2tim2v14-19

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READING: 2 TIMOTHY 2:1-19 TEXT: vs14-19 [series #9]

Our contact with Heaven comes to us through the pages/Book
I accept that the Bible is not an end in itself
The Scribes/Christ’s Day searched the Scriptures (John 5:39)
Did so with amazing carefulness that almost leaves us gasping
When copying/Scriptures – they counted each individual letter
Whole pages were scrapped if one mistake was found etc.,
Yet they conspired in the murder of the Son/God
So the Bible isn’t the be all end all of religious necessity

Only as the Bible leads us to Christ can we advance spiritually
We should not separate Christ from the Bible
That would leave us with a Christ of our imagination
But (as said) the Bible is not Christ
The Bible leads us to Christ
Faith comes by hearing – hearing by the word/God (Romans 10:17)
Therefore to know the Author – we know the Book
We read it looking for what the Author has got to say

The book is a big Book – actually a library of 66 books
It has some 1189 chapters and over 31,000 verses
It is amazingly simple where it needs to be amazingly simple
Also some places where it is hard/understood (2 Peter 3:15)
Verse 15/pasage tells us that to understand it properly:
It needs to be rightly divided i.e. interpreted properly
In this 1/2 messages, we want to see 4 reasons why it is vital to rightly divide the word/truth

1) A SOLEMN CHARGE PRECEDES IT: v14

A/ This matter is not the subject of mere opinion
Even that of the great Apostle Paul
Often different folk have different ways of going about things
In any matter, you get the pragmatists (…It works!)
And then you get the purists (…but the rules say!)
If you are talking about sport or even politics – a lot of the time, it doesn’t really matter that much
You take the high road and I’ll take the low road
But it matters immensely in this matter of the Bible

B/ So much so that Paul instructs Timothy to both remind and charge certain people about this matter

[i] Who was to be so reminded and charged?
Context: those faithful teachers who were to teach others (v2)
Application: Every last one of us
Can be no thought given to interpreting/Bible wrongly
Of course, we might make mistakes along the way
Especially new believers who have yet to be taught
But our aim/every effort is into discerning the mind/Spirit
No Christian ought to be sloven about this matter

[ii] How where they to be so reminded and charged?
Ans:- Before the Lord
There is a general sense in which everything we do is before Him
Eyes/Lord are in every place beholding the evil/good (Proverbs 15:3)
There is no hiding place from God and all things are open to Him

But this term Before the Lord also refers to something specific
It denotes something specifically brought before His notice
We takes vows before the Lord – calling upon Him to witness
Moses employed this sort of thing in Deuteronomy 30:19
I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
Paul himself (NT era) was not opposed to doing it:
For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers; (Romans 1:9)
Here, he invokes God as His witness – indicating truth/words

C/ So important is this matter of dividing properly word/truth that Paul would have the teachers charged with doing it right
Such a solemn charge would help prevent a careless approach
As we will see it will help us avoid a lot of trouble

2) A STUDIOUS CLAIM ACCOMPANIES IT:

A/ In order to rightly divide the word/truth, we need to study it
Bible uses many verbs re: word/God and read is only one of them
Only used on a few occasions

It is good just to read the Bible
Sometimes we may be tired/limited access to study aids
So it is good just to read – take in the big picture
Don’t stop too often along the way – enjoy the ride!

But we are also called upon (more often) to study the Bible
Mentioned earlier re: the Scribes searching/Scriptures
Greek there allows us to employ it as an imperative “Search ye”
Already had the use of the word meditate (1 Timothy 4:11)
Here, we do take the time to stop along the way
We turn off the big wide paths of a general read
We take up a theme or a word or a particular passage
We begin to see where the Scripture joins with Scripture
We reconcile apparent differences
We interpret harder passages in the light/clearer ones

B/ There is no easy road to this
No paperback book called “The Bible for Dummies”
(Might well be – but it is no substitute for hard study)

C/ You can’t cram these things
The Bible is not an exam text book
Bible is God’s written revelation to your soul
Christ – the revealing of whom is the Purpose/Bible – comes to the anxious and seeking heart
He doesn’t necessarily come to the one who is only using the Bible for another way to gain popularity with men
Therefore we want our approval to be before God (v15)

D/ The picture is given of the workman
Paul has already used the original word here
In 1:5:18 – ref: the labourer worthy of his reward
So we may start immediately, but we are in for the long haul
We are forever in the classroom learning
Some apprenticeships run for 5/7 years etc.,
Every day until we die, we will be taking the yoke upon us and learning/Christ
We will learn hermeneutics – science of bible interpretation
We learn never to depart from them – no matter what arises

E/ To depart from them will lead to disapproval
We are ambassadors for God (2 Corinthians 5:20)
Ambassador is charged with delivering the policy/his country
Ambassador himself does not make up the policy
The work of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Government
Imagine you had an ambassador who disagreed with the policy
So much so –he relayed doctored versions/original dispatches!
What chaos would ensue there
In serious cases, he would surely be branded as a traitor
Certainly, he would be relieved immediately of his post

