Pastor Paul Chappell: Strengthened in Discernment

would you stand please and take your Bible and turn to the book of 2nd Timothy tonight for our scripture reading time 2nd Timothy chapter 2 and we're going to preach tonight just from a few verses and I am excited about finishing 2nd Timothy possibly by the end of the year this spring we've had several special services in the evening and so forth and so we've not been able to get as many as I had originally planned but the Lord has been working we've had some great messages from guest speakers and other topics of revival and so tonight we want to come back to 2nd Timothy which is our Sunday night study and look at verse chapter 2 verses 16 and 19 now about five years ago I began preaching with an iPad and tonight this iPad resembles your pastor in that it's almost out of battery I have never stood before to preach with 14% of battery on an iPad so I have no idea how long it's gonna go hopefully some of you are saying yes run out run out and and I know I just know some of you too well you know so I don't I don't plan to preach long anyways but if it gets real if I just like wrap it up real quick you'll know exactly what happened right but second Timothy 4 the first year when I preached from the iPad I always brought a paper outline with me because I was so afraid the devil was gonna possess this iPad you know and something bad was gonna happen I was gonna lose my whole sermon so but anyways I don't have a backup tonight so second Timothy chapter 2 I've entitled this message strengthened in discernment strengthened in discernment folks if we ever needed discernment it's today and my heart is so heavy and full and and I I don't consider myself a prophet but I see a lot of trends and just even some things in the paper today about various denominations and where things are heading and and and we as God's people that I need this CERN mint to understand the times and so here's a here's a portion of scripture that deals with that and second Timothy chapter 2 sixteen but shun profane and vain babblings for they will increase unto more ungodliness and their word will eat as death a canker of whom is hymenaeus and philetus who concerning the truth have erred saying that the resurrection is passed already and overthrow the faith of some 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 so let's pray and let's dive into this passage tonight father thank you for the wonderful spirit and privilege that we really have just to gather here Lord and I know that this is Father's Day and and we're beginning the summer months and and yet lord I pray that in every service this summer that we would just get something that really helps us spiritually and Lord may that begin right here and right now is my prayer in Jesus name Amen you may be seated well the Apostle Paul has been instructing Timothy in some very basic areas of pastoral leadership he has been challenging him in his responsibility to warn of the churches such as the church at Ephesus and to be strong with them in warning them and also he had been challenging them in challenging him in his responsibility to study the Word of God and that's where we left off some weeks back notice verse 15 study to show thyself approved unto God a workman that needeth not to be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth that's why I love brother Lester's little book on how to study the Bible because God's Word challenges us to study and to be in the Word of God so so Paul the Apostle has been challenging Timothy to be a leader in the church that would step up and warn the church and he told him in Chapter two here in the early portion be strong in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and no man that wore a thin tangle of himself with the apparent affairs of this life and he was just challenging Timothy to be a strong leader and then to be a studious leader right and you know the context of 2nd Timothy for those that were near some months ago this is the last will and testament of the Apostle Paul this is being written from the prison in Rome he's giving his last instructions to a young preacher and he sang Timothy I want to challenge you to warn the flock and I want to challenge you to teach the flock and and the Bible is so very clear along those lines in fact it says were to preach the word what are the instant in season out of season were to reprove rebuke and exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine and folks we live in a day where everyone wants exhortation nobody wants to be reproved or rebuked and and and how many of you would say pastor I just pray for you that God will give you the balance for what we need in our Christian life because preaching requires the leadership of the Holy Spirit and Paul was challenging Timothy with this along the way but tonight as we look at this particular text he is moving from just warning and teaching to challenging and showing Timothy how to specifically deal with specific problems that may arise in the church in other words it's easy to talk about false teaching in general but it is quite a different thing if something's actually in the flock and it needs to be dealt with and this is the case and Paul's gonna use two men as an illustration tonight in this passage and so let's dive into this and let's notice first of all if