Sunday 10/09/22 - Sidney UMC
Sermon Title: “The Word Of Truth!” (“2 Timothy Series”: Part 2 of 4)
Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 66:1-12
New Testament Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:8-15
Gospel Lesson: Luke 17:11-19
Last
week I started a new four-week sermon series on the Apostle Paul’s letter or
book called 2 Timothy, in the New Testament. Last week we had our first
lectionary reading of this sermon series from 2 Timothy. Today we have another lectionary
reading from 2 Timothy, and we then have readings from 2 Timothy for the next
two Sundays.
As I said last Sunday, our readings
from 2 Timothy from last Sunday, today, and the next two weeks we have some
great wisdom and truths in them. Since this is true, once again, I started a four-week
sermon series on 2 Timothy last Sunday.
Last Sunday, my sermon from 2 Timothy
1:1-14 was called “Guard The Good Treasure.” Today my sermon from 2 Timothy
2:8-15 is called “The Word Of Truth!” Next Sunday my sermon will be called “Proclaiming
The Message!”, and finally in the fourth and last week of this sermon series,
my sermon will be called, “Fought The Good Fight!”
Interestingly,
all four or these sermons are not just titles I made up. All four of these
sermons from our readings from 2 Timothy are little pieces of a verse from the book
of 2 Timothy.
Last
Sunday, the Apostle Paul told his young friend and apprentice Timothy and us,
to “Guard The Good Treasure.” The Apostle Paul was telling Timothy and us to
keep teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, to keep living it, to keep loving,
and keep teaching what Jesus taught us. These are powerful words, and good
thing that we are called to remember.
Today,
the last four-words of our 2 Timothy reading from 2:8-15, says in verse 2:15:
the word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15b, NRSV).
Some
of us might remember well, when Jesus was standing before the Roman Governor of
Judea, Pontius Pilate on the first Good Friday. Pilate, of course, was deciding
Jesus’ fate. In John 18:17-18, it says this:
37 Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” 38 Pilate asked him, “What is truth?” (Jn. 18:37-38, NRSV).
Pontius
Pilate either did not understand the truth that Jesus was offering, or he did
not believe in absolute truth all together. Jesus, on earth was claiming to
have spoken absolute truth. In fact, in the gospel of John, we have Jesus’
famous “I Am” statements. These are a very interesting way that Jesus explains
his authority, because when God spoke to Moses in the burning bush, God said
that his name was “I Am”. For Jesus to say, “I Am” is quite a statement, and
this is what caused the religious leaders to tear their robes open at Jesus’
trial on Good Friday. Since Jesus claimed that he was God on earth, the
religious leaders at his trial tore their robes in disgust of Jesus’ claim.
Getting back to Jesus’ I
am statements in the gospel of John, Jesus says:
·
I am the Bread of Life (John 6:35)
·
I am the Light of the World (John 8:12)
·
I am the Door (John 10:9)
·
I am the Good Shepherd (John 10:11,14)
·
I am the Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25)
·
I am the Way and the Truth and the Life (John 14:6)
· I am the Vine (John 15:1,5)
So,
what do we do with these statements and scriptures of the truth of Jesus
Christ? Further, when the Apostle Paul tells us this morning of Jesus, once
again, in 2 Timothy 2:15b:
the word of truth, what does the Apostle
Paul mean (2 Tim. 2:15b, NRSV)?
In our reading from Psalm 66:1-12 for this
morning, it says in Psalm 66:3-5, once again:
3 Say to God,
“How awesome
are your deeds! Because of your great power, your enemies cringe before you. 4 All the earth worships you; they sing
praises to you, sing praises to your name.” Selah 5 Come
and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds among
mortals (Ps. 66:3-5,
NRSV).
Is God’s power and majesty
really as the Psalmist claims? Or to use the Apostle Paul’s words from our 2
Timothy reading for this morning, in our Psalm 66 reading, is it “The Word Of
Truth?” Jesus says, in many places and in many ways in the gospels that he is “The
Word of Truth.” Are the words of Jesus true? Or are some of them true? Or, if
he was God on earth, are all of the words he spoke “The Word Of Truth.”
