WWUTT 722 Beware of Him Yourself?

There are going to be times in which it will be necessary to call out a false teacher by name and even name sins that teachers are guilty of so that the people would be filled with fear and worship the

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Pastor Gabe. Thank you, Becky. Well, between today and tomorrow, we should finish up our study of the book of 2

Timothy. Today we're in chapter 4, and I'll begin reading in verse 14.

The Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm.

The Lord will repay him according to his deeds. Beware of him yourself, for he strongly opposed our message.

At my first defense, no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them, but the

Lord stood by me and strengthened me so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the

Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion's mouth.

The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom.

To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen. So we have here in verse 14 an example of Paul calling out a false teacher and doing so by name.

Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm. Says who this guy is and what his trade is so that Timothy would know exactly who he is.

And this isn't the first time that Paul has singled out a particular false teacher, even to Timothy.

For in the first letter in 1 Timothy chapter 1 verse 20, Paul warned Timothy about Hymenaeus and Alexander, that they had been put out of the church so they would learn not to blaspheme.

So as Timothy was coming into Ephesus to lead the Ephesian church, he might know about these two men and the disruption that they had caused in the church.

Now we have another Alexander mentioned here in the next letter toward the end,

Alexander the coppersmith. But this is likely not the same Alexander that was mentioned in the first letter.

The reason being is that Paul was warning Timothy about a Hymenaeus and an

Alexander that were causing a problem in the Ephesian church. He didn't have a reason to have to warn

Timothy about that. Again, Timothy was right there in Ephesus. He knew the deal. He knew what was going on in his own city.

Paul did not need to warn Timothy about Alexander once more. This is a different Alexander, which is a very common name in the

Greco Roman world. And so this Alexander is identified as the coppersmith. There was a guild of coppersmiths in Troas.

And remember that Paul just asked Timothy to bring the cloak that he left with Carpus at Troas, also the books and above all the parchments, which we looked at yesterday.

And then he says, Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm. So this is likely Alexander from Troas.

As you go to Troas to retrieve these things for me, it is likely going to be known that you are there.

And if you encounter Alexander the coppersmith, you need to be careful about his presence.

Maybe even warn the brothers that are there. Those brothers that you are going to go see as you retrieve these things for me, for he strongly opposed our message.

Alexander did something serious to the apostle Paul. It wasn't just a matter of speaking against him or calling him names or hurling ridicule.

There was something that did great harm to Paul and also to the witness of the gospel.

For he goes on to say that Alexander strongly opposed our message. By name,

Paul calls this guy out. Make sure that Timothy is aware of him and perhaps even so Timothy could warn some of the other brothers about this guy too.

There are going to be times in which calling out false teachers by name will be necessary. And we have multiple examples of this in the scriptures.

In Acts chapter 19, we have the story of the seven sons of Sceva and this was another story that came out of Ephesus.

These were sons of a Jewish priest and they were trying to capitalize on the popularity of the apostle

Paul who was performing miracles and people were getting healed of their sicknesses and diseases just by touching cloths that had touched the apostle

Paul's face. And so these sons of Sceva were trying to become itinerant exorcists.

They were traveling around claiming to be able to cast out evil spirits and they would call upon the name of Jesus whom

Paul serves. But then when they encountered a real life demon, they were unable to overpower him.

In fact, the demon gave him a whooping and sent him running away naked and bleeding.

And when the people of Ephesus heard this story, they were filled with fear and many of them brought their scrolls of incantations out into the public square and had them burned up and people feared only the

Lord God. They fled from their kind of hodgepodge religion that they have, the syncretism that they were practicing there in Ephesus and they worshiped the

Lord God only. So in this particular example, you had these false teachers that were being called out and the story of them spread far and wide so that when the people heard about them, they knew who they were, they knew who their dad was, and when they heard what had happened to them, they realized, hey, this sorcery that we're practicing is powerless to fight off any real evil.

We can't be getting rich off of this. God is real and we must fear him.

In Paul's previous letter to Timothy, 1st Timothy chapter 5, beginning in verse 19, he says, do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses.

As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all so that the rest may stand in fear.

See there's a particular reason why a false teacher would be called out so that the heart would be filled with fear, those who hear about these things, and that they would flee from the false teaching and hold fast to the sound doctrine that we have given to us in the word of Christ.

In the context of this particular instruction in 1st Timothy 5, Paul is saying that if an elder is caught in some kind of a sin, that if two or three witnesses are able to verify this sin that he has been living in, that he must be rebuked in the presence of all.

And even in this correction, in doing this before the brotherhood, the rest may stand in fear and they will understand the call of holiness that we have been called to in Christ Jesus.

As I am talking about this today, as I come into this lesson today, this is right on the heels of an announcement that was made yesterday,

July 2nd, about Art Azzerdia, who was the lead teaching pastor at Trinity Church in Portland, Oregon.