you're taking notes the danger of vain words the danger of vain words verse 16 but shun profane and vain babblings for they will increase them of the more ungodliness so in verse 15 he says study the word study the Word of God in verse 16 he says but but stay away from all the gobbledygook that's out there now how many of you know there's a lot of spiritual books on the market how many of you figured that out there's a lot of books about spirituality they have nothing to do with the Bible nothing to do with Jesus Christ who is the foundation of truth we know the Bible says the fear of the Lord is beginning of wisdom and so as he's telling Timothy now study to show yourself approved unto God he also says here shun he says I want you to study verse 15 but verse 16 I want you to shun now in your life and in my life I mean we have to learn what to let in and what not to let in how many of you have you only have so many hours in a day how many of them figured out you only have so much brain capacity I mean we haven't tapped at all yet but go with me on this one right here right how many of you realize there's only so much you can memorize in a given lifetime or a given day so we are the Guardians the Bible says that we are to keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus we're to renew our minds through the Word of God so we're the guardians of what comes in and what doesn't come in so Paul says Timothy study the word but shun profane and vain babblings and the word shun means to turn away from and Paul is warning Timothy and he's warned him time and time again about this in 2nd Timothy 2:14 strive not about words to no profit but to the subverting of hearers second Timothy 2:16 shun profane and vain babblings 2:23 but foolish and unlearned questions avoid now let's let's look at the definition of vain words when he says shun profane and vain babblings what is he talking about he's talking about ungodly words the word the word of profane speaks of unholy or unhallowed words here's an illustration turning your Bible please to Ephesians 4:29 Ephesians 4:29 and here's a great verse that we often use even in marital counseling but it applies to this moment as well on profane words it says in Ephesians 4:29 let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth but that which is good to the use of edifying that it may Minister grace to the hearers so God commands us to take in the good but to shun the bad let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth Colossians 4:6 let your speech be always seasoned with grace now folks our goal should be that when we're having conversation with someone that they are richer spiritually for it that they are uplifted spiritually for it and and and we are to use words that are not vain but words that are full and words that are edifying so he says Sean profane and then notice also in verse 16 this next word he says profane and he says and vain babblings now we don't say those words a lot you don't go to your wife tomorrow and say honey I've noticed that your speech has been full of vain babblings in recent days if you have said that in in lately tell me after church I just want to know what kind of person says that and I'm certainly not making fun of the teachings of the Word of God I actually like it vain babblings I mean it does make sense empty the word vain speaks of empty noise so he says shun empty noise now I'm not being critical when I say this but sometimes someone will come to you and they might be talking even about spiritual things and about thirty minutes later you're just going what's he saying what is this it's empty noise and Paul says Timothy as a leader you're gonna have to learn you can't waste your life on empty noise study the word but shun profane and vain babblings these that have no substance or value to them empty words soon become evil words because empty words are like a vacuum whatever gets near the vacuum rushes into the vacuum and empty words become evil words because they suck up sin and I believe the context would indicate that empty and vain conversations can lead to idleness or gossip and things that are not profitable and so Paul is saying Timothy you've got to learn what to hear what to say and how to discipline your words you see all of us would be wiser if we would resolve never to put people down except on our prayer lists rather than get involved in empty and vain babblings now in a moment we're gonna see Paul name some names but you'll see why there's a there's a doctrinal matter here but the fact is that vein and babbling is just talking about people and talking about this and that he says Timothy stay away from that the definition of vain works but I want you to notice the destruction of these words the destruction of vain words now we've all read in the book of James where the Bible says the tongue is like a fire and how the tongue can start and destroy but what this passage says here it says shun profane in vain babblings why for they will increase unto more what's the next word say ungodliness so there are certain people that that tend to discuss things in a certain way and over time it just trends to more ungodliness pretty soon they're on social media and they're kind of winking and laughing at subtle innuendo they're giving credence to divisive talk and soon they're becoming critical outright