- Salutation 1:1–2
- Faithful Service 1:3–18
- Exhortations to discipleship 2:1–26
- Making disciples 2:1–13
- Picture of Discipleship 2:1–2
- Characteristics of Disciple-Makers
- The examples of Jesus and Paul 2:8–10
- Importance of Faithfulness 2:11–13
- Serving as Disciples 2:14–26
- Handling the word 2:14–18
- Being an example to others 2:19–21
- Living as a disciple 2:22–26
- Directions concerning the last days 3:1–4:8
- Concluding personal instructions and information 4:9–22
- Who is "them" in verse 14?
- The church or his disciples he had trained
- We also see potentially the teachers, since he charges them not to argue about things that are unimportant and only ruins the hearers
- How do you "ruin" a hearer as a teacher?
- First, it is good to question scripture to understand, but, just questioning scripture without any answers only chips away at the faith of the hearer
- We should not be afraid to question scripture since it is inspired by God, therefore it has logical answers. BUT, sometimes the answers are too difficult for us to understand, like free-will and predestination
- Instead of being a poor teacher characterized by arguments about words and doubts, Paul challenges Timothy and his disciples to be what?
- Men approved by God -- would God be pleased by my life and example to others?
- Men not ashamed -- this goes back to the popular chorus, do I deny my savior to others? Do I acquiesce to the culture? Do I change my theology to fit the worldview (ie., marriage, and homosexuality among believers)?
- Men who rightly handle the word of Truth -- does my teaching offer answers and encourage applications and follow the bible (since it is truth)?
- Apparently the issue with irreverent babble continues, and spreads. What is irreverent babble?
- Word irreverent means profane, ungodly and the word babble means empty discussion of useless matters
- Teaching that does not result in change
- Teaching that only tickles the ears
- Teaching that discourages faith and just makes people question scripture
- Who are Hymenaeus and Philetus? What is their teaching?
- Hymenaeus was mentioned in 1 Timothy and is apparently still in leadership
- The teaching is that the resurrection has already occurred. Quite likely they saw it as spiritual and not bodily. This might suggest no need to prepare ourselves for Christ's return (a very bad choice)
- There is a bodily resurrection. And how we live today will affect our reward during the believer's judgement (grumbling, complaining, gossiping, lying, stealing, lusting, etc)
- A seal represents ownership. What is the believer's seal? The Holy Spirit
- We do have a guarantee of salvation but not of reward
- Why is that important? The crown represents an opportunity to show God your thankfulness for salvation. Rewards are opportunities to serve in the new millennium
- It does not affect our salvation, but our works as a believer our essential in some unknown way (the next section seems to continue this theme or idea)
- APPLICATION:
- What do we believe and where do we get our beliefs?
- If it is from the morals and cute sayings of the world, it is irreverent babble
- Our beliefs need to come from the bible, which means we need to be regularly meeting with God in his word
- What is the great house? It is the church. God is the owner
- What is there in the great house?
- Different vessels (cups to use)
- Some for honorable use (they bring honor to the owner)
- Some are for dishonorable use (they do not bring honor to the owner)
- Some have suggested three groups (faithful believer, unfaithful believer, and an unbeliever). Each of those groups exist in the church
- In this case, the honorable and the dishonorable cup both appear to be believers, why?
- Because you can cleanse yourself from the dishonorable and be useful to the master
- What is dishonorable?
- False teaching
- False living (again, all the characteristics I listed earlier)
- APPLICATION: We need to stop playing church or playing Christianity. We can't mix the worlds' ideas and God's ideas. There is only one God, and it is not the god in your mind, it is the God of the bible
- Our mind does not tell us who God is
- The bible tells our mind who God is
- There is a lot of false teaching on this point. People have created in their mind a god who is their image of what God should be, but it is really an idol because it is not based on the bible
- This section tells us what it means to be a vessel for noble use. Let's go through the list. Let's list each one and make sure we understand what it means.
- Flee youthful passions -- focus on the flesh and a lack of responsibility for your actions
- Replace with righteousness -- doing the right thing (taking responsibility for your actions)
- Replace with faith -- trusting God for the things you desire; praying
- Replace with love -- put other first, not yourself -- that is the essence of love
- Replace with peace -- don't argue, most things are not worth it
- Replace with prayer -- calling on the Lord from a pure heart -- seek what God wants not what you want. Learn to pray for God's will in the situation
- Stay away from
- Foolish controversies -- Grk word, moros, translated foolish, stupid, and fool
- Ignorant controversies -- Grk word, apaideutos, meaning uneducated, without instruction, rude
- Result of these things is only quarrels
- Look up James 4:1-4-- why do people get into arguments?
- Because they are not getting something they want
- APPLICATION: Ask yourself when you are getting angry -- What is it that I want that I am not getting that is causing me anger?
- Put away quarrelling (fighting to get your own way) and replace quarreling with:
- Replace with kindness to everyone -- even those you might disagree with
- Replace with ability to teach -- some aspects of teaching require an ability -- learn to listen and understand; learn to ask good questions
- Replace with patience even around evil -- The phrase is one Grk word, anexikakos, translated in the NLT as patient with difficult people
- Replace with correcting opponents with gentleness -- rather than arguing at full blast (yelling), tone it down -- we are confident in the truth, there is no need to blow our tops
- IF we put off quarreling and fighting, and replace it with a different way of presenting truth, …
- They MIGHT listen
- They MIGHT repent
- They MIGHT learn truth
- They MIGHT come to their senses
- They MIGHT escape the snare of the devil (and since we are probably talking about believers in the church, a believer can't be indwelt by Satan, but can be capture by him to do his will -- especially if they are not regularly in the word of God)
- KEY: We MIGHT have this impact, but we WON'T if we quarrel like the world -- we have to be different to be a light
- APPLICATION: Change the way you respond to disagreements
Review:
Outline (my edits
to Constable)
A. Fan the flame 1:3–7
B. Don't be afraid 1:8–14
C. Examples of faithful and
unfaithful service 1:15–18
2 Timothy 2:14–19 (ESV) —
14 Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to
quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. 15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who
has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. 16 But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and
more ungodliness, 17 and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among
them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, 18 who have swerved
from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are
upsetting the faith of some. 19 But God’s firm foundation
stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let
everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.”
2 Timothy 2:20–21 (ESV) —
20 Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver
but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. 21 Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he
will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of
the house, ready for every good work.
2 Timothy 2:22–26 (ESV) —
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.
James 4:1–4 (ESV) —
1 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not
this, that your passions are at war within you? 2 You desire
and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and
quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on
your passions. 4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that
friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a
friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
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