Needed - Character!

To say that our world is in turmoil is probably the biggest understatement of the year. Our world is aflame with turmoil. When you think where we are right now, today in this world, I mean given Hurricane Harvey and all the damage that's doing in Texas, but the threat of nuclear war and at least two, possibly three places in the world, unlike anything we've ever seen since the days, the height of the Cold War, when you see the escalating tensions between world powers on at least three different continents, when you see in our own country the anger and hatred and strife and violence taking place, when you see deepening political divisions among our leaders, it leads many people asking what's happening in our world, what's happening in our country, what do we do? The uncertainty and the fear is climbing exponentially. I can't remember when I have heard so many people in recent weeks begin to pray for our country and stop and say, I don't even know what to ask Lord and don't you feel that way sometimes? There's so much turmoil and fear and uncertainty and anxiety in our world today. So what is needed in this world today? What do we need in the climate in which we find ourselves? I believe it can be summarized in one word character. Now I know that sounds like an oversimplification, I know that sounds like preacher talk, yeah sure character, you're going to talk, yeah sure, preacher would say that, but listen, I believe that is foundational. I believe that the greatest need in our world and our country in our churches is men and women of godly character. It is absolutely foundational to church, to society, to country, to world. In every field we need men and women of godly character. If you are a surgeon or a teacher or a pilot or a minor or a government leader or an office worker, a business owner or a sales clerk, we need godly men and women in all of those and every other position in our country, in our culture, in our world. Character is so important and if you are a leader of the church as we represent Christ in his church, for leaders of the church, character is the whole ballgame. It is of utmost importance. We see headlines almost every week, another one this week, someone connected with a church that has been arrested and so we throw up our hands. Our culture throws up their hands and saying can you trust anyone in the church? And so the whole ballgame for us as leaders in God's work is character. It is absolutely foundational and it is what second Timothy too is all about. I've entitled this series of messages on second Timothy last words to a son because that is exactly what they are. I think it characterizes the book. Paul is writing his last words, the last letter he will pin shortly before he dies in a Roman prison. To a dear son, a son in the fate, yes, one that he led to the Lord and one that he nurtured and mentored and prepared for ministry and then set out to the most significant church in the first century, the church in Ephesus. So he was a son in the fate but Paul considered him literally a son. And so when he chooses someone to write the very last words he will ever pin, he chooses Timothy and he writes this personal and passionate letter and the words blow from his pin through his heart as he pins this letter. We've already seen that chapter one is the call of a dear son and it's not just reflecting on Timothy's call to ministry which it does but it also reflects on his call to be courageous and faithful in his ministry. And then in chapter two he deals with character. Timothy's character as a leader in God's church, the issue of character is so important that Paul spends approximately 40% of this book, the body of this book on Timothy's character. I got to think about that this week and all that is found in chapter two and so I did a little arithmetic. You know pastors don't take much path, math class in Bible college but I think we do know how to add and subtract a little bit and so I did a little bit of arithmetic this week. I took off the closing remarks and statements of Paul in this book and the first two verses where it's just a greeting and added up the rest of the verses. If I counted right I think it's 69. 26 of those are about character in chapter two roughly 37 38% close to 40% of the body of this book is devoted to character. Now Paul is writing his last words you would think there'd be 100 things he'd want to talk about but he talks mostly about character because that is the issue for Timothy. It is the issue for us. I think it is so fitting for us at this point in our church's history. It is a fitting reminder for me that God values character above all else as I'm near the finish line of my ministry here. It's a fitting reminder and challenge for me. It's a fitting challenge for Pastor Dan as he takes up the baton and leads us into the future. It's a fitting challenge for all of our pastors and any among us who would aspire to ministry and in a more general sense it is a fitting challenge for all of us here today. Character is so vitally important. Paul's challenge to Timothy in chapter two was to develop cultivate and grow. Set eight character qualities. We already looked at six of them. He has already told Timothy. Timothy we need to be strong in the sense that we hold onto the faith and then we pass it along to the next generation. But Timothy we also need to be single-minded like a soldier who endures hardness who doesn't get enmeshed in civilian affairs but pleases his commanding officer. Single-mindedness Timothy is essential for us in ministry and then he says Timothy we must be stripped like an athlete. An athlete must compete by the rules or he's disqualified and the same thing is true. If we don't compete by the rules, if we don't serve and minister and live