 READ 2 TIMOTHY 2
Illustration: Strong men don’t run away — Liam Neeson Taken meme: “He trained Batman, Obi-Wan, and Darth Vader; He is Zeus and Aslan … Why would you kidnap his daughter?” It’s inconceivable to think of him running away! In a passage that begins with a call to “be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus” (2:1), it seems almost contradictory for Paul to also exhort his son-in-the-faith to “flee” (2:22). Instead, we are reminded from Paul’s counsel here that the strongest of spiritual men and women display their greatest strength when they acknowledge the power of sin, the weakness of their flesh, and the wisdom of God’s command to flee! Indeed, a sign that they are “strong in grace” is that they “flee from sin.” Those who would be “strong in grace” understand that God’s grace in no way excuses them from dealing with sin themselves. They know that if they are not careful, they might become dirty and dishonorable, unfit for the “use” of the Master. Notice that this is what Paul teaches in the two verses before our text, in verses 20-21 (READ). See, God wants to “use” you for the “good work” (v. 21) of bringing His “opponents” to “repentance” and “the knowledge of the truth” (vv. 24-26). But to be this kind of “servant of the Lord” (v. 24), you must not “entangle” yourself with sin (like a soldier, v. 4); instead, you must “compete according to the rules” of God’s Word (like an athlete, v. 5) and “work hard” to enjoy this fruit (like a farmer, v. 6). Indeed, you must “cleanse yourself from what is dishonorable, and you will be an honorable and set apart vessel that the Lord can use (“useful”) whenever He needs to (“ready”).” So, God wants to use you … Are you usable? Are you clean and honorable? Are you “strong in grace” by dealing with sin. Honorable and usable vessels deal with sin in their lives, by God’s grace, through three activities: I MUST FLEE SOME THINGS — "FLEE YOUTHFUL PASSIONS" “Flee” – to seek safety by flight; a purposeful, forgetting-all-else, “get me out of here” mentality
“Lusts” – strong desires, particularly for that which is presently forbidden “Youthful” – those things peculiar to the age of youth — Question: What might these be (cf. 2:23, 2:24, 3:1-7)? Application: I must understand the nature of youthful lust, that it is an enemy to be feared, not a stranger to be flirted with. I must especially be aware of this in my youth. Having understood its nature, I must then “run scared” until that time when the Lord gives legitimate, sanctified fulfillment to those lusts. I MUST PURSUE SOME THINGS — "PURSUE RIGHTEOUSNESS, FAITH, LOVE, AND PEACE" “Pursue” – to press hard after something; to seek after eagerly; to earnestly endeavor to acquire
“Righteousness” – that which is straight, right, conforming to the character (i.e., the will and Word) of God; esp. obedience to vv. 23-24 “Faith” – consistency, perseverance, and trueness that comes from believing in and conscientiously living in light of the revelation of God’s Word; faith in this passage would be the catalyst of v. 26 “Love” – self-sacrificial, volitional love that acts in the best interest on the object loved, without regard to personal cost; overcomes feeling and is consistent with righteousness and faith; love in this passage would be demonstrated by v. 25 “Peace” – harmony between individuals; peace in this passage would be to live v. 24 Application: Rather than focusing on what is being denied to me (i.e., youthful lusts), I should focus on what has been graciously granted to me (i.e., righteousness, faith, love, and peace). I should seek to cultivate these characteristics in my own life. In a sense, all four of these characteristics are the opposite of a “youthful lust.”
