I mentioned last week I was preaching Wednesday evening and that I would post the sermon. I normally would not post the notes/manuscipt from a sermon, but a recording was not made. Obviously there would be differences in what is in my notes and what/how it was preached. Any thoughts, criticisms?
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Introduction
Has anyone here never thought of your own death? Since we all have at one time or another, have you ever thought about what you might say in a letter, with knowledge you would soon die. I believe it is safe to assume you would tell you family and friends that you loved them; you might remind them of times that you spent together, joys you shared over the years.
Surely these kinds of letters has been written. If you remember, a few years ago there were coal miners trapped in mines of West Virginia, believing they would soon die. Some of these individuals were able to write short notes to their loved ones, believing they would soon take their last breadth; and would be communicating their very last words.
Think of it this way, what if you had the opportunity to befriend a younger person – a new Christian. And by grace you were given the opportunity to disciple this person in the faith. And because of this you have poured a great deal of your time into this individual.
What would you write this individual?
This is what is taking place in 2Tim. In this letter Paul, the apostle is writing his last word(s) to his young disciple. And Paul, writing this letter from prison, believes he is soon about to die. And in chapter 4 he states “for I am already being poured out as a drink offering and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith.”
Paul writes a letter such as you and I might write, in similar circumstances. He reflects on the past, reminding Timothy of his mother and grandmother and how the faith dwelt in them. He also writes about his own past ministry experience even calling Timothy his own son in the faith.
But for the majority of this letter is Paul instructing young Timothy on how to fulfill his calling as pastor. While this letter is specifically addressed to Timothy, I believe God the Holy Spirit has bigger plans. And those plans involve you and me.
Read text 2Tim. 1:13,14 13“Retain the standard of sound word which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. 14Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you.”
One again, Paul is instructing Timothy regarding his tasks as shepherd. And God is instructing each one of us, on how to live the Christian life.
In this message tonight, I’m going to use vs, 13 & 14 as my main headings and sub points. And I want you to understand the importance of treasuring God word, by knowing what you believe and why you believe what you believe.
I. Retain the pattern of sound words which, you have heard from me in faith and love in Christ.
A. First, look at v. 13 with me. Paul calls Timothy to retain the standard.
B. Picture with me the definition here – a cup, fill the cup with liquid, the cup will retain the liquid.
C. So, retain means to – hold, to keep, or for something to stay.
1. There is a way for human being to retain things or make them stay, and that is through the use of our memory.
2. As you probably know, some churches stress the memorization of Creeds, Confessions and Catechism.
3. More importantly, each one of us should memorize scriptures.
4. Listen to Psalm Ps. 119 regarding the matter of memorization.
“How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word. With all my heart I have sought you; Do not let me wander from Your commandments. I will meditate on Your precepts and regard Your ways. I shall delight in Your statutes; I shall not forget Your word.”
5. But, there are important doctrines of the scriptures we have memorized (e.g. God, Jesus, salvation, adoption). And this is where creeds, confessions and catechism come in handy.
Listen to Q. 4 “What is God? God is Spirit, infinite, eternal, unchangeable in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, goodness, justice and truth.” So, if someone were to ask you who God is or what is God, here is a brief, scriptural definition that you can memorize, and be able to use for an answer.
6. So I believe, from the first part of our text, where Paul calls Timothy to retain sounds words, the case can be made that we need to know what we believe.
7. Knowing or retaining what we believe will take work on our part, but it is something we are commanded to do.
8. We have the scriptures, we need to hold onto them, we need to keep them, and we need to make them stay.
C. Again, in verse 13 Paul states that it is the “standard of sound words which you have heard from me” that we are to retain.
1. I believe the NIV better captures the idea here. Instead of translating this as the standard, they translate it as “the patter of sound words.
2. And the pattern of sound words referred to here, are certainly those Paul wrote about his in his first letter to Timothy.
3. We can safely assume that Paul, also is referring to times he spent with Timothy, training him in the pattern of sound words.
4. And we also need to realize, that the pattern Paul speaks about did not originate with Paul.
a. This pattern is how God has dealt with his people from the very beginning.
b. And it is how God continues to feed his people today, including you and me.
Listen to this passage in…
1a. 1Cor. 15:3 “For I delivered to you as of first importance, what I also received.
2a. Look also with me at 2Tim. 2:2 “And these things, which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, these entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.”
c. So, Recognize that we have a pattern of sound words, in which Paul instructed Timothy, and in which Timothy was to instruct others.
d. One theologian described this pattern as the “ongoing work of the history of God’s saving acts.”
e. If this means anything to us, it should motivate us to pass on to the next generation, the sound words given to us in the scriptures.
f. Pastors need to preach the word, in season and out.
g. We all need to be grounded in the scriptures, so they are weaned from the milk and begin feeding upon the meat of the
word (Heb. 5).
h. Also, the elders of the church need to be committed to training God’s people, seeking out those to whom they can pass on the leadership of the Church.
