The walk of the men of God. So I am reading from verse 19: Nevertheless, the foundation of God standeth sure. Having this seal, the Lord knoweth them that are His. And let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. But in a great house they are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth, and some to honor, and some to dishonor. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work. Flee also youthful lusts, but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do, gender strives. And the servant of the Lord must not strive, but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness, instructing those that oppose themselves, if God preadventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth, and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will. Well, beloved brothers and sisters, here we know very well that as Paul, Shaul, writes to Timothy, this second letter, about 67 or so AD, to encourage him to continue on to follow Yeshua, the Messiah. Specifically in this second chapter, Paul is really emphasizing the importance of the walk of the man of God.

And we know it at the end of this letter, that he said to him in chapter 4 and verse 6, "For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand." He knew he was going to die. He knew he was going to leave this scene and to go to heaven to be with Yeshua the Messiah. He knew that the Roman Emperor will be now executing him because of his faith in Yeshua the Messiah. So, as a faithful servant, as the apostle of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, who wanted the assembly, the ecclesia, to continue to be built, he is writing to Timothy, a younger believer, who had already served with him, and he was now at Ephesus to encourage him to continue on.

So, you remember that we said already that he had mentioned in this second chapter, seven experiences of life that all believers experience in some form or shape, or illustrations that show us the importance of continuing on, pushing forward, following Yeshua the Messiah, because there will be all sorts of challenges that we will experience. When we walk with the Lord, here in this world, so he said to Timothy, in chapter 2, verse 1, "You are my son." In verse 3, "You are a good soldier." In verse 5, "That's a faithful athlete." In verse 6, he said, "As a farmer." And in verse 15, "As a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." And now, from verse 19 to verse 26, he continues with additional two experiences of life of the believer.

Timothy is to be like a vessel that is sanctified and suitable and useful for the master's uses, verse 21. And then finally, in verse 24 of this chapter, "He is to be a servant of the Lord that is gentle, apt to teach, patient, and in meekness instructing others." And so, we are going to deal with those two additional experiences of the life of the believer. So, he continued to encourage Timothy to realize the need of being a useful vessel. In Hebrew, we call it "kli." A vessel needs to be used for something. You know, if we live in a house, we have all sorts of vessels in our homes.

Dishes in the kitchen. Chairs and sofas in our living room. Beds in our bedroom. So, we have all sorts of vessels that we are using in order to function. Well, here in verses 19 to 22, Paul encourages Timothy with the need to be a very useful vessel. It's terrible if one is not used by the Lord. It's rather sad when one becomes a believer in Yeshua, he accepts the Messiah, he became a child of God, he receives forgiveness of sins, but he or she are not useful vessels for the Lord. He wants to use us. Just like he used Shaul Paul to be the apostle of the uncircumcision.

Just like he used Shimon Petros as the apostle to the circumcision, to the Jewish people. And just like Timothy is being used to be a servant among the Ephesians and elsewhere. And now Paul continues to encourage him to be a vessel that is useful. So, in verse 19a, he's just reminding him, notice that he says, Nevertheless, the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal. You know, the foundation of God standing still, even though people like Himeneus and Philetus, who erred concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection have passed already. Timothy, Paul is saying, realized that the foundation of God standing sure. God's word never going to change.

Heaven and earth will pass away, but the word of God remains the same. The foundation is very important to understand, beloved brothers and sisters, because God's word never going to change. Yeshua the Messiah is the one that is the chief cornerstone, and the foundation will stand because it's standard sure. In Ephesians, chapter 2 and verse 19, Paul said to the brothers and sisters in the local assembly of Ephesus, Now, therefore, ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God. And ye are built upon the foundation of the apostles and the prophets, Jesus Christ, Yeshua HaMashiach, himself being the chief cornerstone.

