Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible ® (NASB), Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission.
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2 TIMOTHY CHAPTER 2
KJV
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1 You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
2Tim 2,1-7
(5b)
Responsibility >> Advocate God’s cause
>>
Disciples are soldiers in God’s army
(115c) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith >>
Working the grace of God >> Through your
ministry >> Through your calling >>
To build up the body of Christ – When Paul tells Timothy to "be strong in the
grace that is in Christ Jesus," he was referring to something that has
been lost from the doctrines of the Church. This concept of working
(with) the grace of God has
been in the Scriptures since it was written, but no one has bothered to pay
attention to it.
The apostles and writers of the New Testament understood this very well, but the Church
today doesn’t understand it because certain persons have erected a couple doctrines
that are presently in the way of understanding this very important truth.
Those doctrines are Calvinism and Armenian-ism. Calvinism is the
doctrine of predestination; everything is up to God, and we are powerless to
change our destiny. Armenian-ism is just the opposite; man is in control of
his own destiny. These two opposing ideas by themselves are wrong, but
together they explain how God works with man. We then discover a plethora of Bible
verses interspersed throughout the Scriptures that have gone unnoticed for
centuries. Most everybody
teaches that grace is defined as the work of God, but what we need to
understand about His grace is that He has given us a part in it. The cross is the
icon of God’s grace, yet no one has been saved by the cross apart from
exercising his will. People
have always needed to give their hearts to Jesus before the grace of His cross
could wash away their sin. Wouldn’t it be nice if Jesus shed His blood and the
whole world were saved? If that were the case then there would be no need for a
hell, but the world is not saved, and there most certainly is a hell, suggesting there is something man must do to participate in the
grace of God to effect his eternal salvation. We dedicate our lives to the
grace of God. He gave us His life 2000 years ago, and today I am giving Him my life, and now I belong to Him. The day of our salvation is
our personal introduction to the grace of God. Nevertheless, there
are many in the Church who sit on their hands, expecting God
to do everything for them, supposing this is what the Bible says. Many think there is nothing they can do to please
Him, believing all their
works are as filthy rags, but this is not the case after God has cleansed us.
They fail to understand the fundamentals of the gospel and of their own
salvation. They don’t realize or perhaps they have forgotten they did
something to be saved. They asked Jesus in their hearts. This is the first act of
working the grace of God in every convert. We are not trying to move the hand
of God; He is trying to move ours; and when He succeeds, we call it working
with the grace of God.
2Tim 2-1
(9i) Responsibility
>> Strengthen one another
>>
Be strong
– What does it mean to “be strong in the
grace that is in Christ Jesus?” It sounds paradoxical at face value. If the
purpose of grace was to make us strong, then why do we still need to be
strong? Believing is not measured in increments; we either believe or we
don’t believe. To be strong in the grace of God is to take full advantage of
His provision. God wants us to make full use of His grace, not just to believe
in Jesus for the salvation of our souls and end there, but use His grace to
find our calling and help us in the flesh to live the Christian life. All
these things are located on the trail of good works that God has prepared for
us beforehand, that we should walk in them (Eph 2,8-10). These are the works
that we can perform through His grace that will be pleasing in His sight. Paul
is explaining that God strengthens us when we first become Christians, so we
can use His strength to mature throughout our lives using His grace. In other
words, there is something for us to do, but this contradicts the teachings of
many churches about the Grace of God, primarily the evangelicals, who think
that grace is something we just sit back and enjoy, like watching a movie.
They say it is the work of God, so we are not responsible for it, but this
teaching is irresponsible. After all, they say, we are so depraved and
evil that we are not capable of producing works that are worthy of God’s
approval. What did God say to Peter in Act 10-15 when he refused the will of
God? “What God has cleansed, on longer consider unholy.” If God has made
us worthy, which the evangelicals will cheerfully concur, then couldn’t we
do things to gain His approval? Yes, we can be strong in His grace, because
God has made us worthy to produce works that glorify Him. Prior to
encountering His grace we were common sinners headed for eternal destruction,
but after God imparted His grace into us by His Spirit everything has changed.
Now our works are an acceptable service to Him (Rom 12-1,2). We can draw from
His indwelling Spirit as often as we wish, and it is this concept of drawing
from God’s grace that Paul intended. There will never be a time when we will
be worthy of His overwhelming gift of eternal life, and though we may not feel
worthy of producing works that are acceptable to Him, He promises that our
faithfulness is pleasing to Him.
(36m)
Gift of God >> Adopted >>
We are adopted in the flesh – Timothy was Paul’s son on a spiritual level
in that Timothy was saved under Paul’s ministry. Their father/son
relationship was to the extent that they considered their spiritual lives more
relevant than their natural lives, but this was not to diminish Timothy's real
father. That might sound cult-ish to some, but there is one faith that
revolves around the truth, while all others revolve around a perception of the
truth. The further they wander from the truth the more cult-like they become.
Neither God’s truth nor His children are in a cult. The world sees us as
such, because they don’t know the difference between truth and error, so
anybody who is fanatical about their faith is considered a cult by the
world’s standard. Meanwhile, the world can be wild about their fleshly
passions and desires, being led by the devil into sin, but they will never be
seen as fanatical or in a cult, yet the world is as much a cult as they say we
are. The only thing that separates cults from the one true faith is the truth.
We can believe as strongly as we want about the truth and it never be
fanatical or cult-like, because the truth always leads to love, and love is
the antithesis of a cult.
(55a) Paradox
>>
Opposites >> Working the grace of God –
Remember the parable of the wine and the wineskins? “People [do not] put new
wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wineskins burst, and the wine pours out
and the wineskins are ruined; but they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and
both are preserved” (Mat 9-17). The wine represents the Spirit and the skins
represent our doctrines we use to contain the truth. We cannot use old,
worn-out doctrines to contain the truth that God would reveal to us during
times of revival, but we must rethink the truth and establish more accurate
doctrines whenever God visits His people with the truth. When Paul said to
Timothy, “Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus,” he was talking
about working this anointing through the truth of the gospel, saying that the
goal of the evangelist and the leaders of the Church is to successfully convey
this gospel, so that when we believe in it, the anointing can rest upon us.
Show me a Christian who is not anointed and I will show you someone who does
not know the truth. We are to strive with the truth until we sense God’s
anointing on our lives; this is God’s seal of approval that we understand
the gospel according to the teachings of Christ, but until that anointing
rests upon us we do not know the truth. Church leaders have one of the
greatest responsibilities of the human race to successfully convey the truth
to his successors. Nowadays the Church does not use the anointing to prove
their understanding and lifestyle according to the gospel of Christ, in that
too often the person conveying it does not know the truth by evidence of a
lack of anointing.
(72h)
Authority >> Hierarchy of authority
>>
More Authority The More Responsibility >> Closer
we get to Jesus the more authority we have –
Christ was anointed more than any man, not just because He was God in human
flesh, but also because He understood the truth better than anyone and lived
it. There are some people who seem to have the power of God, but when we
listen carefully to their message and discern their error, we come to realize
that they received an anointing from demons, but when we know the truth and
hear it preached, we sense an anointing on that person’s life and can be
sure his anointing came from God. Paul was telling Timothy that if he
effectively conveys the truth of the gospel, he also will have inadvertently
conveyed an anointing that automatically follows the truth. However, as we
know from reading some of the literature of the first and second century
church, this anointing failed to successfully transfer to the next generation,
suggesting that certain aspects of the gospel of Christ failed to transfer
after the apostles fell asleep. Although fortunately we still have the
original Scriptures intact, the custom of believing in the anointing is no
longer a part of church doctrine. Somewhere along the line, very early in the Church’s history, the truth was compromised so that Christ can no longer
anoint His believers. The anointing simply does not fit with the doctrines we
currently teach, and for this reason we see very little of God’s anointing
among the people of God. Paul prophesied this in Act 20-29,30, “I know that
after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the
flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse
things, to draw away the disciples after them.”
KJV
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2&3 The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. 3 Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
2Tim 2-2,3
(102h) Thy kingdom come
>>
Faithfulness (Loyalty) >> Trustworthy >>
Loyalty -- These verses go with verse 11. Paul
commanded Timothy as a fellow soldier in the army of God to pass the baton to
the next generation and entrust the word of God to faithful men who will be
able to teach others also, and so there is a perpetuation of the gospel
throughout the generations. A soldier goes through much hardship, during
battles, but also between battles. They are not served turkey dinners with all
the trimmings but have to eat unpalatable things that merely keep them alive,
and their generals call them to do impossible things, and so they strive very
hard to accomplish goals in order to win battles and ultimately the war. This
is similar to how Paul instructed Timothy. Obviously he didn’t ask him to
pick up weapons and to physically battle with anybody but to suffer hardship
just like a soldier, to give his all, and this is what the First Century
Church did, and because of them the Church is still alive today. Had they been
half-hearted in their efforts, the Church would have died long ago, but their
testimony of faith has encouraged and inspired generations after them for two
millennia. They single-handedly as a people in unity established the fledgling
Church in the known world, and from there it grew. We owe them a debt of
gratitude for their zealous commitment and their faithful loyalty to their
Master Jesus Christ.
2Tim 2-2
(72f) Authority >> Transferring authority
>>
Receiving the delegated authority of men –
Paul is divulging the process of transmitting the gospel of Christ to the next
generation, which has caused the Kingdom of God to live in the hearts of men
for the last 2000 years, so apparently it works. Verse one pertains to what we
need in ourselves to successfully make the transfer, and the second verse
tells how to do it. We need to receive the delegated authority of God and a
relationship with Jesus before we can transmit it to others, for we cannot
give what we don’t have. It is one thing to have received the grace of God,
but it is another to be strong in that grace. Paul was talking to Timothy as
one of Paul’s most trusted helpers, and he was recalling Timothy’s very
own experiences with Paul of transferring this gospel of God’s grace to
Timothy, and now Paul is telling Timothy to perform the same procedure on
others to perpetuate the gospel of Christ through the generations, reminding
him to make sure first and foremost that he chooses the right people. Paul was
reminding Timothy to invest his life in soul winners who will dedicate their
lives to producing the fruit of God’s kingdom, transferring not just the
Spirit but also the truth, transferring the anointing through the laying on of
hands and effectively communicating the truth to his successors, so that the
anointing can rest on the truth.
(106i) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith >>
Hearing from God >> Means of hearing from God >>
Through prophets
(155i) Witness
>>
Validity of the believer >> Witness of the
believer >> The Church bears witness of the
believer – We
have the written word, which has not changed since they were originally
written 2000 years ago, and then we have the testimony of those who have
believed that fluctuates in temperament, ambition, faithfulness and loyalty.
