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2nd Timothy chapter 2. Remember 
that in 2nd Timothy chapter 2 the Apostle Paul gives a series of 
commands to Timothy. Timothy as a minister of the 
gospel, obviously in the first century context as he ministers 
in the church, in Ephesus. But nevertheless, what this says 
concerning Timothy is to be true of the church of all ages. There 
is a bit of a shift in terms of the focus. In verses 1 to 
13, the emphasis seems to be on Timothy's ministry relative 
to external situations. In other words, Timothy is to 
endure hardship. Timothy is to be the faithful 
minister. As described in this passage, 
what seems to be indicated is that it's dealing with those 
outside. When we get to verses 14 to 26, 
The emphasis is primarily on how Timothy conducts himself 
in the church with reference to the presence of heresy. The 
whole idea in verses 14 to 26 is what Timothy is supposed to 
do in the midst of a church that is plagued with heresy. Some 
of that heresy is mentioned here specifically by way of Hymenaeus 
and Philetus. The whole section or the whole 
thrust seems to be on that issue. What happens in the church of 
God? How is the minister of God to function when heresy penetrates 
that church and the people of God are starting to give some 
sort of ear to those things? So that's what 14 to 26 take 
up. George Knight says, this half 
of the chapter continues Paul's exhortations to Timothy but now 
in the context of false teachers and false teaching, rather than 
in the context of the non-Christian world, as has been primarily 
the case up to this point. So a most important section of 
scripture as well, when we consider the fact that heresy is prevalent, 
false doctrine, false teaching, it's unfortunate, but there are 
those who distort the truth, there are those, as Paul says 
in Galatians 1, who want to pervert the gospel of free and sovereign 
grace. They do this in a whole myriad 
of ways. Some deny the deity of Christ, some deny the triunity 
of God, some deny salvation by grace through faith in Jesus 
Christ. In this particular instance here 
in Ephesus, there were those or there were some who taught 
that the resurrection had already passed. And so whatever the flavor, 
these instructions or these commands will help steady the minister 
of Christ as he functions in a situation like this. So I'll 
just read verses 14 to 26 and then our focus tonight will be 
on verses 14 and 15. Remind them of these things, 
charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to 
no profit, to the ruin of the hearers. Be diligent to present 
yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, 
rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and idle 
babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness. and their 
message will spread like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are of 
this sort, who have strayed concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection 
has already passed, and they overthrow the faith of some. 
Nevertheless, the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal. The Lord knows those who are 
his, and let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from 
iniquity. But in a great house, there are 
not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and 
clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore, if anyone 
cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, 
sanctified and useful for the master, prepared for every good 
work. Flee also youthful lusts, but 
pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace, with those who call 
on the Lord out of a pure heart. but avoid foolish and ignorant 
disputes, knowing that they generate strife. And the servant of the 
Lord must not quarrel, but be gentle to all, able to teach, 
patient in humility, correcting those who are in opposition. 
If God perhaps will grant them repentance so that they may know 
the truth and that they may come to their senses and escape the 
snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his 
will. Amen. Well, again, let us seek 
the face of God in prayer. Our Father, we come now to the 
Scripture and we pray for the Spirit to guide our thoughts. 
Lord, we pray for churches as a whole and for ministers of 
the Gospel and those who aspire to Gospel ministry, that they 
would take seriously the commands laid out in 2 Timothy chapter 
2. To grant us each and every one 
grace to receive these things and to see the importance of 
the Word of Truth. God, over and over and over again 
in the Scriptures, we are told how necessary the Bible is. Help 
us not to forsake it in our daily lives. Help us not to forsake 
it when it comes to the Lord's Day gatherings, but help us to 
buy the truth and to sell it not. Help us to see the value 
of the Word of God is far more excellent than many rubies or 
gold pieces or silver. Grant us grace to receive with 
glad hearts these things, by the power of your Holy Spirit. 
