Pastor Esher Tham
4 & 5 February 2023
Today’s text is taken from 2 Timothy chapter 3. And the title for today’s message is “Finding Purpose through God’s Word”.
Paul has spent the first half of his letter to Timothy, both encouraging and instructing.
It is to encourage Timothy to be faithful to the Lord, and to seek a righteous life. In his conduct, and not be discouraged in his work, in his ministries. Also to follow Paul’s example of a courageous, hopeful attitude when facing hardship because of his faith in ministry.
Paul’s instruction to Timothy in this letter mainly deals with his response dealing with those in the church who were causing confusion, and loss of faith because of their teaching about the resurrection by the false teachers. The false teachers were denying the resurrection of the body, to them, the resurrection was just symbolic and spiritual, not physical.
The resurrection of our Lord Jesus is the basis of our faith. Without it, the gospel would be meaningless. If there is no resurrection, there is no gospel, then there is no forgiveness of sin, if there is no forgiveness of sin, there is no present joy, if there is no present joy, there is no future hope.
Because in 1 Corinthians 15:17 tells us, “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.”
Thus, Paul’s letter to Timothy is to respond to this false teaching, and those who are teaching and as well as those who are negatively affected by it, who are discouraged by the false teaching.
Paul wants Timothy to hold fast to what he has been taught so that he will not be swayed. On the other hand, he also asks him to avoid worthless debates. But continue to preach the Word of God. He asked Timothy to accurately preach and teach only what he has received in order to establish and maintain his own credibility. Paul is asking Timothy don’t go beyond what you have been taught.
Preach and teach with an attitude of kindness and gentleness and patience so that the truth of the Word will not be undermined by any unchristian character and attitude. We sometimes have the right doctrine and the right argument, but maybe with the wrong attitude.
If we have the wrong attitude, we might discourage a sincere seeker of the Word of God. Our wrong attitude might be not so loving and not so kind to the one with whom we share the good news.
At the beginning of his letter to Timothy, Paul mentions his teaching and encouragement to Timothy, and at the later part of the letter Paul addresses the warning. Paul gives warning concerning the society and the church in general at the times they live in and what is about to come in the future.
Let us now turn our Bible to 2 Timothy Chapter 3, verses 1 to 17.
2 Timothy 3:1-17
But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God – 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.
6 They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over weak-willed women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, 7 always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these men oppose the truth – men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. 9 But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone.
10 You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, 11 persecutions, sufferings – what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them.
12 In fact, everyone who wants to live godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it,
15 and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
1. The Last Day
As we read here, verses 1-9, it is a very comprehensive list of spiritual darkness or spiritual disobedience. It shows us how people can be disobedient, and people depart from the truth.
Paul here stated, in the last days, this shows urgency. Here, in the last days, are the days between Jesus’ accession into heaven and His return. That time in between is the last days. Timothy is in the last days; so also we are in the last days.
So here, in this passage, Paul warns Timothy that there will be terrible times, violence, conflict, and hard times. Thus, he wants to tell Timothy that he will need hard work in exercising his ministry because it is difficult in these last days.
Verses 1 to 9, show a list of sins and problems, and this is not surprising to us, why? Because we are also seeing this spirit of disobedience at work in the world today. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, unforgiving and the list goes on. This makes us see also the sins that make Jesus Christ rescued us from.
We are previously the vessel of wrath and have been saved from our sins and this is the time of great rejoicing. Jesus rescued us from the darkness. The sins that are listed in the verses might still tempt and entice us. Hence, we need to be remembered that our own righteousness does not save us but only the work of Christ on the cross. We are not righteous because of our obedience, but we are made righteous because of Jesus’ own obedience. Subsequently, we need to allow Jesus to have His work in us.
Even when we stumble and struggle with such things, always allow God to have His work in us. Paul writes to Timothy and tells him that there will be dark days when the darkness seems to have its champions. That is when people choose to live a life of sin than a life of righteousness. The warning is here so that we will not be defeated and not be discouraged when these days approach. Rather we are taking this time as followers of Christ to shine brighter.
We have an example here, Bible reminds us that sometimes when we have these false teaching being proclaimed, they will come from within the church. There might be people coming and telling us that they are from Jesus Christ but what they teach is not in accordance with his Word. Thus, we need to know God’s Word so we can discern truth and error can know what righteous living is.
In verse 8, Paul gives the example of Jannes and Jambres… Jannes and Jambres although their name was not mentioned in the Old Testament, were likely two Egyptian magicians who opposed Moses in the book of Exodus. The two magicians who had counterfeited Moses’ miracles before Pharoah.
Today, many have taken the baton of Jannes and Jambres, who speaks to men and women and persuade them into a false faith. And to draw them away from the truth. Paul warns us not to be deceived by these people, at the end of verse 5, Paul says, “5 … Have nothing to do with them.”