People also fluctuate in their interpretation of the written word. Although
the basis of our faith, which is the Scriptures, is unchanging, yet what we
build upon it does change and has changed. In some ways this is a good thing
and in other ways it is not. Every person is different, has his own
perspective and attitude, which causes him to interpret the Scriptures a
little differently than others, and these can be positive insights that can
add to our understanding of God, but when people blatantly contradict and
misinterpret Scripture, then we have a problem.
(239g) Kingdom of God
>>
Pursuing the kingdom >> Pursuing the knowledge
of the kingdom >> Teachers are construction workers >> God raises
up teachers to raise up the body -- This verse goes with verses
23&24. The works of Paul were not done in a corner, but
openly for all to hear and see. This is something Jesus said about His own
ministry in John 18:20, “I spoke openly to the world. I always taught in
synagogues and in the temple, where the Jews always meet, and in secret I have
said nothing.” Paul did not drag Timothy into a dark corner to teach him his
philosophies; this is not how the gospel went forward, but he taught openly
among many witnesses, devout men who knew the word of God, so that Timothy had
the promise made more sure. Now that Timothy has had the word of God
confirmed, Paul charged him with propagating these sound doctrines to faithful
men who were “able to teach others also,” hoping the chain would not be
broken, but the truth would exponentially multiply and fill the earth with the
knowledge of God, which it did. Largely as a result of Paul’s work, all the
European nations were Christianized. Paul committed himself to men like
Timothy, because he saw potential in him, and poured his life into him who had
proven his faith through much toil and hardship, and showed Paul he was
willing to suffer for the cause of Christ. For this reason Paul knew he would
be faithful to the Spirit who dwelled in his heart and to the adjoining word
of God.
2Tim 2,3-10
(7b) Responsibility
>>
Protecting the Gospel >> Defend the word of God
by obeying it
2Tim 2,3-7
(95l) Thy kingdom come
>>
Positive attitude about suffering >> Suffering
under the hand of God -- These verses go with verse 10
(102b) Thy kingdom come
>>
Ambition >> Ambitious to fulfill God’s calling >> To please Him
(116f) Thy kingdom come >>
Faith >>
Working the grace of God >> Through hardship –
Paul is urging Timothy to suffer hardship as good soldiers of Christ Jesus.
How many times have we wanted to go through hardship and difficulty and give
up? So many times we have gotten tired of our circumstances, thinking they
will never end, and we became frustrated and exhausted at the futility of our
lives, but if we persevere, over time we can look back and see what our
faithfulness accomplished. We were careful to make right decisions, though
there were plenty of opportunities to do wrong. We were faithful and kept
serving God, though we were oppressed and treated shamefully. Nobody
understood what we were doing, though we were fulfilling the purpose and
calling of God in our lives. When that era ended and we drifted into placid
waters and were comfortably able to look behind us to see the result of our
labor, we realize that we accomplished more with God than we ever could have
without Him. He couldn’t have used us without our willingness to go though
hardship. We saw God’s hand in everything we did that created results in
people, in our community and in the world that were far greater than what mere
men could do, let alone one man. God wants all His people to live faithfully
during times of tribulation and distress, because He can use those times and
our circumstances, based on a contrast between how people expect us to respond
and how we actually responded. This is what Jesus meant when He talked about
loving our enemies. We can accomplish more than any gun in the hand of any
soldier of any army. People are so used to the knee-jerk reaction of hatred
upon hatred; we respond differently, instead of hating those who oppress and
persecute us, we show them kindness, no different from our friends, family and
acquaintances. At first people think we’re crazy, but when they realize that
we are doing it on the grounds of faith, it causes them to consider the
possibility that God is in the world through His people, the Church. As a
result some get saved, maybe not the person we showed kindness, but onlookers
who recognize that we stand for what is good and right. Indeed, we are in a
war. We are the children of God. He owns literally everything, and so we can
afford to suffer hardship as good soldiers of Christ Jesus, and we can afford
to forgive our enemies and give them what they need, because God supplies our
needs, and He has forgiven us and accepted us into His family.
(187aa) Die to self (Process of substitution)
>>
Separation from the old man >> Die to the flesh >>
The ministry of dying to self >> Die to self to
minister to God >> Jesus died for us; now it's our turn to die for Him
-- These verses go with verse 11.
The reason God has called us to die to self is so we will not worship
ourselves, which is idolatry, and no Christian has any business worshipping
other gods. The Christian soon discovers that he has made an enemy of the
devil, who is much stronger than we and far wilier. Frankly, he has no power
over us at all,
except by deception, after Jesus took from him the keys of death and hell. Now
that the Christian has eternal life dwelling in Him, Satan is obliged to
deceive him into either giving up his salvation or lying to him about it and
morphing the gospel into something that God never intended. Satan has caused
the Church to interpret, reinterpret and ultimately misinterpret the
Scriptures, so now it has become a hopeless hodgepodge of thoughts and ideas
that are almost impossible to unscramble. People ask, ‘Which religion is
right?’ The answer is none of them. Religion is intrinsically false. There
is only one thing that is right and one thing that is true and that is faith
in Jesus; and we will notice that all religions revolve around something other
than a simple faith in the Son of God.
2Tim 2,3-5
(162h) Works of the devil
>>
Being a slave to the devil (Addictions) >>
Bondage >> Addicted to sin >>
Being a slave to the nature of sin -- These verses go with verses 23-26
2Tim 2-3,4
(167c) Works of the devil >>
Manifestations of the devil >> Carnality/Secularism (Mindset of the world) >>
The carnal mind is set on the flesh >> Wanting
authority without responsibility
(226a) Kingdom of God
>>
Illustrating the kingdom >> Parables >>
Parables about war
(233e) Kingdom of God
>>
Pursuing the kingdom >> Seeking the kingdom >>
Seek The Kingdom With Your Essence >> Seek the Kingdom of God with your whole life
2Tim 2-3
(99g) Thy kingdom come
>>
Endurance (Thorn in the flesh) >> Enduring circumstances >> Enduring hardship
(127n) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Goodness >>
Devote your life to doing good -- This verse goes with verses 20-22
(165h) Works of the devil
>>
Manifestations of the devil >> Hardship >>
The hardship of persecution -- This verse goes with verse 9. Timothy suffered side by side with Paul, who
encouraged him to continue in this way, because a committed life to the gospel
of Christ will suffer. Therefore, do not fear it or attempt to avoid it, in
that our success in spreading the gospel is directly linked to suffering.
It’s the lack of character in the world that requires our suffering in
exchange for exposing its darkness.
(188c) Die to self (Process of substitution)
>>
Separation from the old man >> Suffering >>
Growing pains >> Growing outwardly --
This verse goes with verse 9. Christianity
is not very popular, in that the word “suffer” is an inherent element of
it; so it is with the military and school. There are many sacrifices we must
make at every level of life. When a person enlists in the army, he does not
live the same way as a citizen; he is constantly managing time, stress and
other concerns. The workplace often requires that we make sacrifices too, but
at least we have money, unless we can’t make ends meet. So there is
suffering in the world and there is suffering in Christianity; therefore as a
Christian in this world, we will suffer twice, and for this reason most people
don’t become Christians, but of course if they slip from this life without
knowing God, they will suffer for eternity, and here they were trying to avoid
suffering, and they ran headlong into it. We might as well take on Jesus’
yoke who said is easy by comparison and His load is light. There are
advantages to Christianity; we know we are forgiven; there is hope of eternal
life; there is supposedly brotherhood and spiritual fellowship, and there are
many other perks, but there is also suffering (2Cor 1,3-7). We should be more
Christian than citizens of this world. The high-powered job that brings all
the stress, Paul says to get rid of it, so we can dedicate our lives to God
instead, and localize our suffering to our faith in dying to self. Suffer for
Jesus’ sake instead of for the world and money, for a prestige and receiving
accolades, and for all the things that people pursue that will ultimately be
taken from them.
KJV
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4 No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.
2Tim 2,4-7
(7l)
Responsibility >> Use time wisely >>
Get ready >> Use this time to gather – All
of these analogies refer to diligence in working for the Kingdom of God.
(44j) Judgment
>>
Transformed >> Fulfill your ministry according
to the will of God
(100h) Thy kingdom come
>>
Diligence >> Diligence in running the race that
is set before us
2Tim 2-4,5
(87e) Thy kingdom come
>>
Ministry to God through obedience >> Seeking the
glory of God
2Tim 2-4
(81b) Thy kingdom come
>>
Prayer >> The priesthood >>
Striving to please Christ
(100j) Thy kingdom come
>>
Devotion >> In your ministry to God >>
Fulfill God’s calling in your life
(120l) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Contentment >>
Content with your way of life >> Content
with remaining single –
One way to avoid entangling ourselves in the affairs of everyday life is to
remain single, thus simplifying our lives and reducing our need for money,
so we can get by with less. This way we can take an easier job and make ends
meet. People feel the need to get married, though, and the Bible does not
condemn it, but nor does it encourage us to marry. Catholicism, however,
encourages marriage and having lots of children as a means of evangelism,
since their religion is not very attractive. Instead of winning new
converts, they just grow them. This is not the Bible’s advice on
evangelism; we are not to grow converts; we are to win them to Christ and
make disciples (Mat 28-19,20). The unspoiled doctrines of the true faith are
attractive enough that we should be able to win people to Christ if it
weren’t for the apostasy of our times. Conversely, if our gospel were
devoid of false doctrine and we went making converts but sent them to a
church that taught watered-down doctrines fit only for old women (1Tim 4-7),
we would be wasting our time, for they would soon walk out the same door
they used to enter the church.
(161k) Works of the devil
>>
Essential characteristics >> Satan’s
attitude determines our direction >> Carried
Away >> Carried away by religion --
This verse goes with verses 16-18
(165e) Works of the devil
>>
Manifestations of the devil >> Do not partake
of the world >> Do not desire the treasures of
the world –
No genuine Christian should entangle himself in the affairs of everyday
life. We must make a living, and so we are forced into the world to hold
down a job to receive money we use to buy the things we need. However, once
we have “clocked-out” we can disentangle ourselves from the world on our
own time, but many so-called Christians entangle themselves all the more on
their free time. Generally speaking, the more money a person makes at his
job, the more demands his boss imposes on him, and the more entangled he
gets in the world. Typically, high employee salaries are used to attract the
best candidates and keep them employed at the company, and are used against
them as incentive to work harder and longer and to do things against their
moral judgment. If a person had a lousy job and the boss told him he had to
sacrifice more than he was willing, he would just quit his job and find
another lousy job that requires fewer sacrifices. High-paying jobs are not
easy to find, but the demands that we must meet in order to keep them force
us to further entangle ourselves in the affairs of this world, and this is
something that Paul is telling us to avoid. As Christians we would be better
finding a job that pays less so we have more of a say-so about how we live
and what we do.
