Thankful

2020 has remind us that this world is in need of repair. 

 While God will one day wrap up human history and create a new heaven and new earth, the unfolding of human history has always been and will continue to be pretty grim.  Politics is ugly. Destructive viruses are terrible. The last two hurricanes that hit Honduras were just devastating. Wildfires in California were horrible. Persecution of Christians increased around the world by about 6% in 2020. We don’t make the list, of course, but these are our brothers and sisters. Even just in conversations with people, 2020 seems to have been the perfect storm to bring all kinds of stuff to the surface that was often ugly and messy.  

Paul once wrote to the persecuted church in Thessalonica: “Whatever happens, give thanks, because it is God’s will in Christ Jesus that you do this." (I Thessalonians 5:18)  I don't particularly like that verse. It's hard. The “whatever happens” part of that verse means, literally, “in every condition, or in every matter,” give thanks.  It's worth noting that Paul does not say, “Feel happy.” He says to give thanks because it is God’s will.

When we talk about thanksgiving, or giving thanks, we are not just talking about an emotion or feeling (though it can be that). I wonder if more often than not thanksgiving is a decision, a perspective, a commitment to finding God in our story, a search for God in every memory.

A very short poem caught my eye a while ago.  After his barn burned down, Japanese poet Masahide wrote, "My barn having burned to the ground, I can now see the moon." That's brilliant. I’ve read other similar perspectives that also go along with Paul's:

“I thank Thee first because I was never robbed before; second, because although they took my purse they did not take my life; third, although they took my all, it was not much; and fourth, because it was I who was robbed and not I who robbed.” - Matthew Henry, on the night he was robbed.  

“Oh, what a happy soul am I although I cannot see, I am resolved that in this world contented I shall be. How many blessings I enjoy that other people don't. To weep and sigh, because I'm blind? I cannot and I won't.” - blind hymn writer Fanny Crosby

 I want to take Paul seriously. I want to look back over my life and find God in all my memories, good or bad; to find Him in the story of my life, to revisit the places where some kind of barn burned down. I wanted to know if, after the smoke cleared, the moon (or perhaps the Son) would bring even a little light to that dark corner of the world. I just want to be a tougher kind of thankful this year, a thankful that is determined to find God at work in the chapters of my life that I don't want to re-read.  He's there; I just have to find Him.

________________________________________________________

•       I’m thankful that when a rabid rat chased me across my yard and tried to crawl up my pant leg when I was five years old, my dog killed it. 

•       I’m thankful that when that dog got rabies, my dad put her down, because not every child has a dad who is there to protect them.

•       I’m thankful that when we moved to Oregon when I was eight, I had at least one good friend who stayed close beside me when many of my peers were mean.

•       I am thankful that, because we moved 8 times in 3 states by the time I was 15, I learned how important it is to be kind to strangers in strange lands.

•       I’m thankful that when we raised chickens, that rooster that terrorized me was a tool God used to teach me bravery, at least when it comes to chickens.

•       I’m thankful that, when I cut off my toes in a lawn mower, I did not have to learn how to find my balance all over again.

•       I’m thankful that the pain of leaving my Mennonite heritage reminded me that many good things were present in my heritage in the midst of the imperfections.

•       I’m thankful that when my Dad (and Linda Dittmer) died, they were present with the Lord.

•       I’m thankful that grief makes hope that much sweeter.

•       I’m thankful that overwhelming grief is temporary.

•       I’m thankful that lingering, bittersweet memories remain.

•       I’m thankful that God used the hard times in my and Sheila’s marriage to temper and matured us and deepen our love. I’m thankful that when it happens again, that’s still God’s plan.

•       I’m thankful that those hard times have helped us to understand and grow in grace, mercy, forgiveness, hope, sacrifice, and love more deeply than we imagined we would.

•       I’m thankful that my boys’ completely opposite personalities keep me on my toes.

•       I’m thankful that my knee, foot and shoulder surgeries and heart attack forced me to find an identity apart from sports and physical health and remind me daily that this body is only temporary.

•       I’m thankful that my ADD gives me days of brilliance to offset weeks of confusion.

•       I’m thankful that deer are graceful, because at least they are beautiful to watch when I hit them with my truck.

•       I’m thankful that when I forgot to put the plug back in my rowboat the first time Vince and I went fishing this year, only about 5 people, none with cameras, watched us drag said newly launched boat back to shore.

•       I’m thankful that disruptively high water levels in Northern Michigan indicate we are not having a drought.

•       I’m thankful that politics reminds me that God’s Kingdom is not of this world, and inspires me to rely on the sovereignty of God in a world that is so often confusing and disheartening.

•       I’m thankful that when Delynn died, his vision to expand the Kingdom of God did not, and that God’s strength and goodness has been manifest in those who most strongly grieve his loss. 

•       I’m thankful that social distancing and quarantines in COVID have reminded me how valuable face-to-face interaction is. 

•       I’m thankful that masks have made people long for a sight of my face in its entirety, which is unprecedented.

•       I’m thankful that COVID has inspired so many churches to build or improve their online presence, because now that gospel that was preached to one roomful of people is available to the entire world. 

•       I’m thankful that God has used COVID and elections to draw forth prayer from his people, and remind us that He is above all things – thrones, powers, rulers, authorities;  in Him all things hold together; and that in everything he has supremacy.” (Colossians 1:16-18)

•       I’m thankful that this assembly of imperfect and very different people is the means God has chosen to showcase his power to make a ‘new humanity’ bound by love and transformed into the image of Christ; a temple, a community, a family, a home against all odds, by the grace of God, for His glory. 

•       I’m thankful that my weaknesses showcase God’s strength. 

•       I’m thankful that my sin highlights God’s grace.

I’m thankful that even if the world, like that barn, burns down, I can still see the Son.

THREE QUESTIONS

What are times in your life that were hard, but in hindsight you can see that God was present in ways that bring out thankfulness?

Are there times right now where you are struggling to find a reason to be thankful? Are there ways in which God is making his faithfulness see that are just really hard to see in the midst of pain and frustration?

If you are in a small group, how can those around you pray for you today?

Roots And Fruits (Part 1) 2 Timothy 3:1-6

3:1 And know this: in the last days, times will be hard. 2 You see, the world will be filled with narcissistic, money-grubbing, pretentious, arrogant, and abusive people. They will rebel against their parents and will be ungrateful, unholy, 3 uncaring, coldhearted, accusing, without restraint, savage, and haters of anything good. 

 4 Expect them to be treacherous, reckless, swollen with self-importance, and given to loving pleasure more than they love God. 5 Even though they may look or act like godly people, they’re not. They have the outward form and look of godliness, but by their lives they deny God’ power. I tell you: Stay away from the likes of these. Keep them away from your people. 

Our trees here on the stage have the roots labeled to remind us of the difference Paul made between two kinds of people and their fruit: 

• those who love self,[1] money[2], pleasure and lies

•  those who love God, truth, and the path of life that follows repentance and surrender to the lordship of Christ. 

One side can have the form of godliness – it can go through the motions and to at least some degree look good on the outside – but the other side has experienced transformative power. The Spirit of God and the Path of God give us transformative power to mature in Christ and represent God well as ambassadors.

This week we start talking about fruit that comes from those roots. The fruits from beginning to end act like a mirror, with ‘coldhearted covenant breakers’ in the middle. This week we are going to look at the outer ring of bad fruit and by implication contrast them with their corresponding good fruit. 

I want to encourage us not to create a list in our mind of people who need to hear this. David prayed, “Search me, O God, and now my heart. Try me, and know my mind. See if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me into life everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23-24)

* * * * *

proud/boastful   

“Boasting to anyone who is foolish enough to take him seriously! This kind of person claims many things he can't really do, so he must always keep moving on to new, naive listeners.”  HELPS Word Studies

This isn’t someone constantly bragging about what they have done, which is bad enough. This is someone bragging about what they haven’t done. And then when someone calls them out, rather than using the embarrassment as motivation to become a more humble truth teller, they just move on and double down. It starts with small exaggerations and builds its own momentum. 

So what would someone in the church boast about that didn’t really happen? 

I once heard a preacher say that God told him God needed him ready for ministry now, so God was going to give him 10 years of instant maturity. In case you’re wondering, he moved on to new, naïve listeners before being caught having an affair.

I know of another with excellent credentials and incredible connections. He visited with heads of state around the world. But then we found out he constantly embellished his credentials, which makes me think there were some made up stories in terms of people he rubbed shoulders with, and that was all before the world found out he had been leading a double life for years. 

·      It’s claiming a devotional and prayer life we don’t have.

·      It’s exaggerating our generosity

·      It’s saying, “I’ve been praying for you!” when we haven’t.

·      It’s saying, “I believe in the biblical view of sex, marriage and family!” while failing to honor covenant: watching porn, letting our relationship with our spouse or kids wither, failing to steward ; giving up rather than pressing in.   

Pride and boastfulness is rotten fruit. It comes from a rotten root. It might end up with huge lies, but it starts with small compromises of truth that come from a failure to think and speak truthfully about life. 

arrogant/haughty[3]

“Literally, ‘hyper shiny’. These are they who contemptuously look down on others beneath them, either in social position or wealth (the boasters), or perhaps in natural gifts (the proud).”[4]– Ellicott’s Commentary.

Generally, it’s just a viewpoint that we are better than everyone around us based on standards that have zero merit in gauging our value and dignity: Clothes. Houses. Jobs. Twitter followers. Beauty. I would assume if it’s in the church it would include looking down on different spiritual giftings, or positions in the church, or the inability to give a lot of money to a cause, or not having the kind of gifts or personality that put someone in the spotlight.

Hyper shiny people want all the glory to shine from themselves, and to convince themselves that this happens they constantly demean others. It begins with an inner attitude - which means they can keep the ‘form’ on the outside. They constantly find ways to see those around them as less than them. Then can at least assume that they must look really good in comparison. This doesn’t mean they are right, of course. It’s just how they make themselves feel shiny. “I would have said that better. I would have done that differently. I think they must be ignorant, or inept. I am clearly smarter and better.”

I think it inevitably leaks out. It’s not attacking others as much as it is little sideways comments that chip away at someone else’s standing as a way of establishing ourselves as smarter, or more competent, or more qualified. There are legitimate times to offer critique; this is about the attitude behind it. I can critique for my good and MY glory, or for your good and GOD’S glory. 

abusive 

“Revilers/railers/blasphemers (reverses spiritual and moral realities).”  HELPS Word Studies. 

It appears these are the ones who call good ‘evil’ and call evil ‘good.’ They twist everything around. Remember – they do not love truth. They don’t pursue it, they don’t recognize it, they certainly don’t pass it on. Let’s not limit this to biblical teaching. I suspect they also ‘reverse reality’ about everything around them: other people’s character, talents, competency, likability, habits, etc. They live to lie – they want everyone around them to question reality so that they (apparently) are the only stable thing left standing.  And those lies leave a terrible mark. 

The commentary in the Cambridge Bible For Schools And Colleges was really exceptional for 2 Timothy 3. Here is their summary for these three things.

“Boastful (proud), haughty (arrogant), railers (abusive). ‘Boastfulness’ is ‘an endeavor to pass for a man of greater consequence than one really is…’ ‘Haughtiness’ is ‘a contempt for every one but a man’s self.’ The climax is (1) a spirit of vain glory in themselves, (2) an arrogant treatment of others, (3) actual abuse and reviling of others. The first word describes a man who sins against truth, the second a man who sins against love, the third a man who sins against both.”

Pride and arrogance lead to abusive, railing blasphemy. Why blasphemy? Because these people are damaging the imago dei, vandalizing the temple of God, and insulting the sons and daughters of God. And when you mess with the image, temple and children of the King, you mess with the King.  

* * * * *

treacherous

Traitors.—Or, betrayers… of their Christian brethren.[5] It does not mean traitors to their king or country, but generally betrayers of the persons who trust in them, and of the cause of the trust committed to them; perhaps specially… of their brethren in times of persecution. – Pulpit Commentary

I wonder if Paul was still thinking of Phygelus and Hermogenes, who had deserted him. They were simply not loyal. And why would they be? They think they are better than everyone else, so their agenda and their comfort is going to matter more than anyone else. They are abusive to others who get in their way. Why would they defend the losers around them especially if it interferes with their love of self and pleasure? And so they don’t. And if they so much better than everyone around them, why stick around? Why not find a group of people who are good enough to be their friends? 

reckless

Better rendered “headstrong” in words, or thoughts, or actions. Rash. "Headstrong" rather denotes obstinacy which will not be influenced by wise advice… the person who acts from impulse, without considering consequences, or weighing principles. – Pulpit Commentary

This makes sense. Treacherous people aren’t really known for good common sense. Why would you take advice if you are better than everyone else? Why would you control impulses when your impulses are the best? Why would you any principle of substance matter if your motto is “take care of yourself, and get money and pleasure at all cost”? You’ve ‘reversed reality’ so many times you’ve lost touch with reality. You’ve lost touch with consequences and principles. Of course you’re rash.

self-important

Highminded.— blinded by or inflated by pride. (See 1Timothy 3:6.)

