second Timothy chapter 2 and we'll look
at verse 15 second Timothy 2:15 study to
show thyself approved unto God a workman
that needeth not to be ashamed rightly
dividing the word of truth
so Tekkit 2nd Timothy 2:15 tells us to
study the God it's written as a command
study to show thyself approved unto God
and then it tells us how we are to study
a workman that needeth not to be rightly
dividing the word of truth
we're manded rightly divide the word of
truth which means that the Bible must
have divisions in other words if the
Bible didn't have divisions it wouldn't
make sense to divide it but since we're
commanded to divide it it must have
divisions since we are commanded to
rightly divide it it must be very
possible there's a risk that people will
wrongly divide it I don't know about
your experience I'll tell you what mine
was when I first got saved I was under
the understanding that the Bible is
God's love letters to man
and since the Bible is God's love
letters to man you can simply open the
Bible and put your finger down and
anywhere you read its intended for you
well things don't work that way all of
the Bible is true but not all of the
Bible applies at the same point in time
for example none of you have built an
ark today right even though it's the had
a lot of rain in Ohio
no one has built an ark because we all
know that God's not going to flood the
earth again and none of you offer an
animal sacrifice for your sins even
though Leviticus tells us to because we
understand that that was art of
Revelation that was given in time past
but it's not applicable today now what I
want to notice there's a there's an
interesting connection here that it's
just worth taking the time to understand
so look with me at second 3215 again
study to show thyself approved unto God
a workman that needeth not to be and
then it uses the word ashamed
what 2nd Timothy 2:15 indicates is that
there is shame in not rightly dividing
the word of truth get with me we're
going to come back to 2nd Timothy but
get first Corinthians 3 now while you're
getting first Corinthians 3 let me just
remind you briefly of the simplicity of
the gospel so 1st Corinthians 15 says
Paul says moreover brethren I declare
unto you the gospel in verse 3 he says
for I delivered unto you first of all
that which I also received how that
Christ died for our sins according to
the scriptures and then he was buried
then he rose again the third day
according to the scriptures so 1st
Corinthians 15 lays out the gospel in
simple terms Christ died for our sins
was buried and rose again the third day
Ephesians 2:8 9 says for by grace are
you saved through faith and that not of
yourselves it is the gift of God not of
works lest any man should boast
in other words salvation is by grace
through faith in an instant your works
have nothing to do with your salvation
so 1st Corinthians 15 says the gospel as
Christ died for your sins
Ephesians 2 says the way you get saved
is you have faith you have faith in the
gospel you're not saved by works you're
not saved by by tithing or church
membership or water baptism we're
keeping anything
or any of those things you're saved by
grace through faith in a moment when you
trust what Christ did for you on the
cross and shedding his blood now when
you present the gospel clearly here's
what happens people will say to you it
can't be that easy they will say to you
well you think that you can get saved
and then still sin and the answer of
course is yes that's what scripture says
the reason why people struggle with that
is it feels to them like someone is
getting away with something that in
other words I say I believe the gospel
but then I do all these bad things and
I'm still saved how can that be right
look with me at 1st Corinthians 3 and in
1st Corinthians 3 I just want to look a
bit chart for a minute after the
catching up of the body of Christ the
last event of the dispensation of grace
is when people commonly call the rapture
scripture calls it the adoption 1st
Thessalonians 4 refers to being caught
up in other words the body of Christ
departs from the earth and receives new
bodies at that point in time spiritual
bodies that were designed to inhabit for
all eternity
after the catching up the next event
that happens is the judgment seat of
Christ which we're going to read about
in 1st Corinthians 3 so let's look at
this together
1st Corinthians 3 10 according to the
grace of God which is given unto me the
me is clearly Paul since he's the author
of 1st Corinthians as a wise
masterbuilder I have laid the foundation
and another buildeth thereon but let
every man take heed how he buildeth
thereupon for other foundation can no
man lay than that is laid which is Jesus
Christ so Paul's the wise masterbuilder
he laid the foundation the foundation is