of others and so forth it becomes it goes from just being empty babble to literally becoming destructive to our faith and destructive to our walk with the Lord second Timothy 3:13 but evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse deceiving and being deceived the Bible tells us that evil men and seducers will wax worse and worse in other words this idea of deceitful ministry is not going to get less in the last days and and I've seen people that get involved in vain babbling and talking with what they think are some gloriously great Christians and pretty soon I mean they're their marriages hurting their life's testimony asserting sometimes they're doing incredibly rash and sinful things all all of it's starting with vain babblings and acting very spiritual okay this is all really good and I have this really great understanding of things now and and really what you can often see is that someone's life is not matching what they're saying in their words vain babblings do not produce godly living the Bible tells us here they will increase unto more ungodliness now folks listen to me your talk talks and your walk walks but your walk talks louder than your talk talks so people that want to talk you know about this or that or they want to talk you know negatively about this person or that person that's that's one thing but sometimes in what I've done over the years because sometimes even even in situations I've had to try to assess I can't tell who's right or who's wrong I just go Lord you know you know what one of my tests is let's just see who's shirt singing to Jesus a few years from now because usually when someone truly loves the Lord they're going to be found faithful at the end of that trial and and here here we see that the wrong kinds of conversations can really increase to what the Bible calls ungodliness which means of course a lack of reference to God so more ungodliness and then expanded corruption look at verse 17 it says this and their word not not capital W but their were their language the things they're saying will eat as Duff a canker right and sometimes people just say things negatively and that and it'll just get into your soul and and it just kind of eats like a canker like it troubles someone now this is interesting the word eat speaks of just an increased presence as as a cow is eating in the pasture and the word canker this is interesting it is the word from which we get the word gangrene so it eats it like a king cur like gangrene or like a serious infection now I have watched younger Christians get involved in church and then some kind of a loose lipped vein babbling type of person just say something oh you know and it could be listen it could be from either a extreme it could be it could be Pali Pharisees telling this brand-new Christian well you ought to do this differently it could be you know hyper grace over on this side telling someone you can do whatever you want to do don't let them tell you what to do I mean it doesn't matter what extreme it comes from but when someone with this kind of babbling mentality kind of throws out this to a new Christian it many times discourages them it's on the one time on the Pharisee achill side they're feeling like they've been judged and by the way the Holy Spirit will do a better job of that then you can do so let them grow in grace on the other side someone says you can do whatever you want that confuses them because they're going oh I thought I got saved so I'd be different so that confuses them and what happens is this new Christian it's like a canker inside of them it's like gay Green and and I watch it as a pastor and they begin to limp they were coming right into church and enjoy it they were coming into your Senate School class enjoy but certain things are said and it just caused them live now if I sense that soon enough I'll try to do my best to go to them or have a teacher go to them and love and say listen don't don't let what someone said hurt you let's give you the scripture here and let's take the word of God and let's surgically extract that canker so that gangrene doesn't set in so that you don't lose your heart your joy your life folks please always remember in what you say the littlest things of what we say can discourage or encourage people in their faith and so we see that ungodliness comes expanded corruption can come and ultimately even false doctrine can come look at verse 18 what it says who concerning the truth he's mentioned two names hi manias and philetus who concerning the truth have erred saying that the resurrection is passed already now this is kind of amazing but these men were so involved in just babbling along and babbling along it wasn't enough just to maybe talk you know on the lowdown about things they wanted to get into being some kind of teacher themselves even to the place of saying we know the resurrections happen already now talk about discouraging a new believer they're going it did I'm still here and and in fact it says that in verse 18 and it says and overthrow the faith of some now we can assume here that these people that Paul named were quite familiar to Timothy and to the Church of Ephesus as well and Paul had told Timothy previously to warn high - now you know we very rarely have stood up in the pulpit here in 32 years and I don't remember too many times if anywhere