2 Timothy 2:14-26

Read Psalm 15

Verse 14
“Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers.”
1. Remind them of what things?
a. Remind them that God wants them to continue in the faith and that God is able to accomplish His purpose no matter how things look.
2. Why do people need to be reminded of spiritual truths?
3. “Quarrel about words” generally means not going on endlessly talking about topics for the purpose of trying to be clever or show off by out-smarting one another.
4. Why would “quarreling about words” hurt the hearers?
a. It might upset people whose faith is not strong.
5. “God’s purpose is not to pander to our inquisitiveness but to give us profitable instruction.” (Calvin, Comm. on 2 Timothy)

Verse 15
“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.”
1. If Timothy is concerned with being approved by God, who will he not be concerned with getting approval from?
a. What benefit would not getting caught up in other people’s business have for Timothy? For our lives?
2. How does a person rightly handle the word of truth? If your job is to teach and instruct people about the things of God, how is truth rightly handled?
a. The Word must be spoken to benefit the hearers.
b. Handle the word so that when you expound it, it lifts up those who hear it.

Verses 16-18
“But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have swerved from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some.”
1. What is gangrene and why is it so deadly?
a. Unless treated, gangrene spreads quickly to the areas near the infection and penetrates deep into the skin and bones until it finally kills the person.
2. If “irreverent babble” is compared to the spreading of gangrene, what will “irreverent babble” do to the church? How does this generally happen in real life?
3. Heresy and heretics had put questions in the believer’s minds about the stability and permanence of the church.

Verse 19
“But God's firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.””
1. In this context, what is the phrase “God’s firm foundation” referring to?
2. What does the first quotation mean?
a. God knows who the true believers are.
3. What does the second quotation mean?
a. If people truly know God, they will eventually turn away from their sin. Believers may fall into error, but they will always turn from what is not of God at some point because the Holy Spirit will convict them.
b. Matthew 7:15-20 (Mention but maybe not go to)
i. Good trees bear good fruit and bad trees bear bad fruit. Good trees cannot bear bad fruit and bad trees cannot bear good fruit.
4. Should we judge people to determine if they are saved?
a. Yes AND no.

Verses 20-21
“Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.”
1. “The fate of the false teachers is also not yet fixed.” Although they may not yet be truly saved, ‘they too may turn from evil.” (Carson, NT Comm. On Use of the OT)
2. When people turn away from sin, the Lord will use them in mighty ways.
3. Why will turning away from sin prepare us for “every good work”?
a. God desires that the people who represent Him and show Him to the world live so that their lives declare His character. People will only see who God is when His character is manifested in us is such a way that people know that in order for us to be the way we are, there has to have been a supernatural work to account for how different we are.

Verses 22-23
“So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels.”
1. Verse 22 tells us to do two things. What two things are we do to?
a. Flee things that lead into sin
b. Pursue the things of God.
2. Paul tells Timothy to develop relationships with people who “call on the Lord from a pure heart” but also tells Timothy to have no part of the controversies going on.
a. Does who we put ourselves around effect how we think and live?
3. What happens when people get too involved with other people’s business?

Verses 24-25A
“And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness.”
1. When conflicts arise, why must we remember to be kind to all of the people surrounding the conflict?
2. Why must we be able to teach others?
a. So that we are able to communicate what we believe clearly so that other people will understand what we are saying. If we are able to communicate what we believe so as to rightly understood, there will be less of a chance of having people misunderstand and stray from the intended meaning that you are conveying.
3. Why must we endure evil patiently?
4. Why must we correct people who have strayed from the truth with gentleness?
a. We ourselves may be wrong.
b. People are not likely to listen to us if we are rude or belittling to them.

Verses 25-26
“God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.”
1. Who grants people repentance and leads them to the truth?
a. God.
2. Will people ever repent or know the truth without God granting them this ability?
3. Is it possible that people who are leading others astray will one day turn to the LORD and see the truth?
4. Should we ever give up on being Christ to other people even if it seems that it is doing no good?
5. How should we respond to and interact with people who are straying from the truth?