by the rules, we get disqualified Timothy. So you got to be strict on yourself and compete by the rules. And then he says to Timothy Timothy you've got to be self-motivated like a farmer. Nobody's going to tell him when it's time to plant. Nobody's going to tell him how to prepare the soil. Nobody's going to tell him how to equip that that newly planted seed to grow appropriately. Nobody's going to tell him when it's time to harvest. He's got to be self-motivated to work hard. Timothy we must be self-motivated like a farmer and then he says Timothy we must be secure. We saw last time in verses 11 through 13 that our security, personal security, is deeply embedded in our understanding of our secure position in Christ. Got to be secure Timothy and then finally he says or sixthly he says we got to be steadfast Timothy. We saw that last time too that we've got to be focused on and faithful to a clear understanding of the word and clear communication of the word to others. Well today we look at the final two of those eight character qualities that he challenges Timothy with the first of those in verses 20 to 22 of second Timothy 2 is this we must be sat apart. We must be sat apart and he begins with an illustration of what he means by set apart and so look with me please in verse 20 at the illustration of being set apart. Notice what he says verse 20 in a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver but also wood and clay some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble. In other words some are for honorable purposes some for dishonorable purposes. Now this concept of a house and the utensils in the house kind of follows what he introduced in verse 19. Let me just remind you since it's been three weeks since we've been in second Timothy. Let me remind you that he's talked about in the church Timothy in the larger community of faith there are sadly some false teachers and he warned Timothy about that and challenged him to be faithful to the word of God even in the midst of false teachers and he ends that challenge in verse 19 by talking about God's solid foundation stands firm. He's talking about the work God's doing that yes false teachers may invade the community of faith the church but God's building his church. He's building his work and false teachers will not destroy it and so God's foundation God's building God's church is built on the right foundation and it has this this inscription in the cornerstone the Lord knows those who are his and everyone who confesses the name of the Lord Timothy you I'm talking to you must turn away from wickedness and so in verse 20 he carries on that concept of the house the church as God's household and he says here that in a household there are two kinds of utensils or articles or vessels some of gold and silver some of wooden clay and in every first century household there would be some household utensils buckets or jars typically made of wood or clay that were used for purposes like disposal of garbage or disposal of human waste so those are the kinds of vessels Paul would be considered used for dishonorable or ignoble purposes but in every household there would be some other kinds of vessels some other kinds of dishes or utensils and they would be made of gold and silver there for decoration or maybe for entertainment purposes so there are those two kinds of vessels or utensils in the household of God that most of us have the same thing in our household you know genie and I a lot of times when we eat dinner we will eat on paper plates it's just easier the old you get you know to pull out a paper plate and not have to wash the thing and so what do you do with a paper plate when when you're finished or if we have someone to our home that we consider we just want to treat them like family we'll serve on paper plates now some of you are looking shocked at that don't look at me that way you do the same thing I bet so what do you do with a paper plate when the meal is over you grab it up you throw it in the trash can that receptacle for ignoble purposes Paul would call it that's what you do with a paper plate you don't treat it special at all but there are rare special occasions where genie pulls out her mother's china that was left to her out of the china cabinet that her mother left to us and I tell you what those dishes are treated differently the table is set with extra care after the meal I'm shoot out of the room and genie takes up those dishes and not in the dishwasher certainly not in the trash can but not even in the dishwasher they go they're washed by hand and carefully tenderly placed back in that china cabinet they're a treasure they're an heirloom they're special now in every first century household both of those vessels would be needed both the ignoble and the noble but that's not his point now he just used that illustration to get across the point that in the church in the household of god in the larger christian community there are both people who are faithful to the word of god and there are sadly false teachers and the context makes it clear that this distinction between ignoble and noble dishonorable and honorable has to do with either those who are faithful to the word of god or those who are not those who are false teachers sadly in the larger community of faith the larger church is so speaking there are both faithful teachers of the word and false teachers of the word just like in the old testament there was a mixed multitude in israel some people who were true followers of god and some who worked and like jesus said in his parables of the kingdom in Matthew 13 when he was describing the form the kingdom would take in this current age of the church he said it's going to be like a field that has both wheat and tears in it tears being a plant that