Second Timothy Chapter 2. Last Sunday morning our text
was. Verses 11 to 13. Let's read those verses again. It is a faithful saying. For
if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him. If we suffer,
we shall also reign with him. If we deny him, he will also
deny us. If we believe not, yet he abideth
faithful. He cannot deny himself. Now verse 14 says, of these things,
put them in remembrance. charging them before the Lord
that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting
of the hearers. Study to show thyself approved
unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing
the word of truth, but shun profane and vain babblings for they will
increase unto more ungodliness. And their word will eat as doth
a canker, of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus, who concerning
the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past
already, and overthrow the faith of some. I've titled this study,
Rightly Dividing the Word. rightly dividing the word. And we are going to heavily use
the word to rightly divide the word. And let me begin by just
telling you what we are dividing. Rightly dividing means expounding
correctly. That's what it means. It means holding to the straight
course. And what it is, is it's dividing
words and interpretations of words and the object of words
that are profitable for us from words and interpretations of
words and objects of words that are not profitable for us, separating
them. Verse 14, of these things put
them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they
strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting
of the hearers. Now let me start by saying that
every word in the scripture is a profitable word. It's not saying
that we're going to get in here and decipher between the profitable
words and the unprofitable words. Every word in scripture is a
profitable word because these are God's words. All unprofitable
words are man's words. And man's words that do not profit
God's people, strivings and debatings over words that are not profitable
for God's people will only lead men and women to catastrophe. That's what the word subverting
means at the end of verse 14, to the subverting of the hearers. It means demolition. destruction,
overthrow, extinction, apostasy, which is falling away. What this means is leaving the
straight path is not just unprofitable, it's dangerous. It's dangerous. For that reason, Paul told Timothy
in verse 15, Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman
that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of
truth, but shun, and what that means is go around, keep away
from, avoid, be a bystander to, Be aloof to turn yourself from. Shun, verse 16 says, profane
and vain babblings. Profane means unholy, uncommon. No, it means unholy, common,
wicked. Vain means empty. Babbling means discussions. Empty
discussions. fruitless discussions, discussions
of vain and useless matters. Meaning, is all this making sense
so far? Meaning, once you get to the
end of your discussion and you draw your conclusion, it doesn't
matter. Okay? An empty, vain, useless
discussion. You can't stand on it. You can't
bank on it. You've got no proof to support
it. It's my word against your word.
How many, how many times does that, how often does that happen
in religion? Well, I think, well, I think,
you know, it's my word against your word. And it's just an empty, fruitless
opinion. Verse 16, but shun profane and
vain babblings for they will increase unto more ungodliness. That means lack of reverence
toward God. And it also means wickedness.
Verse 17, and their word, these unprofitable, vain, empty words,
will eat as doth a canker. That means a gangrene. It'll
just destroy the flesh. That's what it'll do. It'll destroy
the flesh. Of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus,
who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection
is past already, and overthrow the faith of some. These two
men made a call on prophecy and they got it wrong. And that
happens all the time. You know, people think, you know,
this is my opinion on the matter. And then something happens and
they say, nah, I changed my mind on that. I don't know if I think
that anymore. All right. So they made a call on prophecy
and then they got it wrong. And they led a lot of men and
women astray in the process. I read some commentaries on that
verse trying to understand what they meant by saying the resurrection
was already passed. I read about five commentaries
and I got about five different answers. And what that means
is they were all giving their opinion on it. Therefore, the end of each one
of their arguments was irrelevant. It's just irrelevant. All of
them I respected, you know, John Gill, I respected all of them,
but if we ever find a scripture that proves what they meant,
then we will know. If we find a scripture that plainly
says it, then we'll know. Until then, there's no room for
opinions in declaring these things. We declare all of it. We just
don't add an opinion to it. An opinion on the matter is what
got those two men in trouble in the first place. And as a
side note, our Lord plainly said, I am the resurrection. He plainly said, I am the resurrection. To see the resurrection as only
being an event or a day is to miss Christ in it. And that's
what happens when we become focused on the physical interpretations
of scripture. We end up missing Christ on it.
So, With all this being said, here's Paul's warning to Timothy
and to us. Look at verse 11. It is a faithful saying for if
we be dead with him, we shall also live with him. If we suffer,
we shall also reign with him. If we deny him, he also will
deny us. And I'll just go ahead and say,
we pointed this out last time, but for everybody who's worried
about that, we deny him. Okay, you better be careful.
