MPC, 4th March 2001.2 Timothy 3:10-4:44 - Smooth Words?
Phil Campbell MPC, 4th March 2001.
I don't know about you, but I'm not as excited as I thought I would be about paying 1.5 cents a litre less for petrol. And I certainly don't want to get POLITICAL this morning. You can vote for whoever you like. But there's something about the way things have unfolded in the world of politics last week that people are saying just doesn't seem right.
And all the newspapers are saying it. They're interviewing people at petrol pumps, who a couple of weeks ago were ANNOYED when the prices went up. And now they're JUST AS ANNOYED that the prices have gone down. Even moreso. And CRITICAL of the sort of leader who'll say one thing with full determination ONE WEEK. And something completely different the next week.
But that's what LEADERSHIP BY OPINION POLLS looks like. And it never works. It's leadership that above everything else is looking for the POPULAR VOTE. And so sways with public opinion.
In the end, it's a sort of leadership that might work in the short term. But in the long term leads to disaster. It's the sort of fickle leadership that aims to be popular in the short term, but in the end brings ruin. And I think from what I see in the newspapers, people ARE REALISING THAT. And we should.
Now will you notice that someone like Timothy, an apprentice CHURCH LEADER, will face exactly the same pressures and temptations. And as the old Apostle Paul comes to the end of his letter, he gives TIMOTHY some valuable advice. Chapter 4 verse 3, he says don't be SWAYED; don't be sucked in by the POPULAR VOTE. Stick to the TRUTH instead. He says "For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, TO SUIT THEIR OWN DESIRES they'll gather round them a great number of teachers who SAY WHAT THEIR ITCHING EARS WANT TO HEAR." And the temptation will be simply to TELL PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT TO HEAR. Instead of teaching the truth.
That's the danger. And so Paul spells out a model for Timothy, the model he's lived out himself. And it's a JOB DESCRIPTION. For anyone who wants to LEAD THE PEOPLE OF GOD.
It's one thing for a PRIME MINISTER to chase the popular vote. But if you're leading the people of God, the stakes are far higher.
So here in a nutshell, you’ve got Paul telling Timothy WHAT THE JOB IS. Reminding him of the key things involved in the WORK OF CHRISTIAN MINISTRY. Christian leadership.
And I want to impress it on you this morning that it’s the same whatever sort of Christian leadership you’re involved in.
Because the work of ministry isn’t primarily about MARRYING PEOPLE. And it isn’t about BURYING PEOPLE. And it isn’t about being on committees. And going to Presbytery meetings and the Annual State Assembly.
If you want to break the passage up in your head a little bit to see the structure, there are three main sections. And each of them starts pretty much exactly the same way. Paul says to Timothy, these are the pressures. This is how it is. Verse 10. BUT YOU, he says, have got to be different. Do what you’ve seen me do. Verse 14, BUT YOU have got to hang on to the truth. And preach the word. And Chapter 4 verse 5. BUT YOU, keep your head.
Three challenges to Timothy, three times he’s reminded of the fact he’s got to keep going. No matter WHAT sort of opposition he’s facing.
The first one comes at the start of chapter 3 verse 10; he’s been talking about the FALSE TEACHERS we looked at last week. And at the start of verse 10, Paul says BUT YOU… YOU, HOWEVER, be different. You, however, you KNOW WHAT THE REAL THING LOOKS LIKE. So stick with it. He says, you've seen me at work; you've been apprenticed; so keep doing what you've seen ME DOING. Even though you've seen the cost.
You, however, he says, you know all about my teaching; verse 10; you know about my WAY OF LIFE. You know about my PURPOSE. What I've been AIMING FOR. You know my faith and patience and love and endurance. And you know my PERSECUTIONS and SUFFERINGS as well. But you know as well how the Lord's preserved me. And so you KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT.
It's a TERRIBLE FALSE TEACHING to say the more SPIRITUAL YOU ARE, the MORE YOU'LL BE BLESSED with WORLDLY PROSPERITY. Because it isn't true. And if that's your expectation, you need to change it. Paul says, you know how I've been PERSECUTED. And that's how it's going to be for ANYONE who wants to lead a godly life in Christ Jesus. Verse 12. He says "In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be PERSECUTED - while evil men and imposters will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived."