looks like wheat imitates wheat but is not the genuine article he says it's going to be sadly enough but that's the way it's going and so Paul is just stating a truth a reality that in the larger christian community there are those who are faithful to the word and there are those who are not and his point in using that illustration is to challenge Timothy to be one of those men who will be faithful to the truth so okay there's the illustration what does it look like to be faithful to the truth whether it's a pastor or any of us what does it look like to be faithful to the truth well i'm glad you ask because he gives us the description of being set apart in verse 21 this is what it looks like verse 21 if a man cleanses himself from the latter the latter being those vessels in the household for ignoble purposes he mentioned last in verse 20 if you cleanse yourself from false teachers we might read he will be an instrument for noble purposes made holy useful to the master and prepared to do any good work here's the description of being set apart Timothy you have a responsibility cleanse yourself set yourself apart from those who are false teachers and their doctrine in other words you develop Timothy in your heart a godly mind and heart a godly inner life that is passionate for the Lord and for a living relationship with him that shows in the way you live and treat everybody you develop that in your heart and be faithful to the word of God you live in a way that honors and glorifies Christ that's what he's saying and when you do that then you set yourself in a position to be an instrument for noble purposes and he describes that three ways made holy the word holy literally means set apart for godly purposes to be set apart for God and for whatever he wants to do with us so you'll be holy you'll be useful to the master in other words Timothy you will be beneficial to Christ in his work he will be able to use you fully if you cleanse yourself develop a deep personal real walk with God an inner heart and mind passion for the Savior that you live out in your daily life and stay away from false teaching stay faithful to the word you do that and you'll be ready to be used by God and he says prepared to do any good work available ready for whatever God wants so the real question we have to think about is this what's more important who we are or what we do the reason I raised that question is because we hear a lot today that it doesn't matter who you are as long as you're proficient in what you do you hear some people say I don't I don't care if a doctor's a moral person or not just long as they know medicine and can help me get better it's okay I don't think so some people say I don't care if a pilot is a moral person as long as he can get the plane up in the air keep it up there and land it safely we're good I don't think so you hear that a lot about leaders in organizations industry corporations politics why don't you care what kind of morals they have as long as they do their job I think God sees things differently so the question really is what's more important who we are or what we do I love the way one pastor by the name of Jesse Hike and then answered that question in his book entitled Unchained he said this down through history the predominant viewpoint has been that what we do determines who we are we've all heard the old adage you are what you eat he says by the way I heard it a conference recently you are what you tweet I don't know about that but he goes on to say this is not a new school of thought 400 years before Christ Aristotle wrote this we are what we repeatedly do this pastor goes on to say each one of these proclamations while carrying a significant nugget of truth gets the core message of the Bible wrong he says you know who got it right of all people Frank Zappa got it right you remember who Frank Zappa people of my generation will remember Frank Zappa the lead singer of the mother of invention band back in the 60s and 70s really weird dude I mean really a lot of weird kind of stuff and music but he said this in one of these songs you are what you is I'm sorry about the English but he got the principle right you are what you is I think he comes closer to the truth than Aristotle sadly enough what he's saying and what the Bible is saying is not what we do that determines who we are it's what we are who we are that determines what we do that is the biblical paradigm that's the biblical teaching and that's exactly what Paul say Paul sanctity you take care of your character that's of utmost importance and if you do that who you are will determine what God does with you you take you make sure that you have a godly life a passionate pursuit of the Savior and that will prepare you to be set apart to God useful for the master and prepared to do any good work what you do will flow naturally out of who you are if you are godly God will take care of what you do and that's a good reminder for all of us our chief responsibility is not necessarily to tweak what we do but to make sure who we are before Christ and he'll take care of producing the works through useful vessels that is the description of being set apart to God for a special purpose take care of your character Timothy and he will use you so I find myself maybe like Timothy asking okay I understand the concept there are some bad vessels and good vessels in the household of God I want to be one of those good ones I want to be set apart so I'll work on my character but what do you mean work on your character exactly what do I need to work on Lord and I do believe the Bible gives us moral imperatives commands that we need to do that we are responsible to fulfill that's exactly what he does in verse 22 this is the cultivation of being set apart this is how you cultivate