2 TIMOTHY 2 SERVING THE LORD FOR THEIR SAKE2017 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: 2 Timothy 2 Serving The Lord For Their Sake

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2017.

Well, this morning we're here in 2 Timothy chapter 2, looking at this passage that we read this week going through the Bible in three years. We read the book of 2 Timothy this week and have been encouraged by Paul's letter to this young pastor who is there in Ephesus. And in this letter, Paul is writing from prison to encourage Timothy to continue on, to not give up in the midst of

of the challenging, difficult ministry that Timothy had been called to. And Paul uses himself as an example to say, look, I haven't given up and you shouldn't give up either. This morning, as we look at this passage, I've titled the message, Serving the Lord for Their Sake.

Paul explains in verse 10, he says, I therefore endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. Paul, even though he is in prison, although he is going through a difficult situation himself, although he's faced a lot of affliction in his ministry, he explains that he presses on, that he continues on, that he endures everything.

For the sake of those who would hear the gospel and receive it. For the sake of the elect, those who would respond to the message of salvation that's offered through Jesus Christ.

And it's the people that Paul is called to reach that he has set before him. His eyes are upon those that God has called him to reach, and it helps him to endure the things that he is enduring. And so it's for their sake.

And Paul uses this as an encouragement to Timothy to say, you also have some difficulties and you have some challenges and you need to think about the people that God has placed in your life and the people that God has placed you there for and so that you persist and that you carry on in spite of the difficulties for their sake.

And as we consider these things this morning, it's true that Timothy had some people that he was responsible for, but that's also true of every single one of us as believers in Jesus Christ. Every one of us has people entrusted to us by the Lord.

where God has called us to be leaders in their lives, or maybe he's called us to be a witness, and we don't even interact with some of these people, but they just watch our lives, and they know we're believers, and the Lord ministers to them through that. It might be through, you know, family connections, or relationships at work, or friendships in the community. It might be a variety of things, but every believer in Jesus Christ is

has people that God has placed there for the specific purpose of you ministering to them. And so we're all called to be ministers. We're all called to make disciples. And this has been a theme for the past several weeks that God has been encouraging us regarding our ministry. Now, I would start by quoting this, what I shared last week from J. Vernon McGee.

He says, the idea of ministry is greatly misunderstood in our day. He says, all believers are in the ministry. Not one of us is out of the ministry if he is a child of God. The reality is that every believer is a minister. Every believer is a witness. Now, we are either helping further the kingdom of God or we are

not helping further the kingdom of God. We are either progressing forward the gospel, we are being a light for Christ, or we are not. And either way, we are a witness of something, and we are testifying to something, and we are a minister, or we're called to be ministers of the Lord. Now, ministry can be very difficult, and there are some serious challenges to being a light, to being effective at ministering to people in the home or in the workplace. And

And so with that, we need this exhortation and encouragement from the Apostle Paul to remember who it is we're ministering to and that it's for their sake.

It's for their sake that we endure and for their sake that we press on in the things which God has called us to. And so we want to talk about serving the Lord for their sake. And I would encourage you this morning as we get started in this passage to begin to think about who those people are. And maybe if it's appropriate to jot down some of those names, some of the people that God has specifically placed in your life. Maybe you know about them. There's probably many that you don't even know about.

But the ones that you're aware of, where God has given you a realm of influence or authority in their lives, where God has put you in a position to be a witness and an example for him, who are those people? And begin to think about them as we work our way through this passage to help you and encourage you regarding the ministry that God has given to you, that you would press on and carry on and be faithful because it's for their sake that we endure these things.

And so there'll be four ways that we'll look at this morning here in 2 Timothy 2. Four ways to serve the Lord for their sake. Point number one we find in verses 8 through 13, and that is endure all things to advance God's word.

Endure all things to advance God's word. Paul tells us in verse 8 and 9, He begins by reminding Timothy of the gospel.

And even though Timothy is a pastor, it is helpful and appropriate for him to be reminded of the gospel. We need to be reminded of the gospel because everything in our Christian life comes back to this reality of what Jesus Christ has done for us. And so he says, remember that Jesus was raised from the dead according to my gospel. He highlights specifically the resurrection.

Because Paul is enduring great affliction and difficulty, and he's looking forward to eternal reward. And so he's specifically considering and calling Timothy to consider the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And Paul says, I'm a prisoner. I'm in chains as a result of this gospel. But it's interesting that he says, but the word of God is not chained.