Even hapinah in Hebrew. He is the chief cornerstone. He is the foundation that is built upon. He is the one. God's foundation is standing sure. And so it is to encourage Timothy, not to sway, not to be discouraged when there is opposition or false teaching. He should stand true for the word of God and that he should instruct others. You know, in chapter 12 of the book of Hebrews and in the last verses there, the apostle encouraged the Hebrew believers also to realize that the things of the Lord remain the same and they do not change. This is very important. In Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 28, we read, Wherefore, we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved.

Let us have grace whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. We received a kingdom which cannot be moved. So, Paul said to Timothy, Nevertheless, Verse 19a, The foundation of God standeth sure. And then he continues. He says, Having this seal. You know, The word for seal, Chotemet or Chotam in Hebrew. It's like a stamp. It's an assurance that God said it and it settled because he said it. This seal, This seal, This assurance that we have is clear. And therefore, Timothy, To realize that it is a sure thing. As the Lord Jesus, The Messiah tells us in his word. And so, We find out now that he continues in verse 19b.

And he says, Okay, Here is God's sovereignty. God had provided a sure foundation in the person of the Messiah. He is the chief cornerstone. You remember what Yeshua said in Matthew chapter 16 to Shimon Petos. He says, You are, Thou art Peter. And upon this rock, I will build my ecclesia, My assembly, My church, My called out ones. And the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And what was that Petros or that rock? It was Shimon Petros confession that Yeshua is the Messiah, The son of the living God. And so, Upon this confession that Yeshua is the Messiah, The son of the living God, God is building the ecclesia, The assembly today.

So, Nevertheless, The foundation of God stands sure. Having this seal, The Lord knows them that are his. God knows those that belong to him. We live now in the last days of the church age, Of the ecclesia. It is all sort of views, And many who name the name of the Lord Jesus the Messiah. Well, He knows his own. You remember what he said in John chapter 10, My sheep hear my voice, And I know them. I know them. And I'll give unto them eternal life, And they shall never perish. But what happened here, That Timothy is being exposed to various challenges, And various views. And he needs to face it.

Well, Paul is encouraging to be assured that the foundation of God stands sure, And that God has sealed it. It's a sure thing. And the Lord knows them that are his. So, God's sovereignty is presented in verse 19a. God knows every true believer in Yeshua the Messiah, Because he knows whether you have accepted him or not. No one will sneak in. No one will be able to trick God. Every one of us have to confess that we have sinned, And that God has sent the Lord Jesus the Messiah to save us from our sins. He came. He lived. He died on the tree. He was buried.

And he rose again on the third day. And he is ascended and exalted, seated at God's right hand. God knows those that belong to him. But now, here is the human responsibility we have here in verse 19b. Let everyone that named the name of Christ depart from iniquity. You see, verse 19b really is taking from the book of Numbers. Paul, as a Jewish man, read the Tanakh, the Old Testament. And he knew what happened in Israel's history. And he is taking various illustrations and things that happened in the life of Israel, our people. And he applied this to believers today. You remember Korach, in chapter 16, was the son of Izhar.

And he, with other 250 princes, assembled. And they came against Moshe and against Aaron, Moses and Aaron. And they said, ye take too much upon you. Seeing all the congregation are holy. Every one of them. In other words, they were blaming Moshe and Aaron. As if they have taken too much upon them. And they said, you lift up yourself above the congregation of the Lord. So Moses, you know, as a man of God, he said, and it's important in verse 5. Moshe is back unto Korach, and he said unto his company, saying, Even tomorrow the Lord will show who are his. He said, he knows, even him whom he has chosen.

The Lord knows who belongs to him, whom he has chosen, whom have accepted him. This is his sovereignty. He chose Moses. He chose Aaron. Just the same like he chose us as believers in Yeshua, the Messiah, as we read in Ephesians chapter 1. We have been chosen in the Messiah before the foundation of the world. So the Lord knows them that are his. But now we see a little bit later on in Numbers chapter 16, that we find out that Moses is really saying in verse 26. He's back unto the congregation. He said, depart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men and touch nothing of theirs, lest ye be consumed in all their sins.