If you deny him, he's gonna deny you. Peter denied him three times
in one night. All right, all of these ifs are
dependent on Christ. If we died with him, that's not
dependent on us, that's dependent on Christ. If we suffered with
him, that's dependent on Christ. If in the end, we end up not
denying him, that's only gonna be dependent on Christ and his
safekeeping of us. Verse 13, if we believe not,
and we don't. Faith is not of ourselves, that's
a gift of God. If we believe, that's dependent on Christ. If
we believe not, yet he abideth faithful, he cannot deny himself. Where am I? Verse 14, of these
things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord
that they strive not about words to no profit, But to the subverting
of the hearers, study to show thyself approved unto God a workman
that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of
truth." What is the truth? The truth is a person, Christ. Rightly dividing the word of
Christ. The word of Christ, verse 16,
but shun profane and vain babblings for they will increase unto more
ungodliness and their word will eat as death a canker of whom
is Hymenaeus and Philetus who concerning the truth have erred
saying that the resurrection has passed already and overthrow
the faith of some. Now, let's take a second to repeat
and establish the warning against unprofitable words. I want to
really establish this from the scripture and let none of this
be or seem to be my opinion, okay? We're gonna establish it
from the scripture. And then we'll spend the rest of our time
really seeing what it is to rightly divide the word of proof, what
the profitable words really are, actually are. All right, look
at Titus 1. It's one page over for me. Titus
chapter 1. Verse nine, Paul is speaking
on this office of becoming a pastor, taking this position. Verse nine, he says, holding
fast, you need to hold fast the faithful word as he hath been
taught that the pastor may be able by sound doctrine, both
to exhort and to convince the gainsayers, For there are many
unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, especially they of the circumcision,
whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching
things which they ought not for filthy lucre's sake. One of themselves,
even a prophet of their own, said, the Cretans are always
liars, evil beasts, slow bellies. This witness is true. One of
their own false religion people said, they're all liars, they're
lazy, they're covetous. And verse 13, he said, that's
the truth. Wherefore, rebuke them sharply
that they may be sound in the faith, not giving heed to Jewish
fables, and commandments of men that turn from the truth. He said, if it's a commandment
of men, it is the opposite of the truth because our ways are
not like his ways. There is a way that seems right
to a man, but the end of that way is destruction every single
time. If a man comes with man-made
religious words, Words that you can't find in
the scripture. People have a big religious vocabulary
that cannot be found in the scripture. And if a man comes with those
words, we had better run from that man. If he is teaching something that
you cannot find set in stone in the pages of this word, he
is only going to lead us away from the truth. If a man has the good of God's
sheep in mind, he will use the words that will allow the sheep
of God to hear the voice of their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
His words. Don't you love hearing His words? His actual words? If a man comes
in his own man-made words, he doesn't have the good of God's
sheep in mind. He has his own glory in mind. He's trying to do, all he's trying
to do is impress with his knowledge. That's all he wants to do. And
it will lead men and women to foolishness. Thinking himself
to be wise, he'll just lead everybody to foolishness. Look at 1 Timothy
4. Verse seven. but refuse profane and old wives'
fables. And what that is is, you know,
old wives' tales. That's tradition that gets passed
down generation to generation. At some point, somebody says,
well, you know, I think it's like this. And then it goes child
to child to child to child, and it gets passed down. Tradition,
just tradition, thoughts, and opinion. Refuse profane and old
wives fables and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. That means reverence toward God. Look at first Timothy one. Verse three. Paul says to Timothy, as I besought
thee to abide still at Ephesus when I went into Macedonia, that
thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine. Neither give heed to fables and
endless genealogies. People a lot of times like to
get hung up on genealogies tracing, you know, their lineage back
to Abraham or whoever they're trying to get back to. Neither
give heed to fables and endless genealogies which minister questions
rather than godly edifying which is in faith. So do. He said all
it's going to do is just confuse and raise a bunch of questions
and nothing will come from it. Turn to Colossians 2. Verse 18. Let no man beguile you of your
reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding
into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by
his fleshly mind, and not holding the head, capital H, that's Christ,
from which all the body, by joints and bands, having nourishment
ministered and knit together, increaseth with the increase
of God. Wherefore, if you be dead with
Christ from the rudiments of the world, why as though living
in the world are you subject to ordinances, touch not, taste
not, handle not, which all are to perish with the using after
the commandments and doctrines of men. He's exposing all these
different forms of the commandments and doctrines of men. And he said, that's all it is.
