Do Not Become a Shameful Servant

Summary: Paul continues the trustworthy saying. If believers endure, they will also reign with Christ. But if they deny Him, He will also deny them. Even if they are faithless, He stays faithful, because He cannot deny Himself. Paul then tells Timothy to keep reminding the people of these things. Before God, Timothy is to solemnly warn them not to argue about words. Such arguments do no good and only ruin those who listen. Timothy is to work hard to present himself to God as one who is approved. He should be a worker with no need to be ashamed, one who handles the word of truth accurately. He is also to stay away from worldly and empty chatter, because it leads people further into ungodliness. That kind of talk spreads like gangrene. Paul names two men who are among those spreading it: Hymenaeus and Philetus. Teaching: The great people of faith in the Old Testament are all shadows of Jesus. Their shortcomings reflect who we are. So unless we look only to Jesus and follow Him, we cannot overcome our own flaws. Jesus died for our sins, rose again, and poured out the Holy Spirit, all so that we would follow Him. This means that even when we fall short, He helps us and takes responsibility for us to the very end. Those who remember the Word come to focus on Jesus, and those who remember Jesus come to focus on the Word. The Bible is meant to be proclaimed. It is not open to debate. We only need to receive the Word as it is and pass it on. Teaching means delivering that Word in a full, multidimensional way. It also means thinking about the Word as we hear it and receive it. When we do this, God gives us clarity of mind. In verse 15, "Be diligent" means to offer ourselves. It means not being conformed to the world but being renewed in our minds and giving ourselves to God. To do this, be careful with your words within the church. Think carefully about what kind of holy people of God we are, and whether we are church workers whom God approves. Become blessed holy people of God. Excerpt from the sermon by Pastor Lee, Oct 6, 2026 2 Timothy 2:14-17