In other words, Moses says, okay, here, God chose whom he have chosen. Now there is the responsibility of those whom he have chosen to depart from iniquity. And this is a thought, beloved brothers and sisters, that we have here in verse 19. Everyone that named the name of the Mashiach, of Christ, of the Messiah, let him depart from iniquity. Now, this is where we oftentimes fail. If the Lord is going to use us, if the Lord is going to be pleased with us, there is a need of separation from iniquity and separation unto our Lord, Yeshua, the Messiah. The writer of the Hebrews says, lay aside the sin which does so easily beset us.

Satan is attacking God's people. The world is influencing God's people. And our flesh is so sinful and we need the Lord to help us to judge ourselves and depart from iniquity. And so now in verse 20, the apostle Paul gives an illustration of the state of the church or Christendom, we might call it. All those who profess the name of the Lord, Yeshua, the Messiah. Notice I'm reading verse 20. But in a great house, there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth and some to honor and some to dishonor. Now, it is so interesting, beloved brothers and sisters, notice that he used the word, but in a great house.

That great house is really the professing church, the professing assembly. In other words, is all those that you might say come under the umbrella of naming the name of the Lord, Jesus, the Lord, Yeshua, the Messiah. If you turn back with me to first Timothy, chapter three, we learn what is that house. According to first Timothy three, 15, Paul said to Timothy in the previous letter. But if I tarry long, the dumbest know how thou artest to behave in the house of God. He said, Timothy, I wanted to know how you should behave in the house of God. Well, immediately you and I might think, oh, he's speaking about the building that is called the house of God.

But notice, beloved brothers and sisters, he doesn't speak about the building with cement and wood and blocks. He's speaking about the called out ones, the people of God. And so he said in first Timothy three, 15 B, what is the house of God? Which is number one, the church of the living God. That means the assembly, the called out one, Jew and Gentile who are called out. They're called out from among Israel. They are called out from among the Gentile world and they are united together into one body, the ecclesia. Secondly, it is the pillar and the ground of the truth. It is where the truth can be received and taught the truth of the word of God.

The called out ones, Jewish believers, Gentile believers together, united in the person of the Messiah, Yeshua, making out the ecclesia. And there, those who have accepted the Messiah can learn the truth of the word of God. And this is the pillar and the ground of the truth. So by the time second Timothy is written by the apostle Paul to Timothy. Now this house of God become a great house. Why? Because as time goes on, there are many, many who profess the name of the Lord who are really haven't accepted Yeshua as their Messiah, Lord and Savior. Maybe their family is believers. Maybe their family is believers.

Maybe their mom, their dad. But they themselves haven't made a profession of faith. And therefore, it becomes a great house. You remember like we have in the parable of the tares found in Matthew chapter 13, where Jesus, Yeshua taught those parables in the Galil, in our land of Israel. The sower was he himself. He is the one who sowed the seeds in the ground. But then an evil one came and he also saw tares. So what happened, the wheat and the tares, they grew together and eventually they got mixed up. And in a sense, he almost could no longer recognize in a clear way, what is the wheat and what is the tares.

We find out that the disciples wanted to know what to do with it. And the Lord taught them that wonderful lesson. He said to them there at the end of this passage, he says, listen, when the son of man shall send forth his angels and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend and them which do iniquity. And he shall cast them into a furnace of fire. There shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. In other words, he says, listen, don't worry. When you come to the field, you have the good seed and you have the tares, leave them to grow together.

But when the son of man going to come in his second coming, he's going to take the good seed and bring it to himself and take the tares and cast it into the lake of fire. And so here we find out in the great house, they are all kind, some true believers and some false. And even within the true believers, you have some who are vessels of honor and some who are not vessels of honor. We can distinguish this in two ways. Believers and unbelievers are part of Christendom. But even within the true believers, there are some vessels that are clean and vessels that are honoring to the Lord.