 This is in some ways a summary. One image of this is ‘smoke blind. ‘ If you’ve ever sat around a campfire you know what this is. You can’t see truth or reality anymore about yourself, others, the world or God. You have embraced the lie, and now you can’t see your way out of it. From the Cambridge Bible For Schools And Colleges again:

“Traitors, heady, highminded.  The last triad again descending, false… and full of conceit, the spirit of one who ‘with a light heart’ (1) betrays old friends, and (2) rushes headlong on new faiths, and (3) remains to the end impenetrably wrapped in clouds of self-esteem.” 

 This is bad fruit from a bad root. If this is you, you have a roots problem. There is sin deeply ingrained in you that has not yet been surrendered to Jesus. 

* * * * *

But if that’s bad fruit, we can tell what good fruit looks like. It will be the opposite, and it will come from good roots. 

Humility[6] vs. Pride

“"God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble." 1 Peter 5:5

“Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.”  James 3:13

“Better to be lowly in spirit along with the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud.” (Proverbs 16:19) 

Humility shows wisdom and understanding. In humility we find God’s favor. In contrast to exaggeration, it’s honesty:  “This is who I am.” 

Honor vs. Arrogance

“Honor everyone” (1 Peter 2:17) “above yourselves” (Romans 12:10)

“God has put the body [the church] together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.” 1 Corinthians 12:24-25

“Don't do anything from selfish ambition or from a cheap desire to boast, but be humble toward one another, always considering others better than yourselves.” Philippians 2:3 

Arrogance looks down at others; in fact, arrogance pushes others down so we can look down.  Honor looks up at others; in fact, honors lifts others up so we can view them with honor. 

Gentleness and Truth vs. Abusive Lies 

“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” Ephesians 4:2

 “Let every word you speak be drenched with grace and tempered with truth and clarity. For then you will be prepared to give a respectful answer to anyone who asks about your faith. (Colossians 4:6) 

Rather than “reversing moral and spiritual realities,” it confirms them with humility (for self) and with honor (for the other). 

Loyalty vs. treachery

“Never let loyalty (steadfast love) and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart.” (Proverbs 3:3)

“How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!” (Psalm 133:1)

“Be devoted to one another in love.” (Romans 12:10)

In the family of God, faithfulness ought to be assumed. It brings a steadiness. It makes the church a safe place to invest because that investment will have time to bear fruit. There is no doubt the Bible looks at reasons why fellowship ought to be broken at times, but the default setting is that the people of God stick together. 

Prudence vs. recklessness

“Better a patient person than a warrior, one with self-control than one who takes a city.” Proverbs 16:32

“Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control.” Proverbs 25:28

“The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways, but the folly of fools is deception.” Proverbs 14:8

Over and over again, the Bible talks about the importance self-management, of thoughtful progress, carefully constrained decision making. I once drove with someone who was genuinely reckless. I never drove with him again. I’d like to get to my destination without chaos. This is the idea. 

Self-Awareness vs. self-importance

"Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord." (Lamentations 3:40)

"Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like." (James 1:22-24)

 “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.” (Romans 12:3)

There is something beautiful about someone who can take an honest assessment of themselves and use that as motivation to return to the Lord. 

Good fruit comes from good roots. 

·      We are humble, seeking to serve rather than be served, and the power of the Spirit and the Path give us the hearts and hands of Christ-like servants.

·      We honor those around us, valuing them above ourselves, and the power of the Spirit and the Path enable us to see the dignity and worth in all people and respond appropriately.

·      We are gentle, not abusive, and the power of the Spirit and the Path fills us with grace, so that we do not break the bruised reeds all around us, or scare away the sheep without a shepherd. 

·      We affirm reality, not distort it, and the power of the Spirit and the Path sets our love of truth on a hill to shine into the darkness.

·      We are loyal, not pushing others away or leaving them to follow our bad roots/false loves, and the power of the Spirit and the Path builds radically different and remarkably broken people into the ‘new humanity’ that shows the world how the love of Christ living in us covers a multitude of sins and flourishes in even the most challenging of places.

·      We are patient, prudent, characterized by deliberate decision-making, and the power of the Spirit and the Path creates in and around us an oasis of stability and hope in a troubled and hopeless world. 

·      We see ourselves honestly and use that mirror to motivate us to change, and the power of the Spirit and the Path makes that mirror crystal clear so we can’t escape the truth, then works heart-changing, soul-cleansing miracles as we are transformed away from that image and into the image of Christ. 

THREE QUESTIONS

1. I am making the claim that power comes from both the Holy Spirit and the Path (of righteousness), that God intends for each of them to transform us. Talk about habits as a spiritual gift - a spiritual discipline even - and how God uses them along with His Spirit to change us.

2. Why is honest self-assessment so hard? Why is it so important? How does the “mirror” of the Bible reveal us to ourselves, and how God use the power of seeing that honest image to move us toward hope and not shame?

3. The sermon ends with an image of the kind of community God intends for His church. Have you experienced this in church life? Why or why not? What does it look like for you to contribute to building a church characterized by these things?
   ___________________________________________________________________________

[1] narcissistic lovers of themselves. (philos autos)“The selfishness which is condemned, is that regard to our own interests which interferes with the rights and comforts of others; which makes self the central and leading object of living; and which tramples on all that would interfere with that.” – Barne’s Notes On The Bible

[2] money-grubbing lovers of silver (philos arguros) This is not the first time Paul warned Timothy about this. “But those who want to be rich fall into temptation, a trap, and many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and by craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains…Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be arrogant or to set their hope on the uncertainty of wealth, but on God,[who richly provides us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do what is good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, willing to share…” (1 Timothy 1:9-10; 17-18)

[3] Proverbs 21:4 “Haughty eyes and a proud heart— the unplowed field of the wicked—produce sin.”

[4] The Latin, ostentatio, represents the vice which affects the first of these classes—‘the boasters;’ and superbia, that which affects the second class—‘the proud.’” – Ellicott’s Commentary

[5] “Other than here, used only in Luke 6:16 about Judas and in Acts 7:52, where Stephen says “of whom—the Just One—ye have been now the betrayers.” Traitors (προδόται); Luke 6:16; Acts 7:52.”

[6] “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.  Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”  (1 Peter 4:8-10)

The Form, But Not The Power (2 Timothy 3:1-9)

I’m going to talk about roots and fruits. I’ll give away the conclusion: bad roots bring bad fruits; good roots bring good fruits. It’s just as true spiritually as it is agriculturally. Unholy roots bring unholy fruit; holy roots bring holy fruit. Paul puts this principle on display in his letter to Timothy.

2:22 Timothy, run away from youthful desires. Instead, direct your passion to chasing after righteousness, faithfulness, love, and peace, along with those who call upon the Lord with pure hearts. 23 Excuse yourself from any conversations that turn into foolish and uninformed debates because you know they only provoke fights. 24 As the Lord’s slave, you shouldn’t exhaust yourself in bickering; instead, be gentle—no matter who you are dealing with—ready and able to teach, tolerant without resentment, 25 gently instructing those who stand up against you. 

 Besides, the time may come when God grants them a change of heart so that they can arrive at the full knowledge of truth. 26 And if they come to their senses, they can escape the devil’s snare and walk freed from his captivity and evil bidding. 

3:1 And know this: in the last days, times will be hard. 2 You see, the world will be filled with narcissistic, money-grubbing, pretentious, arrogant, and abusive people. They will rebel against their parents and will be ungrateful, unholy, 3 uncaring, coldhearted, accusing, without restraint, savage, and haters of anything good. 

 4 Expect them to be treacherous, reckless, swollen with self-importance, and given to loving pleasure more than they love God. 5 Even though they may look or act like godly people, they’re not. They have the outward form and look of godliness, but by their lives they deny God’ power. I tell you: Stay away from the likes of these. Keep them away from your people. 

. 6 They’re snakes slithering[1] into the houses of vulnerable women, women gaudy with sin, to seduce them. These reptiles can capture them because these particular women are weak and easily swayed by their desires, 7  always learning, but never gaining the full measure of the truth. 

 8 And, just as Jannes and Jambres rose up against Moses, these ungodly people defy the truth. Their minds are corrupt, and their faith is absolutely worthless. 9 But they won’t get too far because their stupidity will be noticed by everyone, just as it was with Jannes and Jambres.

* * * * *

I’m going to work my way backwards and get some things out of the way so they don’t distract us. 

First, Jannes and Jambres are not mentioned in the Old Testament. They are part of Hebrew tradition. Paul mentions them to help his audience make a connection about just how ungodly, corrupt and worthless people have played a role in the history of God’s people.  

Second, this passage about silly women can feel offensive if you don’t understand what was happening at that time and in that place. Women in general at that time were more susceptible to believing error simply because they were given less education. No wonder they are hungry to learn – “always learning” – when someone shows up to teach. However, they don’t have the skills to separate truth from a lie, so they “never gain the full measure of truth.”

 This is probably why Paul says in his first letter to Timothy and to the church in Corinth that, in opposition to cultural norms, women must be taught – and they must be taught in the church. Men – who got the education in this culture – had a responsibility to teach the women. This was a ground-breaking command for that time and place.[2] Paul is not leveling insults at women as women. He is warning Timothy that there are vulnerable people in his congregation, and false teachers are targeting them. 

* * * * *

“And know this: in the last days[3], times will be hard.” 

Biblically speaking, we have been in the last days for 2,000 years.

“The Jewish Rabbis of the days of St. Paul were in the habit of speaking of two great periods of the world’s history—“this age,” and “the age to come.” The former…included all periods up to Messiah’s advent; the latter… included all periods subsequent to the appearance of Messiah. We find the same idea embodied later in the Talmud…This last period, “the days of Messiah,” are often alluded to by the Hebrew prophets under the expression, “in the last days.” (See Isaiah 2:2; Hosea 3:5; Micah 4:1.)”[4]

So that’s where Timothy was – it’s why Paul tells Timothy to stay away from them -   and that’s where we are. Life has been and will continue to be hard in these last days. In this context, it will be hard because of people in the church who are far from Christ. 

“People will be…”

And here is a description of false teachers from the previous chapter, which will be contrasted with Timothy as a true teacher in the next section. Keep in mind this is not about the culture “out there,” even though this is really similar to the list in Romans 1.[5] This is about a danger in the church that will be present from the time Jesus left until Jesus returns. This isn’t just a future thing.[6] Paul says there are false teachers right now sneaking into the homes of people in the church right now.  This is basically the list the writer of Romans used to describe those far from Christ and outside the church in 

We have to be careful to not get too caught up in looking ‘out there’ to see what it looks like to live far from Christ. It’s the classic line from scary movies: “The call is coming from inside the house.”  The line between good and evil doesn’t run cleanly at the perimeter of the church. It runs through the church because it runs through every individual heart. 

Now, if you will indulge the literary nerd in me for a moment.  There is some skill in this section. Paul was no slouch when it came to writing. 

He broadly bookends this section with the power of the gospel: repentance leads to truth, which helps us escape the devil vs. pretending to follow Jesus but believing lies, which means God’s transformative power is not at work . 

He then more narrowly wraps it around with the question of love, because we are what we love.These false teachers are lovers of themselves and their money, which at the end he summarizes as lovers of pleasure rather than God.[7]

In the middle, we find the characteristics of those who love themselves more than God, those who pretend to have God at work in them but do not. Details in later weeks. Today is big picture. 

“Given to loving pleasure more than they love God. Even though they may look or act like godly people, they’re not. They have the outward form and look of godliness, but by their lives they deny God’ power. I tell you: Stay away from the likes of these.” 

“It begins with ‘lovers of self’ - that is the root of all forms of sin. In the center there stands ‘lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God’; and at the end, summing up the whole, are the words of our text, ‘having the form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.’ But what is the ‘denying the power thereof?’ It does not consist in words, but in deeds.”[8] – MacLaren’s Expositions

I love movies where someone pretends to be really good at fighting. They take a stance and maybe even go through a couple moves that look good, but the minute the fight starts, it is clear they had the form but not the power.  

•  It’s the guy who shows up to the gym in the latest workout gear and then doesn’t know how to use the equipment, and so never gets stronger. 

• It’s the dude in the last tennis shoes and NBA gear who joins a pick-up game and can’t hit the backboard. 

