Words Matter

Order of Service

• Call to Worship — Psalm 99
• Hymn — Let Us Love and Sing and Wonder
• Prayer of Invocation
• Confession of Sin — Psalm 51
• Assurance of Pardon — Psalm 51:17
• Scripture Reading — 1 Samuel 24
• Sacrament of Baptism — Wyatt Johnson Gunn
• Pastoral Prayer
• Hymn — Children of the Heavenly Father
• Sermon
• Hymn
• Benediction — 2 Corinthians 13:14

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Sermon Title: Words Matter

Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:14-19

I. The Selfish Word — 2 Timothy 2:14-15

A. Timothy is to remind the congregation of the foundational gospel truths from 2 Timothy 2:8-13

1. These are old, timeless truths to be repeated — the preacher's task is to be as redundant as Scripture itself
2. B.B. Warfield: if preaching seems dull, the hearer must take heed how they hear

B. False teachers in Ephesus functioned like sophists — traveling speakers who wowed audiences with eloquence and novel philosophy

1. Their preaching sought the approval of men rather than God
2. The congregation bears responsibility to come prepared to be edified, not merely entertained

C. The faithful preacher's calling is to rightly handle the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15), not to hit home runs but to faithfully hit singles and doubles

II. The Spreading Word — 2 Timothy 2:16-18

A. Hymenaeus (previously excommunicated in 1 Timothy 1:20) and Philetus continue spreading false teaching despite discipline

B. Their error: claiming the resurrection has already happened

1. Rooted in Greek dualism — the material world is evil, the immaterial is good; the body is a prison house for the soul
2. They mingled dualist philosophy with gospel language (dying and rising with Christ, living by the Spirit) to argue against a future bodily resurrection

C. Paul's image: false teaching spreads like gangrene

1. It begins small and seemingly innocent, but if left untreated it overtakes the whole body
2. J. Gresham Machen: what begins as academic speculation eventually moves armies and pulls down empires
3. R.C. Sproul, The Consequences of Ideas: ideas from the ivory tower inevitably reach the pews
4. The church and her leaders are responsible to snuff out false teaching before it kills the body

III. The Sanctifying Word — 2 Timothy 2:19

A. Paul's encouragement to struggling Timothy: God's firm foundation stands — the Lord knows those who are his

1. Timothy, like many faithful pastors, saw false teachers flourishing while faithful ministry seemed fruitless
2. God told Elijah he had 7,000 who had not bowed to Baal; Christ promised the gates of hell will not prevail against the church

B. The two quotes in verse 19 draw from Numbers 16

1. First quote from Numbers 16:5: "The Lord will show who are his and who is holy"
2. Second quote draws from Isaiah 26:13 and Numbers 16:26: depart from the tents of the wicked

C. Korah's rebellion in Numbers 16 parallels the situation in 2 Timothy

1. Korah challenged the God-given authority of Moses and Aaron, just as false teachers challenged the apostolic authority of Paul
2. God's people in the wilderness were called to separate from false teachers and cling to true authority

D. Application: the church is on a wilderness pilgrimage toward the kingdom of heaven

1. We must not lend our ears to words that promote self or spread false teaching like gangrene
2. We are to depart from such words and cling to the sanctifying word of God as rightly handled by faithful, duly ordained preachers and teachers