And there are vessels that are not honoring to the Lord. And so what he's telling to Timothy, they are all sort of vessels. Some of them are vessels of honor. They honor the Lord. They please Yeshua the Messiah. They seek to live for him. They seek to serve him. They seek to be a useful vessels. But there are those that do not seek to do so. They are not responding to the Lord. So that's why he says in verse 21, If a man therefore purge himself from these. What are these these? The these here of verse 21 is the vessels of dishonor. If we can look at that they are gold and silver has value.

And you have the wood and earth that is not as valuable. In other words, a man ought to, as it says in verse 21, Purge himself, cleanse himself from these. He shall be a vessel unto honor sanctified and meet or useful for the master's use. And prepared unto every good work. And you see, the Lord want his people to be useful vessels. You know, a time, unfortunately, if we are not careful and we know how the enemy works full time to hinder us from our spiritual growth and to hinder us from being useful to the Lord. A time, unfortunately, the Lord cannot use us when we do not have that separation.

And separation does not mean isolation. It does not mean to be sectarian. It doesn't mean to think one superior than other. You know, sometimes we have the expression holier than thou. That is not the thought. The Lord want to use his people as vessels that are suitable. The word here, meet for the master's use. In other words, it's useful for the master's use. And if we are going to be useful for the Lord, we must ask him to help us to purge ourselves, to cleanse ourselves, and to honor him by doing so. It reminds me when the disciples were with Yeshua in Yerushalayim, in a homeland in Israel some 2,000 years ago, sitting at the Passover that Yeshua was sitting with them just before he went to the cross.

You remember that? How he began to wash the disciples' feet? John chapter 13. And he was going from one to another. And when he arrived to Peter, Peter said to him, "Lord, you will never wash my feet." And Peter needed to learn something that you and I need to learn in our life. What does that mean? Why is it so necessary to wash the disciples' feet? Well, Yeshua said to Peter, "What I do now, you do not know, but you shall know it hereafter." To know after, what does that mean? We find very quickly that we get defiled. The feet represent our walk here in this world.

We get dirty. Our thoughts, what we see, what we say, how we behave, what we listen to. We get defiled, beloved brothers and sisters, through the television, through the internet, through the newspaper, through the radio. In various ways, we get defiled. Satan attacks us. The world tempts us. The lust of the flesh rises up from within us. Well, we need to be cleansed. Not anymore the one-time cleansing that we receive when we have accepted Yeshua as our Messiah, Lord and Savior. That is done. This is once and for all, brought us to become children of the Father. Bnei Elohim. But now we need on an ongoing basis, day by day, to be purged, to be cleansed.

That's why Yeshua said in John 13 verse 8 to Shimon Petos, "If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me." Notice, he doesn't say thou hast no part in me, because Peter was already in Mashiach, in Christ, in Messiah. He was a believer. But if you want to have part with the Messiah, in fellowship with him, serving him, well, one needs to be washed on an ongoing basis. And how do we do that? Well, that's why Shaul Paul wrote to Timothy in verse 21, "If a man therefore cleanse himself from these," in other words, "have a purging, a separation, a cleansing from that which is defiling, and draw closer to the Lord through his word, he will become a vessel unto honor, sanctified," in Hebrew, "mekudash," set apart, and "meat" or "profitable" or "useful" for the master's use.

Because God want to use his people. God want to use Timothy. That's why Paul writes to Timothy to encourage him to be a useful vessel. But in order to do so, one has to purge himself. Notice also verse 21. It doesn't say if any group. It says if any men. It's very individual. Every one of us have to be, you might say, spiritually exercised on an ongoing basis to purge ourselves from that which is dishonoring to the Lord. To the Laodicean church, Yeshua said in Revelation chapter 3, He said to the professing ecclesia, professing church of the Laodicean, He said, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock." Well, He's already out.