Paul here is recognizing that in his effort to live out the life that God has called him to live and the ministry that God has called him to, there has been opposition and now he is in chains. This is the second time that he's in a Roman prison for the gospel's sake. And Paul is expressing here, even though they have placed me in chains,

it hasn't stopped the work of God. It would be natural for us to think that, you know, it would be important for Paul to be out and about and free to roam and, you know, able to go everywhere and to put him in prison would stop that work from continuing. But Paul is saying, no, actually, even though they've chained me, it hasn't stopped the work of God and the word of God. It hasn't stopped the gospel message.

In his first Roman imprisonment, he wrote to the Philippians and he said, look, it's actually happened to the further of the gospel that I've been put in prison. That it's amazing how God is able to use afflictions and difficulties and sometimes chains to advance the word of God and the work of God. The word of God is not chained. And throughout history, governments have attempted to chain and

There has been opposition and attempts to wipe out the word of God and burn all of the Bibles and get rid of the scriptures altogether and shut all the Christians up so they don't, you know, share the message. And there's been all of these kinds of attempts and persecution, but the word of God is not chained. Laws may change, but God's word is not chained. And specifically the gospel message.

And so Paul says in verse 10, therefore, I endure all things for the sake of the elect.

Understanding that God's word and God's work is not contained by chains. Understanding that the affliction and the things that I'm enduring right now, they don't put a stop to the work that God is doing. Paul says, therefore, I endure all things. Because I know that the work of God is continuing. I am able to go through great difficulty.

Because he knows that the work of God is continuing. And specifically, he says, for the sake of the elect. The reason why I am able to endure, Timothy, Paul says, is because I have in mind these people who will be reached with the gospel message. He says that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. Timothy, I'm not going to give up. I'm not going to quit. I'm not going to, you know...

renounce my faith or just, you know, completely give up in ministry. I'm going to continue on because even though it's difficult, there are people who still need to hear the message. And I'm going to endure. I'm going to press on for their sake that they might have the opportunity to receive salvation, which is in Jesus Christ with eternal glory. He goes from there to give us a faithful saying in verse 11, 12, and 13. It says,

It's thought that this might be one of the early Christian hymns. And so maybe there was a tune that went with it, something that they were familiar with. We don't know. But it has profound truth in here that Paul is holding on to. In verse 11, he says, this is a faithful saying.

For if we died with him, we shall also live with him. If we endure, we shall also reign with him. If we deny him, he also will deny us. If we are faithless, he remains faithful. He cannot deny himself. Paul says this is a faithful saying. This is something you can count on. This is something that you can stake your eternity on.

It's that kind of statement, that kind of importance as far as Paul is concerned. And here's what the saying says, if we died with him, we shall also live with him. Now there's great truth that's bound up in these verses that we're not going to fully get into this morning. But what Paul is talking about here is what we demonstrate with the picture of baptism.

That in baptism, the person is taken underneath the water and then brought back up again. It comes from Romans chapter six, for one example, where Paul talks about us being crucified with Christ and we're buried with him. And that going under the water pictures that death

Now, not so much that we physically, literally die there in baptism or in believing in Jesus, but it pictures for us that we were crucified with Christ upon the cross as believers in Jesus. That is, that he took our place and received the penalty and the death that we deserve. And so in baptism, we are picturing that I have been crucified with Christ, that he paid my price and received my death there upon the cross.

But then baptism also has the resurrection as you come up out of the water. And it pictures that promise that those who believe in Jesus, not only are their old life and sins forgiven, buried with Christ, but

but that there is this promise of everlasting life. And so Paul says, if we died with him, that's talking about that spiritual reality that as believers, we have died with Christ, that also means that we shall also live with him.

And so it's attached to this promise of life. And so even in when we're enduring affliction and great difficulty and even chains for the sake of the gospel, it's not the end of the story. And even being put to death on behalf of Jesus Christ, that's not the end of the story because we shall live with him because we died with him. And so there's this faith and this trust that we have in Jesus and what he has done for us.

But he goes on in verse 12 to say, if we endure, we shall also reign with him. And so he goes on now to say, not only do we get to have life in Christ, but we get to have reward in eternity for the faithful service that we did unto him in this life.