(190e) Die to self (Process of substitution)
>> Separation from the old man >>
Circumcision >> Undressing >> Take off your sins
(197g) Denying Christ
>>
Man exercises his will against God >> Man
withers when he is in control >> Distracted
from a fruitful life – Our daily routine has a very strong influence
on us to believe in a sense of normalcy, literally giving it the power of satanic deception. Our daily routine
tempts us to commit our minds and devote our hearts to everyday things that
revolve around us, things like food, clothing and shelter. Ps 69:22 says,
“Let their table become a snare before them, and their well-being a
trap.” Our minds and lives revolve around meeting our needs, both in the
concern about them and in the daily enjoyment of our success. However, Paul
warns us not to get caught up in them, because they are not our lives. We
need food to live, so we may continue to serve the Lord, but we don’t eat
for the sake of eating, and we don’t have a bed for the sake of sleeping;
rather, that we might be rested and refreshed to better serve the Lord.
(213i) Sovereignty
>>
God is infinite >> Jesus owns you >>
His will becomes our will >> We are God’s
property -- This verse goes with verse 19. A
person doesn’t enlist in the army and then come home and continue life as
usual as though he never signed the papers that made him property of the
army. Instead, he comes home and packs his bags and starts a new life in an
environment of war. When the Christian signs his papers (sort-a-speak) and
makes a covenant with God, he may have entered into a spiritual war, but the
fighting will never manifest in the flesh, but will remain in the spiritual
realm. He soon discovers that his nearest enemy is himself, his own flesh,
and he is commanded to put it to death, as Paul said, “I die daily”
(1Cor 15-32). The fact that there are more soldiers killing each other than
there are in God’s army, indicates that suffering cold and hunger, working
their fingers to the bone, going on long journeys hiking for miles with a
backpack and heavy gear, digging trenches, etc., is actually easier than
being a Christian, who is called to put to death the deeds of the flesh. If
having faith in Jesus were easy, more people would believe in Him, and if
the Christian life glorified the flesh, the whole world would clamor to Him.
As it is, though, worldly people are not about to die to their sinful
nature.
(240h) Kingdom of God
>>
Opposition toward the Kingdom of God >>
Hindering the kingdom >> Natural disadvantage of the world –
If we integrate into the world, no good thing will come of it. The only
direction the Holy Spirit will lead us is what Rev 18-4 says, “Come out of
her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of
her plagues.” The world has no truth but has the power to tempt and
deceive. Its elementary principles may seem real on some temporal level but
they are not true, for Truth is eternal as it is written, “The world is
passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives
forever” (1Jn 2-17). The world is incapable of the truth, because if
people in the world actually believed in God, they would join a Church and
no longer entangle themselves in the affairs of everyday life.
KJV
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5-7 Also if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules. 6 The hard-working farmer ought to be the first to receive his share of the crops. 7 Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.
2Tim 2-5
(1b)
Responsibility >> Avoid offending God/man >> follow the golden rule
(80c) Thy kingdom come
>>
Know the word in spiritual warfare >> To fight
in the Spirit -- This verse goes with verse 15
(216k) Sovereignty
>>
God overrides the will of man >> God’s will
over man >> God Is Independent Of His Creation >>
You cannot control God’s desire for you >> man
is not in control of God’s gift
(225o) Kingdom of God
>>
Illustrating the kingdom >> Parables >>
Parables about running a race
(226b) Kingdom of God
>>
Illustrating the kingdom >> Rewards of the Kingdom of Heaven >> Reserved in heaven >>
God crowns us with glory for sharing our rewards >>
The reward of a crown
2Tim 2-6
(76o) Thy kingdom come
>>
Desires >> Word is food >>
Harvesting the word of God
(225d) Kingdom of God
>>
Illustrating the kingdom >> Parables >>
Parables about wealth >> Parables about a land
owner and his farm
(230b) Kingdom of God
>>
God’s kingdom is a living organism >>
Partaking >> What we must do to partake of the
kingdom >> Partaking which requires our
participation – This corresponds with the statement, “You
shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain” (1Cor 9-9). This can
also refer to pastors being paid for their services. It also refers to Timothy
being respected for his office as leader and servant of the Church. The one
who performs the will of God receives the blessing of it from the hand of
others. This is an indication of a healthy church, but if the servants of God
are not rewarded for their service, then it is an indication that there is a
problem. It is a symptom of unfaithfulness, not to the men of God, but to God
Himself. People are not serving the Lord, and thus do not appreciate those
that do, and for this reason the reward is not returning to those who are
faithful to Christ. God has set up His kingdom in such a way that those who
serve Him are blessed and rewarded by the very ones who are benefiting from
their ministries. If a pastor spends untold hours preaching and teaching and
is truly committed to the word of God, to prayer and to the saints, and gets
nothing for all his work, and he is unappreciated by the members of his
congregation, then most likely there are people in the assembly who are
disturbing the saints by spreading false doctrine among the people and keeping
the pastor from what is due him. “Consider what I say, for the Lord will
give you understanding in everything.”
(248k) Priorities
>>
God’ s preeminence >> Values >>
The Highest Values >> Some things take
precedence over others
2Tim 2-7,8
(82f) Thy kingdom come
>>
Three elements of prayer >> Our approach >>
Meditation
2Tim 2-7
(89h) Thy kingdom come
>>
Fear of God is the beginning of wisdom >> Wisdom
of the Spirit –
God speaks to His people to reveal His word in two ways: (1) He gives them
understanding in what it means, and (2) He reveals to them His word by the
Spirit. We know the ones who understand the Scriptures by revelation; they
have a zeal for God. We can tell when Scripture is in them so deeply in a
place that is beyond human ability to believe, they get emotional when they
talk about God. However, before we can understand the Scriptures by
revelation, we need to understand what it says in the first place, and not
have the wrong idea about it. We must be careful not to ask God for a
revelation of a misinterpretation of Scripture, which is just the opportunity
the devil needs to come and reveal to us a false idea about God by his spirit
and seal it into us so we cannot stop believing it. This has happened
innumerous times to unfortunate people who didn’t care enough about the
truth to seek it, but considers their version of the Scriptures to be good
enough. Eventually those ideas get cemented into them so they can’t stop
believing them. Look at the Pharisees, the Scribes, the Sadducees, the chief
priests and all the leaders of Israel who were responsible for Jesus’ death,
they believed very strongly. They were called zealots for their version of the
truth, but they believed the wrong things and the devil came and sealed their
false teachings in their hearts so they couldn’t stop believing them. This
is why it is necessary to know the truth and not a facsimile of it. Paul was
talking to a mature Christian, someone who loved the Lord with all his heart
and was dedicated to the truth. Timothy was ready to die for his faith in
Jesus, and this is why Paul was so confident that Timothy would eventually
understand what he was saying, because he was committed to promoting the
Kingdom of God. These days people are so lackadaisical about their faith
it’s pathetic; to us Paul would not so readily say these words, because we
have proven we have itching ears and more readily accept a lie.
(109ha) Thy kingdom come >>
Faith >>
Spirit and the word >> Spirit the teacher >> Spirit interprets the word for us – Paul didn’t have to spell out everything to
Timothy, because he had the spirit of God dwelling in him and God would reveal
the truth to Timothy. This would guarantee them on the same page, so
there would be no misinterpretation or misunderstanding between them.
(110j) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith >>
Spirit and the word >> Spirit of revelation >>
Revelation of the truth
KJV
NAS
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8&9 Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descendant of David, according to my gospel, 9 for which I suffer hardship even to imprisonment as a criminal; but the word of God is not imprisoned.
2Tim 2,8-10
(98ka) Thy kingdom come >>
Endurance (Thorn in the flesh) >>
Endurance invites the Holy Spirit into your life >>
The salvation of God >> Enduring the wicked is to overcome them
2Tim 2-8
(37e) Judgment
>>
Jesus’ humanity >> He was part of the lineage
of David –
Jesus literally rose from the dead, but that he descended from David is
somewhat less literal. We know that Jesus’ Father was God, and so the
question goes to the mother, Mary, but according to Jewish custom, the father
determined the children’s lineage, so her input is irrelevant. The only
connection Jesus had with the house of David was through his surrogate father,
Joseph, who descended from the tribe of Judah. This means Jesus had no
congenital link to Bethlehem. The fact that Joseph was not his real father
indicates that having a bloodline stemming back to David didn’t make Jesus
better or worse; the point of the Old Testament prophets was that Jesus’
kingship in the Millennium will resemble David’s kingship in his struggle to
free Israel from her enemies before he could finally sit on his throne,
reminiscent of the Great Tribulation prior to Jesus’ second coming. Paul put
his life on the line in defense of the notion of Christ descending from David;
Jesus’ lineage was more important to him than his own. He was willing to
suffer as a criminal in defense of Christ’s bloodline rather than to marry a
wife, settle-down and preserve his own bloodline. Paul was not stupid; he was
very learned; he would know if Jesus was descended of David or not. Mary,
whose earlier husband (God) made her pregnant and then was no longer
available, married Joseph of Davidic lineage, so that legally Mary’s lineage
transferred to the tribe of Judah through her husband, and all his children
(Jesus’ brothers) descended from Judah, as did Jesus, legally.
(39a) Judgment
>>
Jesus defeated death >> Resurrection of Jesus
Christ
(238j) Kingdom
of God
>>
Pursuing the kingdom >> Pursuing the knowledge
of the kingdom >> Teachers >>
Teachers "remind" their students >>
Teaching by rote
2Tim 2,9-11
(187b) Die to self (Process of substitution)
>>
Separation from the old man >> Die to the flesh >>
The ministry of dying to self >> Die to self to
minister to people >> Die to self to encourage
the strong – What does it mean, “If we died with Him, we
shall also live with Him”? It means we died to our
selfish interests. Whatever we were doing before
we got saved, that is all in the past; now we have a new way of life and a new
direction, and we’re following the Holy Spirit wherever he directs us. As we live
for Him believing in Jesus until we physically die, we will also live with Him in our resurrected
bodies in heaven forever. On the day of the First Resurrection, we will receive a new
body that is indestructible.
2Tim 2-9,10
(242c) Kingdom of God
>>
Opposition toward the Kingdom of God >>
Persecuting the kingdom >> Persecuting God >>
Persecuting the word of God –
Paul gave a list of things the
world had done to him in various forms of punishment that he received for
openly expressing his faith throughout the years of his ministry (2Cor
11,23-33). He dared to open his mouth in the world and tell the truth so that
some may be saved, perhaps even some of those who persecuted him.
