Thoughts on 2 Timothy – Part 3
2TIM 3:12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
Living godly in Christ Jesus means that you are walking with Him and you are actively working on being a disciple of Jesus in real practical ways. This would mean you are standing out. You must needs be in the world as far as working a job and going shopping for groceries. But you are a pilgrim just passing thru, this world is not your home. This sinful world is not where your affections are. You are laying your treasures up in Heaven and not under your mattress.
You are so different and stand out and because living godly in Christ Jesus also means not being ashamed of the gospel and you are involved in getting the gospel out, and because of that lost sinners will spot you. And they will attack. In some places in the world today they kill Christians only because they believe. Other places being a Christian means jail time or even hard labor camps.
Other places the persecution will take the form of being socially outcast, the loss of benefits, and more difficulty in finding a job. And now in England a Christian can be harassed, arrested and jailed for simply telling the truth about some false religion and for telling the truth about Christianity. Especially if he posts that truth online.
I live in America and thankfully those types of persecutions have not come my way. But the verse says shall suffer persecution. Not can and not maybe but shall. Even in America if you really live for Jesus you will still suffer some persecution. Usually is it shunning from some family member or name calling, and threats. And for some it can mean not getting promoted at work.
As Christians we should not be offended or shocked when someone mocks us. It is actually a good sign that we are living godly in Christ Jesus like we are supposed to.
2TIM 3:12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
2TIM 3:13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.
As time goes on evil men and seducers shall get worse. This will not get better as time goes on. The fact is it will get worse. Other things can and do get better. For example the ability to perform surgery has gotten much better. The Bible does say that knowledge will increase. What will continue to get worse until Jesus comes back is evil men and false teachers. And they will get worse and worse and they will deceive more and more people and they themselves are deceived. They are the spiritually blind leading the blind.
And this is what we are seeing today. Some of the false teaching out there is getting crazier and weirder and even further from the truth of God’s Word. The numbers of false teachers are worse, the craziness of what they teach is getting worse, the distance from the truth is getting worse, and the numbers of those deceived is getting worse.
I believe it will continue to do so until the Lord returns.
2TIM 3:12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
2TIM 3:13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.
2TIM 3:14 But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;
What should our reaction be to persecution and the fact that evil men and deceivers wax worse and worse?
Continue on. Keep on track. Do not let things slip. We are to keep walking with and serving our Lord. Be faithful to Him and His work regardless of what others say or do.
2TIM 3:15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
At the time that verse 15 was written a good amount of the New Testament was still being written. And Paul writes that from a child Timothy has known the Holy Scriptures. It is an obvious reference to the Old Testament.
2TIM 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
Verse 16 says that all scripture is given by inspiration of God. (and from verse 15 we know this includes the O.T.)
All scripture is profitable for doctrine.
All scripture is profitable for reproof.
All scripture is profitable for correction.
All scripture is profitable for instruction in righteousness.
We are not to pick and choose what parts we like or what parts we think are wrong. All scripture is given by inspiration and God gave all of it for a reason.
2TIM 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
The Word of God was given to change us. It is to furnish us unto all good works. Nothing else will accomplish this task. It always amazes me that many think that they can build a church without the Word of God. O they might get numbers with their entertainment.
But entertainment is NOT profitable for doctrine.
Entertainment is NOT profitable for reproof.
Entertainment is NOT profitable for correction.
Entertainment is NOT profitable for instruction in righteousness.
Only the Word of God is!
Entertainment does not furnish us unto all good work. It just feeds the flesh.
So stop entertaining and start preaching if you truly want people to grow and be furnished unto all good work.
This furnishing does not happen overnight. You do not read a few chapters and hear just a few sermons and you are furnished unto all good works. It is a continual growth process. And no one has arrived yet. We all have more growing to do.
That is why no matter how long you have been a Christian and no matter how much you have read the Word of God, you still need to be in The Book.
2TIM 4:1 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;
2TIM 4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
We are to preach the Word. It does not matter if people like it or not. In fact in this day and age more people are going to hate it than like it. Most are not going to endure it. Do not let that get to you. It is to be expected in the age in which we live.
Preachers need to keep reproving people, rebuking them, and exhorting them. He is to do it with all longsuffering and with doctrine.
He needs to stay true to the calling of God. Do not let your preacher give in to the pressure to preach feel good messages. Do not let your preacher give in to the pressure for entertainment. Encourage him to keep on reproving, rebuking, exhorting with doctrine.
And other scripture teaches that the truth is to be given in love. So verse 2 is not justification for mean spirited preaching. Just preach the truth out of a love for Jesus and out of a love for those who hear it. Do not change the Word and do not compromise but there is no need or excuse to be mean.
God’s word is sharp and powerful and the Holy Spirit is the one who will bring the conviction so leave that to Him. Just be faithful to preach and let God work on the hearts.
2TIM 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
If there ever was a day when this has been true, it is today. Many people will not endure sound doctrine. It is not just that they don’t like it. No they will not endure it at all. They will even ridicule men who preach sound doctrine. Doctrine is simply teaching from the Word of God what it says. Instead of hearing preaching and teaching that convicts and demands a decision and a change in their life, they want feel good messages.
2TIM 4:4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
They will turn their ears away from the truth. This results in them being turned unto fables. That is fables plural. There are more than you can count. Two common ones today are they believe the fable that God is ok with Satan’s heavy beat flesh feeding rock-n-roll music in the church house. Another is the fable that God is ok with changing His Holy Word.
