Cheap Talk or a Firm Foundation

Introduction

For 2,000 years, Satan has been perfecting the art of destroying churches, and he has many tools for tearing apart sinners. For the past 100 years, he’s made many headlines by leading mainline denominational churches to a slow death by slowly diluting orthodox theology down to nothing. They don’t believe the Bible is inspired, that salvation is in Christ alone, or that God demands obedience. Predictably, when the church doesn’t believe anything, people stop coming. In the past 40-50 years the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has lost half its membership, and the PCUSA has lost two thirds of its membership. Other mainline denominations tell a similar story. 
But Satan knows that churches in our tradition have spent the past 100 years calling out liberalism, separating from it, and emphasizing biblical, orthodox theology and practice. So, if a guest preacher at Life Point claimed Matthew didn’t write Matthew, and most of the stories about Jesus are just legends, you’d run him off the stage before I could.  
But Satan has a deep bag of tricks for every type of church and every type of Christian. So, 1 Corinthians 10:12 warn, “Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” Satan is coming after Life Point, and he is coming after you. Today’s passage tells the story of how he even came after the Ephesian Church—the one Paul started and the one where Timothy, Paul’s most trusted partner was serving. He didn’t just attack; he scored some real points (read vv. 14–19). 
Everyone loves a positive message, and Paul ends with an encouraging promise I’m excited to discuss. But God also loves us enough to deliver sober warnings. That’s the primary focus of this passage. It urges you to stand on God’s Word and resist godless speculation. Paul begins with his only command.

i.  The Command (v. 16–17a)

The Command: God says, “Avoid worldly and empty chatter.” He’s not saying, “Stay away to today and dabble tomorrow.” Shun it; have nothing to do with it; build a lifetime wall of intolerance to “worldly and empty chatter.” 
But what exactly is that? The adjective means “profane or godless.” It can describe evil conversation but also any conversation or debate that isn’t squarely built on truth. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (Prov 1:7). We have certain truth in the Bible, and it is fully sufficient for life and godliness. The gospel saves eternally and is mighty to transform today.
But sinners want more. Whenever we start somewhere else in trying to understand the world, God, human nature, finances, family, work, and right or wrong, we are bound to go astray. Don’t start with your opinions or the opinions of a worldly expert and expect to arrive at God’s will. Verse 15 commands you to “accurately handle” the Word. Stay firmly rooted to the Bible. Make it the foundation of your life.  
Sadly, the Ephesian church had struggled to do this. When we were last in 2 Timothy, we saw that Paul is addressing a longstanding concern that he already addressed in 1 Timothy. And we must understand the issue so that we can make good application today.
1 Timothy warns about heretics who claimed to be “teachers of the law,” so the heresy was Jewish. But the false teachers moved beyond the OT to speculation. They loved “myths and endless genealogies.” We know from contemporary Jewish writings that the Jews loved to speculate about minor details of OT. Or they debated silly questions like how many angels can fit on the head of a needle. 
They also speculated about genealogies. You get bored with genealogies, but they turned them into a fascinating game. They would insert new names or make up fanciful stories about the people listed. It wasn’t based in fact; it was all just amusing speculation. But it gave teachers a platform to show off their creativity. And they almost certainly boasted that God had revealed mystical insight to them beyond Scripture. 
It sounds silly, but we also can easily become engrossed with godless chatter. Lisa and I talked at the Freedom Festival with a lady who was clearly more interested in fuzzy, mystical revelations than in the clear revelation of Scripture. Many Christians would rather lean on so-called impressions and divinely originating feelings than study God’s Word do what it says. It’s speculative, and they are almost always biased toward what they want to hear. Shun it and build your life on this book. 
Many moder Christians are enamored with secular psychology. Certainly, we can learn from the patterns of behavior psychologists observe. But when you don’t start with the fear of the Lord, the image of God, and the sinfulness of man, your psychological speculation will never arrive at a robust truth. There’s some value there, but there’s infinitely more value in a robust understanding of gospel-centered sanctification.
As well, ancient and moder history are littered with brilliant philosophers. They often have fascinating insights stemming from common grace. But if they’re not starting with fear of the Lord, it is bound to be mostly profane chatter. A few years ago, Christians became enamored with merging critical race theory and intersectionality with biblical Christianity. Predictably, it didn’t lead sound doctrine and true piety; it eroded them.
The Consequence: It’s predictable because that’s exactly what Paul said would happen. Godless chatter “will lead to further ungodliness.” Paul probably is using some subtle sarcasm. People who get caught up in profane chatter are generally cocky. They’re seeing things and understanding things that no one else has seen before. They’re smarter and more spiritual, and they are progressing to a far higher plane of spirituality than us simpletons. But Paul says they are only progressing to “further ungodliness.”
History is littered with people who boasted about finding a superior knowledge or a superior path to wellness and virtue from the one revealed in Scripture. But they never deliver what they promised. 
Progressive Christians boast that they have improved the biblical ethic to fit the modern world, but it doesn’t produce godliness, just worldly vice. Or some Christian men are attracted to the so-called manosphere. They rightly crave masculinity, and they are frustrated by compromises in the church, but they swing to a philosophy that is untethered to Scripture. It doesn’t produce godly piety. It only spirals into arrogance, narcissism, and abuse. You can’t improve on God’s path to holiness. Shun profane chatter. 
Even worse, v. 17 adds, “Their talk will spread like gangrene.” I’ve never been around gangrene, and I don’t really want to. I did a quick Google search on it, and gangrene is gross. Flesh turns black because it is dying, and it can stink.
Even worse, it spreads, and eventually it is fatal. Godless chatter does the same. If left unchecked, it never infects just one person. It spreads to more and more people. Paul and Timothy had seen this first hand at Ephesus, and Paul wills say more in a moment. Profane chatter ruined the faith of some.
So, God says avoid it. The world and even many who call themselves Christian are filled with profane beliefs. Truth matters and obedience matters. So, have nothing to do with it. In your home and in our church, keep conversation and convictions anchored to the Word of God. When you notice a brother wandering from that foundation, call him out. 
Be gentle and be patient (vv. 25–26). Don’t walk about the church on a witch hunt worrying that wolves are hiding everywhere or harshly reading into every little comment people make. Many Christians fancy themselves as prophets, but they don’t exhibit any of God’s Spirit. Love people, be full of grace, and trust the Spirit. God’s Spirit is strong in God’s people. 
But ultimately, we want to constantly drive each other to the Bible and the gospel. It doesn’t matter what I think or you think. And it doesn’t really matter what some so-called expert on YouTube thinks. If someone claims he has found something that the authors of our doctrinal confessions didn’t see, you can be sure he’s wrong. The same goes for the guy who claims to have fixed 2,000 years of Christian ethics and practice. 
The Bible is clear, and the people who have articulated our faith have accumulated millions of hours of study and conversation. The big-talking podcaster is nothing in comparison. 
We don’t need profane chatter. We have the words of life in this book. Stand on the Word of God. That’s the command. Paul follows with…

