I was encouraged by my friend, one of our pastors, Todd Peterson. You know, I didn't grow up as one who would functionally believe that the Holy Spirit. I kind of had a two part trinity, God the Father and God the Son. I felt like the Spirit was like somebody I could read about. But Todd, as I was kind of on this journey of noticing the Holy Spirit, he said, just notice when the Holy Spirit is working and draw attention to it and thank him for it.
Today is one of those days where I just want to draw attention to what the Spirit is doing. Even in our gathering. He has threaded the beauty and truth of the gospel through our gathering. He has reminded us today already that people continue to be saved.
There's this passage in Acts chapter two at the end where speaking of the inauguration of the church, and it says, and day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes. We broke bread together today. They received food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day, those who are being saved. And 2,000 years later, the Lord is adding day by day to his number, those who are being saved. So can we thank the Lord for that this morning? Man, that's something to be grateful for.
That's not exactly what I'm preaching, but it's in line with what I'm preaching. So just want to draw attention to that. You can turn in your Bibles to second Timothy, chapter two. We'll be in verses 14 through 19 as you're turning there.
Ricky and I this morning we're chatting about our time. Not this morning, this week, we're chatting about our time in second Timothy. And when we approached second Timothy, we were like, man, this is going to be really good for the church. This is such a great book. Paul's so encouraging in it. And as we've been studying through second Timothy, we're realizing how strongly worded this letter is. Remember, this is like Paul is in prison. He's facing imminent death. He doesn't fear death because he knows his internal future is secure. He has resurrection fueled hope. He's writing to Timothy, who is his son in the faith, and he's encouraging him, but he doesn't have time to cushion his words. What Ricky and I were talking about here is like, Paul doesn't say things super nicely a lot in this letter. He's just really intense and that's a good thing. He says he wants Timothy to know the truth, be strong in the truth, be strengthened in the hope of Christ, guard the gospel with everything he has in him, preach the gospel with everything he has in him, and takes opportunity after opportunity to go, Timothy, please listen, church. Who's listening to Timothy? Listen to the words of a dying man. And our text today is no different. We had such a strong encouragement that Ricky preached last week about the faithfulness of the Lord. Andrew, remind us, oh my gosh, I can use words reminded us of it today already. And now we start three weeks of buckle up in light of the faithfulness of God. Buckle up.
Other piece of context that we want to remember here is that while this letter is specifically to Timothy, a young pastor, this would be read in the presence of the Ephesian church, the Ephesian congregation. So while this is encouragement for Timothy, this is also Paul knew what he was doing. Encouragement for the church, which means it's also encouragement for all of us today. This helps us see that this exhortation that we're about to read was never meant just for Timothy or just pastors, elders, overseers, but the principles apply to every Christian.
6 · Vogan pastorally frames the sermon's dual movement—warning and hope—and exhorts the congregation to honest self-evaluation without presuming they are exempt from the text's challenge
And for our purposes today, I want us to lean into the warning of this passage. Sometimes we come to church and we're like super excited to just be built up, positive, encouraging, and I'm going to remind you of hope today. But as Ricky reminded me, sometimes you got to lean into the warning that the Scriptures are giving. And this is a warning for us today. So lean in. Don't let yourself off the hook. I'm asking us, as we explore this text, to not let ourselves off the hook. Don't assume we're good in this area. Don't make up sin where it's not there, but let's do the self evaluation in an honest way. I also want us to lean into the hope that Paul is defending here strongly. The beauty of the gospel and the reality of the Holy Spirit is that the Lord in His mercy rightly reveals and convicts of sinful patterns, but he doesn't leave us in our sin.
7 · Vogan asserts the sermon's controlling thesis—Christians must cut God's Word straight—and grounds it in the resurrection hope that makes right handling of the Word both possible and urgent
Christians have hope, hope in the resurrection of Christ. Through his resurrection, we have hope of our resurrection to an eternal hope. Today's text deals with words and how we treat them, our words and God's words. The bottom line is how a number of commenters summarize this handling the word of truth. The bottom line is this. We got to cut it straight. That's our point today. Cut it straight.