What are we to do about it? We need to realize that we are not going to stop it. God said that this day would come. We cannot change everybody else. You cannot force anyone to embrace sound doctrine. All you can do is be true to God’s Word and teach and preach the way God wants you to.
2TIM 4:5 But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.
Paul is telling Timothy to do what Paul himself had done. Paul endured many afflictions. He was stoned and left for dead, he was shipwrecked, and he suffered want. He was attacked and slandered and had people who took a vow to kill him.
And Paul worked at giving people the gospel. When Paul was at Athens the Bible records that Paul was at the market daily talking to people about Jesus. This was not a weekend only type of thing for Paul.
I have seen some preachers who to them the ministry is just a job. They only half believe the bible and put in minimal amount of time in it. I am thinking of one man that only went out to put tracts on doors once a month for about an hour. I pleaded with him and the best I could get out of him was twice a month.
Paul is telling Timothy be like my example, work at it. Take advantage of opportunities and make full proof of the ministry.
2TIM 4:6 For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.
2TIM 4:7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
It should be the desire of all Christians to be able to say the same thing when their life is ending. We should all fight a good fight. We should keep the faith. Paul kept the faith in both belief and in action. Paul had a real practical working faith. And he did not fight the battle for a day or a month or a year, but until the end. Paul finished his course. He did not stop within sight of the finish line. He went all the way to the end.
What a joy it is to see Christians that are 82 years old still working to see souls saved. Their hearts are still on fire for the Lord. That is the way that it should be. Our devotion to the Lord should get stronger with the years and not weaker. Paul finished his course and he says that he will be rewarded for it.
2TIM 4:8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
This crown is not only for Paul. Everyone who fights a good fight and finishes his course will also receive this reward at the judgment seat. May we all strive to follow Paul’s example and fight a good fight all the way to the end.
2TIM 4:9 Do thy diligence to come shortly unto me:
2TIM 4:10 For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia.
2TIM 4:11 Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry.
2TIM 4:12 And Tychicus have I sent to Ephesus.
2TIM 4:13 The cloke that I left at Troas with Carpus, when thou comest, bring with thee, and the books, but especially the parchments.
Paul is in prison and this time it is a death sentence. Persecution is now coming from Rome. A large amount of Rome burned and they blamed it on the Christians. Now comes heavy persecution and soon Christians will be taken to the colosseum to die.
Demas decided that he loved this present world. He did not want to take the chance and die with Paul. So he bailed.
Praise the Lord not all had that attitude. There were Christians who loved Jesus and understood that this world is not our home and they continued in the work. We know from the book of Titus that he continued in the work. And Luke stayed.
And Mark is still staying faithful. And Tychicus Paul sent to work in Ephesus.
And notice even with the end this close Paul asks for Mark to help with the work and Paul asks for the books and parchments. Paul stayed faithful and busy serving Jesus all the way to the end.
This is evidence of the grace of God at work in these men’s lives. The Lord was helping them and strengthening them to continue His work and they did even under heavy persecution.
2TIM 4:14 Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works:
All that Alexander did to Paul is unknown. But rest assured it was pretty bad. The Bible calls it much evil. Being a Christian does not give you a free pass on the attacks of the wicked. The Bible warns us of this.
Joh 15:18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before [it hated] you.
2Ti 3:12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
Some persecution will come so what should our reaction be? We see the answer in verse 14. Paul writes, the Lord reward him according to his works. That is faith. That is knowing that God sees all things, and that He will make sure that justice is done. In His way; in His time. Paul just turned it all over to God. This is the Biblical response.
Rom 12:19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but [rather] give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance [is] mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
We are not to take matters into our own hands. There are many reasons for this. One is that if someone hurts you and you don’t let it go, then the anger and bitterness will eat you up. Instead of that God says give it to me. Two taking vengeance is a bad testimony and dishonors our Lord. Three when we take matters into our own hands it is showing a lack of faith. We are to be obedient and let God handle it. We are to walk by faith and not by sight. When we trust it to God and when we do that honors Him. Four, we don’t have the foresight or the wisdom to properly meet out the right level of judgment or in the right way. But God does. I only quickly mentioned a few reasons. I am sure you can think of more. We should never strike out in vengeance. Instead we should follow the example of Paul. Does this mean that I should not even mention it? No. Look at verse 15.
2TIM 4:15 Of whom be thou ware also; for he hath greatly withstood our words.
It is NOT biblical to strike back in vengeance, but it is biblical to simply warn others. If you know an Alexander the coppersmith, then you should warn those you know. Why? So that they don’t get hurt. What would not be loving is to say nothing and let those you love get hurt by the same person that did evil to you.
2TIM 4:16 At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge.
2TIM 4:17 Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.
2TIM 4:18 And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
When all men forsook Paul the Lord did not. He will never leave nor forsake any of His own. The Lord also strengthened Paul in the hard situation. And God used it for His glory and for His work by using Paul to preach the Gospel.
Paul is now about to be marydered for his faith and Paul has total assurance that the same faithful Lord that stood by him and strengthened him in the past will preserve him unto his heavenly kingdom.
And Paul still has praise on his lips for his Lord and savior, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
2TIM 4:19 Salute Prisca and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus.
2TIM 4:20 Erastus abode at Corinth: but Trophimus have I left at Miletum sick.
2TIM 4:21 Do thy diligence to come before winter. Eubulus greeteth thee, and Pudens, and Linus, and Claudia, and all the brethren.
2TIM 4:22 The Lord Jesus Christ be with thy spirit. Grace be with you. Amen.
Paul is a great example to us of Loving God and Loving the lost and loving the brethren all the way to the end.
See more lessons from 2 Timothy