SERMON TITLE: Present Yourself To God
TEXT: 2 Timothy 2:1-19 (ESV)
SPEAKER: Robert Tansill
DATE: 6-26-22
Watch the sermon here.
Take notes here.
Good morning, Gateway! I'm Robert Tansill. And, as always, it is a joy to be worshiping with you here at County Road 9, as well as at the North Main Campus. This morning, we are looking at Second Timothy 2:1-19. As we look at our passage, one thing I want you to know is that much of what the author, the Apostle Paul, is writing to Timothy doesn’t just apply to Timothy but to all those who profess faith in Christ. What Paul has to say is meant to have a ripple effect throughout the church. Just as Jesus had instructed Paul, and Paul instructed Timothy, so too Timothy is to take what Paul said and instruct the church. Therefore, it would be a mistake to say that what we are about to read this morning just applies to Timothy. It applies to all of us as well.
And before we delve into our text, we have to understand a little bit of the background that drives Paul’s instruction to Timothy. Paul is writing this letter during his second Roman imprisonment somewhere between the years A.D. 64-67. And as he pens these words, he knows that his life is about to end. Imagine what he is feeling as he writes this letter to Timothy while he is still in chains (2 Tim. 1:16; 2:9). Imagine the cold, dark and dank environment that surrounds him as he crafts what will be his final words to the church.
For Timothy, he is dealing with his own situation in Ephesus as the church struggles to hold itself together due to both outside influences of the culture and false teaching espoused by some within the church. But for Paul, with all this in mind, he wants Timothy and those in the church to be prepared to present themselves to God. What does that mean?
Listen to Paul’s words beginning in verse 1. He writes...
“You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, 2 and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also. 3 Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. 5 An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. 6 It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops. 7 Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything. 8 Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, 9 for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! 10 Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. 11 The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; 12 if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; 13 if we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself. 14 Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. 15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. 16 But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, 17 and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, 18 who have swerved from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some. 19 But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.” (2 Timothy 2:1-19 ESV)
As we listen to these words, keeping in mind that Paul is giving some of his final instructions on what it means for Timothy and us to present ourselves to God, the first thing this passage teaches us is that…
In verses 1-2, as Paul reflects, not just on his suffering but on Timothy’s, he encourages Timothy to do two things. First, in verse 1, he says, “You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” Being “strengthened by the grace that is in Jesus Christ” refers to the strength God gives believers to persevere because of what Christ accomplished on the Cross, and the Holy Spirit that now dwells within them. And as a result of that, Timothy is called to protect the church in that strength that now comes from Jesus through the Holy Spirit (cf. 2 Tim. 1:6-14). That is what “strengthened by the grace” in the original language means. Using what is called the “passive voice” in the Greek, the strength Paul is calling Timothy to rely on is not something he can generate within himself but something that comes from the outside himself; from Jesus. And it is a strength that is always available to Timothy and meant to be continually relied on, which is why this verse could be translated, “Keep on being strong. Understand that you are to do this through Jesus, who is actively strengthening you.” But how does it apply to us this morning?
That’s the second thing I want you to see. Look at verse 2. Paul writes, “as you are being strengthened in Christ Jesus, what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.” Keep in mind where these words originated from and where we are today as we read them. Here we sit in Findlay, Ohio, in 2022, reading the words of a man written to a young pastor in Ephesus over two-thousands years ago regarding the gospel and the expansion of God’s kingdom, all while he was in prison waiting to die. How did these words get to us here today two thousand years later? Because Timothy, and those who came after him, did what Paul instructed by entrusting it to those who are faithful and “who will be able to teach others also.”
But, as we read these words, I want you to see something important. Even though the ESV says, “entrust to faithful men,” if you look closely at the notes in your study Bible, you will see that it says something like, “The Greek word for ‘men’ can refer to both men and women.” Why is that important? Because it drives home the point that, as faithful followers of Jesus Christ, we are all responsible for teaching the gospel to others, both men and women. Doing so is what discipleship is all about.
Here’s how one commentator puts it, “In a broader sense, this is the work to which every Christian must give himself or herself to, because it is nothing less than the expansion of Christ’s kingdom through the propagation of the gospel. The church grows and people are added to the number of the saved as Christians hand on the faith to the next generation.” (Denny Burk, ESV Expository Commentary: Ephesians - Philemon. 2018.) So, the question we all have to ask ourselves is not, “Am I supposed to share the gospel”, but rather “Am I being faithful to do what God has entrusted to me?”