8 · Vogan reads the primary text in full, allowing the congregation to hear Paul's stark warnings and exhortations together as a complete unit before the exposition begins
Would you read with me? Second Timothy, chapter 2, verses 14 through 19. Remind them of these things and charge them before God. Paul says not to quarrel about words 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, but avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have swerved from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some. But God's firm foundation stands bearing this seal. The Lord knows who's who are his, and let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.
9 · Vogan provides the literary context by connecting verse 14's 'these things' to the previous verses (2 Timothy 2:10-13) about God's faithfulness and the gospel, establishing that Paul's command not to quarrel flows directly from resurrection hope
So as I was studying this text this week, I saw this in four chunks, and if we can just kind of summarize it, Paul goes, do this. So he says, don't do this. Then he says, do this. Then he says, don't do this. And he says, do this. All right, I'm done. We can leave. So first, the first charge, the first don't do is this. Don't fight. This is Paul's charge. Remind them of these things and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. What are these things that Paul is speaking of? Literary context when studying the Bible matters. So let's back up to what Ricky preached last week. These things are this verse 10. Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. The saying is trustworthy, for if we have died with him, we will also live with Him. If we endure, we will also reign with him. If we deny him, he will also deny us. If we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself. In light of the gospel, in light of resurrection, hope, in light of the faithfulness of God, Paul says, don't fight about words said another way. Don't fight about the stuff that doesn't matter because it will only bring ruin over and over again.
10 · Vogan traces Paul's theme of remembering the gospel across his letters, showing Ephesians 4:29's exhortation against corrupting talk aligns with 2 Timothy 2:14's command not to quarrel
In this letter, Paul is calling the church to remember. Remember the Gospel, remember the faithfulness of God. Remind the people that it is the Gospel that is of first importance the Gospel is the motivation for everything in life. Remember what Paul said earlier in his letter to ephesians. Ephesians chapter 4 says this let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up as fits the occasion that it may give what grace to those who hear. Our text today is completely consistent with Paul's charge to the Ephesians.
11 · Vogan cites Hughes and Chapel to deepen the exposition—Paul's concern in 2 Timothy 2:14 is specifically doctrinal quarrels that produce sin and division, as evidenced in his earlier letter and other epistles
But in this letter to Timothy, Paul goes one step further than the general encouragement of let no uncorrupting talk, no corrupting talk come out of your mouth. He has in mind here Doctrinal Debate here's what commenters Hughes and Chapel say of this verse. Paul adds it quarreling about words is of no value and only ruins those who listen. Paul had described the ruin that comes from quarreling over words earlier in his first letter to Timothy when he said that the one who teaches false doctrine has an unhealthy interest in controversies and arguments. This is the same word, word fights that result in envy, quarreling, malicious talk, evil suspicions, and constant friction between men of corrupt mind. Paul has seen the fruit of divisive talk. He's seen the fruit of quarrels about words. Look at Galatians or first Corinthians. Paul is going, guys, you're missing the point. Let's talk about the Gospel. Let's talk about unity, about the things that matter, the things that are of first importance.
12 · Vogan qualifies the warning—Paul is not prohibiting theological precision but unhealthy quarrels that produce sin, particularly false teaching about the resurrection
Now, what we're not talking about is never wrestling, wrestling with or wrestling about correct doctrine. We're talking about that unhealthy interest in controversies and arguments that result in sin, with particular attention to false teaching. In this case, this false teaching seems to be regarding the nature of the resurrection. Is the resurrection physical or spiritual for all believers? Did it happen or will it happen?
13 · Vogan applies the warning directly to the congregation, pressing them to self-evaluate whether they exhibit the 'unhealthy interest in controversies' Paul condemns, with a specific concrete example: social media consumption
We'll talk about more of this later, but here's our question Now. I would assume that none of us in the room would characterize ourselves as false teachers. Is that a correct assumption? Nobody's going like, I'm a false teacher, like, oh great. But let's use the category that Hughes and Chapel have kind of presented for us from first Timothy six for a moment of self reflection. Do you ever lean in here, find yourself with an unhealthy interest in controversies or arguments? Do these things have a tendency to result in things that might look like ruin for you or your hearers? Might I add here gently, what kinds of reels are you liking on Instagram TikTok?
