2 Timothy Study #7

“It Ain’t a Pretty Picture”

2 Timothy 3:1-9

Study #7 in 2 Timothy Series 

INTRODUCTION:

In my library I have a novel by an Irish author named Frank Delaney. The book is simply entitled, Ireland, and back when it was written in 2005 it was on the New York Times Bestseller List for quite a while. Delaney was born in County Tipperary in the South-Central part of the Republic of Ireland, and he is an amazing storyteller. His word-pictures are so well done that in your mind’s eye you can see the scenes that he describes, and hear the sounds, and smell the fragrances. He paints pictures with words, beautiful pictures, captivating pictures. Words have great power, to instruct, to inspire, to lift us up, or to bring us down. Words paint pictures that do not require canvases or oils or brushes.

TRANSITION:

In our text for this week the Apostle Paul paints a picture with words of what the world will be like in what he calls, “the last days.” He is not specific as to the date when these things will occur, but under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit he was allowed to look down through the corridor of time to see a future day when these things would become reality.

Specifically, he is looking at human beings and the direction in which humanity is traveling. Of course, we know that since the Fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden mankind has had a serious sin problem. God tells us in His Word that all of us are sinners, both by nature and by choice, and all of us fall far short of His perfect standard in every way. Every son of Adam and every daughter of Eve is wicked to the core and in need of a Savior and it has been like that since the Fall. However, the Bible also says that humanity is in a downward slide, growing worse and worse, and here in 2 Timothy 3 Paul gives us specifics of what to look for as time draws to a close, and we move into what he calls the “last days.”

However, I believe we are already there. I believe that he is describing our present reality. I believe that the characteristics of “last days people” are what we see all around us. And I believe that it will not be long before King Jesus returns to wrap up this whole sorry mess that we have made.

NOTES on the Text:

Verse 1: But realize this that in the last days difficult times will come. 

• “But realize this…” The Greek imperative verb, gínoske, means to understand, to comprehend, to know deeply and completely. It is much more than surface knowledge. What are we to understand? That “in the last days difficult times will come.” To what “last days” is Paul referring? This phrase has already appeared in these letters. Look back at 1 Timothy 4:1-3. “But the Spirit explicitly says that in latter times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, ² by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron, ³ men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth.” So, Paul has already broached this subject of what things are going to be like in the end times. The Spirit of God has given him some insights into what is coming. As I look around, I believe we are living in those times he was only seeing from afar. For us it is our present reality, and for this reason we need to pay close attention to this instruction.
• “…difficult times will come.” What does Paul mean by “difficult times”?  The word means grievous, or hard. But what will make these last days difficult? Hold that thought for a while and we will come back to it later.

Verse 2: For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,   

• “For men [i.e., people, generic usage] will be…” So here we start to get an idea of what Paul was thinking. He foresees changes happening in people, and these are not changes for the better. In verses 2-5 Paul gives 19 specific descriptions of how people will be in the “last days.” Let’s take a brief look at them, one by one.
• #1. Last days people will love themselves and will emphasize things like self-worth, self-value, and self-esteem. Sound familiar? They will become the center of their own little universes, thinking mainly of what is good for them.
• #2. Last days people will be in love with money, willing to do anything to get more of it, no matter who gets hurt. They will be greedy!
• #3. Last days people will be boastful [an old word meaning an empty pretender] – “I did this, I did that, I built those, Look at me,” etc.
• #4. Last days people will be arrogant/haughty, [lit. “to appear over”, means “showing oneself above others”]. They will constantly be comparing themselves to others, seeking advantage.
• #5. Last days people will be revilers [lit. blasphemers], speaking terrible things about God and about His people, attacking their character and Christian values.
• #6. Last days people will be disobedient to their parents, and not just disobedient but refusing to honor, respect, or care for their parents.
• #7. Last days people will be ungrateful, with an attitude of entitlement, never satisfied with what they have, but always wanting more.
• #8. Last days people will be unholy, holding nothing as “sacred,” including marriage, sex, promises, their word, etc.

Verse 3: unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, 

• #9. Last days people will be unloving [Greek, astórgoi, without family love/parental love], having no natural tenderness or compassion but hardened, even against those closest to them including parents, siblings, and children.
• #10. Last days people will be irreconcilable [lit. trucebreakers], so rigid in their thinking that they refuse to bend or change, even to make and keep peace.
• #11. Last days people will be malicious, diabolical gossips [lit. diáboloi], slandering whomever and whatever they do not like or understand.
• #12. Last days people will have no self-control, doing whatever feels good without thinking of the consequences.
• #13. Last days people will be brutal, enjoying inflicting pain on themselves and others, viewing it as a sport.
• #14. Last days people will hate things that are good and pure, preferring things that are dirty, sordid, and shameful.