Summary
1. What is the overall message of verses 14-26?
2. What are some practical things we can take from these verses to apply to our lives?

Psalm 32

Valentine's Day, or Singleness Awareness Day as one of my friends put it, was a day I felt was unlikely for many people to be at the Bible Study. Family and significant others are important and wanted you all to be able to spend time with them without having to miss some of 2 Timothy.

The group studied Psalm 32 last night and the notes are below. Next week we will get back to 2 Timothy 2 and finish up that chapter. I am thinking we have four more weeks of 2 Timothy and then maybe we will move onto Mark. There is still a lot of good things that 2 Timothy has and I am excited to see what the next few weeks will be like.

Below are the notes and some quotes that are helpful.

Quotes on Repentance
(Saving faith is) not just believing that Jesus lived and died. Faith that saves is the confident, continuous confession of total dependence on, and trust in Jesus Christ to meet the requirements on your behalf to give you entrance into God's Eternal Kingdom. It's the surrender of your life in complete trust to Him to do what you cannot do.
John MacArthur

[Repentance] is not a merely intellectual change of mind or mere grief, still less doing penance, but a radical transformation of the entire person, a fundamental turnaround involving mind and action and including overtones of grief, which result in (spiritual) fruit.
D.A. Carson. Matthew, The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Zondervan, 1984, p. 99.

Repentance is more than simply being sorry for sin. It is agreeing with God that you are sinful, confessing your sins to Him, and making a conscious choice to turn from sin and pursue holiness (Isaiah 55:7).
Grace to You Ministries. All rights reserved. 1991. Used by permission.

Repentance is a change of mind regarding sin and God, an inward turning from sin to God, which is known by its fruit – obedience (Mt. 3:8; Acts 26:20; Lk. 13:5-9). It is hating what you once loved and loving what you once hated, exchanging irresistible sin for an irresistible Christ.
Jim Elliff. The Unrepenting Repenter, Christian Communicators Worldwide, www.CCWtoday.org. Used by Permission.



Read Psalm 124

Verse 1
“Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.

1. Why are we blessed to have our sin forgiven?
2. “We are only accounted righteous before God by the free remission of sins, this is the gate of eternal salvation; and, accordingly, that they only are blessed who rely upon God’s mercy.” (Calvin, Commentary on Psalm 32)
3. Why do we need to have our sin forgiven?
4. “God cannot be reconciled to those who are worthy of eternal destruction in any other way than by freely pardoning them, and bestowing upon them his favor.” (Calvin, Commentary on Psalm 32)

Verse 2
“Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.”
1. Verse 2 begins by stating that we are blessed when God does not count our sin against us. If a person has sinned so that they need the LORD to not count their sin against them, what does it mean for there to be no deceit in a person’s spirit?
2. Why does a person need to have a clear picture of themselves and God, and be honest about their condition before God?

• “He who feels not his disease refuses the remedy.” (Calvin, Commentary on Psalm 32)
  

Verses 3 & 4
“For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.”
1. Bones is a Hebrew word that signifies a person’s strength. The verse could easily be translated to say: “For when I kept silent, my strength wasted away through my groaning all day long.”
2. What is meant by “kept silent”?
a. Obstinate to God
3. Why does keeping silent about our sin wear away our strength?
4. What does it feel like when you know you did something wrong but haven’t or won’t make things right?
5. Whose hand was heavy upon the Psalmist?
6. If someone were to say that something is occurring “day and night”, how often is it occurring?
7. Without God convicting people of their sin, will they ever turn from their sin on their own?
8. Why must people feel the weight of their sin before they will turn to God?
a. “We never perceive how great a happiness it is to enjoy the favor of God, until we have thoroughly felt from grievous conflicts with inward temptations, how terrible the anger of God is.” (Calvin, Commentary on Psalm 32)

Verse 5
“I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah”
1. If something is not covered, what must it be?
2. Was the Psalmist’s act of confession what pardoned him?

