2 Timothy - Part 4 — John Hunter

Timothy’s Gift and the Spirit of Power

2 Timothy chapter 1, and this is lesson number 4.

Verse 6 please, leading through to verse 14. Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner. But be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God, who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, but is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and brought life and incorruptibility to light through the gospel, whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles, for the which cause I also suffer these things.

Nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. Hold fast the form of sound words which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus, that good thing which was committed unto thee, keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us.

Now, those of you who were present on these last three nights of ministry will recollect that we drew your attention that in verses three to seven Paul inspires Timothy by way of remembrance. And we indicated that in verses three and four he inspires him by reminding him of his affection for him and his confidence in him.

Then verse five he inspired Timothy by reminding him of his family tradition, this succession of believers in a household, grandmother, mother, and son. Then in verse six that we dealt with last night he inspired Timothy by reminding him of the gift of God that was bestowed upon him.

Then in verse seven he reminds him, inspires him by reminding him of the qualities that the Spirit of God produces. Now, the next section is what we read in verses eight to fourteen. I would call it, picking up the expression from verse eight, the afflictions of the gospel.

Verses eight to fourteen, the afflictions of the gospel. Verse eight, he appeals to Timothy for his loyalty. Verse eight, an appeal for loyalty. Verses nine to twelve, he gives reasons for the appeal.

Verses nine and ten, what God has done. Verses eleven and twelve, what Paul is suffering. Reasons for the appeal for loyalty. Verses nine and ten, the salvation of God. Verses eleven and twelve, the sufferings of Paul.

And in verses thirteen and fourteen, he renews the appeal to him. Timothy, hold fast the forum of sound words. Verse fourteen, Timothy, guard the entrusted deposit of truth. Now that will give you the outline.

I'll come over that again as we come forward. Now please, we are due to begin tonight in verse seven. We indicated in past nights that there were days of pressure, days of persecution. That days when it would pay a man if he wanted to save his skin to close his mouth.

Days of state persecution when Nero was burning the Christians. And it would be very easy, especially for a leader, to say nothing. And thereby escape reproach and persecution. Especially for Timothy.

For once that they had dealt with Paul, led him out three miles out to the Ostian Way, three miles outside the ancient city of Rome. They led the little man, the sword flashed and Paul was beheaded. Swiftly and suddenly he would enter the glory.

And of course, the authorities would likely turn to look for Timothy. You can understand how the young man felt. How would you feel if you felt that the authorities were beginning to turn their attention to you?

And you would be called next maybe to make the supreme sacrifice that another has made. And so, he reminds Timothy in verse six. Now Timothy, you stir up the gift of God. You continue to proclaim the light and the truth of God.

Verse seven. For God hath not given us the spirit of cowardice, but he hath given us the spirit of power and of love and of a sound mind. So that in a dark and difficult day, God would never give a man a spirit of fearfulness.

That would destroy the whole idea of divine testimony in a difficult day. You see brethren, it's easy to preach when there's no price to be paid. It's easy to live for Christ when the state is for you and the whole.

And there's very little reproach. After all, the testing time of any person of his faith is when things begin to run against you. And so Timothy was being called to stand in the breach, to follow in the footsteps of a man that was better and bigger and greater than he.

And so God, Paul says, now listen Timothy, your resources are in God. Now that's good. Brethren, look up in dark days. There are resources in deity to meet every situation. God hath not given us the spirit of fear, the spirit of cowardice, the spirit of fearfulness.

That would undermine the testimony of God. But he says, God hath given us the spirit of power, the spirit of love, the spirit of self-control, the spirit of power to proclaim the word of God and to stand for God in a difficult day.

He has given us the spirit of love, apart from which all gift and service is useless. He has given us the spirit of sound mind and self-control, apart from which no man will ever influence others for God.

Timothy, you have not been given a spirit of cowardice, but you have been given the spirit of power. Now you'll notice the word spirit is in the small s. I would take it that he's indicating that Timothy's spirit, empowered by the spirit of God, can receive all that's necessary.

Now listen, brethren. There is no situation in life that you'll find that all the resources are in God and Christ to meet it. Now is that clear? There's no need for you to break down. There's no need for you to go back.

