II Timothy 3:14-4:5 (NRSV)
14 But as
for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing from
whom you learned it, 15 and how from childhood you have known the
sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in
Christ Jesus. 16 All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for
teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17
so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every
good work.
In the presence of
God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and in view
of his appearing and his kingdom, I solemnly urge you: 2 proclaim
the message; be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable;
convince, rebuke, and encourage, with the utmost patience in teaching. 3 For
the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but having
itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own
desires, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander
away to myths. 5 As for you, always be sober, endure suffering, do
the work of an evangelist, carry out your ministry fully.
Year C
October 16-22
October 16, 2016
Cross~Wind
On Augmented Reality – www.youtube.com/watch?v=Asu6jmgCPlM
Title: The Word of God: Helping us see the world
Introduction
I like new technology. I am rarely
the first to try it. I like others to work out the bugs. However, if I think it
will be useful, I usually will try it.
One idea has been to put on a pair
of glasses and suddenly see streaming information about what you are looking
at.
Your special glasses will tell the
cost of the camera and its specifications. If you are sightseeing, you will get
historical background on the landmark in front of you.
The name for this technology is
“augmented reality.” Some of the fun things done with it is pokeman go, but the
business application is what fuels much of the economic interest. Lately, I
have seen this technology as an app on your smart phone. It will offer your
information about the world as you presently engage it. The app allows you to
use your phone as a viewfinder, holding it up to the street in front of you to
see restaurant ratings hung virtually beneath a venue's actual awning or
directional arrows virtually lining the street ahead of you, pointing to the
nearest bus stop.
Nevertheless, it is about to get
better. The latest developments suggest that we will soon live in a world where
GPS directions to grandma's house will no longer be on a display in your
dashboard but appear as signs on the side of the road through technology
embedded in your windshield. Very soon, life in this world will be layered with
more information, opportunity and power than we have ever imagined.
As always, the question before us
as users is what we will do with this information.
Information is critical, but we need more than information.
We need some beliefs and values that help us assess the information. Of course,
as a preacher, this might lead to a message about how people who love Jesus and
walk in the Spirit, people who pay attention to the Bible, and respect the way
God has worked through the traditions of the church, might “augment reality” in
a way that offers the healing and liberating gospel to others.
Application
When we went to Florida recently,
we went to Fort Wayne and flew to Punta Gorda, FL. These are small airports.
Flying on Allegiant Airlines, we had a severe limit on carry-on bags. For a
small fee, you could have more. However, we took it as a challenge. We did not
take much. Such a discipline can make you think about what you really need for
a journey. What do you really need for the journey that is your life?
First, Keep Scripture in your carry-on bag.
As we venture out on this
expedition called life, we will not want to be far from the tools it provides.
Paul “solemnly urge[s]” (II Timothy 4:1)
us to share the good news God offers. In order to do that, we must be well
versed in God’s Word ourselves.[1]
Of course, some persons have the knowledge, while the words seem to go no
further than their mouths and have not penetrated their hearts.
When we allow the power of the
Scripture to seep into our lives, we can take the words to heart and allow them
alter the way we see our world – family, work, community, and church. Scripture,
Paul tells us, is “useful for teaching,
for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (II Timothy
3:16). We would do well to familiarize ourselves with the life-giving properties
of the law and the gospel — not out of a sense of obligation or guilt but
because new life and encouragement are found there. Psalm 119 — all 176 verses
of it — emphasizes the benefit of immersing ourselves in God’s Word. The
psalmist calls attention to the value of Scripture: “The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver
pieces” (119: 72).
The culture in which we live, while
honoring the Bible in all kinds of superficial ways — like swearing in
presidents with their right hand resting on it — would really rather have the
Bible remain closed.
A closed Bible has certain
advantages. You can place your palm on a closed Bible and swear to tell the
truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God. You can
position a closed Bible in the center of the coffee table as a token of God’s
presence in your life — and, as you dust around it, you can feel like you have
something to believe in. A closed Bible will never challenge you, nor cause you
to ask questions, nor make you think. It will confirm your prejudices. It will
allow you to believe pretty much whatever you want to believe.
It has been said that
only four of 10 churchgoers can identify the man who betrayed Jesus Christ, and
that many cannot list the first four books of the New Testament. In Europe lies
an area known as “the North German plain of irreligion,” stretching from
Germany through Scandinavia. There the Book of books attracts little serious
attention in everyday life, yet that is the Europe tourists flock to in
appreciation of magnificent cathedrals, churches and religious art.