14 · Vogan instructs concrete response to the self-evaluation—pray for help if convicted, thank God if clear, but remain vigilant because the enemy seeks division
This is a yes or no question, but it's purposeful. If the answer is yes to that question. This might be a good spot to ask the Lord for His help. If your answer is no, then maybe give it one more thought. But if you truly don't find yourself in that category, thank God. But also keep your guard up because the enemy wants us to be divided over this stuff. Keep your guard up against quarrels about words because there's a reason Point Paul points this out Specifically so verse 14 is Paul saying, hey, don't do this, don't fight.
15 · Vogan expounds verse 15, defining 'rightly handling' as cutting straight—precise, undiluted, careful communication of the gospel—and establishes this as the sermon's central charge
Verse 15 might be summarized as this. Do the work. Do the work. Cut it straight. This is where our big idea comes from today. Cut it straight. Verse 15 says this. 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 the exact charge to Timothy, one commenter says, is to impart the word of truth without deviation. Straight. Undiluted. Here it refers to the straight, precise, careful communication of the word of truth, the Gospel. This apostolic command to get it and give it straight has become a 2000 year old charge to all who are called to teach and preach the gospel.
16 · Vogan extends the scope of the command—though preachers bear particular responsibility, every Christian must work hard at handling God's Word rightly
In walking out the Christian life, Paul's charge means that it's imperative to work hard at handling God's word. While this is most applicable to those who preach and teach the Bible, this is also being heard by the Ephesian congregation, isn't it? Which means that this is a reality for all of those of us who would call ourselves Christians.
17 · Vogan guards against works-righteousness by clarifying that the hard work Paul commands is not salvific—salvation is by Christ's finished work alone—but is the response of the already-saved
Now look, this is a brief Gospel aside. Notice that the hard work Paul is calling us to here isn't salvific. He's not saying do this to be saved. He's saying. He's not saying. What he's reminding us is the truth, that there's no amount of work or good works that has any bearing on our salvation. That's the stuff we got to call out. It's Christ's work which is finished, which is our salvation. In other words, it's not the more you do, the more saved you are. It's Christ has done this, so we are saved, so we get to walk out the good works. He's called us to walk out that he's prepared beforehand.
18 · Vogan asserts the Reformed tension—salvation is by grace alone, but the saved are called to real work, specifically the work of rightly handling God's Word
This doesn't mean that Christians have no work to do right upon salvation. The reality is those of us who are saved by grace are called to walk in the works that God has prepared beforehand. We're called to do the work. We are workers of the Lord. So when Paul says to do your best to be an unashamed worker who rightly handles the word of truth. He's talking about actually doing work.
19 · Vogan defines the specific work Paul commands: approaching Scripture on its own terms, not ours, cutting it straight without deviation
Now, here's where it's important to do the work of looking at what this text says. What he's saying is do the work of handling the word of God rightly. This is the job he has in mind. A bunch of different commentators agree that rightly handling the word of truth is cutting it straight. We must work hard Christians to approach scripture on Scripture's terms.
20 · Vogan illustrates the work of approaching Scripture on its terms by narrating his own temptation to preach around the text rather than from it, and Ricky's correction redirecting him to the text's actual argument
Now, let me give you an example here. Ricky and I were talking earlier this week, like, Monday. He's like, hey, I just want to make sure you know the text you're preaching on this week. And I was like, dude, I'm so excited because I read this text. And I was like, man, there's so much we can talk about here, like quarreling and gossip. Like, I get this great. I had this great illustration for, like, how not to gossip. My wife calls it anti gossip. And then I was like, man, we get some opportunities to talk about some false teachers. We can call this out. And I started, like, talking about all these things that I wanted to preach. And Ricky was like, man, that's a lot of good stuff. Just make sure you're doing the text work. There's a lot of good things to preach about. But what this text is saying is very simple. Christian, in light of the faithfulness of God, handle His Word correctly, identify false teaching, especially where it comes to deviation from the Gospel, and handle His Word rightly. That's what this text is about.