2Tim 2-9
(119h) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Freedom >>
Having freedom to minister – Paul was sitting in prison, but the word of
God was not imprisoned. It found freedom in Timothy and others like him who
continued to spread the good news of the gospel. The word of God was out there
bearing fruit and propagating among those who would believe in Jesus for
eternal life. Paul
was not the only evangelist in the world preaching Jesus. That is, the word of
God did not suffer imprisonment in those who believed the gospel but was free
and had the power to liberate them. The word of God is still on the move,
finding place in people’s hearts, and the Church is on the move presenting
the gospel to those who would believe in Jesus. The concept of freedom in the
Bible is in reference to receiving power from God to do His will; otherwise,
we are in bondage to sin. Had Jesus died for our sins and granted us eternal
life through faith but never made freedom possible, we may be forgiven, but we
would still be slaves of sin’s evil passions and desires. However, Christ
not only gave us the promise of eternal life, He also gave us power to become
free from sin, so we might do His will. Jn 1-12 says, “As many as received
Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God.” We have the right
not only to become His children, but also to behave like His children.
(163b) Works of the devil
>>
Being a slave to the devil (Addictions) >>
Bondage >> Being slaves of men >>
Prison -- This verse goes with verse 26
(165h) Works of the devil
>>
Manifestations of the devil >> Hardship >>
The hardship of persecution -- This verse goes with verse 3
(177i) Works of the devil
>>
The religion of witchcraft >> Presumption (Hinduism) >> Misunderstanding the word of
God
(188c) Die to self (Process of substitution)
>>
Separation from the old man >> Suffering >>
Growing pains >> Growing outwardly --
This verse goes with verse 3
(216f) Sovereignty
>>
God overrides the will of man >> God’s will
over man >> Compelled by the Spirit >>
God forces His bond-servants to do His will
KJV
NAS
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10&11 For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory. 11 It is a trustworthy statement: For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him;
2Tim 2-10
(95l) Thy kingdom come
>>
Positive attitude about suffering >> Suffering
under the hand of God -- This verse goes with verses 3-7
(210e) Salvation
>>
The salvation of God >> Jesus is our savior >>
Especially of believers
(219g) Sovereignty
>>
God overrides the will of man >> The elect >>
God chooses us as we choose ourselves >> God
chooses us as we fulfill His calling
(234f) Kingdom of God
>>
Pursuing the kingdom >> Seeking the glory of God
>> Seeking the fruit of the ministry –
Paul separated salvation from eternal glory to show these two as different
things, though we can also see them as one and the same. In this life we get
saved, and in the next life we will receive eternal glory, one being the cause
for the other. We accept God’s calling so in the life to come we will have
an introduction to our heavenly ministry. This eternal glory is something that
is incomprehensible to us with our finite minds. If we searched deep to
uncover more facts about it, we would discover that it is not much different
from the Great Commission (Mat 28,18-20). We will be teaching people about how
to live for God, but the details and nuances are kept for the life to come.
God will create a new people, a new Adam and Eve and command them to be
fruitful and multiply forever, and God will give them to the Church to care
for them. We will be blessed and loved by so many people and by Christ Himself
and by our heavenly Father. Love will come from every angle, and we will be His
stewards, but the fact remains that in this life we will never fathom any of
this, not one tenth of one percent of it. All we can do is touch the surface
with our faith all that He has prepared for us.
(236a) Kingdom of God
>>
Pursuing the kingdom >> Invest in the kingdom >>
All things are for your sake >> We are fighting
for you >> Our suffering is for your sake –
When Paul said he endured all things for the sake of the elect, that is saying
a lot, for he suffered a lot. Every drop of his blood that hit the ground for
the cause of Christ, every slap in the face, every insult, every time he ran
for his life, Paul considered believers the fruit of his ministry and the
glory of God. They were worth all his effort as a man on a mission, preaching
the gospel of the kingdom to the known world, whose commitment to Christ
unlikely has ever been rivaled. The resulting people from Paul’s ministry
were worth all the trouble, all the effort and all the suffering he endured.
In fact, he was happy to do it, but if nobody got saved, Paul would not have
been happy. Although he was the Church’s lead apostle and evangelist because
Christ commanded it of him, being the prime motivation of his ministry, his
personal motives were the people themselves who got saved through his efforts.
Paul may have remained obedient to Christ even if no one got saved, but
he would have no doubt wondered what he was doing if no fruit came of
it. He may have figured that since he couldn’t see around the bend, perhaps
after his demise the purpose of his ministry would finally materialize, and so
the materialization of our faith and ministries is where the rubber meets the
road both with us and with God.
(244d) Kingdom of God
>>
The eternal kingdom >> Eternal life of the
trinity >> Jesus is the source of eternal life
(250d) Priorities
>>
God’s prerequisites >> Sequence of priorities >>
In all things ... >> Be innocent of all sin
2Tim 2-11
(38e) Judgment
>>
Jesus defeated death (Satan) >> Resurrection
anointing
(53a) Paradox
>>
Opposites >> Of life and death >>
Die in order to live
(56g) Paradox
>>
Opposites >> Seek God’s life by subduing your
flesh
(102h) Thy kingdom come
>>
Faithfulness (Loyalty) >> Trustworthy >>
Loyalty -- This verse goes with verses 2&3
(113k) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith >>
The anointing >> Resurrection power
(187aa) Die to self (Process of substitution)
>>
Separation from the old man >> Die to the flesh >>
The ministry of dying to self >> Die to self to
minister to God >> Jesus died for us; now it's our turn to die for Him
-- This verse goes with verses 3-7. If
we literally or figuratively die, we will find His presence. The way Jesus
taught the gospel is that there is not nearly the difference between this life
and the life to come when we incorporate the Holy Spirit, because He is the very essence
of heaven. Without the Holy Spirit, heaven would be a bland place. We would
still have Jesus and the Father, but they would be in a single location, whereas
the Holy Spirit is everywhere. Plus, when we meet Jesus face-to-face, combined
with the indwelling Holy Spirit, He will exponentially multiply the experience
of His presence. We know that heaven is greater than this life, yet God would
have it that we minimize the difference between this life and the life to come
by obeying the Holy Spirit, that is, cultivating an anointing that results from
dying to our will, our dreams and our wishes, giving up our own plans in order
to take on His plan and purpose for our lives. When we do this God will imbue us
with an anointing that will give us the perpetual presence of Jesus wherever we
go. “Christians” means anointed ones, so each of us has an anointing
of some level, some greater than others, based on their purpose and calling and
based on the attention they give to it. The anointing makes the word of God come
to life in our hearts. The anointing is the treasure that God has invested in us
that we cultivate by diligent study of the Scriptures and listening to the voice
of the Holy Spirit and doing what He says. All this requires us to die to self;
if we do that, Paul promises we will live with Christ in this life and in the
life to come.
(209a) Salvation >>
The salvation of God >> Personal relationship >>
Being married to God >> We go where He goes
(254c) Trinity
>>
Holy Spirit’s relationship between Father and Son >>
Jesus is the life of the Spirit >> We live
because He is life >> We live because we died
with Him
KJV
NAS
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12&13 If we endure, we will also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us; 13 If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.
2Tim 2-12,13
(98l) Thy kingdom come
>>
Endurance (Thorn in the flesh) >>
Endurance invites the Holy Spirit into your life >>
Endurance invites the glory of God – If we endure in the flesh
now, in the future we will reign with Christ. This indicates that not all
the saints will reign with Christ. There will be peasants in heaven,
consisting of those who never served the Lord, but believed in Him for eternal
life. They are not less important to God, for the least are greatest and the
greatest are least in the Kingdom of Heaven. There is no classification in
heaven like we know here on earth in man’s competitive world, where the
greatest are greatest and the least are least. In the Kingdom of God, both the
great and the small are treated the same; no one looks down their nose at
anyone else. Although some will have higher positions of authority than
others, that does not make them better or more important than the smallest of
them. If we wish to reign with Christ, then we must endure the will
of God now as servants, even as we shall serve in heaven. Some are
called with higher callings than others. For those who choose not to cooperate
with the will of God, but are content with being peasants of heaven,
“if we are faithless, He remains faithful; for He cannot deny
Himself.”
(102d) Thy kingdom come
>>
Faithfulness (Loyalty) >> Faithfulness is
dependable >> God is dependable –
The Bible says that Christ remains faithful, because He cannot deny Himself.
For Christ to deny us because we are faithless would be like denying He ever
went to the cross to pay for our sins. God has a plan and Jesus is the
central figure of that plan. For God to deny Himself would be to deny
Himself the joy of man living with Him forever in his heaven. He rejects
those who deny Him, because He doesn’t really have them in the first
place, but those who love Him with their whole hearts yet occasionally fail
He will never deny. God limits Himself by His own choice and volition, but
at the same time He is holy and righteous and he will not change. In order
to remain true to Himself, there are certain things He cannot do, but that
doesn't mean He is in bondage, because He cannot be tempted to live against
his nature. He is totally free to be Himself: holy, righteous and good, and
part of that is forgiving those who have sinned in their weakness, who
otherwise love Him and love what is good and right, but can’t always find
it in themselves to live by that.
2Tim 2-12
(55m) Paradox
>>
Lose by gaining >> Lose God’s will to gain your own will
(88h) Thy kingdom come
>>
Fear the judgment of God is the beginning of wisdom >>
Fear the sovereign hand of God on your life
(192g) Die to self (Process of substitution)
>>
Result of putting off the old man >> Gain by
losing >> Waiting for God to do it His way >>
Being patient to receive something better
(199g) Denying Christ
>>
Man chooses his own destiny apart from God >>
Rejecting Christ >> Throwing God away >>
Denying Christ –
The Bible teaches that denying Christ is far worse than being faithless. If
God gives us faith to believe in Him and we can’t make our flesh cooperate,
that is being faithless, but if we deny Him, we are telling other people that
we don’t even believe in God. Instead of evangelizing the world, which is
the great commission, we are doing just the opposite, and God takes a dim view
of it. He likens it to blasphemy. The way blasphemy works, if we do it once,
it doesn’t mean we are going to hell, but it does mean we are seriously
going the wrong direction. Peter denied the Lord three times that he ever knew
the Lord, yet he didn’t lose his soul, simply because denying Christ
doesn’t cause us to lose our souls, nor does blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.
It does indicate that we are going the wrong way, though, and if we continue
this way, eventually our faith will die and we will lose our souls. Denying
Christ sets us on course with the reprobate mind, and so does blasphemy of the
Holy Spirit, which is not something any believer wants. Jesus said in Mk 8-38,
“Whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful
generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the
glory of His Father with the holy angels.” This concept of denying Christ is
not in reference to a single act, but more a lifestyle. This is the person who
confesses Jesus to his fellow believers at church, and then goes into the
world and denies that he knows the Lord to unbelievers. This is a tremendous
offense to God, and in the case of many people, it is a sign that they don’t
even know Him in the first place. The person who lives in denial of Christ
either isn’t a Christian or is in hot pursuit of losing his salvation.