He's not in anymore. Because His word, His will have been set aside. So He's standing at the door and He's knocking. From without, He's knocking in. And then He said if any men open the door. If anyone, every single individual will open the door, I will come in and sup with him and he with me. Or with her and she with me. He wants to enjoy fellowship with His own people. So when we are not living a life that is pleasing to Him, the fellowship with Him is not enjoyed. To remind you that we are linked with Yeshua the Messiah who is glorified and in heaven in two ways.

The link of union and the link of communion. The link of union has been done. It's a done deal. When we have accepted the Messiah as our Lord and Savior, we will never perish. We have everlasting life. But the link of communion has to do with how do we live here in our day-by-day living. And therefore, at time, no wonder there are so many clouds above us because we allow sin in our life to the extent that our fellowship with the Lord is no longer as it used to be. We have left perhaps our first love. Our affection have been elsewhere. Our thoughts, our desires, and our walk with the Lord is no longer like it used to be when we first have accepted Him.

So, He wants a vessel that is suitable, that is useful. In Hebrew, we call it mo'il. A vessel that is helpful. There are so many needs among the people of God. Broken homes. Broken relationships. Discouragement all around. False teaching. False practices. Arguments and fighting and bickering. There are so many needs that we all have in our own life. Should we not be vessels that will bring honor to the Lord and blessing to God's people? Of course we should. We can share the gospel of salvation with the lost. We can shepherd the sheep who are needing to be shepherds. We can teach the word, rightly dividing the word of truth as a workman that needeth not to be ashamed.

There are so many needs because soon the Messiah is coming. And He is going to desire to say to us, well done, good and faithful servant. So, how precious it is. Here is Paul, before he dies, writing this encouragement to his son in the faith by the name of Timothy. Well, he continues now in verse 22. And he says, Flee also youthful lusts. And follow righteousness, faith, love, peace with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. Notice he says, Flee youthful lusts. You know, often times we think of it only sexually. But you know, when you think about youthful, when a person is young, he is very ambitious.

He has an ambition. He wants to build things. He wants to develop things. He wants to conquer the world on his own. And while it is true, young men, young women want to conquer, to have ambition, to build and so on, but not to neglect the necessity of doing this along with the Lord. And if we neglect the Lord and just running after youthful lust and neglecting God, we will ultimately realize that time passes by and we are not going to stay young forever. And as we get older, we realize that we have wasted a lot of time in our life and our spiritual relationship with God.

King Solomon, even though he failed in many ways, God has used him to write to our people, the book of Proverbs, the book of Ecclesiastics and the songs of Solomon. The book of Proverbs and the book of Ecclesiastics and the song of Solomon teaches us many, many lessons. But one thing Solomon said at the end of the book of Ecclesiastes, chapter 12 and verse 1, he says, "Remember now, thy Creator, in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them." You see, youthfulness, it's wonderful to be young, but when we have lust, meaning that we only want our own way, we have ambitions to do many, many things, and we leave God outside of our life, we are losing out.

It's so beautiful to see young people following the Lord, even though they continue on, they establish a family, and they get a job, an education, but they always seem to take God with them. You know, that's one of the things that we find out in the history of our people, Israel, with men and women, like, for example, Daniel, Hananiah, Azariah, Mishael, who have been captives of the Babylonians, but even there in Babel, they wanted to stay close to the God of our fathers, and God used them, and they have accomplished much in Babylon. What do you think about Yosef, Joseph, the son of Yaakov, who devoted himself to the Lord, and he himself was used to become second to Pharaoh.