This is the idea. These people look good – they talk a good game – but whatever was supposed to be happening inside the form has had no practical impact on their lives. They have not and will not allow the thing they claim to love change them.  

“But denying the power thereof - Opposing the real power of religion; not allowing it to exert any influence in their lives. It imposes no restraint on their passions and carnal propensities, but in all respects, except in the form of religion, they live as if they had none.” – Barne’s Notes On The Bible

 Timothy, then, is called to be the opposite of this. “Run away from that; chase this.”

“Timothy is called to be the kind of person who willing surrenders heart, soul, mind and strength to God in response to the grace of Jesus, and as a result changes.” 

Timothy loves Jesus. He has committed to him and worships him (that’s the form of godliness). Paul calls him to embrace the transformative power of the gospel. The way of the Master not only does it work inside with the issue of who we love, it restrains and reorders our passions and actions. We become different inside and out. 

I started using myfitnesspal.com again this week. I need to lose a couple decades of pounds. Each day, I input what I eat and how I exercise. Now, I can take on the form of someone who is serious about losing weight. I can fill in everything; I could post updates on Facebook straight from the myfitnesspal.com site. But the power of the plan comes from following the plan. I’ve used this before; I have the kind of metabolism that if I keep track of input and output honestly, I will lose weight just like the site claims. I will not experience its transformative power without surrendering to it and letting it order my life.

The gospel calls us to surrender first and foremost. “A living sacrifice,” which is a reasonable response to the grace of God. (Romans 12:1) This gospel – the good news – provides a form, a framework: the path of life. “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it." (Isaiah 30:21). The power of God’s gospel transformation is experienced in surrendering to His way and walking in it. 

So what does that look like?

13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself…”16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh…. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,23 gentleness and self-control…25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. (Galatians 5)[9]

Bad roots bring bad fruit. 

“The acts of the sinful nature are essentially self-centered, gratifying a person’s physical and emotional desires. They are destructive of community life.”[10]

 Bad roots bring bad fruit.  

The fruit of the Spirit, on the other hand, is a list of actions that promote community life [and] produces a harvest of ethical characteristics… (1) from and with God (love, joy, peace); (2) from God and with fellow believers (patience, kindness, goodness); and (3) from God and within oneself (faithfulness, gentleness, self-control).[11]

 Good roots bring good fruit. Holy roots bring holy fruit. And by our fruit people will know us. 

We’ve got the roots established. We are going to spend the next couple weeks hanging fruit on these trees based on what Paul has to say to Timothy so that we can see how life unfolds based on our rootedness. 

THREE QUESTIONS

1. What is the difference between the love for self we see in “love your neighbors as you love yourself” and this warning that Paul gives about loving ourselves rather than God?

2. What is the difference between meeting personal, emotional and physical needs (self-care) vs. gratifying the desires of the flesh (self-indulgence)?

3. How can we best avoid being ‘silly’ people who are easily deceived by falsehoods of all kinds?
   ___________________________________________________________________________
   
   
   

[1] “The expression, “which creep into houses,” although perfectly natural, and one which, even in these Western countries, could be used with propriety to express the method in which these deceiving and perverting men make their way into households, yet, when we remember the comparative state of seclusion in which women usually lived and still live in Eastern lands, the words used by Paul acquire an increased force. Special fraud and deceit was needful for these false teachers to creep into the women’s apartments in Asia. The Greek word translated “lead captive” is a peculiar one, and is only found in comparatively later Greek. It is supposed to be a word of Alexandrian or Macedonian origin. It here represents these women as wholly under the influence of these bad men, to the utter destruction of all true, healthy, home life.”  Ellicott’s Commentary 

[2] NIV Cultural Backgrounds Bible Commentary

[3] “That in the last days perilous times shall come; "or hard" and difficult times to live in; not by reason of the outward calamities, as badness of trade, scarcity of provisions, the ravages of the sword, &c. but by reason of the wickedness of men, and that not of the profane world, but of professors of religion; for they are the persons afterwards described, who will make the times they live in difficult to others, to live soberly, righteously, and godly; the days will be evil, because of these evil men.” - Gill’s Exposition

“The Jews generally understand by this phrase, when used in the Old Testament, the days of the Messiah; and which are the last days of the world, in comparison of the times before the law, from Adam to Moses, and under the law, from thence to Christ; and even in the times of the apostles, at least towards the close of them, great numbers of men rose up under the Christian name, to whom the following characters well agree, as the Gnostics, and others; and who paved the way for the man of sin, the Romish antichrist, whose priests and votaries are here likewise described to the life: so that these last days may take in the general defection and apostasy of the church of Rome, as well as those times, which followed the apostles, and those which will usher in the second coming of Christ. The Ethiopic version renders it, "in the latter days will come an evil, or bad year". Gill’s Exposition

“In the last days] ‘Not only the very last days, towards the end of the world, but in general (according to the Hebrew phrase) the days to come, or the future time, whether nearer or afar off. He supposeth this would begin to happen in the age of Timothy, 2 Timothy 3:5 from such do thou (thou, Timothy) turn awayand avoid them,’ Bp Bull, Serm. xv. init. So Calvin, ‘universum Ecclesiae Christianae statum.’” – Cambridge Bible For Schools And Colleges

[4] “It seems, however, more in accordance with such passages as 1John 2:18 : “Little children, it is the last time”—where the present, and not an uncertain future is alluded to—to understand “the last days “as that period, probably of very long duration, extending from the days of the first coming of Messiah—in which time St. Paul lived—to the second coming of Christ in judgment.”  - Ellicott’s Commentary

[5] Romans 1:29-30: “They are filled with all unrighteousness, evil, greed, and wickedness. They are full of envy, murder, quarrels, deceit, and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, arrogant, proud, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving,and unmerciful.”

[6] “last days. Not only future times, when things will worsen (Matt 24:21–31), but also the present. These “days,” also called “later times” (1 Tim 4:1 and note), began with Christ’s coming (Heb 1:1–2), intensified with Christ’s resurrection and the Spirit’s powerful arrival (Acts 2:17), and continue until his return.”  NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible

[7] “Compare the catalogue in Romans 1 where much the same sins are attributed to heathen men; it shall be a relapse into virtual heathendom, with all its beast-like propensities, whence the symbol of it is "a beast" (Re 13:1, 11, 12, &c.; 17:3, 8, 11).” – Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

[8] He continues: “In these latter epistles we find ‘denying’ frequently used as equivalent to abjuring, renouncing, casting off. For instance, in a passage singularly and antithetically parallel to that of my text, we read ‘denying ungodliness and worldly lusts,’ which simply means throwing off their dominion. And in like manner the denial here is no verbal rejection of the principles of the gospel, which would be inconsistent with the notion of still retaining the form of godliness; but it is the practical renunciation of the power, which is inherent in all true godliness, of moulding the life and character - the practical renunciation of that even whilst preserving a superficial, unreal appearance of being subject to it.” – MacLaren’s Expositions

[9] “Paul uses the metaphor of fruit to describe the conduct of the believer in Rom. 6:22; Eph. 5:9; and Phil. 1:11. John the Baptist likewise claimed that true repentance would produce the “fruit” of concrete ethical behavior (Matt. 3:8; Luke 3:8).” – Reformation Study Bible 

[10] Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary Of The New Testament

[11] slight paraphrase of a quote from Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary Of The New Testament

Be Strong In The Grace (2 Timothy 2:1-13)

You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. 3 Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer. 

 5 Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules. 6 The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. 7 Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.

8 Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David.[1] This is my gospel, 9 for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained. 10 Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory. 

11 -13Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us; if we are faithless (to him), he remains faithful (to himself/nature/all his promises), for he cannot disown himself.[2]

If I understand the text correctly, this is all part of “being strong in the grace.” If we give our lives and endure, we will live and reign with Jesus. If we deny Jesus and are faithless – and I think that’s probably two ways of saying the same thing – he will deny us (Matthew 10:32-33) and be faithful to what he said will happen to those who deny him, and we will not live and reign with him.

This sounds terribly daunting, and it is. It can make us become haunted with the question of whether or not we have denied him or been faithless. So, let’s look at a couple people in the Bible.

·      Did Peter in a moment of weakness actually deny Jesus? Yes. Is that the kind of think that causes God to deny us? Clearly not. 

·      Did David and even Abraham have chapters in their lives of tragic disobedience – ‘faithlessness’ - and sin? Yes. And though there were consequences, God did not abandon them. 

So it can’t simply be imperfection and failure, or even moments of what amounts to denying Christ out of fear (a situation that countless persecuted Christians have faced over the centuries) that would be the denial or faithlessness Paul is talking about here.

I think our faithful/faithless status has to do with the persistent commitment of our lives that endures until the end. It’s the True North to which we always return, the gravity that consistently grounds us. At least three key things are need for this. 

1. Recognizing, acknowledging, and committing to Jesus as Savior and Lord. 

“Without faith no one can please God because the one coming to God must believe He exists, and He rewards those who come seeking.” (Hebrews 11:6)

 “So if you believe deep in your heart that God raised Jesus from the pit of death and if you voice your allegiance by confessing the truth that “Jesus is Lord,” then you will be saved!” (Romans 10:9)

No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also.”(1 John 2:22-23)

2. Making this commitment publicly known. Historically, the fundamental way of doing this has been through baptism, but this includes ongoing public acknowledgment of our commitment through our words and lifestyle.

“So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my father who is in Heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I will also deny before my Father who is in Heaven.” (Matthew 10:32-33) 

“They profess to know God, but they deny Him by their works.”  (Titus 1:16)

 3. Committing to a life of faith-aligned works. This is the fruits by which we are known (Matthew 7:20), the living faith that Jesus’ brother James reminded us requires an external expression of the internal reality we claim (James 2:14-26).

 “Brothers and sisters, it doesn’t make any sense to say you have faith and act in a way that denies that faith. Mere talk never gets you very far, and a commitment to Jesus only in words will not save you. It would be like seeing a brother or sister without any clothes out in the cold and begging for food, and saying, “Shalom, friend, you should get inside where it’s warm and eat something,” but doing nothing about his needs—leaving him cold and alone on the street. What good would your words alone do? The same is true with faith. Without actions, faith is useless. By itself, it’s as good as dead.” (James 2:14-16) 

Think of this as the ‘syncing’ of how we believe internally and speak and act externally. They both have spiritual grooves, and they need to fit together properly in order to function as God intended. 

If we back up to the beginning of our passage today, I believe we see Paul showing Timothy what it looks like to commit fully to Jesus so that we can ‘sync’ our lives and experience the living and reigning God offers to His children. “Be strong in the grace” he says, and follows it up with what that looks like. Paul gives three illustrations of what faithful discipline will require: focus, discipline, and work.[3]

Soldier.  Paul’s image of the soldier’s devotion was immediately recognizable. Soldiers served for 20 years in the Roman army, and they focused everything to be ready to serve the empire. They were not even supposed to marry during that period. The military image here has to do not with fighting like a soldier but with being as disciplined and obedient as a soldier. Single-minded. Having a life organized around their duty, so that they prioritized and weighted their life toward that True North. This meant they couldn’t get entangled in civilian life. As a spiritual analogy, this means we don’t let life in the Empire distract us from life in the Kingdom.

“Does a certain thing - some legitimate, or even praiseworthy occupation, or possession, the exercise of some taste or accomplishment, some recreation, some companionship-clog my feet when I ought to march; clip my wings when I ought to soar; dim my eyes when I ought to gaze on God? Then no matter what others may do about it, my plain duty is to give it up.  

It is entangling me. It is interfering with my warfare, and I must cut the cords. I can only do so by entire abstinence. Perhaps I may get stronger some day, and be able to use it as not abusing it; but I cannot venture on that at present. So go it must. I judge nobody else, but whoever may be able to retain that thing, whatever it be, without slackening hold on Christ, I cannot.

So, brethren, if you find that legitimate occupation and affairs are absorbing your interests, and interfering with your clear vision of God, and making you less inclined and less apt to high thoughts and noble purposes, to lowly service and to Christ-like life, your safety lies in at once shaking off the venomous beast that has fastened on you into the fire. Unless the occupation be a plain duty, a post where the Captain has set you as sentry, and which it would be fiat disobedience to forsake, leave it at any cost, if you would kept your Christian integrity.” (MacLaren’s Expositions)

Athlete – Paul writes other places about athletic competition[4] - he likes that image a lot. Rather than focusing on personal training and discipline in this analogy like he does in other passages, here he talks about keeping the rules – what he elsewhere calls “not disqualifying himself.”[5]

Athletic contests were extremely popular. Cities were proud of their arenas much like cities are today, and the winners of the games were highly honored. Athletes pledged to ten months of intense discipline preceding their participation. It was a huuuuuge deal.

