A Sincere Faith: The Foundation - II Timothy 3:1-6

Well, good morning and welcome to faith Bible Church those that are tuning in that aren't present look we would

Like to have you here, but we understand and you just pray the Lord would be blessing your time of worship and being in the word and Just trusting in him for all things and It's a this is a great week a great day

To worship the Lord the sun is shining and it's a beautiful spring day And we have so much to be grateful for we truly do

Last week we had Iljin and Lauren Cho visiting us as a pastoral candidate and it was a real joy and a blessing to have them here and to hear him preach and Today after this service, we're gonna be given your we're all gonna be given the opportunity to to vote to meet to vote to discuss ahead of the vote your thoughts and impressions and just whatever the

Lord has laid upon your heart for that and to vote to call so At the end of the service, we're going to take a brief break, but don't leave members regular tenders everybody's welcome to stay and Part Participate in that because that's it's a it's a big move for us to extend that really important event

Ladies Bible study is next Saturday ladies. So take note of that And I Think that's it for announcements.

So again, remember to stick around afterwards. We're gonna take a short break there As we are preparing our hearts to worship the

Lord this morning, I was led to first Peter 1 verses 3 through 5 and you can just listen in and a little bit of verse 8 blessed be the

God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ Who according to his abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead?

to an inheritance Incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away Reserved in heaven for you who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time and In verse 8 though now you do not see him yet believing you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory

Receiving the end of your faith the salvation of your souls Praise God for that.

That's why we're here and let's open and word and please join me Lord God We thank you that we've been able to gather this morning father on this day your day father to celebrate to worship to bring our

Praises to you father. We pray that you might be glorified in all that we do father that you would bless pastor

John as he brings the word to us and that we might be receptive hearers attentive listeners father to the truth of the gospel to the truth of the words that you have

Given John to share with us father Father we pray for this church. We pray that this is your church

Lord that we would Hold it with an open hand and with hands folded in prayer to you father on our knees

That you would guide us that you would shepherd us and that you would that your will would be done and all that we do

Father, so Lord, we thank you this morning May you be honored and glorified in a way that would just be pleasing to you father

So Lord, we thank you and we give you praise in all things. We pray in Jesus name. Amen Brother David, good morning.

Let's stand and sing praises to our Lord who has given us the victory Crown him with many crowns

And Because he lives we can face tomorrow and we have an eternal kingdom that does not eternal inheritance that does not fade away

Second Timothy that's in the New Testament if you've come to first Timothy guess what book comes next

Second Timothy we're gonna be in two Books today. I've spent the last week.

I've been on a spring break from school and There's a lot of funny stories when you first get married and one of them is that Janet figured out how totally inept

I am in the kitchen One time because she was a nurse at the time one time she put together this whole meal

That required me to do some things in the kitchen She didn't think anything of it,

I guess it's second nature to her It was dumplings and I had to take some flour and I had to do this and I had to do that It took her two days to clean up the kitchen

And I had a nervous breakdown She's an ICU nurse and I'm calling her.

She's saving someone's life and I'm dying in the kitchen Because whatever

I was supposed to do she had it all written out The poor lady and then she figured out about the only thing he can do is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich

Do you remember the days when you used to go to restaurants? Well today you don't need notes because this is

I don't know if you've ever been to a restaurant and you place the order Right, they bring you the hot bread and then they disappear

Right you place their order and then they come back. Would you like some more bread? Can I refill your drinks and you look at your watch and you're wondering when is dinner gonna come

They come back. They give you some more bread and you say, um Maybe our salads.

Oh, they're coming. They're coming and You know, you're there a long time.