we said a name unless someone was repenting of sin publicly but but several times over the years I've gone to an individual and just said and some of our deacons or staff of God said look you know you're saying these things and it's hurtful to the body and we're asking you now to stop saying those things and certainly if someone started saying like hey the wraps are already happen or the Bible's not really the Word of God or you know whatever doctrinal error we would definitely confront that very quickly we had times I remember the old building we used to have this false cult the Filipino cult the Iglesia de Cristo come and they tried to argue with our members and they tried to tell people that Jesus Christ was not the Son of God and so forth and I remember just going out there and said hey this is private property Jesus Christ is the son of God whether you understand it or not he is he is fully God and fully man in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily that's what the Bible says that's what we believe if you have questions about it come on in we'll talk to you if you're gonna stand out here and argue with our new Christians about it there's the door you can leave right now you say well that was me no that's not me and that's being a shepherd sometimes a shepherd has to sense if there's a wolf and he has to take care of it now remember the context of this Paul the Apostles dying Timothy is the under Shepherd who's gonna watch over these churches and Paul saying Timothy now you watch out for hi- and philetus because they've passed this kind of babbling stage and they're getting into the heresy stage in fact I'm just gonna put their name on the letter here to you so that you'll really remember the destruction that they can bring turn back a couple pages to first Timothy 1:19 and remember what was said there just to refresh your memory it says holding faith and a good conscience which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck of whom is hymenaeus and Alexander whom I have already delivered unto Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme whoa the Apostle Paul said these people have blaspheme the truth of God's Word I'm just gonna let them be given over Satan's gonna bring all kinds of havoc in their life and they'll learn not to blaspheme and so here we see the severity of it Paul knew these men and had cast one out of the church but the false teaching had continued so he's telling Timothy deal with this so we see here the false teachers and then we see that flagrant apostasy that is mentioned the Bible says here in this passage that they have erred verse number 18 and that means that they had deviated they had missed the more mark now folks we have a very a very foundational doctrinal statement in our church we give it to every new member I try to preach through the major doctrines over the course of a year I try to preach about heaven I try to preach about Hell I try to preach about the deity of Christ I try to preach about the ministry of the holy spirit I try to preach about the doctrine of salvation by the way at Lancaster Baptist Church we've still believe in whosoever will we believe according to 1st John chapter 2 that Jesus died for all men not just some men not just a few men and we've preached that for 32 years whosoever will may come and we try to preach the doctrine of salvation the doctrine of heaven hell all these different things of the doctrine of the end times and as we teach and preach these if there would be someone that would come and oppose that if they had a question we'd help them but if it's just for the sake of drawing people away Paul saying Timothy you've got to deal with that that's not something that you sit around and and that you want to talk about now we are at 5% battery praise the Lord let us continue notice the false teaching that they gave specifically the Bible the Bible tells us what they were saying verse 18 the resurrection is passed already so they were teaching that the rapture perhaps had even taken place or more likely that the resurrection was only spiritual and that there would be no physical resurrection we don't know exactly what they were saying but it may have also been a form of what was called Gnosticism Gnosticism was prevalent in the first century this belief in Gnosticism the Gnostics they believed that there was a God but you couldn't really know him and they believed that the resurrection may have been more spiritual than physical and yet the Bible speaks of a bodily and literal rapture in 1st Thessalonians chapter 4 and first Corinthians 15 16 says it this way if the dead rise not then is not Christ raised and if Christ be not raised your faith is in vain and you are yet in your sins so to say that there was no resurrection was heretical and Timothy's being challenged to deal with that straight on and in fact notice also what it says here in verse 18 who concerning the true have aired saying that the resurrection is past already and have overthrown the faith of some now pastor why would we confront false teachers so strongly why because when vain babbling starts and when it elevates even to questioning the Bible if it's not dealt with it causes young Christians to err in their faith it causes them to waver in their faith and so the Word of God must be preached and the Word of God must be