‘Among the rules of the Olympic games were the following; competitors had to prove to the judges that they were freemen, of pure Hellenic blood, not disfranchised, or convicted of sacrilege, and that they had gone through the ten months’ preparatory training; they, their fathers, brothers, and trainers had to take oath that they would be guilty of no misconduct in the contests; and they had then a month’s preliminary exercises in the gymnasium at Elis under the superintendence of the judges. ‘The six statues of Jupiter at Olympia were made from the fines levied on athletes who had not contended lawfully.’”[6]  

Vase paintings of boxing matches often depict a judge supervising the match with a switch in his hand to enforce his rulings. Paul notes that athletes must compete “according to the rules” if they want the crown, implying that Timothy must acquire his “crown of righteousness” (4:8) according to the rules governing those who follow Christ, and not disqualified (compromised in ministry) by carelessness or cheating.

I don’t believe this is meant to be read as earning our eternal reward through hard work. I think Paul’s point is that our faith happens within a framework, a rulebook if you will, of orthodoxy (what we believe) and orthopraxy (what we do). If our training and dedication is happening outside of that, whatever reward follows won’t be the reward offered in Christ.  Every worldview, religious or irreligious, has a reward that follows from living in accordance with the framework of that worldview. 

·      If I want the reward a swimmer gets, and I train as a powerlifter, I am not going to get the swimmer’s reward. 

·      If I want the reward a really good carpenter gets, and I train as a teacher, I’m not going to get the carpenter’s reward. 

·      If I want apples and plant peach trees, I might get great peaches but I won’t get apples.  

The soldier reminds us that discipline and focus matter. The athlete reminds us that discipline and focus in and of themselves aren’t enough. They must be properly directed. We will harvest what we plant. 

Speaking of harvesting and planting, that brings us to the Farmer. The farmer reminds us that there is a harvest after the work. We will be rewarded with ‘firstfruits’ of their labor. Ancient farmers were often like medieval serfs – they farmed the land but didn’t own it. Typically city residents, temples, or a city itself owned most of the outlying farm lands. The temple of Artemis in Ephesus, for example, owned as much as 77,000 acres of rich farm lands. It was not unusual for farmers to put in the work and then have the owner mess with their reward.

The soldier and the athlete have already established that focused dedication within the proper framework is necessary. Here, farmers work hard[7] within the rules of agriculture[8] – they don't sow salt -  before they can enjoy a harvest. But rather than wondering if the landowner will in fact pay them and let them enjoy the fruit of their labor, these farmers are guaranteed their reward. 

“The teaching of St. Paul in this triple picture is—not every soldier wins its commander’s applause, but only the veteran who devotes himself heart and soul to his profession; not every athlete wins the crown or prize, but only he who trains with anxious, painful care; not every tiller of the ground gathers the earth’s fruits, but only the patient toiler. So must it be in religious life. It is not enough to say we are Christians, or even to wish to be of the brotherhood of Christ. Men must really live the life they say they love.”  (Ellicott’s Commentary For English Readers)

 So, be strong in the grace – focused, disciplined and working – in the life that God in his grace has given to us.  I like Ellicott’s summary – life the life we say we love. Model our life after the life of the one we say we love. Walk within and rest within the boundaries we say we love. 

If we died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him.

THREE QUESTIONS

1. Of the three analogies Paul uses, which one resonates with you the most, and why?

2. What do you think of “persistent commitment of our lives that endures until the end” as a definition for faithfulness?

3. “Be strong in the grace” is a phrase with some tension: grace is an unmerited gift; being strong is something we do, How do we rest confidently in God’s faithfulness and grace while still working to be strong in it?

_____________________________________________________________________________

[1] A similar gospel summary is found in the writings of Ignatius (108): “Be deaf therefore when anyone speaks to you apart from Jesus Christ, who was of the family of David, and of Mary, who was truly born, both ate and drank, was truly persecuted under Pontius Pilate, was truly crucified and died in the sight of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth; who also was truly raised from the dead, when his Father raised him up.”

[2] “Though Paul was clearly encouraging Timothy with these poetic words, it’s difficult to know what theological implications Paul intended. This passage seems to suggest that some Christians remain “in Christ” and are at the same time “unfaithful.” Is it possible that the faithfulness of Jesus is greater than one’s unbelief or unfaithfulness? Alternatively, some have suggested that the “faithfulness” of Jesus is really judgment for such unbelief.” (NIV First Century Bible)

“As faithful as Jesus is to save those who believe in Him (John 3:16), He is equally faithful to judge those who do not (John 3:18). To act any other way would be inconsistent with His holy, unchangeable nature. Cf. Heb. 10:23.” (MacArthur Study Bible)

“If we are faithless, he remains faithful. This is a wonderful affirmation of assurance that although we are called to endure and be faithful, salvation does not rest ultimately on our faithfulness, but upon that of Christ (v. 19).” (Reformation Study Bible)

“Although it is true that Christ remains faithful to His promises, here the statement refers to His faithfulness in carrying out the warning that He will disown us in the presence of the Father “if we [willfully and knowledgeably] deny Him” (v. 12) in the midst of peril or scorn. See Matt. 10:33. (New Spirit-filled Life Bible)

Van Oosterzee writes that “He is just as faithful in His threatenings as in His promises.”

“If we believe not - Should we deny the faith and apostatize, he is the same, as true to his threatenings as to his promises; he cannot deny - act contrary to, himself.” (Adam Clarke)

“Then comes the other side of the matter: "If we deny him, he too will deny us." That is what Jesus Himself said: "So every one who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven; but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 10:32-33). Jesus Christ cannot vouch in eternity for a man who has refused to have anything to do with Him in time; but He is for ever true to the man who, however much he has failed, has tried to be true to Him.” (William Barclay)

Marvin Vincent explains that "faithful" means “True to his own nature, righteous character, and requirements, according to which he cannot accept as faithful one who has proved untrue to him. To do this would be to deny himself. (2 Timothy 2: Greek Word Studies).”

Hendriksen concludes that “Divine faithfulness is a wonderful comfort for those who are loyal (I Thess. 5:24; II Thess. 3:3; cf. I Cor. 1:9; 10:13; II Cor. 1:18; Phil. 1:6; Heb. 10:23). It is a very earnest warning for those who might be inclined to become disloyal. (Hendriksen, W., & Kistemaker, S. J., New Testament commentary)

[3] Thanks to NKJV Study Bible, NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, Orthodox Study Bible, Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds for a lot of the ideas in the following section. These are made easily available at biblegateway.com.

[4] 1 Corinthians 9:24 - 27.

[5] 1 Corinthians 9:27

[6] Cambridge Bible For Schools And Colleges

[7] “It is a great law that the husbandman must work before be receives a harvest. This sense will accord with the purpose of the apostle. It was to remind Timothy that labor must precede reward; that if a man would reap, he must sow; that he could hope for no fruits, unless he toiled for them.” (Barne’s Notes On The Bible)

[8] “The husbandman must first till his ground before he can expect a crop; and he must till it according to the proper rules of agriculture, else he cannot have a crop.”  (Adam Clarke)

Keep The Faith (2 Timothy 1:13-14; 2:1-2; 3:14-17)

13 What you heard from me, keep as the pattern/form of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus.14 Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us… (1:13-14) 

You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others… (2:1-2) 

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[1] and is useful for teaching (it gives you truth), rebuking (it tells you when you are out of bounds), correcting (repairing what is broken, like setting a broken arm in a cast) and training (forming habits) in righteousness (‘right living’ by God’s standard), 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped[2] for every good work. (3:14-17)

For the past three weeks, I’ve been coming back to a theme: When God calls you, he equips you. God never commissions anyone to a task without giving a gift appropriate to it.[3] Now I want to focus on a foundational way God equips all of us – through His Word.

Before people build things, they usually have a prototype, a model or a drawing to guide them. When I used to buy lego toys for Vince, there was a model with instructions (thank God).  Otherwise I would have been lost.  If you have seen what Scott does at J. Scott Smith Visual Design, you see that he creates a model that guides a builder or remodeler or landscaper.

The pattern/form of teaching to which Paul refers (hupotuposis,"the standard") is like that. Paul was given prototype upon which all preaching and teaching should be founded, and he was passing it on to Timothy, who would pass it on to others. Think of how a 3D model printer recreates from the information that it has been given. If Timothy wanted to be a faithful teacher of the gospel, he was not at liberty to deviate from the foundational model of the apostolic teaching.[4]  It was intended to be passed down through all generations of teachers. 

“I’m preaching the same message today that the apostle Paul preached in the first century. The gospel I preach goes all the way back to the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. A faithful man of God shared the gospel with me, and I was saved… If we could track it back, the trail would reach back to Christ; and we would discover that the gospel that we preach from the pages of the Bible is the identical gospel that Jesus preached.

That is a tremendous succession of truth, and it lays upon us the importance of our responsibility to pass on the Good News.”[5]

That’s not to say we can’t or shouldn’t be timely and creative in our application of these foundational principles.[6] Scott could send the same house model to Florida and Alaska, and they would plant different plants, and follow different building codes, and use different materials to factor in the weather. Cultures change; the challenges and dilemmas we face as Christians change. However, the foundational principles that guide us in our response do not.  

Timothy had received a model based on sound teaching. (Romans 6:17; Titus 1:9)  Sound is from a word (hugiaino) from which we get the word hygiene. It emphasizes cleanliness, and the absence of disease, and I think it has to do with habits and patterns. 

Why do we insist our kids brush their teeth every day?  Because our habits build momentum over time. When I went to the dentist for the first time after skipping I don’t know how many years, I had soooo many cavities.  My mouth sets off metal detectors in airports (just kidding). Why? I drank coffee with sugar and I never flossed. It was not good dental hygiene. When I stopped adding sugar and started flossing? I haven’t had a cavity in about 15 years. 

A pattern of sound hygiene has brought health to my mouth and strength to my teeth. That’s the image here.  A healthy foundation and a pattern of healthy habits matters a lot not just in dentistry, but in theology. 

So Timothy was going to pass on this habit-forming prototype "with faith and love in Christ Jesus."[7]

Sound teaching must be held with love, otherwise the true message becomes obscured by the noise of our lack of love (1Corinthians 13). Holding it with faith means our belief in the concepts has filtered down into your everyday life. Jesus said (Luke 6:46), “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” Genuine faith always results in obedience. The content of the teaching is deeply intertwined with the character of the teacher.[8]

This is the standard Paul gives Timothy.[9] This – the teaching and the living - is what has been passed down to us. 

In the years following Christ’s departure the early church agreed that a number of things were crucial for Jesus’ followers to know and teach in order to pass on the prototype. We see the first statements of the model teaching emerging within the New Testament itself.

·      55 AD: “Yet for us there is one God, the Father,  from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.” (1 Corinthians 8:6)

·      55 AD “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.  Then he appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.  Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.” (1 Corinthians 15:3-7)

·      62 AD “Though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.  And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross.  Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:6-11)

·      67 AD “Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of our religion: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.” (1 Timothy 3:16)[10]

On this foundation, and the classic early church creeds, we have built our church’s foundational beliefs.[11] Our CLG statement of faith is more detailed than the historic creeds (as is the case with most churches), but we seek to affirm what the Christian church broadly and historically has affirmed to be true in a way that allows room for differing perspectives on details even as we unite on the fundamentals. This sound, foundational model steadies our hearts in an unsteady world, and it focuses our minds amidst all the noise.

It also guides our steps in the path of righteousness. The model is useless if all you do is look at it. Faith is certainly no less than the formation of habits. We are what we habitually do. How we live is inescapably intertwined with why we believe we live and/or for whom we have decided to live. We will keep the commandments of that which we love (John 14:45). 

This correlation of content and character has been intertwined in the church from the 1stcentury. 

I’ve been raised in church circles for 50 years where I have heard the desire to be like the first century church repeated a lot – think of the first Christians as building the first model church community. God knows it was imperfect, but it reflected something about what Jesus himself had modeled and what the apostles saw fit to build. We often talk just about the theology or the ecclesiology (the services themselves, or the structure of leadership). I think we might be missing the most important part – how they lived out the gospel message in their community life in the church and in the city. 

Their habits changed, as will happen with a habit-forming faith. What they believed was expressed through love in life.  