But you, Timothy, BE READY for that sort of thing. Be realistic in what you're expecting. So you can keep at it.
2. But you... CONTINUE IN THE WORD!
Run your eye down from verse 14 in chapter 3. Which is the second time Paul says BUT YOU. Here’s what he’s got to do. In the face of the fact that the world prefers false teachers. In the face of the fact people want to listen to anything else rather than the truth. Timothy has got to hold UNFLINCHINGLY to the scriptures – the very words of God.
Paul says, AS FOR YOU, continue in what you’ve learned and become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you’ve known THE HOLY SCRIPTURES, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All scripture is God breathed, and is useful for TEACHING, REBUKING, CORRECTING and TRAINING IN RIGHTEOUSNESS, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."
So, says Paul, HERE"S WHAT YOU'VE GOT TO DO. Go to verse 2 in chapter 4. Here’s the job. The word of God is for TEACHING. So TEACH IT. The word of God is for REBUKING. So REBUKE. The word of God is for correcting and training in Righteousness. SO, he says, chapter 4 verse 2, so PREACH THE WORD. Use it for what it’s meant for. Shape people’s lives by correcting and rebuking and encouraging from the scriptures.
You know, we live in a video world, don’t we?
I was reading an article written by a preacher. And he said he was starting to wonder. I mean, all the people in his church, they’re products of the 80s and 90s, they reckon you’re lucky if you can get people past a 10 minute attention span, kids brought up on music videos and Sesame street. So he was wondering if he was getting through. He was wondering if he needed to bring in VIDEOS in his church instead of sermons, where he had to start using AUDIO VISUALS to get across the message. So he asked a guy from his congregation one day whether there was EVER anything in his preaching that touched him.
And the guy thought about it for a minute. He rubbed his chin. And he said YEAH. He said, SOMETIMES. He said, a couple of weeks ago you said something, and it made me think. It made me think about the way I’d been avoiding one of the other guys here at church. He’d been rubbing me up the wrong way. And you showed us in the bible the way Jesus said we should be LOVING ONE ANOTHER. And it shook me up. Because I wasn't doing it. So the next Sunday I went and spoke to him. And I’m working at doing better. At building up a friendship.
See, preaching the word mightn’t be flash. It mightn’t be quite as exciting as watching telly. But when’s the last time a TV show spoke to you with the authority of the very words of God? All scripture is GOD BREATHED. And the God who breathed it into scripture wants to breathe it into your life as well.
Paul says to Timothy PREACH THE WORD. There’ll be people who deride it, there’ll be people who dilute it, there'll be people who want to PUT THE FOCUS somewhere else... they'll be people who gather round them teachers to tickle their itchy ears, who'll only say what they want them to say. But STICK WITH IT.
Because over and above everything else, and he says it back in chapter 3 verse 15, it's the scriptures that make you WISE FOR SALVATION through FAITH IN CHRIST JESUS.
Can I urge you this morning, can I warn you against the danger of switching out when God’s word is making you squirm. We’ve got this great way of applying the liquid paper to the bits we don’t like, haven’t we.
When's the last time you GAVE THANKS... for the fact the Word of God actually CHALLENGED YOUR THINKING. And your actions. When's the last time you've said, WHAT I HEARD FROM THE BIBLE TODAY REALLY STUNG. I'm GLAD. Because I need to change.
That’s what our attitude has got to be, hasn’t it? Mine as well as yours. To let God’s word correct us. Even rebuke us. To bring us to faith in Christ Jesus, and to train us to be righteous.
Which is why Christian ministry, Christian leadership, has got to be about TEACHING THE WORD. That’s the focus. Whether it’s me as the minister. Or you as a YOUTH LEADER. Or Kidzbiz teacher. OR EVEN AS A PARENT leading your family. Timothy grew up in a Christian home. His mum and his grandma, they taught him the scriptures. Paul says to him, CONTINUE IN WHAT YOUVE LEARNED. No matter WHAT PRESSURE YOU COME UNDER.