it this is how you develop it and grow it what are we to actually do to become set apart vessels for honor that are ready to be used by the master here's what we're to do verse 22 flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness faith love and peace along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart notice two verbs here two main thoughts flee and pursue so we're to run away from something and we are to run toward something with open arms expectantly grasping that for which God wants us to run so what are we to flee he says flee the evil desires of youth and when you say that you you automatically think of sexual desires of lust and some translations even use the word lust the the word lust is simply a translation of a Greek word which means a strong desire and so it can be it can be sexual desire and that's certainly is included here but that's not all that's included literally he's saying flee youthful desires one commentator says it could be translated this way flee the headstrong passions of youth flee the headstrong passions of youth and so that may include sexual temptation yes but it's a lot more than that think back to your youth some of you are there still there some of you have to think hard to remember your youth but if you can't think back to your youth and think about how there were some areas where you were more headstrong and and and passionate then maybe you are now that you've meld a little bit and and and and learn some things I'm talking about sinful types of passion here's what I'm talking about sometimes when we're younger we have a headstrong passion of impatience and we want everything right now we don't want to wait and so we're just going to plow through to get it and that can be a headstrong passion of youth sometimes in our youth we're plagued with harshness because we know what we want sometimes our figures of speech our nicknames that we give people and things just the look of the eye the set of the jaw the tone of the voice is more harsh than when we've experienced maybe more life and understood some things and seen a lot of people and a lot of things happen sometimes in our youth we're more harsh than we need to be that can be a headstrong passion of youth sometimes contentiousness is a headstrong passion of youth sometimes in our younger years I'm thinking not about any of you I'm thinking about myself when I was younger the way I did some things there was a love of debate and I wanted to win those debates there was a competitive dogmatism that was unwilling to listen to others and I hope by God's grace that's become a little more measured through the passing of years but I know in my youth I was more contentious more dogmatic love to win the debates sometimes a passionate pursuit of youth is stubbornness a self assertiveness and if we don't really grow in the Lord that can get worse as we age and we become even more stubborn and resistant to the things that need to be done a headstrong passion of youth may look like selfish ambition sometimes in our youth we've got it all figured out we know exactly how to get to the top how we're going to do it and nobody better get in our way because we're added to the top we're going to be successful and that can be a headstrong passion of youth and whether I've touched on what you have struggled with or not it's those kinds of things in addition to sexual temptation that Paul I think has in mind to young Timothy who by this time is in his mid-30s and he's saying Timothy flee flee with all of your heart flee the headstrong passions of youth but as you flee those open your arms wide to accept and pursue these four things notice he says what to pursue in verse 22 says pursue righteousness it's a rich word in the New Testament it has to do with right conduct with ethical choices choices that are pleasing in the sight of God integrity truthfulness justice all of those ideas are in that word righteousness it's a very rich field to grow in and that's what we're to pursue we're to pursue righteousness but he also says pursue faith we've seen a lot of times in first and second timid that they use as the concept of v-faith meaning of the body of truth that Timothy is to hold steady to and pass on to the next generation that's not what he's talking about here he's talking here more about personal faith what he means here is what we can grow in Timothy what you should pursue is a simple trust in God and his word that is a constant for you and will stabilize you and will keep you confidently trusting him and his power and his will and working things out so that you don't exhibit those headstrong passions of youth and then he says Timothy pursue love and here this love is not necessarily love for God is love for others it's acting in the best interest of others not in the best interest of myself on June 17th 2017 the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Fitzgerald collided with a Philippine flagged container ship 56 miles off the coast of Japan we've seen another incident this week of that kind I believe near Singapore with the USS John McCain but in June when the USS Fitzgerald had this accident one of the seven sailors who died aboard the USS Fitzgerald saved more than a dozen of his fellow shipmates before he lost strength and sank under the waters when the Fitzgerald collided with the merchant ship 37-year-old fire controlman first-class Gary Leo Rimm jumped into action just instinctively the Fitzgerald was struck below the water line and Rimm's family later was told by the Navy that he went down underwater and saved at least a dozen they think maybe as many as 20 could be credited to his efforts but here's the interesting part of the story people who knew Gary Rimm said the same thing about him one of his fellow shipmates