“We ourselves were well conversant with war, murder and everything evil, but all of us throughout the whole wide earth have traded in our weapons of war… Now we cultivate the fear of God, justice, kindness, faith, and the expectation of the future given us through the Crucified One…. We who formerly treasured money and possessions more than anything else now hand over everything we have to a treasury for all and share it with everyone who needs it. We who formerly hated and murdered one another now live together and share the same table. We pray for our enemies and try to win those who hate us… The more we are persecuted and martyred, the more do others in ever increasing numbers become believers.” ~ Justin the Martyr (100AD – 165AD) 

“None of us offers resistance when he is seized, or avenges himself for your unjust violence, although our people are numerous and plentiful…it is not lawful for us to hate, and so we please God more when we render no requital for injury…we repay your hatred with kindness.” ~ St. Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage (died 258AD) 

“It is the Christians, O Emperor, who have sought and found the truth, for they acknowledge God…. They show love to their neighbors. They do not do to another what they would not wish to have done to themselves. They speak gently to those who oppress them, and in this way they make them their friends. It has become their passion to do good to their enemies…. This, O Emperor, is the rule of life of the Christians, and this is their manner of life.” ~ Aristides (written around 137AD) 

“This is the way of life: first, thou shalt love the God who made thee, secondly, thy neighbor as thyself: and all things whatsoever thou wouldest not should happen to thee, do not thou to another. The teaching of these words is this: Bless those who curse you, and pray for your enemies, and fast on behalf of those who persecute you: for what thanks will be due to you, if ye love only those who love you? Do not the Gentiles also do the same? But love ye those who hate you, and ye shall not have an enemy.”
~ The Didache, also known as The Teachings of the 12 Apostles, is an early Christian document written between 80AD – 90AD. 

"They dwell in their own countries, but simply as sojourners. As citizens, they share in all things with others and yet endure all things as if foreigners. Every foreign land is to them as their native country, and every land of their birth as a land of strangers. They marry, as do all others; they beget children; but they do not destroy their offspring. They have a common table, but not a common bed. They are in the flesh, but they do not live after the flesh. They pass their days on earth, but they are citizens of heaven. They obey the prescribed laws, and at the same time surpass the laws by their lives. They love all men and are persecuted by all. They are unknown and condemned; they are put to death and restored to life.  

They are poor yet make many rich[12]; they are in lack of all things and yet abound in all; they are dishonored and yet in their very dishonor are glorified. They are evil spoken of and yet are justified; they are reviled and bless; they are insulted and repay the insult with honor; they do good yet are punished as evildoers. When punished, they rejoice as if quickened into life; they are assailed by the Jews as foreigners and are persecuted by the Greeks; yet those who hate them are unable to assign any reason for their hatred. To sum it all up in one word -- what the soul is to the body, that are Christians in the world."  - The Epistle to Diognetes (AD 130)

Three Questions

1. What kind of ‘model’ of faith was passed on to you when you were young?

2. If faith is habit-forming, what kind of things should be patterns in the life of followers of Jesus?

3. If we were to apply the model of living from the 1st century church to our times, what kinds of things would followers of Jesus be known for?

____________________________________________________________________________

[1] “God-breathed. Sometimes translated “inspired.” The Greek word means given by the work of God’s Spirit (see 2 Pet 1:20–21 and note). “The Holy Spirit spoke” in the writings of OT leaders and writers like David (Acts 1:16; see Acts 4:25). By extension this applies to NT writings as well (see 2 Pet 3:15–16 and note on 3:16). God has chosen to reveal himself not only in nature (Ps 8:1, 3; Rom 1:20) and human moral awareness (Rom 2:15) but also supremely by spoken and written human language. This is the doctrine of inspiration. This doctrine does not downplay human action in Scripture’s authorship but affirms Scripture’s ultimate origin in God, who gave it. This makes it “useful for teaching” and related pastoral purposes, because it provides coherent, consistent, and reliable testimony to Christ (Luke 24:27, 44; John 5:39–40; 1 Cor 15:3–4).” (Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary of the New Testament)

Founder of Dallas Theological Seminary, Lewis Sperry Chafer, puts it well: “Without violating the authors’ personalities, they wrote with their own feelings, literary abilities, and concerns. But in the end, God could say, That’s exactly what I wanted to have written.” (see 2 Peter 3:16). (Case For Christ Study Bible)

This illustration is imperfect, but consider a pipe organ. All of the pipes have been individually designed. Each one has been made a specified size in order to give a particular sound. Each pipe is unique, but the same wind, the same breath, blows through all of them; so that what you hear are the notes that are intended from the score as it is played… The writers were not impersonal like pipes, but they were individually prepared, uniquely inspired by the Spirit of God, so that they wrote exactly what God intended to be written. (Vines Expository Notes On The Bible)

Theopneustos is a very strong word for "inspired"… He "breathed" on them, as it were, and they were impelled in the direction He wanted them to go-just as we read in 2 Peter 1:20, that "every prophecy of Scripture" (pasa prophēteia graphēs) is not a matter of private or personal interpretation, "for not by the will of man was prophecy ever brought, but being carried along [like a sailboat driven by the breeze] by the Holy Spirit men spoke from God." Such passages make it clear that the authors of Scripture wrote under the influence, guidance, and control of God Himself.” (New International Dictionary of Biblical Difficulties)

[2] Exartizo was used in secular Greek writings to describe documents, a wagon or a rescue boat, all of which were completely outfitted and needing nothing. Exartizo in one secular Greek described a machine that was sold in good condition or in other words was capable of performing the service expected of it! (Precept Austin)

[3] Guthrie

[4] “Christianity is a doctrinal faith. It is not an “X” that you can fill in with whatever content you desire. Christianity is a life based on the doctrines of the Bible.”  - Keep Believing Ministries

[5] Vines Expository Bible Notes

[6] “But each person and culture must move on to construction, not violating the principles laid down, but constantly seeking to flesh out the divine vision.” Larry Richards, L O: Expository Dictionary of Bible Words: Regency)

[7] See also 1 Timothy 1:4-5; 19)

[8]  “The importance of good works in the Pastoral Letters cannot be overemphasized. These are the marks of the genuine servants and people of God in contrast to the false teachers. This emphasis is consistent with the repeated theme of the blending of sound doctrine and godly living, which starts with the reference to purity, faith, and a good conscience in 1 Timothy 1:5 - 19, then is evident in the qualifications for elders and deacons (ch. 3), is important in the life of Timothy as an example in the church (4:6 - 16). (NIV Application Commentary)

[9] “You have observed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions” (2 Tim. 3:10–11) Timothy had not only "learned" the truth, but he had "become convinced" of it. So what is the significance of the things we "learn" and those we "become convinced of"? We hold the former while the latter holds us. (Precept Austin)

[10] When the early church wrestled with differing theological views, they formed formal statements of belief. As time went on, they became more detailed as they more specifically addressed new challenges. What follows is a combination of the Nicene creed (320) and the apostolic creed (390), two of the earliest church-wide creeds that made official[10] what had been taught as the core of the gospel for 300 years:

1.     I believe in God the Father, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible;

2.     And in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our Lord, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made.

3.     Who, for us [ALL] for our salvation, came down from heaven, who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary and made man; he suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead and buried: He descended into hell (or the dead). The third day he rose again from the dead: He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty: from thence he shall come in glory to judge the quick and the dead, and whose Kingdom shall have no end;

4.     I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life; who proceeds from the Father [and the Son]; who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets.

5.     I believe in the holy catholic and apostolic church: 

6.     the communion of saints:

7.     The forgiveness of sins:

8.     The resurrection of the body (the dead):

9.     And the life everlasting in the world to come. Amen.

[11] Around the 1500’s you start to see Confessions of Faith that include statements on the Bible (Belgic Confession of Faith in 1561, Heidelberg Catechism in 1563, 1646 London Baptist Confession of Faith in 1689, the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy in 1978). You also begin to see statements of faith that begin to address more specific areas of life typically as a response to cultural challenges that were impacting how Christians lived what they believed, such as the Manhattan Declaration published in 2009.

[12] “The early church was strikingly different from the culture around it in this way - the pagan society was stingy with its money and promiscuous with its body. A pagan gave nobody their money and practically gave everybody their body. And the Christians came along and gave practically nobody their body and they gave practically everybody their money.” ― Timothy Keller

Our Plan For Full Indoor Gatherings, October 4, 2020

As COVID stretches on, we - elders, leadership team, staff, and heads of different  ministries in consultation with members of this church and other area pastors - have to make decisions about having our entire corporate meeting experience indoors.

 Since the state gives more freedom to churches than many realize, I want to stress that this plan reflects our team’s plan for our congregation, a plan arrived at after much prayer and hours of conversation amongst ourselves, other church leaders, and many of you in this congregation, who have been both articulate and passionate is expressing a wide range of perspectives. We hear you. We are weighing a lot of things in the balance. 

One of our goals on Sunday Mornings is to provide a corporate service with an environment that feels accessible to as many in our church family as possible, so that as many as possible can have a time of corporate connection. It’s been a long six months; many are feeling the impact of the loss of in-person connection. To the extent that we can create an environment for one corporate hour that feels safe and accessible for those longing to be with other but are concerned about their or their family’s safety, we seek to do so. 

As with so many things in the past six months, our plans will certainly ‘pivot’ at some point. This plan is written in sand, not stone. We fully understand the frustrations associated with COVID-19: we are all feeling it deeply. The ‘groaning” of a fallen world in unmistakable ways.  

May our corporate gathering be an oasis of peace and hope for as many as possible, and may the “grace and peace” that the New Testament writers mention so often reign in our hearts and in our church. 

WEDNESDAY EVENING/SMALL GROUP

October 7 is the day we have scheduled for the start of Wednesday night stuff (AWANA, youth group). Small groups will start up that week as well. The building will be open from 6:15 to 8:00. If you have children in AWANA, we expect at least one parent or caregiver to be in the building during AWANA time. For both youth group and AWANA, we will be watching how TC Christian handles the expectations about social distancing and masks for school age kids. Meanwhile, we plan to have individual room air purifiers for the youth room and for the rooms where small groups meet in the building on Wednesday nights. 

Contact Dan Slater (dslater30@gmail.com) or Emily Slater (Emi.slater@gmail.com) for more info about youth group.

Contact Karl Meszaros (KMeszaros@borideabrasives.com) for more info about AWANA. 

Contact Kim Meszaros (kimberlymeszaros@gmail.com) if you will need nursery on a Wednesday evening.

Contact William Kreuger (returnedprodigal@gmail.com) if you are not already plugged into a small group and would like to be.

SUNDAY MORNING

 On this coming Sunday, October 4th, we move fully indoors.

·      We are planning to continue our one hour service as we have been doing, with no second hour classes at this point. 

·      Kids will go straight to Children’s Church in the Fellowship Hall with Karl when families arrive. Once again, we will be watching how TC Christian handles the expectations about social distancing and masks for school age kids.

·      If you need nursery, let us know. We have a hard time gauging who needs this to happen in order for them to be able to attend and experience church meaningfully. If you need nursery, contact Kim Meszaros. (kimberlymeszaros@gmail.com)

·      We are still strongly encouraging the use of masks when moving around and not being able to maintain ‘social distancing’, like you can when seated during the service. We really want to have a one hour block of time that is as accessible as possible to the broadest group of people. Especially before the service, when a lot of people are moving through shared spaces like the lobby, please be conscientious about this.

·      We will be singing at the end of the service instead of the beginning. NOTE: This means that, at 10:00, we start with announcements, then the message, then singing.

·      As singing is the activity that - of anything we do on a Sunday morning - raises concerns about the spread of aerosols that can hang in the air and build up the ‘viral load’, singing will at this point be shorter, lasting for 10-12 minutes. Masks will be required for those who sing. So if you remain in the gymnatorium for the music, our expectation is that you either sing with a mask or worship quietly. (There will be extra masks available for those who want or need them).

·      The lobby will have the music piped in, and you will be able to see the stage on the TV. The lobby will be a quiet worship space like what has been happening in the gym for the past six months. If you would rather not be in the gymnatorium during the singing, we will be providing some “bumper music” so you can move to the lobby for that time period.

Knowing there is a deep longing in many of you for a time of singing in which the mask is not a frustrating distraction, we are in the process of figuring out what it looks like to offer a time immediately after the service for those comfortable singing in a mask optional environment. We have some creative and determined minds at work :)

“To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— To the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, glory, majesty, dominion, and power, before all time, and now, and to all the ages. Amen.” (Jude 1:24-25)

Jesus: Destroyer of Death; Guardian of the Day (2 Timothy 1:9-12)

 6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. 8 So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God. 

9 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, 10 but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed the idea of death as the end and has brought life and shone the light on immortality through the gospel. 

11 And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. 12 That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day.

I would like to offer a version of this portion of the letter with all the ‘extras’ filled in. The letter was written in a context that is 2,000 years old, with a different language and different culture and different kind of formative world. 

The Bible Project guys like to talk about the Bible being full of all kinds of “hyperlinks” that the original audience would have clicked on in their heads, but which we don’t, often because we don’t even know they exist. It’s hard to see everything that’s going on. As I was reading the commentaries this week with all that kind of information, I though it might be easier to just present this as a letter with all the hyperlinks filled in. 