And when we think about others, in the history, even in our days, in the church age, how the young people who devote themselves to the Lord, yes, they have a desire to do certain things here in this world, but they take the Lord to be their life. And so, this is a very useful lust. But on the other hand, follow righteousness, this is tzedek, faith, this is emunah, love, this is ahava, and peace, this is shalom. If you give up on something, you are to follow that which the Lord wants you to follow. So follow righteousness, faith, love, and peace. And you are not to do it on your own, and not to even think that you are the only one who follow this, because there are others.

you are to seek other believers, to fellowship with, to walk with the Lord, to study the Word, to grow spiritually. You want to be with those that are sincere, the desire to follow Yeshua, the Messiah. There are many, many verses in Scripture. For example, in 1 Corinthians 6:18, Paul said, "Flee fornication." In 1 Corinthians 10:14, Paul said, "Flee from idolatry." In 1 Timothy 6:11, Paul said, "Flee these things." You notice, the word for "flee" applies to all sorts of things that dishonor the Lord, but you never told in the Bible that you are to flee the devil. Satan. We could never give Satan our back. From Satan we don't flee, but as Yaakov, as James said in chapter 4 and verse 7, resist the devil and he will flee from you.

We need to encourage each other because we are weak. Sin, as I mentioned, easily beset us and we need to support each other, to encourage each other, to build each other up. So, beloved brothers and sisters, verses 19 to 22, the Apostle Paul writes to Timothy to encourage him with the importance of being a useful vessel, "Kli Mo'il" ready to be used for the Master. And indeed, he used Timothy, he used Paul for the ministry of Yeshua the Messiah. You and I are benefiting from these writings today as we read this passage. Well, we continue on. 2 Timothy 2:23-26 Paul impressing upon the heart of Timothy the importance of being a faithful servant.

"Mesharet." And so he began with verse 23 and he says, "If you are going to serve, you have to learn to avoid certain things." He said, "But foolish and unlearned question avoid, knowing that they do gender strife." You know, it is said, "And there are those who ask questions and have all kinds of foolish requests that are really not interested in building up the people of God." The questions that are being asked are really unhealthy and unedifying. So, Paul said to Timothy, "Listen, Timothy, avoid this kind because it is only causing strife among the people of God." They fight and they argue and they hurt each other and they get discouraged.

No wonder many times groups of believers are scattered, are separated and divided. Solomon, once again, helps us with this to know, to discern who is really asking a foolish question to cause strife and who is really asking questions because he simply doesn't know. So, sometime in our Bible classes some say, "Well, Brother Gideon, it's maybe a foolish question but I would like to ask that." Well, you can see that that person doesn't mean to cause strife. He or she simply have a question. But, King Shlomo said, in Proverbs 26, verses 4 and 5. The word for fool is "ksil" in Hebrew. So, he says, "Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him." Here is a fool that asking foolish questions because he really want to be causing problems.

So, he says to him, "Do not answer him because you are going to be just like him." Don't even answer that. But here on the other hand, Shlomo, Solomon says in verse 5 of Proverbs 26, "Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit." In other words, if somebody asks foolish questions that he's really, really, he's trying only to trick someone, well, you can answer him in a way that he questioned because otherwise he will be wise in his own conceit. in other words, he will think, wow, here I am. I was successful in asking a question that I caused this person whom I asked to stumble and to fall.

He says, you know what, answer him according to his folly. So, Timothy, verse 23, avoid foolish and unlearned questions. He told him this, beloved brothers and sisters, already in chapter 1 of the first letter, in verse 4, he said, neither give heed to fables and endless genealogy, which minister questions rather than godly edifying, which is in faith, so do. He already mentioned this to him in the first letter that he wrote about those kind of foolish questions. In chapter 6 of the first letter, he also mentioned there in verses 3 and 4, If any men teach otherwise and consent not to the wholesome words, even words of our Lord Jesus the Messiah, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing but doing about questions and strife of words whereof cometh envy, strife, railing, and evil surmisings.

You see, he already mentioned this to him in the first letter that he wrote to him. Also, you can see in this particular letter as well, in 2 Timothy, in verses 14 and 16 of this chapter, he said in verse 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 their hearers. In verse 16, but shun profane and vain babblings for they will increase unto more ungodliness. You see, he already mentioned it again and apparently, he knew what is going on in Christendom and what was going on in the professing church. many have all kinds of questions that I really do not mean well.

