Paul’s view of discipleship 2 Timothy 2:1-7
I’ve been told, the secret of a good sermon is to have a good beginning and a good ending; and to have the two as close together as possible. So, I shall do my best.
We’re going to look at the first seven verses 2 Timothy 2 but first; I’ll tell you a little story.
A little bird didn’t feel like flying south with the rest of the flock but decided he’d stay and enjoy the beautiful fall weather. Well, one day he thought, I guess it’s time to go and he took off. The problem was; he stayed too long that it started to get cold. As a matter of fact, it got so cold that his wings froze and he dropped to the ground like a rock.
And as he lay there on the grass along came a cow did what cows do and dropped a large cow pie right on top of him. Now, normally that would be a bad thing but the cow pie was so warm that the bird not only came back to life but he felt so good he started singing. But, a cat happened to be crawling across the field and when he heard this little bird sing he ate him for lunch.
Now, there are three lessons here. First, not everyone who drops something unpleasant on you is an enemy. Second, not everyone who gets you out of a mess is your friend. And third, when things are finally going your way; you should do your best to keep quiet.
2 Timothy 2:1-7
“You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 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. 3 You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 4 No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. 5 And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. 6 The hardworking farmer must be first to partake of the crops. 7 Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things.”
This is the second chapter of Paul’s second book to Timothy and there are a few things I’d like to remind you about Paul. For instance, Paul had been a member of Pharisees and these men not only lived a life of separation from the world; but they felt it was their duty to punish everyone who didn’t. And then, as you know, Paul was wonderfully saved and then he preached from 20-30 years; until he was arrested and imprisoned twice and this letter was written during his second imprisonment and it was not long after he wrote this, that he was put to death for preaching.
So, these are Paul’s dying words to Timothy who he saw as one of his spiritual children and when you think about it; everyone’s final words are important.
I had a friend in Toronto and one day his mother said, “You’re grandfather is in the hospital and you should really go see him. My friend was reluctant to go because he hardly even knew him. You see, they didn’t live close when they grew up and when he did go, he wondered what they’d even talk about.
When he got to the hospital he sat for a few uncomfortable moments and then he said, “Well, grandpa, how has your life gone?” And his grandfather snapped his fingers and said, “Just like that.”
So, these are Paul’s final words to Timothy and he thought Timothy was someone who had a lot of potential for the Lord’s service; but he also knew that Timothy had problems because he felt inadequate in the ministry and was overwhelmed by problems in the churches and Paul was writing to encourage him to get his eyes off himself and back on Jesus Christ.
And to encourage Timothy, Paul tells him that the Christian life requires commitment and that God who saved us is worthy of our commitment; because our commitment to Him is merely a reflection of His commitment to us.
He begins by telling him to be strong in the grace of God and God’s grace involves salvation and everything that goes with it. It’s like he said in Romans 12:1 “I beseech you by the mercies of God” and God’s mercies are the expression of everything he described in the first eleven chapters of Romans and that includes the fact that He not only saved us but has also promised us a home in heaven.
So, what he’s telling Timothy; he telling you and I; if you really want to know God and be strong in His grace, then you have to know and obey the word of God. Listen, the scriptures and our obedience to them are the foundation of the Christian life.
And in these few verses Paul challenges Timothy to continue the ministry he’s been given and he gives four illustrations to demonstrate the kind of commitment he needs to make a difference in this world.
But first, he says, look at my life and remember all the things I’ve said and gone through because Paul had been attacked, he’d been in prison, he’d been beaten, shipwrecked, nearly drowned and he had been abandoned by almost everyone he knew but he kept on going because he knew either Jesus was going to come and get him or call him home.
And when you think of all he’d been through; it must have been hard for him to listen to others complain about how discouraged they were.
I heard a story about two salesmen who met at an elevator at the end of the day and the younger one said, “Man what an awful day. I had a customer slam the door right in my face.” And the older salesman said, “I’m really sorry to hear that. You know, in all my years, I’ve been thrown down the stairs, I’ve had my sales book tossed out the window and I’ve been called every name you can ever imagine but I don’t think I’ve ever had a door slammed in my face.”
So, Paul wants Timothy to understand that the Christian life is a life of struggle because we live in a world that’s opposed to the gospel and our goal is reach those who want to go to heaven while warning those who are heading for hell.
And Paul uses four illustrations that represent the kind of commitment he’s talking about and the first one is found in verse two and it’s that of a teacher.
I Teacher
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.”
Teaching is a good illustration because it’s a very positive occupation. In my education I’ve had some very good teachers and I’ve also had a few bad ones as well. The good ones were not only well-prepared but you could tell they were excited about their subject but the bad ones were as bored as they were boring.
I had to take a grade thirteen biology course and I dreaded it but when I got there the teacher was so excited about the field of biology that he would have you on the edge of your seat while he talked about bacteria. I mean, he was so excited it was contagious.
And then I’ve had a few who were just putting in time waiting to get their pension. I remember one who stood in front of the class and read in a monotone voice for the entire fifty minutes; and for the life of me; I can’t even remember what he taught. Whenever I can’t sleep, I think of him and doze off immediately.