said Gary was just acting according to the character he had spent years shaping another close friend said the heroic response was Gary to a tee he never thought about himself his uncle said it is funeral he called the sailors on his ship his kids and he would often say if my kids die I'm gonna die he was always ready to help anybody who needed it he was just that kind of guy and that's what Paul saying to us love is putting others before yourself thinking of them before you think of yourself getting even sacrificial for their interests their welfare rather than yourself that's what that means Gary Rimm was a very concrete example of it but that's the kind of quality of character that God wants to see in all of us love pursue love so often when we see that where we just think of some kind of ui-gui feeling of affection towards someone that's not at all what this word means it means the willingness to look at the needs of others and sacrifice yourself for their needs and not think about your own needs first that's what we're to pursue and then finally he says to pursue peace and there he's talking about harmony and unity with other believers because notice he says that all of this pursuing of righteousness faith love and peace should be along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart in other words this pursuit of character needs to be done in community it needs to be done with a group of people who know you and love you and who will spur you on and challenge you when you're lagging behind this pursuit and challenge you to keep up with the pursuit it needs to be done in the community of believers growth is never an isolated endeavor it is never an effort that I just do myself it is always in the Bible in the context of the one or another the community of believers and so he says as you as you flee the the the passions of youth and you pursue godly character Timothy do it in a way that puts you in community with believers you'll do it much better that way so this this is what being set apart is all about this is what cleansing yourself from false teachers and their lifestyles all about this is what being set apart means it means that I flee the headstrong passions of you and I pursue growth in my life in these four areas and doubtless others as well that's what being set apart looks like I read an interesting story this week about James Deacon White James White played at the very dawn of professional baseball in fact on May the 4th 1871 James White had the very first hit in the very first game of the very first professional baseball league in America he hit a double as a lead off hitter he was the first captured who used a mask he was the first picture to go into a wind up before throwing the ball over a 20 year career white played for teens and Cincinnati Buffalo Detroit Boston Pittsburgh before reaching the pinnacle of his career with the team that would become my beloved Chicago Cubs he would eventually be the oldest player inducted into the Hall of Fame it's not an exaggeration to say that he helped in a great way to shape the game that we know as our American pastime today over his 20 year career he had a tremendous impact on players around him in fact his inscription in the Hall of Fame in Cooper's town does not begin with the words 19th century star of baseball or premier catcher of his era or lead teams to six championships although all of those are on his plaque but the first words are these consummate gentleman that's interesting isn't it consummate gentleman you see at a time when professional athletes especially the early baseball players were seen as unsavory hard drinking womanizers James White was different he earned the nickname deacon for his commitment to his Christian faith on and off the field it was evident to everyone who watched him play it was evident to everyone who watched him live couple interesting stories about him and in 1878 the Indianapolis journal reported that an umpire actually consulted with white who was a player on the field at the time as to whether or not a bass runner was out and the other team of jetfid strenuously and the umpire said to the players on the other team when white says a thing is so it is so and that's the end of it well you would never hear that today would you in a professional sporting event in 1878 the Indianapolis or in 1886 the Detroit free press wrote this about James Deacon white no one ever heard James Deacon white say a first word no one ever saw him spike or trample on an opponent no one ever saw him hurl his back toward the bench when he struck out no one ever heard him and I love this 19th century wording no one ever heard him wish the umpire were where the wicked never ceased from troubling and the weary never give us a rest it would be said a little differently today wouldn't it even in the newspaper and think of it 20 years of provocation will anyone deny that Deacon white is a great and good man as well as a first class ball player now what was said about James Deacon white should be said of all of us would the god that people in our professions in our jobplaces in our neighborhoods fellow believers would look at us and say that person's different they're godly they live good godly character they live what they say they believe that's what it means to be set apart set apart and Paul tells Timothy Timothy in ministry in the church we must be set apart but then he also says Timothy we must have a servant spirit in verses 23 to 26 he talks about that servant spirit and in verse 24 he refers to Timothy as the lord's servant and then just causing he must he must you must the rest of the time the real focus of his of his comments is Timothy you are the lord's servant and he uses an interesting word for servant it's it's the word which literally