And we pray this through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. So as 
I said, the broader context in verses 14 to 26 is Timothy's 
duty in regard to false teachings. Specifically, what we have is 
in verses 14 and 15, the emphasis is upon Timothy reminding the 
people of God concerning the things that they are to be reminded 
of. Then Paul highlights the emphasis 
upon Timothy himself in verse 15 on how he is to pursue diligence 
in the Christian ministry. In verses 16 to 18 there is a 
specific duty to reject heresy and an example of the heresy, 
we might call this today hyper-preterism or the idea that the resurrection 
has already occurred. You might wonder how in the world 
could somebody have ever thought that? Well it was also heresy 
that had taken hold at the church in Corinth in 1 Corinthians Chapter 
15, for instance, Paul's whole treatment there is with regard 
to those who deny the reality of a resurrection. So this whole 
idea of resurrection in Corinth was denied by some, and here 
in Ephesus was already realized by others. And then interestingly 
enough, in verses 19 to 21, this is an encouragement that the 
heresy will not ultimately overtake the church. Very often when we 
hear of heresy and we see its prevalence, we get fearful. We 
ought to be cautious, we ought to be on the guard, we ought 
to be on the lookout, but we ought never to forget Matthew 
16. Christ has promised to build His church and the gates of hell 
shall not prevail against it. So even in the midst of a Hymenaeus 
and a Philetus, even in the midst of a defection from the truth 
of the resurrection, Paul is able to tell Timothy, nevertheless, 
the solid foundation of God stands having this seal. The Lord knows 
those who are His, and let everyone who names the name of Christ 
depart from iniquity. So the presence of heresy in 
the church does not shake God. It does not throw God off of 
His throne. It does not cause God to have 
to enact a plan B or some sort of a response on how to treat 
it or deal with it. And then in verses 22 to 26 there 
are specific exhortations for Timothy as the Lord's servant. So that's a more detailed overview 
of the section. Let's look at verses 14 and 15. 
Notice first Timothy's responsibility to remind others. Timothy's responsibility 
to remind others. Paul tells Timothy very clearly 
in verse 14, remind them of these things. Now it's interesting, 
the verb is a present tense. This means it is a continual 
activity. There ought not to be a time 
where Timothy is not doing this. In other words, Timothy's goal 
or Timothy's function or Timothy's focus or purpose is not simply 
to entertain. It's not at all to entertain. 
It's not just to be a nice guy, but rather he is to remind the 
people of God of the truth of God. Repetition is absolutely 
crucial in the Christian faith. Philippians chapter 3 and verse 
1, the Apostle Paul says, Me to write the same things to 
you is not tedious, but for you it is safe. And then in 2 Peter 
chapter 3 and verse 1, repetition is a reality because at times 
the people of God don't always get it on the first go-around. 
And even if we do get it on the first go-around, we need reminding. 2 Peter 3, 1, Beloved, I now 
write to you this second epistle. in both of which I stir up your 
pure minds by way of reminder." So Timothy is to remind them. And if we ask the question, who 
are them? Or rather, who are they? It's 
a little bit difficult to nail down with precision. Notice that 
the word is supplied. It's contained in the verb, so 
it's supplied here in the translation. Remind them of these things. Now the two views is that it's 
the church as a whole. And certainly Timothy would need 
to remind the church as a whole of these things. But in the context, 
it could be the faithful men that have been identified by 
the church according to verse 2. And if that's the case, then 
the passage is structurally brilliant. Because in verse 1 of chapter 
2, Paul says, Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 
So he's telling Timothy what he must do as a minister of the 
gospel. And then in 3-13, he amplifies 
that, expounds that, and applies it to Timothy in his pursuit 
of being strong. And then in verse 2 he says, 
"...and the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, 
commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others 
also." And then verses 14-26 amplify that. So when we get 
to verse 14 and Paul says, "...remind them of these things." It could 
be the case that these are other elders. It could be the case 
that these are other leaders. And the reason why we might see 
that is because he says, "...charging them before the Lord not to strive 
about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers." You 
see, the men that Timothy is to remind are the men that are 
to be charged before the Lord not to engage in a war of words 
because that will ruin the hearers. It will ruin the ones who hear 
the men that are battling with words instead of proclaiming 
the truth of the Holy Gospel. Either way, the emphasis is obviously 
clear. Timothy was to be a man who reminded 
both the church and he reminded church leaders concerning these 
things. And if we ask the question, what 
are these things? I think the context accurately 
or adequately supplies the answer. It is gospel truth. It is the 
reality of what we find in chapter 2, verses 11 to 13. If we died with Him, we shall 
also live with Him. If we endure, we shall also reign 
with Him. If we deny Him, He also will 
deny us. If we are faithless, He remains 
faithful. He cannot deny Himself. There 
is gospel truth in chapter 2 at verse 8, when he is told to remember 
Jesus, the seed of David, the one who was raised on the third 
day. In other words, Timothy, your job is to remind. Again, 
present tense. This is to be a continual exercise. This is to mark your ministry. 
