Standard Operating Procedures

By Rev. Heidi L. Barham |  October 12, 2025

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Read 2 Timothy 2:8  - 15 (NIV)
 
Today’s New Testament lesson once again comes from what is believed to be Paul’s final letter that was written to his young protégé, Timothy.  
 
Now, as I reflected on this text, the thought that came to mind was: STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES... hence the title of today’s sermon.
 
But to be sure I was using that term correctly, I did a little research to try and get a better understanding... and this is what I found.
 
According to the website, techopedia.com, a standard operating procedure (also known as an SOP) is a “document that outlines the required steps to complete specific tasks within an organization. Its purpose is to ensure consistency, efficiency, and quality in operations, and to comply with industry regulations” (What is a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)? Definition & Types).
 
And as I thought about this last letter that Paul wrote to Timothy, there are some portions that seem to outline steps that were designed to help Timothy complete specific tasks within an organization... in this instance, that organization was the church.
 
And it also seems that Paul wanted to help ensure that there was a sense of consistency, efficiency, and quality in the church’s operations... specifically as it related to spreading the Good News about Jesus, the Messiah.
 
And beyond all of that, it almost goes without saying that Paul wanted Timothy to be sure to comply with industry regulations... in other words, to operate in compliance with the Word of God.
 
Now, let me suggest that Paul was not just putting a set of STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES in place for Timothy to follow... but also for those who would come after him... including all of us.
 
So, let’s take a closer look at this passage that calls for our attention this morning.
 
The first verses of our text are a reminder to Timothy that everything always has been and always should be about Jesus... in fact, Paul says that Jesus was at the heart of why he was sitting in prison...
 
Listen again to verses 8 and 9 as they appear in the Message Paraphrase:

Fix this picture firmly in your mind: Jesus, descended from the line of David, raised from the dead. It’s what you’ve heard from me all along. It’s what I’m sitting in jail for right now—but God’s Word isn’t in jail! That’s why I stick it out here—so that everyone God calls will get in on the salvation of Christ in all its glory.

Paul started out as a persecutor of Christians, but then he literally saw the light... and he came to the knowledge and understanding that God has made salvation possible for everyone through Jesus... and now, it is up to us, as believers in Christ, to follow in Paul’s footsteps and share the message of truth with others... so that they too may receive this most precious gift.
 
Now, as we keep looking at Paul’s letter... we find some basic assurances regarding life with Christ.  Looking at verses 11 through 13 in the Message we read:

This is a sure thing: If we die with him, we’ll live with him; If we stick it out with him, we’ll rule with him; If we turn our backs on him, he’ll turn his back on us; If we give up on him, he does not give up—for there’s no way he can be false to himself.  

As long as we are faithful and do not turn away from God... particularly in our times of suffering and sorrow, trial and tribulation, hurt and heartache... as long as we don’t give up... we have the promise of a wonderful future with God.
 
And let me share a bit of good news we can all use this morning... even in times of difficulty, when we may find ourselves giving into the despair... feeling as if we have lost all faith and hope... even in those moments... we have the promise that the Lord will never give up on us.
 
And that is the message that we are being called to share far and wide... as the lyrics to a contemporary Christian song written by Dietrick Haddon say... don’t give up on God ‘cause He won’t give up on you... He’s able!
 
Just remember, God is bigger than any problem that you and I or anyone else may be facing...
 
And that truly is good news today, no matter what the circumstances look like around us... God is able... and God can do “exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us” (Ephesians 3:20, NKJV).
 
Now, having outlined the truth about what life with Christ means and the promise it holds for us, Paul set forth several steps that we, like Timothy, should take. 
 
And that brings us to the last two verses of the text for this morning... and the STANDARD OEPRATING PROCEDURES that Paul has provided for us to follow.
 
First: “Keep reminding God’s people of these things.”  In other words, as it reads in the Message, “Repeat these basic essentials over and over to God’s people.”
 
My former boss likes to say that “Repetition is the key to adult learning” ...which goes along with some experts who suggest that we need to hear something at least three times for it to become part of our long-term memory. 
 
Perhaps that is why they say, “The third times the charm.”
 