This announcement was made by the church just yesterday. On Sunday, June 24th, the elders of Trinity Church of Portland received an accusation that Art Azzerdia has been in a sexually immoral relationship with a woman from outside of Trinity Church.

The elders of Trinity Church, after an initial investigation, confronted Art with the accusation. Art admitted to the immorality.

He also admitted to a previous sexually immoral relationship. Based on these facts and the biblical qualifications required of an elder, 1

Timothy 3 and Titus 1, the elders have removed Art Azzerdia as senior minister of word and worship at Trinity Church as an elder and from all pastoral ministry at Trinity.

We grieve the shame this brings to the gospel and the sorrow it brings to God's people.

And indeed, we should share with Trinity Church in this mourning that they are going through right now, for a brother has stumbled and fallen into sin and has brought a reproach on the witness of that church in their community and even worldwide, as Art Azzerdia was a well -known pastor and teacher.

He just preached at ShepCon earlier this year, the Shepherd's Conference that was held at John MacArthur's church, at Grace Community Church there in Sun Valley, California.

We are told this in 1 Timothy 4 .16, Paul instructing Timothy, keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching.

Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.

Hold fast to sound doctrine, immerse yourself in it, and you will be kept steadfast, persisting in the faith.

I believe it was D .L. Moody who said that a person who sins will not read their Bible. A person who is reading their

Bible will be kept from sin. And so we must hold fast to the truth that is given to us in God's word.

Galatians 6 .1, brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness.

Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. None of us are more powerful than sin.

Sin lives in our members. It grabs hold of our flesh. It can seize any one of us at any time.

The only way that we can be guarded and protected against the devil's schemes is that we would fill our minds and our hearts with the word of God.

And this would be our defense against the devil's tactics. Know God's word.

It is the sword of the spirit, as Paul described in Ephesians chapter 6.

It is the weapon of our warfare against the things that the devil would try to throw at us.

Let us be faithful to God's word and know how to handle it properly, for the day of trouble is here, and it could seize any one of us at any time.

Keep watch on yourself, Paul again said to the Galatians, lest you too be tempted.

So we pray for the Azerdia family as they are mourning at this particular time.

We pray that Art would truly be repentant and that he would do what is necessary to try to mend those things that have been broken in his own home and that he would continue with Trinity Church of Portland, that he would not run away just because he's been removed as pastor.

He needs to be disciplined and he needs to go through that process of discipline. And so may that continue to happen there at Trinity.

And for us, may our hearts be filled with fear to realize how weak we truly are and how powerless we are against sin and that we need

Christ on a daily basis, renewing our mind and heart, seizing our thoughts and making them obedient to Christ.

This is something that we must submit ourselves to regularly, for God has indeed called us to holiness.

God hates sin, and so we must also hate the garment that is stained by the flesh, as Jude says in Jude 1 .23.

So these examples of calling out false teachers or calling out somebody who is in sin is done so that our hearts would be filled with fear.

This is certainly not being done from a heart that lords itself over other people.

I know better than you. Look how much better I am than you are, and that's why

I'm calling you out to make myself look better. This is not a self -righteous thing. When we see a brother fall into sin like this, like what's happened with our desertia, it should cause us to mourn, not rejoice, and not use it as a cause or an opportunity to make us look better than that brother, because as I pointed out, any one of us could fall into this sin at any time if we are not careful.

And so this is not a cause to bolster ourselves, but it is a cause to edify the body, to draw our attention to these things and realize the call of holiness that is upon us by God our

Father. Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5, be perfect as your heavenly

Father is perfect. That is what we should aspire toward. That is not something that we can accomplish on our own.

It is only by the Spirit that is at work within us. May we remain committed to the

Word, and with this as a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path, it will keep us from going astray.

Those false teachers are called out to warn the brothers from going astray, from traveling down strange roads that God has not set before us by the

Word of His power. We are reminded that God knows the heart, and He will judge all the works of men.

And it is said here by the Apostle Paul, 2 Timothy 4 .14, regarding Alexander the coppersmith, that the

Lord will repay him according to his deeds. Psalm 62 .12 says that you will render to a man according to his work.

And we read in Proverbs 24 .12, if you say, Behold, we did not know this, does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?

Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it? And will he not repay man according to his work?

So there is nothing that is hidden from God, and even our innermost thoughts and motivations are known by the

Lord. And so may we pray that God would search us out, that there would be no hidden sins, but we would be laid bare and exposed before God so that even the worst of our sins, or the most secret of our sins would be forgiven by God, and we would walk in His presence in holiness.