This is what identifies you as a man of God, is that you remind 
them of these things. You preach the truth. You teach 
the truth. You set forth the gospel. You 
proclaim the glory of Christ. You never tire. You never shrink 
back. You never stop. You faithfully 
plod on in this particular thing so that the people of God will 
be benefited, will be helped, and will be kept from ruin. Because that's what's in view 
as we consider the end of the verse. Notice specifically, or 
actually let me just quote Calvin on these things. He says, it 
means that the summary of the gospel which he gave and the 
exhortations which he added to it are of so great importance 
that a good minister ought never to be weary of exhibiting that. The good minister never gets 
tired of preaching the good truth. The good minister doesn't ever 
say, well, we've done that already. Now we're going to juggle before 
the people of God. We spent a lot of time in this 
particular pursuit of truth. Now I'm going to bring in some 
ponies and we're going to have some real fun. That is never 
an option for the man of God. He's not to repel in. He's not 
to juggle daggers. He's not to engage in the sort 
of foolishness that goes on. Rather he is to faithfully exhibit 
the truth of the gospel. Calvin goes on, for they are 
things that deserve to be continually handled and that cannot be too 
frequently repeated. Beautiful. They cannot be too 
frequently repeated. It is the word of truth. We were 
struck by this the other night. We were reading a prayer letter 
from Pastor Cole in California. Pastor Cole found out he's got 
cancer. Pastor Cole has had treatment 
for that cancer. It's brain cancer, I seem to 
recollect, and he's got like six or seven years left. He said, 
you know, interestingly enough, as I got my diagnosis and I started 
treatment, I was in the epistle of 1 Peter. And what a comfort, 
what a benefit, what a balm to my soul. Peter, of course, is 
writing to suffering saints. You see, the people of God throughout 
the ages of the church have always gained strength, comfort, and 
encouragement from the Scriptures. You see, this is God's means. 
This is God's purpose. This is God's plan to reveal 
the glory of God and the salvation of sinners by Jesus Christ to 
the elect. God gives us that word to feed 
our souls. God gives us that word to be 
encouraged. God gives us that word to be 
strengthened. God gives us that word to be 
refreshed, so that if, say, we do sin, if, say, we do engage 
in things that are not righteous, we go back to the Psalter, we 
rehearse Psalm 130, verses 3 and 4, we rejoice with the psalmist 
who said, if you, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who 
could stand? But there is forgiveness with 
thee that thou mayest be feared. We feed our souls on the truth 
of God. We turn to Psalm 25 11. Pardon 
my iniquity, O Lord, for it is great. What do you do when you've 
sinned greatly against the Lord God Almighty? You confess it 
to the Lord God Almighty and you plead the merits, the mercies 
and the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. You see, the Christian 
life, in many respects, is simply not rocket science. You are to 
pick up the Bible, you are to read it. You are to find churches 
where the Bible is expounded and explained and applied. You 
are to find a church where the scriptures are the centerpiece 
and where they are taken seriously. And when you find that, you are 
to grow, you are to endure, you are to persevere. Timothy was 
to remind them of these things, and notice the specific manner, 
charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to 
no profit, to the ruin of the hearers. The charge is a solemn 
one under God. Now consider this for a moment. 
If it is the leaders of 2 Timothy 2.2, which one of the difficulties 
with that view is that the leaders had not yet been identified. 
I mean, Paul's telling Timothy to do this. The supposition is 
that they're not there yet. The idea that they are telling 
those or there are those who are hearing them seems to tilt 
the argument in its favor in my book. Nevertheless, consider 
this. They are charged before the Lord. 
What does that bespeak? It bespeaks accountability and 
responsibility. And let's just broaden it a little 
bit. If it's not just the church leaders, but remind them, the 
church as a whole, of these things. Charging them before the Lord 
not to strive about words to no profit. You see, God doesn't 
want you to do that. God doesn't want you to study 
heresy. God doesn't want you to dip your 
toes into a heretical pond. God does not want you to get 
near it. God calls you to study the truth. The best inoculation against 
heresy and against false teaching is to so know the truth. The 
best way to spot the counterfeit bill is to so know the true bill. The best means by which you can 
protect yourself is to study the things that Timothy reminds 
you concerning. He says, charging them before 
the Lord not to strive about words to no profit. The idea 
here is that there are words that are really useless. The 
confession, the London, the second London confession, what did they 
say? We have no desire to clog religion with words. We have 
no desire to multiply words in a way that would clog religion. 
We just want to emphasize the vitals of the Christian faith. 
