The Pastoral Epistles: 2 Timothy 3 (7)

Pray Psalm 2.1-6
Why do the nations rage,
And the people plot a vain thing?
The kings of the earth set themselves,
And the rulers take counsel together,
Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying,
“Let us break Their bonds in pieces
And cast away Their cords from us.”
He who sits in the heavens shall laugh;
The Lord shall hold them in derision.
Then He shall speak to them in His wrath,
And distress them in His deep displeasure:
“Yet I have set My King
On My holy hill of Zion.”

Review 2 Timothy 3.

Reflect.
1. How does this chapter speak to conditions in our day?

2. How does it counsel us to rise above those conditions?

Meditate.
This short chapter goes from bad to worse to good. Things will get bad in the last days, Paul explained. The tares will multiply and grow strong throughout the Lord’s field.

And then things will get worse.

The reason for this is that people reject the truth of God. In trying to be gods unto themselves, they will always be slaves to base passions, even though some of them may profess to believe in the Lord.

This is not how Timothy learned the faith, however. He must hold fast to the things he has learned and the examples that were set for him by family and Paul. He must not allow himself to be caught in the slipstream of unbelief, lest he drift from the faith he learned as a child. And he must expect that, as he does stand firm in the Gospel, people will not always welcome his word. Persecution at various levels awaits all who believe in the Lord.

But if we hold fast to the Scriptures, and invest time and effort in learning them, we will gain the benefits God has prepared for us there. We will become increasingly complete in Christ, and will overcome the evil of our day with an array of good works that are the fruit of Scripture, sown into our souls.

Reflect.
1. Paul says that we must not be overcome by evil, but must overcome evil with good (Rom. 12.21). How should a Christian prepare each day to do good work in an evil world?

2. How important is it that we have good examples to follow in the life of faith? Why?

3. What can Christians do to help one another remain rooted and grounded in Scripture?

The Scriptures are holy, they are truthful, they are blameless.… So we have no grounds at all for blaming Scripture if we happen to deviate in any way, because we haven’t understood it. When we do understand it, we are right. But when we are wrong because we haven’t understood it, we leave it in the right. When we have gone wrong, we don’t make out Scripture to be wrong, but it continues to stand up straight and right, so that we may return to it for correction. Augustine (354-430), Sermons 23.3

Thank You, Lord, for Your reliable and trustworthy Word! Help me to make good use of Your Word each day as I…

Pray Psalm 2.
As you pray, think of the situation in our day – people denying God, rebelling against His Word, and seeking to throw off the restraints of His Law. Pray that God will firm up His people in His Word, and will use us to proclaim the message of Jesus and call the world to repentance and faith.

Sing Psalm 2.
Psalm 2 (Agincourt: O Love, How Deep, How Broad, How High!)
Why do the nations vainly rage, conspiring together from age to age?
Earth’s kings and all of their counselors stand against the Lord and His Right Hand:

“Now let us cast His yoke below,  His Kingdom authority overthrow!
Throw off His Law, reject His Word; No more be governed by this Lord!”

The Lord in heaven laughs in wrath At all who embark on this cursèd path.
His angry Word to them is plain: “Yet shall My King in Zion reign!”

Proclaim the message far and wide, that God has exalted the Crucified!
From heav’n He sent us His only Son, Who has for us salvation won!

To Christ the Lord be given all who humbly embrace Him and on Him call.
Be wise, be warned: His judgment comes to break the prideful, sinful ones.

Rejoice with fear in Jesus’ grace, and worship before His exalted face!
Beware His anger and judgment grim: How blessed are all who rest in Him!

T. M. Moore

The lessons in this week’s study of the Pastoral Epistles, and all the studies in this series, are available as a free download by clicking here.

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