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HIGHLIGHT: 2 Timothy 2:23-26 23But reject foolish and ignorant disputes, because you know that they breed quarrels. 24The

Lord’s servant must not quarrel, but must be gentle to everyone, able to teach, and

patient, 25instructing his opponents with gentleness. Perhaps God will grant them

repentance leading them to the knowledge of the truth. 26Then they may come to their

senses and escape the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.

EXPLAIN

Leaders: Feel free to use any of the “Explain” materials to guide discussion as it is needed or to expound on a certain area of the text as it comes up during your Life Group time, but the purpose of this section is to deepen your own personal understanding of the Word. Your members have access to all of this material as well.

So far, Paul has shown that a faithful teacher of the Word examines and cleanses his or her life in order to be a vessel set apart for honorable work. But as we go about doing the work God has called us to, he has two more pieces of advice for us: share Truth effectively and rely on God for the results.

vv.23-24 Verse 24 gives us an interesting context in which to view this section. The word duolos is the word for “servant,” which could also be the word “slave.” In the way that we were once all slaves to sin, we are now slaves to God (Romans 6:16). A slave does not have a will of his own, but rather lives to serve his master. As it turns out, Christ is an infinitely more gracious and gentle master than our previous one.

The Lord’s servants will not have an easy time teaching the Word, even among other believers. They will encounter people who would detract from the message of the Gospel by engaging in foolish and ignorant disputes and who would rather quarrel than discuss something in order to understand it better. As we share the Word of God, we must be sure to keep our focus on the things that matter—on the message of Christ crucified and risen again—and to not allow extraneous quarrels to derail the message.

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v.25 For some, the notion that it is God who grants repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth may give them pause. But for faithful servants of the Lord, this is the ultimate comfort. It is not up to us to change someone’s heart or alter their point of view. Bill Thrall wrote, “Many of us act as if repentance is a matter of the will. [But] we can’t ‘will’ ourselves into change. We can’t ‘will’ ourselves into feeling contrition or remorse. Repentance isn’t doing something about our sin; rather it means admitting that we can’t do anything about our sin. We cannot woo ourselves into anything but the most external form of repentance. All our effort, striving, and willpower have only momentary, external value when it comes to fighting an opponent as crafty, intentional, persistent, powerful, and experienced as sin.”

We must ensure as we teach the Word—in whatever capacity we find ourselves doing that, even if it is just in the course of a normal discussion—we are not doing so with the intent of changing or fixing someone. It is our job to act as pure vessels for the Lord to use, and leave the rest up to Him.

v.26 “Come to their senses” carries the idea of a drunk person sobering up. False teaching will muddy the mind, corrode conviction, and paralyze the will. Remember, this section is still talking about vessels, or believers—those among the body of Christ who are, as Paul says, trapped by the Devil. We must pray for the lost, of course. They need to wake up and see the truth of Christ as anyone else does. But we must also pray for those among the Body of Christ who are causing division. It is never too late for any among us who are dishonorable vessels to be purified and become clean again.

APPLY Your Leader Guide will have material that the participant guides do not have. The bolded material is what the people in your group will have, the other material is only for you to help guide discussion.

This guide can be as strict a script or as general a resource as the leader needs it to be.

1. What stuck out to you or challenged you in what you heard in the sermon or read in the text?

2. Why is it so easy to get caught up in petty arguments, even with other believers? What kind of “disputes” do you think are worthwhile for believers to engage in? How should we behave when engaged in these kinds of discussions?

A measure of wisdom is important in understanding which “battles” are worth fighting. But remember the example that Jesus showed us: when He was being slandered, beaten, and blasphemed, He didn’t utter a word. But when it came to someone defiling the Temple, He drove those doing it out.

We must be careful that, in our conversations and discussions, we do not do more to distance people from Christ, but rather draw them to Him. Matthew 18:15-17 outlines for us how we are to approach and deal with people within the Body of Christ who are doing it harm.

3. What is the difference between being gentle and being timid? How can we balance meekness and humility on one hand (v.25) with boldness and confidence on the other (2 Corinthians 10:1)?

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John MacArthur wrote, “Jesus never defended Himself, but when they desecrated His Father’s Temple, He made a whip and beat them. Meekness says, ‘I’ll never defend myself, but I’ll die defending God.’ Twice Jesus cleansed the Temple. He blasted the hypocrites. He condemned false leaders of Israel. He fearlessly uttered divine judgment upon people. And yet the Bible says He was meek. [For the Christian, therefore,] meekness is power used only in the defense of God.”

Some have called meekness “controlled power.” Being gentle is not being weak, it’s being delicate when we could be brutish. Take a few minutes to hash out the difference between these two mentalities in your group.

4. What is repentance? How does it change the way we instruct people in Truth to realize that God is the one who grants repentance (v.25)? What is our role in helping others get to a point of repentance?

Repentance does not just mean being sorry for what we have done. It means entirely changing our hearts, our minds, and the direction we are headed. This kind of change is not something that we can do on our own (who among us can change our own hearts?) but is something initiated, carried out, and finished by God. We can present the Truth, but it is not up to us to “get decisions for Christ.”

Do not let this be a point of contention within your group. This is very good news: it takes the burden of salvation off of us and places it in the hands of the One who is capable of carrying it out. As we are faithful to instruct and interact with people with a gentle spirit, we can play a part in God’s story of salvation for the whole world.

5. Not everybody is a teacher, but we’re expected to faithfully read and share Scripture, anyway. In what ways are all believers expected to be responsible for sharing God’s Word? What is something you can focus on in order to be a more faithful steward of the Word?

RESPOND Challenge your group to respond either privately or corporately:

• What is something in your life you need to examine in order to be a better worker for the Gospel?

• In light of your response, what can you do this week to make yourself a vessel suited for honorable use?

Encourage one another through email, text messages, or coffee dates throughout the week to build up and encourage each other.