Is that ever happened to you back when we used to go to restaurants? Okay Well today the message is sort of that it's somewhat of an appetizer you don't need notes and What I'm gonna do is set the table and give you the appetizer today for a series

I'm going to start now that's going to last a couple of months and I'm not sure what to call it, but it's basically standing firm in the last days the whole point of this series of messages is

To help equip us for the days in which we live If you spend time in front of a television and get your news through the major news networks

You probably do not know some of the stuff that is going on right now in the world this week the

Royal Canadian mounted police Fenced off a church in Edmonton, Alberta They erected a fence around a church

So they could not continue to worship This church had been meeting for 37

Sundays in a row Singing like we sing no masks

Hugging doing the things that we are used to doing Do you remember those days when you could go up to somebody and give them a hug

Kim? Amen and they have not had a single kovat case

Nothing, right. They arrested the pastor and he served 35 days in jail for violating kovat restrictions

The church has doubled in size and They erected a fence around there and they put a black tarp

So you can't see the church and they're estimating thousands of people right now I can't wait to go home.

I got my phone here. I will not take out my phone Because they're estimating thousands of people are there to worship outside the fence today from all over Western Canada There's a church in the

United States of America. The average attendance on Sunday is 8 ,000 people not a single kovat case

Okay There's all kinds of things going on in this country I think in many ways it would be safe for us to say that the variable tablecloth of Normalcy of what we consider normal living has literally been jerked out from underneath our lives

Would you say that that's true? And I want to work through this letter

Paul's second letter to Timothy Who in verse 1 if you look there?

He refers to as his beloved son and the new King James has the word

Ah, and really it's more the word. My is really a better way of looking at that My beloved son of the faith and I want to consider and study with you over the next many many weeks some things that God's Word teaches us about living and standing firm in perilous and difficult times

I Don't know where you get your news from but I go to multiple sources because I have one of these things and I have a computer and You can go all over the place and you get you know

You hear one thing and then another thing contradicts it has that happened to you recently? Where you hear this and then over here you read this and it's nothing like what you read over here

Who do you trust anymore? But I don't know about you, but wherever I turn it's mostly bad news not good news now

Take a look at what the Apostle Paul has to say about the days in which he lived in 2nd

Timothy 2nd Timothy chapter 3 but know this

That in the last days perilous times will come For men will be lovers of self lovers of money boasters proud

Blasphemers Disobedient to parents unthankful unholy unloving unforgiving

Slanderers without self -control brutal despisers of good traitors

Headstrong haughty lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God Having a form of godliness but denying its power and from such people turn away

For of this sort of those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins led away by various lusts

Always learning and never able to come to the truth Now as Janice and Jamboree's resisted

Moses. So do these resist the truth? Men of corrupt minds disapproved concerning the faith

But they will progress no further for their folly will be manifest to all as there's also was

But you Timothy my beloved son of the faith have carefully followed my doctrine manner of life purpose faith long -suffering love perseverance persecutions afflictions

Which happened to me at Antioch and Iconium and Lystra what persecutions

I endured and Out of them all the Lord delivered me

Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution

But evil men and imposters will grow worse and worse deceiving and being deceived

But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of Knowing from whom you have learned them and that from childhood.

You have known the holy scriptures Which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith, which is in Christ Jesus all scripture is given by inspiration of God and It's profitable for doctrine for reproof for correction for instruction and righteousness that the man of God may be complete

Thoroughly equipped for every good works now verse 1

Can we all agree that we're living in perilous times No, seriously with a raise of hand formal business meeting how many would agree we are living in perilous times.

Thank you Did you raise your hand at home? What does the

Bible teach About standing firm in the days in which we live

What does the Apostle Paul tell his beloved son in the faith about standing firm in the days?

In which he lived which by the way would make the days in which we live look like a cakewalk

Because he lived under Nero You don't know the name Nero the

Emperor Nero the guy that took Christians tied him to poles in his garden Covered him in tit pitch and tar and lit him on fire to light his gardens

So the title of today's message in God willing next Sunday is a sincere faith the foundation.

Okay, let's pray Father I am so thankful for this day.

I am so thankful for your word Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God Help us

God to understand your word and to take these tools God these these truths these gospel

Eternal truths you have given to us Father that we might stand firm

That we might stand firm in the perilous times and days in which we live we ask in Jesus name.