21 · Vogan applies the principle of approaching Scripture on its terms, pressing the congregation to examine whether they approach God's Word with the same expectancy they bring to corporate worship
Now, there's a lot of really great things in the Bible about gossip and weird theology and people we don't agree with, but that's not what this text is about. When we approach Scripture, we need to approach the Word. We approach it as the word of God. I love Andrew's encouragement for today. Do we come expectant to the building each week when we gather that the Lord is moving? My question is this. Do we approach God's holy and authoritative word in the same way? Do we approach God's holy and authoritative word expecting that he is speaking to us from it? And do we. Do we approach it carefully? Going, I want to make sure I'm hearing what you're saying, not what I hope you're saying.
22 · Vogan applies the principle sharply—Christians must not allow culture to interpret Scripture but must let Scripture interpret culture, trusting God's Word is sufficient for life
Do we approach God's Word not with culture saying, this is what culture says, so this is what God must be saying. But do we approach God's word saying, this is what God's word says, so I can live in culture with confidence? It's really easy for us to fall into the trap of allowing culture to interpret Scripture, allowing our feelings to determine what we believe God might be saying. It's really easy for us to allow a prevailing cultural worldview to color our reading of Scripture, to dictate to us what we think Scripture must be saying rather than what it is actually saying. So my charge to us today is Paul's charge to us do the work of approaching Scripture on Scripture's terms, approaching God's Word as His Word, and trusting that His Word is sufficient for walking out everyday life. This is what it is to present oneself to God as one approved, as one who rightly handles the word of truth. Don't be afraid, Christian. To cut it straight in the face of a culture that tells us all the things we should be thinking about, what God must be. We have the answer here, so cut it straight.
23 · Vogan signals the shift from general exhortation to Paul's specific confrontation of false teachers, framing the next section's stakes while preempting the congregation's expectation that he will name contemporary names
Now we move into verses 16 through 18 where Paul goes from a general language to something really specific. He's calling out a particular false teaching. He even calls out some particular false teachers. And some of you guys are going like, who's John going to call out today? Yeah. All right. Remember, stick close to the text. So we've got a don't do. We have a do, don't fight do. Cut it straight, do the work. Next, don't kill. In other words, don't kill. Choose your words wisely.
24 · Vogan reads and expounds verses 16-18, defining 'irreverent babble' through the gangrene metaphor, explaining the medical parallel, and citing Towner to identify Hymenaeus and Philetus as known false teachers whose discipline had failed
Listen to what verses 16 through 18 say. Paul says this. Avoid irreverent babble. Why? For it will lead people into more and more ungodliness and their talk will spread like gangrene among them. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus who have swerved from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some. Paul doubles down in his point and he intensifies his argument against divisive language with this term irreverent babble. And he compares it to what I'm paraphrasing as the gangrene of ungodliness. The implication and consequence of being undisciplined in this area are far reaching and deadly. The comparison to gangrene illustrates the deadliness of quarreling and the deadliness of of irreverent Babel, but also the insidiousness of seemingly benign interactions. Now there's a million. We saw the military friends in here. There's a million medical professionals in here too. So give me grace with what I'm about to say and feel free. Please come and correct me if I get this wrong so that the second service can benefit from your medical knowledge where mine is lacking. But here's what I understand about gangrene. It's generally caused by trauma, infection, or diseases that affect the blood flow, but it's not an immediate disease. It starts slowly and often looks like other infections if left untreated can lead to amputation or death. Treatment is extremely invasive and sometimes the treatment can lead to further infection. So Summary Can Green's really bad and Paul uses it and compares irreverent Babel to it. Can I go back to my encouragement at the beginning? Can we lean into this warning because it's important Paul gets so specific we have to do the vital work of sticking closely to the text here. It would be easy to use this portion to justify calling a bunch of people out. It would be easy to name names about who we should be, who I think we should listen to and shouldn't listen to in different ways. But that's honestly exactly what Paul is warning us not to do. This text is not a carte blanche to call out everyone we don't agree with because that would also be irreverent Babel In a lot of ways what this is is Paul reiterating a particular false teacher who has been addressed for his teaching. Towner says this the name Hymenaeus is known from 1st Timothy 1:20, where, along with an Alexander, one so named is described as having been put out of the church for his active involvement in the heretical movement. If the same person is in mind, and we should probably assume, as we should probably assume, then it seems clear that the measures taken to discipline him were unsuccessful. Philetus only occurs here in the New Testament. The fact that the name is used suggests he had the status of a leader and that Timothy knew him.
