Jump Start # 1686

2 Timothy 2:22 “Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.”

  Yesterday, we took a look at the word “avoid.” There are conversations in which the child of God needs to avoid. That sounds odd to us. Another principle like that similar to that is the idea of  “fleeing.” The Christian is told to flee. Go. Get out of there. Run. That sounds opposite of the “unmovable” that the Corinthians were told to be. That sounds opposite of the “stand firm” that the Ephesians were told. Stand firm. Hold your ground. That seems and sounds logical and right. However, we find those “fleeing” passages in our Bibles.

Here, in our verse today, it’s flee youthful lusts. In Corinthians, it’s, “flee fornication.” The Corinthians were also told to “flee idolatry.” The preacher Timothy was told to “flee” from the love of money. This can seem confusing to us. There are times we are to dig in and stand firm. There are other times we need to get out of there. Hold your ground or flee? Which is it?

We find ourselves in all sorts of trouble when we stick around when we ought to be fleeing. We remember Joseph, back in Genesis, when Potiphar’s wife grabbed him, he ran. He left his cloak in her hands. He didn’t go back for it. He got out of there as fast as he could. Had he stuck around, he may have gotten into trouble morally. In the words of the Duck Dynasty boys, “He’s gone.”

It seems that most of the fleeing verses surround sexual and moral situations. Youthful lusts—not youthful adventures. Not youthful attitudes. Not youthful ideas. It’s lusts. The lusts of the eyes is what got King David in trouble. Flee fornication—again, sexual and moral situations. We could even say this concerning, flee idolatry, since most of the idol worship involved illicit sex. Moral temptations are not the time to have a discussion, debate nor find ten things wrong with it. Rather, get moving. Get out of there. Flee.

Sometimes in our Bible classes we want to come up with some real fancy ideas and strategies about how to endure and survive temptations. We get brilliant with our solutions. The best solution is simply flee. Go, and don’t look back. We could discuss why a person is with someone who may tempt them. We could talk about the surroundings, finding spiritual giants to hang out with. We could try to identify things to look for as one heads down that road. We could study Proverbs 7, which is an eyewitness of an moral crash. Good stuff for a class. But when in those actual situations, it’s not a time for discussion but rather, flee. It may be at school. It may be at work. It may be towards a neighbor. Flee.

Fleeing may seem embarrassing to you. Fleeing may seem inappropriate without an explanation. Fleeing may make you look rather uncool. So what. Flee. You don’t owe Satan an apology, explanation or a defense. Get going and get out of there.

Avoiding and fleeing—two common principles found within the makeup of God’s people. We need to know when to avoid and we need to know when to flee. The purpose in both of these is our salvation and the good of the kingdom. Staying, when I should have left, may hurt my soul. Staying can send the wrong messages.

Parents need to talk to their teenagers about “fleeing.” Call home, and parents, go get them. Be thankful that they called. Be thankful that they want to flee. Lecture later, if need be. Compliment them on wise thinking and wise choices.

When traveling, away from home, flee from the very things that would hurt your marriage. Don’t be flirting with someone not your mate. Don’t be sharing private info with the opposite sex. Flee those situations.

Many a Christian looks back and admits, “Boy, I didn’t see that coming.” Nope, he sure didn’t. He didn’t have his eyes opened. He wasn’t careful. Be alert, remember Peter telling us that. Satan is roaming about like a lion. He’s looking. He’s watching. He’s waiting. Get out of there. Flee.

Christians must be street smart and spiritually awake, at all times. Don’t fall into traps. Don’t get yourself in situations that hurt you spiritually.

Flee. There is a time for it.

Roger

Jump Start # 1685

2 Timothy 2:23 “But refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels.”

  I’ve been teaching a Sunday class entitled, “Answering Difficult Questions.” Each class begins by discussing some practical and helpful things about teaching the Bible and answering questions. Recently, in teaching these things, I came across our verse. What I found interesting and contrary to how I would expect things, is the number of times the young preachers are told to “avoid.”