Jesus Christ so building upon a
foundation other than Jesus Christ is
totally worthless the Lord Jesus Christ
as I am the way the truth and the life
no man come
the father but by me there is no hope
for mankind apart from Jesus Christ look
at verse 12 now if any man build upon
this foundation gold silver precious
hones wood precious stones wood hay
stubble every man's work shall be made
manifest for the day shall declare it
because it shall be revealed by fire and
the fire shall try every man's work of
what sort it is so what Paul says is he
laid the foundation which is Christ and
then every man can choose how he builds
upon that foundation he can choose the
building material the six ones that are
listed are gold silver precious stones
wood hay and stubble they're going to be
tested by fire well if your building is
going to be tested by fire doesn't
matter what you build with sure you may
remember a famous very deep complicated
story called the three little pigs right
and the three little pigs is a is a
parable about building materials isn't
it right if the big bad wolf is coming
you don't want to build with straw or
hay or I can't remember what sticks or
whatever it was you need to build with
the more durable substance well at the
judgment seat of Christ it's an
evaluation of what people build with
isn't it look at verse 14 if any man's
work abide so this is clearly a judgment
of a man's work you can see that if any
man's work abide which he hath built
thereupon he shall receive a reward in
verse 14 for the man's work to abide the
fire it must have been gold silver
precious stones it must have been
something that was not flammable notice
verse 15 if any man's work shall be
burned so verse 15 is obviously about
building with wood hay and stubble he
shall suffer loss the loss that
suffered in verse 15 is the loss of
reward mentioned in verse 14 it is not
the loss of salvation how do I know that
what does the next phrase say but he
himself shall be saved so let me just
give you an overview of how life works
and let's start if you will from being
an infant so as an infant you're not
lost did you do you know that look with
me at Romans 7 this would be a good this
would be a good to cover look with me at
Romans 7 verse 9 for I was alive without
the law once but when the commandment
came sin revived and I died here's the
way that life works an infant doesn't
have knowledge of the law they don't
have knowledge of their guilt and so
what happens is they are spiritually
alive according to Romans 7 verse 9 if
they happen to die during that time
prior to the knowledge of the law what
God does is he attributes the sacrifice
of Jesus Christ to their account so when
someone dies in infancy they end up in
heaven because God attributes the
sacrifice of Jesus Christ to on their
behalf I don't know if you've ever
observed this but there are some folks
that will become older in life you know
40 50 years old but they'll have mental
limitations in terms of their
understanding and if you've ever
interacted with those folks they tend to
be very happy joyful people and the
reason why is they're spiritually alive what
what
the law does so look with me at Romans
three look at romans 3:19 now we know
that what thing soever the law saith it
saith to them who are under the law
notice what it then says that every
mouth may be stopped and all the world
may become guilty before God therefore
by the deeds of the law there shall no
flesh be justified in his sight for by
the law is the knowledge of sin as you
talk to people you will encounter folks
that believe that they're keeping the
Ten Commandments and therefore they're
going to please God now that's a mistake
because first of all if you're under the
law do you have to keep just ten
commandments no there are six hundred
points of the law and by the way when
you look at the law the law has specific
regulations as to how you handle a
bird's nest just curiosity as it would
be this week we discovered a bird's nest
in our garage what had happened is we
had some folks out painting and the
garage was open we've been gone for a
little bit we came back there's a bird's
nest in the garage if we're under the
Old Testament law there's specific
regulations as to what we're supposed to
do in handling a bird's nest there are
specific regulations in the Old
Testament law about the type of clothing
you can wear and the type of threads it
can have there are specific regulations
in the Old Testament law about what the
roof of your house should look like now
the reason I tell you that is here's
what people think they think they're
gonna please God by keeping the law
because they haven't committed murder
right the law is expansive it tells you
how to deal with birds nests it tells
you how to build the roof of your house
