2 Timothy 2:1-26
Key Verse: 2:8-9
“Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained.”
Happy New Year! Welcome to the first Sunday worship service of 2004. 2 Timothy is Apostle Paul’s last letter to his spiritual son, Timothy, written in the Roman prison. He knew that he would die soon in the prison. At the same time Timothy had to carry a difficult task to take care of God’s ministry for the Church in Ephesus. Many false teachers threatened the ministry. So, Paul was very eager to pass all spiritual principles to Timothy. He was eager for young Timothy to become a spiritual leader approved by God. He instructs Timothy to have the basic attitudes of a gospel worker in this passage. He also gives him many practical lessons to become a workman who correctly handles the word of truth. Above all, he has to remember Jesus Christ to endure hardship as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. We are glad to put 2003 behind us and to start 2004 with great expectations. But we have a challenging task to raise up 120 flocks of God and to pioneer 206 East Coast campuses and to send missionaries to China and Latin America. YDJ members are young like Timothy and we have many spiritual problems among us. How can we carry on this difficult task? We must endure hardship like a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
Training is a key point to become winning athletes and reliable Bible teachers. I pray that God may use as his approved Bible teachers who can handle the word of truth correctly in 2004. May God bless us to have the right attitude to press on towards the goal that God called us.
PART I. ENDURE HARDSHIP LIKE A GOOD SOLDIER OF CHRIST JESUS (1-13)
Apostle Paul recommends several spiritual instructions for Timothy to become an effective Bible teacher.
First, be strong in the grace of Christ Jesus (1). Look at verse 1. “You, then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” Verse 1 is a golden instruction to Timothy as well as to all of us. We all want to become strong Christians. What is the source of our strength? Should we build a strong personality or develop bold speech techniques or learn Tae-kwon-do skills to be strong? The source of our spiritual strength does not come from our human ability but the grace of Jesus Christ. According to 2 Tim 1:7, Timothy was timid and meek in his character and lacked self-discipline. Then how could he become a strong leader? He could be strong when he remembered the grace of Jesus. The key point is to live in the grace of Christ Jesus. We can overcome the world when we live in the grace of Jesus. However, to remember Jesus Christ and his grace is the hardest thing in the world. Fallen men remember all the bitterness and resentment inflicted by others, and never forget. When they do so, hatred grows in their hearts. In time, they hate others and for the most part, they hate themselves. Many people call God’s name when they are in deep trouble by saying, “If you help me this time, I will serve sheep and obey you faithfully.” As soon as their problem is solved by the grace of God, they forget God’s grace.
What made Apostle Paul to become a powerful gospel worker? It was the grace of Jesus Christ. He never forgot what kind of sinner he was. He knew how wretched he was before he met Jesus. He was humble when he became a successful missionary pioneering many churches. He said in 1Timothy 1:15: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.” He did not say that I was the second worst sinner but I was the worst sinner of all. Paul became strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus when he remembered how Jesus saved him from his destructive way of life. Once John Newton was a cruel slave trader but Jesus saved him from his wretched life of darkness. He wrote the famous hymn “Amazing grace.” Later, he became a powerful gospel worker. Once I was a wretched, fatalistic, selfish, lustful, and ambitious sinner heading to the eternal hell. But Jesus called me to become a missionary for many young Americans by the grace of God. When I remember the grace of Jesus, I become useful. If I forget it, I become useless. The source of my strength is in the grace of Jesus Christ.
Second, entrust to reliable men (2). Look at verse 2. “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.” As a young leader, Timothy had to entrust to reliable men to carry the task of the church ministry. God’s work cannot be done alone. We need many Bible teachers. Our ministry is a Bible teaching ministry. What is the number one criteria for becoming a qualified Bible teacher? Paul did not say to entrust to able men or talented men but reliable men. In this verse, “reliable men” is the same as “faithful men.” Probably to most people, faithful man in God does not look impressive. But in the spiritual world God regards a faithful man as very important. Bible teachers must be faithful to take care of God’s flocks all the time. If a Bible teacher is here today and gone next day, he or she will not be reliable. Even in the professional world unfaithful men are not qualified to work. They will be fired. The key point is reliability not ability to become a good Bible teacher. Reliable men will be always there in times of failure, in times of discouragement, in times of success. In our ministry many able men and women left us when they had to take the cross of mission while faithful men remained. God entrusted his work to our fellowship leaders because they are reliable. But reliability does not come naturally. Jesus’ disciples were not reliable in the beginning. Jesus trained them until they became reliable Bible teachers. I did not do a good job to train for reliable Bible teachers. Training for reliable Bible teachers is our number one prayer topic for 2004. The success of each fellowship depends on the number of reliable Bible teachers. The number one qualification to become a Bible teacher is faithfulness not human ability.
