Debating 101 - [2 Timothy 2:22-26]

Bethlehem Bible Church iconBethlehem Bible Church

1 view

0 comments

00:01
Well, I would invite you to open your Bibles to 2nd Timothy chapter 2 tonight As I turn there as well a couple years ago.
00:11
I had the opportunity while I was in Los Angeles And I was with hanging out with a bunch of friends.
00:17
I had the opportunity to go to a Corporation there we all took that it was my first time
00:24
Yeah, my first time ever taking an uber which was a great experience. I have to say
00:31
Because Usually you get in a cab, and you're like you have no idea how much it's gonna be and you're just watching the you know the meter just Gets kind of scary especially in Los Angeles when you get stuck in traffic, and you know who knows how much it's gonna be
00:46
But anyway, we take the uber and all the prices negotiated ahead of time You just you know it's paid with a credit card, and it's done, so we went to this place.
00:55
It was fantastic It's this marvelous campus is what they call it But it really was incredible because they had a basketball court several basketball courts and all these buildings
01:06
It was like a high school. It might have been a high school at some point, but now it's a corporation And here's the thing
01:12
I had never heard of the product that they were selling I Had absolutely no idea what this thing was and all of a sudden.
01:19
We're getting these t -shirts We're getting all this different stuff, and I'm like okay What is
01:24
League of Legends I Don't you know what that is? Well it turns out.
01:31
It's an online game and now I read That they're starting a professional league in this thing and Esports is quite the thing and I just started thinking about I go okay these e -athletes just think about that for a minute
01:48
What is an e -athlete? I'm an electronic athlete, so what are you saying? I'm really good on the keyboard
01:56
Yet do you train for that and there's a matter of fact they do you ever seen any of that They have but they actually train together.
02:04
You know these guys who are on these teams together There's gonna be a league a real league of the
02:10
League of Legends And they're gonna compete against each other and they've got teams set up in different cities and everything and I'm going
02:18
This is pretty crazy That this is this the world just be it, but walking around this campus
02:24
It was magnificent beautiful and all these you know all this free food and everything everything was free free free free free
02:33
But as I was thinking about this. I just thought you know there's like this whole Not just eSports, but there's this whole world that exists online
02:44
And Barry was just referring to it and really what has happened over the last several years Last decade or so you know has our
02:55
Discourse Has our interaction with people it certainly our opportunities to engage with people has
03:03
Increased right I mean you could talk to people all over the world now just like that We're all connected via the internet, but what's happened
03:15
Has our discourse? Improved have we become cheerier more polite or Has somehow the internet in spite of the fact that connects her, but I mean
03:29
I feel like I'm talking about sorry I feel like I'm talking about the force Because it runs through all of us, and it's all around us, and it's you know that's the internet right.
03:39
It's everywhere Has it improved our? Socialization you know what
03:47
I think of socialization. We're just talking about socializing kids the other day and you socialize dogs, right?
03:54
Socialization how we treat one another how we interact with one another has the internet helped or hurt
04:03
What do you think I? Think it's hurt a lot There's a reason for it.
04:09
I think one of the main reasons it has nothing to do with eSports But one of the main reasons is even though we're all connected
04:16
How do we feel we mostly feel isolated we feel somewhat?
04:23
Anonymous and that anonymity has allowed people to just blast each other
04:30
You you walk into some of these Forums where people are commenting, or they're giving their opinion about something.