Is the Bible itself
destined to become no more than a mildly interesting religious artifact, like
the buildings and paintings of a bygone age?[2]
Second, use Scripture to scan yourself, not others
In our journey to Florida, we
received pre-approval for our journey. We did not have to go through the line
that had the scanner and all that. We could pretty much walk through. A full
body scan, if you let yourself think about it, is rather personal. If we open
our minds and hearts, the Bible will scan our lives.
The Scripture can “convince, rebuke, and encourage,” and
yet we need to be cautious with how we use it. We are not supposed to aim it as
a weapon against others but rather turn it first relentlessly on ourselves.
Before we point out the speck in our neighbor’s eye, we need to take care of
the log in our own — and the best way to do that is to allow our lives to be
put under the microscope of the Word’s instruction. When the lens of Scripture
scans us, what will we see?
The wisdom, history and parables
recorded for us can instruct us in interpersonal relations, common law,
fairness, compassion and guidelines for living in community. There we can find
justice without vengeance, correction without vindictiveness, and a willingness
to expand the boundaries of accepted prejudices and constraints. The underlying
messages are one of forgiveness, fairness and, above all, love. When we sin,
God’s Word encourages us to confess and repent. We may experience the
consequences of our actions. Yet, repentance and forgiveness means that God
will not cut us off. With God’s help, we can change, turn around and, guided by
God’s love, begin again. The message of the Bible is one of redemption that we
need in our own lives and in the world around us.
All of this leads me back to the
beginning of this message. New technology attracts me. Yet, I am not one who
usually gets the new technology right away. I want to see if it works. I mostly
want to see the usefulness to me. By comparison, our culture is moving rapidly
to the next big thing, especially in morality. The Bible provides another way
to view the culture that invites us to slow down and reflect on whether this
new thing is actually good for my soul, my family, my work, or my society.[3]
Conclusion
I offer you an invitation to spend
more time with God’s Word and allow the power of God’s wisdom to seep into your
thoughts and reflections. Several good study bibles are helpful. Several translations
can help you hear the message. We have some good materials in the lobby. Of course,
you can always be part of a group. It helps to check your reading of the Bible
with how others read it. You can read and reflect upon the scripture in use on
Sunday morning.
An ancient way of reading the Bible
is that of “lectio divina,” or holy reading. We can trust that the power of the
Holy Spirit can speak to us through God’s Word if we are willing to take the
time to pause, ponder and consider what God is saying. Lectio divina encourages
a thoughtful consideration of a passage. You will need a few moments of silence
and meditation, which I imagine for families with children, would be a
challenge. If a word or phrase “jumps out” at us, then we should stop and ask
questions: What is it about those words that speak to me? How does that relate
to my current life situation? Is this passage calling me to action, repentance,
forgiveness? What does the passage tell me about God, humanity, and the
relationship between them? Scripture has the power to see beyond the strong,
capable image we like to portray to the world and instead can encourage us to
receive God’s gentle (sometimes jarring) teachings.
Such attention to Scripture will
help you see through the superficial nature of many new things in our culture. The
anxieties of the culture do not have to become your anxiety. You can see
through it all and rely upon the God to whom Scripture points. You may well
start seeing your world differently. You might well start to see yourself
differently in that world.