25 · Vogan expounds the specific false teaching—spiritualizing the resurrection to deny bodily resurrection—and cites Towner to show this deflates Christian hope by making salvation purely spiritual rather than material
So scholars seem to be in agreement here that given the naming of Hymenaeus and the explicit mention of the Resurrection, the errant teaching in view here was about the Resurrection. This was in view. The deadly theological disease that was spreading was an errant teaching about what the resurrection is and what it meant. One more time from Towner the implication of such a teaching for the average believer would have been that the resurrection hope was completely spiritualized into some presently attainable mode of living. In essence, however, it meant the deflation of hope in a substantial resurrection. It meant that salvation became a totally spiritual as opposed to material affair. For Paul, this is a defense of the essence of the Gospel and words matter. If the resurrection isn't a physical and spiritual reality, then Christ didn't do what he said he was going to do what he did on the cross. If he isn't bodily raised and seated at the right hand of the Father right now, then we have no hope for an eternal and bodily resurrection. And the Gospel really isn't the good news that we think it is now and for eternity.
26 · Vogan asserts the core theological point—the gospel's present goodness is grounded in its eternal goodness, connecting the ancient heresy to contemporary distortions
Listen, the Gospel is good news now. We're going to unpack this in a minute in a real specific way. But the Gospel is good news now because it's good news for eternity. This continues to be what Paul was dealing with then, continues to be a reality today.
27 · Vogan applies the resurrection heresy to contemporary contexts, identifying the prosperity gospel's overemphasis on present circumstances as a modern parallel to the ancient error Paul confronted
So let's do an exploration of this. What might this look like today? What might it look like to not handle the word of God rightly or to not cut it straight because Paul is dealing with people who are leading others astray theologically? Let's also think in that context because this is the reality. We're part of a long line of cultures and societies that cares deeply about our present reality. Oftentimes our present reality becomes our ultimate reality. In this. Please don't hear what I'm not saying. Our present reality matters and it matters to God. But there's a popular brand of Christianity that focuses primarily on a present hope, primarily on our circumstances here and now. The Gospel may be preached insofar as it applies to our immediate and earthly lives. And this often looks like an overemphasis on God's desire for his children to be happy and healthy and wealthy.
28 · Vogan qualifies the critique—desiring happiness, stability, and health is not sinful, but overemphasis on these things constitutes the error leading people astray
Now, now, is it inherently sinful to desire happiness? No. Is it inherently sinful to desire a gener, a general financial stability? No. Is it bad to Is it sinful to desire health? No. It's wise to steward our finances well. It's wise to steward our bodies well in service of health. Might God's blessings result in various forms of earthly prosperity? Sure. But an overemphasis on these things can and does lead people astray.
29 · Vogan exposes the 'innocent' form of the prosperity gospel—how an overemphasis on practical stewardship produces self-focused, works-based righteousness
At its most innocent, the so called prosperity gospel can cause hearers to focus so much on the practical aspects of life, budgeting, appearance, time, fitness, health, that it can create a false sense of security and hope. If all my life is perfect and put together, then I can say that God is truly blessing me and I can have God will continue to bless me as long as my life is put together. This produces a self focused and works based righteousness.