It is not for us to put our spin on what God says
We take all the right steps to insure: we deliver the mind/Lord
We study the word as requited with all the necessary aids
We pray and ask for the help of the Holy Spirit whose role it is:
To guide us into all truth (John 16:13)

How important it is then to rightly divide the word/God
The call to serious, in depth study shows how vital it is
This isn’t for the light hearted and frivolous
This isn’t for people who want to dabble in the things/God
Keep them out of teaching situations whether pulpit/otherwise

F/ Neither let us think that these things are for pastors only
Spurgeon said that he learned more theology from the cook than he ever did in the deep theology books
Many a layman has a greater grasp/Bible than his own minister
Make sure that we all rightly divide the word/God (because….)

3) A SAD ALTERNATIVE STALKS IT:
Paul deals with this at length in this short passage

A/ First of all, rightly dividing word/truth means that we do not
strive about words to no profit (v14)

Calvin mentions preaching that is mere speculation
A lot/prophetic teaching from some quarters falls into/category
Often even good teaching can become a mere war about words
It is very easy to get waylaid in useless battles
This isn’t the first time Paul mentioned this matter: 1:1:6/1:6:4
I wonder did Timothy have a tendency towards it?
If not … Paul saw the need to be constantly warning/danger

B/ Profane and vain babblings were likewise identified
Paul gets more specific about this
He names two culprits: Hymenaeus and Philetus

[i] Hymenaeus: We met him before (1:1:20)
His name is of heathen origin =The god of weddings (!)
Had he maintained the faith he professed, then we would magnify the grace/God that brought a heathen to Christ
But he seems to have become an apostate
He renounced the truth/resurrection

[ii] Philetus; This is a first time meeting
His name = amiable
Which sounds nice – but he amiable at the expense/truth
This inability to defend truth also brings him into apostasy
He too denied the truth/resurrection

They denied that there be a resurrection on the last day
Such was the uncorrected statement of Martha (John 11:24)
Common belief among the Jews and Christians also
We bury our Christian dead in this great hope
We go to the grave ourselves in this great hope
Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; (John 5:28-29)

But these two men denied this truth
Must’ve spiritualised it i.e. gave it a figurative spin
Paul condemned them therefore as purveyors of vain babblers and promoters of error

C/ Note the effect that this has upon the people who hear it

[i] When we strive about words (word-battles)
It is not only to no profit (v14) – but subverts/hearers
We need to pick our battles and when we start/finish them
Greek word for subvert is catastrophe
Cata = down and strophe = turning
So there is a down turn when we get waylaid
The people/God suffer loss

[ii] But such activity not only subverts the listeners (v14)
Profane and vain babblings leads to more ungodliness (v16)
The true word/God has a sanctifying effect
Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee (Psalm 119:9)
But if we are taken up with something else – whether a new message or we have been sidelined in a war over words…
Then the word/God isn’t in there to do its job
The line for holiness cannot be held
There has been a surrendering up of the sword (Ephesians 6:17)
No wonder Satan gets the advantage
What a heavy price we pay in defeat

[iii] Without the right dividing/word of God
The words of the apostates eat like a canker (gangrene)
There is very little no man’s land in there
Either we have it or the enemy has it
If the enemy has it – then the gangrene is at work
Gangrene leads to literal loss/limb and eventually to death
The faith of some are overthrown (v18) – It spreads
Thus back in 1:1:20, Paul handed the Hymeneus over to Satan
Not advocating witch hunts or gun slinging at high noon

Some folk get squeamish when it comes to these things
He had to get him rooted out of the church for the sake/body

But we do recognise the necessity
It is the apostate who picks the fight
It is for us to take all means to protect the body

D/ The false/usless teaching is therefore to be shunned (v16)
Keep it out of the church at all costs
Let it be stigmatised as leprous and dangerous

Lastly, we must divide rightly the word/truth because:

4) A SPIRITUAL PROMISE UPHOLDS IT: v19

A/ These are mighty words to encourage us
What damage the enemy can inflict on a continual basis
Again/again, we might witness some whose faith is overthrown
They listened to the false teachers and were seduced by them

B/ Are we to lose hope in such circumstances?
While we must mourn for those who go back
Yet our text gives us much to be encouraged with to go on

[i] The foundation of God cannot be rocked: Standeth sure
Word/used of the star that stood over the house (Matthew 2:9)
This star was set/maintained in its exact location
Same word/translated covenanted (Matthew 26:15) re: Judas
A successful deal was done to deliver Christ into their hands
Here the certain deal is that the elect/God (v10) infallibly obtain the salvation that is in Christ with eternal glory

Rightly preaching the Bible is the means God uses to this end

[ii] While we are to be encouraged by God’s sovereign purposes
Christians have the responsibility of departing/iniquity (v19)
Rightly dividing the word/truth helps us achieve that great end
May God give us strength in dangerous days to live for Him

THE END

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