_________________________________

Timothy, the Holy Spirit gives gifts to the children of God. You, my son, have a supernatural gift – the gift of teaching.  This gift comes as an ember from the Holy Spirit; you must respond by making the right decisions and taking the right actions to fan it into flame.  You aren’t the only one working that gift – that Holy Spirit is the pneuma, the wind, fanning the ember from God’s side, bringing light and life just as it has done since the beginning of the world. Remember - God never commissions anyone to a task without imparting a special gift appropriate to it.[1]

“Fire may be quenched, not only by pouring water upon it, or heaping upon it earth and ashes, but by withholding fuel from it, or even by neglecting to stir it up. (‘Neglect of cultivating the Christian graces, or of prayer, of the Bible, of the sanctuary, of a careful watchfulness over the heart, will do it. Worldliness, vanity…ambition, pride… indulgence in [impure] thought will do it.’[2]) So the enlightening, quickening, renewing, purifying, and comforting operations of the Spirit may be quenched, not only by the commission of known and willful sin, and by immersing our minds too deeply in worldly business, and burdening them with worldly cares, but by omitting to use the private or public means of grace, the fuel provided to nourish this sacred fire, and by neglecting to stir up the gifts and graces which are in us.” [3]

The Spirit God gave us does not intend for us to be timid with the gift that is given. Timothy, my son, you are a teacher who isn’t teaching. You are ashamed to speak boldly about of the testimony of Jesus. When the Spirit of God blows over the embers of a teacher – which it is - and when a teacher fans that ember into flame – which you will -  timidity or shame in talking about the gospel of Jesus Christ is not the result. How do I know this? Because the Holy Spirit brings three very important things to enlarge the gifts of those speaking about Jesus. 

First, the Spirit gives us Resurrection power, the reality of placing our faith in Jesus, who has the power to conquer sin as proven by his ability to conquer death. What can separate us from the love of that kind of God? Nothing.[4] This is the rock that cannot be shaken,[5] the cornerstone, the firm foundation[6] on which our life finds stability and hope. In addition, we have the Holy Spirit, the promised Advocate or Helper who will be with us forever.[7]  You stand on Resurrection power and receive ongoing power to live the gospel and share the gospel in a way that connects with people. God himself is helping you live with gospel integrity and teach with boldness, because He gave you the gift to ‘fan into flame’ for this purpose. When God calls you, He equips you. When God places you in the world on His behalf, He fills you with the power to do what He has called you to do with your flaming ember in your sphere of influence.

Second, the Spirit fills you with agape love. A teacher who offers truth without love is just bringing noise.[8] Love without truth isn’t a great option either, of course. Teachers need both. But because of the nature of agape love and the Savior who embodied it, you know that agape love demands that you be “broken and spilled out” so the truth can be heard in love. You have the power to serve. You have the power to give yourself sacrificially for others. You have the power to bring humility, gentleness and kindness to beautify your life and your message.

Finally, the Spirit gives you a sound mind, the ability to exercise wisdom and self-discipline. You know how passionately I worked not to disqualify myself from the race of an apostle, the race God called me to and prepared me to run.[9] I am passionate about this for you too. This gift is what helps us do two things: live with gospel integrity, and fit our gift to the situation. Listen, your message has God-given power. You have God’s heart of love. And God will help you to wisely read a room or a situation or a person and speak truth appropriately – with boldness and love. 

So, don’t be timid in sharing the testimony about our Lord or of associating yourself with me. God has made you to teach the gospel; don’t deny him like Peter did. God has placed you in his family; don’t deny us. I know persecution will follow when you proclaim - with loving and prudent boldness - that salvation is found in Jesus. For that matter, you will get persecuted when people find out you are associated with me. But if that’s the cost of faithfulness, pay it. You will likely join with me in suffering for the gospel. You can do it by the power of God. 

He who saved us has also called us to this holy life, set apart for his purposes. This isn’t because of anything we have done;  it’s because of his own purpose and grace – a grace that was planned for us before God created the world, a grace that has now been revealed in bodily form through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus.

He has destroyed death, Timothy. He has made death of no effect, because by His resurrection he destroyed the idea that death is the end. Death is a gateway to the life to come. The resurrection of Jesus shone a spotlight on a reality that had been shadowed for too long: the fact that God offers His children an uncorrupted eternal life with joy unspeakable, and full of glory. 

“Before the Gospel revelation from God, [we] had but a glimmering idea of the possibility of a future being of the soul, but not the faintest idea of the resurrection of the body.[10] If Christ were not "the life," the dead could never live; if He were not the resurrection, they could never rise; had He not the keys of hell and death,[11] we could never break through the bars of death or gates of hell.”[12] But now we have been shown what is to come. 

This idea of real, eternal life after death is going to be a hard notion for people to wrap their heads around.

Our Jewish ancestors had a pretty vague idea of life after death in Sheol, right?  They believed in an invisible realm of departed spirits with some kind of distinction between those in misery and those in some kind of joy, but they didn’t really understand what God was truly planning to offer in the world to come.

The Greeks in your church who have gotten saved think that only the gods and maybe some heroes like Hercules can obtain immortality, and half the Romans think they are going to be reincarnated.[13]

You know God has gifted and called me to the Gentiles, so I think there is a way to approach them that might help them understand. 

 They love Socrates, right? At his death, he said, "I hope to go hence to good men, but of that I am not very confident; nor doth it become any wise man to be positive that so it will be. I must now die, and you shall live; but which of us is in the better state, the living or the dead, only God knows." Only God knows. Hmmm. Cicero, when writing about all the different speculations about the afterlife, said, "Which of these opinions is true, some god must tell us.”[14]

And here is where God steps in! God does know, and God has told us. We know Jesus is God because He raised himself from the dead. He knows what happens after death, and he has told us. We will “taste death,”[15] but we know we will be “saved out of death.”[16] That’s why we say with confidence that death has lost its sting.[17] What hurt can it now do to the believer who dies, any more than a wasp, or hornet, or bee, that has lost its stinger? The thing that presented itself as the conqueror of all flesh is now clearly conquered; it claimed what it thought was a victory, but now, O death, where is your victory?[18]

This, Timothy - this revelation of God through Jesus’ loving life, sacrificial death and death-defeating resurrection and the reality of the Kingdom of God both now and in eternity - this is the gospel message to which I was appointed as a herald, an apostle and a teacher. In fact, it’s why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know the one in whom I have trusted. I am convinced that he is able to guard that which He has given to me and I have entrusted to him[19] – not only my soul, but the sacred trust of my commission to be a teacher of the message of the gospel.[20]

God enables us to be faithful to our calling, in spite of the sufferings which attend it, until the day when we are summoned before the throne of God to give a final account for our lives. This has cost me much in "suffering" and persecution, and it will for you too. But don’t be ashamed, Timothy. Don’t be timid. We know the One in whom he believed, and like me you have been persuaded that God is able to guard[21] our souls, our message and our ministry until the day of the Lord,[22] when our fervent but imperfect service will be reviewed, and the grace-saturated kindness of a perfect God will be revealed when we receive our eternal reward.[23]

 __________________________________________________

[1] Guthrie

[2] Barne’s Notes On The Bible

[3] Benson Commentary

[4] Romans 8

[5] Psalm 62

[6] Isaiah 28:16

[7] John 14:16

[8] 1 Corinthians 13

[9] 1 Corinthians 9:27

[10] Acts 17:18, 32

[11] Revelation 1:18

[12] Bishop Pearson, as quoted in  Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

[13] “Some in the Greco-Roman world believed in transmigration of souls or reincarnation after death since it was introduced to the Greeks by Pythagoras in the sixth century b.c. There is, for instance, a famous and vivid passage in Virgil’s Aeneid where Aeneas visits the underworld only to see the souls of the dead as they flit across the river to reinhabit bodies in the world above (Aeneid 6; late first century b.c.). In contrast, the Judeo-Christian worldview is expressed in Hebrews 9:27: “Man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.”  - Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary of The New Testament

[14] Barne’s Notes

[15] John 8:52, Hebrews 2:9

[16] Hebrews 5:7

[17] Hebrews 2:14-15

[18] Paraphrase of Matthew Poole’s commentary

[19] “to keep that which I have committed unto him] R.V. places in the margin the alternative sense, according to its rule when the balance of authority is nearly even, ‘that which he hath committed unto me’; and gives the literal Greek ‘my deposit.’ The genitive of the personal pronoun rendered ‘my’ may be either subjective here or objective; hence the uncertainty, which the context does not clear up entirely.” Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

[20] “There is one deposit which, committed to us by God, we ought to keep, 2 Timothy 1:13; comp. ch. 2 Timothy 2:2, παράθου, commit: there is another which, committed to God by us, and mentioned in this verse, He keeps; and this is indeed our soul, 1 Peter 4:19; comp. Luke 23:46, that is, ourselves and our heavenly portion. Paul, with death immediately before him, had two deposits, one to be committed to the Lord, and another to Timothy.”  Bengel's Gnomen

“The παραθήκη or thing committed to him was the same as that which he had committed to Timothy that; he might teach others (1 Timothy 6:20). It was the form of sound words (2 Timothy 1:13); that which Timothy had heard from Paul (2 Timothy 2:2); that fair deposit (2 Timothy 1:14). It was the gospel to which Paul had been appointed (2 Timothy 1:11); which had been entrusted to him (1 Timothy 1:11; Titus 1:3; comp. 1 Corinthians 9:17; Galatians 2:7; 1 Thessalonians 2:4).“ Vincent's Word Studies

[21] “But what has Paul entrusted to God? The Greek speaks of ‘my deposit’. Some have seen it to relate to what God has entrusted to Paul, i.e. his commission or his doctrine, and this would be in agreement with the use of the same word in v 14. But the preceding passage would be better served by regarding Paul’s ‘deposit’ as something Paul is entrusting to God, i.e. himself and the success and continuation of his mission, everything in fact that is dear to him. The words for that day must refer to the day when Paul knows he must give account of his stewardship. He was living and working in the light of the final day of reckoning, but was sure that he could entrust the result to God. This was intended to bring real encouragement to Timothy.”  – New Bible Commentary

[22] Paraphrase from Expositor’s Bible Commentary

[23] Paraphrase from Believers Bible Commentary

Power, Love And A Sound Mind (2 Timothy 1:7-8)

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, in keeping with the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus, To Timothy, my dear son: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

Timothy, you are constantly in my prayers. Day and night I remember you before God and give thanks to Him whom I serve with a clean conscience, as did my ancestors. Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. 

For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God.

 We talked last week about the first 6 verses. God had given to Timothy a charisma, a spiritual gift.[1] Paul tells him to fan it into flame, a metaphor drawn from the fanning of the embers of a fire.  I suspect that the Holy Spirit takes virtually everything about life and “give gifts” of extraordinary ability to make that part of life an outpost of the Kingdom of God. “Fan these embers into flame.” How do we do this?

·      Identify them (https://spiritualgiftstest.com/spiritual-gifts-test/#gf_7, which also has a personality test. Or https://gifts.churchgrowth.org/spiritual-gifts-survey/. Or 

https://www.lifeway.com/en/articles/women-leadership-spiritual-gifts-growth-service. This isn’t everything on the above list , but it’s a start. 

·      Build them. Study, learn, observe in others.

·      Use them. Like, do stuff! Where do your desires, skills and opportunities intersect?

·      To the glory of God. How does this build the church or make God’s name great in the community?

\This brings us to verses 7-8.

For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God.

This seems like a kindly phrased rebuke, as if Timothy had been timid with the testimony of the Gospel when he should have been bold. This is the only time this form of the word is used in the New Testament, and Strong’s Concordance says it involves “reticence”, which is silence.Timothy was a teacher who wasn’t teaching; based on verse 8, that silence had to do with being ashamed to teach about of the testimony of Jesus and apparently his relationship to Paul. 

So Paul reminds him that when the Spirit of God blows over the embers of a teacher, and when a teacher fans that ember into flame, timidity or shame in talking about Jesus or his relationship with a persecuted Paul  is not result. Why? Because the Holy Spirit brings three very important things to those speaking about Jesus. 

Power. The commentaries are in almost unanimous agreement that this is two things, First, the Resurrection power on which we stand, the reality of placing our faith in Jesus, who has the power to conquer sin as proven by his ability to conquer death. What can separate us from the love of that kind of God? Nothing. (Romans 8) This is the rock that cannot be shaken (Psalm 62), the cornerstone, the firm foundation (Isaiah 28:16) on which our life finds stability and hope.

Second, we see the presence of God descended on Jesus with the imagery of a dove (Luke 3:22; 4:14) and on believers at Pentecost with the imagery of fire (Acts 2:1-13) as the presence of the promised Advocate or Helper who will be with us forever (John 14:16) became clear. 

