Teach the Truth

Well, good evening again. If you've got a Bible near you, if you could turn to 2 Timothy

2 Timothy 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2, we'll be looking at the passage that we read together earlier from verse 14

onwards. I must start tonight with a confession. When the first version of the preaching rota

was issued, the passage I was assigned was from the middle of 1 Peter. And to be honest,

it looked quite interesting. I had some issues there that would be, I guess, quite fun to

grapple with, to try and work out how they applied to us today. And then the preaching

plan was changed. And I was given this passage. And I must admit, my initial reaction was not

excitement. Because you see, obviously, we know that all Scripture is God-breathed, useful

for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness. But what really is the relevance

of a passage about teaching the words correctly and avoiding false teaching in a good evangelical

church like this, where the Bible is faithfully preached week in, week out. However, news I

received a couple of weeks ago came as a real shock and convinced me of the real and present

danger we live in. And of the vital importance and urgency of this teaching. You see, I received

news of a friend. A friend I've known as a Christian for well over 10 years. A friend who knew his Bible

inside out. Who devoured online sermons. Who was that person that always, when you went out for a meal,

prayed embarrassingly long and loud prayers. And this friend had renounced his faith.

For reasons I've still to properly understand, he's decided that what was once so important to him,

he now wants nothing to do with. And as I thought about it longer, I thought of others.

For others, people I've known, some who sat in the seats here, who at one point seemed to be living

for Christ, and are now far away. For some, they've been unwilling to accept things that the Bible teaches.

For others, they've been unable to reconcile the lifestyle they want with walking with Christ.

But for whatever reason, they have gone.

And as I thought about it even more, I realized I could even think of a couple of teachers that some of us

watched on video in this very room.

One whose questioning of everything has led him to a place so far from the center of the gospel.

So far that it can't really be recognized as the gospel at all.

And another who, while still probably orthodox in his beliefs,

his personal failings have brought the church he founded collapsing in a heap around him.

And so all this goes to show that there's absolutely no room for complacency.

There's no room for us to think that we here at Brunsfield Evangelical Church are somehow immune.

Or that any of the teachers we respect and learn from, whether in books, whether online,

or whether on this very platform here, are incapable of falling.

Several times recently I've heard references to one particular scene at the Last Supper.

When Jesus has just revealed to his disciples that one of them will betray him.

And each of them, one after the other, says,

Is it I, Lord?

Each of them recognizes that somehow inside them there is that weakness,

that doubt, that rebellious nature,

that means that it isn't inconceivable that it could be them.

But there's another scene that comes to mind.

Jesus has been teaching his disciples,

and they've been finding the teaching hard.

And many of them have been turning away.

And Jesus says to them,

You do not want to leave too, do you?

And Simon Peter answered him,

Lord, to whom shall we go?

You have the words of eternal life.

We have come to believe and to know

that you are the Holy One of God.

So hopefully, as we dig into this passage,

that serves as a bit of an explanation

as to why I believe this short passage

in a letter written to Timothy all those years ago

is vital and urgent to us today.

Because you see, in verse 14,

we read that Paul exhorts Timothy

to keep reminding God's people of these things.

They don't need to hear anything new.

Nothing novel, nothing radical.

They know this already.

They've heard it from Paul,

from Timothy, many times.

But like us,

they forget.

They're drawn away so easily.

And there are all sorts of other messages

clamoring for their attention.

Some that would claim to be more exciting,

more attractive,

or maybe just easier to follow.

And so they need reminded.

They need reminded again.

And again.

Because Timothy may receive discouragement.

There may be reasons

that he would want to stop.

People might be looking down on him

for preaching that same old gospel

that Paul preached all those years ago.

He's not moving with the times.

He's not preaching the new, trendy message.

Or maybe he might just think,

he's already said it enough times.

He just wants a break.

But Paul tells him to keep on.

To tell them again.

And so,

what are these things that it's so important

that Paul reminds them of?