Amen So, please look at verse 1 again know this

That in the last days perilous times will come Now, maybe you've never

Heard this before maybe you have but the term last days it appears five times in the

New Testament and The last days refers to that period in human history from the resurrection of Jesus Christ Until he comes again

Okay, so we celebrated last Sunday and we sang again about it today the resurrected

Christ. Amen so from that point forward until he comes again on a

Timeline the Huffman's gave us a book one time. We still have it. You can fold it out It would take up about a half that wall.

It's a timeline of human history. Remember that that big huge book So if you had a timeline of human history from the resurrection of Jesus Christ up to this very day in the

Bible when you? Read that term last days in the New Testament. It's referring to that period of time in human history

Okay So Paul and Timothy lived there World War one civil war pick any time in history the

Egyptians. No. No, that's before Christ You have what say it with me the last days

When Peter preached the first sermon in the church after the resurrection of Christ in Acts chapter 2

There was an amazing event that occurred where all the disciples began to speak in languages that they didn't know

They were not unknown languages Did you hear me? They were languages that they didn't know

So they were known languages But they didn't know them and they were praising

God and it was a miracle That's all it was like the parting of the Red Sea raising Lazarus from the dead.

All right, that's what it was a miracle and Peter said in Explanation of that event, which was witnessed by thousands of Jews that were in Jerusalem on that day

He said and it shall come to past in the last days says

God That I will pour out my spirit on all flesh Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy your young men shall see visions your old men shall dream dreams so Peter preaching

Somewhat just a short period of time before he was crucified for his faith, right? He preaches the first sermon on the

Day of Pentecost in Jerusalem and the explanation for this miraculous Outpouring of the

Holy Spirit where these people who did not know Aramaic or did not know Greek were speaking in those

Languages and the people from all over the Middle East that were there to celebrate the Day of Pentecost Heard them in their own language and the explanation was back in Joel it says in the last days this period of time before what after the resurrection and before Jesus comes back

Right in those days God's gonna pour out his spirit on all flesh So on the timeline of human history from that day that Jesus Christ rose from the dead the last days began

So Timothy and Paul were living what in the last days? Our country was founded in 1776

Very good in the last days, right? World War one was fought when in the last days

Please follow this every Recorded event in human history from 33

AD up until this very day Happens when in the last days, okay good

Listen to Hebrews 1 1 Please listen God Who at various times and in various ways?

spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets and In these last days has spoken through his son

Okay Now go to 2nd Peter. So you're in 2nd Timothy just a couple of books over you're gonna hit

Philemon You're gonna hit Hebrews James And then you're gonna hit 1st Peter and then 2nd

Peter and please go with me to 2nd Peter chapter 3. I Read this week this may find you might find this shocking

Maybe you won't You ready for this one news headline 20 % 20 % of Christians that attend church

Read their Bible every day What's that mean can we go back to third grade math 80

Let's see 100 Minus 20 equals what? 80 80 % of Christians that go to church do not read their

Bible every day pretty sad pretty sad

Guess what? I'm gonna do for you today I'm gonna get a bunch of Bible reading in for you. Amen.

You mean I don't have to read tomorrow. No There are things that are going on in this world today

That boggle the imagination There are things that grieve God in the most incredible ways and should grieve

Every sincere Christian. I don't care whether we're talking about politics the virus the debt personal debt

Homelessness you just just pick it pick it, right? We are living in confusing

Difficult perilous times Look what Peter says about the days in which he lived

Paul lived Timothy lived your great -great -grandfather Great -great -great -great -great -grandmother Anybody you've ever known up into this very day

Look at what he says about the days in which we live 2nd Peter chapter 3 verse 1

Beloved I now write to you this second epistle in Both of which referring back to his first one.

I stir up your pure minds by the way a reminder That you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets and of the commandment of us the

Apostles of the Lord and Savior knowing this first That scoffers will come in the last days

Walking according to their own lusts and saying where is the promise of his coming?