• “It is faith which, by opening our hearts and tongues, really obtains our pardon…[The Psalmist] obtained pardon by his confession, not because he merited it by the mere act of confessing, but because, under the guidance of faith, he humbly implored it from his judge.” (Calvin, Comm. On Psalm 32)
  

Verses 6 & 7
“Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found; surely in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him. You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah”
1. If there is a time when God may be found, what does this also imply?
a. (There is a time when God may not be found)
b. Why would God not be found?
i. Because our heart is too hard and we are unwilling to cry out to Him.
2. “Rush of great waters” or “mighty waters rise” or “flood” means all “dangers from which there appears no means of escape” (Calvin, Comm. On Psalm 32)
3. There is nothing from which God cannot save a person from. No matter what it is, God can save you from it.
4. What does it mean for God to be our hiding place?
5. How does God protect or preserve us from trouble?

• Does that mean that life will be free from trouble?
  

6. Three underlying ideas in verses 6 & 7:

• There is no place of safety except in Christ
• God will be faithful to preserve or protect us.
• God will be the one to deliver us.

Verse 8
“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.”
1. Who will do these all of these things?
2. If someone has their eye upon you or is watching over you, what does this imply?

Verse 9
“Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you.”
1. What are horses and especially mules known for being?

• Stubborn!!!
  

2. What is this verse asking us not to be?
a. Why is it asking us not to be stubborn?
3. What does the owner of a horse or mule do when the animal is ignoring him?
4. Hebrews 12:5-11

Verse 10
“Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the LORD.”
1. Why are the sorrows of the wicked many?
a. The wicked are living out of step with true reality. People reap what they sow. When people sow destructive choices into their lives they will reap destructive results.
2. Why does God’s steadfast love surround those who trust in Him?
3. If we trust in the LORD, what does it imply that we are not doing?

Verse 11
“Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!”
1. In this verse, what does being righteous or upright mean? (Look at the larger context.)
2. When this verse refers to the righteous and upright being glad, rejoicing and shouting for joy, what is the reason for their response to God?
3. Why do people who will humble themselves and trust in the LORD have reason to be the happiest people alive?

Summary
1. What is the overall message of Psalm 32?
2. What are some practical applications we can take from this Psalm?

2 Timothy 2:1-13

This nights study had many good insights from you all. We delved into verse 13, a difficult verse, together and came up with many good insights, insights that never even entered my mind (thanks Nick!). The theme of 2 Timothy is becoming pretty clear, as many of you have mentioned to me both during and outsiden of the study.

Next week is Valentine's Day. I am planning on being there but we will NOT be studying 2 Timothy that night. We will be studying Psalm 32, as it is what the Lord has put on my heart. I figured it would give a little bit of a break from 2 Timothy and would be good to do because many people might not be there because of Valentine's Day.


Read Psalm 136

Verse 1
“You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus,”
1. After Timothy is reminded of what has been occurring in and among the church, Paul moves on to exhort Timothy about what he should do and how he should respond to all that is going on.
2. “What God requires from us in His Word, He also supplies by His Spirit, so that we are strengthened in the grace that He provides” (Calvin, p.305, Commentary on 2 Timothy).
3. What does “being strong in the grace” or being “strengthened by the grace” “that is in Christ Jesus” mean?
4. How are we strengthened by God’s grace?

Verse 2
“and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”
1. When the verse 2 speaks of entrusting faithful or qualified men with the task of teaching, what is meant by the word faithful or qualified?
2. What qualifies a person to teach?
3. Why is it important that the men who Timothy entrusts to teach the church be faithful or qualified?

Verse 3
“Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.”
1. If a person was a good soldier, how would they share in suffering to help their side win?


Verse 4
“No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.”
1. If a person was a soldier who was off at war, why would they not want to get involved in civilian affairs?
2. What consequences might getting involved in civilian affairs have on you or the war that you are there fighting?
3. Going back to 2 Timothy, how does the metaphor in verse 4 apply to our spiritual life?

Verse 5
“An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.”
1. Why would an athlete not be considered the winner unless they competed according to the rules?
2. Why would doing sinful things to advance God’s Kingdom be a bad thing to do?
3. What application does this verse have for our lives?