It's unclear whether he's just referring back

to the couple of verses before,

or everything that's gone before.

But I don't think it really matters.

Either way,

we see it comes down to one thing.

The gospel.

In verse 8,

he has told Timothy

to remember Jesus Christ,

raised from the dead,

descended from David.

This is my gospel

for which I am suffering.

In verse 10,

he writes of the salvation

that is in Christ Jesus

with eternal glory.

Back in chapter 1,

verses 9 and 10,

he's written,

He has saved us

and called us to a holy life.

Not because of anything we have done,

but because of his own purpose and grace.

This grace was given us

in Christ Jesus

before the beginning of time.

But it has now been revealed

through the appearing of our Savior,

Christ Jesus,

who has destroyed death

and has brought life

and immortality to light

through the gospel.

And you see here

that Paul,

every time he speaks of it,

emphasizes a different part.

If we look through all his writings,

we get all different angles on it.

He talks of the unmerited grace.

He talks of the power of the resurrection.

The fulfilled prophecies.

The future glory.

The call to holy living.

He tells Timothy

to remind them

of these things.

To remind the Ephesians

of the glory

of the gospel.

That whatever way you look at it,

whatever side you take it from,

is better than anything

that these false teachers could offer.

And that it's something

that's worth living for.

Something worth suffering for.

Even something worth dying for.

But along with the glory

of the gospel,

he also reminds Timothy

of the exclusivity of the gospel.

In verse 12,

he said,

if we disown him,

he will disown us.

The gospel he is proclaiming

has glorious promises.

But it's a gospel

that can be accepted

or rejected.

It's a gospel

that is a universal offer.

But it's not

a gospel

of universal salvation.

And so you see,

it's not just of academic interest

whether the Ephesians

accept the teachings of Timothy

or the teachings

of these other teachers.

As we're going to see repeatedly

through this passage,

the truth matters.

And you see,

while this was written

to Timothy

all those years ago

in a specific circumstance,

I don't think this call

is relevant only to him.

In fact,

I don't think this call

is even just relevant

to church leaders,

teachers,

evangelists,

other professional Christians.

Instead,

this is a task

for all of us.

A few months ago

in Hebrews 3,

we were reminded

to encourage

one another

daily

so that none of you

may be hardened

by sin's deceitfulness.

All of us

need to be reminded

constantly

of the gospel.

In particular,

when our brothers

and sisters

are struggling,

when they come to us

for advice,

for counsel,

for encouragement,

do we just

give them

the best advice

we can think of?

The things that we have

learnt from our own experience,

the things that

we can somehow

work out,

yeah,

that should probably work.

Or are we reminding them

again

of the gospel?

Are we reminding them

of their status in Christ

when they doubt it?

Are we reminding them

of the great price

that has been paid

for them?

Both the wonderful

reassurance of that,

but also the challenge

that they have been bought.

They are not their own.

Are we reminding them

of the work

that is being done

in them

and through them?

Are we reminding them

of the hope

that's reserved for them?

Are we reminding them

of the Father

whose eye is on the sparrow,

the Father who cares

about their particular

circumstance

far more than they ever could,

but cares infinitely more

about their eternal glory?

One of the old hymns

has the following lines.

Tell me the story often,

for I forget so soon.

The early dew of morning

has passed away at noon.

Tell me the story always,

if you would really be

in any time of trouble

a comforter to me.

Tell me the same old story

when you have caused to fear

that this world's empty glory

is costing me too dear.

Tell me the old, old story

of Jesus and his love.

And so following this call

to remind him of the gospel,

in verse 15,

we see that Timothy is told,

do your best

to present yourself to God

as one approved.

A worker

who does not need

to be ashamed

and who correctly

handles the word of truth.

Must admit,

that's a quite challenging passage

to be the one handling.

But,

in the context

of false teachers,

of people looking for other,

more palatable teaching,

Paul wants Timothy

to remember

whose approval

actually matters.

It doesn't matter

whether people

approve of his teaching.