For some, it may sound like an easy question to answer. But look at what Paul writes in verse 3, “Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” Folks, for many people, the reason Christianity has such an appeal is because of what they think it will do for them. Oftentimes, people think that if they place their faith in Jesus, their life will be trouble-free. All their worries will dissipate,and God will bless them beyond their wildest dreams. In short, they will experience their best life now—the abundant life!
But that is not the gospel! On the contrary, the true gospel reminds us that we are still dead in our sin without Christ. And if we try to earn our way into heaven rather than trust in the finished work of Jesus on the cross, which we accept by faith alone, we will be judged based on our imperfect righteousness rather than on Christ’s perfect righteousness. And because the righteousness that God accepts is not a result of what we do but because of what Christ has done for us, the true message of the gospel is often seen as unpopular. And this is why Paul gives us three examples explaining the mindset we should have as we suffer for Christ.
Paul writes in verses 4-6, “No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. 5 An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. 6 It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops.” By using the examples of a soldier, an athlete, and a farmer, Paul reminds Timothy what it means to serve and suffer for Jesus. As a soldier, the follower of Jesus is to be single-minded and not get distracted by things other than the mission they are called to, which is to continue sharing the gospel and making disciples even if it means suffering for their faith.
As an athlete, we compete according to the rules. Now, what is meant by “the rules?” In our context, once again, it refers to suffering. One of the rules of following Christ is our willingness to suffer for him (Matthew 16:24). It means taking a stand for Scripture as our primary source of absolute truth in a world where everything is relative and there are no absolute truths. It means striving to consistently put into practice what Scripture teaches when the environment we are in calls us to do the opposite. And it means sharing the truth with others that “all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory” (Romans 3:23), and therefore all need a Savior. These are just some of the “rules” of being a follower of Christ. And as we live according to these rules, we can expect suffering along the way.
And third, Paul mentions the “hard-working farmer.” With this example, he has in mind the person who struggles to exert themself to consistently try to live out their faith and share it with others. It’s the main priority of their lives above everything else; their job, family, everything! And as a result of their diligence and perseverance, they will see people’s lives transformed by the gospel. That is what Paul means by the “first share of the crops”. It is the fruit of their labor as a result of their faithfulness. And with this faithfulness, once again, comes the possibility of suffering. And this is why the translation called The Message simply puts verse 7 this way, “Think it over. God will make it all plain.”
As we strive to put Paul’s words to Timothy into action to present ourselves to God by accepting suffering as part of what it means to follow Jesus, in verses 8-13, Paul tells us why we should do this, which we will sum up this way...
In verse 8, Paul begins with three important words, “Remember Jesus Christ…” Why are they so important? Because they are the foundation for what we believe and the reason we live. Thanks to Jesus, not only are our sins forgiven and we guaranteed eternal life, but our relationship with God is fully restored. Just like Paul, Timothy, and those who came after them who have placed their trust in Jesus, we are now sons and daughters of the living God.
And by using the word “Remember,” Paul has in mind so much more than just occasionally thinking about Jesus. When he uses this word, he does so because he wants us to always keep something in the forefront of our minds, and to think about it constantly. Unlike remembering what we had for lunch, or our favorite pet growing up, all of which might be fun to think about but have no bearing on the future, “remembering Jesus Christ” is meant to not only impact our actions now, but also our outcome in the future.
Look at what he writes in verse 8, “Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel,” Why does Paul tell us to remember Jesus Christ, and then mentions his death, that he was the offspring of David, and the gospel all in one sentence? Because Jesus’ death and being the offspring of David are an integral part of the gospel story. And this raises a major question. Are we clear on what the gospel is? Is it just that Jesus died for my sins so that I can have a personal relationship with him that results in eternal life, or is it bigger than that? Here is how theologian, Michael Horton, defines it, “From Genesis to Revelation, the gospel is God’s promise of a Son who will crush the serpent’s head, forgive the sins of his people, raise them from the dead, and give them everlasting life solely on the basis of his grace for the sake of Christ.” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caMVMayR690)
Often, when we think about the gospel, not only do we apply it to just ourselves, but it's always something that will happen in the future, with little if any relevance now. In short, we accept Jesus, he saves us, and then we continue going about our day while we wait for his return, at which time we will spend eternity with him. For many, that’s what the gospel is like in a nutshell. But that is not all of the gospel!