Paul emphasizes the fundamental attitudes of the servants of God in 3-7. He compared Christians to a soldier, an athlete, and a farmer.
Third, a Christian should be like a soldier (3-4). Look at verse 3. “Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” Paul likened God’s people to soldiers. It is because the children of God living in this world must fight against the power of darkness, the devil (Eph 6:12). Our Christian life is a constant spiritual battle. In this spiritual warfare, Jesus Christ is our commander-in-chief and we are his loyal soldiers. In Paul’s time, persecution was very severe. When Paul was in prison, he was regarded as a criminal. But Paul was very loyal to his commander, Jesus. He did not yield to the pressure of persecution, but had the spirit of martyrdom. He encouraged fellow Christians also not to abandon Christianity or run for their lives. When Paul stood firm in the midst of persecution, fellow Christians also stood firm against the Roman persecutions. It was possible for Paul because he was a loyal soldier to his commander, Jesus Christ. A soldier’s supreme purpose is also to win the victory for his commander-in-chief. The best quality to become a fine soldier is to endure hardship. Endurance is a key to become a good soldier. Endurance requires a lot of training. When a soldier is disciplined well, he will become a fine soldier enduring any kinds of hardship. During the retreat 6 coworkers wanted to receive a mountain-climbing training. They endured hardship to climb a steep mountain and finally they conquered the mountain. We have a strong desire to feed five sheep in 2004. So we determined to visit campus for fishing. Then we will receive many rejections. We will face many hardships. At that time we need discipline to endure hardships until we find five sheep. As we know, it is not easy to endure hardship. We feel like quitting everything when we face many difficulties. U.S. Army won the war with Iraq because soldiers endured the sandy storms and all kinds of dangers in the desert. Mo Chang became a good soldier because he endured hardship in Iraq. Another quality to become a good soldier is not to be involved in the civilian affairs. Look at verse 4. “No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs-he wants to please his commanding officer.” Of course, civilian affairs hinder soldiers to be effective in the battle. If a soldier sneaks out from his base and goes to the drinking party, he will not be effective. If a soldier involves in civilian affairs, he loses a soldier spirit and becomes a civilian. In the spiritual world we are not civilians but the soldiers of Christ. God called us for a special mission to serve campus mission. We don’t have time to involve in civilian affairs because we are in the middle of spiritual battle to rescue many souls from the hands of Satan. It is important to obey the orders of the commanding officer absolutely in order to win the battle. In our spiritual battle we must listen to Jesus’ command absolutely to win the spiritual battle.
Fourth, a Christian is like an athlete (5). In order to teach Christian discipline, Paul compared Christians to athletes. In order to become a gold medalist in the Olympics, an athlete must discipline himself very regularly. Another criteria to become a winning athlete is to compete according to the rules. Rules are firm. Some Olympic medallists lost their gold medals because they violated the rules. Here the rule refers to the principle. According to the Sport magazine, Korean high school baseball teams beat Japanese high school team. But the pro Korean baseball team loose to Japanese team. Why? Korean high school baseball coaches taught players the skills how to play baseball which produced a quick result while Japanese taught the fundamental principles to play baseball which produced a slow but long-term sound result. Many people today are like Hymenaeus who causes a lot of troubles in Ephesus because they did follow the rules. They make up their own rules and they will not get the crown. What are the rules to make us a good Christian? Christian rule is the word of God. We must follow the word of God to win the prize. We must set up a clear priority in our life—God first, man second, and material third based on Matthew 6:33.
Fifth, a Christian is like a hardworking farmer (6). Look at verse 6. “The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops.” Paul says this to teach us the hope of Christian faith. Usually farmers are known as hardworking persons. When we see hardworking farmers, no one is lazy. Farmers first spread the seeds and work hard to protect the young crops. They work hard from early morning until late night. But they are happy in the hope of abundant harvest. This hardworking farmer’s story teaches us the hope of God. Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 3:6, “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.” Paul lived as a gospel farmer. Psalm 126:5-6 says, “Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him.” The Prophet Jeremiah wept often to plant the word of God to his people. Jesus wept at men’s fear of death to plant the hope of resurrection. Our focus is 1:1 Bible study. Those who taught 1:1 students with tears in 2003 experienced God’s abundant blessings. We need to sow the seed of the gospel to UMCP and GMU students with tears this year. Then we can welcome the year 2005 with abundant harvests.