There's no need for you to fail God. There's no need for you to stop living or speaking. Every resource of deity is available for you. And they are gifts. You don't earn them. They are sovereignly given.

I've told you in nights before, brethren, God does everything. Your only link is faith. And God will give you everything to stand for him. He has given us the spirit of power, strength and energy in a difficult day to stand for God.

Power to speak for Christ. Power to testify of the gospel. Power to stand when everybody else around is falling. Power and energy that comes from there is in Christ. Listen to Paul later in Philippians 4 verse 13.

He says this, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. That's tremendous. I can do all things through Christ who pours his strength into me. Or if you like, I have power for all things in Christ who gives me strength.

In other words, from there is in Christ there flows power and strength and energy. And your little life and mine, only a channel. Only a channel for the power of Christ to flow through. Isn't that tremendous?

Listen to me. You will receive power so that you won't weaken and go down and go under. Timothy, there is power, power for each of us please. We shall receive power to face the mammoth task of living for Christ in the 80s.

We shall receive power to face up to the shattering situation. Power to face up to the wounding sorrow. Power to face up to the crisis that will come upon us. There is power from God to meet the situation.

Power to pass the breaking point and not break. Have you got that? Power to pass the breaking point and not break. The power of God will make you invincible. The power of God will make you that you'll never break down.

Agape Love in Adversity

Timothy, God has given to us the spirit of power so that you can be men and women of power. Is that clear? Now come again. But Timothy, he has given us the spirit of love. You wouldn't have thought that was necessary, would you?

You would have thought everything that's needed to stand for God, all that we need is power. Oh no. You'll need the spirit of love. Because in days of adversity and difficulty, it's your love for Christ that will hold you.

And it's your love for the people of God that will make you to continue to serve. So there must be love for God, there must be love for Christ, there must be love for the scriptures, there must be a love of the truth of God, there must be love for the saints of God, there must be love for the souls of men.

It's vital and essential that there is this constant affection for divine persons and for everybody around. You see, that's why you can't close your mouth. It's not only that you've got power to open it, but you've got love in your heart for the people that you serve.

Love to go on when you're wounded and rejected. Love to go on in power when the Christians let you down. Love when you're battered and attacked from every side. I don't think I need to tell you good folks that the word for love is agape.

Now listen carefully to me now. That's the word that is used for God's love to sinners. Now you've got that. Now I know you maybe don't see the connection, but just listen. Do you remember when you were unsaved?

God loved you. You might have denied his existence. You might have blasphemed his name. You might have said everything about God that you wanted to say, but God just went on loving you. Say, that wouldn't be weakness on God's part, would it?

Oh no, you say, that's strength. Good. That wouldn't affect God's holiness in the slightest, would it? Oh no, you say, not at all, it would enhance God. That he would love people no matter what they said about him, no matter what they did to him.

That's right. Come now, please. Is that how you love? When the Christians say things about you, and when the Christians do things to you, you just go on loving them. Doesn't matter what they say. It doesn't matter what they do.

You just go on loving. My, that's strength, isn't it? Nothing sloppy and sentimental about that. If you think I go too far in this, you'll forgive me because you know me, won't you, brethren and sisters?

One of the curses of brethrenism is that it is accepted as normal that you love the people that you like, and show that you don't love the people that you don't like. And you justify a hard, critical spirit toward those who wound you, and say and do things against you they should never have done.

But I'm not here to teach brethrenism. I'm here to teach Christianity. There is no demand made upon you to love the people that love you. An ungodly sinner can do that. Christianity produces people that love their enemies, and love the Christians that don't treat them properly.

So that when your brethren turn against you, and they say things about you that you know is not true, and they act toward you in a most uncharitable way, you just go on loving them. You never become bitter.

You never become resentful. You never try to get your own back. You never try to avenge yourself. You never refuse to forgive. You just go on suffering, and go on loving. Now it's big. Oh brethren, it's not too big, is it?

You wouldn't be too unspiritual for that, would you? Timothy, in a dark and difficult day, when the tide's running against you, Timothy I'll give you power, but Timothy I'll give you love. That will triumph over every circumstance.