This is what's so beautiful about a confession of faith. It's precise, 
it is clear, and it is concise. It just gives you the confession 
of the Church throughout the ages. The idea specifically is 
that there are things that do not matter. There are things 
that detract from the truth of God. And the Apostle Paul tells 
Timothy, charging them before the Lord not to strive about 
words to no profit. Calvin says, when any person 
comes to the sermon, this is from his sermon on this passage. When any person comes to the 
sermon, let it not be to hear something that tickles the ears 
or that gives pleasure." I wonder if he wants you to just grimace 
the whole time. This is miserable. The more miserable, 
the better? I don't think that's what he 
means. Don't seek out those things that tickle your ears or that 
give you pleasure. You want pleasure, don't find 
a gospel-preaching truth, a gospel-preaching church, rather. He says, actually, 
you should. That should be your pleasure. 
It should be the joy of the Christian to receive the truth of God. 
Do you understand what he's saying? Let it not be to hear something 
that tickles the ears or that gives pleasure, but let it be 
to make progress in the fear of God. That's a good way to 
start your Lord's Day. Lord God, send the Spirit. So 
bless the preaching of the Word that I may progress in the fear 
of God, that I grow, that I move forward, that I advance, that 
I don't stagnate, but rather that I thrive and flourish under 
the gospel ministry. He says, let it be to make progress 
in the fear of God and in humility, and to excite to prayer, and 
to confirm him in patience. If we have heard an exhortation 
today, and if tomorrow it is repeated to us, let us not think 
that this is superfluous. Let us not be annoyed at it. 
For every person who carefully examines this subject will find 
it to be highly necessary for him to be reminded of the lesson 
which he had learned. that he may practice it well. 
If, therefore, God refreshes our memory with it, he has conferred 
on us a great favor." So charging them before the Lord not to strive 
about words to no profit, and note the end, to the ruin of 
the hearers. You see, there are some things 
within evangelicalism and the reformed community that will 
differ on. There are disagreements, there are legitimate intramural 
debates. There are those who believe X, 
there are those who believe Y, there are those who believe Z. 
And if they are on non- crucial or non-essential matters, that 
is perfectly acceptable. But there is a form of preaching 
and a form of teaching that actually brings ruin to the hearers, that 
actually brings damnation to the soul. And when we understand 
this idea of the ruin of the hearers, It's not that they won't 
have their full potential in this life. The ruin in view isn't 
that they'll have a bad week. The ruin in view is an eternal 
casting away from the presence of God and the Lamb who sits 
upon the throne. The church is tasked with preaching 
the truth, administering the sacraments, and exercising discipline. In the pressing of that first 
one, in the proclamation of the truth, it is to be accurate. 
It is to be truth. It is to be that which helps 
the soul and not brings ruin to the soul. Dill says, with 
reference to this idea of ruining the soul, the confusing of their 
minds. Now, I imagine there's going 
to be confusing things in any sermon. I imagine that. Believe 
me, I know that. But for the most part, the message 
should be clear. For the most part, the people 
of God ought to be instructed. At least at some point, they 
ought to be pointed to the cross. Some point along the way they 
need to be reminded of the gospel of free and sovereign grace. 
It ought never to be the case that a Unitarian or a Jew or 
a other type of religion can come to a Christian church and 
not be provoked to an uncomfortable state. It ought not to be the 
case that someone who believes in a monotheism can come and 
be comfortable in a Christian monotheistic setting. In other 
words, we need to press the truth claims of God Most High in the 
Gospel, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and their 
work of salvation for sinners. Confusion is something that is 
a byproduct of heresy and error. He says, the confusing of their 
minds, misleading their judgments, and overthrowing their faith. 
And therefore, we're not only unprofitable, but hurtful and 
pernicious, and by all means to be avoided. Calvin commenting 
on the fact that there's this solemn charge before the Lord. 
Again, consider that. You're being solemnly charged 
before the Lord not to waste your time on error, not to waste 
your time on heresy, not to waste your time to strive about words 
to no profit. But you are rather charged to 
pursue those things which are most important, and that charge 
comes under the auspices of our sovereign God. Calvin says, Solemn 
charging before the Lord is intended to strike terror. And from this 
severity we learn how dangerous to the church is that knowledge 
which leads to debates, that is, which disregards piety and 
tends to ostentation. Now, Paul is not condemning the 
pursuit of theological truth. Paul is not necessarily condemning 
debate. Paul is not condemning the Westminster 
Assembly. Paul is not condemning the ARBCA 
General Assembly that's coming up in April. There's going to 
be some rather spirited debate that takes place in that venue. 