ii.  The Example (vv. 17b–18)

I love a good debate about theology or ethics. When I was in college and seminary, I spent a lot of hours talking about Calvinism, Bible translations, dispensationalism, and sanctification. It was stimulating and fun. But those conversations take on an entirely different meaning when people we love are at stake. It’s one thing to debate perseverance in a classroom and something entirely different to watch a friend abandon Christ. A podcaster can get a lot of downloads railing about heresy, but shepherding a hurting saint through difficult questions is very different. 
Verses 17b–18 remind us this is not merely an academic conversation. Paul and Timothy had been through the fire with real people they loved. 
The Men: Paul names two of them—Hymenaeus and Philetus. Paul also mentioned Hymenaeus by name in 1 Timothy 1:19–20. Hymenaeus had been a heretic for some time. And Paul led the Ephesian church in exercising church discipline. But apparently everyone didn’t listen, and Hymenaeus was still influencing Ephesian Christians. So, Paul calls him out again alongside Philetus. We don’t know anything else about him. 
I don’t believe in preaching through the phone book. Some pastors and many online voices build an audience by ripping on this person and that. I want our church to stand on Scripture, not theatrics. But Paul says there is a time to call out heretics by name. We had a member meeting in May where we dealt with a couple people by name. When a false teacher or a ministry is harming the church, we must be willing to call it out. That’s not slander; it is love.
The Heresy: Then Paul mentions one of their heretical convictions. They were “saying that the resurrection has already taken place,” not the resurrection of Jesus but believers. Greek dualism taught that the material world is inherently evil, so bodily resurrection was offensive to Greek sensibilities. To make Christianity more palatable, Hymenaeus and Philetus apparently limited the resurrection to some kind of higher spiritual life, probably including mystical knowledge and asceticism. 
It made sense to the Greeks, and it made them more accepting of Christianity, but it destroyed a pillar of our faith. Jesus died and rose again to redeem the entire man, and he will restore the entire world. 
And denying that may seem innocent, but heresy always has downstream effects. For example, some at Corinth who also denied the significance of the body concluded that immorality is okay because the body doesn’t matter.  Ideas have consequences.
The Consequence: And Paul grieves because this heresy had consequences for souls in Ephesus. Hymenaeus and Philetus “upset the faith of some.” Paul doesn’t give any more detail. It’s possible that some professing believers joined them in full blown heresy. 
Hopefully, it just rattled their faith and hindered their progress. I’ve known many Christians who are not heretics, but they believe something false, and it’s like they are running the Christian race with a broken leg. Very likely, this heresy had affected some people’s Christian practice, and it slowed their progress in godliness. 
We know that asceticism was an issue in Ephesus because Paul confront it in 1 Timothy. Asceticism teaches that you can reach a higher plane of godliness by abusing your body or by depriving yourself of good things. It may seem innocent, but it distracts from gospel grace, and it breeds pride. 
Whatever the exact consequence was, it was destructive, and it spread like gangrene. Stand on God’s Word and resist godless speculation. We have the words of life. This book is your perfect roadmap to eternity with Christ in heaven and to a life of peace, joy, and grace today. I know you are tempted to think you can add a better spin on this offensive doctrine or that hard demand. I know it feels good to believe you have discovered something that no one else has seen before. 
But you can’t improve on the Bible. And when you convince yourself that one little step off this foundation is innocent and inconsequential, Satan laughs. Believe the Bible and obey everything it says. 
Maybe you are feeling overwhelmed. “How can I possibly discern the truth?” “I’m weak, and Satan is bound to get me eventually.” Paul knew you might feel that way, so he balances the tragic example of Hymenaeus and Alexander with a comforting promise.