Verse 4: treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 

• #15. Last days people will be treacherous [lit. traitors], turning even on those closest to them, stabbing friends, spouses, business partners, and children in the back to gain advantage for themselves.
• #16. Last days people will be reckless [lit. falling forward], seeking cheap thrills just for the “rush”, risking everything for nothing in return.
• #17. Last days people will be conceited and vain [lit. puffed up], self-absorbed and preoccupied with their appearance, weight, physique, and sexual prowess. They are filled up with the fetid gases produced by their putrid pride.
• #18. Last days people will love pleasure more than they love God, having their priorities completely inverted and twisted.

Verse 5: holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power. Avoid such men as these.

• #19. Last days people will embrace their own self-made religious ideas, rather than biblical truths, settling for a counterfeit Christianity devoid of real Holy Spirit power.

• And how does Paul say we should deal with such people described by these 19 characteristics? “Avoid such men as these,” meaning, “avoid these kinds of people.” But then how can we ever win them to Christ? If we refuse to engage with them, how will they ever hear the life-changing truth of the Gospel? Remember, this instruction is given in the context of church doctrine and practice. Paul would certainly say that we can engage them on the outside, in society, but we cannot tolerate such people within the membership and fellowship of the church. There is a big difference!

Verse 6: For among them are those who enter into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses, 

• Here is where things really start to get interesting! And ladies, I am hoping you will hear me out before you start throwing tomatoes at me. Paul says that among these last-days pseudo-Christians are scoundrels who will talk their way into people’s homes to lead folks astray. He uses the verb “to creep” to describe how they get in, much like cat-burglars and cockroaches. He says that they sneak in and take gullible, sin-filled women captive with their lies. Here he uses a military term that means to take prisoners in war. He is saying that these guys sneak in and wreck homes, marriages, churches, and families by finding the weakest link.
• I am not saying that women are weak or naïve or stupid. However, we need to keep in mind that Satan first attacked Eve. In that case the devil knew that she was the weakest link so that was where he struck first. But why would Paul zero in specifically on women like this?
• Go back and reread verses 6 and 7 together. Paul uses three identifiers to describe why certain women make easy targets:

1.    “Weak women weighed down with sins” Now do not jump to conclusions. They are not weak because they are women, but because they are sinful. Sin will always make a Christian weak, whether male or female. Sin robs us of spiritual strength and vitality. These women are only weak because of their sins.

2.    “…led on by various impulses” Christians are to be “led by the Spirit” not by their impulses. Acting from emotion rather than from principle and reason will often lead us into trouble, and women often make emotional decisions, let’s face it.

Verse 7: always learning and yet never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 

3.    “…always learning and yet never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” Did you know that women are by far the biggest buyers of books, but especially of self-help books? Did you know that by far they make up the majority of users of psychologists, counselling centers, and help-seminars? They buy and read books like The Shack and sign up for “The Course” [aka, ACIM, A Course in Miracles]; they watch Oprah and fall for every shaman and spiritual whack-job that walks across her stage; they watch Joel Osteen on TV and think he is just “wonderful, and so spiritual.” They are by far the major movers and shakers of nearly every charismatic church. In fact, if the women were to pull out, the Charismatic Movement would fall apart. 

• We must always remember that the “natural man” cannot understand spiritual truth. The veil must be removed first, and according to 2 Corinthians 3:14-16, that only happens when people turn fully to Christ. Listen. Paul is referring here to the Jews, but it applies to any unbeliever: “But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is only removed in Christ.  ¹⁵ But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart; ¹⁶ but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.” So that is why I believe that these “weak women” Paul is describing here in 2 Tim. 3 are not genuine believers, but rather are self-deluded, trying to fool themselves and everybody else. Sadly, the more these women search, the more lost and confused they get because they are not searching in the right place.

Verses 8: Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men of depraved mind, rejected in regard to the faith. 