Notice these:

• 1 Tim 6:20 “…avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called, ‘knowledge.’
• 2 Tim 2:16 “But avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness.”
• 2 Tim 2:23 “But refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels”
• Titus 3:9 “But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and strife and disputes about the Law, for they are unprofitable and worthless.”

I would have thought that Paul would tell these young preachers to go into every battle and fight for the Lord. Don’t leave your post. Don’t give up ground. Don’t back down. Charge in there with guns blazing. Rather, what we find, four different times, is to “AVOID.” Don’t participate. Don’t get involved. Don’t play that day. You are sitting these out.

I wonder why we don’t discuss this much, other than when we come to these verses in a Bible study. I don’t remember any young preacher asking, “When do I walk away?” I wonder how much time we have wasted time, engaging in discussions that should have been avoided? I wonder if more harm has been done than good because of these things?

Paul is very blunt about the outcome of such engagements. They lead to “further ungodliness.” They “produce quarrels.” They are “unprofitable and worthless.” And yet, here we are, going full steam ahead when we ought to be turning the ship and avoiding such things.

Some questions are not honest. Some discussions are tilted on purpose to make someone look bad. Some have their mind made up even before  the discussion begins. Some want to fuss about things that no one knows the answer to and more so, things that really do not matter. It makes a person wonder how many Bible classes have chased the rabbits of ideas here and there, while rarely teaching the Bible. This idea. That speculation. We wonder about this. We wonder about that. Could this be? Could that be? The land of speculation takes a person to magical and wonderful places, but nearly all of them, are not Bible based. We can build our hopes upon things that are not there, just ideas we have wondered about. We can have a faith that is not Bible based, but rather, speculation based. People wonder, “Don’t you think God could…” Who knows. Don’t go there. What we know about God is revealed in Scripture. Don’t park your car at a place where you begin to say, “I think God likes this.” How do you know? It may be what you like. Just because you like something doesn’t mean that God does. I like chocolate, the Dodgers, and keeping jars filled of M &M’s. Can I conclude therefore that the Dodgers are God’s team? Where would I get such a wild idea? Certainly not from the Bible. Does God like chocolate? He is a living Spirit. He doesn’t eat. To speculate that chocolate is God’s favorite desert is ridiculous, unBiblical and saying things that you have no clue about. On and on we can go. “God likes preachers that wear ties.” Really? I doubt that Timothy and Titus wore ties. What about Happy socks? Don’t go there. You can’t say. We can build a whole belief system about God that is nothing more than our personal wish list of likes and dislikes.

Avoid. Avoid. Avoid. Don’t go there. Ours is to teach the pure word of God to honest and good hearts. There will be some discussions that we walk away from. That’s hard. There will be some subjects that should not be pursued. There will be some comments in a Bible class that needs to be kindly shut down.

It seems that some folks would rather avoid what the Bible actually teaches so they could chase these wild ideas that they have. Is it any wonder that some don’t seem to have any foundation. They are chasing rabbits throughout their lives. They need to be anchored upon the word of God. Stand where God stands. A common expression in the O.T. is, “Thus saith the Lord.” Here is what God said. No guessing there. No, “I think God might like this?”

Avoiding is hard for us preachers. It’s just in our DNA to teach everyone that has breath in their body. We want to answer every question. We want to study, show and help everyone. That’s the way we are wired. But, even for us, we must learn to use the brakes and avoid certain conversations. Don’t open the door to discussions that end up being worthless.

Let’s talk about what the Bible does say. Let’s look at the pages of the Bible. Now, there is something worthwhile. There is something good. This is something that will help others.

Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. No guesswork. No speculating. Clear. Absolute. Certain.

Solomon tells us in Ecclesiastes, that there is a time to speak and a time to be silent. Avoiding is one of those silent times.

Roger