it tells you what type of threat
you can wearing your clothing you follow
me in other words the law is incredibly
burdensome what Romans 3 says is the the
law makes the whole world guilty is what
it says and then verse 27 for by the law
is the knowledge of sin people have this
idea that what happens is they're going
to keep the commandments and God's going
to be pleased because they didn't rob a
bank or kill anyone know what the law
does is the law holds up a perfect
standard of righteousness men fail to
keep it the law creates a perfect
standard of righteousness men fail to
keep it and the purpose of the law is to
declare people guilty the law doesn't
justify you it gives you the knowledge
of sin so let's go back to the infant
the infant starts off and the infant is
spiritually alive according to Romans 7
verse 9 but then what happens Paul says
but when the commandment came sin
revived and I died when you come to an
understanding of the law you know what
it makes you guilty and then because it
makes you guilty what you need to do is
you need to find the solution for your
sins and the solution is what Jesus
Christ did when he died on the cross for
your sins that's resolved in a moment in
an instant when you believe the gospel
now let's go forward from there so
what's next what do you do after you
believe the gospel well what I would
suggest to you is that what the rest of
your life should be about it should be
about serving the Lord Jesus Christ and
what I want you to understand is this
after you're saved what the rest of life
is according to 1st Corinthians 3 is you
build with gold silver precious stones
or wood hay stubble in other words
everyday you get to decide what
your activities are what your work is
what you do and you are either building
with gold silver precious stones or wood
hay stubble when you show up at the
judgment seat of Christ it will be
evaluated now what that should do
hopefully is that should give you
clarity as to the question or the
objection well you can get saved and
then sin and you get away with it you
don't get away with it it's evaluated at
the judgment seat of Christ and it
determines your reward people will say
if you preach grace you're saying it
doesn't matter how I live all contraire
it does matter how you live because it
will be evaluated at the judgment seat
of Christ now you're in first
Corinthians 3 or you're not but let's go
back there I want you to notice
something so in first Corinthians 3 see
how it talks about gold silver precious
stones wood hay stubble one of the
questions you might naturally have is
okay what's the gold silver precious
stones wood hay stubble well what what
is that referring to and there are
verses in the Old Testament particularly
in Proverbs that would liken gold and
silver to knowledge and wisdom what's
fascinating is this if you run the
Pauline cross references in other words
if you take the word gold and you get in
a Bible search program and you say what
else does Paul say about gold or you
take the term silver and you say what
else does Paul say about silver because
that's the way you find the verses that
interconnect and explain the doctrine
what you notice is that it
points you to one very clear place
second Timothy to and you see we're
coming full circle to where we started
get second Timothy chapter 2 look at
verse 20 2nd Timothy 2 verse 20 but in a
great house there are not only vessels
of gold and of silver but also of wood
and of Earth notice and some to honor
and some to dishonor what verse 20 is
saying is that in any great house there
remain if you will formal vessels and
informal vessels in other words there's
the fancy china that you have and then
there's the paper plates if you will
there's different vessels and what it's
telling you there is there are some
vessels of gold and silver but there's
also ones that are wood of earth and
then it describes some as some to honor
and some to dishonor they go up to verse
16 what we just looked at in 2nd Timothy
2 verse 20 is what I believed to be the
key cross-reference to understand the
gold silver precious stones wood hay
stubble of 1st Corinthians 3 look at
verse 16 and let's get the context but
shun profane and vain babblings for they
will increase unto more ungodliness what
Paul's saying there in he's warning
Timothy there's going to be vain and
profane babblings within Christendom
there is a lot of just nonsense teaching
I believe that's what that's a reference
to and it would it then says here it's
gonna increase unto more ungodliness
it's gonna get worse and their word will
eat as doth a canker of whom is
if you good passage to read later today
is take a look at first Corinthians 11
and particularly first Corinthians 11 19
Paul says there must needs be heresies
