choose love, agapē, the love of choice, the love that works in the realm of the selfless, the love that works sacrificially. Love towards God is the idea. We want to be faithful to the one we love. This will equip us to love others in the way we want to be loved. 

Then, we have to deliberately seek peace, undisturbed tranquility. When we run toward righteousness and we run toward faithfulness or loyalty and we run toward the love of God and the consequent love for others, we are running toward a life of peace. Obedience, faithfulness, love, and peace are four marks of holiness. 

We often are exposed to the choice of how we are going to react toward someone who, perhaps, has irritated us, who has done something that makes us upset or angry. Our flesh tells us to get revenge. But, if we want to be used of God, we cannot give in to the flesh. Instead, we deliberately take the high road of humility and give a soft answer that will turn away wrath. Sometimes we must initiate reconciliation. If somebody is angry at us, although we are not to blame, we just cannot keep that within and let it fester, creating frustration in our hearts. According to the Scriptures, we have to go to that person and address the issue with reconciliation as our goal.

Finally, notice what the Apostle writes at the end of the verse, “along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” 

We must be careful to be hanging out with those who are being given God's heart. Of all those who call on the Lord, the ones whose hearts are truly pure are the ones who run from those youthful evil desires and run after God. In order to be effective for God's kingdom, we must defeat sin on the inside of us. We must hang with people who are being given His heart. 

I remind you of the beatitudes which describes the process of a changed heart. We begin with poverty of spirit, then we go to mourning, then we go to meekness, giving up control to God. Then we go to hungering and thirsting for righteousness, which leads to being merciful. After all of that, we come to being pure in heart. It is not that we are perfect or sinless. No, it means we are gaining the heart of the Lord Jesus for others. Are you there yet?

2 Timothy 2:20-21

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20 In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for special purposes and some for common use. 21 Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work. ~ 2 Timothy 2:20-21

Deep in all of our hearts we long to be significant in this world. This is due to the fact that God made us to love others. In fact, He created us with two basic needs: to be loved and to love. The sign that we are getting His love is that we want to love others. If we have no proclivity to loving others, we aren't receiving the love that we need to do so.

In today's text, the Apostle Paul describes what it takes to be used of God. In v.20 we read, "In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for special purposes and some for common use." 

In this verse the Apostle uses "a large house" as an illustration for believers. The foundation of the house is safe and secure because God’s seal is on it. In the Bible, a seal is a mark of ownership and security. The seal of the believer is the Holy Spirit who guarantees that we are the recipients of God's love through His Son. As we grow in our understanding of His love for us, we will be more and more secure and less and less insecure. This is what frees us to love others unconditionally. 

God uses anyone who is available, it really doesn't matter whether we are special or average. Scripture reveals that God even uses the devil to accomplish His work. In Romans 9, we are reminded that Pharaoh was used of God to free Israel from Egypt.

"In a large house there are articles; some for special purposes and some for common use." This is true of all homes. Some are honorable and some are common. This is the way God sees humanity. If we want to understand life as it really is, we have to look at humanity in that way. God sees all of us as useful vessels, some for great purposes and others for average purposes.

When the Apostle wrote, "Those who cleanse themselves," he means we are responsible to utilize the cleansing that has been provided us through God's word and His Spirit. This does not mean that we can cleanse ourselves. We have the responsibility, having believed in the Lord Jesus as our Savior, to use the provisions of His word and His Spirit to prepare ourselves for that which He has called us. This means we have to reject the philosophies of this world in order to be used of God in the lives of others.

God did not make us to live all alone in isolation, however the law of entropy has left its effects on us all. This is why the Lord Jesus was isolated on the cross so that we would not be isolated from God and others. It is out of our loved relationship with the Lord that we are enabled to love others as He loves us.

When we surround ourselves with those who are of the non-Christian view of life we are almost certain to be influenced by them. This does not mean that we are to avoid contact with non-Christians, it just means we must be diligent to be defined by God instead of them. When we are being defined by Him and operating out of His culture, we will be positioned to love others by sharing the life-giving message of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus. 

The key to these two verse is found in the words, "...made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work."

The word "holy" means set apart for the purpose that we were created. God does the setting apart, if we let Him. And when He does this, and we give ourselves to Him and to His purposes, we become increasingly complete and decreasingly insecure. This. is what poises us to be most useful in the lives of others.

Finally, Elton Trueblood said it best when he said, “Evangelism is not a professional job for a few trained men, but is instead the unrelenting responsibility of every person who belongs to the company of Jesus.”

2 Timothy 2:17-19

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17 Their teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, 18 who have departed from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some. 19 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.”  ~ 2 Timothy 2:17-19

As we have been considering, it is God's grace that empowers us to fight the most important battles of guarding the truth and loving people enough to tell them the truth. Given our failed attempts to love God, His grace abounds so that we are perfect in His eyes through the cross of Christ.

In v.17-18, we read, "17 Their teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, 18 who have departed from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some."

When we totally depart from the truth, corruption will take over. The Apostle uses gangrene which is an infection of the bloodstream that spreads rapidly throughout the body, creating the foulest of smells, to describe what happens when truth is totally rejected. Similar to false teaching, gangrene spreads, infects, and kills other tissue. It spreads and infects the body of believers, the church. This infection must be exposed and removed. Only sound biblical teaching can keep a group of believers healthy and growing.

Hymenaeus was first introduced to us in Paul's first letter to Timothy. Paul wrote of him, "whom I have handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme," (1 Timothy 1:20). Evidently, being turned over had not done Hymenaeus any good, because he is still spreading his false doctrine throughout the church, teaching that the resurrection had already happened.

Hymenaeus taught that we experienced spiritual resurrection when we were born again and that is all the resurrection there is going to be. There was a Greek philosophy which was prevalent in Ephesus at that time, which said that the body was evil, so it was unthinkable that God would ever be concerned with resurrecting bodies.

In his teaching, Hymenaeus took only partial truth from the revelation of the Scriptures. This, by the way, is how heresy starts. Hymenaeus ignored the Lord's own words when he predicted that the day was coming when "all who are in the grave shall hear the voice of the Son of God and shall come forth, some to a resurrection of condemnation and some to a resurrection of redemption," (John 5:28b-29).

In v.19 we read, "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."

This verse begins with one of the most important words in all of Scripture, "Nevertheless". Even though false teachers fool some, the truth of God will triumph in the end. Comforting is the thought that the Lord knows those who are really His and nothing can remove us out of His family. This is so, due to the fact that His life is in us, and His presence will not let us be taken from Him. His presence also causes us to persevere in the faith, so we will not compromise with evil so much that we are banished from His presence forever. 

According to Philippians 1:6, we are those who having had a good work begun in us, that work will be performed until the day of Jesus Christ. We are those who can never be separated from the love of God in Christ. We are those of whom the Lord Jesus said, “All that the Father gives to me will come to me, and I have lost none of them, but shall raise them up at the last day.” 

Paul reminds us that we are sealed. This seal denotes God's ownership of us. The Greek word for "sealed" means marked out as the possession of its owner. And, having believed on His Son for our salvation, He has sealed us with His Holy Spirit. The reason we continue in the faith is because He inhabits us and we are His for eternity.