What
the Apostle Paul claims in our all four of our 2 Timothy readings that I am
preaching on from this 2 Timothy series, is that Jesus is the truth. This truth
in Christ has manifested in multiple Christian denominations and perspectives,
over the last two-thousand years, all coming out of the truth that is Jesus Christ.
I believe that Jesus Christ, and his word are indeed, “The Word Of Truth”. From
Jesus’ teachings the church has gone in many different directions, but Jesus is
“The Word Of Truth.”
In
looking more closely at our reading from 2 Timothy 2:8-15 for this morning. It
says starting in 2:8 once again:
8 Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David—that is my gospel, 9 for which I suffer hardship, even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But the word of God is not chained. 10 Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, so that they may also obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory (2 Tim. 2:8-10, NRSV).
The
Apostle Paul asserts that he believe that it is true that Jesus rose from the
dead, and that Jesus is a descendant of the great King David. For believing that
Jesus is our Lord and Savior, and the very “Word Of Truth,” the Apostle Paul
said he has suffered. The Apostle Paul said he has even been chained like a
criminal for his faith in Christ. Yet the Apostle Paul said, God is not changed,
for Jesus is “The Word Of Truth.” If Jesus is “The Word Of Truth,” then we must
endure, because the truth will set us free. This truth is offered to us, so
that we receive might salvation and eternal glory with Jesus Christ.
The
Apostle Paul continues on, picking up on 2 Timothy 2:11, once again, saying:
11 The saying is sure: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; 12 if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he will also deny us; 13 if we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself. 14 Remind them of this, and warn them before God that they are to avoid wrangling over words, which does no good but only ruins those who are listening (2 Tim. 2:11-14, NRSV).
If
Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, is truly “The Word Of Truth,” as the Apostle
Paul tells us he is this morning, then we must spiritually die. We must
spiritually die to our sin and our brokenness, and we must rise to new spiritual
life in Christ. If we have faith in Jesus, the King of Kings, and the Lord of
Lords, we will reign with him for eternity. If we deny Christ, he will deny us,
if we are faithless, Christ’s love and faith will remain faithful. Jesus, “The Word
Of Truth,” cannot deny himself the Apostle Paul says.
The
Apostle Paul then tells Timothy and us in 2:15 to tell people about this Jesus,
to keep people from fighting, or wrangling over words. This quarreling only
harms everyone. Stay focused on Jesus Christ.
Lastly,
where I got this second sermon title for this second installment of this 2
Timothy sermon series, the Apostle Paul concludes in our 2 Timothy 2:8-15
reading for this morning with 2:15, saying once again:
15 Do your best to present
yourself to God as one approved by him, a worker who has no need to be ashamed,
rightly explaining the word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15, NSRV).
The
Apostle Paul says to all of us, with no exceptions, all people on this earth,
be Godly, work for Christ unashamedly. Tell people of the love and grace of
Jesus Christ. This is how we are building Christian Community, and this is how
we grow faith, change Sidney, and change the world. If Jesus loves every single
one of us unconditionally, and if he taught us the way of perfect truth, then
the “The Word Of Truth,” is the life, the light, and the love of Jesus Christ.
Remember,
how I said that this love of Jesus is offered to us all? This love of Jesus
knows no bounds and is offered to all people. In fact, Jesus went to all manner
of people. Jesus did not just go to the righteous, to the top of society, Jesus
also went to the outcast, the lost, the forsaken, the unloved, and the oppressed.
In this morning’s gospel of Luke 17:11-19 reading, we have a prime example of this.
This example is what is commonly known as Jesus cleansing the Ten Lepers. Or
another way to put it is Jesus’ healing Lepers.