That is a pursuit of cardinal truth. If we do not have a proper 
doctrine of God, if we do not have an understanding of who 
God is in His essence, in His being, as He reveals Himself 
in Holy Scripture, that is most crucial. We are not going to 
engage in a spirit of debate on whether we have the Blue Trinity, 
or whether we have the Red Trinity Hymnal. That is simply unimportant. So Paul is not condemning the 
pursuit of the truth. He is not condemning synods. 
He is not condemning general assemblies. He is not condemning 
some healthy discussion among the brethren. That's not what's 
in view. But it is chasing down the shadows 
of a Hymenaeus and a Philetus who are saying that the resurrection 
has already passed. Do not strive about that kind 
of useless dogma. Do not waste your time. When 
Jehovah's Witnesses come to your door, you ought to have the mindset 
that you're not going to reinvestigate whether or not Jesus is God. That is a settled, fixed conviction. When the Jehovah's Witness comes 
and says, let's talk about the Trinity, I hope you don't stop 
everything you're doing in your life and restudy the doctrine. That is a settled, fixed conviction. Brethren, we need to operate 
from that vantage point. We ought not to strive about 
words to no profit to the ruin of the hearers. We ought not 
to waste our time. The days are evil. The time is 
short. Let's get about the presentation 
of the gospel of the free and sovereign grace of our ever-blessed 
God. This is what Paul is exhorting 
Timothy. Not, do not debate. Not, do not 
talk. Not, do not pursue theological 
rigor, but rather don't waste your time with men like Hymenaeus 
and Philetus. Don't waste your time with deniers 
of the Trinity. Don't waste your time. Now again, 
James White debates deniers of the Trinity. There's a calling. 
There's a place for that, absolutely. For the most of us, we'd have 
to quit our jobs and just read James White's books and do that 
sort of a thing. Don't waste time. Now notice, 
secondly, so here's what Timothy is to do externally. He is to 
remind others. He is to remind them of these 
things. But notice what Timothy is supposed 
to do in terms of his own calling, in terms of his own life, in 
terms of his own ministry. In many respects, we saw this 
in 1 Timothy 4, verses 6 to 16. Timothy is to remind by charging, 
but he also must look after himself. He must see that he is not an 
island unto himself. He must see that he functions 
under God. He must see that he is responsible 
to that same Word of God that all the people he is reminded 
are under. Remember Lloyd-Jones saying in 
his Preaching and Preachers, something to the effect, do not 
as a minister study your Bible for sermons. Now some people 
object to this whole idea and of course in the study of the 
Bible in devotions you're going to get sermons and there is some 
overlap. Lloyd-Jones' point was you need 
to study the Bible for food. You need to feed your own soul. 
You need to grow. You need to learn. You need to 
thrive. You need to be under that word. I heard Sinclair Ferguson 
recently, it was about a 20 minute, or maybe it wasn't the Sinclair 
Ferguson thing. I tend to think that it was. 
Somebody asked him, I think, unless I'm totally wrong, maybe 
Hans can correct me. But somebody asked him about 
lessons that he had learned over 40 years of ministry. If you've 
not heard Sinclair Ferguson, sermonaudio.com, you're in for 
a treat. Very faithful man of God, excellent 
preacher. One of the things that he had 
mentioned, I think it was him, please, again, forgive me. Somebody 
recently in my hearing said this, that the man of God is as much 
under the word of God that he preaches as are the people that 
he preaches to. In other words, the man of God 
just doesn't come and facilitate this whole experience. The man 
of God is under the self-same word that he is preaching while 
he is preaching it. It is as much an act of worship, 
it is as much an act of reception, it is as much as it is for those 
who are sitting under it. The man of God faithfully preaching 
the Word is as under that Word as are everybody else. And this is Paul's point with 
reference to Timothy in verse 15. Timothy, if you're going 
to remind them of these things, if you're going to combat heresy 
in the context of the local church, if you're going to endure hardship 
as a good soldier of Christ Jesus, you cannot do this in your own 
strength. Timothy, you need to be a man 
of God that is defined in this way. First, he is to be diligent 
in his Christian ministry. Notice what the apostle says, 
be diligent to present yourself. Be diligent, not be lazy, not 
be hesitant, not be a slug, not be a sluggard, but rather be 
diligent. The King James gives a good gloss, 
study to show thyself approved. The verb means to give diligence. It contains the notion of a persistent 
zeal. What's the point? In order to 
continually remind people of these things, Timothy, you need 
to be a diligent man. You need to be persistently zealous. 