iii.  The Promise (v. 19a)

Jesus knows his sheep. Paul uses a short quotation from Numbers 16:5 and the story of Korah’s rebellion in the wilderness. Korah tried to usurp Moses’s authority, and God was angry. He intended to destroy the rebels and preserve the faithful. Of course, that sort of division can get messy, but Moses believed, “The Lord knows those are His.” 
Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me” (John 10:14). That’s huge because people get tricked by false faith all the time. If you’ve been a Christian for any length of time, you know someone who at one point appeared to be saved but later proved not to be saved. You are not omniscient, and you can be deceived. But “The Lord knows those are His,” and he will never be wrong. And…
Jesus will keep his sheep. Jesus added, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand” (John 10:27–28).
And our text says God has put his seal on us. What is the significance of that. Philip Towner says, “Seals were used commonly to identify legal ownership of property and, like signatures in modern practice, to guarantee authenticity, genuineness, and integrity.” In other words, God has put his legal seal of authenticity on every believer. Ephesians 1 says he has done so through the gift of the Spirit. 
Christian, Jesus knows you, and the Holy Spirit is God’s seal of ownership on you. Your flesh is weak, and you live in a dark world filled with temptation and deceit. But grace is strong. 
You should be sober about the warnings of this passage. They are one of God’s graces to keep you from falling. But you should not despair, and you should not live terrified of falling. You are safe in the Shepherd’s arms.
Unless, of course, you are not one of his sheep. No one is born saved, and no one works their way into being saved. Jesus said, “You must be born again.” Has there ever been a time in your life when you really faced the guilt of your sin and admitted to God that you are a sinner in need of saving grace? Then you believed that Jesus is Lord and that he paid for your sin on the cross? If not, you can be born again right now. Cry out to God and confess your sin. Ask him to save you, and he will. You can know Jesus as your Savior and Shepherd. Please receive him. If you have questions, get them answered because nothing is more valuable than your soul, and there is no other freedom like knowing that Jesus has forgiven all your sin.
Praise the Lord that that he “knows those who are His.” Then the passage ends with…

iv.  The Responsibility (v. 19b)

Before God opened the earth and swallowed Korah and the other rebels, Moses commanded the rest, “Depart now from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing that belongs to them, or you will be swept away in all their sin” (Num 16:26). 
The fact that we are secure in Christ does not mean we can walk into the middle of a gunfight and expect not to get hit. God is sovereign, but you are responsible “to abstain from wickedness.” 
There’s a time to appeal to the false teacher to repent, and we especially want to reason with those who are susceptible to their influence. But when a false teacher digs in his heels, we must leave him to God’s judgment, as Paul had done with Hymenaeus. 
Maybe you think you are strong. Maybe you are supremely confident in your persuasive powers. Don’t get cocky. If you play with fire, you are sure to get burned. Verse 14 commands you, “not to wrangle…” Verse 16 commands you, “Avoid…” And v. 19 commands you, “Abstain from wickedness.” Be holy. 
Positively, stay anchored to the Word of God (v. 15).

Conclusion

God has spoken to you in this book. And at the heart of this book is the promise of salvation, new life, and resurrection power in the gospel of Christ. Stand on God’s Word and resist godless speculation.