"AVOIDING FOOLISH & UNLEARNED QUESTIONS" (2 Tim 2:23-24)

June 21st, 2009

Int. (1 Ki 10:1) "And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to prove him with hard questions."

I. PAUL’S WARNING ABOUT FOOLISH AND UNLEARNED QUESTIONS.

1. (1 Tim 6:3-4) "If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; {4} He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings,"

2. (Titus 3:9) "But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain."

3. C. H. S. M & E. Pg. 648 Nov 19, A. M. Our days are few, and are far better spent in doing good, than in disputing over matters which are, at best, of minor importance. The old schoolmen did a world of mischief by their incessant discussion of subjects of no practical importance; and our Churches suffer much from petty wars over abstruse points and unimportant questions. After everything has been said that can be said, neither party is any the wiser, and therefore the discussion no more promotes knowledge than love, and it is foolish to sow in so barren a field. Questions upon points wherein Scripture is silent; upon mysteries which belong to God alone; upon prophecies of doubtful interpretation; and upon mere modes of observing human ceremonials, are all foolish, and wise men avoid them. Our business is neither to ask nor answer foolish questions, but to avoid them altogether; and if we observe the apostle’s precept (Titus 3:8) to be careful to maintain good works, we shall find ourselves far too much occupied with profitable business to take much interest in unworthy, contentious, and needless strivings.

"There are, however, some questions which are the reverse of foolish, which we must not avoid, but fairly and honestly meet, such as these: Do I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ? Am I renewed in the spirit of my mind? Am I walking not after the flesh, but after the Spirit? Am I growing in grace? Does my conversation adorn the doctrine of God my Saviour? Am I looking for the coming of the Lord, and watching as a servant should do who expects his master? What more can I do for Jesus? Such enquiries as these urgently demand our attention; and if we have been at all given to cavilling, let us now turn our critical abilities to a service so much more profitable. Let us be peace-makers, and endeavour to lead others both by our precept and example, to "avoid foolish questions."

4. (Luke 2:46) "And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions."

A. Vance Havner: "It is one of the ironies of the ministry that the very man who works in God's name is often hardest put to find time for God. The parents of Jesus lost Him at church, and they were not the last ones to lose Him there."

5. Jesus asked good questions: (Mat 22:41-46) "While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, {42} Saying, What think ye of Christ? Whose son is he? They say unto him, The son of David. {43} He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, {44} The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? {45} If David then call him Lord, how is he his son? {46} And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions."

6. (1 Tim 6:4) "He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings,"

A. Stephen Charnock: "A man may be theologically knowing and spiritually ignorant"

7. (Psa 73:22) "So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before thee."

A. William Plummer: "Some of God's dear people are born with great weakness of intellect, which is not relieved either by education or by grace. They never take clear and strong views of any subject. They live and die as children in understanding."

8. (Rom 10:3) "For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God."

a. William Newell says: "Here is the Jew with God's own Book, the Old Testament Scriptures, in his hand, and blind to that Scripture's revelation of his guilty, lost state before God."

b. Geneva Bible Foot Notes: "The ignorance of the law (which we ought to know) does not excuse anyone before God, especially those that are of his household. (b) Ignorance always has pride associated with it."

c. Gill says: "They imagining that only an external conformity to the commands of the law, was all that was necessary to attain to a justifying righteousness by it, not knowing the spirituality of it, and that it required conformity of heart and nature, as well as life and conversation..."

Ill. Local Church split the church over ignorance.

9. James Meikle, 1730-1799 In a sermon entitled: "Still ignorant of God below"

a. It was a question proposed long ago, by a great teacher, in his divine lectures of God, "What is his name, and what is his Son's name, if you can tell?" And it remains unanswered unto this day: "No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son desires to reveal Him." Now, this revelation on account of our ignorance, cannot be bright; for if, when the great Teacher told us of earthly things, we could not understand them, how much less if he should tell us of heavenly things, and least of all if he should reveal to us the mysteries of his eternal Godhead!

b. It is often from such that we see the rise of the "scoffers" mentioned by Simon Peter.

10. CONSIDER NEXT THE STRIVING IN (Vr. 24)

1. This word is found 22 times in the Scriptures.

2. (Gen 26:20) "And the herdmen of Gerar did strive with Isaac's herdmen, saying, The water is ours: and he called the name of the well Esek; because they strove with him."