You need to make sure that there is no room for the devil to get 
in there and upset your walk before the Lord and make his 
way into the life and context of the Church. Timothy, be diligent 
in these things. The Christian ministry is not 
fulfilled by lazy men. Rather, like the farmer of verse 
6. Paul, I think, is bringing some 
of those ideas back to bear upon Timothy. Remember, the farmer, 
the hard-working farmer, must be first to partake of the crops. He is a diligent man. The soldier 
is a devoted man. The athlete is a disciplined 
man. Should the gospel minister be anything less? Is their calling 
and is their tasking and is their particular responsibility any 
less? What we need are men that are 
diligent in the Christian ministry, because they need to be able 
to set forth gospel truth, and they need to be able to refute 
those who contradict. Notice, secondly, what Paul says, 
the pursuit of God's approval in the Christian ministry. This 
is absolutely crucial and imperative. This is absolutely necessary. 
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God. That's it. Not approved to men. Not the 
most popular, not the most celebrated, not the most recognized. Not with, you know, people wearing 
t-shirts of your face on their shirt, unless you're from the 
17th or 18th century. Then they can wear shirts. But 
a modern living preacher shouldn't have his big mug on somebody's 
shirt. You are striving, Timothy, to 
be diligent, to present yourself approved to God. You see, you 
cannot kowtow to men. You cannot be subject to men. 
You don't disregard men, you don't treat men like dogs, you 
don't forget about men, but rather you do not seek your approval 
from men, you seek your approval from God Most High. The chief 
design behind this imperative is the idea that on that great 
day, when the man of God stands before his God, the Lord God 
says, well done, good and faithful servant. You didn't give the 
people what they want, You preach to the people what they needed. 
In 2 Timothy chapter 4, there is a class of men who will let 
themselves be heaped up, who will let themselves be those 
facilitators who live to tickle the ears of others. The apostle 
says to Timothy, be diligent, study to show thyself approved 
unto God. Calvin said, indeed, there is 
nothing that tends more to check a foolish eagerness for display 
than to reflect that we have to deal with God. That's what 
it's about. Pray for Pastor Cam, pray for 
Pastor Butler that this will describe us. Be diligent not 
to court the favor of men. Again, we ought not to repel 
men. We ought not to, you know, breathe mean things on you and 
offend you with our bodily odors and just be those horrible brutes 
that just stay away from me. But it ought not to be about, 
I'm going to tailor the message so that they'll really like me. 
I'm not going to say this because that might offend this one. I'm 
going to pare off this rough edge because, you see, people 
don't like rough edges today. I am going to change it up just 
enough to hopefully keep myself out of hell, but not to upset 
the apple cart. In our modern environment, it's 
going to be the case that if we preach against homosexuality, 
people are going to be offended. We're going to offend the lesbian, 
gay, and bisexual, and transgender people. Well, brethren, if the 
cross of Christ offends them, praise God. That's what they 
need. And if we need to be offended by that reality, then so be it. 
The man of God who bows down to cultural norms and pressures, 
the man of God who sees more fear about saying something before 
the people of God, that man does not belong in the pulpit. What 
God calls men of God to is to faithfully preach His Word. Are we supposed to think that 
faithfully preaching His Word is always going to meet with 
receptivity on the part of sinners? Is it always going to be the 
case that everything we hear is going to be like, wow, that's 
great? No, there's things that upset us. There's things that 
hurt. Faithful are the wounds of a 
friend. The man does not shrink back from declaring the whole 
counsel of God. It is the approval of God that 
the faithful man of God pursues. And then thirdly, notice what 
he says. You need to be a worker who does not need to be ashamed. A worker who does not need to 
be ashamed. Paul oftentimes speaks of the 
Christian ministry as a work. as a labor, as something to toil 
in. Colossians 1, 28 and 29 is a 
very well-known passage. He says, him we preach, warning 
every man and teaching every man in all wisdom that we may 
present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. To this end I also 
labor, striving according to his working which works in me 
mightily. The idea here, specifically involved, 
is the maintenance of a clear conscience as a workman before 
God. I suspect that if you worked 
in a bank and you were lining your pocket with the bank's money 
in an unauthorized way, as you walked past the bank manager, 
your heart would probably go like this, unless you're just 
a calloused, terrible criminal. For the most of us, if we were 
engaged in some sort of treachery against our boss, it would affect 
us. You know that your boss is paying 
you to work 8, 9, 10 hours a day, you're not going to sit around 
and twiddle your thumbs without a degree of guilt. You say, the 
man's paying me, I've got to get to it. The same is true here. If a man is not doing his job, 
if a man is not seeking approval from his God, if a man is not 
being diligent to present himself approved unto God, a worker who 
does not need to be ashamed, probably he's living in perpetual 
guilt. Probably his conscience is bloodied 
and defiled. Probably the reality is that 
he fears going to prayer rather than seeking the Lord in prayer 
because he knows that things are not right. And then notice 
finally, with reference to the means of compliance here, how 
is Timothy to be diligent, to present himself approved to God? 