And what Paul is saying here is it's worth it. If we endure, if we press on, if we carry on in the midst of these difficulties and affliction, then there will be a reigning with Jesus. There will be a reward from Jesus. David Guzik describes it this way. He says, this principle assures us that our present difficulty or trial is worth enduring. The reward is greater than what one might gain from quitting.

the reward is greater than what you might gain from quitting. I think that's something interesting to consider when we're in the midst of difficulty, when we're in the midst of affliction. And there's a great temptation to quit, to not carry out what God has set before us, to not press on and do the work that God has given to us, to not carry on and be faithful, to walk with the Lord in the way that he's called us to. There's great temptation to

But we need to remember that the reward for being faithful in what God has called us to is far greater than what we might gain from quitting. You might gain some temporary relief. You might gain, you know, some relief from this kind of persecution or this kind of attack. You might gain some relief in this way or that way. And there is perhaps some benefit that you could see. But the reward for enduring is far greater.

It's so easy to be seeing the immediate that's right in front of us, though, and be tempted by that. Instead of looking at the eternal and recognizing, there is great reward for those who endure. Now, Paul goes on to say in verse 12, if we deny him, he also will deny us. If I run away from the Lord because it's too hard to walk with him, he will deny me, Paul says. Jesus said this also in Matthew 10, verse 33. Whoever denies me before men, him I will also deny before my Father. Amen.

who is in heaven. And so Paul says, I'm not going to run away from the Lord. I'm going to endure. I'm going to press on because the reward is worth it. But then he goes on to say, if we are faithless, he remains faithful. He cannot deny himself. And I think this is really an important verse and very encouraging to us. What's the difference between denying him and being faithless? I would suggest that it's this, that denying him, that's a turning away. That's a running away from the Lord and

but being faithless, that talks about our weaknesses and how we fall short as people, that we still live in the sinful body. Even though we've died with him and have the promise of eternal life, we still have the flesh that we wrestle with, and we still have moments of weakness, seasons of weakness. We still have issues and difficulties that we face, and

In those times, we need to know, and it's comforting to be reminded that when we are faithless, when we fall short, he remains faithful. He remains faithful. There's a big decision between making a decision to deny the Lord and running away from the Lord and falling short as you're attempting to walk with him and to serve him faithfully. Big difference. And when we fall short,

God is so gracious and merciful, abounding in grace and mercy, he remains faithful. And so Paul says, I can endure. I hold on to this faithful saying and remember what God has set before me and that even when I fall short, he is faithful to cover me. And so Paul says, endure all things to advance God's word. That's what I do, Paul says. I'm holding on.

I'm in prison, I'm facing difficulty, but I know that God is working through this. I know that God is using this, even though I may not see how, I may not understand how, I know that God's word is not chained. And so I'm gonna continue to be faithful to what God has called me to, because I know that he's at work through this. I endure all things for the sake of God.

of the elect. And whether that be prison, whether that be sickness, persecution, whether that be family issues or financial issues, whatever it might be, we need to be faithful to endure what God has set before us for the sake of those who will hear the word of God and the gospel message through the work and the word of God. Well, moving on to the second way found in verses 14 through 18, here we have point number two, and that is rightly divide God's word

to benefit your hearers. Rightly divide God's word to benefit your hearers. You know, the people around you, the people I asked you to think about, the people, maybe you wrote some names down or you have some names in mind, those people entrusted to you, you have a great responsibility towards them in the things that you say, in what they hear from you. And that's what Paul addresses here. In verse 14, he says, remind them of these things.

charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers. Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

but shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness, and their message will spread like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are of this sort, verse 18, who have strayed concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection has already passed, and they overthrow the faith of some. Paul says here in verse 14, "'Remind them of these things.'"

He just remembered or just finished reminding Timothy, told Timothy, remember these things, the gospel message, come back to the truth and remember what it's all for. And now remind them, Timothy, as a pastor of the church, you need to remind people about the importance of the gospel message and the promises of reward, the promises that if we endure, there's great benefit and the word of God is going to continue and the work of God is going to continue.

And so it's appropriate for us to remember and to be reminded of these things. But he goes on to say, now charge them not to strive about words to no profit. So there are things that are worth fighting for. There are things that are worth enduring. There are things that are worth being fully engaged in the battle. And there are some things, Paul says, that are not worth arguing over. Don't be involved, he says. Don't

Get involved in striving about words to no profit. Now, we don't know exactly all of the details about the discussions and the arguments and the conversations that were happening there in Ephesus that Timothy was dealing with. But Paul here is saying there is some talk going on that's not good, that's not helpful, that's not benefiting the people who are listening. In fact, he goes on to say, to the ruin of the hearers. Some discussions have no profit at all.