For since the father's fell asleep all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation

Now, I don't know if you know this But people and scholars and news organizations have been mocking the second coming of Jesus Christ for centuries and Peter wrote these words less than 30 years after the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave

Verse 5 for this they willfully forget

That by the Word of God the heavens were of old and the earth standing out of water and in the water by which the world that then existed perished being flooded by water

But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same Word Are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and Perdition of ungodly men

I have news for you, by the way Global warming us being flooded by rising waters

Not going to happen Didn't you just say right it happened once but the rainbow tells us it won't happen again

How's the world going to be destroyed the next time with fire? Watch this

Look at our loving God but beloved Do not forget this one thing that with the

Lord one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day

The Lord is not slack concerning his promise as some count slackness

But as long -suffering toward us not willing that any should perish but that all

Come to repentance friends if someone asks or questions you about the second coming of Jesus Christ you have a passage to turn to the reason that Jesus has not come back yet is

Because in his love and his mercy and his grace God desires that all men come to Christ All men come to repentance all men be saved

See the scripture tells us clearly that God has a plan for the world God has a plan for the world and you we we

Totally don't get this at times those of us living in the United States because the the history of our country 300 plus years is what on the timeline of human history.

It's a speck And yet we hope a great great United States of America.

I'm I'm a patriot Now we've read what the

Apostle Paul Says about the conditions the last day, right? Got a picture We've read what

Peter says about the conditions of the world in which We find ourselves the last day.

Can we go to one more passage? Matthew 24. What did

Jesus say? About the days in which we live Matthew 24

This is a glorious passage if you have a red lever wet red letter

Bible Virtually the whole chapter is in red that's because Jesus is speaking

So Matthew 24, I want to begin reading at verse 1 then

Jesus went out and departed from the temple and his disciples came up to show him the buildings of the temple and Jesus said to them.

Do you not see all these things? By the way, this is a glorious temple that was built by Herod It was the third temple even more majestic than Solomon's temple.

They believe okay So you had three temples right Solomon's destroyed by the Babylonians Then you had

Zerubbabel which was kind of a temporary temple. And now you have Herod who was a

Roman Patriarch and he built this basically to appease the Jewish people All right become friends with them build them a nice building send him a stimulus check

Did I say that sorry about that that was a slip it's not in my notes

If you cut that out Victor, I'll find you Jesus said to them.

Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you not one stone shall be left here upon another that shall not be thrown down Now as he sat on the

Mount of Olives the disciples came to him privately saying tell us when will these things be and What will be the sign of your coming and the end of the age?

I mean, don't you want to know that? Come on, be honest. Why do you think there's all these fortune -tellers up and down the street people want to know the future even back then and they're talking to the king of kings and they're talking to the

Lord of Lords and they say When are you gonna be coming back? We know you're gonna leave

Jesus answered and said to them very soberly by the way Take heed that no one deceives you

For many will come in my name saying I am the Christ and will deceive many and you say

John I've never read read about that or heard about that on CBS News or ABC or CNN or Fox This has never happened, yes it has

There's a guy in Florida right now on internet TV, he claims to be the second coming of Jesus Christ You can find him.

He has a church. He drinks martinis and has beautiful women surrounding him And he calls himself

Jesus Christ and in India many many Hindu teachers refer to themselves as the

Second coming of Jesus Christ. It's happening now all over the world, but you're not going to hear about it in mainstream media

And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars sound familiar See that you are not troubled easy for you to say

Jesus For all these things must come to pass but the end is not yet for nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom and there will be famines and pestilences and earthquakes in various places and These are all just the beginning of sorrows

Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake

Please listen to me right now in China They have started a new program You understand that the entire country of China is on closed -circuit

TV When kids go to school in China when kids go to school in China, there's a camera on them and The AI the artificial intelligence alerts the teacher that the students face seems distracted

So the teachers teaching he can't see all the students, but the AI Singles out that student so they know where everybody is

There is a government church in China and there is an underground church in China and right now in the past few weeks

I just read an article yesterday. They are now have mobile Listen to me.

They have mobile squads that go out and arrest Christians going to underground churches

Illegal churches and they disappear they arrested that pastor in Canada You think that it's not?

Possible for it to happen here Canada is more socialist than we are but understand they have

Constitutional protection for the freedom of religion because of the War of Independence Right No law concerning, right?