How is Timothy going to be a worker who does not need to be ashamed? 
It's explained at the end of verse 15, rightly dividing the 
word of truth. This is the means by which Timothy 
is diligent to show himself approved unto God. This is the means by 
which Timothy is an unashamed workman. Why? Because he handles 
accurately the word of truth. What's the emphasis of the underlying 
thought here? This is the primary calling of 
the gospel minister. You cannot read 1 Timothy, 2 
Timothy, and Titus, and come out on the other side and think 
that the job of the minister is first and foremost a CEO. 
Or to think he's just a ringleader. Or just think that he's the spirit 
of the, what do they call those things in the high school, to 
rally up the troops, a spirit rally, or whatever they call 
those things. trying to think of what was pep rally the pep 
rally leader right that is not the task of the minister His 
job is not simply to bring you vision. His job isn't simply 
to bring you comfort. His job isn't simply to come 
and make everything feel good. His job is to preach the gospel, 
to set forth the whole counsel of God. The means by which Timothy 
is going to be diligent to present himself approved to God, a worker 
who does not need to be ashamed, is because he's rightly dividing 
the word of truth. That is his calling, that is 
his emphasis, that is what it's about. The word used is an interesting 
one, this idea of rightly dividing. It comes from two Greek words 
and it means literally straight cut. Straight cut. We have rightly dividing here 
in the New King James and in the King James. It was used as 
a metaphor with the idea of plowing a straight furrow, or of a road 
foreman making his road straight, or a mason squaring and cutting 
a stone to fit its proper place, or the cutting of a sacrifice 
or household food. So the emphasis in the past has 
been upon the idea of cut. Most of the modern consensus 
is that the emphasis is upon the straight. Listen to Calvin. Gil sounds 
the same in his commentary. I wonder if Gil co-opted Calvin's 
thoughts here, in terms of the older idea of dividing it up. 
He says, but Paul, this is Calvin, assigns to teachers the duty 
of dividing or cutting, as if a father, in giving food to his 
children, were dividing the bread by cutting it into small pieces. 
Now, probably there's a conglomeration of thought carried by this particular 
word. The emphasis, I think, is captured 
well in the ESV, rightly handling the word of truth, or in the 
NASB, handling accurately the word of truth. If that's what 
is the connotation in our rightly dividing the word of truth, then 
by all means, we keep that and adopt that and hold on to that. 
The idea here is straight. The idea here is accuracy. The 
idea here is faithfulness. And so Timothy will be a diligent 
man, approved unto God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed. 
Not because he's a great guy. Not because he's a popular guy. Not because he's a nice guy. 
Not because he's gregarious. but because he handles accurately 
the word of truth. That is the measure of a gospel 
minister. Of course, their life needs to 
be consistent. There needs to be a conduct that 
is worthy of the gospel. We ought to emphasize life and 
the ministry of the word. So often, brethren, we judge 
men based on their kindness. There's a lot of kind people 
out there. They don't belong behind pulpits, 
necessarily. We need men that rightly divide 
the word of truth, that rightly handle the word of truth, that 
handle it accurately. Gill says concerning this statement, 
it requires great care that a man take heed to himself and to his 
doctrine and great industry and application and much reading, 
meditation and prayer. You see, that is the means, or 
those are means, by which a man will rightly divide the Word 
of Truth. So brethren, pray for us. Pray 
for Pastor Porter, pray for myself, that we would be 2 Timothy 2, 
14 and 15 men. That we would remind you of Gospel 
Truth. That we would set before you 
the whole counsel of God. That we would expound accurately 
the Word of Truth. that we would give you 16 ounces 
to the pound biblical truth. As well, pray that we would be 
diligent men, not lazy men, not sluggardly men, not slothful 
men, but men who are diligent that present themselves approved 
to God. The best thing that you can have 
in gospel ministers are men who seek the favor of God over your 
favor. Men who seek the smile of God 
over your approval, because that ultimately is what will benefit 
you the most, is when the man of God is courting the favor 
of God upon his ministry. As well, pray that we will be 
workers who do not need to be ashamed. Men who can stand and 
men who with a clear conscience can stand before God on that 
day and say, by your grace, we have carried out the task, the 
charge that you have given to us. It is a huge responsibility, 
and I certainly hope that the people of God in this church 
pray for us. Over and over in Paul's letters, 
that's what he says, brethren, pray for us. Brethren, pray for 
us. Brethren, pray for us. I think 
I shared with you before when C.H. Spurgeon was asked about 
the secret to his success in gospel ministry. My people, pray 
for me. My people, pray for me. I hope 
that's the testimony of the flock here. And I have no reason to 
suspect that it isn't. I hear people say, we pray for 
you, and I value that, and I prize that, and I thank you for that. 