It's just the commandments and doctrines of men. Verse 23, which
things have indeed a show of wisdom and will worship and humility. It looks, you know, it looks
good and religious and neglecting of the body and all
that. But he said, it's not in any honor to the satisfying of
the flesh. It has a good religious look
about it, but it's not going to profit anybody. Go to Galatians
4. Verse four, but when the fullness of the
time was come, God sent forth his son made of a woman made
under the law to redeem them that were under the law, that
we might receive the adoption of sons. And because you are
sons, God had sent forth the spirit of his son into your hearts,
crying, Abba, father. Wherefore thou art no more a
servant, but a son. And if a son, then an heir of
God through Christ. How be it, then, when you knew
not God, you did service unto them which by nature are no gods? But now, after that you have
known God, or rather are known of God, how turn you again to
the weak and beggarly elements whereunto you desire again to
be in bondage? You observe days and months and
times and years, I am afraid for you. That's what the word
of means. I'm afraid of you. I'm afraid for you. Lest I have
bestowed upon you labor in vain. He's saying I'm afraid you're
going to miss Christ. That's what he's saying. I'm
afraid you're going to miss Christ because you're so focused on
the things that are not the issue. Turn to Matthew 15. Matthew 15, verse 8. Our Lord said, This people draweth
nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoreth me with their lips,
but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me,
teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. He said they've missed
it. They're teaching for doctrines
the commandments of men. So that's our warning. It's a
real danger. It's not just unprofitable. It's
a real danger to entertain the commandments and doctrines of
men. If God has made something explicitly
clear in his word, Then for us to think this or think that about
it, you know, that's as unstable as water. That's just chasing
rabbits. Every rabbit is leading us away from the truth. If God
wants a truth to be revealed, he will reveal it so clearly
in his word a babe can understand it. Deuteronomy 29 verse 29 says
the secret things belong unto the Lord our God, but those things
which are revealed belong unto us and to our children forever
that we may do all the work of this law. Those things which
are revealed belong to us. Who are the us? Matthew 11 says it's babes. Yes, the elect, the chosen, the
redeemed, the called, and they're classified as babies. When our
Lord has revealed something to us, babies, we babies can cling
to it. The wise and the prudent can't,
but we babies can. All right, now, what is God revealed
to? As I, on the way over here, I
told him, I have a 45 minute Bible study that I have to cram
into 28 minutes. I set myself a limit on that. I don't have much longer, but that's all the unprofitable.
All right, let's just turn quickly to the profitable. What has God revealed? The revealed
things are to us. All right. What has God revealed
to us? Here's the answer. He has revealed Christ to us. He has revealed Christ to us. This is a big statement right
here, but it's true. There is only one doctrine in
the scripture. This is the honest truth. There
is literally, actually, only one doctrine in the scripture. 2 John 1 verse 9 says, and other
places say, it is the doctrine of Christ. The doctrine of Christ. Men like to talk about doctrines,
and they like to come up with all of these doctrines. Literally,
get yourself a concordance and look it up for yourself. Every
single time the word doctrines is plural in the scripture, it
is speaking of the false, made-up commandments of men. Every single
time the scripture condemns them. Every single time. They are called
the doctrines of men. They are called the doctrines
of devils. They are called strange doctrines. The only doctrine acknowledged
by the Word of God is the doctrine of Christ. The doctrine of Christ. He literally is our doctrine. He is. Doctrine means teaching. It literally means words. It's his turn. He gets up here
and he starts saying words. This is his doctrine. This is
his teaching. There is only one teaching. There is only one message, and
it's Christ. He is all of our doctrine. The Apostle Paul was a very smart
man. Boy, he was smart. He had a lot of knowledge concerning
religion. He said he did. But when the
truth of the gospel was revealed to him, he said, I count everything
that is not Christ to be dung. And I throw it all away. I just
cast it all away because he said, I have now determined, I've made
the conscious decision to know nothing among you except for
Jesus Christ and him crucified. That's it. He said, that's my
stance on the matter. That's where I stand. He is my
doctrine. He is my all. He's everything. He said, we preach Christ crucified,
not Christ crucified and, well, you know, there's a lot more
stuff in there. No, there's not. It's Christ crucified alone.