• Now Paul gives us an object lesson rooted in the Old Testament. It is interesting though, the way he does it, because he refers to two guys we have never heard of before, and whose names appear only here in the pages of Scripture. He is referring to a situation described back in Exodus 7:8-13, although in that passage the men in question are not mentioned by name. However, their names have come down to us through the mists of time, kept alive by Jewish storytellers who still love to recount the details of what happened back then.
• Maybe you remember the story. God told Moses and Aaron to go to Pharaoh and command him to let the children of Israel to go free; to make their way up to Canaan to the Promised Land that God was giving to them. However, Pharaoh refused to listen so in obedience to God Moses told Aaron to throw his staff on the ground, and immediately it became a serpent. The Scriptures record: “Then Pharaoh also called for the wise men and the sorcerers, and they also, the magicians of Egypt, did the same with their secret arts. For each one threw down his staff and they turned into serpents. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs.” Now although their names are not listed here, Jewish history records that the names of the two principal shamans in Pharaoh’s court were Jannes and Jambres. Along with Pharaoh they stood in opposition against God and against the leadership of Moses and using their “black arts” they were able to do a couple of counterfeit miracles, but in the end were made to look stupid. And it happened several times. They tried their best to match Moses’ miracles one-for-one but after the first three they ran out of gas and said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” They had run out of options and were made to look foolish in the eyes of Pharaoh and all who were in Egypt.
• Now look again at what Paul says here in verse 8: “Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men of depraved mind, rejected in regard to the faith.” Look at the three things Paul observes about the false teachers of our day.
• “They oppose the truth” This word means to take a stand against.
• “They have depraved [lit. corrupted] minds” This is what happens when people reject the truth.
• “They have been rejected [lit. not standing the test] in regard to the faith” Their moral sense has been perverted and their minds have become clouded with their own futile speculations.
• In other words, they have proved by their attitudes and actions that they are not really Christians at all, but fakes and charlatans. 

Verse 9: But they will not make further progress; for their folly will be obvious to all, just as Jannes’ and Jambres’ folly was also. 

• “But they will not make further progress” God will only let these wicked people go just so far, and then He will pull the plug on them, and on all who oppose the truth and spread lies.
• “…for their folly will be obvious to all, just as Jannes’ and Jambres’ folly was also.” What Paul is predicting is that the fact that these men are wicked fools will eventually be proved to everyone. It will be made obvious, just as in the case of the two men who went toe-to-toe with Moses and lost. In the Bible, “folly” always includes wickedness, not just stupidity. “The FOOL saith in his heart, ‘There is no God.’”
• Remember that God will always have the final word and the “last laugh.” The Bible says in Galatians 6:7, “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.” And in Psalm 2:1-4 we see puny man shaking his fist at God and making big threats; but notice what God thinks of men who try to rebel against Him and deny His lordship over them: “Why are the nations so angry? Why do they waste their time with futile plans? The kings of the earth prepare for battle; the rulers plot together against the Lord and against His anointed one [lit. Christ/Messiah]. ‘Let us break their chains,’ they cry, ‘and free ourselves from slavery to God.’ But the One who rules in Heaven laughs. The Lord scoffs at them.” 

CONCLUSION:

In the beginning of this study, I said that we would revisit the phrase we found up in verse 1 where Paul says, “But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.” My question is this, “What makes these last days so difficult?” Certainly, the answer is related to the 19 characteristics Paul lays out describing the actions and attitudes of “last days people.” We know that because verse 2 starts out, “For men will be…” Let me see if I can summarize what I think Paul had in mind here.

These last days are difficult because…

1.    So many of the things happening around us run totally counter to Christian teaching, yet these “last days people” claim to be Christians.

2.    We are unsure how to confront sin in professing Christians in our churches, so we shirk away from even getting involved.

3.    These are church-splitter kinds of issues that bring disunity to the Body, but we feel inadequate to take them on.

4.    We are ashamed and convicted of sins in our own lives and feel unworthy to deal with the sins of others, no matter what they might be. 

I believe we are already in the “last days” because like never before, these are the marks of our civilization and much of the American Church. But do not despair! God is still in control, and He has His hand on the rudder. We can trust Him no matter what the future may bring! Look up, for redemption draws nigh!

2 Timothy Study #6

“Useful Vessels”

2 Timothy 2:20-26

Study #6 in 2 Timothy Series        

INTRODUCTION:

What is a “vessel”? I suspect that the first thing that comes to many of our minds is a “blood vessel,” one of those tiny little tubes that carry blood throughout our bodies. Webster’s Dictionary defines “vessel” as: (1) A hollow or concave utensil for holding something (e.g., as a barrel, hogshead, bottle, kettle, cup, or bowl); (2) A hollow structure designed for navigation on the water (e.g., such as a ship, a yacht, or a boat, especially one bigger than a rowboat); (3) A tube or canal (as an artery or vein) in which blood or other body fluid is contained and conveyed or circulated; (4) A person into whom some virtue (e.g., grace) is infused. For our purposes today I want us to focus on the first and the fourth of these dictionary definitions.       