These are just the beginning Verse 10 and then many will be offended and will betray one another and will hate one another

Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many turn on your television any

Christian television station So called and Because lawlessness will abound the love of many will grow cold

You hear about are you reading the news where these mothers and fathers are killing their children.

I mean Talk to the elderly people in our church

Please in their wildest imagination they would have never thought of seeing such a thing but because Iniquity abounds the love of many will what grow cold?

To where a parent will kill their own children But he who endures to the end shall be saved that's where we get the doctrine of the perseverance of the

Saints and This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all nations and then the end will come

Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation Spoken of by Daniel the prophet standing in the holy place.

That is a personal Antichrist That will appear in Jerusalem with a rebuilt temple

Whoever reads let him understand Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains

Let him who is on the housetop Not go down to take anything out of his house and let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes but woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babes in those days and Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on Sabbath for then there will be a great tribulation so this is tribulation right and then a great tribulation and That's where we get this doctrine of the seven -year tribulation

But you can't reach that conclusion until you do Daniel Zechariah Ezekiel and Revelation All these prophetic books have to be read together in order to understand them

Okay, very very complicated to come up with the exact timeline of the end times called eschatology.

It's a whole study of theology there will be a great tribulation and Unless those days were shortened no flesh should be would be saved

But for the elect's sake those days will be shortened verse 23 Then if anyone says to you look here is the

Christ or there do not believe it and it could happen in our lifetime by the way It could happen.

Did you hear what I said? That could very well happen in our lifetime. I don't

I don't have any idea but prophetically it could for as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west so also will the coming of the

Son of Man be and Wherever the carcasses there the Eagles will be gathered together. I Think I've read enough

So the last days You can read the rest of that when you get home if you want, it's fascinating So Paul Peter Timothy your great -grandparents your great -great -great -great -grandparents

George, Washington They were all living in the last days and the picture of the last days is very clearly

Do you understand it's going to get what worse? Not better. Okay Apart from the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ In terms of the morality in the world

It will not get any better only worse And if you want a picture of that you go to judges because there will be upticks

But the overall trend if we chart it out and I put a PowerPoint slide in the book of judges They go down down down and then they go up up and then they go down down down and they go up But by the time you get to the end of judges, it started here.

It's here So, yes, there may be upticks where there's a great revival in this country. Amen. We should be praying for that but the overall trend will be down Because at the end of judges that says every man is doing there was no king in Israel.

Every man is doing what? What was right in their own eyes? So there's a background.

That's the first Basket of hot bread Let me give you the second basket go back to 2nd

Timothy, okay dinners there it's cooking We're shorthanded in the kitchen

So the truce that We need to understand for believers living in difficult times

Wherever those times and seasons might be on the timeline of history In the

Christian life we must live by faith That is the foundation for everything.

Okay, and that is why this Sunday and next Sunday The title is a sincere faith colon the foundation, okay

If we're going to build a house That is going to withstand the hurricane of events

That could be coming our way understand It must and starts with what?

Faith, okay Paul affectionately refers to Timothy in verse 1 as his or a beloved son and We learn in this letter that Timothy who was very discouraged needed to know and remember and have faith in God Just like we need to know and remember and Have faith that God is in control see if China attacks

Taiwan and Some kind of war in the South Pacific breaks out and because of treaty

We have to defend Taiwan Japan South Korea Philippines you understand we have treaties with them if they get attacked we go

We need to know what that God is in control understand

If the government shuts down If the government fences the church in Like they just did that this week

We need to know what? God is in control It's not going to happen if God doesn't allow it not a bird falls to the ground

That God doesn't know it fell amen So time and time again in this letter and I encourage you this week read it.