Going deeper
II Timothy 3:14-17 concludes a
series of exhortations to Timothy that began in verse 10, while 4:1-5 is a
final charge to Timothy. The question of biblical authority and interpretation
is at the heart of many debates in the church today, and it is clear that
people across the Christian spectrum read the Bible in different -- and often
conflicting -- ways. Theologian John Burgess points out that, for
conservatives, Scripture is inspired and inerrant. For progressives, it
supplies symbols, stories and illustrations that express the deepest longings
of the human heart. For others it is an "identity story," helping
Christians to remember who they really are. It illustrates the character of the
community to which they belong.[4]
I am not sure I agree with him here. Many “conservatives” and “evangelicals”
have high regard and respect for the teaching they find in Scripture, and for
that reason, are quite hesitant to depart from it. However, they may not
necessarily want all the baggage that “inerrant” can carry with it. In any
case, one might find it helpful to look upon the entire set of pastoral
epistles as elaborating an “identity story.” If the church were to canonize
what it thought were new communications from the Lord, it would become a
different church from that of yesterday, for it did not have it and therefore
did not know this new canon.[5]
II Timothy 3:14-4:5 (NRSV)
[Verses 14-17 contain an
exhortation to steadfastness.] 14 But
as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing from
whom you learned it, [The implication of the aorist tense is that he
learned it at a definite time. Timothy is to be satisfied with what he has
received. The sacred writings are the foundation of the purity of faith. The
author takes for granted the inspiration of the Old Testament.] 15 and how from childhood you
have known the sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation
through faith in Christ Jesus. [The sacred writings will instruct you and
make you wise. Scripture can make the simple person wise, a sentiment found in
Psalm 19. The concept of wisdom contrasts pointedly with 3:9, 13, which testify
to the mindlessness or folly of the false teachers. In the same way, ignoring
and attacking Scripture can make the most intelligent person foolish.]16 All scripture is inspired by
God [or in older but somehow more invigorating language — “God-breathed.”] and is useful [Besides its divine
pedigree, Scripture also serves a specific purpose. It is “useful” in quite
particular ways, that is, the tasks of ministry that create the character of
the Christian community.] for teaching [positive,
the primary focus here. It is teaching Paul wishes Timothy to claim as his main
responsibility.], for reproof [negative,
a necessary task of teaching, a more theological focus], for correction [negative, also a negative task of teaching, more
behavioral focus], and for training in
righteousness, [the positive flip side of “correcting.” By exhibiting
proper attitudes and training others in right actions, an instructor cultivates
“righteousness.”] 17 so that
everyone who belongs to God [the minister] may be proficient, [in spiritual skills and scripturally] equipped for every good work. [One like
Timothy, who knew the truth about Scripture and its role as an agent of
salvation (it points us to faith in Jesus Christ), was under an obligation to
deny the wrong ideas being maliciously spread by the “impostors” and the
“wicked.” You rebuke wrong theology; you “correct” wrong behavior.]
[Barth, in a discussion of Scripture
as the Word of God that Scripture has priority over all other writings and
authorities. Scripture is the original and legitimate witness of divine
revelation. Christian thinking and speaking can only circle around divine
revelation. Our exposition is a matter of thinking and explaining this event.
We have no right to think of the present as something we create and therefore
control. Too many people have no patience to continuing circling around that
center. Too many do not want to stick to that faithful exposition and therefore
that recollection and expectation which, in face of this present, is our place
and portion, or task and our comfort. In this passage, the point is that the
Scriptures have already played a definite and decisive role in the life of the
reader. They have given proof of what they claim to be. They have the power of
instruction in the faith. In all of this, Scripture is the object of
recollection. Scripture also becomes the object of expectation. It becomes a
task that the reader must take up and execute. The Scripture is the gift of the
Spirit. The Spirit fills and rules Scripture. Due to this power of its truth,
scripture is able to do what the passage says.[6]]
[4:1-5 offers a final charge to
Timothy. He has urged Timothy toward steadfastness — to continued loyalty to
the biblical truths and traditions he knows so well. While all Paul’s appeals
have been emphatic, this final note takes on a difference. The urgings of a
teacher and friend are now transformed into a solemn, sacred charge from a
leader in the faith toward a brother in the ministry. Note the liturgical feel
to verses 1-2 that suggests a charge offered at ordination.] In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus,
who is to judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his
kingdom, I solemnly urge you: [Paul almost asks for an oath from Timothy to
do his duty. Responsibility is to God in
Christ. Christ will come in judgment at
his appearing. Paul is an aging warrior
giving advice to a rather timid lieutenant.
The appearing and the kingdom are future. The author intends these future glories to
inspire Timothy. This solemn oath has
four distinct parts: 1) God; 2) Christ; 3) the second coming; 4) the eternal
kingdom. Paul’s appeals to the living presence of “God” and “Christ Jesus”
underscore the obligations of one who lives in the present reality of faith. By
including references to the second coming and the eternal kingdom, Paul also
highlights these obligations in light of expected realities. Paul intends that
the eschatological inferences emphasized by denoting “Christ Jesus” as the
“judge [of] the living and the dead” should register with Timothy. That
uniquely Christian terminology, “the living and the dead,” was soon to become
creedal within the church. It also appears in Ephesians 2:1; 2 Clement 1:1;
Barnabas 7:2; Polycarp; and of course, finally in the Apostles’ Creed itself.