(227d) Kingdom of God
>>
Illustrating the kingdom >> Rewards of heaven >>
God rewards endurance >> Rewarded for overcoming
sin
2Tim 2-13
(20h) Sin
>>
Doubt replaces faith – The war is raging in all the translations we
have, based on what we know to be the authoritative words of God. In my view
what we have is very accurate, though I suppose no one will ever know for
sure the true words of God in their purest form, like we will never know the
true nature of eternity until we get there. One thing we know for certain,
the universe is big, expansive, very intricate and complex, most likely
requiring a creator. Since the Bible teaches to respect and even revere this
person (God) if the Bible’s rendition of Him is flawed, I am sure God will
respect anyone who thought it was best to respect and love what little we
knew about Him. This is what I remind myself whenever doubts arise in my
mind about God and His word. People who don’t believe in God have handed
most of my doubts to me; they are black holes in an otherwise seamless
tapestry of faith that God has given us in His creation and in His eternal
word.
(21c) Sin
>>
Disobedience >> Unfaithful –
Here lies the difference between denying Christ and being faithless:
“Faith” refers to a substance that comes from heaven that we use to
believe in God, whereas “faithless” refers to our conduct and behavior,
how we implement that faith, or don’t implement it. Our problem is we are
faithless; we need the blood of Jesus to cover our sins. Being faithless
simply means we are disobedient, we’ve done something wrong, we’ve
submitted to some form of the weakness of the flesh that we can’t seem to
overcome. In the case of faithlessness, God is gracious and merciful; He
knows that we are made of mere dust. We have a body that is more willing to
commit sin than to serve Christ. The Christian loves God, but his body hates
Him. God knows we are weak: our mind is weak, our will is weak and our
emotions are weak. When sin tempts us we shudder like a leaf in a subtle
breeze, our legs get wobbly and our mind begins to swim in every direction
except toward the Lord. God know we are this way; we are all faithless at
times.
(64g) Paradox
>>
Anomalies >> Limits of God >>
God cannot deny Himself
(205a) Salvation
>>
Salvation is based on God’s promises >>
According to promise >> God never changes
KJV
NAS
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14 Remind them of these things, and solemnly charge them in the presence of God not to wrangle about words, which is useless and leads to the ruin of the hearers.
2Tim 2,14-18
(84l) Thy kingdom come
>>
Your words can lead to your own demise >> They
can be destructive –
Wrangling about words is the subject of semantics. Paul told Timothy to
solemnly charge the leaders of the Church not to get semantic with the word of
God. This is actually a common problem in certain Christian circles,
especially when it comes to endtime prophecy. If we ever find ourselves
arguing with a fellow Christian about a single word or two, remember this
verse and stop, because we know it is not the will of God. They call it a debate,
but there is no such thing as debating in Christendom; there is only arguing.
People debate about politics, but we don’t debate about Jesus. Debating
about religion is no doubt a common occurrence, but we should leave that to
the Bible scholars and unbelievers. Those of us who believe in Jesus should
seek unity, not division. The truth in almost every case is obvious; there is
no need to argue about it. Jesus died for our sins; He rose from the dead and
ascended into heaven and sent the Holy Spirit in His place. There is no room
for debate in that, and anything beyond this is peripheral and thus not worth
debating about it. People can go back and forth about certain ideas and
concepts and Paul would say, ‘Hopefully you will come to the right
conclusions,’ but when it came to words, he had little patients. Anybody who
would debate about a single word is an argumentative person with a contentious
spirit. Discussions of this sort are fruitless, leading to the ruin of the
hearers. Some like to start arguments and complain about virtually everything
under the sun, and invariably they fail to arrive at the truth.
(158c) Works of the devil
>>
Essential characteristics >> Divide and conquer >>
Strife >> Contentions -- These verses go
with verses 23-26.
Regarding those who like to be controversial, who
like to stir up trouble and raise conflicts, Paul solemnly charged Timothy in
the presence of God not to wrangle about words. For contentious people debating
is just an opportunity to be argumentative, and the “debate” usually reduces
to arguing about a certain word or two. God has not called us to argue about His word, or
to create strife, or to raise controversial questions, but “be diligent to
present yourself approved to God as a workman, who does not need to be ashamed,
handling accurately the word of truth.” Sometimes accurately dividing the
truth comes down to a single word, so the difference between this and
wrangling about words reduces to attitude. A contentious spirit has
the motive and attitude to be divisive, while God's workman strives to unite
people around God’s word. Having a spirit of contention is Paul’s complaint,
not having a discussion about words.
(159c) Works of the devil
>>
Essential characteristics >> Counterfeit >>
Counterfeit godliness >> Counterfeit Christian –
People will attempt to trap us in semantic arguments. They listen for anything
we might say that might support their agenda and will gossip to everybody,
embellishing what we said and taking us out of context. As a result, our reputation flushes down the toilet because we had an argument with
a religious psychopath. Paul is telling us to avoid such people like the plague.
They’re spiritually dangerous, even naming them. He didn’t live in politically
correct times as we do; he wasn’t concerned about protecting their
identities, nor did he care about hurting their feelings. Paul had a rage for people who would attempt to usurp the gospel. They were a thorn in his flesh
(2Cor 12,7-10). Paul asked God to remove it from him and God said, ‘No, I like
it there; it keeps you humble.’ A little suffering helps the Christian, and
God can protect His own gospel. Suffering drives us to seek God for comfort, and in his remedy he adds all the
other things He wants us to possess: spiritual insight and wisdom to
convey His word to others through a powerful anointing.
(167g) Works of the devil
>>
Manifestations of the devil >> Carnality/Secularism
(mindset of the world) >>
The carnal mind does not receive the things of God >>
It does not understand the word of God
–
You can present an idea about the meaning of a
word, but if the person disagrees with you, leave it at that. God wants us all
on the same page, and the Holy Spirit is able to do that, so if there is a
conflict, someone is not following the Holy Spirit. Paul wanted Timothy to be
the one to follow God, so if anyone argues with him, he can know for certain
that the person is resisting the Holy Spirit, but Timothy had to pay the price to have this level of confidence in the truth. It is a
guarantee that argumentative people do not suffer the will of God in their
lives. This is what you look for; do people suffer for the truth, or
do they just like to argue about it? Do not bother with argumentative people, do not
invest your life in them, and do not waste your time with them.
(172f) Works of the devil
>>
Manifestations of the devil >> Tares among the
wheat >> Hypocrites among the just >>
Talkers among the walkers – Are we talking about Christians here? It
doesn’t sound like it. Rather, these are church people lacking in faith. It
sounds like they may have been Christians at one time, but Paul does not hold
out any hope for them. He doesn’t say to Timothy, ‘Really concentrate on
these people to get them back in the faith.’ Jesus goes looking
for people who have gone astray, but Paul did not instruct Timothy to do this, because
he would
have no success. This is the job of the Holy Spirit. We don’t have the
resources or the office of reaching those who have lost
the will to serve God. Only His grace can he break through
their crusted over hearts after they have allowed worldliness and secular
humanism to invade their souls, which
eventually will crystallize into solid rock of unbelief, unless God can somehow
reach them. They have bought the lie that their salvation is eternally secure,
so now they can live any way they want. It is up to God to keep them on the straight and narrow path,
and if He can’t, then it doesn’t matter because they are saved anyway.
They really believe this, because this is what they were taught. Easy-believism has led many a soul to hell.
(203h) Denying Christ
>>
Man chooses his own destiny apart from God >>
Back-slider >> Withdraw from obeying God >>
Withdrawing from God
2Tim 2-14,15
(104f) Thy kingdom come
>>
Pure in heart shall see God >> Shall see the
Father >> Being in the presence of God
2Tim 2-14
(138f) Temple
>>
Building the temple (with hands) >> Reproof >>
Reprove your brother for not thinking right
(148b) Witness
>>
Validity of Jesus Christ >> Works of the Church bear witness to Jesus >> Evangelism >>
Solemnly testify against unbelief –
Those who do word studies think they can find a better word or phrase than the
translation they are reading; what may be more useful is to find a website
that parallels a verse with multiple translations or else lay out many
bibles each of a different translation. They look up a word in the Greek to find
its original meaning, and what they use to describe the meaning of the Greek
word is just more words, using words to study words; that seems useless.
Studying words is not very effective no matter how we do it, which is what Paul
was saying here. The Bible says to rightly divide the word of God, so we try to
divide every word, yet sometimes we still come to the wrong conclusions;
instead, we should try conducting a contextual study on the Scriptures, which
usually yields better results. We get out our Greek dictionaries and lexicons,
thinking all our resources make us better Bereans, but what did Paul say is the
goal of Christianity? “The goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart
and a good conscience and a sincere faith” (1Tim 1-5). If we insist on
studying words, a useful course would be to look for trends made by the number
of times the Bible uses a certain word, showing its significance and giving us
an idea of its importance. For example, if a word is used fifteen times in the
Bible, then we should give it a stronger weight than a word that is used only
three times. The scarlet thread running through Scripture from Genesis to
Revelation is the cross of our Lord Christ; we should therefore focus on that
and broaden our scope from there, but to focus on a word is useless according to
Paul, and leads to the ruin of the hearers.
(158a)
Strife (Key verse)
(163a) Works of the devil
>>
Being a slave to the devil (Addictions) >> Bondage >> Being slaves of men >>
In bondage to peoples’ expectations of you
(197h) Denying Christ
>>
Man exercises his will against God >> Man withers
when he is in control >> False doctrine is
fruitless
(238h) Kingdom of God
>>
Pursuing the kingdom >> Pursuing the knowledge of
the kingdom >> Teachers >>
Teachers "remind" their students >>
Strong reminders
(240i) Kingdom of God
>>
Opposition toward the Kingdom of God >> Hindering
the kingdom >> Taking away the key of knowledge >>
Hindering people from entering the kingdom -- This verse goes with verses
16-18
15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.