that they which are approved may be made
manifest among you the key thing there I
want you to notice is Paul says there
has to be heresies in other words it's a
fairly common experience for people to
look out at Christendom and say hey why
can't we get our act together
there's disunity there are all of these
different teachings people don't agree
and they sort of have the hope that that
would change but if you think about what
Paul says there have to be heresies they
have to exist and they exist for the
purpose of making manifest and it
specifically says those that are
approved get first Corinthians 11 I was
quoting that to you but it's better for
you to see it with your eyes get first
Corinthians 11 first Corinthians 11
verse 19 first Corinthians 11 19 for
there must be also heresies among you
that they which are approved may be made
manifest among you approved is the same
word that we saw in 2nd Timothy 2:15 you
remember that study to show thyself
approved be approved in 2nd Timothy 2:15
relates to 1st Corinthians 11 19 so let
and I'll just do it this way Chris andum
tends to be obsessed with the red
letters we need to do what Jesus said in
acts 9 when Paul was on the road to
Damascus who appeared to him Jesus Christ
Christ
but people have this fascination of
Matthew Mark Luke and John is where we
need to focus our attention and what we
need to do I agree that we need to focus
on what the Lord Jesus Christ would have
us to do and if that's what you're going
to do you need to pay attention to the
most recent thing he said right
I mean think of it this way what if I in
the evening said to the children hey
guys time to get ready for bed
and then the next morning I said time to
get up can one of them raise their hand
and say well dad you're contradicting
yourself because one time you say it's
time to go to bed another time you say
it's time to get up make up your mind
well that's a silly response isn't it
because in context both of those
statements made sense and when I was
saying get up the prior context was no
longer applicable what the Lord gave his
revelation during the Gospels of course
was 100% to true 100% accurate but has
the calendar moved on it has is God
doing the same thing today that he was
then no he's not now if you think about
this if you think of many of the
confused practices that go on within crew
crew
by and large they are the result of the
failure to rightly divide the word of
truth there are people that teach water
baptism is required for salvation
can you teach that from the Scriptures
sure you can
you'd use mark 16:16 acts 2:38 at luke
729 there are verses that say that they
just don't happen to apply today when
Paul says there's one Lord one faith one
baptism are there verses that talk about
having a healing ministry sure there are
are there verses about tongues see that
all of these practices tend to have a
scriptural foundation but they're not
something that God is doing during the
dispensation of grace I don't think it's
a coincidence that in 2nd Timothy 2:15
when it says study to show thyself
approved it then immediately tells you
to do what rightly divide the word of
truth God is not honored when we focus
our energies on doing things that he's
not doing let me give another example
what if I were to say I have such a
strong faith in the Word of God that I'm
going to keep the entire Old Testament
law and I memorize Leviticus and
Deuteronomy and I keep it scrupulously
would that please God Romans 6:14 says
for ye are not under the law but under
grace so it's possible for me to study
the word and spend all sorts of effort
complying with parts of it and it not be
honoring to God because it is not what he
he
is currently doing right that's the case
get with me if you would go back to
second Timothy to second Timothy to look
at verse 17 and their word will eat as
doth a canker of whom is hymenaeus and
philetus notice verse 18 who concerning
the truth have erred notice what they
are saying saying that the resurrection
is passed already and overthrow the
faith of some what Paul is dealing with
in second Timothy 2:18 is a specific
timing error what some of the folks were
saying was what event had they missed
the resurrection the resurrection is
past already there are some folks that
teach this if the resurrection is past
70th week right if you missed the
resurrection then the prophecy program
has resumed what I want you to notice is
simply this the timing issues in your
Bible are not optional they are not
extra credits they're not superfluous
they are foundational to understanding
what's going on what you should be doing
at any point in time depends on
understanding what God is doing at that
time so in second Timothy 2:18 Paul is
dealing with a specific dispensational error
error
look at verse 19
nevertheless the foundation of God