There will be people who profess to be followers of Christ, but their intention is to lead people away from the cross. How can we differentiate the truth from the error? It is by knowing God in His Word. We need to be prepared.
Last week, I shared that we need devotion, and we need more than devotion. We need an understanding of His Word. It is by knowing God’s Word and by knowing who God is. In the book of James chapter one, it says if we want wisdom, we should ask God, who gives generously. But, here is the problem, we sometimes do not want to be wise, because we know where wisdom will lead us.
We know that wise decisions will lead us to God’s righteous path. And sometimes, we rather would go another way, so that we can enjoy ourselves even knowing it will lead us to the dark side. Wisdom is saying turn around, but we sometimes just don’t want to.
But if we truly are wise, we are told to ask God and to seek God and to know God’s Word. We are told to be wise because Jesus warned us about false teachers in Matthew 24: 23-25,
23 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect – if that were possible. 25 See, I have told you ahead of time.
Paul is warning Timothy about false teachers who is already in the church, but he also warns him about the dark days which will continue to come when people reject Christ. Paul is saying to be prepared, he is saying, this day will come, do not be discouraged but be prepared. While we are still on earth, the world is still in darkness, and we need to learn to be witnesses and live as God’s light in the dark world. We are called to be witnesses of Jesus Christ, to glorify Him and to share hope and salvation with others. We want to communicate the truth that they may one day also receive salvation and be called children of God.
From the first nine verses of 2 Timothy chapter 3 that we read, the list that we are warned what the world will be like, practically we are also warned not to be like this. These are the characteristics that we should not pursue. We should not follow, should not practice. When we read this list of sin and rebellion, we need to recognise that such behaviours and character are not appropriate to the people of God. We need to live to model the Lord who saved us, and who gives us the power to do so by His Spirit.
The world is dark, but our God is good, and God saves people from the darkness. The world is dark, that is why we need a Saviour. In thankfulness, let us make every effort and purpose in our hearts that we shall live in a way that glorifies and honours God. This is why, as Paul continues in verses 10 to 15, he urges us to contrast in our character. We are to be different in the darkness.
2. Contrast in Character
2 Timothy 3:10-15,
10 You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, 11 persecutions, sufferings – what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them.
12 In fact, everyone who wants to live godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it,
15 and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
Paul is saying here that, despite what is happening, in verses 1 to 9, now, we need to be different from them. To contrast in character. Verses 10 to 15 are the qualities that are worthy of imitation. Here tell us how we should be and how we should interact with others. This helps us to relate rightly with God, it also helps us to relate rightly with other people and our surroundings. Paul tells Timothy to watch him, to follow him
1 Corinthians 11:1, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.”
Paul is saying if the world were to be like this, Paul is asking us to contrast in the way we are to live.
They are many characters in the Bible that we know endure the hardest time. However, they are not affected by their circumstances rather they were dependent on God to sustain them. For example, God send Jeremiah to give Judah a last warning about their rebellion, and as the result, he suffered hard times delivering messages for the people to repent. Daniel who existed in the pagan court, went through all sorts of hard times, to the extent of getting himself thrown into a den of hungry lions. Paul tells Timothy, you know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance. Now make this your character. This is not only for Timothy. This is for us too, make these our character as men of God, and women of God.
We need to focus on pleasing God. Even to the extent we suffer hardship for being followers of Christ. Verse 12 and 13 tell us, 12 In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.” Paul is saying to us, to endure hardship. Prepare for battle and expect adversity because we are in a spiritual war. And, we know, in Christ, we are an overcomer. We need to be faithful to Christ even if it is painful.
It is a blessing to be an example, just like Paul was an example to Timothy, and be an example to others. Just like, parents can be a model for what it means to lead a Christian life for their children, and disciple them. This is a privilege. In Care Groups, we can experience and model what it means to follow Christ. We can encourage one another to live a godly life in Christ.
In the marriage vow, we usually heard this saying, “for better and for worse”. This also illustrates our commitment to Christ. We are committed to Him for better and for worse. And it is not for convenience. Paul reminds Timothy here that things will get worst, and situations will get harder because this won’t be just physical hardships and persecutions in verse 13.
Many false teachers will rise up and deceive many.
And then Paul continues in verses 14 and 15,
14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it,
15 and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
We need regularly take the Word of God to make us strong and cause us to grow. Same just as we take supplements, and vitamins regularly it brings nourishment to our physical body. If we want a healthy body, we need to regularly exercise.
Same, understanding the Word of God, we have a lot more to learn. Regular intake of the Word of God brings nourishment to our spiritual life.