There's no value in some discussions. Now, I don't know about you, but I love a good discussion. And even when there's some

let's call it intense interaction in a discussion. I mean, that's fun to watch, right? I love watching a good discussion. Maybe not so much being, you know, participating in it so much, but watching it's great. You know, just having a good time watching people share their ideas passionately. And I consider it valuable. Good discussion many times can be greatly valuable and hearing different sides. Oh, it's so important and it's really good for us, right?

But at the same time, we need to recognize that there are also discussions that have no value, that have no profit, that are not even worth talking about. They're not even worth engaging in. And he says some of those conversations are to the ruin of the hearers. They're to the ruin of the hearers. Not only do they offer no profit, but they actually bring harm to those who hear them.

There are some conversations, some striving, some debates, some discussions that are actually hurtful to those who hear. Now, in contrast to that, we have verse 15. And verse 15 is one that Christians know. This is a famous verse for us. Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word.

of truth. And it's a great verse. It's such an important verse. And there's great and powerful truth and exhortation in this verse. But usually we take this verse and we pull it out. We just deal with it all by itself. But what I would like you to do is to look at verse 14 again. Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord, not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers,

Verse 15, now be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. And then verse 16, but shun profane and idle babblings for they will increase to more ungodliness. You notice the parallel between verse 14 and 16? There are some things not worth talking about. Some things that are detrimental and harmful to people and some things that increase ungodliness.

Idle babblings that increase ungodliness. And sandwiched in between these two verses with a strong exhortation that there are some things that just should not be discussed and debated and you shouldn't be participating in that. Sandwiched in between that is our beloved verse 15. To be diligent, to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. I would suggest that this is not just accidental, coincidental things

randomness, but this is Paul's answer to the temptation, to the issue that we have the potential to be engaged in striving and conversations and debates and discussions that are harmful to people. And the fix for that, the protection to keep us from that is to be immersed and focused on studying and understanding the word of God.

Remember that Jesus said, it's out of the overflow of the heart that the mouth speaks. And so addressing what we say, it can't be fixed with just count to 10 and make sure you really want to say that. Or, you know, if you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all. Like those sayings don't really fix the issue of our words. And we need to recognize and realize that the power of

that is contained in the words that we say. And we may not appreciate it all the time. We may forget. And sometimes we can easily be involved in all kinds of idle babbling. And we can spew out all kinds of nonsense. The tongue is a valuable tool, but it also has the potential to bring great destruction. And so Paul says, you need to be diligent, Timothy. Be diligent. Be diligent.

That word means to put in great effort to rightly divide the word of God, to rightly divide the word of truth is not going to happen automatically. And it's not going to happen just kind of casually. Like you just kind of just like lay there and just like chill. And it's like, suddenly, you know how to rightly divide the scriptures. It's going to be something that you have to intentionally work on. The King James Version says,

translates it as study to show thyself approved to God. Be diligent, study. Now, study, we kind of get the picture of books and research and those kinds of things. And I don't think that's what's intended by the translators of the King James Version. But when you study, there is a focus. There is an immersing yourself in the material to pay attention to it, to learn it. And that's what Paul is saying. Timothy, there's going to be stuff coming out of your mouth.

You're going to be involved in conversations. You're going to be involved in discussions, some of them heated and some of them not as much. But you have a responsibility to your hearers to make sure that what comes out of your mouth is valuable and beneficial. And the way that you do that is by putting in great effort to know and understand God's word, that you would be approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed.

And this idea of not being ashamed, it pictures for us that inspection that happens after work is completed. I'm sure you've had that kind of experience, right? Where you do a job, you complete a job, and then someone reviews it. Someone's looking it over to see, okay, did you do this? Did you dot all of the I's and cross all the T's? Did you get everything in order? Did you set things right? Did you put this in the proper place? Did you do a good job?

Or maybe you've hired someone to do work for you and you have the job of inspecting and making sure. And you know what it's like to be ashamed, to sit there and say, you know, that really wasn't my best work. I kind of cut some corners on that. I didn't do that so well. We all know what that's like. Paul says in regards to our walk with God, in regards to the ministry, the people that God has placed in our lives, we're going to stand before God one day and be inspected.

