(2 Timothy 1) 

1. You can handle the truth!

Paul asks Timothy this question – can you handle the truth?? 

Can YOU handle the truth?  Handle it correctly? Well?  Can you cope with the truth and live it up? 

2. Paul = Last words of a truth handler

What will you be when you grow up?  People judge you by what you reply (eg job security…)

Truth-handling will get you nowhere – a dead-end job, go nowhere.  2 Tim 3:12 – ALL who follow will be persecuted.

Paul in 2 Timothy goes on to give a description of a truth-handler, trying to convince Timothy to take it up.

FAITH is about WHO you put your trust in!! Sincere trust/faith is put into ACTION.  Eg. Timothy has a genuine faith. 

V6 – what gift does Timothy have to fan the flames?  How do we find out what this ‘gift’ is?  Look at the context and other verses – we found out that it is his gift of teaching or position of leadership.   

Timothy’s gift of fanning the flames – ‘laid his hands on him’ – means a symbol that Timothy was now ready.  He had been guided and prepared for it. 

V7 – God placed in Timothy his own spirit to help him in his task.  But what is his task?  V13 – to keep the pattern of sound teaching, and guard the good deposit entrusted to Timothy.   

-          to pass the truth faithfully onto the next generation

-          to guard the truth.

THIS IS THE JOB OF THE TRUTH HANDLER

Pre-requisites for a leader:

-          are you a Christian who has lived out your life in godliness?

-          Are you a Christian who has been gifted by God to handle the truth? (have you been encouraged to teach?  - you won’t know unless you actually do it)

-          Are you willing to stand up for the truth in a world which won’t accept it?   

Guard the truth, take the persecution – persevere in suffering, it may cost you your life, but small price for eternity’s sake. 

Can you handle the truth?

Talk 2: Paul Grimmond – Counting the Cost of Handling the Truth

(2 Timothy 2)

The Cost of being a truth handler.  2 Tim 2 – to encourage others to take on a leading role.   

1. Counting the cost 

2. The cost of truth-handling (vv1-7)

v3 – enduring hardship,

v4, like a soldier who puts aside luxuries (eg like waking up late) to be dedicated because the teaching of the gospel is the main priority.  Sacrifice things which may impede your ability to teach

v5, like an athlete – you cannot live in a way that is against the gospel; act what you teach.  Deal with sin openly and honestly in order to deal with it.  Your guilty conscience will distort the truth that you teach.

V6, farmer – it’s hard work, putting ourselves aside to put Christ first, living whole heartedly for him. 

3. The motivation for truth handling (vv8-13)

Paul’s gospel; understand Jesus in the light of the Old Testament – about Christ the King, resurrected.  He is your commanding officer; if your belong to him, nothing in this world can harm you. 

V9, God’s word is not chained!! God’s word is the being which changes! 

4. Facing the opponents of the Truth (vv14-26)

Paul’s passionate anger about opponents; turn away from them completely because they are v14 ruining those, and v18 destroying faith, with false teaching.

V19, God’s solid foundation stands FIRM amongst our persecution.   

5. The Cost of Truth-Handling

People will HATE you, and turn against you. 

V19 – what is God’s solid foundation on which the inscriptions describe?  (‘The Lord knows those who are his’).  HIS PEOPLE, because ‘everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from weakness’.

V22 – the first step for fighting false teachers is to turn away from sin; don’t quarrel, gently instruct; you must teach the truth and refute false teaching, but speak the truth patiently in order to present the truth well and that it doesn’t become distorted and the purpose is lost. 

5. Opposition, persecution… put away time to prepare bible studies.

Talk 3: Paul Grimmond – The Right Tools for Handling the Truth

(2 Timothy 3)

1. You’ve got to have the right tools for the job! 

2. The Truth-Handler’s Workplace

It’s not pretty (2 Tim 3).  There is godlessness (vv2-7); there will be those within the church working for their own personal gain; these people you must face.  Understand the OT to get the real picture 

3. How to Handle the Truth

Stick with the right tool (the scriptures).  The nature of the tool – God speaks through Jesus in the scriptures (2 Tim 3:16-17), it is POWERFUL.  The tool makes you wise for Christ Jesus and the salvation that comes in him.  Remember, call on Jesus’ salvation – teach it, remember it continuously!   

Teaching is knowing, listening, understanding; you cannot divorce loving God and understanding him.  You need to know, listen and understand!   

Rebuking – the bible continuously does this and shows YOU as God sees YOU. 

Corrects – the bible corrects us and shows us right living and righteousness to lead a godly life. 

Training in righteousness.

The only tool you need is the bible!  ‘THROUGHLY EQUIPPED’ says 2 Tim 3:16-17.  ‘The man of God’ is Timothy.  Paul says Timothy as a person given a position of leadership in the church. 

As an aside, eldership = person who teaches the church the word of God.  Therefore the leaders of youth groups are very much the same! You stand in the position of Timothy (Titus 1:6-9)…an elder is to live out a godly life so that others may see.  It is the exemplary Christian life. 

Godliness and the resources for good work are in the bible!  It’s THE tool.   

Are you using the tool to shape yourself before you teach others?

*You’ve gotta read it

*You needta read it with understanding – devotional bible reading – STOP:THINK:APPLY

*You’ve got to read it with a humble heart expecting to be changed, to be corrected and rebuked by it!

Talk 4: Paul Grimmond - A Lifetime of Handling the Truth

(2 Timothy 4)

What is the end-point for us in life as Christians?   

Confessions of a Truth-Handler

Vv6-8, Paul recognises that his end is near.

Vv9-10, people have started to walk away from him

Vv14-15, enemies have done him harm

But Paul’s concern is still with proclaiming the gospel! (v17); in Acts 9, it was his command given to him by Christ, and upon his death, and he is still doing it!

V18 recognises the trustworthiness of God – that He will rescue him and nothing can take away Paul’s faith in God.  You see, we live in a world which thinks we can live without God because technologies make life so good.  But Paul knows nothing can take away from him the treasures of the kingdom of God. 

Last wishes – shows Paul’s dedication to God.  Cf. the Simpsons episode where Homer is told he has 24 hours to live – it shows Homer’s values.  But Paul’s values are bound up in growing continually in godliness – to know God and seek the opportunity to preach the word: that’s what counts! 

The Truth Handler’s Charge (vv1-5)

WHY? In v1, Jesus is coming back to judge the world.

Eccl 12, God will bring EVERYTHING into JUDGMENT!

There is NOTHING of greater value than preaching the gospel!! Because GOD WILL JUDGE.   

WHAT? Be a truth handler to be told to other people!  Evangelise/preach – it’s the same thing (cf Matt 28:19) 

WHEN? V2 – ‘in season and out of season’.  Anytime!  There will be a time when people will want to listen and there will be a time when people won’t want to listen (hence that’s why Paul says in season and out of season).  Despite that, we teach at all times and v5: ‘endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry’ 

Hold ministers and leaders (eg like the Jensens) in esteem because they have had faith, and have lived it out.

Success is in your faithfulness to the truth and living it out! Not in numbers

Retirement is for wimps, heaven is our retirement!  

While you still have breath in this life, you have been given it to serve him and to handle the truth.  Our glory is in heaven.