That will enable you to rise above it. And that intense affection for God and Christ, and the people of God and sinners, will enable you to walk in holy triumph. A man that's different, and a woman that's different, for Christianity produces people that are different.

Is that clear? If God and Christ had refused to exercise their love because of the way that you and I spoke about and treated them, we'd all be in hell. But notice, Timothy, God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind, sober judgment, self-control, so that you are a person who is in control of yourself.

Sound Judgment and Self-Control

You never panic when the crunch is on. You can understand how Timothy would fear if the state began to turn its attention to him, as they did with Paul. You can feel the fear that would grip his soul.

Timothy, don't panic. You must ever be in control of yourself. This is something that the Spirit of God produces, for you'll never help and lead and guide and bless people if you haven't mastered yourself.

Listen, God hath given us power, love, and sound judgment, wise discretion. These things flow from the Godhead. God can make you a man of power, a man of love, and a man of sound judgment. Got it? Now please, turn now to verses 8 onward.

Loyalty to Christ and the Unashamed Gospel

Verse 8, he makes his appeal for loyalty. 9 to 12, he gives his reasons for making the appeal. 9 and 10, the salvation of God. 11 and 12, the sufferings of Paul. We'll find here constantly in this epistle that Paul brings forward his own sufferings, as an example to Timothy.

That's good. And verses 13 and 14, he renews the appeal for courage and loyalty. Verse 8, Timothy, be not ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner. Will you notice in this chapter, three times over this question of being unashamed?

Verse 8, Timothy, don't be ashamed of the testimony. Verse 12, for which cause I suffer these things, nevertheless I am not ashamed. That is, not ashamed of suffering for Christ. Verse 16, Onesiphorus was not ashamed of my shame.

Unashamed of expressing publicly his fellowship with Paul in a dark and difficult and dangerous day. Unashamed. Ever been ashamed of the gospel? Ever been ashamed of the Christ of the gospel? Remember the time when we didn't open our mouth and remained silent?

So thereby we escaped the reproach of the testimony? Timothy, be not negatively, be not ashamed. Positively, be a partaker of the afflictions of the gospel. But notice, be not ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner.

Now the testimony is the gospel, but you see how he fixes it onto Christ. You see, to be ashamed of the gospel is to be ashamed of Christ. Brothers and sisters, let me say this to you, and especially you younger men and women.

Cultivate, cultivate a personal affection for Christ. Now where did you get that? You cultivate a personal love for God's Son. For you know that's the thing that will hold you in a difficult day. Isn't that right, brother?

Now you older men know that. That the path of Christian testimony is strewn with spiritual wrecks of men and women who failed Christ. And they knew their Bible better than you and I. But it's not knowledge and intelligence that saves you.

It's a personal love for Christ that will hold you. Now he says, never be ashamed of the testimony of the Lord, nor of me his prisoner. Now notice, Paul's the Lord's prisoner. On the official rule and records of Rome, he was Nero's prisoner.

Paul says, I am Christ's prisoner, the Lord's prisoner. The first time he was in prison, Ephesians 3 verse 1, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles. Ephesians 4 verse 1, the prisoner of the Lord.

Philippians 1, my bonds because of Christ. You see, here was a man who looked at everything in relation to Christ. Some people would have said the devil put him in jail. Some people would say Nero put him in jail.

Paul says, listen, I'm in prison for Christ. If I'm free, I'm Christ's free man. If I'm in prison, I'm Christ's prisoner. Yes, you know what we sing, don't you? My times are in thy hand. Father, we wish them there.

And in a day when the Romans were addressing Caesar and saying, my Lord Caesar. Paul was saying, my Lord Christ. Timothy is the testimony of our Lord. He's Timothy's Lord. He's Paul's Lord. He's your Lord.

He's mine. And Paul says, I am Christ's prisoner. Now read on. Now Timothy, I want you to be a partaker of the afflictions of the gospel. Some, some translations read, Timothy suffer hardship along with the gospel.

