Walk Through the Bible - 2 Timothy 3
2 Timothy • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 53:52
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· 725 viewsWednesday night Walk Through the Bible, Church On Main, Calvary Chapel Bishop, CA.
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I am not one to boast on my ability. BUT, I am one to boast on my weakness so that God who gave me the ability will be glorified! Thank You, Jesus!
When I was asked to teach tonight, I knew I was available and just said yes…God continued to do His best…
Equipped for Future Difficulty
Equipped for Future Difficulty
As is often the case, in order to get the first verse of chapter 3 we must read the last few verses of chapter 2
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.
now we continue...
1 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty.
“But…” despite all of this. Despite people coming to their senses and it seems as though all is good…there will be difficulty in the last days.
“Last days…” This is not necessarily talking about the last days we think of in Revelations. “The last days is a common New Testament phrase denoting the period immediately preceding the consummation of the present age.”
(Guthrie, D. (1990). Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 14, p. 173). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
Also refers to… “‘The last days’ is a period of time that actually began with the life and ministry of Christ on earth (Heb. 1:1–2)
(Wiersbe, W. W. (1992). Wiersbe’s expository outlines on the New Testament (p. 648). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets,
2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.
“there will be times of difficulty.” Pauls is speaking in the future tense. This is important because this will change later on.
2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,
3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good,
4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.
“For people will be...” Again, future tense...
Ephesus was an ancient Greek city. In that, they would have understood and been aware of Philo of Alexandria. Philo was, as some put it, the founder of religious philosophy. It was said that he “tried to develop speculative and philosophical justification for Judaism in terms of Greek philosophy” (iep.utm.edu - Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy). He strove to help Hellenist come to an understanding of Judaism in their language through lists of ethical do’s and don’t’s.
This list is similar to the list we find in Romans 1
28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.
29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips,
30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents,
31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless.
32 Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.
This is quite a list and quite sobering. I feel as though I can not live up to this list or any list for that matter in the Bible. But, if we were to read on in Romans we would find out that’s the point. We can’t live up to it. That’s why Jesus came!
20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,
21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
So, we go back to 2 Timothy
2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,
“lovers of self,...” it seems as though, as is Paul’s M.O. when laying out a list, he starts with the main and then defines it. What does it look like to be a lover of self? The rest of the list helps define that for us.
“lovers of money,...” remember 1 Tim. 6.10
10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.
It is not money that’s the problem it is the craving/desire/lust of money that leads to a wandering heart.
So, again, what does the lover of self look like
2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,
3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good,
4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
“lovers of God...” this is where Paul stops and lays out that there are people that may look like they love God. But, as we look at their conduct, we see them denying God’s power.
Bringing us again to Romans 1
21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
“Avoid such people…” Again, Paul reiterating what he’s already said to Timothy in the end of his first letter...
20 O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called “knowledge,”
And...
18 This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare,
And the encouraging charge at the beginning of this letter...
6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands,
7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
Equipped for the Present by the Past
Equipped for the Present by the Past
6 For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions,
7 always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth.
“always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth.” Then he compares those people to Jannes and Jambres.
8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith.
Jannes and Jambres are said to be 2 of the “wise” men who also turned their staves into snakes. But do we remember what happened to their snakes...
11 Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and they, the magicians of Egypt, also did the same by their secret arts.
12 For each man cast down his staff, and they became serpents. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs.
8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith.
“men corrupted in mind...” Similar to what he has already warned Timothy about in...
5 and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain.
…where they were consumed by their lust of money and sought godliness, or a fake godliness, for gain.
“disqualified regarding the faith.” A theme he carries in Titus as well
16 They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.
9 But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men.
For those two it was very plain to all as Aaron’s staff/snake swallowed up their snakes...
Then we see Paul flip back to encouraging Timothy...
10 You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness,
11 my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me.
This seems as though Paul is boasting but in reality he is pointing to how God has brought him through every time. It is, as we said at the beginning, all about God!
24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one.
25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea;
26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers;
27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.
28 And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.
29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant?
30 If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.
This next verse is sobering...
12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,
but...
13 while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.
Equipped to Be
Equipped to Be
Then Paul brings it back to positive affirmation of who Timothy is in Jesus...
14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it
“continue...” be on going and on going and on going....
“in what you have learned” again we look back at Timothy’s calling
18 This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare,
20 O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called “knowledge,”
6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands,
7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
Timothy has a family legacy of faith...
5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.
“the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.”
It is not only through the sacred writings we are privileged to read but it starts with faith in Christ Jesus. The sacred writings help us have wisdom for our salvation…
That’s why we are here tonight.
And now we come to one of our memory verses...
There’s purpose in the power of the Lord when we accept His calling on our life. But there are times were we need that reminder and encouragement. Where we need someone to point us back to what really matters, what’s really important, and how to define those things.
Paul sums it up for Timothy and for us in these last verses.
16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
Now when Paul says all Scripture, he’s not talking about the Scriptures we know, he’s talking about the Scriptures Timothy knows, the Law and Prophets. Now, we can apply this to all the Scriptures we know and read because God is outside time and His breath breathed out the Scripture from beginning to end.
SIDE NOTE: ever have a hard time understanding the Bible?…don’t forget to ask for understanding from the One who breathed it out. Who is it that can explain something other than the One who created it!
“profitable” obviously Paul can not be talking about monetary since he condemned monetary gain for fake godliness. This is a spiritual profitability!
“teaching” instruction; providing instruction
“reproof” it’s a refuting error; make realize what is wrong in lives; not a condemnation.
“correction” while reproof is showing what is wrong correction is a reformation of manners and correcting what is wrong
“training” while teaching is a verbal, training is a instruction to do; how do we do what we learned through the teaching;
to do righteously
17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
11 But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.
This phrase “man of God” is echoes an O.T. expression messenger of God. Again, reminding Timothy of his calling… “You ARE a messenger of God.”
Why are we “complete”?
17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
for “every good work”