I MUST PRAY FOR HELP — "WITH THOSE WHO CALL ON THE LORD FROM A PURE HEART" “Call” – to invoke for aid; this suggests a true humility and a continuous, active dependence upon a greater power; cf. Hebrews 2:18; 4:15-16 “Lord” – the Master, who according to verse 21 is even our “Despot,” and we are his “slaves” “Pure” – clean, undefiled, free from mixture with anything that soils or corrupts; blameless, innocent: this is, then, a humble and non-idolatrous attitude “Heart” – denotes more than an external appropriateness; focuses on one’s inner man (i.e., who He is before God) Application: According to 2:1, there is “grace in Christ Jesus.” But, since God only “gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6-10) I must humble myself and realize my own inability to consistently and righteously flee and pursue. One manifestation of humility is an earnest, consistent prayer life. God’s aid must be solicited, and often! However, I must realize that God will not give grace to those who hypocritically refuse to use it. My heart must be in keeping with my prayer. If I ask God to give me His grace to aid me in my fleeing and pursuing, I must do so with confession and commitment, so as to receive that grace. My heart must be clean before God, and a pure heart is attained by fleeing and pursuing. And so, we have a three-fold chain that will not be broken. All three activities must be engaged in habitually. Notice also that there is a mutual, corporate, partnering, accountability component to this activity of sanctifying prayer — I should pray “along with those” who call on the Lord with a pure heart! Truly, then, let us therefore “be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus” by fleeing, pursuing, and praying. Then, we will be set apart, honorable, useful, and ready for the Master’s service! A unique look at discipleship from an interesting passage! Learn from God how to disciple and learn from Cain how not to respond to His discipleship. by Ryon Reasen 
 Last night in Midweek Connection, we continued our "Back to the Basics" series by considering the topic of mission. After working through the topic inductively, we concluded quite simply that the mission of Jesus' followers is, in a word, disciple-making/discipleship (Matthew 28:19-20). We fleshed that out by discovering how discipleship happens: we (1) magnify God’s glory (2) by bringing His salvation to bear upon peoples’ lives (3) so that they do the same. We didn't have time to work through some concerns (and responses) that might be raised against this understanding of our mission, so they have been pasted below for your consideration. CONCERN/RESPONSE #1 Concern: “We live in a fast-paced American society compared to the early church; our lives are so much busier! That mission sounds like it takes some effort!” Response: Yes, it will! But, Hebrews 3-4 reminds the believer that God has promised him rest. But it is not now! Jesus’ expressed His mentality this way, “[Work…for] the night cometh, when no man can work” (John 9:4). Therefore, He considers His people to be “fellow-workers” in 1 Corinthians 3:9, laboring with Him in God’s harvest and building project –God expects us to work for and with Him. The New Testament was not secret about this, and it therefore regularly uses terms like “toil,” “labor,” “struggle,” and “strive.” Paul’s mindset with regards to his mission was, “I will very gladly spend and be spent for you” (2 Corinthians 12:15). "Rest is promised, but it is not now." CONCERN/RESPONSE #2 Concern: “I’m afraid that I might get burned and/or burned out if I get involved in people’s lives like that.” Response: Paul was one who knew extreme labor for the church – his list of burdens in 2 Corinthians 6:4-5; 11:23-33 is exhausting (“in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings”). Nonetheless, he would affirm, “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed…So then death worketh in us, but life in you…all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God. For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” (2 Corinthians 4:8-17). When the mission of God is undertaken in the might of God, we will experience the mercy of God – “the joy of the Lord is our strength” (Nehemiah 8:10). CONCERN/RESPONSE #3 Concern: “This mission commands more than just Sunday and Wednesday. Really?” Response: The “daily” language was started by Jesus in Luke 9:23, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” The author of Hebrews encouraged the believers to “exhort one another daily…lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin” (3:13). We need daily discipleship, fellowship, edification, etc. so that we are not hardened and deceived in regards to our mission (cf. Hebrews 10:24-25). This was modeled by the early church in Acts 2, and it was followed by the Lord adding to their number “daily” (2:47; 16:5)! CONCERN/RESPONSE #4 Concern: “You just sound young and idealistic. Perhaps you should wait until you experience real life.” Response: That concern is certainly valid, which is why Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 7 that he wished all people might be like himself – free from the responsibilities of spouse and children so that God might be more undistractedly served. Some responsibilities in life do indeed diminish the amount of effort/time that we can put into this mission, but those responsibilities do not negate the mission or our need to engage in it. From Scripture itself, we could indeed preach two different very messages on the topic of singleness: (1) Why you should stay single and follow Jesus — enjoy less distractions to minister the gospel (1 Corinthians 7 and Matthew 10); (2) Why you should get married and follow Jesus — enjoy a gospel partnership and a gospel-picture (Ephesians 5). Whether single or married, our mission remains the same, and there are many ways in which the young adults singles are better equipped by their situation in life to do that. I believe that God’s mission can still turn a city upside-down and light a world on fire, but it won’t unless it’s engaged in with the same commitment and unanimity displayed by the early church. Friends, this is your life!
Brothers and sisters, we must recognize that we are “slaves” of Jesus Christ.
Their lives were not their own—Christ was their life, so people were their focus. And, what an impact they made! My, how far we have come from that comprehensive and compelling awareness in our comfortable, convenience, complacent, calloused, formal, programatic, American Christianity. Friend, your Master has purchased you and calls you to represent Him. He lived in a fishbowl, immersed in real, raw people-ministry (and He loved that!)—the Lord of Glory, known as the Friend of Sinners, eating with them, sharing life with them, touching them, pressing truth into them. Christian, we have a mission—to magnify God’s glory by bringing His salvation to bear upon peoples’ lives. Let’s get active in that mission of discipleship and may it drive us individually and corporately every day of our lives. |
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