It doesn't matter

if they look down on him,

ridicule him.

It doesn't even matter

if the church

is preaching

and empties

as they all go

to the one down the road

where someone else

is preaching

something that they prefer

to hear.

What matters

is that he can stand

unashamed

before God

because he

is doing his best

to handle

the word

correctly.

Seems there's

numerous ways

of translating

these words.

correctly handles,

rightly divides,

cutting in a straight line,

preaching straightforwardly,

and numerous

attempts to explain

what the metaphor

is about.

But basically,

it seems to just be

about treating

the Bible

honestly

and accurately.

About reading

what it says,

not what you want

it to say.

about seeking

to understand

what it means,

not what you want

it to mean.

And of trying

to apply it

as it shapes

your world view,

your thoughts,

your words,

your actions.

But I'm not

naive.

I know

this is often

much easier

said than done.

many times

we'll struggle

to understand

what the text

means.

Other times

we'll struggle

to understand

how we can

apply it

today

in our

21st century

world.

And often

we'll struggle

with putting

that call

into action.

And there may

be a lot

of background

reading,

a lot of

other things

that we need

to look into

to understand

the context

in which

it's written.

Things that

we need

to understand

to be able

to get

what the

author is

on about.

And even

then,

often two

Christians

faithfully

and prayerfully

seeking

to understand

the Bible

make it

come up

with two

different

interpretations

of the same

passage.

and that's

to be

expected.

We're

weak.

We're

limited.

We're

fallen,

although

being

redeemed.

But are

we,

like Timothy,

doing our

best to

correctly

handle the

word?

Or are we

slapdash at

best?

Or are we

even looking

to handle

scripture in a

way so that it

backs up our

ideas, our

preconceptions,

our views?

As Shakespeare

would remind us

in The Merchant

of Venice,

the devil

can cite

scripture for

his own

purpose.

And once

again,

this is not

just to

Timothy.

This is not

even just to

teachers.

This is

relevant for

us all.

We should

all be

handling the

word.

And we

should all

be seeking

to handle

it well.

So how

are we

handling it

in our

private study,

in our

devotions,

in our

conversations

with friends,

in our

small groups,

as we

teach our

children,

in whatever

context that

we're handling

it?

Are we

seriously

trying to

handle it

properly?

Because you

see,

we've got

these positive

encouragements

that Paul

gives

Timothy,

but he

sets them

off against

warnings,

against

things that

are to be

avoided.

In verse

14,

Timothy

was told,

warn them

before God

against

quarreling

about words.

It seems

what he's

warning them

about is

the exact

opposite of

correctly

handling the

word of

truth.

they're

focusing on

the words.

They're

trying to

find hidden

meanings,

trying to

work out

a different

way of

interpreting

the text,

ultimately

trying to

avoid the

truth that

is staring

them in

the face

if they

were willing

to actually

read it.

If we

remember back

to the

Garden of

Eden,

the serpent

said to

Eve,

did God

really

say?

It seems

that this

is exactly

what's

going on

here.

And then

in verse

16,

he's told

to avoid

godless

chatter,

another

phrase that

gets translated

a huge

number of

different ways.

But what

does it

mean?

Godless

chatter?

Does that

mean ideally

discussing the

weather or

other trivial

things?

gossiping and

other things

like that?

The first

at times

may be a

distraction.

The second

is condemned

outright

elsewhere.

But in the

context, I

don't think

that's what

he's talking

about.

At the

end of

the first

letter to

Timothy, he

uses the

exact same

words.

But he

continues the

sentence to

elaborate a

bit.

He talks

about

godless

chatter, the

opposing ideas

of what is

falsely

called

knowledge.

It seems

that what

he's talking

about is

instead the

sort of

talk or

debate that

claims to

be profound,

that claims to

be intelligent,

important,

to teach us

something new.

But ultimately

it's speculation

at best and

deception at

worst.