30 · Vogan exposes the 'insidious' form of the prosperity gospel—exploiting vulnerable people financially by distorting biblical teaching on stewardship and blessing
Now, at its most insidious, this looks like taking vulnerable populations and talking them into sowing a seed into a charlatan's ministry in order to unlock blessings of the Lord that really look like just funding the lifestyles of false teachers. The Bible talks about sowing and reaping, the Bible talks about stewardship and health and all of these things. But in the so called prosperity gospel, these doctrines are distorted by the leaders are used to lead the hearers into ruin.
31 · Vogan constructs a series of hypothetical scenarios—Paul, Stephen, the persecuted church, martyrs, cancer patients—to show the absurdity and cruelty of prosperity theology when applied to actual suffering
Imagine if Paul's faith and blessings were dependent on his present circumstances. Imagine how many times was he imprisoned for preaching the undiluted, unadulterated, unashamed gospel of eternal hope in Christ. Imagine Stephen, upon his stoning for preaching the gospel, determined his status with God by his health, wealth and prosperity. Imagine if the faithful members of the underground church in China and the Middle east who are meeting under the threat of death in many cases were being told to work on their present circumstances in order to receive God's blessing. Imagine if the martyrs throughout history were waiting for their present circumstances to be comfortable instead of finding their hope in the eternal reality of the resurrection of Christ. Imagine if your loved one who has just been diagnosed with cancer and has months to live is told that your health problem is a result of something you did and God is not blessing you.
32 · Vogan proclaims the corrective doctrine—the bodily resurrection of Christ secures our hope in the face of suffering, death, and false teaching, grounding all Christian hope in Christ's finished work alone
The bodily resurrection of Christ means that in our life, though we face sickness, though we face certain death, we go through this life with a hope because we know we will rise again because Christ rose again. Our hope now is because of our hope for eternity. Friends, don't get distracted by distortions of the truth. Don't get distracted by irreverent babble that leads people into self righteousness, to self sufficient ungodliness. God says so many things about stewardship and health and how to live and how to live worthy of our calling. How to walk out the good works we're called to. But never is our hope to be placed in this world. Our ultimate hope is in the finished work of Christ. The pure unadulterated gospel truth is placed in Christ and Christ alone. This the power of the cross. Christ took our sin, bore our shame. We stand forgiven at the cross and that's our hope. Though our earthly bodies pass away, our eternal destiny is secure. So Christian, have hope. Paul calls these people out because these people are going. Christian person, look at yourself. You can do it. The resurrection has happened and Paul goes, no, our hope is eternal. Christ in Christ alone. The risen Savior, the God man who died in the place of our sins, accepted our punishment by his wounds. We are healed.
33 · Vogan signals the shift to the final section of the text (verse 19), framing it as both a transition to future sermons and the final exhortation of today's passage
Now this last section is really interesting because it serves to get us into the next parts of the text in the next couple weeks, but I think it's helpful to include a couple comments Here as Paul's last do this of our text today, trust the Lord.
34 · Vogan expounds verse 19a with pastoral intensity, emphasizing God's firm foundation and the security of believers—the Lord knows who are His—as a direct response to the threat of false teaching
But God's firm foundation stands bearing this seal. Now can you look at me for a second? I was gonna. I was a middle school teacher when I was teaching a lot of kids. I would say, all of your eyes on all of my eyes for a second. The Lord knows who are his. The Lord knows those who are his. Christian, hear this today. If you are in Christ, the Lord knows you are his. Stand in that firm foundation. Stand in the faithfulness of the Lord. Remember what he said at the beginning, right before he warned us. He said, remember the faithfulness of the Lord. Remember the faithfulness of the Lord. So remember, the Lord knows those who are his.
35 · Vogan illustrates the exhortation to trust the Lord through his late grandfather's repeated counsel, connecting personal testimony to Paul's theological reminder
One of the last things I remember about my late grandpa, or one of the things I remember about my late grandpa was how he would always say, you got to trust the Lord. John. He was from New England, say, in all seasons of life, you got to trust the Lord. He would say this because he knew that God is trustworthy and knows what's best. And this is what I see in Paul's transitional statement here. This is Paul, Paul, Paul's reminder again of the truth of who God is and the eternal hope he offers. He's telling the Christian, God's foundation is firm and he knows you as his.