It's short Paul circles back to the truth that an all -powerful omnipotent present everywhere on the present all -knowing omniscient

God is In control at all points on the timeline of human history

Whether it was this past Tuesday in Canada when they fenced off that church and It's got 24 -hour armed guards surrounding it as if they're gonna try to scale the fence and get in there and do something

Or whether it's on the timeline of human history when Paul writes this letter to Timothy in The midst of incredibly difficult days when when the

Emperor Nero was arresting Christians They were hiding in caves underground in Rome called the catacombs where they buried their dead and He tied them to poles and lit them to serve as light for his gardens

We have to understand we have to know we have to be convinced we have to stand on the truth that an all -powerful loving

God is absolutely in control I Had more than one person in the past two three weeks telling me

I don't know how anybody Anybody can live and not be a

Christian in these days now I want to Put a flagpole in the ground here and raise the flag

That I pray that as we go through the next few weeks God willing That you will constantly see waving up here and it's this

The grace and power of God That is ours by faith in Jesus Christ and the power of the gospel.

Did you hear what I said? the grace and the power of God That is ours

By faith in Jesus Christ see rising above everything that Paul says in this letter

Flapping in the wind of the Holy Spirit is this gospel Jim? Everything that the

Apostle Paul says to Timothy about guarding the gospel about standing firm about Persevering about not being afraid not not high.

He was literally hiding in his house Timothy was he wasn't out on the streets Evangelizing the streets of Ephesus.

He was in the house with the windows closed and I'm curtains if they had such a thing

Virtually every word of encouragement in this letter Comes back to being faithful to Christ in difficult times

It's going to come back to the gospel the power of the gospel at the very heart of what

Paul says in this letter Is the gospel it is the death the burial and the resurrection of the

Lord Jesus Christ the beloved Son of God It is salvation by grace through faith in the death burial and resurrection the

Lord Jesus Christ It is the divine fuel cell That powers everything that Paul says in this letter about living in difficult days look at verse 5

Right here in the opening. He says when I called a remembrance the genuine faith

What's that mean true saving faith? Is there such a thing as? non -genuine faith

There has to be there's an opposite for everything right stop. What's the opposite stop? What's the opposite of left?

What's the opposite of genuine Fake the genuine faith

That is in you Which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and I'm persuaded in you is in you also

So what is the cornerstone? What is the foundational truth that we need that we need to remember to know and to live in Difficult and perilous times faith

Okay sermon over Amen No Faith in God Because listen church any other house is a house built on sand and The wind and the waves will come up against that house and that house will

Fall down standing firm in the last days

The cornerstone and foundation of hope when living in difficult and perilous times is faith and our study of some of the tools that we can use to build up and strengthen our faith are found in this epistle and Before we dig in any further.

I want to give you a couple of quick back down Background points to set this this second letter of Paul's in your mind's eye

There's three so -called pastoral epistles. Okay, first Timothy second

Timothy and Titus Okay, and they're written they're called pastoral epistles because they were written to men in ministry.

Timothy was in ministry Okay That doesn't mean they're limited to pastors and elders and deacons

Because God's Word I just read and do you remember? Excuse me. Let me just show you in case there's a doubt 316 316 2nd

Timothy 316 all scripture What's that mean?

Including the pastoral epistles is given by inspiration of God and The pastoral epistles are profitable for doctrine for approved for correction for instruction righteousness.

Okay, it was written around 67 AD it is the last letter of Paul and Remember if you take my challenge and read it this week, it's not written just to pastors and elders and deacons.

Okay? The practice in the early church was when an epistle from an apostle came

Okay Remember they didn't sit in church like this and have a Bible or a smartphone Some of you are actually using an iPad or one of these to read the

Bible They didn't have this and they didn't have this they had nothing Okay so the practice in the early church when they got a letter like this from Paul or one of the other apostles like Peter or James or Jude you ready?

The practice was the elder in that church would get up Oh, we're so excited and everybody's excited in church.

We have a big fellowship meal We can't wait to be here. Everybody's wide awake because I have a letter and it would be read publicly

Over and over and over and over because that's all they had Okay, and the elder would explain it as best as they could and they would discuss it so they understood it

That's all they had. Okay, and It would be explained

Exposition Lee They would have the Old Testament, which is what Paul used to present the truths of the gospel, right?

That's all he had He had the teachings of Jesus Right, you have Matthew Mark Luke, but they weren't and John but they weren't in writing and widely distributed yet So Paul's language clearly indicates that Paul Means this letter not just for Timothy, but for the whole congregation.