He is our message. Christ is all and in all. He is all and in all. What does
that mean in all? It means in everything. In all of it, all of the scripture,
Christ himself said, these scriptures are they which testify of me,
not days, not events, me. He said, in the volume of the
book, it is written of me. He expounded in all the prophets,
you know, those Old Testament prophets, they literally foretold
this is what's going to happen. Christ is going to come. They
laid out all these future events. He expounded in all of the prophets,
all of the laws of Moses, all of the Psalms, all of the scriptures. the things concerning himself."
Every law is pointing us to Christ. Every law. Every prophecy is
a revelation of Christ. It's all revealing Christ. Every
story in the scripture, whether you want to look at Ruth's story
or whether you want to look at Joseph's story or whether you
want to look at Anybody, David's story, Solomon's story, every
story is revealing Christ. Every exhortation, now you really
ought to do this and stop doing that. Every exhortation is pointing
us to Christ. All the law is the schoolmaster
that leads us to Christ. It's all the revelation of Christ. The book of Revelation actually
starts by saying that. This is the revelation. It doesn't
say of Armageddon. It does not say this is the revelation
of end times. It says this is the revelation
of Jesus Christ. Turn with me to Acts 10. I'll
be quick. Hang in here with me one time.
Just let me run over one time. Acts chapter 10 verse 43 Acts
10 43 it says to him that Give all the prophets witness,
not some of the prophets, all of the prophets. To him give
all the prophets witness that through his name, whosoever believeth
in him shall receive remission of sins. That's what they were
writing about. That was their witness. That was their message.
Turn to Acts chapter 20. Acts chapter 20, Paul said in
verse 17, or it says concerning him in
verse 17, from Miletus, he sent to Ephesus and called the elders
of the church. And when they were come to him,
he said unto them, you know, from the first day that I came
into Asia, after what manner I have been with you at all seasons,
serving the Lord with all humility of mind. and with many tears
and temptations which befell me by the lying in wait of the
Jews, and how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you."
Think about that. He said, I didn't hold back anything
that was profitable unto you, but have showed you and have
taught you publicly and from house to house, testifying both
to the Jews and also to the Greeks, Repentance toward God and faith
toward our Lord Jesus Christ. He said, that's it. Verse 27,
I've not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. He said, this is it. The person
and the work of Christ, that is all the counsel of God. And
he went on in the next few verses there to say, take heed. Because
after I leave, grievous wolves are gonna come in and they're
gonna teach all manner of perverse things, trying to draw disciples
after themselves, not sparing the flock. Stay on Christ, that's
what he's saying, stay on Christ. Turn to 1 Corinthians 1, this
is my last page, 1 Corinthians 1. 1 Corinthians 1 verse 17, Christ
sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom
of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.
For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness. They say, that's just not enough.
There has to be more. It just has to be more than that.
The preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness,
but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. For it is
written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and will bring to
nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise?
Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this
world? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that in the wisdom
of God, the world by wisdom knew not God. It pleased God by the
foolishness of preaching to save them that believe." And he's
not talking about mathematics and things like that. Verse 22,
for the Jews require a sign. He's talking about religious
man-made wisdom. The Jews require a sign, and
the Greeks seek after wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified. Unto the Jews a stumbling block,
unto the Greeks foolishness, but unto them which are called,
both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom
of God. Look at 1 Corinthians 3, verse
11. Other foundation can no man lay
than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. That's it. He is it. Stay on him. He's the only one. He's the only thing that will
spiritually profit our souls. There is one thing needful. Not many things needful, one
thing needful, Christ, the message concerning him, the message concerning
his blood, his sacrifice, his righteousness, the salvation
that is only in him, all right? Closing scripture, 2 Corinthians
11. I'll leave us with this. 2 Corinthians 11 verse 1, Would
to God you could bear with me a little in my folly, and indeed
bear with me. For I am jealous over you with
godly jealousy. For I have espoused you to one
husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through
his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity
that is in Christ. Simplicity, simplicity, everything
other than Christ is unprofitable. It's that simple. Let's stay
on him. All right, you're dismissed.
We'll have a quick turnaround.