5. So there is a patter of sound words…
a. That have been passed on from the very beginning of time,
b. through the times of the NT and early Church,
c. and even our day.
d. We to need to hand down that which has been so feely given to us. But, in order to do so, you need to know what you
believe. You need to know the sound words.
6. When Paul tells Timothy to “retain the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus,” He is referring to how Timothy is to conduct himself as a shepherd.
a. First, Timothy is to have faith (i.e. trust) in God
b. Second, Timothy is to love. Love should characterize his ministry. Jesus said “By this all men will know that you are
My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35).
II. Guard, through the Holy Spirit, the treasure which has been entrusted to you.
1. Now, Look with me at verse 14, Paul tells Timothy to “Guard, through the Holy Spirit, the treasure which has been entrusted to you.”
2. Note with me here, that you are not alone. We are promised that God the Holy Spirit will help us guard the treasure.
a. The Spirit who will help you guard the treasure, is the same Spirit who was at work in creating the universe,
b. who empowered the OT saints,
c. who came upon Mary at the birth of Jesus.
d. and is the same Spirit who converted you, from being dead in sin, to alive in Christ.
3. What come to your mind when you hear the word “treasure.”
a. First thing I think of is my son Seth, who runs around the yard, hoping he will find something buried underground. He assures me pirates have buried these treasures long ago.
b. On the other hand, my daughter was is a bit more insightful. When I asked her what do you do with a treasure, she responded by saying “You bring it with you!”
c. And as you know, as treasure could be something physical such as: money, a car, a watch or a computer.
d. But, it could also be something non-physical such as a memory. For example (for those who are married), the memory of where you met your spouse.
e. This memory is something that will stay with you. It is a treasure.
f. So, whether physical or non-physical, a treasure is something that, as my daughter would say, “you bring with you.”
4. And the treasure spoke of in verse 14 refers back to the sound words of verse 13.
5. Regarding this treasure, Paul tells Timothy to guard it.
a. Why would Paul tell Timothy to guard sound words?
b. Well, If you have read 1Tim. and the rest of second Timothy as well as the rest of the NT, you know that there will be individuals who will twist the word of God. And as a Baptist friend of mine once said, that twisting God’s words, is an evil thing to do. And so it is important enough for Paul, to tell Timothy to guard the words.
c. Listen to Paul in a similar address to the Ephesian Elders as he probably is speaking his last words to them: “For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole council of God. “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. “I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. “Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears.
d. This should also remind us of Jude’s letter, were he writes about individuals who crept into the church unnoticed, teaching doctrine contrary to the faith once delivered. (and jude says to Contend…)
e. Again, Paul’s command to Timothy is guard the treasure. Somone might ask, what does guarding involve:
i. Watching
ii. Being alert
iii. Sleeplessness
iv. It might also require combating, or fight for that which you are trying to protect.
f. In 2Tim. 2:14, it is the treasure, or sound words, that are to be guarded.
g. One Bible commentator states it this way “we must defend it [the sound words], against every attack and never allow it to be challenged or modified in the slightest degree.”
h. Guarding the treasure (or the sound words) will require that you not only know what you believe, but why you believe what you believe.
j. Or as 1Pet. 3:15 states, we are to “give a reason (or reasonable defense), for the hope that is within, with gentleness and respect.”
h. Perhaps you can see the similarities between 1Pet. and 2Tim.
i. Both of these passages, in slightly different ways, call us to
(1) give reasons and/or to guard. These are fighting word my friends.
(2). But, second, along with Timothy we are also to be characterized by love.
Conclusion
In summary, if you are going to “guard the treasure” (the sound word) against twisted words, you need to know more then what you believe. You need to know why! And when we know why we believe what we believe, we will be able to guard, “through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to us.”
I mentioned at the beginning of this sermon that Paul, in his letter to Timothy, is not only addressing how Timothy is to be a Shepherd, but also how we, as Christians, are to live. We are new creations in Christ, according to 2Cor. 5:17, so our disposition/nature is now to treasure the word of God, not the things of this world.
On the other hand, the disposition of the unbeliever is to treasure the things of this world – where moth and rust destroy. Jesus said, “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Mat. 6:21).
So, what are you treasuring?
And where is your treasure?
Do you treasure the pattern of sound words, which lead to life? If so, from what you heard tonight you will do at least two things: (1) Memorizing or retaining the sound words of scriptures. (2) You should be guarding (and all that entails) the treasure which has been entrusted to you.
Or my friends, do you treasure the things of this world? You can not have it both ways. You will either treasure the things of this world, and hate the truth, or you will treasure the truth and hate the things of this world.
Jesus said, “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? For what shall a man give in exchange for his soul” (Mark 8:36).
So, I appeal to all of us tonight. That we would look unto Jesus, in whom are hidden all the treasure of wisdom and knowledge.