It's ultimately leading to strife and Paul warned Timothy about this. And on the other hand, in verse 24 now, he is encouraging him to be a servant a servant that know how to conduct himself faithfully. He says, and the servant, mesharet, or eved in Hebrew, the dolos in the Greek, D-O-U-L-O-S, and the servant of the Lord must not strive, but be gentle unto all men, up to teach, and patient. Wow! When I think about that, you know, it is so precious when there are those who serve the Lord who are being an example, who doesn't fight. You know, the ministry to serve the Lord is not an issue of ego and fighting and trying to prove oneself.

In ministry, to be a servant, to be a mesharet, or eved, the servant, the servant is to do his Lord's bidding. You know, the Lord, Yeshua, the Messiah, was the greatest servant here on earth. We read of him in scripture. He was the Hebrew servant of Exodus chapter 21 who said, I love my master. I love my wife. I love my children. I will not go out free. He is a true Hebrew servant. He is the one of whom Isaiah prophetically spoke. He says, Behold my servant. He is the servant of the Lord. He is the one whom the Gospel of Mark is specifically presenting him as the servant of the Lord.

He is the one that Paul wrote that Paul wrote in Philippians chapter 2. He counted not robbery to be equal with God, but he made himself of no reputation. Beloved brothers and sisters. So precious. He said that he took upon himself the form of a servant. Philippians 2 and verse 7. How precious. He was the one who didn't fight. He didn't strive. You remember as a lamb he was led to the slaughter. He opened not his mouth. This is the Mashiach, the Messiah of Israel and the Savior of this world. What a lovely person to be occupied with. What a joy it gives our hearts when we think about him.

you know, Paul telling Timothy graciously, he says, "Timothy listen, the servant of the Lord must not strive." He doesn't fight. In Hebrew the word to strive, you know, constant argument and fighting and demanding things. No, the servant of the Lord is not fighting, not striving, not seeking his own way all the time. But the servant of the Lord seeks the Lord's will in his life. And so we continue. And he said, notice the opposite. He said, "But be gentle unto all men up to teach and patient." You know, the servant of the Lord is to be gentle. He is to be the kind of a person that is gentle with others.

To all men because that is the way to attract others to the person of Yeshua. And then notice, secondly, he is apt to teach. When you read it in the Hebrew text, it says, "Mevin le lamed." In order for you to teach, for I to teach, we have to understand what we are teaching. And then thirdly, it says, "patient." To be patient, it means that one has to go through some challenges because Romans teaches us that tribulation works as patient. we are not born being patient. We learn patience by experiencing some tribulations. Trouble, tribulation, work as patience according to Romans chapter 5. So the servant of the Lord, gentle, he is apt to teach and needs to be patient.

And this is precious, beloved, brothers and sisters. And then he continues in verse 25 and he says, "In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves, if God pre-adventure will give them repentance through the acknowledging of the truth." See, now here, he's adding another word. He says, "In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves." The word for meekness here is anva in Hebrew and it's simply in the Greek is paraotes, P-A-R-A-O-T-E-S, simply mean one that is meek. Meek, it doesn't mean weak. Meek means that he's controlling himself. He's under control in meekness. He allowed God to lead him. In Matthew 11, verse 28 and 29, we read, "Come unto me, O all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest," Yeshua said.

"Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart." We can learn from Yeshua. And he is meek and that's why if we are going to be used by the Lord and to be a faithful servant, we are not to strive. Timothy is not to strive. He is to be gentle. He is to be apt to teach. He is to be patient. And once he does teach, Timothy, you and I, in meekness, instructing those, even those that oppose themselves. You know why? Because God is able to restore them. If there are believers who have gone astray, he is able to restore them.

In this context, notice, notice he says, "If God pre-adventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth." They have erred, they have gone astray. Something has happened that perhaps led them astray. They have allowed Satan to beguile them. They have allowed the world to influence them. They have allowed their flesh to rise up and to have its own way. Many believers have time to go astray and need to be restored. What about unbelievers? Unbelievers need also to come to know the truth of the Word of God, but first of all to know that they need to be saved and forgiven by Yeshua the Messiah.