Think for a moment about all the different kinds of “vessels” you have in your house. In your kitchen you have bowls, canisters, and containers, probably including a whole closet full of Tupperware. Out in the garage or shop you have tin cans or old baby food jars full of nails and screws and other assorted clutter. In your China closet you have various dishes made of fine China, or perhaps a silver tea service that you got as a wedding gift. But those “vessels” are not all the same value, are they? Nor are they equal in terms of their usefulness. 

So, in thinking about these things, we must consider the concepts both of usefulness and value. Moreover, both categories break down into at least two more divisions: practical usefulness vs. investment usefulness; and real or intrinsic value vs. sentimental value. (N.B. You might find it useful to evaluate your belongings along these lines.) 

TRANSITION:

In our text for today Paul takes up the subject of vessels and their relative worth. He uses the metaphor of the variety of vessels found in the average home and likens them to the different kinds of Christians there are and their relative worth. So, when we talk about “vessels” today we are really talking about people, people who claim to be believers, the various types of people who can be found in the average local church. We are in 2 Timothy chapter 2 starting at verse 20.

NOTES on the Text:

Verse 20: Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also vessels of wood and of earthenware, and some to honor and some to dishonor.

• “…in a large house…” Paul’s metaphor here is of a palace or manor house that would naturally have all sorts of vessels for various uses. Of course, only a rich man’s house would have vessels of gold and silver, although he would also have vessels of wood and earthenware as well. On the other hand, a poor man would only have wooden and earthenware vessels, but he would nonetheless understand the concept.
• I want you to see that Paul is not concerned with the material from which the vessel is made, but with the cleanliness and usefulness of the vessel. In other words, this is not about the intrinsic value of the vessel but about its usefulness and its value to the Master.
• “…some to honor and some to dishonor.” Here again, notice that the honor is not because of the intrinsic value of the vessel but because of other factors. We refer to gold and silver as “precious metals” because the metal itself is worth money regardless of what forms it takes. But financial worth is not the same as real value or honor.
• Some vessels made from cheap materials hold great value for us. My favorite coffee mug is a good example of this. I use it every day and it means a lot to me even though it is no great work of art, nor does it possess any intrinsic value. One of my sons gave it to me on Father’s Day many years ago. It says, “World’s Greatest Dad.” 
• Then there are those things the value of which may not be connected to their everyday usefulness but to their ability to bring us joy and enrich our life with beauty. My artist friend, Herschel McGraw, many years ago gave me a small handmade, hand painted Mata Ortiz vase that falls into this category for me. I do not use it for anything except to beautify our home and to make me feel good every time I look at it.
• On the other hand, something of great worth might mean nothing to us, or worse, we might hate it because of the memories attached to it. For example, how about the guy who now uses his ex-wife’s favorite Swarovski Crystal candy dish as an ashtray or a bowl in which to throw his peanut shells, just because he knows it would really tick her off J. 

Verse 21: Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.

• Think about it. A “vessel of dishonor” is very limited in terms of its usefulness. A lovely gold-plated bedpan might be useful at times, but you will never wash it up and make a casserole in it. In fact, you will never use it for anything else. And you will never use a solid sterling-silver antique spittoon as a pitcher to serve your guests. However, a plain wooden bowl can be used to serve many things. Even though it is humble it can be very useful if it is clean. Our goal should be to become as Paul puts it, “an honored vessel, clean and ready for the Master’s use.” But how does that happen?
• “…if anyone cleanses himself from these things…” What things exactly does Paul refer to here? I believe that we must look back at the wider context to figure this out. Let’s review. Up in verse 14 Paul tells Timothy to warn the Ephesian Christians not to get caught up in “wrangling about words,” which he says is “useless.” This warning came about because of the influx into the church of some destructive, divisive people bringing destructive, divisive teachings that the devil was trying to use to destroy that church and “ruin the hearers.” Then in last week’s text Paul got really specific and named names, warning Timothy about false teachers such as Hymenaeus and Philetus who were going about spreading erroneous doctrines and thus creating confusion and disunity in the congregation. In verse 16 Paul spoke about their “worldly and empty chatter” that could only lead to “further ungodliness.” He likened their heretical ravings to “gangrene,” which kills whatever it touches and spreads throughout the body unless stopped cold, and that, only with radical surgery. Then in verse 19 Paul ends by saying, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord abstain from wickedness,” meaning especially this kind of wickedness. And by the way, what does Paul say is the antidote to this kind of poison? I think we can sum it up with three points: (1) Stand strong in the grace of Christ, in verse 1; (2) Know and apply the Word of God, in verse 15; and (3) Be grounded in the truth, in verse 18.
• So that is the context. Now back down here in verse 21 Paul says, “…if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.”  In my opinion, the “these things” obviously refers to the wicked things we just looked at that are mentioned in verses 14-19.
• “…sanctified, useful to the Master” A strong Greek word, despótes, “despot” in English. It means a ruler who has absolute ownership and unrestricted power. This kind of power in the hands of a sinful human ruler always leads to ruin, but when it is carried by a good, and loving, and holy God we have nothing to fear. Our God is the perfect Monarch, the only truly Just and Righteous King.
• “…prepared for every good work.” Paul is referring specifically to the good works that God has called each of us to accomplish. He speaks of the same thing in chapter 3:16-17, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” And one more…Ephesians 2:10, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” But what can rob us of our usefulness to God and keep us from doing the good works we were made for? Read on. 