Suffer evil alongside the gospel. He personifies the gospel. As if the gospel was under attack. So it is. The gospel was under attack, but it was Paul and others that were being attacked. You'll understand that, won't you?

When people turn against the gospel, they're turning against the Christians. So he says, be a partaker of the afflictions of the gospel. Now you read that. It doesn't convey very much to you because you don't know anything about it.

Suffer hardship according to the gospel. Now listen, I want to read to you. I don't know if you know Paul very well. I'm not alone in this. I have accompanied with Paul for a long time. I feel in many ways that I know the little man, but listen to this.

Paul’s Sufferings as an Example of Gospel Loyalty

For he must have been a man of tremendous spiritual courage. He must have been a man with a very sturdy physical frame. Here's what he says. In labors more abundant. In stripes above measure. In prisons more frequent.

We only know of three imprisonments. Caesarea, Acts 28, the second Roman imprisonment, 2 Timothy. He says here, in prisons more frequent. In deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes, save one.

195 strokes that would lift the flesh off his back. Thrice I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Now that's Lystra. Do you remember? Years later he talks about it. He never forgot the battering that he got that day.

He says once I was stoned. Thrice I suffered shipwreck. We don't know much about that. Maybe just the one shipwreck. A night and a day have I been in the deep, in the sea. In journeyings often. In perils of waters.

Perils of robbers. Perils by mine own countrymen. Perils by the heathen. Perils in the city. Perils in the wilderness. Perils in the sea. Perils among false brethren. In weariness, painfulness, watchings, hunger, thirst, fastings, cold, nakedness.

Beside those things which are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches. Read it when you go home. 2 Corinthians 11, a catalogue of 27 things that the wee man suffered. My, when you think of the soft days in which we live, surrounded by every comfort, brethren and sisters, you'll maybe begin to appreciate the difference between the Christianity of the first century and the Christianity of the twentieth century.

A little more of this and there'll be a lot less trouble, a lot less fighting, a lot less arguing, a lot less division, a lot less separation if we were purified by persecution. Now please, back to 2 Timothy 1, will you?

The Gospel of Power, Salvation, and Holiness

Now drop your eye, will you, to verses, just the close of verse 8 and verses 9 and 10. At the close of verse 8, he says, the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God who has saved us. Now, you can take the power of God in two ways.

You can take it in connection with salvation or you can take it in connection with power in order to endure suffering and affliction. But what, what, what has intrigued me is this, that in the close of verse 8 to the close of verse 10, he begins to speak about the gospel and he begins to bring forward element after element in the gospel.

And you know, brethren, as you read it, you begin to realize we preach a pretty restricted gospel. You'll find here things you wouldn't be happy maybe to talk about in the gospel. For instance, look at it now please, the close of verse 8, it's a gospel of power, the power of God who has saved us.

It's a gospel of power. Verse 9, secondly, it's a gospel of salvation who has saved us. Verse 9 again, it's a gospel of holiness who has called us with unholy calling. Got it? Gospel of power, gospel of salvation, a gospel of holiness.

Fourthly, it's a gospel of eternal purpose according to his own purpose. Fifthly, it's a gospel of grace according to his own purpose and grace. Got that? Gospel of power, gospel of salvation, gospel of holiness, gospel of eternal purpose, gospel of grace.

And sixthly and finally in verse 10, it's a gospel of life and incorruptibility. See it? See how he brings all the elements of the gospel together, sets them out clear and plain. He says this gospel is a gospel of power, gospel of salvation, gospel of holiness, gospel of eternal purpose, gospel of grace, and it's a gospel of life and incorruptibility, that is life to the soul and incorruptibility to the body.

See how large and big is the gospel according to Paul. Let's come again, it's a gospel of power, or you've quoted many a time, that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation. But listen, brethren, the gospel is not only a gospel of power to save men, it's a gospel of power to make them live for God in Christ.

It's a gospel of power. It's a gospel that gives a person power, inherent strength to live out the Christian life. Now these are elements that are true. Now I'll just go over them one by one just very briefly.

Will you notice secondly it's a gospel of salvation. It's a gospel that rescues men and women from sin. It rescues and saves them from the guilt of sin, the defilement of sin, the power of sin, the punishment of sin.

