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 shew 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. Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. 2 Timothy 2:14-19

False teachers has been a problem in the Church since the beginning. The Apostle Paul is instructing how to handles these false teachers within the assembly of the Church. Have you ever experienced a false teacher coming to a Church service, and then trying to sabotage it with their false arguments? This actually happens more often then you think, the important thing is we rightly divide the word, however we also don’t want to divide the congregation with confusion.

As The Lord Jesus said “Don’t throw pearls to the swine” (Matthew 7:6) When a demon comes into divide the Church waste your valuable time with them. Devote yourself to preaching the truth to the sheep of Christ. As the Apostle Paul warns us under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit “not to strive or quarrel about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers. If your going to argue with these heretics, do it when your not surrounded by your own flock, as they can be confused and persuaded by false arguments that deceivers like to us. The main agenda of Satan is to divide the flock and destroy as many souls as possible, your job as a Shepherd of the Church is to guard the flock from wolves.

Another thing to remember is everything we do we are representing Christ and his Church. As the Apostle Paul says “Be diligent to present yourself approved by God, a worker that does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” If we get into some heated argument with a blasphemer , how does that appear to yourself and Christ? Don’t allow the wolves to get under your skin, don’t allow Satan to tempt you to make a fool of the Church, handle yourself with grace of The Lord 

Notice this strong warning by the Apostle Paul “avoid and shun profane and idle babblings for they will increase to more ungodliness” Interesting advice here by Paul, the more we engage with these heretics the more they corrupt us. Paul then gives an example of a couple people Hymenaeus and Philetus, who tried to spread a false teaching within the Church that denied the bodily resurrection, unfortunately a false teaching that still exists today. Rebuke them for their false teachings will “spread like gangrene” as Paul also says “they destroy the faith of some”

Some within the Church will listen to false teachers and their heresies. Protect your flock, don’t allow these wolves to invade your Church, rightly divide the word, Amen!

Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel: Wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds; but the word of God is not bound Therefore I endure all things for the elect’s sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. 2 Timothy 2:8-10

One thing we need to remember is nobody will stop God’s plans! No matter what they tried to do to the Apostle Paul or they try to do to us, to prohibit the gospel from spreading, it can’t be stopped, “The Word of God is not bound or chained” We need to remember this everytime we preach The Word it is not in vain, the Word of God is powerful , a two edged sword that pierces the heart, its the supernatural Word of God and can’t be stopped (Hebrews 4:12)

The Apostle Paul is reminding them what is the gospel message, Jesus Christ, God incarnate, the fulfillment of the Messiah, David’s Throne, died on the cross for our sins. And then Christ rose again on the 3rd day defeating sin and death forever, giving us eternal life. I would like to address verse 8 as people who reject Paul will say “Paul is creating his own gospel” This is just awkward translating from the Greek to English, as you look at the other translations, Paul is saying “This is the gospel that I preach”, which is about Jesus Christ and not himself. 

Preaching the gospel will have a cost as Paul tells us “for which I suffer trouble as an evildoer” When you preach the Word of God, the world will tell you you are homophobic, you are transphobic, you are racist, you are every file thing in the world, because the world hates Jesus Christ of the Bible. Being a true disciple of Christ will have a cost!

But as the Apostle Paul states “But the Word of God is not bound or chained” Nobody can stop the gospel message, every since Christ rose from the dead, the world has been trying to cover up the resurrection, they have been trying to eliminate any knowledge of Christ, however the world was already defeated at the cross, Jesus has overcome the world (John 16:33)

So preach the Word of God in and out of season, preach even when there are consequences, preach even when it seems nobody is listening, because the Word of God will never be made void, the gospel will never be chained, Christ is Risen, Christ is Risen Indeed, Amen!

And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.The husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of the fruits. Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things. 2 Timothy 2:5-7

Just recently I saw a Church is adding Thursday evening services to accommodate parents who have children involved with sports on the weekend. This is obviously a controversial issue, however the point I bring up is sports is a heavily involved activity. Nobody can really say “I’m going to dabble in sports” , probably because they wouldn’t be very good. It would also demonstrate they dont have any dedication or love for their team also. Athletes who are successful, typically train all year round, continue to work with their teammates to improve chemistry and readiness. So why am I rambling on about sports?

Well the Apostle Paul says this “if anyone competes in athletics , he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules”. Previously the Apostle Paul compared our calling in Christ to being a Soldier of Christ in The Lord’s Army. Today Paul is comparing our calling in Christ to being a successful athlete. So lets dive into what the Holy Spirit is trying to teach us with this analogy.

Again as I said previously, a successful athlete will train continually, will spend alot of time practicing and preparing for the big game. They will spend alot of time with their coaches , taking advice and getting mentored. Their coaches will analyze the players’ performances and advise ways they can continue to improve to get better. This should reflect our calling with Jesus! 

We shouldn’t take our calling as a Christian as casual or just something to do on the weekends, this is a higher calling that we are continually trying to improve upon to gain our crown of glory. Now I can hear the lukewarm people, “this is legalism” , no this is the Word of God here by the Apostle Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. “He is not crowned unless he competes”

The Apostle Paul also compares our calling to a farmer, who is continually working on the fields expecting a harvest crop to come, this again should reflect our calling as Christians. We should be continually working the fields (evangelism) planting seeds (the Word of God) and waiting for a harvest to come (new converts) Of course the Holy Spirit transforms people, but we need to labor for Christ, we are called to be the salt and light (Matthew 5) as the body of Christ.  A farmer who is lazy will produce no crops and no harvest, if we want to see God working in our ministry, we must work for God!

I understand these are spiritual applications, but as the Apostle Paul says here “The Lord will give you understanding of these things” Don’t take your calling in Christ lightly, consider the cost, run the race, plant the spiritual seeds of the Kingdom, Amen!