What happened? Well, in that case, we see 15 people groups confounded that Galileans were speaking in a language they could understand. They said, “What does this mean?” And Peter stood up immediately and preached the gospel. 

God’s people stand on Resurrection power and receive ongoing power to live the gospel and share the gospel in a way that connects with people.

For Timothy, this meant living with gospel integrity and teaching with boldness, because that was his gift ‘fanned into flame’ for this purpose. For you, this means…. Well, that’s something you get to wrestle with. God has given you an ember to fan into flame; God empowers you to that which he has called you. 

When God calls you, He equips you. When God places you in the world on His behalf, He fills you with the power to do what He has called you to do with your flaming ember in your sphere of influence.

I know this involves living with gospel integrity – that’s universal – but for you, this means you will _________ without being timid in using it in a way that as doors open and opportunities arise, it becomes a vehicle for the testimony of Jesus. 

Love.  Love is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:23), without which all we do is as annoying and obnoxious as walking around banging a cymbal (I Corinthians 13). This word for love is, of course, “agape” – the plural, by the way, is “love feast” (remember Jude?) It’s not just a mindset; it’s an action.  

As we walk into the doors that open and the opportunities that arise, we need love. Why? Because truth without love is just noise (see 1 Corinthians 13). Love without truth isn’t a great option either. We need both. Love and truth. And because of the nature of agape love and the Savior who embodied it, we know that this kind of love demands that we be “broken and spilled out” so the truth can be heard. 

 Timothy had the power to teach, but a teacher without love? Think back to your school days. Whether or not you believed a teacher cared about you made a HUGE difference between how impactful that teacher was in your life. They could be the most skilled teacher in the building, but if they were cold or uncaring, you couldn’t wait to get out of their class, and it probably tainted your view of the subject matter being taught. But that teacher that stayed after class, and talked with you about your life, and attended your games…

Our gifts need love.  

A sound mind.  Translations have quite a bit of variety here. A better word is “self-discipline” or “self-control”, another fruit of the Spirit. This is essential first of all so that we do not disqualify ourselves from the race God has called and prepared us to run (1 Corinthians 9:27). It’s what helps us live with gospel integrity. If you are a human being, you know that our own acts of self-discipline have a sketchy history. The promise is that the power of the Holy Spirit lies behind a supernatural strength we would never have on our own to stand firm in the faith.

However, there is more to it. According to Ellicott’s Commentary, 

“sound mind” is “properly, safe-minded, issuing in prudent ("sensible") behavior that "fits" a situation, i.e. aptly acting out God's will by doing what He calls sound reasoning (used only in 2 Tim 1:7).”

 I wonder if Timothy’s timidity had something to do with believing his approach or method wasn’t working.  Paul is building him up: “Listen, your message has power. You have God’s heart of love. And you aren’t stupid. You know to wisely read a room or a situation and speak appropriately.”

I wonder – my speculation – if Paul is reminding him that God will help Timothy with Timothy’s gifts “fit” a situation prudently.  Timothy doesn’t have to witness like anybody else. They do their thing; Timothy does his thing. He doesn’t have to use the same approach or words or system every time. There is no template. The Holy Spirit is creative – like, see Genesis. 

I grew up with a lot of pressure to share the gospel ‘this way’ like ‘that person.’ (“You don’t have the 4 Spiritual Laws memorized? You don’t have that color coded wrist band? You don’t want to knock on doors? Do you even care about the lost???”) I also grew up with the idea – I don’t know if it was taught, but it was absorbed – that there were just some jobs, some talents, some gifts, some personalities – that God likes and uses more than others. If I REALLY wanted to make a difference in the Kingdom, I need to do that other thing in that other way – which usually boiled down to “be like that person over there.”

But I’m not going to stand before God and explain why I didn’t share the gospel like Billy Graham - or you. I have been given an ember that is not like yours. That is the one The Holy Spirit invites me to fan into flame.[2] You have been given an ember that is not like mine. The Holy Spirit invites you to fan it into flame. 

So I don’t need to be just like you. And…. I should not demand you be just like me. What I should do is help you fan your gift into flame. I don’t feel called to do what Sal and Heather do, but I want to fan that into flame in them. They don’t feel called to do what I do, but they have fanned that into flame in me. 

When God gives us the ember of a gift, He wants us to use it in the service of taking the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world.

He gives us power –Not coercive or destructive power, but power that stabilizes and energizes us as we live and spread the Gospel. 

God gives us love. The Gospel lived and spoken from a heart of love is golden.

God gives us a sound mind- prudent sensibility so that our behavior and words fit a situation. Don’t panic. Just be present. You are filled with Resurrection power, and the love of God overflows from you. Live and speak the Gospel on that foundation and with that heart. 

________________________________________________________________

[1] ‘God never commissions anyone to a task without imparting a special gift appropriate to it’ (Guthrie).

[2] “The Holy Spirit works, in those to whom it is given, power, or strength, to fight the fight of God;  power, not only patiently to endure, but also to strike good blows for Christ—the power, for instance, of steadfastness in resisting temptation, the strong will which guides other weaker ones along the narrow way “of love.” It works, too, in those to whom God gives the blessed gift, that strange, sweet love for others which leads to noble deeds of self-surrender—that love which never shrinks from a sacrifice which may benefit the friend or even the neighbor. And lastly, the Spirit works in us “self-control” - that power which, in the man or woman living in and mixing with the world, and exposed to its varied temptations and pleasures, is able to regulate and to keep in a wise subjection, passions, desires, impulses.”[2]

Fan Into Flame The Gift Of God (2 Timothy 1:1-8)

Here’s the setting of Paul’s second letter to Timothy. 

Paul was in prison awaiting execution. Apparently, the congregations from the Roman province of Asia were against him (2 Timothy 1:15). Demas had left for Thessalonica because he ‘loved the world’ more than the gospel; Crescens and Titus were ministering elsewhere (2 Timothy 4:10). To add insult to injury, Alexander the coppersmith had ‘done him great harm’ (2 Timothy 4:14). It’s been rough road on the way to execution.

So, he writes to Timothy. Paul and Timothy first met while Paul was on his second missionary journey. Paul adopted Timothy as a spiritual son (Timothy’s father was a non-believer); it’s clear Paul cares deeply about him, and there is every reason to believe Timothy felt the same.  

This is the letter of a man who does not have much time left. The hum in the background is a sense of urgency to build and guide Timothy in the brief time he has left.  

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, in keeping with the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus, To Timothy, my dear son: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. 

Timothy, you are constantly in my prayers. Day and night I remember you before God and give thanks to Him whom I serve with a clean conscience, as did my ancestors. Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.

For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God.

 God had given to Timothy a charisma, a spiritual gift.[1] Paul tells him to fan it into flame, a metaphor drawn from the fanning of the embers of a fire. 

The gift comes as an ember from the Holy Spirit; we must respond by making the right decisions and taking the right actions to fan it into flame. 

The Spirit enables us for ministry – perhaps we think not only of the gift, but the pneuma (spirit), the wind, fanning the ember from God’s side, as it has done since Genesis 1. But God’s gifts require a response if we want to experience them in their fullness:

1) First we are filled (1 Corinthians 3:16 and 6:10 make clear that when we become part of the temple, the Holy Spirit lives in us. We need to commit our lives to Christ and experience His salvation. See Romans 8:9-11; 2 Timothy 1:14; Galatians 4:6)

2) Second, don’t quench the influence of the Holy Spirit in you (1 Thessalonians 5:19)

3) Third, we fan it into flame.[2] The Holy Spirit can be grieved (Ephesians 4:30), expelled (Psalm 51:11), neglected (1Timothy 4:14). Instead, fan it so the embers become a fire.[3]

What are spiritual gifts? 

There are different manifestations of the Spirit to build up the body and bring glory to God (Isaiah 11:5; I Corinthians 12:1-11).   The Holy Spirit “gives gifts as He will” (I Corinthians 12:7-11), yet we are also instructed to diligently seek the gifts (I Corinthians 12:31, 14:1) We are recipients of gifts because of God’s good grace. Because they are freely given, they cannot be earned, but they must be ‘fanned’.

The gifts must be expressed in love, sincerity, and in an orderly and understandable way (I Corinthians 14:26-33) which honors others above ourselves (I Corinthians 13:1-13; Romans 12:1-10), lest our expression cause others to stumble (1 Corinthians 8).  Every attempt should be made to use the gifts in humility and service, so that we may share the desire of Jesus: that God must increase and we must decrease (John 3:30;15:26; 16:13-14).

These gifts are given to the church to build up, encourage, and comfort the church. They are also far more varied than we often realize. It’s easy to think that there are kind of super gifts that people on pedestals have, but if we look at the entirety of the scriptural presentation, there is a remarkable variety of gifts attributed to God’s good grace. 

o   Prophecy (boldly proclaiming God’s mind and purpose) 1 Corinthians 12, 14; Micah 3:8

o   Serving (a wide variety of ministries that “make the dust fly”) – 1 Peter 4; 1 Corinthians 12:5

o   Teaching (explaining God’s truth) - Romans 12; 1 Corinthians 12; Ephesians 4

o   Working (bringing energy to a project) - 1 Corinthians 12:6

o   Exhortation (motivational skills; encouragement) – Romans 12

o   Giving (joyful, sacrificial generosity) - Romans 12

o   Mercy (compassion) – Romans 12

o   Intercession (prayer) - Romans 8:26, 27

o   Wisdom (knowledge rightly applied to situations) - James 1:5; Numbers 27

o   Words of Wisdom (giving insightful, practical knowledge) – 1 Corinthians 12

o   Words of Knowledge (giving insight into doctrine/spiritual truth) – 1 Corinthians 12

o   Faith (unwavering commitment and trust that God works beyond human capabilities; good at encouraging others to trust in God in the face of apparently insurmountable odds)– 1 Corinthians 12

o   Healing (miraculous interventions for sickness) - 1 Corinthians 12

o   Miracles – (supernatural acts) - 1 Corinthians 12

o   Discerning spirits (insight into the “spirit” of a situation) – 1 Corinthians 12

o   Tongues (gifted in human or heavenly languages) – 1 Corinthians 12, 14

o   Interpretation of Tongues – (translating those languages) 1 Corinthians 12, 14

o   Apostle (in one sense, unique to the founding of the church; the ‘apostolic gift’ is probably best understood now as ‘church planting’) – 1 Corinthians 12; Ephesians 4

o   Leadership (church planters and church sustainers) – Romans 12

o   Pastor (“shepherds” who guide and lead) – Ephesians 4

o   Evangelist/Missionary (boldness in sharing the gospel) - Acts 1:8; 5:32; 26:22; 1 John 5:6; Ephesians 4

o   Helps (helping/serving the poor and downtrodden) - 1 Corinthians 12; 1 Timothy 3:8-13; Romans 16:1-4; 12

o   Administration (the ability to give oversight) - 1 Corinthians 12; 1 Samuel 11 and 16

o   Celibacy (refraining from sex with purity) - 1 Corinthians 7:7

o   Marriage (committing to a covenant with integrity) - 1 Corinthians 7:7

o   Hospitality (openness and friendliness) - 1 Peter 4:9-10

o   Craftsmanship (building, construction) - Exodus 31:3; 35:30-35

o   The Arts (music, poetry, prose, painting…) – Exodus 31:2-6; Exodus 35:25-26; Psalm 150:3-5 Luke 1:1-3

o   Voluntary Poverty (forgoing wealth without envy, jealousy or judgment of others) - 1 Corinthians 13:1-3

o   Business Sense (reward from hard work and investment) -Ecclesiastes 3,5

o   Courage (as seen in Gideon) - Judges 6

o   Strength (as seen in Samson) - Judges 13

o   Architectural Engineering (planning; constructing; building) - 1 Chronicles 28

 Like many lists in the Bible, I suspect this is giving us example after example while not necessarily being exhaustive. Every worked with elementary age students? It’s a gift. If you are a counselor, that’s a gift. If you can raise a large family and keep your sanity, that’s a gift. If you can keep cheering for the Lions… making a house feel like a home…being able to see people on the margins and draw them in….knowing how to diffuse tense situations… I suspect that the Holy Spirit takes virtually everything about life and “give gifts” of extraordinary ability to make that part of life an outpost of the Kingdom of God.

 “Fan these embers into flame.” How do we do this?

Identify them. Start with https://spiritualgiftstest.com/spiritual-gifts-test/#gf_7, which also has a personality test. Or https://gifts.churchgrowth.org/spiritual-gifts-survey/. Or 

https://www.lifeway.com/en/articles/women-leadership-spiritual-gifts-growth-service. This isn’t everything on the above list of gifts , but it’s a start. 