3. (Job 33:13) "Why dost thou strive against him? for he giveth not account of any of his matters."

4. (Isa 45:9) "Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands?"

a. This word "STRIVETH" is only found twice...Here and in (1 Cor. 9:25), where Paul speaks of one striving for mastery."

"Sinner, O why so thoughtless grown--

Why in such dreadful haste to die?

Daring to leap to worlds unknown,

Heedless against thy God to fly.

"Wilt thou despise eternal fate,

Urged on by sin's fantastic dreams,

Madly attempt th' infernal gate,

And force thy passage to the flames?

b. F. B. Meyers says: "God compares those that strive with Him to a "Potsherd." A shred of pottery, which may have been part of a beautiful vase, but now as a broken fragment is good for nothing but the rubbish-heap. See it protruding from the cinders! This is the fate of the castaway, which the apostle feared."

5. (Mat 12:19) "He (Jesus) shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets."

a. Biblical Illustrator: "If Christ, who is all purity, could be gentle with the erring, why should not we?"

6. (2 Tim 2:14) "Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers."

III. PAUL’S CALL FOR GENTLENESS. (Vr. 24)

1. This word is found only five times in Scripture.

a. (1 Th 2:7) "But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children:"

b. (1 Pet 2:18) "Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward."

2. Solomon illustrates the act of gentleness.

a. (Prov. 15:1) " A soft answer turneth away wrath."

3. (Prov 16:24) "Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones."

4. (Song 1:15;4:1) "Thou hast doves eyes" (gentle, loving and pure)

5. (James 3:17) "But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy."

6. (2 Cor 10:1) "Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who in presence am base among you, but being absent am bold toward you:"

7. Cornelius Tyree, "The Moral Power of a Pious Life" (1859) refers to our Lord in (Mt 11:29)

a. (Mat 11:29) "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek ( or gentle) and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls."

8. (Gal 5:22) "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,"

a. William Jay's Evening Exercises (S-3-5) pg. 197

"I'll not easily offend,

Nor be easily offended;

What's amiss I'll strive to mend,

And endure what can't be mended."

IV. "APT TO TEACH" (Vr. 24-b)

1. (1 Tim 3:2) "A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;"

1. This word "apt" is found four times and means capable.

2. William Arthur Ward said:

1. The mediocre teacher tells.

2. The good teacher explains.

3. The superior teacher demonstrates.

4. The great teacher inspires.

3. (Deu 4:9) "Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons;"

4. (Deu 4:10) "Specially the day that thou stoodest before the LORD thy God in Horeb, when the LORD said unto me, Gather me the people together, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children."

5. (Deu 6:7) "And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up."

6. David had received sharp schooling, in his days of humiliation, when a traitor-son drove him out of Jerusalem. Terrible punishment did he bring upon himself once when "lust brought forth sin—and sin brought forth death," in the crime against Uriah. But had David not been under the instruction and discipline of the Holy Spirit—we never would have had many of the richest, profoundest, and most majestic Psalms—many of their most piercing wails and of their most jubilant thanksgivings.

7. (Psa 25:9) "The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way."

8. (Psa 34:11) "Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD."

9. (Psa 90:12) "So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom."

10. Teaching is a great part of the "Great Commission" (Mt 28:19-20)

11. (Mark 6:2) "And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands?"

12. (Rev 2:20) "Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest (allowest) that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols."

a. (1 Tim 2:12) "But I suffer (allow) not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence."

V. "PATIENT" (Vr. 24)

a. Esau, at the age of about 32, showed a lack of patience and sold his birthright.(Gen 25:29-34)

b. Sarah showed her lack of patience in waiting on the Lord to bless them with children.(Gen 16)

c. Rachel showed her lack of patience when she cried out: "Give me children, or else I die," (Gen. 30:1).

d. Rachel had children given her, and died in child-bearing, (Gen. 35:16-20).

e. William Gurnall: Like David's child, born in adultery, they die in the birth."

f. Israel grew impatient for Moses to return from the mount and on the 39th day, they rebelled and demanded a calf to worship. He returned the next day. Their impatience cost the lives of 3000 people.

g. Saul showed his impatience when he grabbed the censors and made an offering which only the High Priest was supposed to do.

Conclusion: It is related of Mrs. Hannah More, that when on her deathbed she was asked, If there were anything that could be done for her? Her reply was, "Nothing, but leave me, and forgive me, if I am impatient."