Verse 22: Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.

• “Now flee from youthful lusts” Paul knew that there are lusts peculiar to flaming youth, and remember, he was writing to a young man. And by the way, this sounds a lot like the advice Paul already gave to Timothy in his first letter. 1 Timothy 4:12 says, “Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe.” But Timothy is not only urged to run away from sin. He is also challenged to…
• “…pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace…” In the same way that Timothy is to run away from sin, he is to chase after godliness and all those things that are pleasing to God. He is to pursue them relentlessly, like a hound chasing a fox. 

Verse 23: But refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels

• “But refuse foolish and ignorant speculations” This is the third imperative verb in a row: Flee, Pursue, and now Refuse. All three are present imperatives that give the sense of “do this, and keep on doing it, without ever ceasing to do it.” Flee lust, pursue godliness, and refuse quarrels (“foolish and ignorant speculations”). But why? For the same reasons he gave in verses 14-16: because they are useless, they lead to the ruin of the bystanders, and result in further ungodliness. On top of that, here in verse 23 Paul points out that they just produce more quarrels, which he says should be avoided.
• By the way the Greek word Paul uses in this verse translated as “quarrels” is a military term for hand-to-hand combat. Sometimes these theological debates can get out of hand.

Verses 24-25a: The Lord’s bondservant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition…  

• “The Lord’s bondservant” This is the Greek word, doulos, one of Paul’s favorite words to describe himself. It comes from the verb, doulów, which means “to enslave, to bring into bondage.” Originally the title doulos was the lowest level in the scale of servitude, but it eventually came also to mean “one who gives himself up to the will of another” and became the most common and general word for “servant,” without any idea of bondage. However, in calling himself a “bond-slave” of Jesus Christ (e.g., Rom. 1:1) Paul intimates: (1) that he had been formerly a “bond-slave” of Satan; and (2) that, having been bought by Christ, he was now a willing slave, bound to his new Master.
• “…not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition” Here Paul lists five very important character qualities for anyone who wants to be a useful and honored servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. One is stated as a negative, the other four as positives. These would be worth writing down and carrying around on a card in your purse or pocket. By the way, these things are not easy to do. When we come up against people who oppose us our natural reaction is to push back. We quickly flip into “self-defense mode.” If our ideas are attacked, or if our character is impugned, we sometimes tend to react strongly. But what does our anger and defensiveness produce? Nothing good, I’m afraid. 

Verse 25b: …if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth,  

• “…if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth” Have you ever noticed this before? According to Paul, repentance is a gift from God without which no one would ever arrive at a knowledge of Him, or an understanding of His ways. Let me show you the same concept from another passage of Scripture, one that is very familiar to you but that you may have never seen in this light—Ephesians 2:8-9: “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast.” What does “…and that” refer to in the sentence? To grace? Or to salvation? Or to saving faith? I believe the correct answer is that it refers to all three; however, grammatically speaking, what we call “the nearest antecedent” is the word “FAITH.” Paul is telling us that even the faith we exercised when we believed in Christ as Savior and Lord, even that faith was a gift from God. The sinner is so messed up and so impotent and morally bankrupt that he cannot even come up with the necessary faith to believe unless God grants it to him. Likewise, the sinner cannot repent unless repentance is granted to him by God.
• Here in 2 Tim. 2:25 Paul is praying that God will grant to these argumentative false teachers and troublemakers in Ephesus the grace to repent, and believe, and turn to Christ, who is the TRUTH.

Verse 26: …and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.

• God’s whole purpose in “granting them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth” is so that “they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil.” God wants to free them from Satan’s slavery. In fact, He wants every one of us to live in spiritual freedom rather than in spiritual bondage. And the Bible says, “…if the Son sets you free, then you shall be free indeed.”  