Build them. Study, learn, observe in others. 

Use them. Like, do stuff! Where do your desires, skills and opportunities intersect?

To the glory of God. How does this build the church or make God’s name great in the community?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

My recommendation: take one of the spiritual gifts quizzes. As noted earlier, these aren't exhaustive. Feel free to identify other areas of your life where you believe the Holy Spirit has gifted you to do something really well. Then, talk about what it looks like in your life to “fan into flame” the gifts that you have.

_______________________________________________________________________________

[1] ‘God never commissions anyone to a task without imparting a special gift appropriate to it’ (Guthrie).

[2] “We know that St. Paul frequently uses for his illustrations of Christian life scenes well known among the Greek heathen nations of the Old World, such as the Greek athletic games. Is it not possible (the suggestion is Wordsworth’s) that the Apostle while here charging Timothy to take care that the sacred fire of the Holy Ghost did not languish in his heart, while urging him to watch the flame, to keep it burning brightly, to fan the flame if burning dimly—is it not possible that St. Paul had in mind the solemn words of the Roman law, “Let them watch the eternal flame of the public hearth”? (Cicero, de Legibus, xi. 8.) The failure of the flame was regarded as an omen of dire misfortune, and the watchers, if they neglected the duty, were punished with the severest penalties.” (Ellicott’s Commentary)

[3] “O quench it not, damp it not, in yourself or others, by giving way to any lust or passion, any affection or disposition, contrary to holiness, either by neglecting to do good, or by doing evil. See note on Ephesians 4:30. It is easy to observe that the qualities and effects of the Spirit’s influences are here compared to those of fire. See note on Matthew 3:11. And as fire may be quenched, not only by pouring water upon it, or heaping upon it earth and ashes, but by withholding fuel from it, or even by neglecting to stir it up; so the enlightening, quickening, renewing, purifying, and comforting operations of the Spirit may be quenched, not only by the commission of known and wilful sin, and by immersing our minds too deeply in worldly business, and burdening them with worldly cares, but by omitting to use the private or public means of grace, the fuel provided to nourish this sacred fire, and by neglecting to stir up the gifts and graces which are in us.” Benson Commentary

“In a similar manner the apostle gives this direction to Timothy, "I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up ἀναζωπυρεῖν anazōpurein, kindle up, cause to burn) the gift of God;" 2 Timothy 1:6. Anything that will tend to damp the ardor of piety in the soul; to chill our feelings; to render us cold and lifeless in the service of God, may be regarded as "quenching the Spirit." Neglect of cultivating the Christian graces, or of prayer, of the Bible, of the sanctuary, of a careful watchfulness over the heart, will do it. Worldliness, vanity, levity, ambition, pride, the love of dress, or indulgence in an improper train of thought, will do it. It is a great rule in religion that all the piety which there is in the soul is the fair result of culture. A man has no more religion than he intends to have; he has no graces of the Spirit which he does not seek; he has no deadness to the world which is not the object of his sincere desire, and which he does not aim to have. Any one, if he will, may make elevated attainments in the divine life; or he may make his religion merely a religion of form, and know little of its power and its consolations.” – Barne’s Notes On The Bible

To Him Who Is Able (Jude 1:24-25)

Years ago, Ruth Bell Graham, wife of evangelist Billy Graham, saw a sign by the road: “End of Construction—Thank you for your patience.” She said she wanted those words on her gravestone. She got her wish.  

24 To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— 25 To the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, glory, majesty, dominion, and power, before all time, and now, and to all the ages. Amen.[1]

 James uses the same basic verb for stumbling, patio, to explain "we all stumble in many ways" in James 2:10. This not stumbling carries with it the imagery of  a horse that doesn’t stumble. It’s morally sure-footed people. Isaiah described God as ‘leading Israel “through the depths as a horse in the desert, that they stumble not” (Isaiah 63:13). 

Keep  (phulasso) is what a military guard does. It’s what the shepherds were doing when they were "keeping watch over their flock by night” (Luke 2). The apostates Jude mentioned earlier are kept by God for judgment; saints are kept from stumbling.[2]  Just a couple verses before this, we were reminded to “keep ourselves in the love of God.” So how do both of these work together?  Richard Sims, a Puritan writer, once wrote: 

“As we say of the mother and the child, both hold. But the safety of the child is that the mother holds him.”

It’s not that the child’s grip is unimportant; it’s that one grasps with the strength of a child; the grasp of the other remains fixed. It’s like when you go hiking while holding your child’s hand. When they stumble or waver, we keep them from falling or wandering off the path. They are holding to us for sure, but on their own, their grip would fail. Ours does not. They kept their hand in ours, but we are doing the kind of keeping they can’t possibly do for themselves. 

We need both of these “keeps.” 

• If all we have is “kept by God,” we will prone toward license. If God is keeping me, I can do whatever I want. It’s God’s job, not mine, to keep me from heading toward the fire.

•  If all we have is “keep yourself,” we will be prone to legalism, because it would mean that we are entirely responsible for the stability of our life and the purity of our walk. It’s my job to keep me from heading toward the fire, and I can judge myself and others based on how close we are to getting singed. 

 As we say of God and Christian, both hold. But the safety of the child is that his Heavenly Father holds.[3]  

• Does a GPS analogy work here? (Assume it’s the only game in town that will never fail to take you to your destination.)

• Learning to ride a bicycle? (where only God is strong enough to help or fast enough to keep up with you.)

•  A hero protecting us from a blast? You are in the shadow of the only one who can deflect the blast.)

Eventually, we will be presented before God “without fault” (anegkletos) a legal term that implies not just acquittal, but the absence of even a charge. 

 Bottom line: Jesus has the power to keep and guard us such that our steps are sure in the midst of our feebleness; Jesus has the power to keep us in the light of God’s love in spite of the temptation to seek the shadows of sin; Jesus has the power to present us faultless before the throne. No wonder Jude says:

To the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, glory, majesty, dominion, and power, before all time, and now, and to all the ages.

 * * * * *

 And now, some quotes for meditation.

“Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling... The people of God are liable to falling into temptation, into sin, into errors and mistakes… Adam, in his state of innocence, could not keep himself from falling; nor could the angels, many of whom fell, and the rest are preserved by the grace of God; wherefore, much less can imperfect sinful men keep themselves. They want both skill and power to do it; nor can any, short of Christ, keep them, and it is his work and office to preserve them.

Christ…is every way qualified for it: he is "able" to do it, for he is the mighty God, the Creator and upholder of all things; and as Mediator, he has all power in heaven and in earth…and he is as willing as he is able. It is his Father's will he should keep them, and in that he delights; and as he has undertook to keep them, he is accountable for them. Besides, he has an interest in them, and the greatest love and affection for them…

 And what he keeps them from is, from falling by temptations, not from being tempted by Satan, but from sinking under his temptations, and from being devoured by him; and from falling by sin, not from the being or commission of sin, but from the dominion of it, and from the falling into it, so as to perish by it; and from falling into damnable heresies; and from the true grace of God, and into final impenitence, unbelief, and total apostasy. (Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible, Jude 1:24)

 
Only let us remember ‘Him that is able to keep.’ Able… You may have an engine of ever so many horsepower in the engine-house, but unless the power is transmitted by shafts and belting, and brought to the machinery, not a spindle will revolve. He is able to keep us from stumbling, and if you trust Him, the ability will become actuality, and you will be kept from falling. If you do not trust Him, all the ability will lie in the engine house, and the looms and the spindles will stand idle. 

Now remember that this text follows on the heels of that former text which bade us ‘build ourselves,’ and ‘keep ourselves in the love of God…’ it is not effort only, but effort rising from, and accompanied with, confidence - in God’s keeping hand. There is all the difference between toiling without trust and toiling because we do trust. And whilst, on the one hand, we have to exhort to earnest faith in the upholding hand of God, we have to say on the other, ‘Let that faith lead you to obey the apostolic command, "Stand fast in the evil day . . . taking unto you the whole armor of God."‘

Now that word rendered ‘faultless’ has a very beautiful meaning. It is originally applied to the requirement that the sacrificial offerings shall be without blemish…suggesting at once that they are, as it were, presented before God at last, stainless as the sacrificial lamb; and that they are conformed to the image of the Lamb of God ‘without blemish and without spot…’ 

He is able to do it. What is wanted to make the ability an actuality? Brethren, if we are to stand perfect, at last, and be without fault before the Throne of God, we must begin by letting Him keep us from stumbling here. The Divine manifestation of Himself in the work of redemption is the highest of His self-revealing works. 

 Men are not presumptuous when they feel that they are greater than sun and stars; and that there is more in the narrow room of a human heart than in all the immeasurable spaces of the universe… high above all other works of which we have experience is that miracle of love and Divine power which can not only keep such feeble creatures as we are from stumbling, but can present us stainless and faultless before the Throne of God. (MacLaren’s Expositions on Jude 1:24)

 “In some sense the path to heaven is very safe, but in other respects there is no road so dangerous. It is beset with difficulties. One false step (and how easy it is to take that if grace be absent), and down we go. What a slippery path is that which some of us have to tread! How many times have we to exclaim with the Psalmist, "My feet were almost gone, my steps had well nigh slipped." If we were strong, sure-footed mountaineers, this would not matter so much; but in ourselves, how weak we are! 

In the best roads we soon falter, in the smoothest paths we quickly stumble. These feeble knees of ours can scarcely support our tottering weight. A straw may throw us, and a pebble can wound us; we are mere children tremblingly taking our first steps in the walk of faith, our heavenly Father holds us by the arms or we should soon be down. Oh, if we are kept from falling, how must we bless the patient power which watches over us day by day! 

 Think, how prone we are to sin, how apt to choose danger, how strong our tendency to cast ourselves down, and these reflections will make us sing more sweetly than we have ever done, "Glory be to him, who is able to keep us from falling." We have many foes who try to push us down. The road is rough and we are weak, but in addition to this, enemies lurk in ambush, who rush out when we least expect them, and labor to trip us up, or hurl us down the nearest precipice.

  Only an Almighty arm can preserve us from these unseen foes, who are seeking to destroy us. Such an arm is engaged for our defense. He is faithful that hath promised, and he is able to keep us from falling, so that with a deep sense of our utter weakness, we may cherish a firm belief in our perfect safety, and say, with joyful confidence.

This is how you are to be presented by Christ in glory. There is a great stir in a family when a daughter is to be presented at court, and a great deal is thought of it; but, one day, you and I, who have believed in Jesus, shall be presented to the Father. What radiant beauty shall we then wear when God Himself shall look upon us, and declare us to be without fault;—when there shall be no cause for sorrow remaining, and therefore we shall be presented with exceeding joy! It shall be so, my brother; it shall be so, my sister; therefore do not doubt it.  

How soon it shall be, we cannot tell; possibly, to-morrow. Perhaps, ere the sun rises again, you and I may be presented by Christ “before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy.” We cannot tell when it will be, but we shall be there in his good time. We shall be perfect; we shall be “ACCEPTED IN THE BELOVED;” and, therefore, “unto him be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.”

Revolve in your mind that wondrous word, "faultless!" We are far off from it now; but as our Lord never stops short of perfection in his work of love, we shall reach it one day. The Savior who will keep his people to the end, will also present them at last to himself, as "a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing, but holy and without blemish…" 

 Moreover, the work of the Holy Spirit within us will be altogether complete. He will make us so perfectly holy, that we shall have no lingering tendency to sin. Judgment, memory, will-every power and passion shall be emancipated from the (state of being a slave) of evil. We shall be holy even as God is holy, and in his presence we shall dwell for ever… 

Oh the rapture of that hour when the everlasting doors shall be lifted up, and we, being made meet for the inheritance, shall dwell with the saints in light. Sin gone, Satan shut out, temptation past forever, and ourselves "faultless" before God - this will be heaven indeed! Let us be joyful now as we rehearse the song of eternal praise so soon to roll forth in full chorus from all the blood-washed host…“ (Spurgeon Devotional - "Faultless before the presence of his glory." - Jude 1:24)

THREE QUESTIONS

Rather than three questions, I encourage you to do the following: Read through the extended quotes at the end, one at a time. Allow several minutes of silence afterward as you think and pray. Then, share what stands out to you from the quote. As time allows, do it again. You may be surprised at how God’s truth continues to unfold the longer you meditate on it.

_______________________________________________________________________________

[1] I got loads of help from the website Precept Austin, which quotes a LOT of pastors and theologians intermingled with the comments of the owners of the website. It’s hard to tell sometimes who to cite, so I’m just going to cite the whole thing! Google “Jude 1:24 precept austin.”

[2] 2 Peter 2:9 says the same thing.

[3] Thanks to C. J. Mahaney for this analogy and the application of it.