We're going to stand before God one day and give account. In fact, Jesus tells us in Matthew 12, verse 36, he says, I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For every idle word that you might speak, it's going to be inspected and you'll give an account. And so how do we keep ourselves in a place where we are beneficial to those who hear us? Well, again, that's what Paul says. Be diligent. Be

Learn how to rightly divide the word of truth. Because it's not just about research. It's not just about having, you know, accurate theology. The time that you invest in understanding the word of God is changing your heart, which flows out of your mouth. And so the best protection for your conversations, it's not duct tape across your lips. It's time and attention in the word of God. We need time.

to invest ourselves, to study diligently, to put in great effort to know the scriptures. Pastor David Guzik gives this exhortation. He says, every Christian must work hard to be rightly dividing the word of truth. Though perfection in understanding God's word is impossible and should never be assumed, we should still work hard at it. We never come to the place where, all right, I've got the perfect word,

understanding, and accurate interpretation, and I can rightly divide all scripture, no problem, I've got it nailed. None of us come to that place. And we shouldn't assume that we've got it all figured out. That's a dangerous position as well. But we need to perpetually be in this position of working hard,

at studying the scriptures, getting to know what God says in his word. And it's hard work. And it implies, you know, being diligent and working hard implies that it's hard work, right? But we do it for the sake of our hearers, for the sake of our hearers. Listen, we come to light the night at the end of the month, and I pray that you show up and you're ready to

Looking forward to opportunity to pray for somebody, to share the gospel. You're looking for those opportunities. And so you're going to be looking to share things that benefit the hearers. And that's great. And that's good. But what about all the days?

and weeks and hours and moments of conversation that you have between now and then. It's one thing to come and show up for a particular event and watch your words and be careful and be able to share things that are beneficial. But what about all the nonsense that we spew out in between now and then? And all the opinions that we just have to share and all the things that we feel like we must say and all the... And there is a great potential for us...

to have a lot of idle words, to have some words that have no profit, to have some words that are actually hurtful and destructive. Again, verse 16, but shun profane and idle babblings for they will increase to more ungodliness. There is a potential for us to be involved in things that have no value and that actually spur on things that are not good, things that are not godly.

We can easily fan into flame conversations that are not godly, can't we? We all know that. Some of us like to stir the pot, you know, just kind of like mix things up and get people riled up. Again, I like a good conversation. And so if I could stir one up, you know, maybe I will. Paul says, for the sake of your hearers, you have a lot of people listening to you. For their sake, immerse yourself and invest yourself in the word of God. Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me. Paul says, that's not true.

Words can ruin and lead to more ungodliness and even overthrow the faith of some in the example of Hymenaeus and Philetus here. And so rightly divide God's word to benefit your hearers. It's hard work to learn to understand the scriptures and to spend time in his word with the Lord. It requires discipline. It requires effort.

but it's worth it for the sake of those who will hear you, that they will benefit, that they won't be held back, but that they will be spurred on in the things of God. So work hard to interpret scripture and to apply it to your life. Again, it's not just about having a correct answer or interpretation, but that time in God's word is transforming you and bringing you to the place where God needs you to be.

Well, moving on to verses 19 through 22, we have the third way to serve the Lord for their sake, and that is to cleanse yourself to be more useful. Not only do we need to be putting in attention and effort in learning the word of God, but there also needs to be some effort applied to the washing and the cleansing of our hearts before the Lord. Verse 19 says, nevertheless, the solid foundation of God stands having this seal.

The Lord knows those who are his and let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity. But in a great house, there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the master prepared for every good work.

Here Paul begins in verse 19 saying, Even though there are some who overthrow the faith of others, like Hymenaeus and Philetus.

Even though there are discussions and debates that are detrimental and ruin those who hear it, even though there is this threat to people in the words that are shared and the discussions that are going on, Paul says, nevertheless, even though all that's true, here's a solid foundation of God and that stands. This does not change. The Lord knows those who are his. And so there are threats against the gospel and there are threats against the people around us.

But Paul gives some reassurance here. God knows who are his. God knows the ones who have believed on him. And even if their faith is challenged, and even if there is hurt and harm brought, even if there is, you know, bad doctrine and those kinds of things, the Lord knows those who are his. We don't always know.

We can't tell. It's kind of like the wheat and the tares in that parable. You know, they grow up and you can't tell the difference until later on. But the Lord sees through and he knows those who are his. And he's going to take care of those who are his. Those who have given themselves over to the Lord. They've been born again. They're his children. He will finish the work that he began in them. He knows who are his.