defended with a Bible says that we are to earnestly say it with me contend for the faith now I'm telling you there's a whole brand of Christians out there today that do not like it when a pastor's contending for the faith preach about it teach about it but if you get into the tone of hey this is what God says and we're gonna stand on it and so on and so forth sometimes folks kind of you know go back at that but we're commanded to hold to the faith contend to the faith 1st Timothy 4 and 1 now the spirit speaketh expressly that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith giving heed to seducing spirits and to the doctrines of devils second Peter 2 and 1 but there were false prophets also among the people even as there shall be false prophets and teachers among you who privately shall bring in damnable heresies even denying the Lord that brought them and bring upon themselves Swift destruction and again I'm not trying to be you know mister prophet and I'm not gonna get into a lot of the details tonight but I really believe there's a lot of false teaching entering in the evangelicalism today there's acceptance of various faiths that's more of an ecumenical and we just need to have discernment the Bible says in Philippians 1 I taught I taught it probably a three-hour lesson to the pastors this past week Philippians 1 where it says let your abound let your love abound with knowledge and judgment now that we need discernment in these last days so that we don't put our love on uncertain things that is not truly according to the Word of God so there's the danger of vain words and and Paul says Timothy be careful when there's just a lot of chatter boxing going on be careful that that could even lead to false teaching but notice secondly if you would there's the safety of the truth someone says whoa I don't want to get involved in babbling or false doctrine what do I do well you run to the truth and notice what it says in verse 19 now nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure so here we see a strong foundation it is the foundation of God it is the professing Church of Jesus Christ and it's standeth sure the church that Jesus Christ has founded will remain despite the efforts of Satan Jesus Christ is the chief Cornerstone Matthew 16:18 thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it Spurgeon said all that God has built upon the foundation which he himself has laid keeps its place not one living stone that he ever laid upon the foundation has been lifted from its resting place by the way we are the living stones and we have been placed strategically upon the solid rock the Lord Jesus Christ Ephesians 2 and 20 and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets Jesus Christ Himself being the chief Cornerstone hey listen tonight Jesus is the chief Cornerstone the the prophets have laid the foundation and the Apostles with their teaching and you and I like living stones have been placed one stone at a time into this spiritual house called the church and we have a strong foundation that yes the culture is changing yes there's compromising heresy that is abounding but if we will keep ourselves on the solid rock we'll be just fine just fine call it the fundamentals of our faith call it a sure foundation call it what you want but we've got to stay with the truth of the word of God a strong foundation but not only do we have a strong foundation but also as we think about safety not only do we have the strong foundation of a biblical church but we have a sure relationship so look at what it says in verse 19 having this seal the Lord knoweth them that are his now the word seal means an impression made by signet-ring and the Church of Jesus Christ has been sealed by the Holy Spirit and what you just can't get enough of this and I want you to open your Bible with feastings 1:13 just real quickly because I'm probably at about 3 percent right now so he Fijians chapter 1 and verse 13 alright and I want you to see this because we have a seal we have been sealed and I'm thankful for this that that those of us that are saved were a part of a living house called the church and we have a lively seal by the Holy Spirit Ephesians 1:13 in whom also he trusted after that ye heard the word of truth now no one gets saved apart from the word of truth I remember brother Tierney when I was going to your house a few times when you were saving coming back to Romans 10:17 and asking you I said the Bible says faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God and you're hearing these truths now and are you ready to act upon those truths and I think that's key for all of us as we've been saved it comes back to hearing the word of truth so it says here in whom you trusted well when did someone trust Christ as our Savior after they heard in other words no one is safe without hearing the word of truth the gospel of Jesus Christ but that's what it says here in whom a saw also he trusted after that ye heard the word of truth the gospel of your salvation in whom also after that you believed notice this next phrase you were sealed with that holy spirit of promise which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession under the praise of his glory now if you were going to buy a house you would go into the Realtors office or the title's office and you would write a check and you'd