2Tim 2-15,16
(14j) Servant
>> Ministry of helps >> Helpers Are Indirectly In Charge Of The Word >>
They have the heart of
the one who trained them
KJV
NAS
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2Tim 2-15
(4a)
Responsibility >> Advocate God’s
cause >> Accountable to the character of God
(9d)
Responsibility >> Prevent disunity within the body of Christ >>
Prevent false doctrine
(78j) Thy kingdom come
>>
Renewing your mind by the word of God >> Study
the Bible –
The Bible will not disappear at the end of this age any more than the Old
Testament disappeared at the end of its age. The Bible is a collection of
books that may continue to increase one book at a time throughout eternity
as a record of the works of God, and a record of those who stood behind Him
and supported Him in all He did, such as Timothy, who was probably Paul’s favorite helper on his missionary
journeys. His authority was just under an apostle as one of the great church
leaders of his time. He would stay after Paul established a church
and act as itinerate pastor, until a permanent one could be put in his place
chosen among the congregation. Timothy taught the word of God in all
accuracy in the ways that Paul taught him. Paul was writing to Timothy, but his letters were
read to all the people and widely circulated among the brethren; therefore,
what Paul wrote to Timothy had application to all Christians. There were
only a limited number of manuscripts back then; not everybody had a Bible in
his house, but if they had one, they would have read it. It takes a lot of
time and effort to become proficient in the Scriptures; we don’t just read
the Bible once or twice and consider ourselves authorities on the subject.
If we will become students of the word, then we should also become disciples
of prayer, because the two of them go together.
(80c) Thy kingdom come
>>
Know the word in spiritual warfare >> To fight
in the Spirit -- This verse goes with verse 5
(100g) Thy kingdom come
>>
Diligence >> Diligence in studying the word of
God –
The early church had very few manuscripts, so they couldn’t read the Bible
all day, yet they did come together on a regular basis and publicly read the
manuscripts and discussed the word of God and spent a lot of time together
praying in the Christian faith. Soon afterward there was the dispersion from
Jerusalem, but the same thing took place in certain pockets around
Jerusalem, and as Christianity continued increasing its sphere of influence
in the world, the saints continued in their spiritual fellowship. The word
of God was so important to the people that when Gutenberg finally invented
his printing press, his very first project of mass production was the Bible.
This happened in the 1400’s, so for over 1400 years people lived without a
Bible; all they had before that were manuscripts, which were handwritten
copies of copies. For this reason, people memorized large portions of
Scripture and recited them in public. They exhibited tremendous diligence in
the Scriptures, compared to today when everybody owns a Bible but hardly
anyone reads it. This is shameful! Paul said we are to be workmen who do not
need to be ashamed. To the Christian, if the Bible is available to us but we
don’t ever study it, that is shameful; and to the unbeliever, it is not
shameful to shirk reading the bible, but it is shameful to be an unbeliever.
(102a) Thy kingdom come
>>
Ambitious to fulfill God’s calling >> To see
God’s will in your life
(107l) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith >> hearing from God >> The Bible will lead you to truth >>
Thy word is truth –
The person who diligently studies the word of God does not need to be
ashamed; he can divulge his knowledge of the Scriptures and be confident
that what he teaches is true. However, there are those who are very
proficient in the Scriptures, yet they believe a lot of strange ideas. Paul
was saying that if we believe the truth, there is no shame in it. There is
no difference between the person who rarely if ever reads his Bible and the
person who has devoted his life to the Scriptures yet teaches amiss; they
are both equally shameful. The only honor is believing the truth, and it is
impossible to know the truth without being a student of God’s word, and
the only way to accurately handle the word of God is to also be a disciple
of prayer, which is to be in touch with the Holy Spirit whom Jesus called
the Spirit of Truth. He is our teacher.
(108c) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith >> Faith is the balance between truth and unbelief
–
The Church
today, starting with Catholicism, doesn’t believe we should
read the Bible. That should be the job of the priest, they say, so we
don’t misinterpret anything or end up with a hundred different
denominations, as though giving the job to a priest would guarantee against
misinterpretation. This is spiritual deception and it has bled into
Protestantism; now most people in the protestant church don’t read their
Bibles either, though they might consider themselves devout Christians. What they mean
is they go to church every week, and that makes them devout, and they pray even less. What the observer
should take from this is that such a Christian is not very interested in
God, which ebbs close to humanism. “Secular humanism”
is a redundant term, for all humanism is intrinsically secular,
“apart from God.” A person who goes to church and never prays or reads
his Bible is just as humanistic as the atheist, who doesn’t believe
God exists. There is hardly a difference. There is not a pastor in the world who can spiritually feed a flock so they don’t need to read their Bibles. That would be like
a college professor who thinks he is such a good orator that he doesn’t
need to assign any required reading to his students.
(122a) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >>
Confidence in God >> Confidence in the word of
God
(138a) Temple
>>
Building the temple (with hands) >> Maturity >>
Maturing by the word of God
(153k) Witness
>>
Validity of the Father >> God bears witness
against the world >> Shame >>
Living for Jesus exposes sin >> Your walk with
God puts others to shame –
It is interesting that verse 15 is sandwiched between verses 14 and 16, in
that people frequently use verse 15 as an excuse to argue about the Bible,
while 14 and 16 tell us not to argue especially not about words. We are not
to use our knowledge of the Bible to argue with one another, but to
accurately teach the word of truth. We are not to teach it to contentious and
argumentative people, because it is a waste of time. Rather, we are
to teach the word of truth to people who seek the Spirit and wisdom
and desire to know God for the sake of the truth. People with pet
issues are always peripheral to the gospel, and they ironically use them to avoid the gospel, yet to appear as Christian believers. No one
can judge who is a Christian and who is not, but those who prefer issues
to the gospel are waving a red flag that they are Christians in name only.
(239k) Kingdom of God
>>
Pursuing the kingdom >> Pursuing the knowledge
of the kingdom >> Teachers >>
Let not many of you become teachers >>
Dividing accurately the word of truth – The one who interprets Scripture least is usually most accurate
in his assessment, but the one who adds layer upon layer of interpretation
cannot possibly be right, because that would mean God wrote His word in code,
requiring us to decode it. Man’s darkness fully accounts for his ignorance of the
Scriptures without adding the need for interpretation. The one who
over-interprets the Bible will soon lose sight of its message and become
shipwrecked in regard to his faith. The real reason people interpret the
Bible is when they read something they don’t like, they can make it say
something else.
KJV
NAS
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16&17 But avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness, 17 and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and
Philetus,
2Tim 2,16-18
(26f)
Sin >> Consequences of sin
>>
Death is the fruit of the world –
Worldly and empty chatter is the description of semantics; that is how it
should sound in our Spirit trained ears to discern the truth, thus having the
ability to strain out noise of fruitless discussion. Chatter, that is how a
machine sounds when it is not operating properly, like an aging car that
develops rattling noises; we might need to tighten a bold here and there. The
sound is always obnoxious and never really pertains to anything in particular,
just a couple of parts vibrating together, in this case the noise of vibrating
vocal chords. Get into an argument with those who like to argue about words
and we will soon discover that they have a secular worldview. They are not
stupid, but they are empty on a spiritual level. They interpret everything
through the lens of societal issues and this is how they approach the
Scriptures too, but the truth simply does not reside at any address down that
road, and the vast majority of those who produce empty chatter are never
willing to repent. They act as though they already know the truth, and so how
are we supposed to reach them?
(106l) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith >>
Hearing from God >> Purpose of hearing from God >>
To protect your faith
(161c) Works of the devil
>>
Essential characteristics >> Satan’s attitude
determines our direction >> Wandering from the character of God >> Wandering
from the truth – There are those who argue about the Bible and
there are those who talk about anything but the Bible, and both of them are to
be avoided if they claim to be Christians. It says, “Avoid worldly and empty
chatter.” People like to talk about their children and their grandchildren
and their jobs… anything but what Jesus is doing in their lives, because
apparently nothing is happening, otherwise they would be talking about
Him. The only reason God is not working in them is that they are not letting
Him. They are too deeply entangled in the affairs of everyday life (verse 4)
to serve the Lord. It is hopeless for most people in this situation. They got
this way because they never had an interest in spiritual matters in the first
place. These people have secular minds, yet they claim to be Christians. If
they want to be this kind of Christian, then let them be Christians with
others like them, but Paul tells Timothy to avoid them. Do not invest your
time and resources in them, because most are devoid of spiritual fruit and are
unreachable. God doesn’t want us wasting our lives on people who have no
intentions of serving the Lord.
(161k) Works of the devil
>>
Essential characteristics >> Satan’s attitude
determines our direction >> Carried Away >>
Carried away by religion -- These verses go with verse 4
(179f) Works of the devil
>>
Practicing witchcraft >> Wolves >>
False prophets
>> False prophets preach works and deny Christ –
A heretic teaches legalism because it works well to hold people in bondage.
They almost always go back to the dos and don’ts of religious behavior,
making doctrines of them and providing a rationale for the things they require
of their parishioners; and through the rationale, people who refuse to
cooperate are condemned. People point at others with a critical finger,
turning everything black or white, right or wrong, true or false, so there are
no questions and no defense. The law was that way, and Paul was saying that
most heretics and false prophets go back to a form of the law, though they
never live by their own code of ethics that they impose on others.
(182e) Works of the devil
>>
The origin of lawlessness >> Deception >>
Three causes of interpreting Scripture falsely >>
Because they have no regard for God’s word
(240i) Kingdom of God
>>
Opposition toward the Kingdom of God >>
Hindering the kingdom >> Taking away the key of
knowledge >> Hindering people from entering the
kingdom -- These verses go with verse 14
2Tim 2-16,17
(16e) Sin >> Man’s
willingness to be evil >> Allowing sin to reign in your flesh >> Afraid
to deal with it
2Tim 2-16
(179k) Works of the devil
>>
Practicing witchcraft >> Wolves >>
Wolves lead people into a cult >> Leading people
through ignorance -- This verse goes with verse 18
KJV
NAS
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18&19 men who have gone astray from the truth saying that the resurrection has already taken place, and they upset the faith of some. 19 Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, "The Lord knows those who are His," and, "Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain from wickedness."
2Tim 2-18
(179k) Works of the devil
>>
Practicing witchcraft >> Wolves >>
Wolves lead people into a cult >> Leading people
through ignorance -- This verse goes with verse 16. Teaching
that the resurrection had already taken place was exactly the issue that Paul
addressed with the Thessalonians in 2The 2,1-3. Verse two says you should
“not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a
spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of
the Lord has come.” Obviously, some of the Gnostic believers of their
time were filling the minds of the saints with these false teachings. Partly,
“The Day of the Lord” pertains to the First Resurrection and the Rapture. We
don’t hear about the Rapture having already occurred, because we have World
News at 5:30 PM, and we would know if the Rapture occurred. In Paul’s day
people only knew what was happening in their neighborhoods, less in their town
and even less in the next town, etc., so the Rapture could possibly have occurred
and they would have been unaware of it, but we have virtually every problem
except that one in our churches today.