CONCLUSION:

So, where do we go from here? I do not know about you, but I want to be a useful vessel for God, fit for His use. I know that I am not a gold vessel or silver vessel. I am just a plain old wooden or earthenware vessel like most of you. But that is not the most important part. Frankly there are not very many gold and silver vessels around. God seems to do most of His best work using “earthen vessels, jars of clay” as Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 4:7, “But we have this treasure [i.e., the Gospel message] in earthen vessels, that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves.”

But more important than the question of what we are made of [i.e., our intrinsic worth] is the question of our spiritual cleanliness. Verse 21 of our text makes it clear that the primary requirement for being used by God is not talent or education or good looks or the ability to speak to crowds. “If a man cleanses himself…then he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.” The key phrase in all of that is, “…if a man cleanses himself…” You see, God is picky about His tools. He does not care much about what the vessel is made of; He just wants it to be clean and submitted to Him. 

The moral of this story is simple. If you want God to use you for His glory, then you must take sin seriously. You cannot hide it. You cannot ignore it. You cannot rename it so that it does not sound so bad. You must face it, confess it, be cleansed of it, and then flee from it from then on. That is the formula to be one of God’s “useful vessels.”

2 Timothy Study #5

“The Theology of Angie’s List”

2 Timothy 2:15-19

Study #5 in 2 Timothy Series 

INTRODUCTION:

Some of you will remember seeing TV ads for Angie’s List. It was a professional referral service, a word-of-mouth network, helping more than 2 million households all over the USA and Canada find the best service companies in their area. Angie’s List was co-founded by Bill Oesterle and Angie Hicks in 1995. It started out in Columbus, Ohio as a local call-in service and publication for reviews about home-repair services and lawn care providers. The idea caught on big time and by 1999, the database of local services and reviews was moved to the Internet. During the ensuing years, their customer base and business relationships grew throughout North America, while also expanding to include additional service industries such as health care and auto care.         

Angie’s List graded companies using a report-card-style scale, which ranged from A to F. These ratings were based on the 5-fold criteria of price, quality, responsiveness, punctuality, and professionalism. Each company had its own page, which was composed of a description of its business along with the customer reviews. The aggregate grade for the business was drawn from the combined reviews and grades given to the business from its consumers.         

In 2013 Angie’s List was estimated to be worth somewhere in the range of $700-800 million dollars. Not bad for a little home business that started out from a card-table set up in the kitchen!

TRANSITION:

In our text for this study the Apostle Paul says something that reminds me a lot of the philosophy behind Angie’s List. Namely, that those workmen who do a good job at their trade should be rewarded, honored, and recommended to other people. They should be held in high esteem for their good work. And shoddy workmanship, likewise, should be made public so that people can avoid being taken in by unskilled, unscrupulous crooks. Let’s look at 2 Timothy 2:15 and see how all this fits together. 

NOTES on the Text:

Verse 15: Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.

• Let’s unpack this important and familiar verse phrase by phrase.
• “Be diligent” The Greek word Paul chooses to use here means “to be eager, to hasten to do a thing, to endeavor, to be zealous to accomplish something.” This word always implies a desire to move forward. It is not a word that leaves any room for laziness or complacency. However, it is also not directly related to the word “study” that we find in the KJV, at least not in the common use of the word. Growing up I memorized this verse in the KJV and we always seemed to emphasize that first word, “STUDY!” as though God were really impressed by scholarship and our ability to do homework. Frankly, that misses the mark here because the real emphasis should be on the next phrase. Our diligence should all be pointed in the direction of…
• “…to present yourself approved to God.” God’s approval is the goal, not a reputation for being good at memorizing Bible verses or possessing other scholastic skills. As Christians our longing should be to make our Heavenly Father proud of us.
• “…approved to God” This word “approved” is often used in the ancient literature to refer to what remains after testing, to precious metal that has been refined by fire once the dross has been burned off. Think for a moment of God as a Master metal craftsman working with gold ore. He knows that the gold is in there but the only way to get it out so that it can become useful is to put the ore through a heat treatment to burn off all the impurities and then collect the solid, pure gold. That is what God does in your life and mine, to bring us to the point of usefulness. He refines us so that He can use us.
• “…a workman who” A laborer who works hard, often a skilled craftsman. He is not a lazy man, but rather one who knows the value of sweat equity.
• “…does not need to be ashamed” Think about it, a workman who does lousy work ought to be ashamed! Shame is a very unpleasant emotion. No one likes to feel ashamed, but there are times when a sense of shame is appropriate. A lazy man should be ashamed of himself.
• “…accurately handling” In Greek this is just one word, orthotoméo, which means to “cut straight” (from orthós, “straight”, and temnō, “to cut”). It was used in road building and in farming, for ploughing a straight furrow. It reminds me of watching my master craftsman father build beautiful wood cabinets. Or maybe you have watched an expert carpet layer and seen how he makes perfect seams. Often this word is used in the figurative sense, where it means, “to handle correctly or accurately.” That is the sense here. And exactly what is to be handled in this way?
• “…the word of truth” This grammatical construction means “the truthful message” or “the word, which is true.” I believe that Paul is referring specifically to God’s revealed Word, which is TRUTH from beginning to end. There is nothing false about it. In fact, we have this from the very mouth of Jesus. In His High Priestly prayer recorded in John 17:17 Jesus prayed to the Father on behalf of His disciples: “Sanctify them in the truth; Thy Word IS TRUTH!” 