standeth sure having this seal the Lord
knoweth them that are his and let
everyone that nameth the name of Christ
depart from iniquity does it matter how
you live well it everyone that name with
the name of Christ depart from iniquity
well obviously it does now let's look at
verse 20 and then verse 21 but in a
great house there are not only vessels
of gold and of silver but also of wooden
of Earth and some to honor and some to
dishonor so let me tell you this in and
some folks won't be happy to hear this
but it's the truth and so you just need
to know it people sometimes have the
idea that once you get saved and you
then know the grace message then
everything is going to be fine at the
judgment seat of Christ that's not
necessarily true when we were in 1st
Corinthians 3:13 it said the fire shall
try every man's work does it matter how
you live yes it does
the issue for you simply should be this
if you were to step back and say what is
the great question I need to resolve in
life the great question I need to
resolve as my salvation right number one
I thought that would just be soothing
for you to look at it after you solve
that question what's the next issue well
once you saw the issue of salvation your
eternal destiny is resolved you're
blessed with all spiritual blessings in
heavenly places all of those issues are
resolved they're done you don't eat you
don't need to worry about them
the thing that is uncertain is what your
reward will be
and therefore doesn't matter how you
live it matters now if you think about
second timothy 2 verse 20 take it for
what it says it says some to honor and
some to dishonor in the great house
are there different rewards are there
different positions there are and some
of them are ones to honor and some of
those are ones to dishonor now just to
be clear
you'd rather be there than the
alternative right there's really only
three things right there's vessels of on
or vessels of dishonor and you're in the
lake of fire so this one let's rule that
out as definitely a no-no right
but once you've resolved the issue of
being in heaven does it matter
how you live it does look at verse 21 if
a man therefore purge himself from these
and I believe that's a reference to the
vain babblings that we saw in verses 16
to 17 if a man therefore purge himself
from these he shall be a vessel unto
honor sanctified and meat for the
Masters use notice this and prepared
unto every good work so it does matter
how you live and what I want you to
notice about this is what is critical is
it starts from the right doctrinal
perspective so think about this with me
preaching John the Baptist gospel and I
just preached that as fervently and
accurately as I could
would that be a good thing to do it'd be
a terrible thing to do wouldn't it
because John the Baptist gospel is
Peter says in acts 2:38 repent and be
baptized for the remission of sins is
that how your salvation works today it
doesn't so what my encouragement to you
would be this the first issue in life is
to get saved the second one is to come
unto the knowledge of the truth because
coming unto the knowledge of the truth
will allow you to build with gold silver
precious stones I don't know if you've
ever done this have you ever been in a
house and you've seen something built
certain way and you thought to yourself
well gee I just if I could do it again I
wouldn't build it that way
wouldn't put the bathroom there I'd put
the bathroom over here right you've all
seen things where the things already
built and it's not optimal it would have
been better to do it another way well
think about 1st Corinthians 3 for a
minute at the judgment seat of Christ
Paul says Jesus Christ is the foundation
let every man take heed how he buildeth
thereupon is the fire of God's word
going to approve any unsound workmanship
it can't write and what that tells you
is there's going to be a lot of hard
work where people built with the wrong
materials a lot of hard work but it's
wood hay and stubble and when the fire
of God's Word evaluates it it's a lot of
wood but that's not a good thing and so
it's just going to be consumed which is
credit that means it's critical that we
rightly do what would divide the word of
truth so we know what God would have us
to do and here's key part and then we do
it there's actual work involved it's not
just head knowledge it's understanding
what God would have us to do and then
walking in that truth amen that's what I
wanted to cover there in the first half
so let's let's conclude there and then
we'll start up again at 11 o'clock
father God we thank you for your word we
thank you for preserving it for us we
just pray that you will be glorified and
all we do it's in the name of Lord Jesus
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