But when we

read warnings

like this,

some Christians

would take

this as a

reason to

avoid all

theological

discussions.

In fact, the

whole concept of

theology at all,

they would say,

well, actually,

no, no,

that's arguing

about words,

we shouldn't be

doing that.

And I don't

think that at

all is what

Paul intends

us to

understand.

Because you

see, we

repeatedly,

through Acts,

we read that

Paul was

very well

educated,

both in the

scriptures and

in the writings

and philosophy

of the culture

around him.

He was more

than willing to

debate with

the Jews,

with the

Greeks,

even with

other apostles

when necessary.

And so,

I don't think

Paul is

saying that

all debate,

discussion,

argument of

any sort

is wrong.

While some

things that

go on under

the name of

theology are

dubious,

dangerous,

and exactly

what Paul is

condemning here,

I think it's

important that

we recognize

there are

different sort

of arguments.

Some are

necessary and

good.

Some are

to be

condemned.

Then there

are some

that are to

be handled

with caution.

The first

sort is what

Anselm called

faith-seeking

understanding.

this is when

we're honestly

trying to

understand in

order that we

can follow,

worship,

and obey

better.

This is the

questioning of

Mary,

who in her

acceptance of

the role given

to her,

asks,

how will

this be?

Or of the

Bereans,

who examined

the scriptures

daily to see

if what Paul

said was

true?

Or this is

the council

at Jerusalem

trying to

work out

how to

handle this

new Gentile

church?

Or Paul

reasoning daily

in the

lecture hall

of Tyrannus?

This is

exactly the

sort of

discussion,

even at

times argument,

that we

should be

engaging in.

as we

seek to

understand,

as we

seek to

encourage one

another to

understand,

to grow in

truth,

and to

correct error.

And then

there's the

second sort,

the sort

that probably

I would find

the easiest

to get

involved in.

This is

the sort

that is

intellectually

enjoyable,

but

potentially

distracting.

It's the

sort that

involves

playing about

with ideas

just for

the sheer

pleasure of

doing so.

Sometimes

it will

provide

understanding.

Other

times,

I would

suggest

it's a

perfectly

acceptable

form of

leisure,

of celebrating

the

intellect

God has

given us.

In another

context,

running a

race is

essentially

pointless,

achieves no

purpose.

And yet

Eric Liddell

could say,

God made

me fast,

and when

I run,

I feel

his pleasure.

And so

sometimes

just using

the gifts

God has

given us

for

enjoyment

are actually

a form of

worship.

But,

but there

is danger

in it.

Firstly,

it can serve

as a

substitute.

and a

distraction

from real

truth-seeking.

It can

also result

in flippantly

questioning

the core

of our

faith,

which to

question

in the

right context,

trying to

seek understanding

is good,

but to

question

as a

leisure

activity,

less so.

and

particularly

caution

must be

taken

if there

are

others

listening

in.

What to

us

might

be

a

discussion

that we

know

exactly

what we're

doing,

to someone

else,

particularly

just hearing

a bit

of it,

might be

led down

a completely

wrong path.

truth.

And so

there I would

say we

should have

caution.

But then

there's the

sort that

Paul is

talking about

here.

This is the

sort of

argument that

is not

seeking truth

at all.

This is the

sort of

argument that

seeks to

twist the

truth,

the sort

of argument

that tries

to avoid

it,

tries to

turn it

into

something

completely

different.

And it's

clearly

something that

Paul takes

very seriously.

In verse

14,

he's said

to warn

them before

God.

This is the

same strong

words that

he's going to

use to

Timothy in

chapter 4.

This is a

solemn charge

to them.

This is not

just a

maybe encourage

them slightly.

So if it's

this important,

why?

Why does

it matter?

I think

Paul gives

three reasons

although they're

essentially all

one.

In verse

14,

we read,

it only ruins

those who

listen.

And in

verse 16,

those who

indulge in

it will

become more

and more

ungodly.

And in

verse 18,

they destroy

the faith

of some.