Look what he says Paul an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God According to the promise of life, which is in Christ Jesus to Timothy a beloved son

Grace mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord now As you read through the letter, you'll see it's not limited to just Timothy He wants the congregation to hear what he has to say to Timothy personally because virtually

Virtually everything in the letter applies to all Christians Second you see from verse 1 that it was written by Paul Now what's going on in Paul's life?

He's in Rome He's in prison his second imprisonment

He's in a Roman prison and he is in the equivalent of what we call today

Death row only under Rome. You didn't sit in death row for 5 6 10 15 20 30 years

I mean you were there just a short period of time We had the privilege of visiting where they think it was.

It was a cold dark stone enclosure They lowered the prisoners down by rope

Down a hole and they had levels and that's where they Waited their execution

It's cold It's dark It's damp, which

I do not like I do not like damp cold. Anybody here like damp cold If you do see me after and explain it to me

Look at verse 16 By the way, he's probably chained to the wall either by his leg ankle or arm

The Lord grant mercy to the household of Anis for us for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chain

What would that suggest is that he's visiting the prison and this for us you can read about in the book of Philemon He was a runaway slave that the

Apostle Paul in the sovereignty of God had led to Christ and he goes back With this letter to Philemon right because under Roman law if you're a runaway slave, you know what the master could do

Just kill you. I Mean it was a pot. It was a sin punishable by death Now here's something else you need to know

Many of Paul's friends his brothers and sisters in Christ people that he had actually led to Christ and Discipled Had deserted him

Verse 15 This you know That all in Asia have turned away from me

Among whom are figalists and Hermogenes look over a chapter 4 verse 6 chapter 4 verse 6

For I am already being poured out as a drink offering and the time of my departure is at hand.

I Have fought the good fight. I Have finished the race. I Have kept the faith

Finally there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness Which the Lord the righteous judge will give to me on that day and not to me only but also to all those who have loved his appearing and History shows that a short time

After he wrote this letter The Apostle Paul was taken outside the walls of Rome. We tried to find it when we were there

My mother lived in Rome for a number of years, but it was too hard to find out the exact spot

But he was taken outside the walls of Rome near the Appian Way and he was beheaded for the gospel

So this is the Apostle Paul's Essentially his last will and Testament he writes while he's in prison on death row

He's about to give his life for his sincere and unwavering faith in Jesus Christ and Third just by way of introduction

Paul's writing to Timothy. He says back in verse 1 a beloved some translations have my beloved son and There's every indication in the letter when you read it that Timothy is very discouraged

Paul says Let no one look down on your youthfulness So things are difficult for Paul.

They're difficult for Timothy and all Christians at that time. We're living in the difficult days perilous days

So that's where we are Okay How can we better stand firm in our faith living in the last days?

No matter what Almighty God May allow in our lives are in our country the first point that will begin next week is by being

Confident in the will of God Okay by being confident in the will of God this pastor that was arrested for violating kovat restrictions for having worship

He was confident in the will of God He served 35 days in prison without being charged and they've just fenced in their church

He's standing confident in the will of God one more verse Hebrews chapter 13 and then

Dave will come and close our service out Hebrews 13 8 What did

Timothy need as he was living in the last days of the first century? What did Paul need in that prison?

What do people need living in the 21st century when there is confusion and discouragement fear worry

We all need the same thing faith in God and more faith in God and the accompanying assurance and confidence and conviction and peace

By faith that an all -powerful Transcendent God is at work and in control and his will has

It is now and it always will be accomplished. Amen See Paul is confident that the same

God who according to his Grace and mercy led him out of spiritual darkness on that road to Damascus The same

God that called him to be an apostle of Jesus Christ is The same

God who was with him in that prison chain to the wall Knowing he's about to die

Look at Hebrews 13 8 Jesus Christ is the same

Yesterday Today and forever

How can we better stand firm in our faith living in the last days? No matter what

Almighty God may allow in our lives or this country number one next week main course

By being confident in the will of God and we'll build on that truth next week.