Here’s Some Timeless Christian Advice!

4th Sunday after Epiphany, 2/2/25 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5 Here’s Some Timeless Christian Advice! I. Hold on to God’s truth. II. Expect opposition. Can you identify with the following scenario? If not, trust me. Wait a few more years, and you will. You’ve been experiencing some physical issues. Let’s say your aches and pains now seem to be a part of your daily life. You try not to overdo it anymore, because you know that the next day you’ll pay for it. And it’s become annoying. You can see this is only going to get worse, so you decide to make an appointment with your primary care physician. The day of your appointment arrives, and you’re in one of the patient rooms. The nurse takes care of entering your vitals and going through a list of whatever medications and supplements you may be taking. When she’s finished, she leaves, promising that your physician will see you soon. Within a few minutes your physician enters the room. You exchange a few pleasantries, and then your physician asks you why you are here. And you proceed to describe what you’ve been feeling and experiencing. In the back of your mind, you’re hoping your doctor will come up with some medical magic that will quickly address your issues, and in short order solve them. You want to hear your physician say, “Here’s the problem. Do this or take this and everything should be fine.” But instead, your physician begins to address your unhealthy lifestyle, your diet, your exercise routine or complete lack thereof, and your sleep patterns. And you leave the doctor’s office with a set of instructions on changes you need to make in your life, all of them unwanted, some of them difficult. Your physician told you what you needed to hear, not what you wanted him or her to say. But you trust your physician. You know his or her advice is solid. Now it’s up to you. What will you do with it? The place wasn’t a pleasant doctor’s office; it was some sort of Roman room of confinement. A Roman prison perhaps. Nurses and doctors weren’t outside the room; Roman guards were. The purpose for being there was not to improve daily life; but to face a martyr’s death. The words before us this morning here in 2 Timothy are some of the apostle Paul’s final words. He wrote them to his young pastor friend, Timothy, knowing that his death at the hands of the Romans was near. In this situation, he knew there was no time for pious pleasantries. He didn’t waste time talking about the recent weather in Rome or about his own experiences, as dire as they were. Instead, he spent his precious time offering Timothy what Timothy needed to hear. He offered timeless Christian advice. And here it is—timeless Christian advice. It might not be what we want to hear but it certainly is what we need to hear. So, let’s pay attention. I. Do you read and pay attention to everything you should? Everything you want to? I don’t think it’s possible. I stated just the other day that I receive so much information—all of it good information—from our church body, that I can’t keep up with it. I used to read everything. Not any longer. Do you find the same thing happening with the information you receive as well? Paul sent Timothy this information and he wanted to make sure Timothy paid attention to it. Was that really an issue? I mean, Timothy didn’t have a mailbox at his home that got stuffed with junk mail every day. He didn’t have an email account that was flooded with junk hourly. There was no internet to go searching. So, what was the problem? The problem was that, just 30 years after Jesus ascended into heaven, the Christian church on earth was already being flooded with falsehood. In the verses that precede our text, Paul recounts for Timothy how viciously the truth of God had already been twisted. The evil horns of falsehood were goring countless people spiritually. And Paul informed Timothy that it was going to get worse. Brighter days for the church were not ahead. Satan would succeed in spreading his damning lies. And worst of all, they would be spread under the guise of Christianity. So, here’s Paul’s timeless Christian advice, “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” That’s quite a mouthful of Christian advice. Just what was Paul saying? First, he tells Timothy that he already knew what God’s timeless information was. It’s the plan of salvation. Timothy knew that plan from infancy. Paul wanted Timothy to know that God’s truth doesn’t evolve. It doesn’t change. But how can we be certain? Because it’s God’s word. Right here is the clearest explanation of God’s word—the Bible. It is not a collection of the religious thoughts of fallible ancient human beings. It’s the timeless word of the eternal God. It’s eternal truth. And it makes sinful human beings wise for salvation. What’s your greatest problem? It’s sin. And I commit them every day. What’s the solution to sin? God’s plan of salvation in Jesus Christ. You know that plan. You trust in Jesus for your forgiveness and eternal life. And that’s the information—the advice—we need to share. Paul tells Timothy that it’s useful for pointing out to others their sins, their need for a Savior, and who that Savior is—Jesus Christ. And with faith in Jesus, this is what Christians do—they live for Christ. Paul tells Timohty and you and me that we have God’s truth. Don’t be fooled by falsehood. There you have it in a nutshell. Here’s some timeless Christian advice. Hold on to God’s word. II. Think about that for a moment. We have God’s timeless truth. It’s here on the pages of his word. It lives in our hearts by faith in Jesus. It’s the solution to every person’s biggest problem. And it’s free! There’s no monthly subscription to receive it! You would think the task of the church—to share the saving, timeless advice of the only true God would be easy, a cakewalk, like handing out free tickets to next Sunday’s Super Bowl. But Paul tells Timothy, Paul tells you and me, “If that’s what you think, be prepared. Be prepared for the opposite.” Here’s Paul’s timeless Christian advice, “For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.” There’s another mouthful of apostolic advice. Let’s unpack it for a moment. Paul tells us to keep our heads. Literally, he wants us to look at what’s happening in our world and in the church properly. Assess things accurately, keeping in mind that the Lord of the Church is still the Lord of the Church. Don’t become overly pessimistic nor think that we can do nothing and still expect everything to be fine. Two, endure hardship. What?! You mean life in the church isn’t going to be easy? Problems are going to occur? Tragedies may happen? Exactly! Expect them and endure them with the strength that only Jesus can provide. And then, get to work. Do the work of an evangelist. What does that mean? Realize that the root of the problem with people is their sinful hearts. They don’t need behavior modification. They need a heart replacement. Only the good news of Jesus as the Savior from sin changes sinful human hearts. So, let’s get busy sharing that news! And leave nothing undone. Fulfill the work of the ministry. That work involves sharing the gospel with every single sinner. That work will not be done until the Lord Jesus returns. So, let’s get at it! Let’s get busy! But don’t think it’s going to be easy, Instead, as Paul says, expect opposition. Here’s some timeless Christian advice. As we live our Christian lives in this world and do the work of the church in this world, expect opposition. It never ceases to amaze me what people will think and believe is true. When I hear what someone thinks about their spiritual life or about their morality or about what they think God thinks, I’m often amazed. And negatively so. For instance, the vast majority of people in our world today think that whatever they think about their spiritual lives is truth. It’s good, It's fine. It works for them. They have no concept of, “Thus says the Lord!” which we have right here in his inspired, inerrant word. Timeless truth. Timeless advice. Advice we always follow, right? Truth we always maintain, right? Until it doesn’t suit us. Until we want to believe and do something else. Until we want to justify thinking, feeling, and speaking just the way we want to, no matter what God’s timeless advice tells us. And we take or leave that advice to our own peril. But in steps Jesus, the One who always followed God’s timeless advice, perfectly. In steps Jesus, who suffered the penalty for all the times we have violated God’s timeless advice. In steps Jesus, who covers us with his forgiveness and clothes us in his holiness. Jesus! Jesus! Always and only Jesus! Now there’s some timeless Christian advice! Eternal truth. Saving truth. Listen to it! Believe it! Hold on to it! Never let it go! Share it! Amen.