04:37
It's kind of shocking Things are said online just like that that I you know
04:44
I think I probably you know when I was a kid Maybe in junior high I might have gone to jail for saying some of these things
04:50
I Would have been kicked out of school at the very least Not that I would know anything about that being kicked out of school, but does
05:00
God care about how we interact on the internet how we interact with each other how we
05:10
Discuss things how we debate things and how we conduct ourselves in general discourse
05:16
How we socialize with one another does he care about those things? Do we have any instructions in the
05:23
Bible on how we should deal with one another and I think we do here in chapter 2 of 2nd
05:30
Timothy And I'd like to read beginning in verse 14. I'm going to focus on the second half of this, but I want to read all of this because it certainly sets the
05:45
The tone for what I hope to discuss this evening I guess
05:52
I will discuss it, but you know I don't need to say I hope to discuss it 2nd Timothy chapter 2 verses 14 and following Remind them of these things and charge them before God not to quarrel about words
06:07
Which does no good, but only ruins the hearers Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved a worker who has no need to be ashamed rightly handling the word of truth
06:21
But avoid irreverent babble For it will lead people into more and more ungodliness and their talk will spread like gangrene
06:32
Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus who have swerved from the truth saying the resurrection has already happened
06:41
They are upset it upsetting the faith of some but God's firm foundation stands bearing his seal the
06:50
Lord knows those who are his and Let everyone who names the name of the
06:56
Lord depart from iniquity Now in a great house, there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay
07:05
Some for honorable use and some for dishonorable Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable.
07:12
He will be a vessel for honorable use Set apart as holy Useful for useful to the master of the house ready for every good work, so therefore flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness faith love and peace
07:34
Along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart Have nothing to do with foolish ignorant controversies.
07:42
You know that they breed quarrels and The Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone able to teach patiently enduring evil
07:55
Correcting his opponents with gentleness God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth and they may come to their senses and Escape from the snare of the devil after being captured by him to do his will
08:15
Paul wrote this to Timothy his son in the faith his beloved son of the faith and when he did so he was
08:25
Sitting in a jail cell in Rome Awaiting his final sentencing which was going to ultimately result in his execution
08:36
So he's on death row And he says, you know, I need to write Timothy I'm going to tell him give him some more encouragement on how to pastor a church how to lead a church
08:50
How to conduct himself so he sends this letter and There was a growth in false teaching in Apostasy and we can see that even in verses 17 and 18 how
09:08
It was growing and how he was to handle Opposition to the truth. Look at verse 17.
09:14
It says and their talk these false teachers these dissenters from the truth
09:21
Will spread like gangrene Mike and I were talking about it on the on the radio the other day gangrene, you know, not only can you
09:32
Would you feel it if you had it, but eventually you could smell it because it's your it's your Parts of your body rotting usually an extremity like your foot or your hand
09:43
Spread like gangrene. What do you have to do when you get gangrene? You have to remove that body part among them are
09:50
Hymenaeus and Philetus and listen what they've done who have swerved from the truth saying that the resurrection has already happened in other words
09:57
The general resurrection the raising of the dead and that somehow they'd missed it
10:03
The people had missed this All kinds of false stories
10:09
Anti biblical myths and legends growing up and This is the world in which
10:18
Timothy was ministering. He had opposition Now this is a pastoral epistle to be sure it's written to Timothy use the head of a church, but it's meant to It's for him, but it's not just instruction for him.
10:33
It's instruction that we can all use In fact, I think if you look through most of the pastoral epistles 1st and 2nd
10:40
Timothy and Titus Even when you see the qualifications for an elder or deacon, you don't think oh that doesn't apply to me
10:47
I don't have to be above reproach. I could be below reproach. I can be subject to reproach.
10:54
I can be Someone who manages my household poorly Nobody thinks about it that way they think well these this is the standard that God expects of Those who will run his church, but these are good things for all of us
11:08
In fact, I think there's only one part of this passage tonight where we might go Well, that might not apply to everybody, but I think it's going to apply because I want to make it apply
11:17
So we're gonna do it Christian conduct isn't limited to pastors, right?
11:26
We all have a responsibility to act and conduct ourselves like Christians even online
11:36
I'm not just only talking about online, but I think these are These are particularly pertinent in light of what takes place online.
11:45
So tonight I have five debate guidelines five guidelines for discussion for debate for interacting with one another and Then I have a few practical tips just some
12:00
I don't know wisdom application from the text here So First debate guideline what to avoid and this really is two guidelines in one, but the first one is
12:14
Acting in immaturity don't be immature online. Look at verse or don't in any kind of discussion look at verse 22 22 a the first part of it says so flee youthful passions
12:30
There's a lot of commentary written about this Talking about you know Just youthful lust and lust of the flesh and all these kind of things the answer is that might be part of it
12:41
But for the most part what he's saying is don't be immature don't Get well just don't act like what you are a young man don't be
12:54
So Silly so foolish Ever heard somebody say something and you thought well, that's immature.