(201j) Denying Christ
>>
Man chooses his own destiny apart from God >>
Running from God >> Man’s will over God >>
God permits man to go his own way
(237d)
Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >>
Transferring the kingdom >> The Church is
transferred to the kingdom >> The rapture >>
Receiving the kingdom in God’s time – “Their teaching will spread like gangrene.
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.” It shouldn’t surprise anyone that these kind of people
would teach false doctrine such as the resurrection having already taken
place. For them to say that the resurrection has already taken place is to
imply that the Rapture has already occurred. The early church taught that the
Rapture would take place as a function of the First Resurrection, so if the
resurrection had already taken place, so has the Rapture, implying they
missed it, thus upsetting the faith of some. The Church in our time is utterly
divided regarding this subject. The reason the word
“Rapture” is not in the Bible is that Paul called it the “First
Resurrection.” The Rapture is the most volatile doctrine in Christendom to
this day. These false prophets who were spreading lies about the Rapture,
prove that nothing has changed over the last 2000 years. The Rapture has
always been a point of contention with the Church.
2Tim 2-19
(42h) Judgment
>>
Satan destroyed >> Transformed >>
Conform to the purity of Christ –
We can’t point at someone and say with any certainty whether someone is a
Christian, but we know God knows, and this is
the firm foundation of the true church. We on our part are to
prove that we are the children of God by abstaining from wickedness. So there
are two things that determine the children of God: there is the foundation of
the future assembly in heaven whom God knows, and there is the children
themselves who demonstrate their faith by conforming to His purity. If we
cannot furnish proof of our faith
by abstaining from wickedness, we have no one to blame but ourselves. Are we
just hoping we are Christians? The Bible says we
are “saved by grace through faith,” not through hope. Hope is hinged on faith, so
without faith we have no reason to hope. A person who hopes he is a Christian
without demonstrating his Christianity is probably not a Christian, but no one can say with any
certainty one way or the other. The witness dwells in the believer, yet we can
use discernment to determine the true children of God, but this is not absolute proof, for there are
many deceivers who are very good at pretending to be Christians. Jesus said
that looking for fruit in a person’s life is more accurate than discernment.
(71k) Authority
>> Ordained by God >>
We have His seal – Everyone who wants to be a teacher of the
word of God had better abstain from wickedness, because sin leads to false
teaching. We cannot live a lie and teach the truth in that our teaching is
only as truthful as our life. Abstaining from wickedness is not an option for
those of us who are serious about our faith, for we cannot truly believe in God
and walk in sin. We can be backsliders for a season; then repentance is in
order, but we cannot be devout Christians and live in sin. This is the seal
of God, but those who adhere to the doctrine of eternal security believe they
are sealed; therefore, they cannot be unsealed. Probably just about everybody has fallen
into a mud puddle, but someone who wallows in the mire has either broken the
seal or was never sealed in the first place.
(97j) Thy kingdom come
>>
Endurance (Thorn in the flesh) >> Rooted deeply >>
Standing firm in the faith >> Immovable –
The Bible has much to say about developing confidence in God. We can equate
confidence with faith, so as we develop our faith our confidence grows too. Faith
and confidence are to different things. Faith is something we receive from
God, not to be confused with the gift of faith, mentioned in 1Corinthians
chapter 12. Faith is how we have come into the household of God; faith is how
we have become born-again and have been given this introduction into grace
that God has bestowed on the world. This God-given faith we possess as
a deep-seated knowing in our hearts that we belong to God, but confidence grows
through our walk. Faith and confidence are interrelated, influencing each
other, so our walk affects our faith and our faith affects our confidence.
(105e) Thy kingdom come
>>
Pure in heart >> Abstain from wickedness
(137f) Temple
>>
Building the temple (with hands) >> Jesus is the
foundation >> Church is the foundation of manifested truth
(150ca)
Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Works of the Church bear
witness to Jesus >>
Confessing Jesus to be saved >> Confessing Jesus as the Son of God
-- This verse goes with verse 22
(156i) Witness
>>
Validity of the believer >> Evidence of
salvation >> Confessing Jesus is evidence of
salvation
(192j) Die to self (Process of substitution)
>>
Turn from sin to God >> Repent >>
Stop practicing sin >> Stop sinning –
We know in our spirit that we belong to God, for this seal has been stamped in
our innermost being. Rom 8-16 says, “The Spirit Himself testifies with our
spirit that we are children of God.” This is not a seal that we can reveal
to others. The only way we can reveal to others that we are the children of
God is through the confidence we have in Him, and that confidence grows
through the consistency of our walk. We cannot put a price on the confidence
we are able to demonstrate in the eyes of other people who observe our walk,
who judge our sincerity, and we cannot put a price on their trust that we will
do the Lord’s will in any situation. This is big when it comes to the body
of Christ and unity, for what good is it for us to know we belong to Christ,
but for nobody else to believe it because of their shoddy walk? Their
confidence in God doesn’t even come from faith, but from a social
understanding of various doctrines and beliefs that certain religious cultures
have accumulated over the centuries.
(213i) Sovereignty
>>
God is infinite >> Jesus owns you >>
His will becomes our will >> We are God’s
property -- This verse goes with verse 4. This
seal is like a coin that has two sides. On one side is our faith in God, and
on the other side is our confidence before man. One side belongs to us and the
other side belongs to God. Our side of the seal is faith that proves we are
the children of God, and His side is confidence before man that we belong to
Him. If we don’t remain faithful to His side of the seal, refusing to
abstain from wickedness, then our confidence in Him suffers. Then we don’t
know for a fact that God looks at us as His children if we are not living like
believers in Jesus.
(217j) Sovereignty
>>
God overrides the will of man >> God’s will
over man >> I never knew you >>
Because you are not of His sheep
(219h) Sovereignty
>>
God overrides the will of man >> The elect >>
God chooses us as we choose ourselves >> God
chooses us through our faithfulness
KJV
NAS
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20-22 Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also vessels of wood and of earthenware, and some to honor and some to dishonor. 21 Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work. 22 Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
2Tim 2,20-22
(8k)
Responsibility >> Responsible to defend God’s cause >>
Preparing for the ministry
(32g) Gift of God
>>
Father will honor you if you die to self >> Your
faithfulness
(74c) Thy kingdom come
>>
The heart >> God wants you to protect your heart
(103h) Thy kingdom come
>>
Purifying process >> Cleans yourself – In a wealthy man’s house there are not only
vessels made of gold and silver, but also vessels of common materials, some to
honor and some to dishonor. So, there are varying levels of value in a
person’s house. Paul is using this analogy to say that not all Christians
are the same in the house of God, but the goal of every Christian should be to
cleans himself of things that bring him to dishonor. Being dishonorable is
unacceptable. Gold purified through fire is a common theme throughout the
Scriptures. Fire represents suffering, which is another theme running
throughout the Scriptures. God passes us through our fiery circumstances to
purify us as a vessel of honor. Even pottery has gone through the fire, but if
it is made of wood, it will be burned up. This is the kind of life that is
dishonorable to God, those whose walk never rises above that of combustible
materials, because they cannot be purified.
(127n) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Goodness >>
Devote your life to doing good -- These verses go with verse
3
(187e) Die to self (Process of substitution)
>>
Separation from the old man >> Die to the flesh >>
Dying to receive the glory of God >> Die to self
to be set free
(213h) Sovereignty
>>
God is infinite >> Jesus owns you >>
We are his instruments >> We are clay in the
potters hand –
Each person represents a collection of vessels. Some are beautiful works of
art, while others are made of pottery or whittled from a piece of wood; some
are used for noble purposes, while others for ignoble purposes. For example,
one canister is used for a spittoon while another is where we keep the keys to
our Mercedes. Paul is telling us to dispose of the stinking, filthy vessels
laying around the house, representing bad habits; the noble vessels represent
good habits. People come into our house and observe all our vessels and
accidentally knock over the spittoon and the contents spill all over the
floor; that is what God thinks of our bad habits. He comes into our house and
conducts a surprise inspection now and then, and He wants our living quarters
kept neat and clean. He wants us to downsize, getting rid of the junk and
keeping the meaningful, and in this way increase the quality of our work and
concentrate the will of God in our lives. As time passes we collect more
vases, some valuable and some not, and occasionally we must go through them
and throw out some, keeping only the good ones, so that when the Lord comes,
He will be pleased with what He sees and smells. Youthful lust is one of those
common vessels that is used for ignoble purposes; we need to pour the contents
into the outhouse and throw the vase in the trash, and from now on take trips
to the outhouse instead of using shortcuts and storing the results in our
living quarters. In place of youthful lusts and fornication we pursue
righteousness, faith, love and peace with those who call on the Lord from a
pure heart. A pure heart is in reference to sincerity of faith, which was how
Paul described Timothy, but having a pure heart didn’t make him immune to
sin; Paul still had to tell him to behave as such to remain sincere in his
faith.
2Tim 2-20,21
(4g)
Responsibility
>> Advocate God’s cause >>
He who is faithful in little is also faithful in much
(191f) Die to self (Process of substitution)
>> Result of putting off the old man >>
Set apart >> God sanctifies us through our
devotion to Him
(227e) Kingdom of God
>>
Illustrating the kingdom >> Rewards of heaven >>
God rewards endurance >> Keeping our rewards
through endurance
2Tim 2-22,23
(192k) Die to self (Process of substitution)
>>
Turn from sin to God >> Repent >>
Stop practicing sin >> Run from sin
2Tim 2-22
(22f)
Sin
>>
Lust (craving pleasure) >> Fleshly desire
(95h) Thy kingdom come
>>
Attitude >> Having an obedient attitude >>
Ready to do God’s will
(105a) Thy kingdom come
>>
Pure in heart >> A pure heart is a genuine heart –
Paul told Timothy not to walk through this world alone but to walk with those
who call on the Lord from a pure heart. I can lean on you and you can lean on
me as members of one another; that is the whole purpose of the Church. Just as
one hand works with the other, so we are to work with our fellow believers to
forge spiritual maturity in the body of Christ for the sake of promoting the
gospel in the world. There are many attributes of God that Paul mentioned, but
purity of heart is the key attribute that makes all the others possible. A
person can potentially pursue righteousness, peace, faith and love apart from
a pure heart but never achieve them. He may obtain a facsimile of these divine
properties, but without a pure heart we don’t stand a chance of receiving
anything from God. Lacking a pure heart disconnects the believer from the
resources of heaven, but with a sincere heart all things are possible with
God. We cannot interact with Him without a pure heart; we cannot even confess
our sins to Him. Without a pure heart, nothing is real; everything is an
imitation; we can only pretend to believe in Jesus without sincerity of heart.
Without it we are just as lost as the world and no better than the godless
sinner.