Well,
if we do not already know, just what is a leper? Well, Leprosy, which is what
these Lepers had, can be defined as:
Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae or Mycobacterium lepromatosis. Infection can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve damage may result in a lack of ability to feel pain, which can lead to the loss of parts of a person's extremities from repeated injuries or infection through unnoticed wounds. An infected person may also experience muscle weakness and poor eyesight (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leprosy).
Leprosy
or Hansen’s disease can cause a person to be covered in rash, have open sores, to
lose limbs, etc. Lepers is Jesus’ day were seen as religiously unclean. Lepers
were believed to have leprosy as a punishment from God. Lepers were cast out of
the temple from worship and were forbidden to go near anyone else that did not
have leprosy. For they must be grievous sinners the religious leaders thought,
and in addition to this, they were seen as ritually unclean. For a good Jew to touch
a leper, it would make the Jew unclean. Going near lepers was forbidden, unless
maybe if you were some sort of doctor or medical worker.
Many
people have asked me over my years of ministry why some Jews reject Jesus Christ
as Lord and savior. There are many answers for this, but a common answer is that
Jesus violated the Jewish Law. This morning, Jesus went to the lepers, who were
ritually unclean, and therefore, Jesus was seen as ritually unclean. The true Messiah,
the true savior, as some Jews have said to me, would not have gone to the
lepers like this. Yet, Jesus came to fulfill the law, and show us the love and
mercy of almighty God.
In
looking at our gospel of Luke 17:11-19 reading for this morning, it says
starting in 17:1, once again:
11 On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, 13 they called out, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 14 When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were made clean (Lk. 17:11-14, NRSV).
So,
Jesus is headed to Jerusalem this morning, and he is approached by ten lepers
in the region between Samaria and Galilee. These lepers approached Jesus, as he
entered the village. The lepers, who were told that they were sinners and
ritually unclean, because they were lepers, kept their distance from Jesus. The
cried out to Jesus for mercy. In response, Jesus said to the lepers, go and
show yourselves to the priests. This was a “no no,” as these lepers were not
allowed anywhere near the synagogues, temples, or where people that were not lepers
were at. As the lepers walked though, they were made clean and healed.
Why
did Jesus not just heal the lepers, but at the same time send them to the priests?
Jesus, one wanted to show the lepers and priests God’s power through him. Two, Jesus
wanted to also show the priests that these lepers were people to. You see,
Jesus did not reject anyone, he offered forgiveness to all people, as there was
no being separated from society for Jesus. We are all welcome in this church, and
we are all offered the love of Christ equally. No matter who we are, Jesus came
to love us, and to set us free.
Unfortunately,
nine of the ten lepers kept walking towards the priests and did not turn back.
Yet, as the scripture picks up in Luke 17:15, it says of one leper:
15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. 16 He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus asked, “Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? 18 Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 Then he said to him, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well” (Lk. 17:15-18, NRSV).
This leper, even if he was fully healed at this point, was
still seen as ritually unclean. Jesus let him come to him anyway, and this man
was not a jew, but was a Samaritan. What saved this man, Jesus said that this
man’s faith has made him well.
What so many of the Apostle Paul’s letters in the New
Testament lay out, is the overwhelming, never ending, precious love of God, in
Jesus Christ. In fact, as one my favorite scriptures from Romans 8:38-39 says
of Jesus:
38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom. 8:38-39, NRSV).
Nothing, I mean nothing, can separate us from the love of God
in Jesus Christ, if we but turn to Christ. Lepers, sinners, broken people,
Pastor Paul, you, and everyone is loved deeply by Jesus Christ. This morning,
therefore, the Apostle Paul is telling his young friend and apprentice Timothy,
and us, to right explain to the world “The Word Of Truth” that is
Jesus Christ.
What
else would gather us all here in this time and in this place, if not the love
of Jesus Christ. What is the best hope my life and your life? The love of Jesus
Christ. What is the best hope for Sidney, New York, the United States, and the whole
world? The love and the gospel of Jesus Christ. For as the Apostle Paul says
this morning, Jesus Christ our Lord is indeed “The Word Of Truth.” Amen.
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