13:03
That's childish Why would somebody say that? You know, why don't you think like an adult or?
13:10
You know, well that's nice for now, but you won't think that way later in life Timothy was relatively young and may have had a tendency to be involved in some more disputes more of these kind of conversations than he should have
13:27
And the problem with youth and with youth youthful zeal is that it's wasted on the young Young people are energetic.
13:35
They want to fight every battle I mean, did you when you first got saved didn't you want to just tell everybody?
13:42
Well, that's a good thing But with some people come to certain to understand certain doctrines.
13:48
They want to make You know a war out of everything. I remember once When we were still at Grace Community Church coming out of a sermon the pastor just preached
14:01
And somebody came up to me and said Steve That was wrong what he said, you know, and he's any he told me what he thought the problem was and my response was
14:13
Thank you brother for bringing this to my attention. What do you think I said to him? I said now this is
14:22
Sunday night and I can say this I Looked at him and I said in love shut up.
14:30
Why would I say that? Because he's doing something that ought not to be done. He was zealous for something, but he had no knowledge to go along with it
14:38
There's a way to handle things and this was not the right way to do it There are things that were that were super passionate about that.
14:48
We really care about That we think should always be said in a certain way
14:55
We're not always right And we need to acknowledge that that we're not always right we're not the ultimate authority
15:05
Paul wants Timothy to flee the compulsion of the young and the zealous to just engage in Arguments in fact in internet terms.
15:15
I love this mean when I see it every time I see it. I think that's right It's this picture of somebody, you know, like in their pajamas basically typing at the keyboard
15:25
And they're going I can't go to bed now. Somebody's wrong on the internet Right, I have to engage
15:33
It's my duty some somewhere someone in the universe is demanding that I address this issue
15:41
And the answer is no, they're probably not This could just be you being overzealous
15:48
Giving in to immaturity not thinking rightly Not only do you want to avoid immaturity, but you also want to avoid arguing in ignorance look ahead to verse 23
16:02
Have nothing to do with foolish ignorant controversies, you know that they breed quarrels
16:10
I Am like mesmerized by the number of foolish ignorant quarrels there are on the
16:19
Internet It's incredible I could spend all my time arguing on Twitter if I wanted to I don't even have to go to another one
16:26
And there are new social media coming up every day Don't even
16:34
I don't even know how many there are But this is another fault of youth
16:39
Arguing about things that don't matter the other day.
16:46
I I really did do this I just posted an article and it was it was innocuous had to do with Some Some quirk in you know computing
17:00
Anthropological global climate change, you know all that stuff. And so I just put I mean not looking for a fight at all
17:06
I just said I'm looking forward to planting avocado trees in my backyard. That's all I said
17:16
There are some things you may not do this was like this was Metaphorically like apparently like me putting
17:23
Dagon face down Right the fish God because everybody are all my liberal friends
17:30
Wanted to just jump on me and tell me how wrong it was that I was looking forward to posting or planting
17:35
Avocados in my backyard that I don't understand all the nuances and you know, how the planet's being destroyed and everything else
17:42
If you want to upset an atheist these days Say anything negative towards their
17:49
God which is Anthropological global climate change say that three times real fast
17:55
I had insulted the
18:01
God Small G of their non -faith, right? They don't believe in God, but they're really upset when
18:08
God their God gets attacked this text here when it says foolish ignorant controversies
18:17
It says that we shouldn't argue about morose things. I want to say morose, you know like sad bordering on death talk
18:26
But it's really the same word from which we would kind of hear what's more on right morose.
18:33
It means stupid It's the exact opposite of Sophos the Greek word for wise so it's as unwise as it can get and he's saying don't have nothing to do with moronic ignorant controversies
18:52
Things that don't matter unedifying topics Don't engage in arguments just to engage in arguments
19:04
What happens when you? Get involved. I mean, did you ever do that? Just some kind of like drive -by comments, you know in a in a in an argument and Sometimes these things escalates and I don't just mean in the
19:17
Internet. I mean in the real world You get involved in something and all of a sudden these things escalate somebody's
19:23
Swearing at you or this that the other thing and why did you get involved in the first place? What was so important that you had to do it?
