Sermon Cloud

God’s Road Signs: No Parking: Get Driving to Greatness

2 Timothy 2:19-26

Intro: Chicago Cubs.  Car got towed.  Paid 105 bucks.  Settling for what’s easiest costs you in the end.  Life is greatest when you pay the price and get driving to greatness.

Proposition: It is easy to get comfortable and settle or park on a good or mediocre life.  But God wants us to live a life of greatness!

I.                Get moving forward!  God wants you to be great!  (19-21)

Paul just finished telling Timothy about false teaching spreading and disrupting the faith of some.  Now he tells him not to worry.  God knows who are His children and God’s children don’t live a life of wickedness.  God’s children pursue a life of greatness.

Paul uses an illustration with vessels of gold and silver for honor compared to vessels of wood and earthenware for dishonor.

Many Christians assume that God calls some people to be on or the other.  So it is okay if we don’t do anything great for God and we just be vessel of wood.  Wrong!  Look at verse 21.  God calls all believers to be vessels of silver and gold!

Paul says to get moving to greatness and great things is to be someone who is sanctified (set apart), useful to the Master, and prepared for every good work!

Too many Christians think we are not supposed to seek greatness.  It is portrayed as humility, but it is really just a false humility. 

“You are a child of God.  Your playing small doesn’t serve the world.  There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure about you.  We were born to manifest the glory of God that is within us…And as we let our light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.” – Nelson Mandela

“God can’t use me.”  Do you realize you just said God can’t.  That sentence denies who God is!  That is why it is false humility.  It is prideful to say I’m so bad that even God can’t use me.

“No sin is worse than the sin of self-pity, because it obliterates God and puts self-interest upon the throne.” – Oswald Chambers

God says I want you to be a vessel of honor used by me for great things!  “Well I don’t know why He would use me for anything.”  Ex. Widow’s mite, 5 loaves – 2 fish, rich tomb, Mary

“God does not call the equipped. He equips the called.”

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.  Philippians 4:13

Ex. Story of judo wrestler missing left.  Only learned one move.  Final match he was losing and then finally won.  How did I win?  #1 you learned the hardest move there is.  #2 The only way to block the move is by grabbing your opponents left arm.

God has made you perfect for the tasks He has for you.

And all of us (followers of Christ)…(are) mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord.  And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like Him and reflect His glory even more. 

2 Corinthians 3:18 (NLT)

God gave us life as a precious gift. What we do with it is our gift to him.

Sing Hymn 277, Take My life, and Let it Be Consecrated

II.             Pursue great things and flee from everything else.  (22)

Paul is now giving us a game plan for how to live a great life.  He says there are things to flee and things to pursue.  He says to “flee from youthful lusts”.  In other words, run from sin.  A great life does not play with sin.  A great life runs from sin.  Ex. Guy from Disciple Now

Ex. Steve Irwin put baby in front of croc.  Why so shocking?  It is stupid to toy with that!  Remember Michael Jackson dangling baby over balcony?  Shocking!  Don’t even mess around with such disaster.  That is what happens when we don’t flee from sin.

However, the Christian life is not just fleeing.  Many people think Christianity is just a do not do list.

Ex. Doc, am I dieing?  Do you drink, smoke, dance, eat fatty foods, play cards, kiss pretty girls?  No.  Well then why do you even care if you are dieing.

People think Christianity is just about missing out.  But it’s more about pursuing great things!

Paul says to pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace.  And he says to do it with other people.  He is pointing out that a great life is marked out by being part of a community pursuing the things of God.

To pursue means to “press on”, “run after”, “seek after”, and “to get going forward”.  Do these words describe your Christian life?

Fleeing sin is not all your life is meant to be.  If you simply flee sin without replacing it with great things then you will run right into another sin.

43 "When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. 44 Then he says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. 45 Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. 

Matthew 12:43-45

We all hunger for satisfaction as humans.  Sin is like cotton candy.  No nutrition and you will be hungry.  It just tastes good.  If you don’t find something to fill you then you will turn back to candy.

And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.  Matthew 6:35

III.           Refuse to be a part of divisiveness.  (23-26)

Paul is telling Timothy that in all this pursuit of great things that there will be people are either just trying to produce quarrels or need to learn the truth.  Such people will cause division and we have to handle those people rightly so that division does not spread.

That will only happen by understanding when people are being fools and when people are just false.

1. Refuse foolishness. (23)

You ever know anyone who loves to argue.  They just do it for the point of causing problem.  I used to be one.  It is one thing to have a genuine disagreement.  It is another thing to just be looking for a fight.  Such people are fools and you need to refuse fighting with them.

So how do you refuse foolishness?  You do it by removing yourself from them.  You cannot let fools wanting to fight slow you down on the road to greatness. Ex. Tiger and dad distracting.

Stay away from a foolish man, for you will not find knowledge on his lips.  Proverbs 14:7

A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions.  Proverbs 18:2

It is to a man's honor to avoid strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel.  Proverbs 20:3

Do not speak to a fool, for he will scorn the wisdom of your words.  Proverbs 23:9

How do you know if it is a fool you are dealing with?  These Proverbs give us two major things to look for.

a.           They talk about stupid stuff.  Paul calls them “foolish and ignorant speculation.”  A lot of people want to debate things that are unimportant just to argue.  I am  not talking about deep stuff in the Bible.  Those things are worth honestly talking about.  But people like to argue over dump and unimportant matters.  Ex. Save the drama for your momma.  Barak Obama.

b.           They don’t try to understand you.  If they don’t try to listen to you then they are not looking for anything but a battle.  They may even be debating something worthy of debate, but if they are not willing to listen then they are not worthy of being heard.  They simply want to fight.

Ex. Ken Michael – everything was about Calvinism.  Pass the salt.  “Don’t push Calvin on me.”

Sometimes being on a road to greatness, means driving on and leaving others behind.  However, sometimes you need to pull over and help someone fix their broken vehicle.

2. Refute falsehood. (24-26)

Paul says that to be on the road to greatness often will mean correcting those in opposition.  It must be done with gentleness and kindness.  But when done properly you can help others get on the road to greatness.  Paul says you can help point them to repentance, knowledge, and freedom from the snares of Satan.  It is important to point out that false theology can be a trap of the devil.

People are hurting their own spiritual growth and others, because no one has pointed them on the right path.  Ex. Pix from my awkward years.  Fashion nightmare and no one told me.  Started gaining weight and wore tight clothes.  Dandruff and black shirts.  Huge rims.  Tucked in t-shirt to tight athletic shorts.  I’m sure no one wanted to hurt my feelings, but I needed someone to lovingly guide me.  Ex. Stuff in person’s teeth.

Both the lost and believers in false theology need loving guidance – a helping hand from us – it is not loving to leave them in falsehood.  They need to grow in and pursue greatness too.  And don’t wait for someone else to do it.  You do it!  That’s what it means to be a Christian brother or sister.

Conclusion:  Fell asleep at wheel at light.  You do need rest, but don’t rest so much that you stop moving forward toward great things for the Kingdom of God!