What Paul

is saying

loud and

clear here

is that

the truth

matters.

It's not

a matter

of mere

interest

whether you

believe the

teachings of

Jesus Christ

or Joseph

Smith.

What is at

stake here

is salvation,

the eternal

destinies of

those who are

deceived by

false teaching?

If we were

to teach

that all

ways lead

to God,

that the

gospel doesn't

involve a

call to

repentance,

to a changed

life,

that there

is no

future

punishment,

that God

wants us

all to be

healthy and

rich,

if we

were to

teach such

things and

many others

instead of

holding out

the truth

of the

gospel,

truth that

warns of

that coming

judgment,

but truth

that also

offers full

and free

salvation,

we're giving

false hope.

We're causing

those who

know the

truth to

doubt.

And so

this is

really vitally

important.

Paul gives

us a bit

of a case

study here

in verses

17 and

18.

He writes

here of

two teachers,

Hymenaeus

and Philetus.

Hymenaeus,

he mentioned

back in his

first letter

to Timothy,

at that time

as a

blasphemer

who had

shipwrecked

his faith,

and he's

still there.

He's still

doing the

same thing.

And what

they are

teaching here

is that

the resurrection

has already

taken place.

It would

be obvious

to all of

them there

that this

is not

true in

a literal

sense,

because

Stephen

and other

martyrs are

not coming

to preach

to them.

And

they are

clearly still

living

in ordinary

fallen bodies,

in an

ordinary

fallen world,

with all

the evil,

sin,

pain,

and suffering

around them.

And so

when they're

teaching that

the resurrection

has already

happened,

they're actually

saying that the

resurrection is

no resurrection

at all.

They're saying,

well,

it doesn't

really mean

that.

it's just

a metaphor,

a metaphor

for some

spiritual

mystery.

But then

there's no

future hope.

As Paul

said to the

Corinthians,

if there is

no resurrection,

then,

what does he

say again?

Sorry?

Our hope is in vain.

Exactly.

Our hope is in vain.

So,

if the

resurrection

has happened,

well,

it's not a

resurrection.

But also,

they're continuing

the lie

that the

physical world,

the physical

body,

didn't matter.

And by doing

that,

they're essentially

saying,

what we do

with our bodies

doesn't matter.

That there's

no need

for change,

for repentance,

for sanctification,

because,

well,

this body,

we can forget

about it.

And so,

essentially,

they were teaching

the lie

that our world

would teach us

today.

That what we

believe is a

purely personal,

internal matter.

It should have

no impact

on how we

act,

and it has

absolutely no

relevance to

do with the

realities of

life and death.

And so,

it's easy

to see

how such

teaching

could have

devastating

impact

on the

faith of

those who

heard them.

Especially

if they had

not been

grounded

in sound

teaching,

if they were

not being

repeatedly

reminded

of the

truth of

the gospel,

if they

did not

have that

foundation

to realize

that this

could not

be true.

And I'm

aware of

the danger

in some of

the things

I've been

saying.

I've talked

of those

who have

walked away

from their

faith.

Paul has

talked of

those who

hear false

teachings been

ruined and

their faith

destroyed.

and I've

talked of

the necessity

to constantly

remind one

another of

the gospel

that we

too will

not fall.

But this

passage finishes

with a verse

that at once

gives us

reassurance

and challenge.

In verse

19,

God's

solid

foundation

stands

firm.

however

dangerous

these false

teachers

might be.

The gospel

still stands

and God

is still

building

his church

long after

we can

remember

what those

false

teachers

were teaching

about.

And then

it goes

on to

say,

the Lord

knows

those who

are his.

as Jesus

said,

recorded in

John's

gospel,

I know

them and

they follow

me.

I give

them eternal

life and

they shall

never perish.

No one

shall snatch

them out

of my hand.

So if we

are his,

then our

salvation

is secure.

That

can never

be taken

away from

us.

which

leaves the

question

of those

who have

turned away

from their

faith.

