MPC, 25th February 2001.2 Timothy 2:14-3:9 - Head & Hands
Cameron Wills MPC, 25th February 2001.
In the movie 'Star Wars' the commander of the 'Death Star' spaceship hears that those attacking it could blow him and the whole spaceship to smitherines - that there's danger. But he ignores the warning, the attack on his ship succeeds, and he is blown into a million pieces. He didn't change his thinking and escape the danger. His bad thinking made him act in a disasterous way. And the apostle Paul gives you a similar message. If you don't think rightly about the Christian life, then you won't live a life of godliness. Bad thinking leads to bad living. But right thinking WILL lead to godly living. And the gospel demands that you push on with, that you persevere in godliness.
Have you ever met a cheat who got caught? Do you know anyone who cheated on an exam, or maybe their tax return, but then got found out? And then who had to wear the consequences for their actions. They obviously THOUGHT they wouldn't get caught, but they were wrong. Their faulty thinking led to faulty living. Like that American FBI agent, selling top secrets to the Russians for years, but now behind bars and facing a possible death penalty. And the Apostle Paul warns Timothy, and you about the same kind of situation.
You see there were false teachers right amongst the church that Timothy was looking after. They weren't an outside influence. They weren't a separate group that the Christians were in danger of being dragged off by. They weren't like the Jehovah's Witnesses or the Mormons, coming to your front door and asking you to come to their meeting. No these guys were causing rot, from the inside of the church. The danger was from within. They were saying that there wouldn't be a resurrection of the physical body at the end of this age. But they said that the resurrection was 'spiritual', not physical, and that it has already happened for Christians. These members of the church were going around spreading their wrong thinking, and engaging in useless babble and talking. Look with me at verse sixteen, where Paul says "Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly." And then in the middle of verse 17 "Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have wandered away from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some."
But so what, weren't they just saying words? How could that be a problem, back then, and now for you and me? Well it was, and it is a problem, a big problem. Because what they thought, was demonstrated in how they lived. You see these guys thought that because they already had the resurrected body, that they 'had made it'. They reckoned they had reached the spiritual heights, and that how they lived didn't matter. So they lived however they wanted. And they were living totally for themselves , they weren't helping others at all, but left people bruised and battered. Paul tells us about their lives - Look at chapter 3 "But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money. Boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God - having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them."
What an awful list. What horrible people. But remember that these people are inside the church. How could they possibly believe that it was OK to live like this? Simple. They had wrong thinking. They misunderstood what the Christian life was all about and so they got it wrong in their lives. They were ungodly because they didn't know the sort of life the gospel demands that Christians live. It was like someone had their arm wrapped around their necks in a head lock. They lost blood flow to the brain. And when their minds blacked out, so did their lives. Bad thinking led to ungodly living.
So how's your thinking and living? Have you made the same mistake as these blokes? It might cut you to the heart when you hear of Christians who's lives bring shame to the gospel?; when a Christian at work, school or uni is, for example, always putting others down, or is only out to get all they can for themselves. That others. But what about you? What would the person opposite you at work think? What would they think of you? Or are you boastful, slanderous of others, or not forgiving? Do you act like Hymenaeus and Philetus? Don't make the same mistake. Bad thinking leads to ungodliness.
But just as that is true, so the opposite is also true. Right thinking leads to godly living. If you and I really understand what the gospel is then our lives will be radically changed. If you have truly got a handle on what's involved in living the gospel out it will show in your life. Because God wants Christians to be godly. He wants you to live righteously. And we've seen this already in 2 Timothy. Look back with me at verse 9 of Chapter 1. "God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life".
And Paul tells you what it means by 'a holy life'? He explains what's involved for you, and for me, to live this holy life. You need to stop wrong living. If you say that you are a Christian then you must leave ungodliness behind. Look at chapter 2, and the second part of verse 19. "Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness."
My wife and I got lots of bowls and dishes for wedding presents. We got some that are crystal, and some that are plastic. The crystal ones are to come out at special occasions. They're reserved for special uses. And then we have the plastic bowls. They're for everyday use, the common variety. Well Paul says that it's like that in your life. If you want to be set apart for the special uses, for use by God, then you need to get rid of the evil, the base, common things in your life. Don't live your life like you are fido's dish, the dog's bowl. There's nothing special about that. It gets dented and knocked about. Your dog licks out of it. Don't live like that. Cleanse yourself from evil. This is what Paul says in verses 20 and 21 "In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble. If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work."
Maybe there are people here who are being unfaithful to their spouse in the way you speak about them to others. Or maybe you are treating your boyfriend or girlfriend like a thing that you can do whatever you would like with. You might do other acts of ungodliness. God says that you need to stop doing them.
So God says for you and for me to stop being wicked, but to turn to His ways. Right thinking should be followed by right living. Your life should be characterised by a single-mindedness. A devotion to godliness. Seeking after the good for others, like being kind and humble and gently with people. It's right there in verse 22 "Flee the evil desire of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace,…"
So what about your annoying neighbour, or the workmate that no-one likes. Pray for them, look for good things in them, not winge about them. Invite them around for a meal. Show that you think rightly about the gospel, and that you therefore live rightly.
There is a need for now. And it should show in your lives day-by-day. But God's not looking for you to be Superman, or Wonderwoman, to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Hymenaeus and Philetus thought they had reached that point. But Paul says to you, 'don't be like that'. Because they're teaching is like gangrene. It will look disgusting in your life and it will kill your faith if its not stopped. What you need is to persevere in godliness. Do the 'hard yards' each day. Keep going, keep living God's way. And Do it until the end. That is the need for now.