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Study To
Show Thyself Approved
II
Timothy 2:15
By
Gregg A. Parker I would like to pose a few questions, of which
each of you will probably know some of the answers to…… How many Rocky movies were there? How many books are there in the Lord of the Rings? What # Super Bowl was the one this past January? Approximately how many calories are in a regular
can of soda? What was the name of the 1st “American
Idol” winner and the What # car did Dale Earnhart
drive? What temperature would you cook a Pecan Pie at?
For how long? What are the names of the main characters on the
Lizzie McGuire Disney show? What’s the best time of the year to plant Azaleas,
and are they best suited for full sunlight or partial shade? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Now I would like to pose a different set of questions
to you, of which each of you will probably
also know “some” of the answers to…… Who wrote the book of Genesis? (Moses) What are the names of Noah’s sons? (Shem, Ham, Japeth) How old was Abraham when Isaac was born? (100) What was Ruth’s mother-in-law’s name? (Naomi) What Old Testament writer fore-told the death of
Christ and the destruction of Jerusalem, even providing the exact # of
years in the future that it would happen, though it was still 500-550 BC,
when he wrote it? (Daniel) Where did Joseph and Mary flee to, to avoid the
danger that Herod presented to the baby Jesus? ( Why was John the Baptist imprisoned by Herod the
tetrarch, who later had him beheaded? (For condemning the taking of his brother’s wife) Who wrote the book of Acts? (Luke) Who was Titus? (A student of Paul’s, traveled with
Paul and Timothy) Who is Jude? (Brother/half-brother to Jesus) How are the first 28 verses of Matthew 24 often
misinterpreted? By whom? Can you accurately give an explanation of its
true meaning? What does the word How many books are in the New Testament? (27) How many people did Jesus personally baptize, that
we know of? (0) Who was the first person to die for being a Christian
that we have a record of? (Stephen) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I am going to conduct a study this evening, on
a passage and topic that has everything to do with the future perfect preservation
of the church. One of the most overlooked passages in the church
today, on an individual basis:
II Timothy 2:15
Study to show thyself
approved unto God, a workman that needeth
not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Consider this: II Tim 3: 16-17 says: All
scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine,
for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the
man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. But how can we know the doctrine, reprove, correct,
be righteous, be perfected and thoroughly furnished if we do not know the
scriptures. And how do we know the scriptures if we do not study them? This is not a “new concept”. We can a draw a parallel
line of thought some 1400 years before Paul’s letter to Timothy… Joshua
1 1.Now
after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord it came to pass, that
the Lord spake unto Joshua the son of Nun,
Moses' minister, saying, 2.Moses
my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and
all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children
of Israel. 3.Every
place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto
you, as I said unto Moses. 4.From
the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates,
all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down
of the sun, shall be your coast. 5.There
shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life:
as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor
forsake thee. 6.Be
strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt
thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware
unto their fathers to give them. 7.Only
be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest
observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded
thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest
prosper whithersoever thou goest. 8.This
book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt
meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest
observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt
make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt
have good success. Just as Joshua was to meditate or “study” the scriptures
daily, so that he might be right with God by doing the things therein,
“we” are told to: Study to show thyself
approved unto God, a workman that needeth
not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. Why? That the man of God
may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works Do you not see that God has not changed? As God’s
people today, even God’s priests, we are expected to do as the priests
of old……study His will and His way, so that we may walk accordingly. I’m afraid that many members of the church:
Let’s examine II Tim
“Study to show thyself
approved unto God” Who was this written to? For what reason was is
written? Is it applicable to you and me? Then let us examine something and keep it simple…. How many days of the week should you awake and
wish to “show yourself approved”? How do you “show yourself approved”? How many days of the week should you study? Amazing, the simple word of God! One of our biggest downfalls I think is the way
we prioritize our lives. Many times I think it’s probably even an unconscious
activity on our part, not that this will excuse us; but we make time for:
work, school, sports, yard work, eating, sewing, movies, playing with our
kids, etc and then lo and behold “we are out of time”. It’s just like dieting: we may actually determine
we want to do it and plan to do it, but we end up not doing for the same
reasons I just mentioned. What we are doing, though, whether we like it or
not, is placing a lower priority on dieting or for the sake of our study,
studying God’s word. Because the fact remains: we “will do” the things
most important to us. What’s important to you? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The questions I asked earlier about the bible and it’s
teachings, were all very “basic” questions: Questions that Paul might refer
to as “milk” compared to the real “meat” of the scriptures. Did you know
the answers? If not, are you willing to entertain the possibly
of that you might could be guilty of the same problem that the Hebrew writer
describes in Hebrew 5:12, when he says “For
when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach
you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are
become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. We don’t like to cast ourselves in such a light.
But how much better it is for “us” to recognize it and correct it, than
to wait for the Lord to recognize it in the final judgement. I ask you as my fellow brethren, those I love and
care so very much for…. Do you know enough of the scriptures to teach others?
To at least explain to others the reasons for the things you believe? Do
you know “why” you believe what you believe? Have you studied enough???? The answer can never be “yes”, to that question,
as any true in depth studier of God’s word knows. The more you study, the
more you learn. In John 12 Christ said:He
that rejecteth me, and receiveth
not my words, hath one thatjudgeth
him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last
day. 49.For
I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a
commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. (Summarize) When one of the Pharisees asked Jesus what the
greatest commandment was, in Matt How do we love Him with all
of our mind? That involves a thought process, and a thought process
comes from knowledge and knowledge comes from knowing His word and knowing
His word can only come from studying His word. “Study to show thyself
approved unto God” What “will” you do with this command? If we all studied His word diligently and sincerely,
we would know and understand certain things, such as:
YET we have brethren in the church and maybe
even in this very congregation don’t “like” others in the congregation
or who hold grudges against others; we have congregations who split and
congregations who are not as unified as they as they should be, because
they choose to let “their” feelings and thoughts rule, instead of giving
way to God’s feelings and thoughts…..none of which is the example and commandment
that Jesus gave us, and all of which is an abomination to God himself.
This is but a sampling of topics and studies
of which we all need to understand fully in order that we might be presentable
to God. The lessons are never-ending….
Most of us, I’m sure, know and believe that Jesus
was tried in every way that we are; and that He successfully handled all temptations and troubles. How would Jesus handle the problems you have at
work? How would Jesus handle the problems you have at
home? How would Jesus handle the problems you have in
school? How would Jesus handle having physical afflictions? How would Jesus handle persecution from friends
and family? How would Jesus handle life’s tragedies? YOU CAN KNOW, “benefit” from that knowledge, if
you are willing to study his words; the words he brought from God. Jesus said: But seek ye first the Are you truly seeking the Every day you live? or
just when it is convenient? Paul said: Study
to show thyself approved unto God, a workman
that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly
dividing the word of truth. Do you? Do you teach your children/grandchildren
to? God knows and you know. If you haven’t kept this
commandment as well as you should, I invite you to start today. You will
be edified, uplifted and comforted at the things you will find in God’s
word. It will bring more joy and peace and understanding to your life than
you could ever have without it. And by doing so, you will show God that
His word and His will are important to you, and that you are truly striving
toward the type of relationship with Him, that would cause him to pour
out his grace and mercy on you in the day of judgement,
so that you may gain the reward for which you strive. Paul said: Study
to show thyself approved unto God Will you? or won’t
you? The decision is yours……
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