"FOLLOW THE LEADER" by Andrew Schachtel, 13 January 2008, 2 TIMOTHY 3

[dann...@gmail.com]

1. Background as a reminder
The famous Irish author, George Bernard Shaw, is known to have written
more than 250,000 letters – it seems he always had a few unfinished
ones in his bag wherever he went. In my far less famous lifetime, I
reckon I have written thousands of emails, none of which anyone can
remember anything much about.

We don’t know how many letters Paul wrote, but it was far less than
that. But God has used his letters to change the world, and our
lives…

This one to Timothy was probably one of the last letters which Paul
wrote
Probably written around 66AD from a cell in Rome during his 2nd
imprisonment
Written to Timothy, a former fellow-worker with Paul, who was living
in Ephesus, in current Turkey. Paul had visited and lived there from
53-56AD

Why was it written?
Paul was concerned about the state of the churches
• it was the time of persecution which attended Nero’s reign
• Ephesus was a place of superstitious idolatry and demonism, and
occult arts were practiced there. The temple of Diana was there – one
of the 7 wonders of the ancient world

2. Foreword
I don’t intend to go through the chapter verse by verse, but rather to
look briefly at a few key points, and to spend a little more time on
the topic of scripture.

3. The Passage
a) we are to expect difficult times before Christ returns (vv 1-9)
Scholars feel this refers to the times from Christ’s first coming
until his return
v. 5 shows that this is not just referring to the period just before
Christ’s return

I won’t go into details, but this is a sad catalogue of negative
character traits. The people who live in this period are
• Lovers of self
• Lovers of money
• Boastful
• Proud
• Abusive
• Disobedient to parents, etc.

You might well be thinking “This is what I’m seeing around me more and
more.”
A society in Australia caught up with affluence, self-centredness and
indulgence.
A society good at minimizing discomfort and pain, but not so good at
helping those in need all around

What hope is there for such communities? And how has this happened?
This is a logical outcome of societies which have rejected the Lord
and his teaching:
We are faced with a nation like this, with plenty of ideas about how
things should work and be done, but in total rejection of God’s
prescription

In fact, this kind of behaviour is the opposite of what Jesus was like
on earth, and of what he wants his children, you and me, to be like.
We are to walk by the Spirit and to be characterized by the Spirit’s
fruit (see Gal 5:22)

But we can easily slip into this way of thinking and behaving.
Do we sometimes live as if we are primarily concerned with our
mortgage, our super, our next holiday, OR are we living for the one
who loved us and gave himself for us?
We need to remember regularly that we are created to love and serve
God, and to do the good works for which he has made us

This prediction of Paul’s means a very sorry situation for
unbelievers. What will they have to offer their kids and the
subsequent generations?
This is a sad scene for Christians, but we are to be aware, and to
live appropriate, godly lives, not in conformity


b) the importance of godly examples or role models like Paul (vv.
10-13)
Paul’s attributes are set in contrast to the behaviour of the age.
Note that this kind of behaviour came at a great cost in the case of
Paul – opposition, ridicule, persecution, imprisonment. He was a great
role model for Timothy.

How are we to be role models in society, and for our friends and
families?
One way would be to show the traits found in Paul
Another would be to deliberately set out to help young people, and
young Christians, as they seek to love and serve the Lord. Many of us
have been helped by such people ourselves – in my case, a youth leader
at a camp I attended many years ago.

Is God calling you to play those roles for others? If so, how will you
go about it?
And how is he asking you to take, into our communities godly views,
rather than the prevailing human views?

c) the importance and purpose of the Bible (vv. 14-17)
We evangelicals place huge importance on God’s word
a. We have many copies of the Bible in our homes, and loads of English
versions are available – see any Christian bookshop
b. Some of us have lots of commentaries on the Bible in our homes
c. We turn out every week to hear “the word preached”
d. Apparently the small survey carried out to help in finding a pastor
to succeed Sam Reeve at our church placed at the top of the list “must
be a good Bible teacher”, or some such similar words
Why is this?

Many reasons, but what does the Bible say about itself in this
passage?
These verses in 2 Tim 3 refer to the OT scriptures primarily, but
elsewhere there are mentions of NT writings also being viewed as God’s
word.
Scripture is important because
• It is holy or sacred (v.15) – it’s not just someone’s idea

• It is God-breathed (theopneumatos). God was actively involved in
writing it, so that it is God’s authoritative word. He has spoken to
us by his prophets, his Son, and by his written word. One of the
Indian gurus has said that “life is a pathless sea”. I thank God that
it’s not. Because of his great love, we are not left in the dark about
what he is like, and what the creation is like.

• It has purposes which are essential for us
it can bring us salvation
it can make us truly wise
it is useful in teaching, rebuking, correcting
it can help to train us in righteous living
it helps to equip us for the good works for which God has made us
Cf. the TB scriptures, and people going to Bodhgaya to hear them read.
These scriptures were seen as a source of blessing in themselves, to
help the hearers, and not to bring glory to a personal God, by whom
they were written, and not necessarily to be of “practical” use. The
Bible is not like the scriptures of many other faiths, no matter what
people might say

Small wonder we value God’s word so highly! We are to know it, be
convinced of it, and to continue (Greek: live, dwell), in its teaching
(vv. 14-15).

Read out the section on the Chinese pastor

But maybe some cautions might be in order: -
• We should beware of loving “right doctrine” more than God himself
• With so much focus on the Bible and on trying to get at the meaning
of the sacred text, we should beware of a purely cerebral and
passionless faith. So often training in biblical study seems to lead
to more study, not necessarily to a closer relationship with Jesus, or
to equipping us for good works, nor leading us to righteousness.

Story of Jim Packer, who was born in England in 1926: -
He was asked why, in light of many other scholars of his day, in the
middle of the 20th century, who took a liberal view of scripture, he
did not take that view. He replied that scholars come and go, and
their views wax and wane, but he believed he should trust what God
himself said about his word, as spelt out in Biblical passages such as
this one.

4. Conclusion
We have been looking at some words written almost 2,000 years ago. As
I’ve prepared for today, I have been struck by how vitally relevant
they are to us today.

These words cover
• the plight of societies without faith in the living God
• how important godly examples can be in our lives, and how we can
play that role in the lives of others
• the importance and purpose of the Bible

Whom are you following?
This week, will you be following the kind of thinking of the age in
which we live?
Or will you be looking to God to speak to and guide you, through his
word, and to his people’s examples throughout the ages, and in the
present?