But then also the second part of this solid foundation of this seal is let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity. And so here we have these two things, these pillars that are a foundation that we can stand upon, this seal that is established. God knows who are his and those who are his depart from iniquity. Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity. Listen, there are some who named the name of Christ before

but they're not actually his. And that's why we don't always know because we can't tell from this side, but the Lord knows. He sees the heart. But Paul says, as far as basically we're concerned, here's the response of us as those who are his, and that is we need to depart from iniquity. There are some people who name the name of Christ, but don't depart from sin. They just continue on and carry on in sin, even though they name the name of Jesus.

Now, Paul is not saying that we then have authority to declare whether or not they're of the Lord or they are the Lord's. Again, that's his information. He knows who are his. Where we can apply this accurately is for ourselves. Do you name the name of Christ? Here's the solid foundation of God. If you name the name of Christ, then you must depart from iniquity.

You must turn from sin. Christians, we often say, are not perfect. They're just forgiven, right? And that's true. We're not perfect. We are forgiven. But it's not just that we're forgiven. We've been forgiven for our sin. Jesus paid for it at the cross. But that doesn't mean that we just continue in sin because it's all forgiven. Instead, Christians are called to really embark on a lifelong repentance, right?

Because we are still sinful, because we still have issues of sin in our lives and our hearts are still deceitful and desperately wicked, we still have struggles with our sinful nature. And for the rest of our lives, the Lord is going to be revealing as we walk with him issues. And some of them are where we're faithless, where we've just fallen short. We've tried our best, we've done our best, and we just didn't measure up. We fell short. But also the Lord's going to be revealing, hey, there's issues of your heart,

that are sin issues that they're not just, you didn't know better and, you know, so you did it, or you tried really hard, but you still fell short because you're weak and you're sinful. There are actually some issues of your life that are still, you deliberately choose to hold on to things that you're not supposed to hold on to. You deliberately choose to do things that God's told you you should not do that. And as God brings those things to light,

We are to keep ourselves in a constant and perpetual repentance. Sometimes we talk about repentance like it's that one thing that we did a long time ago when we were born again, right? I believed in Jesus. I repented. But the reality is it's an ongoing work of God revealing our hearts and us giving our hearts over to him again. And that can be really difficult. That can be painful actually. Repentance never actually gets any easier. It's painful at the

that there is the difficulty of dying to self, confessing our sin and turning from it. But there's a great reason to do it, aside from the reality of, you know, it's our duty as far as our response to what Christ has done for us. But Paul goes on now to give an illustration. He says, in a great house, verse 20, there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor.

Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the master, prepared for every good work. Paul says, think about a house and inside your house, you have different vessels, right?

Different utensils. They're different materials. And some are used for one thing. Some are used for honor and some are used for dishonor. And gold and silver, the implication here is, you know, the gold and silver, those are the valuable materials. And so they're useful for a lot of things. And then there's the things that are made of lesser materials that are not as useful. Paul says in a similar way, if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, if anyone cleanses himself from the things that

that are not the best, that are not the better, that are, well, issues to be cleaned out, clutter to be cleaned out. Then he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the master. I would ask you to consider this morning, how useful do you want to be to the Lord? How useful do you want to be? How much do you want to take part in the work of the kingdom of God? What kind of role do you want to have? How useful are you and how useful do you want to be?

Now, God's amazing. He is so gracious. And even though we are fallen, sinful creatures, broken vessels, and even though our hearts are deceitful and desperately wicked, and even though we still have issues and struggles with sin, God is able to still use us

for the work of the kingdom of God, and to be part of things that have eternal value and have great reward in eternity. It's amazing how God can use us even though we are so flawed and messed up. And yet Paul is explaining here, even though God can use us, even though we're messed up, we get to participate in the extent to which God uses us.

I kind of liken it this way. It's like eating ribs. Now, I don't know about you, but I love ribs, kind of, but I also hate ribs because I hate getting stuff on my hands. I just, I can't stand it. And then on my mouth too, like, especially with a beard, I could never eat ribs with a beard because you could never get it clean, right? It'd just be horrible. But I'm eating ribs and I have to talk myself in, I have to psych myself out and determine, okay, Jerry, you're going to be okay with it. Your hands are going to get dirty. Your face is going to get messy. And I'm going to be okay with it.

but it's going to be worth it. It's going to taste really good. So just put up with it. You can do this. So I'm eating the ribs, but I hate getting my hands dirty. So then I'm using the napkin. I'm eating the ribs. I'm using the napkin. Pretty soon, my napkin is just like covered in barbecue sauce. And I'm scrambling. I'm looking for that one little clean corner that I can use to like wipe my mouth, right? You ever done that? Your napkin's a mess, but you're trying to find that one clean spot that you can still use. That might be a good illustration for how the Lord uses us. We're a big mess. There's barbecue sauce all over us.