William Glasser, an American psychiatrist quoted this,
“We learn…
10% of what we read
20% of what we hear
30% of what we see
50% of what we both hear and see
70% of what is discussed
80% of what we experience personally
95% of what we teach to someone else”
In another word, if we really want to know deeper about God’s Word, find someone to share the Word. It can be part of making disciples. Be it your family members, or your friends, we can communicate what we have heard and help to share with them. We need God’s Word to transform us and live as the light in this world. If this world is getting darker, let us shine brighter and live out the Words that Jesus
said that we may let our light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify our Father in heaven, as in Matthew 5:16. Just like when we are in a dark room, just like in a cave, so dark, when we light up a little match, it brightens the room.
3. The Word of God
In verses 16 and 17,
16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Here, affirm that the Word of God is God-breathed. All Scripture is given by the inspiration of God. God spoke this Word through human authors. He uses the writer, uses the writer’s personality and language, and their background to perfectly communicate the truth about God.
Through the Holy Spirit, God revealed his person and plan for His people. God can use man in their incompleteness and still be able to bring about His perfect work. His revelation is perfect, it is inerrant. This means without error from the original text. Bible is true. That is why we can trust.
Bible is inspired by God. Thus, Bible is totally reliable. We need to trust the Bible. Is God’s Word. All Scripture is God-breathed.
Bible is not only God’s Word but is useful for teaching, there is truth for understanding. It communicates what truth is and gives us a correct understanding of our relationship with God, our purpose in Him, and how can we be right with Him. In addition, it is also for the understanding of how we should behave, how we carry ourselves out, our character, our behaviour, our attitude, and our conduct. The Bible shows us how we need to walk in the Lord.
Bible will also show us if we are out of the path. The Bible is useful for rebuking. It shows us our mistakes. Jesus speaks to the church in Revelation 3:19, he says, “19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent.” For example, David was confronted by the prophet Nathan. Also, Saul later became Paul, how Jesus confronted him on the Damascus Road.
The Bible also for correction. It not only shows us how we are on the wrong path, but it also shows us how to get back on the right path. It corrects our path. God in His mercy sent Jesus to allow, to make atonement, to have reconciliation that can now be united with God. Now, as believers, we can correct our actions and start living with Him. It shows us the right way to live. He restores us. There is reconciliation.
To get back on the right path, the path of righteousness. Bible is also for training in righteousness. The goal of the scripture is to bring us back in the right walking in the Lord. We are to get back into correct practice and correct understanding of the Lord. Bible is also an instruction to us as to how to stay on the right path. God’s Word does more than give us understanding, it illuminates us renews our minds, sustains us and God gives us his guidance for living and direction for life.
We need to continue taking in the Word of God the way we take in nourishment which will give us that renewal of the mind. We need the constant nourishing of God’s Word for the renewal of the mind.
And verse 17 says, “17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
So that we are equipped for every work. So that we may be useful for service. So, we can be living witnesses for Christ. We are to practice the things we have learned by reading and understanding the Word of God. We are not only to be the hearers of God’s Word but also to be doers of His Word. God reveals himself to us in His Word. We can grow in God’s Word, let us use them.
We have the opportunity to read God’s Word, and lets us continue reading His Word.
Jesus says in Luke 6:49, “But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation.”
James 1:22 encourages us to, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”
Let us be excited about the Bible so that we realize that it is God’s Word to us. It is God’s Word for us. It is God’s Word of love and words of instruction, words of knowledge and words of life. We need to read the Word of God. If we don’t, we will be like we received a gift, wrap nicely, but we didn’t open it and see what the gift inside the box that was given to us.
Let us take time to read the Bible and to know Him deeper and deeper each day. What God say matters, and what He says impact us. Last week I know that we need devotion, but we need more than devotion. We need understanding. There is a necessity in understanding the Word of God. Jesus is the model of intimacy.
Today, here Paul is telling us in 2 Timothy chapter 3, that we are living in the last days. And this reveals his sense of urgency.
2 Timothy chapter 3 verses 1 to 9, we are informed that they will be terrible times, people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, unholy, ungrateful, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control and the list goes on.
However, in 2 Timothy chapter 3 verses 10 to 15, Paul tells us to follow him as he follows Christ. He says don’t give up.
He encourages us to live as we know we should, and we are to please God.
To hold on to the basic teachings about Jesus, God’s Word is the greatest truth that builds up our lives. With this, we need to be rooted in God’s Word. Finding purpose through the Word of God.
The Bible is God-breathed, it is God’s Word of love and words of instruction to us. God want to show us what is true and equip us. May we be able to know who God is and His purpose for us.
Bible is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.
Thus, may we constantly read the Word of God, and not only be hearers but also doers of his work.
Amen.
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