The gospel is the good news of what God is doing throughout history to redeem for himself a people He can love and who will love him. For the believer, the ongoing story of the gospel impacts everything we say and do. And at the heart of this story is the person of Jesus, who was fully God and fully man whose death reconciles humanity to God once and for all. And it is this good news, which is what “gospel” means, that Paul is encouraging Timothy with, in his own words in verse 9, “for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! 10 Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.”
For Paul, the goal of sharing the gospel and making disciples was for the sake of the elect. Who are the “elect?” Those God chooses to redeem and draw to himself throughout history. Even though Paul had no idea specifically who “the elect” are, he did know that because God had chosen them, they would eventually respond to the call of the gospel message (Romans 8:30). And this is what drove him! It was the primary purpose of his life and the reason he was willing to suffer, even to the point of death.
Not only that, but this was also an expectation that he had for Timothy and for all those who would trust in Jesus in the generations to come; those who are faithful and who have been entrusted. And that is why the following three verses are so important as we think about what it means to live in this world, keeping Jesus first and foremost on our minds, making disciples, and suffering as a part of that process.
By using the word “if” in verses 11-13, Paul sums up for Timothy and his hearer's “conditions” of the Christian life. Are there “conditions” on what it means to be a Christian? Yes! And as Paul sits in a prison cell in chains, he explains those conditions beginning in verse 11, “The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; 12 if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; 13 if we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself.”
In explaining the Christian life, the first thing Paul draws attention to is that, for a person to be in a relationship with Christ, they need to die to their sin by identifying with Christ’s death on the cross, and then live their lives for him. It’s what Paul was talking about in Romans 6:7-8 when he said, “7 For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. 8 And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him.” (NLT) So, the first question we have to ask ourselves is, “Have I died with Christ to my sin, and am I now living for him?”
A second condition that Paul mentions in verse 12 deals with enduring in our faith. In fact, the word “endure” means “to maintain a belief or course of action in the face of opposition, to stand one’s ground, or to hold out.” This thought parallels Jesus’ words in Matthew 10:22 when he said, “But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” And this idea of enduring in our faith is woven throughout Scripture, finding its root in Jesus himself which the author of Hebrews reminds us when he writes, “And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.” (Hebrews 12:1b-2, NLT) In short, just as Jesus endured suffering, we are to do likewise in the strength he gives us. And by doing so, we will also one day “reign with him.” So, the second question we have to ask ourselves is, “Are we enduring in our faith?”
Another condition Paul mentions in verse 12 has to do with denying Jesus in the words, “if we deny him, he also will deny us.”(ESV) What Paul has in mind here, is “a refusal to give thought to, to disregard, to pay no attention to, or to say no to.” It’s the same word Jesus used in Matthew 10:33 when he said, “but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.” And what is important to note is that oftentimes this word is used in the context of suffering for your faith. (Revelation 2:13; 3:8) So, a key question for all of us is, “Even though we say we believe in Jesus, do we deny knowing him by our words and actions?” If we deny him, he also will deny us!
And finally, in verse 13 Paul mentions a fourth condition which we hopefully will find encouraging. He says, “if we are faithless, he remains faithful - for he cannot deny himself.” What Paul has in mind here are those moments in every Christian’s life where we doubt God or are not living in obedience. In fact, the word for “faithless” means, “to believe that something is not true”. However, this is different from denying Jesus because we aren’t rejecting him in our lives, but rather struggling for a time to believe what he says. One commentator put it this way, “‘Faithless’ is not a condition of settled unbelief but refers to temporary unfaithfulness after which one might be renewed again to repentance. Thus God’s faithfulness refers to his unwillingness to give up on his people even though their holiness is not as consistent as it should be. In that sense, God is faithful even when his people are not (Denny Burk, ESV Expository Commentary: Ephesians - Philemon. 2018).”
And this is why we remember Jesus’ faithfulness to us. Not only are we strengthened by him in our faith as we suffer, but we identify with Christ as we remember his sacrifice on our behalf and the benefits that go with it. All of which play a major part in presenting ourselves to God.