36 · Vogan addresses the potential objection that eternal hope feels disconnected from present suffering, reasserting the core claim—future hope is the foundation of present hope
It might be tempting in this message to think something like, okay, I'm supposed to speak what is true and cut God's word straight so I can have hope in eternity. But that seems way easier to say than live out in the midst of the difficulties of life. And I get that sentiment. But here's what's true. It's precisely because of, of our future hope that we have present hope. If it sounds like I've said that before, it's because I have. We're going to say that over and over and over again. We're a one song church. Church.
37 · Vogan deepens the illustration of his grandfather, adding concrete detail about his hardship and physical, emotional urgency in exhorting Vogan to trust the Lord
My grandpa grew up in the Great Depression and he knew hardship. He was a public school teacher, administrator, Sunday school teacher who walked with kids, families and Christians through all sorts of challenges in life. And his main encouragement to all of us in the midst of our storms of life was to trust the Lord. And he would say this to me while grabbing me by the elbow, turning me to him with tears in his eyes and saying, trust the Lord. Trust the Lord. My grandpa lived a hard life, so did Paul, so did many of us. So trust the Lord.
38 · Vogan expounds the nature of trusting the Lord—not cultural or political but rooted in the gospel—and connects it to Isaiah 28:16's foundation imagery, grounding theological claims in concrete Scripture and personal testimony
So you see, trusting the Lord isn't a cultural practice. Trusting the Lord is a political engagement strategy. It's not an act of external affirmation. It's what we live and breathe. Faith in Christ motivates everything we do. Simple and profound faith, rooted not in philosophical thought, not in arguments rooted in the belief that Jesus came as a man as he said he would, lived a sinless life, died a sinless death, taking on the punishment that you and I deserve, that we may have hope now and a bodily embodied resurrection to an eternal hope. That's what our belief is rooted in. Trusting the Lord has an eternal effect and it has a real influence on our everyday life. God can be trusted in every circumstance church because he is a firm foundation and he is faithful. When we are faithless, he can be trusted in the unknown. He can be trusted when with our futures. God can handle our cries, our doubts, our questions. He can handle our tears. God's love is greater than anything we could imagine. And trusting him is always worth it. Always. I regularly saw my grandma and grandpa sit at their breakfast table at their house, looking at the birds out their window with their big Bibles open along with the Our daily bread devotional. And that simple act of starting each day by putting everything on the table before the Lord caused them to be reminded of his regular and personal care for them. Isaiah 28 says this reminding us of the Lord's foundation. Therefore, thus says the Lord God, Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone of a sure foundation.
39 · Vogan traces the phrase 'the Lord knows who are His' to Numbers 16:5, connecting Paul's assurance to Moses' confrontation with Korah's rebellion, establishing God's sovereign knowledge and election
When Paul says the Lord knows who are his, we see reference to numbers 16, 5, where and he Moses said to Korah and all his company in the morning the Lord will show who is his and who is holy and will bring him near to him. The one whom he chooses will bring near to him Christian trust that God is who he says he is. He is the foundation. Stand firm on the everlasting and immovable foundation.
40 · Vogan applies the sermon to non-Christians, issuing an urgent evangelistic appeal to turn to Christ and reject false teaching, offering to pray with those who respond
So to the non Christian here, if you're here and you would say that you don't have a relationship with Christ, one we'd say desperately, we'd plead with you, turn your life to Christ. We'd ask the Lord to open your eyes even now and we'd love to pray with you after the service. Where is your hope? Don't fall for irreverent babble or silly myths. Instead, join the reality that Christ is our hope always. This reality is hope now and for eternity. So study God's word. Ask God to illuminate his truth for you today.
