THREE ‘FAITHFUL’ ILLUSTRATIONS – 2 Timothy 1:15-18

Posted by Pastor Greg Allen on November 12, 2014 under AM Bible Study |

AM Bible Study Group; November 12, 2014

2 Timothy 2:3-7

Theme: Paul offers Pastor Timothy three illustrations that teach how to have a ministry that is approved of God.

(All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version, unless otherwise indicated).

It’s amazing how good illustrations makes things clear. A wise teacher uses them abundantly. And Paul was a very wise teacher. He wanted to urge Pastor Timothy on to faithfulness in his ministry; so, he gave him a set of three illustrations—illustrations that were drawn from vivid and familiar slices of life—that would motivate him to acceptable service to the Lord Jesus.

And Timothy needed motivating. In the first chapter of this letter, the focus of the apostle Paul toward Timothy was to urge him to willingly accept the fact that affliction comes with preaching the gospel. In that respect, Paul himself was a great illustration. He invited Timothy to join with him in his own suffering for the gospel’s cause. And now, in Chapter 2, the focus of Paul was to urge Timothy to be faithful in his work in such a way as to be approved of God. The illustrations that Paul used are not only beneficial to pastors, though. They also spur all of God’s saints on to live and work for Christ in such a way as to be acceptable and pleasing to the Master.

Note . . .

I. PAUL’S CALL OF TIMOTHY TO AN APPROVED MINISTRY (v. 3).

A. Paul begins by saying, “You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.” The ‘therefore’ points us back to what Paul has said in verses 1-2; and to the appeal to be strong in the grace that is in Christ, and to commit what he has heard from Paul to others. This, of course, is hard work. But Timothy is to expect it to be hard work. The work of service to Christ is an unspeakably great joy; but it is also a difficult labor. No one, of course, knew this better than Paul himself! He likens it to the work of a good soldier—one of the hardest forms of labor anyone can have. And he affirms it as work rendered to the greatest Lord anyone can serve under—the Lord Jesus Christ. And he presents it as a matter of ‘enduring hardship’—the word he used being one that means “to suffer evils along with’. As Paul tells him in 2 Timothy 4:5; “But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”

B. A soldier doesn’t question why it is that he must suffer or endure affliction. His only concern is that he do what he is given to do by his commanding officer. But in our case, our suffering in the work of the gospel is presented as being “with” Christ. We share in His sufferings. As Peter put it in 1 Peter 4:12-13; “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.” In 1 Peter 4:19, he says, “Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.”

II. THE THREE ILLUSTRATIONS THAT ARE TO INSPIRE HIM (vv. 4-6).

A. What does such an ‘approved’ ministry look like? The apostle Paul gives Timothy three memorable illustrations. First, he gives him the illustration of the soldier (v. 4). He writes, “No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.” It’s true that Paul once worked part-time as a tent-maker in order to provide for himself (Acts 18:3); but he did this in order to advance his work in the gospel—not as something that interfered with his calling (1 Corinthians 9:11-12; 2 Corinthians 11:12). Soldiers do not concern themselves with the trivial matters of civilian life. His or her food, clothing, and lodging are provided, so that he or she can give undistracted commitment to their calling. In order to carry on a truly approved ministry for the gospel of Jesus, a pastor needs to keep himself devoted to the task—and not allow himself to be encumbered with the trivial concerns of this world. The lesson? An approved ministry is one that is wholly devoted to the task. “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62).

B. Next, he uses the illustration of the athlete (v. 5). Paul must have loved sports, because he used a lot of sports analogies in his teaching. He tells Timothy, “And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.” An athlete may have successfully run all the way around a race track; and he or she may even have run faster than anyone else in doing so. But unless he or she abides by the rules of the race, the effort is wasted and he or she will be disqualified. Similarly, a pastor may have done much of the work that is required in the ministry; but unless he does so in obedience to the Lord’s commands in Scripture, and in complete reliance upon Him, he will not be approved of God in his work. In another passage, Paul wrote, “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified” (1 Corinthians 9:24-27). The lesson? An approved ministry is one that is conducted in careful obedience to Christ’s commands. “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46).

C. Finally, he uses the illustration of the farmer (v. 6). He writes, “The hardworking farmer must be first to partake of the crops.” Some have interpreted this to mean that, just as a farmer must eat if he is going to be able to do the work of farming, so a pastor must be sure that he is partaking of the spiritual life that he seeks to develop in others. Others have seen this verse in the light of the mandate elsewhere in Scripture that the church support its pastor materially (1 Corinthians 9:14; 1 Timothy 5:17-16). Both of those affirmations are certainly true. But more likely, what Paul means in this passage is that just as a farmer has the right to expect eventually to enjoy the benefit and blessings of his labors, so does the faithful pastor. Those who labor faithfully in the Lord never labor in vain; “For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister” (Hebrews 6:10). The lesson? An approved ministry is one that labors expectantly with an eye to God’s reward. “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life” (Mark 10:29-30).

III. THE EXHORTATION TO ‘CONSIDER’ WHAT PAUL HAS SAID (v. 7).

A. These illustrations are ones that are worthy of careful thought. Paul writes, “Consider what I say . . .” That is, Timothy is not to rush past them too quickly; but he is to allow them to sink in and take root. For the cause of the gospel, he is to develop within himself a soldier’s unhindered devotion, an athlete’s disciplined accuracy, and a farmer’s confident expectation. Only then can he conduct his ministry in a way that is truly approved of God.

B. And he is not to think of these things or pursue them on his own. He is ever and always to do his work in deep relation to the Lord Jesus. Paul adds, “and may the Lord give you understanding in all things.” The Lord will not only strengthen His dependent ministers, but also help them to understand and apply the devotion of a solder, the accuracy of an athlete, and the confidence of a farmer in a proper way. “I am the vine,” Jesus has told us, “you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).