Submitted by Dr. GP

2 Timothy 2 v 15 is certainly one of my favourite Bible verses. As the Apostle Paul  approached death he wrote  the letter to his protege Timothy which we know as 2 Timothy. In chapter two of this missive he gives the philosophy of education of any sort,  i. e  And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. In other words, knowledge and instruction must always be passed on the faithful trustworthy persons, who would pass such information on to  other faithful trustworthy persons, in a chain.

At verse 15, Paul asserts that to do this well, one must practice the discipline and endurance of a farmer, a soldier and an athlete and STUDY! Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

This week’s Sweet Sunday Sermon are my notes on this verse, and  is thus entitled “Study to shew thyself approved unto God”

Submitted by Dr. GP

For the last 15 months or so, I have faithfully submitted a Bible Study of some kind to be presented on the Barbados Underground platform. 

Most of these are power point presentations that I have previously delivered to audiences in my local church in Central Florid, some are quite new.  

I have also presented excerpts of material that I wrote while studying in online seminary twenty years ago, and a few were copied because of the extrinsic value within them. 

Since none of my work is copyrighted, readers are free to use any of my material judiciously in their efforts to share the Word of God, or in their endeavours to be Philologi. As I have freely been given, so do I freely give. 

This week we will share some thoughts on 2 Timothy 2: 1-7, on the Qualities of a Faithful Christian Worker.  In an ungodly and antagonistic world, believers must be strong servants or ministers who faithfully serve God and others. In an ungodly and antagonistic world, believers must be strong servants or ministers who faithfully serve God and others.   

In this study of 2 Timothy 2: 1-7, we will harp on the disciplines of a strong servant or minister of Christ, that can be discerned from the first 7 verses of this chapter and the instructions that tell us  how we can become one. Paul asserts that  A Strong Minister Relies on God’s Grace v1, Faithfully Teaches God’s Word v2, Demonstrates the Attitude of a Good Soldier  v3-4, Competes Like an Athlete According to God’s Rules v5, Is Like a Hardworking Farmer v6, and is a Faithful Bible Student v7.

Right from the beginning of this letter Paul has been trying to inspire Timothy to his task. He has reminded him of his own belief in him and of the godly parentage from which he has come; he has shown him the picture of the Christian soldier, the Christian athlete and the Christian toiler.  

Each of these three occupations need great perseverance to succeed. The solider who stops fighting before the battle is finished,  will never see victory. The athlete who stops running before the race is over will never win the race. The farmer who stops working before the harvest is complete will never see the fruit of his crops. Just as  athletes, farmers, and soldiers are hard-working, believers  must be hard-working spiritually.

And now he comes to the greatest appeal of all–Remember Jesus Christ. “Remember … Jesus Christ”- the supreme model of a faithful teacher (verse 2), soldier (verses 3-4), Athlete (verse 5), and farmer (verse 6). Timothy was to follow his example in teaching, suffering, pursuing the prize, and planting the seeds of truth for a spiritual harvest. Even if every other appeal to Timothy inspiration  gallantry should fail, surely the memory of Jesus Christ cannot. But above all, Timothy was to remember three particular things that were “The heart of the Pauline gospel.”

In verse 8 , Paul is really urging Timothy to:

1- Remember Jesus Christ risen from the dead.

2- Remember Jesus Christ born of the seed of David.

3 Remember the gospel, the good news.

Paul has just explained three illustrations of the Christian life – a soldier, an athlete, and a farmer. Now Paul tells Timothy to “think about” what he said and the Lord would give “understanding.” The word “think” means “to consider carefully,” “to ponder,” or “to mull over.”