But I do believe that there is a lot of truth as it relates to this need for us to hear things multiple times for it to become engrained in our brain. 
 
It is why we see certain messages repeated time and time again in the Scriptures... to ensure we have them properly cataloged in the file cabinets in our minds... and so we can govern ourselves accordingly.
 
So, what does Paul say we should remind the people of?   Thank you for asking.
 
First, verse 11 of the text says, “If we died with him, we will also live with him...”
 
This echoes what Paul wrote in his letter to the church at Rome, “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life” (Romans 6:4).
 
A few verses later in that same letter we read, “Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him” (Romans 6:8).
 
Then the next thing we should remind them is found in the first part of verse 12 of the text which encourages us that, “if we endure, we will also reign with him,” which is a similar concept to what the writer of Hebrews expresses in Hebrews chapter 12, where we read:

And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart (Hebrews 12:2b – 3).

Now, the second part of verse 12 cautions us that “If we disown him, he will also disown us...”
 
This reflects the words of Jesus we find in Mark 8:38 and similarly in Luke 9:26, “If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”
 
Then the last thing Paul suggests we are to remind them of is found in verse 13 of the text, where we find this glorious promise, “if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself.”
 
A promise that depicts what Jeremiah wrote in Lamentations 3 (22 – 23), “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
 
Repeat after me: “Keep reminding God’s people of these things.”
 
But beyond Paul’s writings, we find this repetition tool being used elsewhere in the Scriptures.  For example, the command, “Love the Lord your God” is found at least seven times in Deuteronomy chapters 6, 11, 19 and 30.  It is also found in Joshua chapters 22 and 23, as well as in the Gospels of Matthew (22:37), Mark (12:30), and Luke (10:27).
 
Add to that the command to “Love your neighbor as yourself” which is found in Leviticus 19:18, Matthew 19:19, Matthew 22:39, Mark 12:31, Luke 10:27, Galatians 5:14, and James 2:8.
 
Perhaps we can agree that all of this repetition is a clear indicator of the importance of that first step in Paul’s STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES: Keep reminding God’s people of these things.
 
Now the second step in this set of STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES is: “Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen.”
 
Or as it reads in the Message, “Warn them before God against pious nitpicking, which chips away at the faith.  It just wears everyone out.”
 
For the sake of time, I will not go through the litany of verses found in the Scriptures that talk about avoiding quarreling, murmuring, grumbling, and complaining... but suffice it to say, there are a LOT... and that is because none of those things are pleasing or acceptable to God... because all of those things can distract us from the truth of God’s Word.
 
The enemy is a master manipulator... and one of his favorite tricks of divisiveness that he uses is getting us to bicker and argue with one another... to engage in wars of words that take scripture out of context... all with the goal of causing discord and conflict within the church... and unfortunately, it is a tool that has proven to be extremely effective, especially in this current climate that we find ourselves living in... which is why Paul warned believers to be on high-alert.
 
And that brings us to the third step in these STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES that Paul has provided for us. 
 
And this third step is critical: “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”
 
Or as it reads in the Message, “Concentrate on doing your best for God, work you won’t be ashamed of, laying out the truth plain and simple.”
 
As followers of Christ, we have a job to do.  We have been commissioned to “...go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit...”
 
And in order to do that, we have to be able to tell people the truth about Jesus... that He came to give His life in exchange for all of us...
 
We have to be willing to share Romans 10:9 with them... that, “If [they] declare with [their] mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in [their] heart that God raised him from the dead, [they] will be saved.”
 
And we have to be clear that this is based on the truth found in John 3:16, arguably the most frequently quoted verse of Scripture, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
 
But we also need to take it one step further and look at the following verse which reads, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (v. 17).
 
Sadly, we are living in a society that is quick to condemn other people based on their age, race, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, political affiliation and so many other things that are not the least bit important when it comes to God’s love for all of us... God’s love for the world.
 
We have been given a commission to fulfill and a command to follow... to go and make disciples and to love God and the people of God.
 
And Paul has provided us with a set of STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES that will allow us to do all that we have been called to do... we just have to be ready, willing and able to trust and obey.
 
And with that thought in mind, I want to invite us to stand and join in singing our Hymn of Discipleship: Trust and Obey      #556.
 

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