19:31
And the answer is probably nothing. So what to avoid avoid those things now what to pursue.
19:39
Let's go again to verse 22 Paul tells Timothy and pursue righteousness faith and love and peace
19:49
Along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart So flee immaturity and instead pursue what those things are spiritual maturity faith love peace
20:06
Righteousness we want to be known as those who are generally upright in a moral sense
20:15
We want to be known as those who pursue godliness We can look at it this way
20:21
Every Christian true or false every Christian should pursue godliness. I Think that's true.
20:27
Every Christian should pursue spiritual maturity How do we increase in these things through the
20:39
Word of God by the study of the Word? focusing on the truths of Scripture We just say
20:47
I want to pursue righteousness and faith Righteousness meaning, you know the things that are absolutely true and right and godly the things that Holiness, I guess we could say
21:04
Want to pursue faith those things are between us and the
21:09
Lord it's getting to know God better and to identify with a more to know the mind of Christ which we can only get through Scripture And then if we look at love and peace these are more horizontal having to do with Those who call on the
21:25
Lord from a pure heart in other words other believers. We should be pursuing those things
21:32
Pursuing the relationships with other Christians not be engaging in Debates that don't matter.
21:44
What did Jesus say to his disciples? He said We Should or they should be he said
21:52
I give you a new commandment that you'd be known for the love you have for one another Right. This is what we should be known for and the horizontal piece that I'm talking about.
22:04
We have peace with God through Christ Jesus How do we have peace with our brothers and sisters in Christ?
22:11
It's by bearing their burdens it's by Preferring one another it's by Keeping short accounts with them by reconciling by asking for forgiveness when we sin sin against them
22:24
These are the things that we ought to be pursuing. This is how we ought to be spending our time. It's how we ought to be
22:32
Engaged with one another so our third sort of Rule for debate
22:43
Is how to act how should we act Paul tells Timothy he gives them a negative says don't be a battler
22:52
Verse 24 and the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome
22:58
How would this be for a nickname? You know if I'm the Tuesday guy on Twitter How about the
23:03
Christian combatant, you know, or the combative Christian the holy hostage taker?
23:09
You know That word their
23:14
Lord's servants do loss bond slave Has to do with in particular pastors
23:24
He's talking to Timothy and other men who have the same calling But would you really want to be known?
23:31
Even as a non pastor as a pugnacious Christian someone who just loves to get in a good argument.
23:42
I Minor League Westboro Baptist Church Fighting Fundy Then you have to ask yourself this and this is maybe
23:55
Maybe part of well or encapsulates most of the the heart of this passage
24:02
Has anyone ever been argued into the kingdom of God? has there ever been a
24:10
Heated discussion that ended with somebody saying, okay now I believe in Christ.
24:19
I think the answer is probably no So, why do we do it? Now there were those in Paul's time and Paul writes about it who wanted to argue about genealogies who wanted to argue about all manner of Odd interpretations of Scripture who really wanted to get into the minutiae
24:45
I mean we could say because we do say it now, you know the Aquinas kind of theory that people want to argue about how many angels could dance on the head of a pin and all these kind of things and The problem with those kind of arguments is they're just a big waste of time
25:01
They don't resolve anything and they don't we can't even go to the scripture to answer them Outside of the pages of the
25:09
Bible outside of the truths contained in Scripture. What do we know? Well, we can know certain scientific things we can know mathematical things but truth is about life truth about Truths that matter nothing outside of the
25:28
Bible is worth arguing about is worth discussing Okay, so second one don't be a first one was don't be a battler second one is be nice Mike says
25:41
Pastor Mike says, you know, it's good to be good. It's nice to be nice. Well here I think Paul tells
25:46
Timothy be nice. It's good to be nice. Look at verse 24. He says What he's not to be quarrelsome, but instead rather Kind to everyone able to teach patiently enduring evil
26:06
Now that idea of being kind Henrickson writes this he says the Lord's servant then must be gentle that is affable.