But in verses 14-19, Paul mentions one final thing we need to remember as we think about what it means to present ourselves to God, and we will sum up this way…
In verse 14 Paul begins the same way he did in verses 1 and 8 by calling Timothy and those listening to his letter to continuously do something. In verse 1, it was to “continue being strengthened by the grace of Jesus”. And in verse 8, it was to “continue remembering Jesus Christ”. Now, in verse 14 Paul says to “continue reminding them of these things.” Look at what he says, “Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers.” Now, we have to ask ourselves, “Who is the ‘them’ mentioned in this verse? I think the translation called The Message actually does the best job interpreting this passage when it says, “Repeat these basic essentials over and over to God’s people. Warn them before God against pious nitpicking, which chips away at the faith. It just wears everyone out.”
The “basic essentials” Paul is talking about, which the ESV translates as “these things”, are what he just mentioned in verses 11-13. That if we trust in Jesus, having died with him, then we will have eternal life. If we continue to endure in our suffering, relying on Christ’s strength as we go through it, we will reign with him when he returns. If we reject him by relying on ourselves in this life rather than him, then he will reject us before the Father when he returns. And when we have those moments, or even seasons, in our lives when we are not trusting Jesus like we know we should, he will remain faithful to us due to our being spiritually united with him. Folks, this is the gospel!
Yet, as simple as we think the gospel is to understand, distorting it is easy, which is why Paul says in verse 15, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” For Timothy and those faithful men and women who are entrusted with the gospel, Paul tells them to do their best to present themselves to God as one approved. By using the word, “approved,” Paul has in mind the idea of “being tested and found to be genuine.” That’s what the word means in the original language. And one of the most common ways God tests our faith is through suffering because, by it, we either rely on God or ourselves. And throughout the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, the big question is, “Who are we relying on, especially when we suffer?” And if we get any message from Scripture other than suffering is a normal part of the Christian life, then we are not rightly understanding or handling the word of truth (cf., Romans 8:26-28).
And that is why in verses 16-18, Paul reminds Timothy and his hearers of the importance of the word of truth. What does he mean by “the word of truth”? Specifically, it’s the gospel that we talked about earlier. And one of the places you see Paul use this exact phrase is in Ephesians 1:13 when he says, “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.” You also see it in Colossians 1:5 where Paul writes, “Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel…” In both cases, it's the word of truth, the gospel story found in Genesis to Revelation, that enables Paul, Timothy, and us to discern the truth of God from a lie of the world, the flesh, or the devil.
And because of this, Paul says to Timothy and us, “16 But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, 17 and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, 18 who have swerved from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some.” What happens when we choose not to rely on the Scriptures as our guide and rule of faith in life? We speculate about everything, and we end up doing a lot of talking about things that either don’t really matter, or which we don’t fully understand. Or worse, we make theological assumptions that are unfounded and may cause significant damage to another believer’s faith.
In Timothy’s case, Hymenaeus and Philetus told people that the resurrection had occurred, turning what is to be a bodily resurrection yet to occur into a spiritual resurrection they said had already happened. And it caused people to question their faith. For others, they had these worthless, pointless arguments based on opinions that were distracting them from their main purpose of living out their faith before a lost and dying world. And that is why, as we present ourselves to God, we must have the word of truth as our guide and rule of faith for our lives. We need the absolute truth of God’s Word to help us navigate the waves of relativism that are growing larger and larger as each day passes.
And as we present ourselves to God by being faithful in our suffering, and remembering Jesus’ faithfulness to us in the midst of it, we do so holding tightly to the word of truth, the gospel. The good news of God’s faithfulness to his people from the beginning of time until the day that we stand before Him in all His glory. This is why Paul says to Timothy and to us in verse 19, “But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: ‘The Lord knows those who are his,’ and, ‘Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.’”
So, if we are His, let us continue presenting ourselves to God by remaining faithful to him even in our suffering. Let’s keep remembering Jesus’ faithfulness to us through his perfect obedience in his life, death, and resurrection. Let’s keep relying on the Bible, which is the word of truth, as our guide and rule of faith in this life. And let’s do all this in the strength of Jesus Christ for the glory of God. For to Him alone belongs all the glory.
Let's pray together.
Father, as we prepare to share the bread and the cup, we ask that you would use these elements for our spiritual good. As we take these elements, remembering all that Jesus has accomplished for us, words can not express how grateful we are for all You have done for us through His sacrifice on our behalf. In Him, we are cleansed from our sins, made righteous, restored into a right relationship with You, and promised eternal life. We know that we don’t deserve this. We deserve hell. Father, thank you for not giving us what we deserve. May we continue to take You at Your Word in all we do. And in doing so, may we bring glory to Your Holy Name. We ask all of this in the name of Jesus. Amen.
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