And the Lord is able to find that one clean spot and still do something good in our hearts and through our lives. But Paul says, look, if you wash the napkin, you give God that much more opportunity. He's gracious and merciful and he uses us even though we do get dirty. We do have messed up hearts and lives. It happens. It's part of our life in this sinful nature. But Paul says, if you'll work to cleanse yourself, you'll have much more opportunity from the Lord.

and you'll be useful for the master. And so Paul here challenges us. He says, look, you need to clean up, cleanse yourself so that you can be more useful in the lives of the people that God has placed around you. He's so gracious. He uses us even though we're messed up, but you have the opportunity to be more effective as you allow God to clean out your heart and your life. If anyone cleanses himself, notice cleanses himself.

Now there is a cleansing that we receive from the Lord by believing in Jesus. He has forgiven us of our sins. This is not talking about getting forgiveness. This is talking about dealing with the junk and the clutter and turning away from the things that do not help us in our relationship with God. And as we move those things out of our lives, we're able and available to be effective for God.

He goes on in verse 22 to say, Flee youthful lusts, those things that are cluttering up your house, those things that are cluttering up your heart and your mind. There's a lot of things that you're craving. There's a lot of things that you're seeking and pursuing. And you need to flee those things. You need to remove those things, to wash those things from your life.

But as we've talked about before, you need to replace those things with something else. You can't just cleanse or flee those things. He says you need to pursue righteousness. And so you fill your heart with the things of God. You fill your heart with faith and love and peace, with brothers and sisters in the Lord, with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. It's calling us to advance in our relationship with God that we might be more useful and effective in

for their sakes. Useful and effective in the lives of the people that God has placed around us. Jesus modeled this for us in John chapter 17, verse 19. He said, for their sakes, I sanctify myself that they also may be sanctified by the truth. Jesus looked at us and he said, it's for you guys. I've set myself apart. I've kept myself from sin. I've kept myself dedicated to the things of God for your sake, that I would be more effective and useful in

in your life. And now he calls us to do the same for their sake. Again, repentance is hard. It's not easy. There's things that we love and our flesh craves and we desire and we want. And we need to be grown up enough to say, I love the people that God has placed in my life. And for your sake, I'm going to keep myself from those things.

Some of them might not be direct sin. Some of them, as Hebrews talks about, might just be weights that hold us back. And for your sake, I'm gonna cleanse myself. I'm gonna clean house so that I can be effective and useful in the lives of the people around me. Well, finishing it up in verses 24 through 26, we have the fourth way to serve the Lord for their sake. And that is to be gentle to those trapped by the devil. Be gentle. There are people around you

who are hurting, who are miserable, who are messed up because of the plans of the enemy. And what they need most is gentleness. Verse 23, he says, but avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife. And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel

but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient. In humility, correcting those who are in opposition. If God perhaps will grant them repentance so that they may know the truth and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will. Here, Paul challenges us to be gentle. Be gentle. In verse 23, he tells us to avoid Facebook. Just kidding. Amen.

but maybe not that much. Avoid foolish and ignorant disputes. I don't know, that might be a pretty accurate description sometimes. Knowing that they generate strife. Paul says, recognize, kind of like the previous point, that there is useless debates and useless conversations and things that are detrimental. And he says, you need to avoid those. He doesn't say, win foolish and ignorant debates. Win those disputes.

Those are easy ones. You should be able to, you have the right points. You've got the best argument. You should win that. You should make that point. You should, no, he says, because of what you know, you know that they generate strife. Those conversations, those disputes that you know generate strife. He says, you need to just step back.

from those. William MacDonald puts it this way. He says, Now, you and I, we have a tendency to fall into the bait of the enemy in some of these disputes. And we can get caught up because we get so riled up and so incensed and so offended. But there are a

we should just avoid because of what we know. Now there is a place for contending for the faith and there is a place to fight for what's right and to bring forth the word of God with great fierceness and ferocity. I don't know if that's a word, ferociousness. Anyways, you get the point. There are things that we must fight for and we should fight for, but there are some things that just generate strife.

And what that ends up doing is it cuts off our opportunity to minister because we're so involved in the striving. He says, avoid foolish and ignorant disputes knowing that they generate strife. You know where that conversation goes and you know how that ends up and it puts you at odds with the people on the other side. In verse 24, he says, and a servant of the Lord must not quarrel.