Verses 16-17a: But avoid [i.e., shun] worldly, empty chatter [babbling], for it will lead to further ungodliness, ¹⁷ and their talk will spread like gangrene.

• Paul gives to Timothy another word of fatherly advice: “But avoid worldly, empty chatter.” This is not the first time in this letter that Paul has said this. He has already told Timothy not to get caught up in arguing and wrangling with those idiots who were showing up in the church with whacked-out theology and hobbyhorse doctrines. Here Paul tells him to avoid these guys and not get drawn into their useless discussions. To “avoid” means to steer clear of, to stay away from, and to not get involved in. The word “empty” implies that their words have no content. It is all just smog and smoke and stink, possessing nothing of substance, and therefore a waste of time. But worse than that, Paul says that it will actually, “lead to further ungodliness.” He uses the Greek word, asebeía, which means no reverence for (α + σέβω), a disregard for, or defiance of God’s Person. It is the exact opposite of godliness.
• “…and their talk will spread [lit. eat away] like gangrene.” Gangrene is a medical condition whereby the flesh rots (i.e., necrosis). The word itself comes from Greek, gángraina, meaning an “eating sore” or a canker. It can be caused by lack of blood supply, or lack of oxygen to the tissues. It often follows frostbite but can also be the result of an untreated wound such as a bad cut or a gunshot. It is also the leading cause of amputation in people who suffer from severe diabetes. The flesh turns black and begins to rot. It is the natural result of tissue death and decomposition but when this occurs in a living person, we call it “gangrene.” The only solution is to cut out the rotten tissue, all the way back to the living, pink tissue that is still getting nourished by the blood supply. If left untreated, the gangrene spreads, killing the healthy flesh and eventually poisoning the blood supply, causing death. The gangrene must be cut away including any of the diseased tissue around it. Paul says that heresy spreads just like gangrene, and just as surely. It kills whatever it touches and the only cure for it is to cut it out, to excommunicate it from the healthy part of the body. That was the only solution to this problem. 

Verses 17b-18: Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, ¹⁸ men who have gone astray from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already taken place, and they upset the faith of some.

• Now Paul gets down to brass tacks and starts naming names. Two guys— “Hymenaeus and Philetus.” As far as I know this is the one and only time when this fellow Philetus appears in Scripture. We do not know any particulars about him other than the fact that he, along with his buddy, Hymenaeus, was spreading heresy in the Early Church. But Hymenaeus is another story. We heard about him back in Paul’s first letter to Timothy in 1:19-20. There we learned that Hymenaeus and a guy named Alexander had “suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith.” In other words, they had thrown their faith overboard, abandoning it completely. As a result of their heresies and blasphemies Paul tells Timothy that he had delivered them over to Satan, which was a drastic step indeed, and not to be underestimated. Apparently, the treatment had not worked, and this guy was still causing problems among the Ephesian Christians. We discover that he was still up to his old tricks.
• Paul describes Hymenaeus and Philetus here as “having gone astray from the truth.” The KJV says they “have erred from the truth.” It is an interesting Greek word, astocheō (ἀστοχέω), and in the NT Paul is the only one to use it, and only here in the Pastoral Epistles. It literally means “to deviate or swerve away from, or to miss the mark or target.” The first time is in 1 Timothy 1:6 where Paul writes, “…For some men, straying from [KJV, having swerved from] these things [i.e., sound doctrine], have turned aside to fruitless discussion.” We see the word again in 1 Tim. 6:21, “…which [i.e., false knowledge] some have professed and thus gone astray from the faith.” I think you understand the idea. Hymenaeus and Philetus had gone off the rails. They had jumped off the reservation. They had wandered off into theological La-La Land and thus missed the whole point. And that is the danger! When a person rejects the truth, all he/she is left with is a lie!
• Exactly how did they swerve away from the path? According to Paul, by “saying that the resurrection has already taken place.”  Most Bible scholars believe that these two guys were teaching that the resurrection was simply an allegorical way of saying that when a person would find enlightenment [i.e., “true gnosis, knowledge”] his soul was released from sin. This distortion of the Gospel was an early form of Gnosticism that emphasized a spiritual resurrection while denying the physical Resurrection of Christ and the Christian teaching of a literal future bodily resurrection for all true believers. These men were saying that the “resurrection” had already occurred when people turned to God, received the deep knowledge that saves, and had thus been reborn spiritually. Gnostics generally believed that this happened when the person was baptized in water.
• And what was the result? “They upset the faith of some.” This may not sound too bad but, this is a cardinal sin when you look at it in the light of several key passages. James 3:1 warns: “Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we shall incur a stricter judgment.” And in Matthew 18:6, speaking about those who would lead new believers [i.e., “little children”] astray, Jesus said: “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in Me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.” So, you see, “…upsetting the faith of some” was a big deal after all! 