And I'm certain that Pastor Cam does as well. And as well pray 
that we will be men who rightly divide the word of truth. Handle 
it accurately, because that is most needful for you. You don't 
need our stories. You don't need our experiences. 
You don't need any mystical encounters. You need the Word of God laid 
out. I do like the image that Calvin 
invokes. I like the image that Calvin 
brings to bear. He says, Paul assigns to teachers 
the duty of dividing or cutting as if a father in giving food 
to his children. We're dividing the bread by cutting 
it into small pieces. Accurately handling it and putting 
it out there so that people can understand. That is the goal. That is the emphasis. That is 
the best thing. When a person says, I understand 
the Bible, that ought to be the goal of our instruction. We need 
to realize as well, secondly, the damning danger of heresy. The damning danger of heresy. 
I don't think we ponder this reality as we ought. You realize 
that in churches out there, there is damning heresy being taught? 
When you're being told that it's your faith plus works that'll 
get you into heaven, that is the lie of the whore herself. 
That is the lie of Rome. And there are Protestants that 
are imitating that. There are Protestants that are 
teaching that you will be found before God based on your covenantal 
faithfulness. No, it's by grace alone, through 
faith alone, or it's not at all. If it isn't all of Christ, it 
is none of Christ. There is an exclusivity. And 
when Protestant theologians and Protestant preachers start to 
include words along with faith as that which endears us to God, 
there are big problems in Zion. We need to sound the alarm. We 
need to speak out and cry out against such things. And we need 
to value and prize the sort of thing that we heard expounded 
this morning from Pastor Cam in our Confession of Faith study. 
The doctrine of justification by faith alone. Good old-fashioned 
garden variety, vanilla-flavored Protestant theology. That's what 
you need. You do not need innovation. You 
do not need creativity. You need faithful exposition 
of God's holy truth and the doctrine that was once for all delivered 
to the saint. There is damnation in false teaching, 
and we need to get that. Thirdly, we need to pray for 
men who aspire to gospel ministry. I hope you pray for Mike Kirkpatrick. I hope you pray for Steele. I 
hope you pray for those brothers that have aspiration for Christian 
ministry. You could pray for the men in 
IRBS. We believe, by the grace of God, 
that that confession are the things most surely believed among 
us. We do not believe it to be an 
infallible document. We do not believe it to be a 
God-breathed document, but we believe those 32 chapters are 
articles of faith that are very consistent, very thoroughly biblical, 
and very much that which God blesses in terms of the propagation 
of His truth. If we have a class of men that 
are being trained in that theology with the hopes that they'll go 
out and be in churches or in the mission field, we ought to 
pray for those men. We ought to pray for Dr. Jim 
Renahan as he tutors those men, and as they find their place, 
under his counsel and mentorship. We ought to pray for our brother, 
and we ought to pray for the advancement of Reformed Baptist 
causes in the world. Not because we're great, not 
because we're awesome, but because this is the faithful exposition 
of God's holy gospel. Well brethren, there's enough 
in this passage to keep us praying until Jesus returns. So may I 
end with this one more. Brethren, pray for us. Pray that 
we would be 214, 215 men and that other men who are being 
trained for gospel ministry would be like that. Well, let us pray. 
Our Father, we thank you for the Word of God and we thank 
you for the fact that you have made it so clear in Scripture 
what's important in your church. It's not experience, it's not 
story, it's not emotion, it's certainly not entertainment. 
All these wretched things that have been substituted in the 
place of the faithful exposition of God's Word. We pray, Father, 
that you would bless us and help us to make the main things the 
main things in this place. May we not strive over useless 
words that have no profit, but rather lead to the ruin of the 
hearers. Cause us all, Father, to value and to treasure the 
truth of Holy Scripture. Go with us now, watch over each 
and every one in this local church, and we pray through Christ our 
Lord. Amen.