Word Pictures in 2 Timothy 2
TEXT: Turn to 2 Timothy 2
INTRODUCTION
Paul used word pictures frequently as did Jesus (parables), David (“fly with the wings of a dove”), writers of Proverbs.
Illus. – A pastor gave a Bible lesson using a nut as an object lesson. After the service a lady who had attended the service came up to the pastor and said, “This is the first time I ever heard a message from a nut!”
The pastor was using a nut as word picture. Let’s look at 6 word pictures from 1 Timothy 2 and see what they teach us about our walk with the Lord.
1. WE ARE SPIRITUAL SONS AND DAUGHTERS – 2 Timothy 2:1-2 – “Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.”
Two thoughts are found in this verse:
• The first is RELATIONSHIP – 2 Timothy 2:1 – “Thou therefore, my son…”
God is ultimately our heavenly Father, but it was Paul who nurtured Timothy spiritually so that he saw him as his son in the Lord. So, Timothy was Paul’s spiritual son.
We are all the spiritual sons or daughters of someone who shared with us the Gospel and led us to Christ, or someone who nurtured us and mentored us in the Christian faith. My spiritual father as far as salvation would be both my parents who reared me in a Christian home and taught me the things of God. From the standpoint of ministry, my pastor became my mentor and he was, for many years, like my spiritual father.
• The second thought we see in these two verses is REPRODUCTION – 2 Timothy 2:2 – “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.”
We are to mature and bear our own spiritual families who, in turn, do likewise. We become spiritual fathers of others whom we have led to the Lord or discipled. Is there someone whom you have brought to Christ or whom you have helped to spiritual maturity?
God wants you to become a spiritual parent for someone.
2. WE ARE SOLDIERS – 2 Timothy 2:3-4 – “Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 4 No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.”
There are several things about soldiers we want to see:
• Soldiers must learn to endure hardness – 2 Timothy 2:3 – “Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.”
a. We should learn to take persecution from the outside world. 2 Timothy 3:12 – “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.”
b. In the household of faith, we must learn to die to self.
c. Not be oversensitive – Psalm 119:165 – “Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.”
d. Not easily affected by either praise or criticism.
• Soldiers must learn obedience
Paul talks about being “a GOOD soldier of Jesus Christ.” No soldier is a good soldier who is a disobedient soldier. The world says, “If it feels good, do it.” God says, “If it is right, do it whether it feels good or not!”
Two motivations in the Christian life:
a. Devotion – Best
b. Duty – Sometimes we must obey out of duty.
• Soldiers must learn faithfulness
A soldier can’t just show up for work when he feels like it. One thing he is trained immediately is to be dependable, to be on time for work, to be faithful
Learn faithfulness in every area:
In your thought life
In your moral life
In church attendance
In your ministry responsibilities
In your devotional life
In your family life
• Soldiers must learn disentanglement – 2 Timothy 2:4 – “No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.”
Soldiers are different from civilians!
They wear different clothing (uniform)
They live by different standards
You can act or dress anyway you want to in the civilian world.
The soldier is constantly made aware that he represents his country, so his appearance and behavior must be exemplary at all times.
They have a different purpose
Civilians basically work to make a living.
Soldiers sacrifice time and money they might be able to have in the civilian world to serve their country.
This verse teaches us not to be entangled in things that distract us from our main purpose—to serve as a soldier of Jesus Christ.
The attitude the believer is to have toward the world is found in Romans 12:2 – “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
How should this play out in our lives?...
We should not be worldly in our thinking.
We should not be worldly in our attitude toward material possessions.
We should not be worldly in our dress – Should be modest and should draw attention to the countenance (face).
We should not be worldly in our speech – Ephesians 4:29 – “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.”
We should not be worldly in attitudes
Rebellious spirit on the job
Backbiting and gossip on the job or in the neighborhood
Complaining on the job
3. WE ARE ATHLETES – 2 Timothy 2:5 – “And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully.”
Paul is talking about athletes here. The masteries are the prizes that were awarded athletes who won in their events
In verse 5 Paul says an athlete is not crowned with the winner’s crown, or literally a wreath, “except he strive lawfully.” “Except he strive lawfully” literally means to “except he goes by the rules.” This means doing things God’s way. God has a way of handling things, and if we follow them, we will save ourselves a lot a trouble.
For example—
Handling disagreements God’s way – Matthew 18.
Handling baby Christians God’s way – Patience, love.
Handling child training God’s way – Ephesians 6:4 – “And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”
4. WE ARE FARMERS – 2 Timothy 2:6 – “The husbandman that laboreth must be first partaker of the fruits.”
The word husbandman is the old English word for “farmer.” Now is verse 6 Paul says the farmer labors. To get a harvest, it takes work. The farmer must first sow to reap. It is only after the harvest comes that the farmer can partake in the harvest.
And there is a fundamental law of the harvest: That is that you always reap AFTER you sow and it sometimes takes a long time before the harvest is ripe and mature for reaping.
APPLICATIONS:
• Sometimes Christians reap from the old life before salvation for some time before they began reaping from the new life in Christ. Be patient. Keep sowing the new seeds and in time it will bear the new harvest of good things.
• We do not always see the results of our sowing the seed of the Word of God. We may witness and see little in the way of a harvest on this side of glory. But I believe there will be many in heaven that we helped bring to Christ that we will not know it until we get to heaven.
5. WE ARE STUDENTS – 2 Timothy 2:15 – “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
Two elements given to us here: We must be diligent students of God’s Word. If we aren’t, we will be workmen who are ashamed.
Illus. – Witnessing, and not having the biblical answers to give to the person we are witnessing to. – Note 1 Peter 3:15 – “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.”
How do we get to the place that we can give an answer to every person who asks of the reason of the hope that is in you? By being diligent to study and know God’s Word to show yourself approved unto God.
We must rightly divide the Word of truth – This means to properly interpret the Word of God. This is done by following the standard rules of interpretation, such as…
a. Generally taking the Word of God literally except when the context or the literary form calls for an allegorical or symbolic interpretation.
b. Accurately defining all persons, places, objects, and events in the text.
c. Keeping in mind the historical and cultural background of the text and determining if those are still applicable or not.
d. Always interpreting a passage in its context.
6. WE ARE SERVANTS – 2 Timothy 2:24-26 – “And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, 25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; 26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.”
Note several things about servants of the Lord in these verses:
• Servants of the Lord must not argue and quarrel – 2 Timothy 2:24 – “And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient.”
• Servants must be gentle – 2 Timothy 2:24b – “And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men…”
• Be apt (ready) to teach – 2 Timothy 2:24c – “…apt to teach, patient.”
• Be patient – verse 24d
• Instructing enemies in meekness – 2 Timothy 2:25 – “In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth.”