Verse 6
“It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops.”
1. If you are a farmer, what must you do to have a harvest?
2. On Judgement Day, if we expect to reap some reward for our service to God, what must we do until Judgement Day comes if we want to have a reward?
3. We are saved totally by grace but in order to be saved we must persevere until the end. While God does demand that those whom He saves persevere, He also enables and causes people who truly know Him to persevere.
a. 1 Peter 1:3-5

Verse 7
“Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.”
1. Why does Paul specifically tell Timothy to think over these things?
2. How does God usually teach us about who He is?
3. Although Timothy has to be the one to think over Paul has said, how will Timothy get the proper understanding of what is being said?

Verse 8
“Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel,”
1. “risen from the dead”
a. Jesus’ resurrection from the dead gives evidence that what Jesus taught is truthful and that Jesus truly is God. Jesus’ resurrection also shows that because His claims were true, we can share in the benefits that His death and resurrection for us.
2. “Offspring of David”
a. Who was David?
i. David was a king of Israel whom God promised that Christ would be descended from. David was promised that Christ would reign on his throne forever.
b. Why would Paul mention Christ being the offspring of David?
i. Christ is a real person who has a real connection to real people that had real promises made to them by a real God.
3. Why is Timothy being told to “remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel”?

Verse 9
“for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound!”
1. What does Paul mean he says that the Word of God is not bound?
2. Isaiah 55:1-11

Verse 10
“Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.”
1. “Therefore”
a. What’s it “there for”?
i. Because the Word of God is not bound…
2. Why does Paul want the elect to obtain salvation?



Verse 11
“The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him;”
1. What is the connection between us dying with Christ and us living with Christ?
Verse 12
“if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us;”
1. What is the connection between us enduring and us reigning with Christ?
2. Why will Christ deny us if we deny Him?

Verse 13
“if we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself.”
1. God is always faithful to do what He says He will do.
a. Isaiah 48:9-11
b. Ezekiel 36:16-32
2. What does it mean that God “cannot deny Himself”?

Overview
1. How would verses 1-13 of this chapter best be summarized?
2. How could these verses be applied to our lives?

2 Timothy 1:13-18

The notes below are all that we got to on the third night. It is only about five verses, but is worth looking over.

1. Prayer Requests
2. Read Psalm 95
3. Pray for time of fellowship and study
4. Review from last week.
a. What were verses 8 through 12 talking about?

Verse 13
“Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.”
1. Do not deviate from the message that Paul taught in any way. Put God’s Word before you. “Follow the pattern” literally means to put a vivid picture before you; a vivid picture right before your eyes so that you see the message of Christ clearly and as it is in its purest form.
2. Why is it important for Timothy to not deviate or change the message he received from Paul in any way?
3. The sound words consist “of faith and love, which have their source and beginning in the knowledge of Christ” (Calvin, p. 301, Commentary on 2 Timothy).

Verse 14
“By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.”
1. What is the good deposit that was entrusted to Timothy?
2. By the power of God that is inside of you, protect and preserve yourself from leaving the message of Christ that you have received.
3. Philippians 2:12-13

Verses 15-18
“You are aware that all who are in Asia turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes. May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains, but when he arrived in Rome he searched for me earnestly and found me— may the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that Day!—and you well know all the service he rendered at Ephesus.”
1. These verses are reflections of the results of people’s staying or straying from the message of Christ.
2. What is Paul’s purpose in mentioning these people?
a. Two-fold:
i. Information
ii. To show the reality of what will happen to us when persecution or hardship comes if we deviate or turn away from the true message of Christ.
3. Hebrews 3:7-14
4. Verses 15-18 show that when trouble came to the church, the people had two drastically different responses to the hardships.
5. If standing up for certain beliefs or ideas will greatly cost the people who stand up for these beliefs, is it possible for people to remain neutral or passive in the situation?
6. What are people’s motivations for continuing or leaving the faith when persecution comes?