It's a gospel that brings people out from the slavery and dominion of sin and Satan and sets them free. Brings them into the liberty of sonship. Brings you into the liberty of fellowship with God and Christ and the Holy Spirit.

It's a gospel that frees people. Do you know what I'm going to tell you, brethren and sisters? We are the only free people in the world. That's right. It's a gospel of salvation. It saves completely. Ah, but notice this one, please.

It's a gospel of holiness. He hath called us with unholy calling. That means this. That the calling of the gospel is a holy calling that produces holy people. It's a gospel that makes unholy people holy.

That makes godly people godly. That makes bad people good. That makes impure people pure. It's the gospel of the change. It changes and transforms men and women. It's a gospel of holiness. Now listen very carefully now, please.

Holiness and the Christian’s Freedom from Sin

I don't want you to miss this. I'm afraid we've long since stopped preaching and teaching it. We find it embarrassing in our day. Some people will tell you because others have gone too extreme we don't state things.

I don't know what the reason is but we've certainly stopped preaching it. It's a gospel of holiness. It's the gospel that changes. Now listen carefully. Christianity according to the New Testament is lived out by people who do not sin.

Now let that simmer. It's a gospel of holiness, the gospel of the change, the gospel that makes people different. For Christianity is expected to be lived out by people who do not sin. Now don't you go and jump to wrong conclusions.

I'm not saying you're sinless, for you're not. But what I am saying is this. That Christianity according to the New Testament is lived out by people who are not expected to sin. Isn't that right? I'll give you chapter and verse.

First John 2, I write unto you little children that you sin not. That's the normal. If anyone do sin, we've an advocate, that's the abnormal. Now you'll maybe begin to realize when I've told you, and I think you'll understand me by this time, I'm not here to teach brethrenism.

I'm here to expound the scriptures and declare what Christianity is according to the Bible, not according to brethren. It's accepted amongst us that people sin. According to your Bible, Christianity is sustained by people who do not sin.

For instance in 1 John 3 verse 9. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin. Whosoever is born of God doth not practice sin. Ask this someone to me now, just a minute please, just a minute, that's the new nature.

Who told you that? That's not true. If it had been the new nature, it would have said whatsoever is born of God doth not practice sin. But it doesn't say that. It says whosoever. You see, you and I are responsible for the nature that we allow to express itself.

I know the new nature doesn't sin and the old nature does. But supposing someone sinned and you went along to them and they said to you, I'm very sorry, you know, but after all, you know, it wasn't really me.

It was my old nature. You wouldn't accept that, would you? Why? Because the person is responsible for the nature that they produce, allow to act. It's whosoever that is born of God doth not practice sin, the person.

Listen again. When you come to your Bible and you read this, in relation to believers, the forgiveness of sins. Isn't that right? You say that's right. Now, I know that all our sins were forgiven. But when a person gets converted and you say now your sins are forgiven, they're looking back.

Isn't that right? You can only enjoy forgiveness for sins you've committed. Isn't that right? You couldn't have sense of forgiveness for sins you never committed. So that, so that, you're enjoying forgiveness of sins right up to the moment you're saved.

You say, what about the future? Are they not forgiven? You're not expected to sin. If you go into life deliberately to sin, you're raising a question about your salvation. It's Romans 6 verse 1. Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?

Can I go on sinning and God will go on forgiving? God forbids, says Paul. How shall we that have died to sin live any longer therein? Now, I'm not expounding Romans 6, but Christians are people who are looked upon as having died to sin in Christ.

Got it? Don't you think it's time that public men were beginning to teach what the Bible says? And thus the assemblies would become more holy? When they are taught from the start that Christianity is sustained by people who do not sin.

What do the ungodly do? They sin. What do Christians do? They don't sin. Isn't that right? Brethren, you surely haven't got a lesser standard. Now can you see the glory of this, the gospel of the change?

Brethren, listen to me. Your strength as a Christian depends on the fact that you're different. They sin, but you don't. The same as your assemblies, their strength lies in the fact that they're different from what's all around in Christendom.