(125ba) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Faith and love in equal measure
(126a) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Peace >>
God is at peace >> The peace from God
(148f) Witness
>>
Validity of Jesus Christ >> Works of the Church bear witness to Jesus >> Evangelism >>
Natural advantage as an evangelist >> Being
youthful
(150ca)
Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Works of the Church bear
witness to Jesus >>
Confessing Jesus to be saved >> Confessing Jesus as the Son of God
-- This verse goes with verse 19
(193k) Die to self (Process of substitution)
>>
Turn from sin to God >> Run to God >>
Run to God to avoid running from Him
KJV
NAS
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23 But refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels.
2Tim 2,23-26
(12h) Servant
>>
Bond servant >> Their indifference to the
world
(89b) Thy kingdom come
>>
Fear of God is the beginning of wisdom >>
Wisdom corresponds with logical reasoning
(128g) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Gentleness >>
Be gentle in all your ways >> Be gentle in
correcting one another – As people coming from religious backgrounds
such as Hinduism or Islam or any other false religion, many of their beliefs
have been imparted into them by demonic revelation. They believe it in a
spiritual manner as much as Christians believe the truth, and for this
reason it is very difficult to dissuade them from their beliefs. Only God
can do this through prayer. We can tell someone about Jesus, but this is not
the same as imparting the truth into them; only the Holy Spirit can do this.
We need to add prayer to the word of God as a way of entreating God to move
on their behalf to grant them repentance. So the word of God and prayer is
required to dissuade people from their religion and into faith in the
truth.
(157a) Witness
>>
Validity of the believer >> Evidence of being
hell-bound >> Rejecting God >>
Rejecting the truth – Controversial
subjects are not at issue with the contentious; what is at issue is the
spirit by which they contend their arguments. We are to correct with
gentleness those who live in error, not their message so much as their
spirit, using the fruits of the spirit to show them how a person ought to
live who names Jesus as their savior. We must show them that they are living
and walking by the wrong spirit. We are not to assume these people are
Christians, because then we would be attempting to straighten out those who
believe in Jesus and lead them to a better understanding of Him, but the
people whom Paul is describing are not Christians. They are unbelievers who
are infiltrating the Church and trying to draw away the disciples after them
(Act 20-30), and their motives for this are as long as their deceptions, and
at the top of the list is pride and arrogance.
(158c) Works of the devil
>>
Essential characteristics >> Divide and
conquer >> Strife >>
Contentions -- These verses go with verses 14-18. We
must refuse controversial issues that people can easily spin and interpret
according to their own knowledge. If
we allow them to continue, they will divide and destroy the body of Christ,
so doing nothing is not an option. The
subject matter that is easily misinterpreted and turned into controversy are
the topics that wander from the teachings of godliness, which was Paul’s
main emphasis throughout both letters to Timothy and Titus. Everything else
is subject to ignorant speculation. People in the Church today argue over
everything, but Paul said that the Lord’s bondservant must not be
quarrelsome. Rather, we must speak the word in a Spirit of kindness
and teach with patience those who would contend with us. We should not try
to beat the contentious person at his own game, but maintain the standard of
the Lord and win over our opponents with weapons of righteousness in the
fruit of the Spirit.
(162h) Works of the devil
>>
Being a slave to the devil (Addictions) >>
Bondage >> Addicted to sin >>
Being a slave to the nature of sin -- These verses go with verses 3-5
(176c) Works of the devil
>>
The religion of witchcraft >> Ignorance >>
Ignorance lurks in darkness
(177k) Works of the devil
>>
The religion of witchcraft >> Presumption (Hinduism) >>
Presuming the will of God >> Man’s knowledge
of God is based on presumption – Being argumentative and contentious is the
opposite of pursuing the fruits of the spirit. These argumentative issues
are always speculative; it is impossible to prove any of them; that’s why
people argue about them. Argumentative people need an act of God in their
lives, for only the Holy Spirit can reach them. They hold to their
speculative pet issues, considering them more important than the gospel of
our Lord Jesus Christ. We must correct them with gentleness as an example
against their ways, for if we are anything less than gentle, they will pull
us into their harshness. Those who fixate on peripheral issues use them as a
means of diverting their attention off the gospel of Christ. They are being
led by the devil to wander from God’s purpose, whose will is to focus
on the simplicity of the gospel and love of the brethren. They cannot
comprehend the simple truth about God’s love. They have no interest in
these things; they already have their hurtful and hateful mindsets
established. God has not called us to concern ourselves with anything other
than a simple faith in Jesus. No matter how dark the world gets; no matter
how grave the issues become, the gospel of Christ must remain front and
center or we will stray from the truth and develop heresies and teach them
in place of the truth.
(193g) Die to self (Process of substitution)
>> Turn from sin to God >>
Repent >> God grants repentance –
Paul is describing a Christian toiling with a contentious unbeliever, masked
as a disciple of Jesus, attempting to steal away the saints. The Christian
challenge is to show the offender the character of God, who will work with
us to grant repentance to those who live in error, leading to the knowledge
of the truth. Those who are seeking salvation and the righteousness of God
through faith are led by the Spirit to church that they might receive from
God everything they will need to inherit eternal life, but they are not the
only ones being led to church. The devil also leads certain people to church
for the opposite reason, not to discover eternal life, but to drag the
saints off the trail of good works and into their lair of demonic abuse,
where unbelief awaits them to replace the faith they once believed. This is
a travesty we cannot allow in our churches. We must confront those who would
steal away the disciples right under our noses. Paul
mentioned three of the nine fruits in this passage: kindness, patience and
gentleness, as a means of showing the ways of the Lord to those who live in
error, and hopefully leading them to the knowledge of the truth as God
grants them repentance.
(200j) Denying Christ
>>
Excuses for rejecting Christ >> Using
irresponsibility as an excuse to reject God >>
Using your sinful nature as an excuse to sin
(212d) Sovereignty
>>
God is infinite >> He is the creator >>
Evolution (Defaming God) >> The philosophy of
evolution
2Tim 2,23-25
(36b) Gift of God
>>
Gifts from the Holy Spirit >> The gift of
repentance
– Paul said that maybe God would grant them
repentance, meaning this is what it takes to be released from spiritual
darkness; only God can deliver them by granting repentance to those in error.
It is a gift of His grace to stop believing the lies of the devil that come to
those who believe them by revelation, just as much as those who are convinced
of the truth believe it by a revelation of the Holy Spirit. We can tell people
about the truth of God, but until they get a revelation of it, they can’t
believe it. The truth is open to the birds of the air to come and eat the seed
the moment it hits the road, according to the parable of the sower (Lk
8,4-15). Until we understand the truth by revelation we don’t own it, and if
we don’t own it by revelation, we are susceptible to spiritual forces of
wickedness in high places.
2Tim 2-23,24
(1e)
Responsibility >> Avoid offending
God and people >> Do not criticize in the flesh
(239g) Kingdom of God
>>
Pursuing the kingdom >> Pursuing the knowledge
of the kingdom >> Teachers >>
Teachers are construction workers >> God raises
up teachers to raise up the body -- These verses go with verse 2
2Tim 2-23
(186f) Works of the devil
>>
The result of lawlessness >> The reprobate >>
Man’s role in becoming a reprobate >> The fool >> The heart of a fool
KJV
NAS
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24-26 The Lord's bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, 25 with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, 26 and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.
2Tim 2,24-26
(95a) Thy kingdom come
>>
Perspective >> False perspective in the world
(109f) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith >>
Revelation of God >> Revelation of God's word is true knowledge
(119j) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Curse of sin is
broken >> Bondage of Satan is broken – Whatever spirit gives us a revelation is the
spirit we will serve, and every spirit corresponds with various blessings or
curses. Therefore, to obey a demonic spirit is to be cursed by the revelation
it gives us; conversely, to obey the Holy Spirit is to be blessed by the
revelation He gives us. For this reason Paul promises us spiritual blessing
from God to all who obey the Holy Spirit (Eph 1-3). This is why it is so
important to understand and believe the truth; we are talking about more than
believing a set of facts and doctrines, but spiritual revelations that
accompany salvation.
2Tim 2-24,25
(127c) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Kindness >>
Be kind like God >> Returning kindness for evil
2Tim 2-24
(126l) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Patience >>
Be patient with your brother
2Tim 2-25,26
(18l) Sin
>>
Twisted thinking >> Evil is good >>
Loving bondage – Very few people behave like the truth matters
anymore, even though the Bible is more common than any other time in history,
offering them no excuse. This attitude by no means reflects the Scriptures.
For example, Paul was emphatic about being accurate in the knowledge of God,
and in fact throughout the entire old and New Testaments this attitude is
maintained, and this passage is no different, that, “perhaps God may grant
them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth.” People use it to
“come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been
held captive by him to do his will.” The truth delivers us from satanic
delusions, and from the spiritual bondage, meaning that people who don’t
think the truth is important are being manipulated by these entities, and
for this reason they believe the truth is irrelevant. Satan is the one that
wants us to believe this, and if the truth is unimportant, then neither is
it important to believe that the truth is unimportant. That sounds like
doubletalk, and it is, but to make a point. This means we should be readily
able to let go of the lies, since they are unimportant; yet talking to
someone caught in satanic lies is nearly impossible to reach, suggesting
there are lying spiritual forces underfoot.
(31h) Gift of God
>>
Grace >> Salvation >>
The ministry of reconciliation
(116l) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith >>
Rest in Jesus (Sabbath) >> Rest in His yoke by dying to
self >> Relax as God kills you
2Tim 2-25
(111a) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith >> Spirit and the word >> Spirit sets you apart by
the word >> Set apart through
repentance –
On the one hand, Paul taught that each of us should make a contribution to the
body of Christ in our knowledge of God; and on the other hand, He wants us all
to agree (1Cor 1-10). Normally, we wouldn’t think those two go together, but
they can when the Spirit of God is present and moving among His people. When
the Holy Spirit is in control, He can reconcile things that seem to
contradict, but without Him contention can arise from any direction. If there
are disputes and arguments in the body of Christ, they are because the Holy
Spirit is not in charge. The lifestyle of godliness and the fruits of the
Spirit lead to the truth, but of course arrogant blasphemers think they
already know the truth, and this is where the work of God comes to convince
them otherwise. Paul is saying that the only way we can convince people that
they need to repent is to show them the ways of God. We cannot simply tell
them but show them by example, that they may come to their senses and realize
they are prisoners of satanic forces. They come to church in order to ensnare
the saints by their own bondage, and the only way we can communicate this is
through the fruits of the Spirit.
KJV
NAS
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2Tim 2-26
(163b) Works of the devil
>>
Being a slave to the devil (Addictions) >>
Bondage >> Being slaves of men >>
Prison -- This verse goes with verse 9
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