Verse 19: Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain from wickedness.” 

• “Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands!” Is that not a great saying? That is right up there with “Our God Reigns!” and “In God we trust!” What Paul is saying is that despite the unfaithfulness of some who claimed to be followers of Christ, the truth is still the truth. No amount of unbelief can change that fact.
• “…it stands!” The tense of the verb here emphasizes the fact that God’s truthful Word stands not only in the past, but also in the present, and on into the future. The prophet, Isaiah, said the very same thing about the Word in Isaiah 40:8, “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God stands forever.” God’s Word is eternal!
• Moreover, Paul says, “the Lord knows those who are His.” He quotes from the Greek LXX Version [i.e., the “Septuagint”] of Numbers 16:5, with allusions to verses 26-27 of the same passage. This word “knows” means an intimate, experiential knowledge that can only be obtained in a loving relationship like marriage. That is how God knows us, and that is how we should desire to know Him, deeply, personally, and intimately.
• And notice something else… “The firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, the Lord knows those who are His.” God’s truth is a firm foundation, and it will endure forever. However, in this context, I believe that Paul is talking about a particular truth, a special fact, and that is that God has placed a seal on those who belong to Him. This seal is a mark of ownership and authentication. Paul’s point in this passage is that there are real Christians and fake Christians, and God knows which are which. He has no trouble telling them apart. Hymenaeus and Philetus were fake Christians. In fact, they were false teachers, and they stood in sharp contrast to what a true believer is to be.
• God knows His own kids. He has put a seal on every one of them. That seal is His mark of ownership and His promise that He will return one day to take them home to be with Him forever. In Ephesians 1 Paul tells us that we have been adopted as God’s children. Then in verses 13-14 he says that “we were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.” Did you get that? The Holy Spirit in us is the seal, God’s mark of ownership and authentication that tells us, and the world, that we belong to the Lord.
• One more thing… “Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain from wickedness.” Did you get that? Everyone who is called by His Name, who claims to belong to Him, who has been sealed with the Holy Spirit, who calls himself/herself a child of God “is to abstain from wickedness.” So according to Paul, the real mark of a true Christian is not pious words, but holy living. That is the proof of really knowing Christ. Talk is cheap. The proof is in the living.

CONCLUSION:

So, what is our takeaway from this passage? I don’t know about you but verse 15 really stands out to me. “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the Word of Truth.”  Let me ask you, how eager are you for God’s approval? How much does His smile, His “Well done!” mean to you? Paul tells us today that we should seek for and desire the approval of our Lord. Moreover, we should be willing to work hard for it. Why else would he liken us to workmen? Think of it this way: if God had an “Angie’s List” would you be listed on it? Do you have His approval, His recommendation?         

You may or may not know about the AWANA Clubs that many churches sponsor. AWANA operates in 140 countries and has over 9 million children from 2-years-old through high school participating every week. But do you know what AWANA stands for? It sounds like it might be an Indian word, but it isn’t. It is an acronym taken from this very passage in 2 Timothy. It stands for, “Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed.” That means that every week, children all around the world are learning how to seek after God, and how to apply His Word to their lives. They do this by memorizing key verses and studying lessons from God’s Word, and they work hard at it.         

But how about you? Are you showing due diligence to present yourself as an approved workman to God, so that you never need to be ashamed before Him? Have you learned to accurately handle the Word of truth so that you are at home in the Scriptures and able to give an answer to anyone who should happen to ask you of the hope that you have in Christ?