Remind Them of These Things

In one paragraph

The pastor walked through 2 Timothy 2:14-26, a passage where Paul charges Timothy to handle the word of God carefully, avoid empty quarreling, and correct opponents with gentleness. The sermon kept returning to a simple but demanding idea: worry about yourself first, do the work of a proven workman, and trust God with the rest. Paul opens this section with a command to Timothy: "remind them." To...

Read together

1. 2 Timothy 2:14-19 main passage being preached, introduced as the sermon text
2. 2 Timothy 2:14-26 stated as the full range covered in the sermon
3. 2 Timothy 2:1-2 reviewed as previous context: be strong in grace, entrust to faithful men, suffer hardship
4. 2 Timothy 2:11-13 quoted as the trustworthy statement preceding the main passage: if we died with him, if we endure, if we deny him, if we are faithless
5. Matthew 10:33 referenced as Jesus teaching that if you deny him before men he will deny you before his Father
6. Romans 1:16 quoted as the gospel being the power unto salvation for all who believe
7. Romans 1:17-32 referenced as the long list of people rejecting God, burning in lust, suppressing truth
8. Romans 2:4 quoted to show it is the kindness of God that leads to repentance
9. James 1:19-22 quoted: quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger, anger of man does not achieve righteousness of God, receive implanted word, be doers not hearers
10. Psalm 119:165 quoted from memory as his mother's saying: great peace have they that love thy law such that nothing shall offend them

Talk about it

1. Paul tells Timothy to remind the church that 'if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself.' What does it mean to you personally that God's faithfulness does not depend on yours, and how does that either comfort or challenge you right now?
2. The pastor described the Greek word 'dokimas' as something tested and approved, like a coin that is genuine rather than counterfeit, and connected it to the idea of a workman who need not be ashamed. Where in your own life do you feel the most pressure to cut corners on that kind of personal integrity before God?
3. The sermon described worldly and empty chatter as spreading like gangrene, getting worse rather than better until it is completely removed. Can you think of a time when that kind of talk, in your own life or around you, did real damage? What did it take to stop it?
4. The pastor said that even when you are theologically right, presenting the truth unrighteously can start a fight and push people further from the kingdom. Has there been a moment when you watched that happen, or when you were on the receiving end of it? What did that experience teach you?
5. The sermon closed with the idea, drawn from Romans 2:4, that it is the kindness of God that leads people to repentance, and that our gentleness toward people in opposition leaves room for God to grant them repentance. What would it look like practically, in a relationship or situation you are actually in right now, to correct with that kind of gentleness?