Alexander did me great harm, the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. And what this communicates to us here is that Paul is not calling out

Alexander out of vengeance. Like now I feel now I'm getting my revenge because I'm able to call out

Alexander and I'm going to make a fool out of him like he made a fool of me. That is not Paul's motivation for he says the

Lord will repay him according to his deeds. In fact, you see

Paul's further humility here as you go on in verse 16. He says at my first defense, no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me.

May it not be charged against them. So Paul is not trying to call them out and and he's not doing this out of scorn or with a tinge of bitterness.

He's not venting here. He's not telling Timothy, all these guys, they didn't even stand with me.

They weren't with me. I did this all by myself. It was all me, man. How how much glory they would be able to share with me if they had just stuck by me.

But no, they didn't. They deserted me. Paul is not in that kind of attitude, not in that kind of mindset.

And instead, he says, may it not be charged against them. And one of the reasons why Paul says this here in Second Timothy 416 is probably because Timothy knew who some of those people were.

The first time Paul was in prison there in Rome, Timothy knows who it was that did not stand by his side.

For when Paul was being ridiculed by some competing preachers, the

Philippians had great empathy for the apostle Paul. Some of these preachers didn't want to be associated with Paul because he got thrown in prison.

And if somebody is going to be thrown in prison, well, they must have done something really wrong. But the Philippians knew

Paul didn't do anything wrong. He was preaching the gospel. So they took up an offering for him and they sent it with a papyrus to Rome so that it would encourage

Paul in the ministry that he was doing there, even though he was under house arrest. And so Paul, writing back to the

Philippians, said basically, in a sense, he said, I know you're expecting me to say something about these guys that have been trying to make things hard on me.

But what difference does it make to me whether whether they're being competitive or whether somebody is doing this out of humility?

The gospel is being proclaimed. And for that reason, I rejoice. So since there were some antagonists who were making things difficult on the apostle

Paul and Paul mentioned Timothy to the Philippians and saying that he was going to be sending Timothy to them,

Timothy would have known who some of these individuals were that had deserted Paul in his hour of need instead of standing by him.

And so Paul is saying to Timothy, don't don't hold this against them. They did not know what it was that they were doing.

Paul doesn't hold this against them. So may Timothy not have a grudge against them either?

And this is reminiscent of words that Jesus prayed from the cross. And you know, these words, when he was when he was being spat upon, when he was being called names, when he was hanging there with holes in his hands and his feet, dying naked and bleeding there on the cross.

And yet people continued to ridicule him while he was there dying. Jesus prayed,

Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. Luke 23, 34.

And there in that same verse, it goes on to say that then they cast lots to divide his garments.

The man is dying there on the cross, a man who was innocent, the only innocent man who ever lived on Earth.

And yet they're gambling over his garments and paying no mind to him and and treating him as though he were the worst of the worst criminals that were out there.

And yet Jesus died there on the cross for our sins. He laid down his own life, as he said that he would.

And he took it back up again, as he said that he would, so that all who believe in the name of Jesus would have their sins forgiven.

And we have the promise of eternal life. And so Paul goes on to talk about that here in the in the remainder of this section.

The Lord stood by me and strengthened me, and the Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom.

And we'll talk some more about that as we bring our study in 2 Timothy to a close tomorrow.

Let us conclude here with prayer. Our Lord, God and Savior, we thank you for the forgiveness of sins that has been given to us through the blood of Jesus Christ.

And I pray that you would forgive us our sins. I pray that we would know our sins so that we might rightly be able to come to you and ask for cleansing so that you would wash us and make us new, that we may continue in newness and wholeness according to the word of Christ.

May we be diligent to encourage our brothers and sisters in the

Lord to walk in holiness. And if there is someone in sin who needs to be confronted and called out, may we do this in a spirit of gentleness, not regarding our brothers and sisters as enemies, but warning them as our siblings in Christ.

For there is a God who knows us and will judge all those who are living and those who are dead, so that those who are in Christ Jesus will put off this this garment stained by sin for the last time and enter into your heavenly kingdom forever, where there will be no more sin, no more evil, no more dying, no more heartbreak, no more tears, no more temptation.

And Lord, we look forward to that day. May we despise the temptations that we experience in our flesh so much that we pray with the

Apostle John, Lord Jesus, come quickly. We pray for Trinity Church of Portland as they are going through this time of mourning and grief, and I pray that you would continue to lift up those elders there to press on with the gospel of Christ as they leave that church.

May the members of the church not become discouraged, but they know the truth of God's word is still true, that they would hold their brother,

Art, accountable and that he would be grown in love in a spirit of repentance for what it is that he has done against this church, against his family, and against you,

Lord. And may this serve as an example to us that any one of us could fall into this sin as well and that we would repent and we would seek the

Lord and grow in our sanctification with fear and trembling. We ask these things in Jesus' name, amen.

Gabriel Hughes is the pastor of First Southern Baptist Church in Junction City, Kansas. Find out more online at www .utt