I.N.I.

a sermon to be preached at Christ Episcopal Church, Accokeek, Maryland on the 19th Sunday after Pentecost (20 October 2019) and based on the Epistle for the day from Proper 24: 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5

Grace, mercy, and peace be yours in Christ Jesus, our Lord,

Dear Friends in Christ,

This lesson from Paul’s second letter to Timothy begins rather abruptly. It may even be the most abrupt beginning of a lesson in the whole church year: “But as for you….” Clearly, we’re starting out in the middle of something. And it doesn’t help to look back to last Sunday’s Epistle, because that ended with chapter 2, verse 15. The people setting up the Lectionary skipped 11 verses from chapter 2, and 13 verses from the beginning of chapter 3. “But as for you….” well, as for you, you’ll get a quick little summary so you can see what Paul is contrasting his next words with.

In the end of chapter 2, Paul describes strategies for proper combat with the false teachers that Timothy and his congregation were facing. Then at the start of our chapter 3, he kind of zooms in on what the future will be like especially where those false teachers are not overcome.

2 Timothy 3:1-5:

“understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.”

That’s pretty grim. When I read that while preparing this sermon, I couldn’t help but think that St Paul was describing our world and our day. Fortunately, though, he’s got some Gospel to follow that Law. He uses himself, his own life, as a contrast to the distressing times of the last days. But as for you, you “have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—which persecutions I endured….” (3:10-11) He reminds Timothy that he’s already a believer, already a Christian, already someone who models his own life on Christ, by following Paul’s example.

Then Paul is ready to set up the final opposing picture so he can write the words of today’s Epistle. He writes in verses 12 and 13: “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.” That’s what you need to have in the back of your minds when reading today’s lesson: “evil people and impostors” — those he described in the opening verses of the chapter as “lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant” and so on — those folks “will go from bad to worse.”

“But as for you….” With these words we get to the heart of the matter. Now we get to what St Paul wanted Timothy to do from this point on. And by extension and application, it’s what Paul wants each of us to do instead of living like those evil people and impostors, instead of living like the people in those last days of difficulty. They might tell us to drop what they would call the old tired teachings of Paul. “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed.”

The false teachers in the world may try to tell us that we should keep up to speed by listening to and following every new personality and self-appointed leader and best-selling book coming over the horizon, but as for you continue in what you have learned, knowing from whom you learned it. Timothy had learned from childhood what the Scriptures said, he had learned them from his mother Eunice and grandmother Lois (2 Tim 1:3). The Bible of his youth was, of course, only that part we call the Old Testament, but he had been thoroughly soaked in it. God’s Word had become part of who Timothy was. And it was enough to lead him to and keep him in the faith.

Some people these days will try to tell you that God’s Word is really not all that reliable, and so on, but as for you, remember that “all Scripture is breathed out by God,” that is, it is all inspired by God. It says what He means it to say to us.

False teachers will tell you that Scripture is completely trapped back in the time when it was written and that it has no real bearing on our lives today, that it is culturally and chronologically conditioned, that it probably meant something back then, but that today it’s only relevant as a historical document. But as for you, know that it is and continues to be “profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.”

We want to know that the Word does those things because those things will complete each of us and equip each of us for every good work. Good works, Paul says, grow out of the Bible’s God-breathedness. While the unbelieving world wants to get you to think that just anyone doing anything nice to another person is a good work, that isn’t what we get here from 2nd Timothy. As for you, know that to be a good work in God’s eyes, your works need to grow out of the ground of Scripture held in and filling your heart, somewhat like potting soil is held in by and fills a clay pot.

As an illustration, reflect on the parable Jesus tells in today’s Gospel (Luke 18:1-8). That man we call the unjust judge did eventually give the widow justice. But that wasn’t any gold star on his record. He only did it because he was annoyed and wanted to shut her up. He was not being a loving civil servant. His giving the widow justice was not a good work. On the other hand, if he had been motivated by the love of God, or had been acting in faith and trying to live out the will of God in his workplace, then we could maybe talk about his good works.

The society we live in and the culture that surrounds us will tell us that our main occupations in life should be trying to get ahead, trying to feather our nests and storing up riches for long and comfortable retirements, but as for you, well, you already know that’s not what Paul is going to tell Timothy and not what he’s going to tell us.

When I was at seminary, people often called him “young pastor Timothy.” He was younger than Paul, anyway, and Paul had sent him out to lead several churches, several congregations so we can think of him as a pastor. That’s why Paul is going to remind him here about the work he had been ordained to do.

Here’s the thing, though: all Christians can take these next words and live them out in their own lives even though most Christians are not set apart by the Church as pastors.