And even in one of the Bible schools I attended I had a teacher who never prepared for class but always began by asked questions to get the students talking and wasting the hour.
And then Paul tells Timothy who he should teach when he says, “commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” And here he mentions the two kinds of people he needs to be committed to teaching and they’re the faithful and the able and what he’s telling Timothy; is that he needs to invest his life in the lives of those who are going to reach others.
So, Paul was using the role of a teacher to communicate the need to have an infectious enthusiasm about the faith. And then second, he refers to the soldier.
II Soldier
Look at verse 3 and 4. “You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.”
Paul and Timothy lived in the Roman Empire and they’d see soldiers everywhere they went and they knew that everything about a Roman soldier prepared him to defend his country at a moment’s notice. And they knew that a soldier’s life was one of personal sacrifice and hardship and Paul used the soldier to show that anyone who thinks the Christian life is an invitation to comfort and self-indulgence has been sadly deceived.
After all Jesus said, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” And why do you take up the cross? It’s so you can lay down your life for Him.
And when we become a “good soldier of Christ Jesus”, we must have but one goal each day – and that’s to “please the One who enlisted us.” In verse 4, he says that one thing a soldier never does is “entangle himself in the affairs of everyday life.” And just as a soldier serves his country, we are to serve the Lord.
So, Paul is telling us that when we follow the Lord, we must become single minded like a soldier and be totally disengaged from our sinful past and committed body and soul to the Lord Jesus Christ.
So, he mentioned the teacher, the soldier and then the athlete.
III Athlete
In verse 5 he says, “And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.”
In Paul’s day, they had the Isthmian games which were similar to the Olympics and keeping the rules was extremely important. As a matter of fact, if an athlete was found to have broken any rule; not only would he be disqualified but he would also be disgraced and punished.
So, Paul is telling Timothy that the Christian can learn an important lesson from the athlete because the athlete can train for months and years developing his body and skills for the competition and then play with every ounce of energy he has; but he can still lose, if he fails to follow the rules of the game.
And in our Christian life we can sacrifice a lot and do great works for Jesus but we can still be set aside if we ignore the clear teachings of the word of God.
I heard the difference between a donkey and a thoroughbred is that a donkey will only go as far as it wants to; but a thoroughbred will run itself to death.
I learned about donkeys many years ago when I was at a week-end retreat. We were all sitting on some benches in a field and they brought out an old donkey and they asked which one of us would be willing to ride him across the field but no one volunteered and so they picked me. And before I got on this donkey, they made me put a crash helmet on my head; which they told me was for insurance purposes.
And so, I climbed on. And when I did, I wrapped my hands around this donkey’s neck and held on as tight as I could, so he couldn’t buck me off; but the donkey didn’t move. He just stood there for about a minute and then all of a sudden, he took about five or six quick steps and put his head down and I slid forward and landed on my head.
Listen, God has enough donkeys; He needs a few thoroughbreds who will give Him everything they’ve got.
Like a teacher, we need to be educated in the word so we can win the lost, and like a soldier, we need to be personally disciplined, so we can be on our guard against the evil one and then like an athlete, we need to be determined to be all we can be for Jesus and then Paul’s final illustration is that of a farmer.
IV Farmer
In verse 6 it says, “The hardworking farmer must be first to partake of the crops. 7 Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things.”
And the lesson is simple, the farmer who is a hard worker is going to enjoy a good harvest but one who is impatient and lazy will never see anything grow.
So, we sow and others reap and often when we reap, it’s because others have sown but, in the end, we’ll be rewarded because we’ve been faithful in the harvest.
I lived next door to a very hard-working farmer back in the Maritimes and no matter what time I got up, he was already at work and no matter how late I came home; he was still in the barn finishing things up. And I hate to say it but his work was both difficult and boring and yet, he kept going because eventually his work would result in a good harvest.
So, at times, we may see the fruit of our labors and these times are encouraging but ultimately our reward is going to come when the Lord Himself says, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”
Conclusion
All four of these illustrations are pictures of difficult and aggressive lifestyles. There’s none of this, let go and let God do it but as someone said, “Nothing great is ever achieved without hard work.”
After all, any teacher who isn’t prepared will be ignored and forgotten. Any soldier who isn’t disciplined will be useless on the field of battle. Any athlete who isn’t committed will lose every time. And any farmer who doesn’t have the patience to wait for his crops to mature is going to face bankruptcy. Each of these must be committed in order to be successful.
And think about the ultimate example of Jesus; who was the greatest teacher who ever lived. As a soldier, He was victorious over Satan, sin and death. As an athlete, He completed the race that was set before Him and as a farmer; He patiently sowed the word of God in the lives of His disciples as He has done with all of us.
Listen, Paul is telling Timothy that God isn’t looking for spiritual giants but He wants each of us to be the best we can be for Him.
Jesus summed up the lives of two different kinds of people by using seven words. To one He said, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant." And to the other He said, “Depart from Me, I never knew you." So, tell me, which will He say to you?
