2 Timothy 2:25b-26

“Escape”

(2 Timothy 2:25b-26, August 28, 2011)

25 … 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.

25 … God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth,

The majesty of God is over heaven and earth. If we come into His house, it is by His grace, and according to His requirements. He has set His Son as King over the whole house. To kiss the Son of God and to rest upon Him is to turn the wrath of God away. See the end of Psalm 2 in the Trinity Psalter.

But Judas kissed the Son of God... There is something more required here than a mere kiss. The Son's righteousness must be credited to us. We know that Abraham believed God, and it was credited to Abraham as righteousness. We know the invitation of God from the Old Testament prophet: “All who call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved.” It is mysterious enough to think about even one person being admitted into the presence of the Almighty. What if one seems to be in, and then seems to be out?

First, we mourn such a fact. At least in the church on earth we must face up to this painful truth; that a person can wander, and even fall. God, hold them up somehow! Tell me that there is hope for such a lost sheep. But then there is also the wolf in sheep's clothing that I don't want to know about... We mourn, and then we look for the return of the true disciple. If someone is to come home again to the Lord's house, God must grant him repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth. Hymenaeus and Philetus were promoting false doctrine. They were contending that everything that anyone could have of the resurrection was here now. This was wrong, it was harmful, it was polluting to the church, it was gangrene, and these men had to be relieved of their duties for a time. But the church looks for a better end to the life story of servants who are presently wandering.

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.

We want to believe that their time away from the Lord is temporary. To contemplate worse than that pains our hearts. We want to see these men sober up. The devil is a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. We must wake up and come to our senses again. We need to cling to the matters of first importance and remember the true Christian hope presented to us in the Scriptures. We must keep in mind that Jesus Christ has died for us and is risen from the dead. He is our saving Lord. He is joy for all ages.

For the exiles of Israel, there was always a way to come home. See Deuteronomy 30. Can there be anything less than that in the New Testament church for the son who makes the mistake of asking for his inheritance early, and then squanders it all on prostitutes? It is frightening to think of people we love being captured by an enemy, filled with something that messes up their minds, until they are enslaved in the service of an evil master. Yet Christ died for the ungodly, and He is able to use even the faint memory of the teaching of His servants to gently restore the captive saint. Even the thought right now comes into the chosen child's heart: “Why am I eating with pigs? There is plenty of food in my Father's house.” Come home, wandering child. Come and eat at the Lord's table.

2 Timothy 2:24-25a

“The Lord's Servant and His Opponents”

(2 Timothy 2:24-25a, August 21, 2011)

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.

24 And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil,

Who is the Lord's servant? The Old Testament prophet Isaiah was given much light on that topic. He wrote several songs throughout his book of prophesy about the servant of the Lord. In some of those songs the servant seemed to be a group, even the whole nation of Israel. In others the servant was a singular person who would do a job for that larger nation, a representative accomplishing certain tasks that only he could do.

When Jesus came as the Servant of the Lord, He not only won for us our inclusion in the community of those who have been saved, He also made us to be servants of the Lord forever. Any representative of Jesus is not only a son of God according to his family status, he is also a servant according to God's purposes. As Isaiah became a servant by proclaiming the true word of the Lord, the Lord's servants today have a special responsibility to communicate a message faithfully.

This is not only a matter of content, but also of method. The Lord's servant speaks volumes by the way that he lives before God and people. A messenger of the cross must not be quarrelsome. God's kindness to us in Christ is so great. We obscure that message when we are unkind. God's servant must be kind to everyone. If he is unable to endure evil, how can he accurately represent the King who died on a cross for us? This way of life and speech is an important part of what it means for a Christian to be able to teach.

25 correcting his opponents with gentleness.

While we wait for the appearance of our blessed hope: the return of Christ, the coming judgment, the new heavens and earth... we cannot insist that the church be without opponents. It is a mercy that the Lord, who knows our weakness, brings us through a series of years where we have virtually no opposition. Even that respite has a purpose, that we might again remember His kindness to us if opponents return, and bear it well.

Those opponents can come from anywhere. We do not expect outsiders to the church to believe in the resurrection and to love the message of the gospel. Those outside the body of Christ may persecute us, but this is not the worst strain that a true servant of the Lord faces. It is a brother who turns against Jesus, a friend who we ate the bread of the communion table with over many years, who can strike the deepest blow.