41 · Vogan applies the sermon to Christians, issuing the first specific charge: know God's Word by reading, memorizing, and understanding it as essential for discernment and intimacy with God
And for the Christian that was for the non Christian they Get one for the Christian. We get like four or five, but it starts with this. Cut it straight. Cut it straight. Cutting it straight means knowing God's Word. Paul doesn't pull punches here. The reality for every Christian is that Christians must seek to know God's Word regularly. Get into God's Word. Work to hide it in your heart, seeking not only to read it, but to memorize it and understand it as vital for learning to discern irreverent Babel, quarreling over silly myths and ultimately knowing God intimately. Know God's Word.
42 · Vogan issues a pastoral corrective to Reformed studious types (including himself)—don't let the study of theology replace the study of Scripture itself
Cutting it straight means studying God's Word. Reformed people tend to have a particular desire to be studious theologians. If that's you, all of your eyes on all of my eyes for a minute, this is me. Also, commentaries and theology books are so important to studying the Word, and they are amazing gifts to help illuminate God's Word. But if you're like me, this reminder is for you and me. Let's be careful that we are more excited about studying the Word of God than studying Calvin, Sproul, Spurgeon or Kuyper. They are helpful tools, but they are pale in comparison to the beauty of God's living, active, authoritative word. Study God's Word.
43 · Vogan reiterates the central exhortation—Christians are called to the specific work of knowing, studying, and applying God's Word rightly
Cutting it straight means handle the Word of God rightly. There are a ton of passages that speak about vocation, how we're to work, and the good works we're to walk in. And the work that Paul specifically has in mind here is what Know God's Word. Handle God's Word rightly. That's what we do. So work to know, study and and apply the Word of God. Remember, handle God's Word rightly. That's the bottom line today. Handle God's Word rightly.
44 · Vogan cites H
Whether you're studying a single verse or an entire book of the Bible, work to handle God's Word rightly as a worker approved by God. And hear this quote from HB Charles. Cutting it straight is derived from the final clause of 2 Timothy 2:15. Rightly handling the Word of truth. The verb there was used for a doctor making an incision in surgery, an architect designing a building, or a tent maker cutting material for a tent. In each scenario, the goal was to cut it straight. The surgeon who makes incisions carelessly is guilty of malpractice. So is the preacher who does not rightly handle the Word of God. Every servant leader in the local church will answer to the Lord for how we handle His Word. We do not want to be workers who stand ashamed of of our work at the Final inspection. May the Lord grant that we be presented as approved by the Lord as those who handle the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ with care.
45 · Vogan introduces the final application—departing from iniquity—as the natural outworking of rightly handling God's Word, deferring full exposition to future sermons
Finally, cutting it straight means following God's commands. I've intentionally left the end of verse 19 to the end of our time together. When we know God's word, when we study God's word, when we cut it straight and and know what is undiluted, undeviated from true truth, we will follow his commands. Paul's clear that those who know God and those who are God's must depart from iniquity. And this is what the next couple passages are about. So I'll leave that to the next preachers. But we must be continually sanctified by the Holy Spirit running from sin that we might be presented to God as a worker, approved by Him.
46 · Vogan concludes by lifting the congregation into hope—God does not leave Christians alone in the work of rightly handling His Word but provides the church and the Holy Spirit as gifts
Now, here's a little bit of hope for us. We've had hope throughout the message, I hope, and some warning. But thankfully God is merciful and doesn't leave us alone in this endeavor. He gives us one another and he gives us his Holy Spirit to continue helping us in this area. He gives us one another for teaching, for encouragement, for admonishment, and he gives us himself.
47 · Vogan closes with a pastoral prayer asking the Lord to help the congregation apply the sermon's exhortations—avoiding quarrels, knowing God's Word, departing from sin, and standing firm
So would you stand? I'm gonna pray for us and then we're gonna teach and admonish one another, encourage one another through the song that we sing. But would you pray with me as I ask the Lord for his help? Lord, would you help us apply this today? Would you help us to avoid irreverent babble and silly myths? Would you help us to avoid quarreling over words, fighting over words? Lord, would you write your word deeply in our hearts that we might not sin against you? Help us to run, depart from iniquity. And Lord, would you help us to stand firm on your truth, in your word, in your love and in your power? In Jesus name, amen.