26:13
I like that word It's a nice way of saying nice must be affable easy to speak to Approachable in his demeanor not irritable intolerant.
26:24
This one hits Sarcastic or scornful Nor even toward not even towards those who err
26:34
He must try to win them. Hence. He must be gentle to all
26:40
Had a professor in Seminary, I mean, this is a word that has fallen out of favor, but he used to say you have to be winsome as to say attractive not
26:53
Attractive but attractive nice in order to win some The goal is not to win arguments.
27:02
The goal is to win souls When he says able to teach really means skilled at teaching and this is one, you know,
27:10
I thought well maybe this only has to do with Pastors, maybe this is only a qualification for pastors and it is true.
27:20
It is a qualification for elders, right? But I wonder if it would help us when we're discussing things with unbelievers if we have some
27:33
Knowledge of Scripture if we're able to open the Bible to them and explain the gospel to them.
27:40
Would that be helpful? Could that help anyone? Any Christian in any discussion with an unbeliever?
27:48
I think it would be helpful if you are able to apply scripture to a variety of circumstances if you're able to explain the difference between sin and Righteousness if you're able to tell them about how
28:09
God is a righteous judge who cannot abide any single sin you're able to tell people how they will stand before a righteous judge someday and have to give an account for their life and that even one sin is enough to keep them out of heaven and Then you're able to tell them
28:28
How Jesus died for everyone who will ever believe that he was able because he's
28:34
God and man Able to take Live a perfect life take the punishment that we all deserve pay the price that was due for it and That God raised him on the third day to show that he was satisfied that his wrath had been assuaged if you're able to do that Then I think you're skilled enough in teaching
28:59
To do what is talked about here. I mean, it's no accident that this whole passage here has 2nd
29:12
Timothy 2 15 about a workman who need not be ashamed a wanna they apply that to kids
29:18
I think okay if kids can learn the scriptures if kids can learn the truth of the Bible, so can we?
29:25
Look at the last one there. He says patiently enduring evil now, there's one
29:35
If you haven't Been mocked scorned ridiculed, however, you want to say it for being a
29:43
Christian then maybe you know Maybe you're just kind of the undercover
29:49
Christian who's never Exhibited any faith. Nobody knows that you're a Christian Because if you're a believer, you're going to be mocked today.
29:57
That's the world that we live in. What do we do? Paul says we should endure it
30:05
Paul says even if our Assassinate our characters being assassinated.
30:12
We should just bear it Why we'll get to that in a second, but we need to bear it
30:24
Now How else do we? Want to act we want to tell the truth look at verse 25
30:33
Correcting the Lord's bonds. Everyone must correct his opponents with gentleness again the gentleness idea.
30:39
I And I want to distress that for a moment. I do again I don't like to argue and I don't want to make myself the hero of this thing either
30:49
But I'll tell you something if things start getting heated between you and anybody. I don't care if it's your child
30:55
Your spouse whoever it is. They start yelling at you there's nothing that will slow an argument down more than just by lowering your voice and I don't mean like I'm about to you know if you just say
31:12
And I've done this with Murders and everybody else. I just say I look at him and I go
31:18
I don't know why you're yelling at me I'm not yelling at you You know, can't we just?
31:23
discuss things Just bring the temperature down Be gentle Be kind and when he says in verse 25 correcting his opponents with gentleness
31:38
He's not beating him down it's not this isn't some kind of verbal judo thing
31:43
Where you you know use your opponents weight against them, then you've got them. They're not your opponents.
31:51
They're opponents of the truth They've misunderstood the scripture or maybe they're not even saved at all and as you would with a child
32:02
Not in a condescending way, but with kindness Explain the error of their thinking.
32:08
I Want us to turn for a moment to first Peter chapter 2 This is a passage that I go to again and again and again
32:16
For my own thinking but also for the thinking of others
32:23
People want to argue and yell and scream at each other If you're a
32:28
Christian This cuts right to the core of it right here first Peter chapter 2 verse 20
32:38
For what credit is it if when you sin and are beaten for it you endure in other words if you deserve the beating then
32:46
You don't get any credit for that But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure
32:53
This is a gracious thing in the sight of God For to this you have been called you ever think this is my calling in life to suffer
33:04
Because Christ also suffered for you leaving you an example
33:10
So that you might follow in his steps He committed no sin neither was deceit found in his mouth
33:20
When he was reviled Here's the killer. Here's the crusher. He did not revile in return
33:28
But you don't understand what was said to me. I can't let that go in the household
33:33
I grew up in when somebody said something like that. This is how it was responded to. I'm sorry.