And pressure there is.
3. But you - DON'T PANIC, KEEP RUNNING (4:5)
Well, everyone else might want to blow with the wind. But Timothy is called to be DIFFERENT. And the third time Paul points that out, the third time he says BUT YOU... it comes in verse 5 of chapter 4.
They might turn their ears away and chase after myths. But YOU, Timothy, says Paul, YOU, STAY COOL. Think things through. Keep your head in all situations. Endure hardship. Keep telling people about Jesus - do the work of an evangelist. Keep on discharging all the duties of your ministry.
Because Paul says, for me, the race is run. I've fought the good fight. I've finished the race. And now it's over to you. He says, I've kept the faith to the end, and that means I'm going to GET THE WINNERS CROWN. You make sure you do the same.
CONCLUSION
As we come to the end of this little letter that was written so long ago, let’s remember what it’s been about.
Paul closes in verse 9 to 22 with some personal remarks. Little messages he wants passed on to his friends in Ephesus where Timothy is, practical bits and pieces, like he says to Timothy, when you come to me here in Rome, bring my coat. Make sure you get here before winter. It's COLD OVER HERE.
But as we look at these little fragments of real life, it’s a good way to be reminded of what the letter’s been about.
Because guarding the gospel is tough work. It's landed Paul in jail. A prisoner in Rome. Which seems like it's taken some of the gloss off the idea of sticking with him. Verse 9 and 10 - Do your best to come to me quickly, he says to Timothy, for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica.
And it's not just Demas. Verse 14. Alexander the metalworker did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will repay him for what he’s done. You too should be one your guard against him, because he strongly opposed our message. He’s an ENEMY OF THE GOSPEL. And they're everywhere.
Verse 16, as Paul looks back on his first appearance in court; "At my first defence no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me."
You know, a lot of what Paul says here in Timothy, it’s sort of aimed at shaping Christian leaders, isn’t it. And maybe you’ve been saying, well, that’s fine for PHIL and MAURIE. And maybe for youth leaders and elders and people like that.
But let me ask you this. In the sort of situation Paul’s describing where he’s in the front line and there’s opposition all around, where are YOU? In the sort of situation Paul’s describing where Demas has decided he loves the world and he’s not going to stick around, where Paul’s hauled into court and he looks around and everyone else has faded into the shadows, WHERE ARE YOU?
We’ve seen what Christian leadership is meant to look like. We’ve seen Paul telling Timothy to GUARD THE GOSPEL. We’ve seen him DON'T BE LIKE THE FALSE TEACHERS. Who dish out a nice little message that tickles the ears.
In the light of all that, WHERE ARE YOU? What do YOU want to listen to? It’s tough, isn’t it? Because there’s still opposition. And the same options are still there.
You might be letting yourself off the hook with some of the stuff Paul’s been saying to Timothy. But let me leave you with this. Because we've already seen, it's the question that’s faced by EVERY CHRISTIAN. The statement he makes back in chapter 3 verse 12.
I'll read it again. EVERYONE who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus... will be persecuted... while evil men and imposters will go from bad to worse.
So what do you want to do? There it is in black and white. DO YOU WANT TO KEEP LIVING A GODLY LIFE IN CHRIST JESUS? Or not?
Because if you do, you can be 100% sure it's not going to be easy. There are going to be consequences. If you do want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus, you can be 100% sure that the world that crucified the Son of God isn’t going to like you a whole lot either. If you’re determined to live a godly life in Christ Jesus – then you can be 100% sure people aren’t going to like it. And you’re going to be PERSECUTED.
It’s a whole lot easier not to, isn’t it. To take a step back. To cut a few corners. To hide your light a little. But in the end the challenge Paul puts to Timothy is EXACTLY the same as the challenge to you and me. To stick with the gospel. And not compromise. To ENDURE when things get tough. And keep the faith... that guarantees a crown of glory when we make it to the end.