The world says do whatever you want. Paul says ‘but as for you,’ “preach the word.” (2 Tim. 4:2) “Preach” is the term we use for pastoral proclamation from the pulpit, you know that; but you’ve all also heard the proverb that ‘actions speak louder than words’ and that may well be a way that all of you could “preach” louder than a pastor. People will see what you do, how you treat others, whether you’re honest, and so on. Members of a congregation have a real multiplication effect on Gospel proclamation because all together know and talk with way more people in many more places than a pastor sees in a typical week. And don’t discount your words. People see how you act; they hear you, too.

When it comes to faith, the world says we should take it easy. Don’t push your religion on people, society tells us. But as for you, Paul says to be ready in season and out of season, be prepared to speak when everything is aligned for success and also be prepared when there’s no chance at all.

Society says to be nice, don’t ruffle anyone’s feathers. But as for you, Paul tells us to “reprove, rebuke, and exhort.” (2 Tim 4:2) In short, speak the hard words that need to be spoken. AND, he continues, do this “with complete patience and teaching.” (2 Tim 4:2) Or, if and when you ruffle feathers, help smooth them down again. So he isn’t really encouraging us to leap into the angry word battles that surround us. Times when we need to speak hard words of rebuke should be the times when we are most patient, when we carefully and quietly teach.

And one more from Paul: he tells Timothy that the time is coming when people with “itching ears” (2 Tim 4:3) will look around for smooth-talking teachers who will only tell them pleasant things, who won’t challenge them, whose teaching actually isn’t going to be solid. Paul may again have been predicting our age with these words. But as for you, he goes on, “always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” (2 Tim 4:5) These things are particularly important directions for a pastor like young pastor Timothy, but again they apply to all Christians. Even “fulfill your ministry.” Every child of God has something that is their own avenue of service. Maybe it’s being on Vestry, or teaching Sunday School, or singing in the choir … or maybe it has nothing to do with congregational life. Your ministry could be some service completely “out in the world” at work or on some sports team or whatever.

Now then. If you’re at all like me you might be feeling a little burdened down by all these directions St. Paul is dropping on us. Everybody says to do A, but as for you do B; everybody says to do C, but as for you do D, E, and F. It’s a lot to take in.

Here’s the thing, though: the world, society, everybody else, they all tell us we should try to be tough and self-sufficient and big shot, independent heroes. That’s actually the message for itching ears.

What we have learned and firmly believed is that while God does indeed love and save us as individuals, He also places us into a community we call the Church. And not just this local congregation where we are this morning. God places us into a Church that stretches to all parts of the earth, and that runs back and forth through all time.

We have Christian brothers and sisters who were at Sunday morning worship today in Nigeria, and Syria, and Siberia. We’re united in the faith with believers in Guatemala, and Chile, and in western Canada who will be reading the same Bible lessons and praying the same prayers as us when they gather in their churches in a few hours. We struggle against the same temptations that bothered St Teresa in 16th century Spain, and Bernard in 12th century France, and Ignatius of Antioch in the 1st century as well as Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, centuries before Christ.

We are united with all of them at the foot of the cross of Christ. We are united with all of them by having been washed in the same Baptism. We are united with them because we all share the same bread and wine that is the body and blood of Jesus.

Jacob in today’s Old Testament in Genesis 32 can be an illustration of this. He was surrounded by community, by his family. Afraid of the his brother might receive him — especially when he learned that Esau was coming his way with 400 men — Jacob wisely divided his folks into 2 groups. If one should be ambushed, the other might survive. Then he sent his family across a stream and stayed behind where — when Jacob was all alone, in the middle of the night — some stranger started wrestling with him. And what a match it must have been. At dawn Jacob let his opponent go, but only after getting a blessing from him. And then Jacob realized he’d been wrestling with God. All night.

So Jacob wrestled with God by himself. But he also had his community nearby safely divided into two camps and his family just on the other side of the stream.

People you’re afraid of may come at you with 400 men, but as for you take care of your family and wrestle out your doubts with God (even if it takes all night).

You can look at a lot of life’s situations like this. Tell yourself that “People will say…, but as for me…” There’s godly wisdom in not following the crowd. There’s godly wisdom in sticking with the truth you learn from Scripture instead of chasing after every chance new wind that blows across your way. There’s godly wisdom in fulfilling your own singular ministry; in gathering around the cross of Jesus with fellow believers; and in applying the true medicine of God’s Word and the Sacraments so that you don’t suffer from itching ears and wander away after false teachers. God grant you that wisdom.

Amen.

The peace of God that passes all human understanding keep you hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.

S.D.G.