So, whether it is unbelievers or whether it is believers who are departed from that which is the ABC of God's Word, the servant who is faithful, who deals in gentleness, in the ability to teach, with patience, and with meekness, the Lord is able to use him or her, everyone in his own sphere of service to lead them to be useful for the Lord as faithful servant. The truth shall set you free if you are an unbeliever. But even believers need to study and to learn the truth. You notice how many times there were truth mentioned here in this 2 Timothy chapter 2? in verse 15 it says, study to show yourself a proof unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Notice verse 18 about Hermenius and Philetus, it says in verse 18, who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection had passed already and overthrew the faith of some. And here the third time in verse 25 that the servant in meekness instructing those who oppose themselves, if God pre-adventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth. the truth, emet. I am the way, the truth and the life. No one come to the Father but by me, Yeshua said. Turn to the one who is emet, who is the truth and he will give you eternal relationship with him. But what about us as believers now? We have accepted the one who is the way, the truth and the life.

We also at times are in danger of being turning away from the truth. some here already said concerning the resurrection it's already passed. The resurrection already happened. You know, some people teach all kind of things that are unbiblical, not found in the Word of God. And therefore, Timothy is to be a servant that is faithful, that he is in gentleness, in ability to teach and in patience and in meekness. He will instruct others and he is able to even restore those who oppose themselves and God is able to give them repentance to the knowledge of the truth. Well, beloved brothers and sisters, verse 26 is the last verse of 2 Timothy chapter 2.

And Paul says, "And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil who are taken captive by him at his will." Notice this expression "recover themselves." that suggests that they were already believers. But what happened, they have been, as it's said here, under the snare of the devil. You know, the devil doesn't stop for a moment to seek to harm the people of God. The devil is constantly seeking to harm the people of God. of God. That's why it says to us in Ephesians chapter 6, "Put on the whole armor of God that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." The devil is always trying to trick us, always trying to cause us to stumble.

He said to Chava, to Eve, in the garden of Eden, "Hath God said," Genesis chapter 3, "He is called the accuser of the brethren." Revelation chapter 12, the accuser of the brethren fell down. You know, the brethren, of course, are the brethren of Yeshua, the brethren of the Lord. These are the people of Israel who are doing the tribulation, will be persecuted by Satan, the accuser of the brethren who constantly accused the nation of Israel before God. And he is constantly accusing the believers before God. Today, you and I, believers in Yeshua. That's what the devil does. And so, here we find out that in 2 Timothy chapter 2 and verse 26 that the servant of the Lord can be used by the Lord if he has a faithful desire to please the Lord and in meekness instructing those who oppose themselves against God and maybe they will be repenting because they can recover out of the snare of the devil.

And that snare, it's very similar to a net or a fishing hook. When we go fishing, you would cast the net and you would lure the fish into the net and then you will grab them and bring them in. In Hebrew, when it says, snares of the devil, it says, "Reshet HaSatan" the net of Satan. He catches and he beguiling us and he causing us to stumble many times. But God is able, by the grace of God, using his servant to be a blessing to people and to restore many back to himself. beloved brothers and sisters, seven-fold experiences that one might have in his or her life, the Apostle Paul presenting here in the second chapter of 2 Timothy to Timothy himself.

A son, a soldier, an athlete, a farmer, a worker, a vessel, a servant. In Hebrew, we say, "Ben" "Chayal" "Sportai" "Ikar" "Poel" "Kli" "Mesharet" And through all these seven examples, each one of them can be drawing us in ministering to the Lord or helping Timothy to understand the importance of serving the Lord faithfully. well, beloved brothers and sisters, may the Lord help us as we study the second letter that Paul wrote to Timothy because we are weak vessels and the Lord is able to help us and may the Lord use us to be an encouragement to each other and a blessing to each other and to honor the Lord Jesus the Messiah who soon and very soon will come to take us to be with him in glory.