33:40
I'm gonna say Say it this way. I don't care. I Don't care what your ethnicity is.
33:46
I don't care how you were raised. I don't care how your mom used to talk to you Jesus is your example if you're a
33:54
Christian When he was reviled he did not revile in return when he suffered he did not threaten
34:05
This is God in the flesh He did not threaten and yet somehow we think we
34:12
Have that capacity We are obliged To raise the ante to make sure that they understand who we are
34:23
He did not threaten but continued in trusting himself to him who judges justly
34:30
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree that we might die to sin and live to righteousness
34:40
By his wounds you have been healed You don't have the right to revile to argue to threaten
34:51
Trust God Follow Christ's example Let's go back to 2nd
34:58
Timothy. We need to be gentle. We need to emulate
35:04
Christ We need to view other people as he did now who to trust point
35:15
Debate rule number four. Who do we trust? We'll be tempted to trust our own persuasiveness
35:23
Our own cleverness, maybe even our our own wits But look what verse 25 the second half of it says
35:32
That God I want to supply the that there God may perhaps
35:37
Grant them who our opponents repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth
35:44
This is what we want But a lot of times we don't want to use
35:50
God's method. We don't want to be gentle We don't want to try to persuade them and just give them the truth
35:57
We want to win the argument by any means necessary We need to trust the
36:02
Lord now. This could be a saved person struggling with a particular doctrine or a sin
36:11
But most often it's an unsaved person and in either case it's important for us to remember
36:20
From whom repentance comes it comes from God. It is a gift from God just as salvation is in Fact been teaching this in Sunday school when you talk about salvation and repentance
36:34
There are two sides of the same coin There is nobody who? repents
36:41
Who is not saved and there's nobody who is saved who doesn't repent? You say well,
36:47
I thought it was just to change my mind about something Well, it is But it's more than that.
36:54
I had Barry Reed 2nd Samuel 12 tonight because it shows the beginning of David's I Guess we could say not really his trouble because his trouble starts before that but his repentance
37:10
When he's finally called out when God makes it evident to him that he is not
37:16
Sinning and secret like somehow he thinks he is And he goes on he writes
37:21
Psalm 32 Psalm 51 and he repents in a major way
37:26
And it's not just you know, I'm sorry for what I've done. He recognizes his guiltiness before God He says against thee and thee only have
37:34
I sinned and a Psalm 32 fact. Let's just go there for a minute Because I I just like talking about repentance and about seeing it in action
37:43
Psalm 32 When somebody is transformed when somebody has changed there's no greater thing
37:51
Why do we love baptisms so much because it's a public profession Not just of the fact that God changed them
38:00
But that he's granted them repentance. They no longer view their sin their lives and more importantly
38:07
They no longer view Christ the way they did before Psalm 32 blesses the one whose transgression is forgiven whose sin is covered
38:17
Blesses the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity and in whose spirit there is no deceit
38:24
For when I kept silent my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long
38:29
For day and night your hand was heavy upon me. My strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.
38:36
I Acknowledged my sin to you. He's talking to God and I did not cover my iniquity
38:41
I said I will confess my transgression to the Lord and you forgave the iniquity of my sin
38:49
It's like this release all the weight all the guilt all the conviction dare we say of the
38:55
Holy Spirit And he repents His thinking is transformed.