By reminding Timothy here of the “judging” nature of Christ, Paul puts some
extra teeth into his charge to that young Christian. Jesus Christ is coming to
judge all — both the “impostors” Timothy faces and Timothy himself. In verse 2,
he will offer five exhortations essential to the minister.] 2 proclaim the message; [“the
word” or “the gospel.” This time, Paul refers only to the logos, the good news
of the gospel, not the entire scriptural tradition.] be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable; [The
environment surrounding the word is important, but immaterial. One must present
the message no matter what the circumstances. The verb here literally means to
“stand by it” or “keep at it.”] [All three of the next exhortations involve the
preacher in proclaiming specific behavioral standards for believers — by
offering both positive and negative directives.] convince [discipline], rebuke
[censure], and encourage, with the
utmost patience in teaching. 3 For the time is coming [the
present time is not favorable. The minister must not lose patience. Paul knows
keeping this charge will be no small task for Timothy] when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but having itching
ears, [the itching ears are for new doctrines rather than what is sound.
Paul diagnoses the cause of this contentiousness as “itching ears” — i.e., a
kind of malignant, unsatisfied curiosity like that which killed the cat.
Timothy will witness former faithful persons turn “itching ears” away from
truth and toward the old “myths” or false teachings (see I Timothy 1:3-7).] they will accumulate for themselves teachers
to suit their own desires, 4 and will turn away from listening to
the truth and wander away to myths. [The greatest difficulties will not
come from “false teachers” who threaten the faith, Paul cautions, but from
within the fold of the faithful. Instead of listening to “sound doctrine,”
people will soon begin to concoct their own “doctrines,” ones that “suit their
own desires.” Here, didaskalia is the epitome of apostolic teaching.[7]
Pannenberg will make the point that the apostolic gospel functioned as a given
norm in the process of developing the episcopal office. This norm gave validity
to the office of bishop. The teaching office serves the Word of God. The
apostolic gospel is the norm of present the clergy of the church. Holders of
the office are responsible for passing on the legacy of apostolic teaching and
must defend it against novel errors that are not by their nature not under
obligation to any tradition. The validity of discharge of the office stands or
falls with faithfulness to this commission.[8]]
[Note the liturgical feel in verse 5 that suggests a charge offered at
ordination.] 5 As for you,
[compare 3:10, 14 contrasting Timothy’s loyalty with those in verse 4.] always be sober, endure suffering, do the
work of an evangelist, [preach the gospel rather than myth] carry out your ministry fully. [The duty
of Timothy is to be steady, avoiding speculation. It may mean suffering, but
Timothy will be prepared. He is to do
his proper work. This final directive covers not only all that Paul has
specifically dealt with in this letter, but anything else that might conceivably
be seen as a part of a vital ministry of shaping the identity of the church.]
[1] This is
not to say we need to be able to quote chapter and verse of the Bible; it is
too easy to encounter fast-talking preachers who can rattle off Scripture but
who do not appear to allow the power of the Word to affect them personally.
[2] —Reprinted with permission. “Cause and
effect: An often-overlooked principal” The Good News, November-December 1998,
Volume 3, Number 6, p.10. ©2003 United Church of God, an International
Association. Visit the United Church of God on the Internet at ucg.org and
gnmagazine.org.
[3] --Timothy Merrill, Executive Editor,
Homiletics. Regarding "early adopters" and "Chief
Evangelist":
My kids are always trying to
get me to buy this new gadget or to download this or that app. I listen to them
speaking so enthusiastically. Sometimes, they're talking so fast and so
excitedly, that I can see their blood pressure rise, and their skin turn blue
from lack of adequate oxygen flow. I know that, in moments, their eyes will
start to roll back into their skulls. I need to stop them right now. "I
get it! You're really excited about this. You want me to enjoy all the cool
things this [insert device here] can do." And we talk on and on.
But in the end, what it
often comes down to for me -- when I reject their advice -- is that they have
failed to demonstrate that the little gadget they're so excited about is
something I really need. Show me, I say, that this is something more than just
an adult toy. They turn away grim-faced, exchanging knowing glances among
themselves which I have not yet been able to interpret.
I
think Christians have the same problem when relating to an unbelieving culture.
Not only is it difficult to demonstrate how our faith augments human reality,
we have to overcome another obstacle. Many people in the world not only believe
our faith has no real positive features, but also that it's downright
dangerous. It's going to take a lot of work to overcome this perception. I
mean, it's hard enough for my kids to convince me to buy a new tech toy. I
certainly am not going to buy it if I think it's going to hurt me!
[4] (John P.
Burgess, "Scripture as sacramental word," Interpretation, October
1998, 380-381).
[5] Barth,
CD, IV.3.1, XVI [69] 133.
[6] (Barth 2004, 1932-67), I.2 [19] 504.
[7] (Pannenberg 1998, 1991), Volume I, 17.
[8] (Pannenberg 1998, 1991) Volume III, 381.
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