We Are What We Eat
This is the sermon I preached on Sun., 10/16 at St. Timothy and St. Mark Lutheran churches. The scripture text is 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5.
When you were listening to the second reading today, did you
think that it started out in an odd place? It starts out with "but don't
let it faze you." What is not supposed to faze us? To find this out, we
have to go back one verse which the
lectionary oddly left out. "Verses 13 reads this way, "Unscrupulous
con men will continue to exploit the faith. [They are] as deceived as the
people they lead astray. As long as they are out there, things can only get
worse." This is what Paul is warning us about--that there will come a time
when there will be con men who will deceive the believers and that times could
get worse. Then Paul tells Timothy and us not to let it faze us and to stick to
what we have been taught.
Paul is stressing the importance and power of scripture and
in spite of those who want the church of the warm fuzzies, he tells Timothy to
never quit preaching the truth and to do a thorough job as God's servant.
Paul gives Timothy a command--"stick with what you
learned and believed" v. 14. As a child Timothy was acquainted with
scripture. Timothy's family did not wait until he was an adult and could make
his own choices about faith. He was taught this faith and the scriptures from
the time he was a toddler. He was able to grow up and watch his family immerse
themselves in scripture and to live it in their daily lives. If they had waited
till Timothy was a teenager or an adult to teach him the faith, it would have
been too late because Timothy's experiences and foundation would have been
influenced by the world and not the example of his parents.
This is the folly of the 21st century. People mistakenly
think when my child grows up, I'll let him decide what he wants to believe.
That's putting the cart before the horse. You have to teach your children
something to believe first so when they reach the age of reason, they can
decide whether to accept the value system they have been taught or whether they
choose to gravitate to something else. Timothy's was the third generation of
faith in his family.
Paul reminds Timothy of the integrity of his teachers, his
grandmother, mother and Paul. Timothy's godly past provides precedent and
stability. Good teachers of the faith are those whose words blend with who they
are. Timothy's foundation was solid. It could be built upon as he matured in
the faith and in his calling. Timothy had the living and written Word of God
backing him up.
If we spend time with our children teaching them the stories
of the Bible, praying with them, discussing scripture and most importantly
living the scripture in everything we do, it will have an impact in shaping the
foundation of our children. If they see us acting with truthfulness, integrity,
and living out the 10 commandments and the golden rule in every aspect of our
lives, it will rub off on them.
God called Timothy to challenge, warn, and urge [his] people.
His message would be proclaimed "with intensity [Timothy is told] Don't
ever quit," [but preach the truth, even when people don't want to hear it]
(4:2-5). In this way, Timothy would be well fitted for the performance of
gospel-infused works to God's glory. Timothy's message tells us of the
death-defeating, world transforming, redemptive work of Jesus so that we might
work as ambassadors for Jesus for the reconciliation of all things.
Why is this important for us today? Learning God's word gives
us discernment as we hear teaching; to know whether or not it is good and solid
or if it's spiritual junk food. Scripture speaks to us uniquely of God. It is
completely suited to provide instruction in the life of faith. God's word is
not only for confirmands, Sunday School children, pastors or missionaries, but
for all of God's people no matter what age they are.
Timothy was being warned because of the blossoming of false
and new teachings that didn't align with scripture, and so are we. People turn
their backs on the truth and chase spiritual mirages. These are the folks who
want to belong to the church of the warm fuzzies that tells everyone what they
want to hear--all good news, all the time. No one wants to hear about hard
times and suffering. Jesus didn't promise us a rose garden. He told his
disciples if the world causes me to suffer and die and I'm your teacher, what
do you think they will do to you?
We must be able to discern what is truth and what is junk
food, but in order to do this, we have to have a solid foundation of faith,
based on knowledge of the scripture, prayer and an intimate relationship with
our God. Our knowledge of scripture must become second nature. Do we need to be
able to memorize scripture and recite it like parrots? No, but we should be
able to tell when something doesn't sound right. We should be able to take our
Bible and seek out the passage that may seem out of place. We have to be able
to question. We cannot simply accept something because someone says "It is
written in the Bible" or scripture says.
Scripture is uniquely suited to provide instruction in the
life of faith. It is useful for showing us truth, exposing our rebellion,
correcting our mistakes and training us to live God's way. We aren't the first
people to get discouraged when we are experiencing hard times. It was as much
of a temptation for Timothy as it is for us.
God has called each one of us by virtue of our baptism. We
are to "Let [our] light shine before others that they may see [our] good
works and glorify [our] Father in heaven" (ELW p. 231).
God's challenge to us today is to "keep [our] eye on
what [we're] doing," God empowers us by the Holy Spirit so that we can
keep God's message alive and fully carry out the ministry God has called each
and every one of us to do.
Amen.
Resources:
Evangelical Lutheran Worship
The Message
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