So let that settle for a second. A servant of the Lord must not quarrel. A quarreling servant is not a very useful servant. A servant of the Lord must not quarrel, but be gentle to all. Be gentle to all. Able to teach, patient in humility, correcting those who are in opposition. Notice why. Verse 25, if God perhaps will grant them repentance so that they may know the truth. Why should we be gentle? It's for their sake.

Why should we avoid those disputes that generate strife? For their sake. As hard as it is for us sometimes to not engage in those disputes, for their sake, I will hold back. For their sake, I will be gentle even when, well, it's really, really hard to be gentle. But if you're not gentle, Paul says you're not able to teach. If you're not gentle, you're not able to be patient. If you're not gentle, you're not able to humbly correct.

you're not going to be able to give them an opportunity to come to repentance. You're not going to be able to give them an opportunity to know the truth because you've burned that bridge in the strife. You've burned that bridge in the strife and now you're not able to bring forth the opportunity that God could have brought forth through you. If God perhaps will grant them repentance, he says, so that they may know the truth and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.

here's the reality and the reminder for us. People are not the enemy. The enemy is the enemy. And the enemy has taken people captive and he's deceived their hearts and twisted their minds. And he has them in his grips. And what he's calling us to do, the Lord is calling us to do is to approach that with gentleness because the person is in the grips of the enemy. What they need is gentleness so that we could teach.

that we could bring correction and humility, that they may know the truth and come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil. People are not the enemy. People are the mission. And if you win the debate and win the discussion and make your point, but lose the opportunity to bring forth the truth in gentleness, you've failed the mission. If you get caught up in the fight, you might lose the opportunity to reach them.

I like what John Calvin said about this. He said, Paul's meaning is that gentleness should be shown even to those who least deserve it. And even if at first there is no apparent hope of progress, still the challenge must be accepted. Those who least deserve it, that's who we need to be gentle to. That's the ones that's hardest to be gentle to, right? But the ones who least deserve it are the ones who need it the most. Don't lose that opportunity to be effective in the master's hands because you are caught up

In the debate, the dispute, the conversation, the issue, and you lost your gentleness in relating to them. Be gentle to those trapped by the devil. I kind of think about it in my mind as trying to free an animal that's been trapped. And there's the animal, you know, caught in the trap and it's injured and it's hurt, it's scared. And if you go to free it, you're going to get some pushback.

You're going to get some fighting and some flailing and some growling and some teeth shown and, you know, attempts maybe to hurt you because, well, that animal thinks you want to hurt it more. But you, because of what you know, are gentle and you set the animal free, right? In a similar way, because of what you know, there's people who are trapped and they're hurt and they're miserable and the enemy has a hold in their life and they're scared and they're hopeless and they're bitter and they're convinced absolutely that you want to hurt them more. Be gentle. Be gentle.

recognize they're not the enemy. They're the mission. It's so easy for us, again, to come at light the night and say, all right, I'm going to be gentle today. I'm not going to yell at any kids. I'm going to just, you know, just be gentle and loving to people. But what about all the moments and hours and weeks leading up to that? The people that are around us that we relate to regularly, it's so easy for us to think they should know better. And we lose our gentleness because they should know better. Maybe they should.

But those who least deserve it are the ones that we need to be gentle to. They're caught in the enemy's traps. Be gentle for their sake. It's hard, but for their sake, as we serve the Lord, we need to be gentle. We need to endure all things. We need to immerse ourselves in the word of God and we need to wash ourselves and cleanse ourselves so that we can be more useful and effective in the lives of the people that God has placed around us. Let's pray.

Lord, as we consider these things and the ministry that you've given to us, the opportunity to participate in your work and have the promise of everlasting life and eternal reward, Lord, your graciousness and your goodness towards us has no bounds and it's amazing to reflect on and consider. And so God, I pray that you would help us to respond appropriately with the only thing that makes sense.

to give our lives back to you in service of you and of your kingdom. And I pray, God, that you would help us to recognize the reality of the ministry that you've placed in our lives, the responsibility and the privilege, Lord, the opportunity to demonstrate your nature and your character to the people around us. Help us, God, to do that in the way that we endure. Help us to do that in the words that we say. Help us to do that in the life that we live.

And Lord, help us to do that in the gentleness that we display as we relate to the people that you've placed in our lives. Lord, I pray that you would magnify yourself through us, pour out your Holy Spirit upon us, that we might be effective tools in your hand to bring the opportunity to be set free and delivered to the world around us. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.

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