write a check for five or ten thousand dollars and you would sign your name and those documents would be sealed and stamped by a notary what does that mean it means this is our down payment and we fully intend to purchase this even as the Bible says here until the redemption of the purchased possession when you got saved the Holy Spirit sealed you and God says you are sealed until Jesus Christ comes again and claims and redeems his purchased possession and we are the purchased possession we are the bride of Jesus Christ and we have been bought with the blood of Jesus and sealed by the very presence of the Holy Spirit and no matter what's going on in this world no one can take your salvation from you you are sealed by the Holy Spirit of God and there is safety in being a part of a church that is built on Jesus Christ the Shuar foundation and knowing that you're saved and sealed by the Holy Spirit of God so we see the danger of vain words they can even lead to false teaching and we see the safety of salvation in Christ and the sealing of the Holy Spirit are you with me so far all right let's look at the third thought tonight the responsibility of the saved so what is our responsibility then as we stand here tonight on the truth of God well notice verse 19 again it says 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 now before I jump right over it how many of you are glad the Lord knoweth everyone that is his that is awesome I don't know what you're gonna face this week we've got some dear members with doctor's appointments but let me just tell you this he knows your name and he knows what you're going through and he loves you individually but God speaks beyond that beyond the relationship and I want you to notice as we close the responsibility of the say first of all notice the description that is given to us here in verse 19 he says he says the Lord knoweth them that are his and let everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity so notice this word namath every one of us that this word namath means that professes now how many of you are professing Christians tonight okay we profess the name of Jesus Christ this term refers to all of us who profess Jesus acts 4:12 neither is there salvation in any other for there's none other name whereby we must be saved so the description then is the believer that's who's in mind here the believer every one of us that names Jesus but notice the duty that we have what is our duty according to verse 19 every one of you that nameth the name of Christ notice this now depart from iniquity the word depart means to shun to flee to run from it whether that is iniquity that is vain babbling that is gossip that is tearing down that is casting doubt that is bringing canker or even false doctrine God says I want you to turn from that I want you to depart from that and to follow after the Lord Jesus Christ first Peter 1:15 but as he which hath called you is holy so be ye holy in all manner of conversation because it is written be holy for I am holy positionally we are dead and dead indeed unto sin Romans chapter 6 but then Paul said something so strange he said I die daily he said I reckoned myself to be dead indeed unto sin and alive unto Jesus Christ and so my responsibility is to live out my identity each and every day it is to live out my identity as a child of God it is to flee from that which is false teaching it is my duty to depart from that which would canker my heart and damage my spiritual progress it is my duty to separate from that which would contaminate and so God has given us tonight the danger of vain words and he says very clearly shun them stay away from them and he tells us the safety of the truth build your life on the shore foundation Jesus Christ the chief Cornerstone and and know that you're sealed unto the day of redemption but remember your responsibility remember that you have a responsibility and that is to depart from iniquity Timothy I want you to put the church in mind of these things and may we be mindful of them this summer let's be careful of the wrong kinds of words let's build our lives on the truth of Jesus Christ and let's remember our responsibility to depart from iniquity and to live a godly testimony folks we don't have time to make a list of a thousand and eighteen rules for your you know homecoming party or your class reunion I pray that if you go to something like that that you'll stand for Jesus depart from iniquity standing on the firm foundation of Jesus and have a testimony of all the great things that God has done for you god help us to live out for him this summer let me ask you a question friend are you avoiding this matter of vain babbling is there a conversation or a chat room or a Facebook page that maybe you need to turn off it's just taking you nowhere have you thanked the Lord lately for the security of your salvation and are you building on the solid rock of Jesus Christ and are you in your everyday life letting the Holy Spirit turn you away from iniquity and toward the holiness of God it's a wonderful Christian life when we just simply live it according to the leading of his spirit and according to the leading of his book let's standing

Channel: Lancaster Baptist Church

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Length: 34min 27sec (2067 seconds)

Published: Mon Jun 18 2018