To a

certain

extent,

we are

not

qualified

to

understand.

However,

there are

two options.

One,

they were

never saved

in the

first place.

They only

were putting

on an

outward

display,

an outward

display that

may have

deceived

even

themselves.

Or,

they are

truly and

permanently

saved and

have temporarily

turned away

to be brought

back again.

To a certain

extent,

as far as

we are

concerned,

it makes

little

difference.

Either way,

they need to

hear once

again the

gospel that

they have

rejected.

Either to

bring them

to salvation

or to

bring them

back to

a fruitful

Christian

life.

Because,

along with

this

reassurance,

there is a

challenge.

Everyone

who confesses

the name of

the Lord

must turn

away from

wickedness.

truth on

its own

is not

enough.

It's not

an option,

in fact.

Truth

demands a

response.

And that

response must

result in

transformation.

salvation.

And so that

gets us to

the end of

this passage

here.

But what

can sometimes

be frustrating

as we read

these letters

in the New

Testament,

is we're

getting one

bit of a

conversation.

We don't

quite know

what happened

before,

can make

some guesses

on some

other things,

and we don't

really know

what happened

afterwards.

how they

were received.

Did this

have the

desired effect?

In this

case,

actually,

we do

know.

Because

probably around

about 15

years later

or so,

John is

in exile

on Patmos.

And he

receives there

a vision

of the

risen Christ

who gives

him messages

for several

of the

churches.

churches.

The first

of these

is to

this church,

the church

in Ephesus.

And we

read,

these are

the words

of him

who holds

the seven

stars in

his right

hand and

walks among

the seven

golden lampstands.

I know

your deeds,

your hard

work,

and your

perseverance.

I know

that you

cannot tolerate

wicked people

and that

you have

tested those

who claim

to be

apostles but

are not

and have

found them

false.

You have

persevered

and have

endured

hardships

for my

name and

have not

grown weary.

And so,

it seems

the warnings

had effect.

The false

teachers that

Paul had

warned the

elders about

way back

at Miletus,

that he'd

written to

Timothy about

in his first

letter,

and that

Timothy was

still

struggling

with when

he writes

his second

letter.

It seems

that they've

been dealt

with.

They have

recognized the

false teachers

and they've

rejected them

and their

teaching.

So,

everything's

good?

Everything's

sorted?

Not quite.

Because,

you see,

the message

continues.

yet,

I hold

this against

you.

You have

forsaken

the love

you had

at first.

Consider

how far

you have

fallen.

Repent

and do

the things

you did

at first.

If you do

not repent,

I will come

to you

and remove

your lampstand

from its

place.

And so,

what's

presented

here

is possibly

a fate

worse

than

heresy.

What they

have here

is an

orthodoxy

that is

dead.

They've

rejected

the false

teachers.

They've

got their

theology

right.

They're

teaching

the right

things.

They've

ticked all

the boxes

but they've

forgotten

why it

matters.

they've

worked so

hard

fighting

for the

truth,

opposing

those who

would teach

lies,

but they've

forgotten

who it

is truth

about.

And so,

I would

repeat again,

truth

matters.

It really

does matter.

It's a

matter of

more than

life and

death.

But truth

only matters

if we're

seeking to

learn it,

explore,

it,

understand it,

teach it,

correct error

and train

others because

of our

love for

Christ.

If we do

it for any

other reason,

then quite

frankly,

we're wasting

our time.

Knowing the

truth inside

out will

not help

us stand

secure.

Sorry.

Will not

enable us to

stand secure.

It will help.

truth matters.

But what

matters far

more is

that we

love the

one that

the gospel

is all

about.

God

is all

about it.

And if

we're to

continue

loving him,

we need to

keep reminding

each other

of the

truth about

him so

that we can

love him,

so that we

can tell

each other

about him,

so that we

can love

him.

And it

feeds back

and forwards.

So once

again,

tell me the

old,

old story

of Jesus

and his

love.

Amen.