It's the gospel of the change. Brethren, has there been something wrong with our preaching and teaching that will produce the kind of thinking that I've tried to expose tonight? Hmm? Oh, listen, brethren.

Let's cease to be so proud about the business. Let's get down on our knees and confess that somewhere something's gone wrong. Hmm? Now, you'll go home and think about it, won't you? You'll go home and pray about it, won't you?

Eternal Purpose and the Grace of God

And let's get back to the book. Come again. Verse 9. He says more. He says it's the gospel of eternal purpose. Oh, you say, purpose? Eternal? Of course it's the gospel of eternal purpose. We never produced it.

It rose in the heart of the eternal. It found its rise in the throne and heart of God. It's the gospel that God purposed from times eternal. It's the determination of God through the gospel to gather people that He will ultimately conform to the image of His Son.

And if God had never determined to have a family around Him in eternity, we'd all have been lost. It's the gospel of eternal purpose. It's the purpose of God to bless men. Ah, but it's more. It's the gospel of grace.

He says here it's not of works, doesn't he? He says, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace. His own purpose. It's got nothing at all to do with you. It started with God and was done by God and will be completed in the presence of God.

It's grace. The favour of God rolling out to sinners. The grace of God that provides salvation for people that never deserved it. Isn't it? Listen to me, brethren. Grace is that characteristic glory. That attribute of God's nature which could never have been known if it had not been for sin and God's desire to save the sinner.

He's a God of grace as well as a God of purpose. Ah, but more. There's ten. He says it's a gospel of life and incorruptibility. Life that is pure and incorruptible. Life to the soul and incorruption to the body.

It's a salvation that will ultimately bring the whole person together. Saved! With a body that will never know corruption. Eh? Isn't that wonderful? What a salvation. I don't know how you folks can sit quiet.

Eh? You're all a big lot of gospel preachers here. Eh? Ah, but watch now. He says, verse nine, who has saved us and called us with unholy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace.

Now watch now. This grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before the world began. Given to you in times eternal. In Christ Jesus. God saw it all before Him. Isn't that right? Before you had a being, you existed in the mind of God.

And all this wondrous grace in the gospel was given to you before the world began. It was given us in Christ Jesus. Eh? What's that? Sovereignty. Eh? The election. Do you remember in chapter two Paul talking about suffering says this, I endure all things for the elect's sake, that they may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.

The sovereignty of God. He gave us this grace in Christ. He saw us there in union with Christ. Listen very carefully to me. I want to make one or two statements about it. Maybe in another night if I get to chapter two enough time I'll expand on it.

Contrary to much that is taught and contrary to what a great many Christians believe, election does not narrow the blessing. Election secures a people for God when otherwise there would be none. Got that?

Now listen again. Contrary to what is generally taught and believed, election does not narrow the blessing. Election secures a people for God when otherwise there would be none. For the whole thing began with God.

I'll tell you more. Now you young folks might not be too sure about this, just you listen to me. The older you grow, the more you begin to realize how little of you was in the business at all. Do you remember a time when you knew nothing about it?

Possibly never thought you would ever believe it the first time you heard it. Isn't that right? But God had his eye on you. God had purposed. He saw you in his mind's eye. Not only before you were born, but before there was a world.

Oh the grandeur and glory of divine purpose. The sovereignty of God. The right of deity to act from himself for himself. For once you begin to limit deity, limit God, he's no longer God. The Godhead are the only true free persons in the world.

Now I haven't got time to go into it. Say maybe another night, I'll see how time goes. I would like to have spent most of a meeting on election and human responsibility and spelt the thing out to you.

But you'll understand, won't you? That these things were given to you. God saw it all before the world began. Our brother Walt, the other night read 1 Peter 1 verse 2. Here's what it said. Elect according to the foreknowledge of God.

Election, Foreknowledge, and Predestination

Now when you come to these big things, the will of God and the sovereignty of God in times eternal, away in the past, before there was a world at all, there are three big words. Election, foreknowledge and predestination.

Now let me give you a wee bit of theology. Do allow me just for a moment to step out of 2 Timothy to say one or two things to you. Election secures the person. You were chosen in Christ as a person before the world began.