39:01
He's released from the power of that sin. Let's go back to 2nd
39:06
Timothy when we think about What we want out of people whether it be a spouse a family member a friend a church member a co -worker
39:21
We want them to have to experience repentance. We want them to have that God -given gift of repentance and again, that would mean
39:32
Salvation God gives a new heart We think of that as salvation regeneration
39:39
But he also gives a new mind and that's repentance a new way of thinking
39:44
No one changes their own mind any more than anyone changes their own heart number five
39:55
Number five what to hope for what we want ultimately is freedom for the captive look at verse 26
40:02
He grants them repentance and then verse 26 and they may come to their senses and escape
40:08
From the snare of the devil after being captured by him to do his will they are
40:14
Slaves of Satan doing his will their minds are befogged by sin.
40:21
They're not thinking rightly Then God grants them repentance and they no longer think the same way there are
40:36
Certainly people in all of our lives that if God granted them repentance if they were suddenly
40:43
Thinking rightly and they then came to us and asked for repentance That would be a wonderful thing.
40:50
It might be an overwhelming thing But this is what we want and we need to trust the Lord and we need to go to him
40:59
Now in just a couple minutes here some practical advice. I Am very mindful of this especially on Facebook because I know people actually read
41:09
Facebook The internet is Forever, it's a it's a song.
41:16
I actually happen to like but it's true. The internet is forever You know, you think well, I'll put something up and then I'll take it down later
41:23
It's stored somewhere You post a picture and then you think you're going to delete it. It's stored somewhere
41:30
All the insults any profanity any unkind jokes Mean things that you want to say the internet is forever sending accusations in email or text
41:47
It's forever It's stored somewhere as people in the FBI are finding out here these days
41:57
Remember that second one know your limitations Know your limitations is kind of my
42:03
Clint Eastwood theology. A man's got to know his limitations Don't get involved in debates in which you have no expertise.
42:11
I don't want to argue about global climate change I don't really care about that I see an article that I think it's funny and I just say
42:16
I'd like to grow avocados and people go crazy I don't know about that. I Can't get involved in all that.
42:23
I do know the Bible Somewhat and I won't let people who don't believe in the
42:32
Bible. Tell me what the Bible believes or what it says And let me just take it another way in terms of knowing your limitations not every invitation to a
42:43
Facebook group Chat channel chat room, whatever it is has to be accepted. You don't have to accept it.
42:50
You could say no And I I've been invited to some of those groups and I go and I look at them and I'm like they just argue all
42:57
The time and I don't care if it's about eschatology or whatever it is They just want to argue and I'm like, why would I want to do that?
43:07
Third little bit of practical advice choose your battles and your battlegrounds wisely.
43:12
It's similar But I say this frequently Why would we ever want to debate unbelievers about doctrine about the
43:22
Bible? They don't believe the Bible is God's Word So why am I gonna? Why am
43:27
I going to debate them about something? They don't believe? It's just foolish That's the kind of ignorant speculation and folly that Paul's warning us about here don't do that Fourthly honor the
43:45
Lord in what you do Even as Paul said here, you can expect people to insult you
43:52
Just don't engage with them. You know people think it's some kind of blackmarking issue to block someone on Facebook or other
44:00
Social media I do it. I it doesn't bother me at all I just block people who just want to fling insults.
44:06
It doesn't bother me at all I've even told relatives if you want to keep going down this road. I'm gonna block you.
44:13
I Don't want to do that But I'm not gonna just have this kind of nonsense on you know on social media and The fifth one is preach the gospel liberally it
44:29
It's it's pretty basic. How do people get saved? How do people repent they hear the gospel?
44:34
They believe the gospel God Uses our preaching of the gospel to save people
44:40
So why wouldn't we want to even a social media? Bring the truth of the Word of God to people's minds who knows how the
44:46
Lord might use that and I just think it's it's Underutilized and we ought to do that So let's close in prayer father
44:58
Thank you for your word Thank you for the guidance that it gives us even as we look at Paul writing to Timothy and the things that he told him
45:05
How we can use this practically in our daily lives even in social media and all these different areas of life how things communications are expanding father just let us even in Social media be light be salt be different than the world
45:31
And cause there to be something about our behavior that would engage others Not repel them.
45:37
Let us be winsome. Let's be gentle. Let us be kind But most of all let us proclaim
45:44
Christ and the truth of the gospel That you would grant repentance to those who are in opposition to us whether it be about doctrine or whether it be about ultimate issues like the truths about The Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and it's in his name.