means a bond slave one who is totally under the command of his master and is willingly committed to that it's an it's an unusual term it's a term that Paul used of himself in Romans 1 and Philippians 1 he called himself a bond slave of Christ it's it's a it's an idea that's referred to back in the book of Exodus when there are stipulations made for a household servant who has been given his freedom and and the Bible says in Exodus 21 verses 5 and 6 that if if a bond servant who's been given his freedom doesn't want to go he can say this I love my master and I want to stay right here I want to willingly offer my service to him then he's to be taken to a place where his his ears put up against a door and an all is is punched through his ear his ear is pierced as a sign that he has willingly said I love my master and I want to serve him that's the word Paul uses here I love my master I love my savior and I willingly submit my will to his I willingly serve him that's the lord's servant and it's true of all of us but in this specialized sense in writing the Timothy he's talking about those in ministry saying you're the lord's servant and as you serve him as you willingly give your life to to do his will then here's the spirit you need to have here this is a servant spirit this is what it looks like and he lists and we'll do it as quickly as we can six character qualities of this servant spirit this is what a servant spirit looks like first of all in verse 23 and 24 it's not quarrelsome look at verse 23 don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments because you know they produce quarrels and the lord's servant must not quarrel while the wording the Paul uses is so forceful so powerful here foolish and stupid those sound like harsh terms to us today but he's talking about the kind of arguments that first of all are foolish they're moronic and the word stupid is a word that literally means ill-educated the Greek word literally means ill-educated so we we might even translate it senseless it is senseless moronic senseless arguments done just for the purpose of winning an argument there's no profit no real spiritual benefit to them so Timothy those are just a waste of your time don't be pulled into those kind of quarrels those arguments they only produce quarrels that word it means battles or strife he's talking about it just pulls you into an ego contest so that you decide I'm going to jump into this argument and I'm going to win it so you attack your opponent so tempting to be drawn into those kinds of debates to show how ignorant the other person's views are and how much you know and usually that's just a pride ego thing that wants to chalk up another win in the column for you you won this debate you won that argument Paul's telling Timothy don't get involved in that kind of thing I've done it believe me through the years of ministry I've done it I've seen somebody drop the bait push the right button and man I jumped in for all I was worth and I was going to show them they're wrong that's a foolish view and I start quoting verses and throwing theology and I know more than you do and Paul says don't do that don't get sucked into that kind of thing that doesn't produce anything of benefit to anybody and you'll talk about being able to teach and gently instruct in the scriptures not saying throw all that out no but don't get pulled into quarrels by the pressure to get involved in that game don't do that Timothy the Lord servant must not quarrel don't be the one who keeps strife stirred up keeps controversy going don't do that Timothy back in 1948 a producer by the name of Alan Funt began a program that would lovingly be known as candid camera and you can still catch it occasionally they tried to redo it it didn't work some of those classic candid camera episodes were just beautiful it was an amazing insight into how people think of the psyche that people think through when they're put in an awkward position and most of them were humorous but some of them were really insightful about the kinds of pressure you can put on people to get them to do things one of them was entitled facing the rear and it was a little episode where they had someone go into an elevator and like we all do when in the elevator turn around face the front and immediately once that person got in they had three actors rush into the elevator and all three of them face the back of the elevator and the hidden camera in the elevator caught the angst of this person as he's looking around why are these people facing backwards do they know something I don't know is there something wrong with this elevator and just about the time he's really concerned about this they have a fourth actor enter the elevator you know just as the doors are closing it's in and he faces the rear and on every pranky every person they did this to without exception the person turned around and face the rear not knowing why they were doing that is did it it just shows the pressure that can be put on us when everybody else is doing something to feel like I better do it too I got to look like everybody else and when everybody else is just stirring up quarrels to fight and argue and win arguments and chalk it up to how much I know Paul says the Lord servant doesn't do that if you're going to have a servant spirit don't get pulled into that kind of stuff just because everybody else is facing the back you stay facing forward like you know you should so it's not a quarrelsome spirit but the second thing about this servant spirit is is that it is kind you see it there in verse 24 the Lord servant Lord servant must not quarrel instead he must be kind to everyone it's interesting the word translated kind here is only found one time in the New Testament right here only one time and it has to