Sixth, remember Jesus Christ (8-9). Look at verses 8-9. “Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained.” These verses tell us what we Christians should do when we confront unbearable hardships. When we face many hardships, we wonder, “What am I doing here. This is unbearable. How long should I suffer like this without even one sheep?” First and last of all, we must remember Jesus Christ. Paul encourages us to remember Jesus Christ. Jesus came into this world to save us. He served us as a good shepherd. He was treated like a criminal and died on the cross. But God raised him from the dead. Jesus is the good news to Paul. He said that Jesus was my gospel. Paul gives his own example in this. Paul’s suffering was even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But Paul did not think of his present ordeal. He remembered Jesus who suffered and was chained like a criminal in order to save men from their sins. Then the pain of his chains subsided. His pain was nothing compared to Jesus’ pain. Paul felt glorious, thinking that he was participating in the remaining suffering of Jesus Christ. When Paul remembered Jesus Christ, God helped him to remember God’s way of ruling world history. At the present, Paul and the early Christians were in intensive persecutions. Paul could believe that God’s word would be proclaimed to the end of the world, and finally the world was conquered by the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. At that time no worldly powers were able to conquer the Roman Empire. But the gospel of Jesus conquered the Roman Empire three hundred years after Paul preached the word of God in Roman prison. We believe that the word of God will conquer the Muslim world and North Korea in time. No one can chain the word of God because it contains life in itself. Hebrews 4:12 says, “The word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Nothing can stop the word of God. Where there is the word of God, there is life-giving work. So far, Paul talked about the sufferings all Christians must endure. Now, he contrasts the sufferings to the coming glory. Look at verses 11-13. We will taste the power of resurrection if we die to our sins with Christ. If we endure, we will participate in Jesus’ rule when he establishes his kingdom right after his second coming. We will rule the world with Christ. It is glorious just to think about the day we will sit with Jesus in his throne. If we disown him, he will disown us when we meet him face to face. We can endure all kinds of hardship because we know that we have a living hope in the kingdom of God. When we end our earthly life as Christian soldiers, God will crown us with eternal life in his eternal home. God will welcome us with arms of love saying, “Welcome home, my faithful servant.”
PART II. A WORKMAN APPROVED BY GOD (14-26)
In this part Paul gave several practical instructions to Timothy so that he might protect his flocks from false teachers. There were quarrels and godless chatters among the church members. Two members were misleading God’s flocks from the truth. What could Timothy do in order to protect the flocks of God in this situation?
First, Present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who correctly handles the word of truth (14-15). Look at verse 15. “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” How can we become a workman approved by God? We must handle the word of truth correctly. The Greek word for “correctly handles” is “ordotomunta” which means “cut correctly.” The kitchen in my house needs remodeling. The workman must cut the stones correctly to install the countertops for my kitchen. If the workman cut incorrectly, he will be ashamed of his mistakes and cost money for his master. When we buy merchandises, we see the sign “workmanship guaranteed.” In the same way, we must become a workman approved by God. Can you handle the word of truth correctly? Are you not ashamed of your Bible knowledge? Can you say “my Bible study workmanship is guaranteed”? Are you shaken when someone preach false doctrine? Are you equipped with the word of truth to protect your sheep from Satan’s attack? God’s servants must equip themselves to handle the word of truth correctly to protect God’s flocks from the false teachings of the world like the expert workman cut the stones correctly. How? They should not involve in quarreling or godless chatter. A man of godless chatter is a man ill-equipped to correctly handle the word of truth. How can we become a workman approved by God?
Look at verse 21. “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.” But we must cleanse ourselves from the evil desires of youth. These days Internet culture makes people to become dirty. But we must flee from these sinful cultures and maintain our pure hearts. We must purify our hearts through the word of God daily. When we are cleansed through the word of God, God can use us as his noble instrument. We also must be useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work. When the Master needs a cup to drink a water, the cup must be clean and ready to use. If a cup is dirty, the master will not use it. But if the cup is clean, the master will use it. It is important for us to be ready when the Master needs us.
Second, the attitudes of the Lord’s servant (24-26) What are the right attitudes of the Lord’s servant? He must not quarrel, be kind to everyone, able to teach, be patient, and must gently instruct those who oppose him. A Christian leader must not only flee from evil desires of youth, he must be gentle. Anger has place in God’s work. If we do not control our anger, we invite a disaster like Cain. Do not make any important decisions when you are angry. But if we are gentle, we can win many souls back to God. Even if there are many who oppose him, he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth.
In this passage we learn that we must remember Jesus Christ to be successful in this year. In the midst of living in this real world, it is easy to remember our past failures and despair. Therefore we must do our best to remember Jesus Christ. Let’s read the key verse 8 and 9.