Even then, the servant of the Lord must correct him with gentleness, not only for the sake of the one who is being corrected, but for his own soul and for the ears of all who hear this sad dialogue. The Lord's servant does not want to see anyone perish. He would like all to come to a saving knowledge of the truth. He is not wishing for anyone to leave the kingdom of God. If a Hymenaeus and Philetus will return to the truth, there will be rejoicing in heaven. This is the heart of the One who came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many. This must be the way for all servants of Jesus.

2 Timothy 2:23

“Controversy Settled”

(2 Timothy 2:23, August 14, 2011)

23 Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels.

23 Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies;

Being a fruitful servant of Jesus Christ is not just about what you say and do. There is a fruit of the Holy Spirit that goes by the name of “self-control.” There are many ways to be taught not to say or do something. A couple of electrodes to the neck can be very effective. I sometimes feel like I need a system like that. Someone with more sense than I have could maintain control of the remote, and I could wear a high collar in order to protect my pride. The setting on that remote would not have to be too terribly high in terms of voltage. Just a little nick would be enough, lest I yelp and draw attention to myself. This would be control, but it would not be self-control.

The spiritual fruit from God that is the best kind of self-control is a humility that is the offspring of the gospel. The gospel puts me in my place, both negatively and positively. Negatively, the cross reminds me of the seriousness of my offense against the Lord. Positively, the cross assures me of the good news of the love of God for me.

At this stage of my life I am somewhat braced emotionally for bad news. God can keep me standing through rougher waters than I previously suspected. When they come, I am learning that I will get through them. But good news brings me to tears. Is that crazy? There is no better news than the love of the cross, and the power of the resurrection. It is very moving to the soul, at least to this soul. The reason is that the good news that is at the core of the Christian message is not just a piece of heavenly artwork to be admired from far off. It is a new-heavens-and-new-earth drama, and we are in this life that God Himself has written for us. It touches us with something that will last forever. When I hear, see, or experience even a small amount of good news about my family, I quickly get weepy. The good news about Jesus Christ touches my heart in ways that bad news won't.

This is producing within me a new self-control about avoiding foolish and ignorant speculations. I don't want to have anything to do with them. They are more than a waste of my brief time on this earth. They are not good for me, and they are not good for anyone who would hear me spout off, whether that hearer was with me against me.

you know that they breed quarrels.

Jesus ends useless discussions. If people hear His controversy ending word in the cross and the resurrection, they have peace with the way that Jesus speaks. Those who resist His final-word approach to controversy, while they cannot yet embrace His good news solution, they may find that they do not know what they should say next. End of story.

When we try to make ourselves look intelligent, we do not end quarrels, we breed them. This is no way to represent the Man who put His life in the way of the worst quarrel that ever existed. Jesus took the punishment that we deserved, and we were granted His righteousness and the peace that was and is His with God. This is a powerful pattern for us to behold and to emulate. May the Lord grant us His self-control as we come to admire the good news of Jesus Christ.

2 Timothy 2:22

“Like a Little Child?”

(2 Timothy 2:22, August 7, 2011)

22 So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.

22 So flee youthful passions

The teaching of God on the wisdom of being like a little child is complicated. On one hand, Jesus says wonderful things like these:

Matthew 18:3 “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Matthew 19:14 “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”

So we know that we need to trust God as his little children, as a little baby will trust what he cannot yet understand. On the other hand, we have this warning from another of Paul's letters, urging us to “attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.”

There is a quality normal to the toddler or the youth that we need to move beyond. We cannot believe everything. We need to grow up in our faith, and in our understanding of what it means to walk with God, so that we will be able to lead someone else in the way of truth and love. We have to experience some of life in order to understand this better.

Here Paul urges Timothy to flee youthful passions. Discernment is required here. Energy and passion are gifts of God. Yet not everything that energizes is good. Some passions associated with being a young adult need not only to be avoided. Men and women need to run away from them. God has a way of teaching us these lessons in the normal rhythms of a life well-lived if we are willing to yield to His gentle hand.

and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace,

We do have some energy, and we have something to do with that energy that God gives us. We do want to become more like the Lord. We want to raise children, nurture churches, and care for the weak. By the strength that is there for you in the wounds of the Righteous One, by the power of the Man who always walked by faith, by the committed emotions of the God of Love who gave His life for you and brought you heavenly peace, do what Paul tells Timothy to do. Pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace.

with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.

Do this with others alongside you, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. Then you will not walk alone. Jesus, and all who are His little children, will be with you.