do with a gentle disposition that is not a lover of controversy that's the reason it's set in opposition to this quarrelsome spirit not a quarrelsome spirit but kind to everyone oh yeah Timothy stay firm and faithful to the word he's made that very clear in these books but be kind to everybody have a kind spirit to everyone and then the third quality of a servant spirit is able to teach there in verse 24 third time we've seen that in the past or the pistols it's the only qualification for pastors in first Timothy 3 that has to do with what you do rather than who you are able to teach he's mentioned it again in second Timothy and now third time here part of being a servant is to be able to teach the word of God it's a major concern of Paul's in other words back to second Timothy 215 that we saw last time be diligent Timothy to study the word and work hard at communicating it clearly and the fact that he uses this being able to teach so often it commands him indicates that is a learned skill that is something Timothy you can grow in you can work on you can learn to understand the word of God correctly and communicate it clearly so Timothy a servant spirit is not quarrelsome it's kind to everybody it is able to teach and then fourthly it is not resentful you see that there in verse 24 into the verse not resentful again it's the only time this word the Greek word translated resentful is found in the New Testament it's a very important word even though it's only found once in the New Testament it means this it means the way you handle opposition or pain when somebody opposes you or causes you pain this word means that you absorb that pain without losing your temper and lashing back because if you lose your temper and lash back what happens is you begin to shove that pain down and let it nurture itself and grow and you become touchy quick to take offense and slow to forgive or else you will just hold it inside until it erupts one day in June of 2012 Carl Erickson 73 year old South Dakota man was sentenced to life in prison after admitting to the murder of a former high school classmate everyone was shocked Erickson had been a successful insurance salesman all of his adult life he had been faithfully married to his wife for 44 years raised a family seemed to be an honest good man but after the murder the secret came out he had murdered a former high school classmate by the name of Norman Johnson and as the story came spilling out for over 50 years he had simmered with a belated grudge against Norman Johnson he was still mad about a prank that was played on him in a dressing room in high school for you see Norman Johnson was the star of the athletic team Erickson was just the lowly manager of the team not even the athlete and one day Johnson pulled a classic normal well-known locker room prank on Johnson shouldn't have been done should never be done but he did it and Erickson got angry and stayed angry for over 50 years so when he's 73 years old he walks over to Johnson's door and by the way Johnson had kind of made a real great career out of being a college athlete and a college coach and so Erickson always felt like his former high school classmate who had played that prank on him kind of out showing him all of his life and he nurtured that grudge all of his life 73 years old he goes and rings the front doorbell of Norman Johnson's house and when Johnson shows up at the door he's shot him killed him nobody else saw it coming but it came because of a grudge that was nurtured and never dealt with he developed resentment and it's easy for that to happen for any of us it's easy to happen in ministry when you get hurt or blindsided or broadsided with opposition or anger it's easy for that to happen and Paul says part of a servant's spirit you can't be resentful you can't nurture that you've got to let it go you can't nurture that and then notice he says the fifth part of the servant's spirit verse 25 is gentle instruction those who oppose him he must gently instruct again powerful words gentleness is a word which means the quiet use of strength and this quiet use of strength and knowledge you use to help instruct others the idea is that you're not out to hurt them you are out to help them you're not going to brow beat them with your knowledge or instruction you're out to gently instruct and encourage them meet them where they are means you're sensitive to their feelings you're sensitive to their needs and you come to them with a humility of spirit that says what I know of the Bible I owe simply to the grace of God I can't take any credit for it and so if I instruct others it is solely by the grace of God and what he's enabled me to to gather by his grace and it also is the spirit that says I recognize I may not have the final word on every topic I'm open to learn I'm open to hear that's gentle instruction because the goal is not to win an argument the goal is to win a person and whether it's witnessing to someone we're challenging someone about a lifestyle about something in their lifestyle that you don't think is appropriate or giving them instruction from the word it's got to be done with this servant spirit friends read a story this week about a nursery worker pastor Scott Saul wrote this story about an unnamed nursery worker who in his church bumped into a first-time visitor named Janet who had dropped her two little boys off at the church nursery after the service he writes while Janet was waiting in the nursery line to retrieve her boys one of the nursery workers quietly approached her and said that there had been some issues in the nursery both of her boys had picked fights with other children and also one of her boys had broken several of the nursery toys just with violent behavior so in front of a room filled with other children and their parents Janet angrily and loudly scolded her boys and then screamed in a bellowing voice a curse word everybody was shocked of course she realized what she'd done she was deeply ashamed and he writes no doubt feeling like a failure she grabbed her voice and sculpted out of the building and he wrote no doubt we were never going to see her again but he said that unnamed nursery worker called the church office that Monday and asked if I could check the visitor record and see if she had left any contact information well she had and so pastor Saul says I gave the nursery worker Janet's address and unbeknownst to me she sent Janet a note the note read something like this and some of you are going to be shocked at this but follow along the note read something like this dear Janet I am so glad that you and your boys visited our church oh and about that little exchange when you pick them up the nursery let's just say that I found it so refreshing that you would feel freedom to speak with an honest vocabulary like that in church some of you already don't like this I'm really drawn to honesty this nursery worker said and you are clearly an honest person I hope we can become friends love she signed her name to the note well that nursery worker and Janet did become friends because Janet came back to church the next Sunday she knew she wouldn't be condemned she came back to church the following Sunday and the following Sunday and guess what she got saved and guess what she's now the nursery coordinator in that church a story of grace but it never would have happened if someone had let her have it over her vocabulary in church of all places you know there are a lot of hurting people that show up at church we dare not treat them with a self righteous ferrecyical hypocrisy that calls them out on everything they do that we don't think is right listen they're unsafe they don't know any better let's show grace and mercy and gently instruct maybe we'll see more Janet's come to know Jesus and by the way the pastor ended that article by saying I found out later that the first Sunday Janet attended church she was a recovering heroin addict and we ran the risk of losing her completely had it not been for the intervention of grace on the part of a dear nursery worker that's gentle instruction and then quickly a confident trust this is the sixth part of a servant spirit confident trust those verse 25 who oppose him he must gently instruct in the hope now that's remember biblical hope is not oh I hope it won't rain tomorrow uncertain about it hope no biblical hope is a confident trust in what God has promised about the future so in confident trust that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth only God can grant repentance friends it's not our eloquent arguments our skill our theological knowledge that will lead people to repentance it is God's work through his spirit that draws people to himself and leads them to repentance only God can do that and so that's the reason why we need to be less concerned about winning the argument then we are about gently instructing to win the first seat pray hoping that God will grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth and that they will come to their senses but you see this is spiritual warfare only God can do this come to their senses it's a Greek word which means to be sober really to come to sobriety the idea is that Satan confuses the minds and wills and hearts of people with his deception so that they will come to their senses and escape the trap of the devil who has taken them captive literally grabbed them alive kidnap them to do his will listen this is spiritual warfare when we're dealing with the souls of people and God's servants cannot be quarrelsome have to be kind to everybody yes able to teach able to open the scriptures but not resentful not letting past hurts cloud your vision being gentle to instruct them with a confident trust that God will do his work because this is spiritual warfare and Satan has people in bondage and only he only God through spirit can rescue them by the way my friend this is not true for only pastors this same spirit applies to every parent who has a grown child who has walked away from the truth please don't be quarrelsome don't try to win the argument be kind yes be able to teach share the word but don't be resentful don't let past slights hurts or angry words corrupt your spirit rather gently instruct with a confident trust that only God can release them from the captivity to Satan it's true of every co-worker who's relating to someone who's antagonistic to the faith at work it's true when you're dealing with those on the different side of the cultural divide or the political divide because you think oh they don't understand spiritual biblical issues gotta have a servant spirit friend this is what it takes to do spiritual battle this is what the world needs at every level men and women of noble godly character who can relate with a servant spirit it's what the church needs it's what your neighborhood needs it's what our country needs today it is what our world needs godly men and women of noble character who will treat others with a servant spirit no I believe that's the biggest need we face today which would you join me in prayer father I want to be that kind of man forgive us where we fail you forgive us where we jump in to win the argument forgive us where we're not gentle and patient with people even our own family sometimes lord help us to develop the essential character that Paul says the Timothy is so vital for leading the church and for living the Christian life help us to be set apart in our character for you and help us to be servants in our spirit may we impact others around us for your glory we pray in Jesus name amen