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Source: https://www.sermonindex.net/speakers/alan-davidson/timothy-a-man-of-god/
Tonight we want to get some lessons from the life of Timothy, the man in the New Testament that is called the man of God. We'll read then firstly in 1st Timothy and chapter 6. 1st book of Timothy and chapter 6.
1st Timothy chapter 6. 1st Timothy chapter 6. 2nd Timothy chapter 2 verse 1. 2nd Timothy chapter 2 verse 1. 2nd Timothy chapter 2 verse 1. 2nd Timothy chapter 2 verse 1. 2nd Timothy chapter 2 verse 1.
2nd Timothy chapter 2 verse 1. Well, now in chapter 3 added verse 14. But continue thou in all things, which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them. And that from a child thou wast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith, which is in Christ Jesus.
All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect through the furnished unto all good works.
Now that is our reading and with the Lord's blessing. There is a pattern in our Bible that God would have those of an older generation encourage those of a younger generation that they may carry on the inheritance.
When Moses brought them out, Joshua brought them in. And Elijah, he carried the mantle and he cast off the mantle. There was an Elisha that took up the mantle. Last night we pondered Paul the servant of God.
And tonight we ponder the man that he calls his son, his son in the faith, Timothy, the man of God. It is likely that Timothy was saved when Paul first visited Lystra. He is first mentioned in the book of Acts chapter 16 and verse 1.
His mother and grandmother were saved people, Jewish believers. But his father was a Greek, perhaps unbelieving. We learn from the book of Acts that Timothy accompanied Paul in his second and third missionary journeys.
Associated with Paul and indeed imprisoned himself in later years. But there is no other servant of God that has such apostolic commendation. For devoted service, for a selfless interest in the welfare of the saints.
It is good to see a younger man that is prepared to serve and to serve the saints. Timothy, he was sent to Thessalonica to comfort. There were saints in trial in Thessalonica and they needed comfort. Timothy was sent to Thessalonica with a message of comfort.
Timothy was sent to Corinth to communicate material well-being and apostolic teaching to the saints. He was there to communicate the doctrines of Scripture. Timothy came into Macedonia and he came there with the concern for Paul's needs.
And he bore blessing on material needs to Paul. Timothy was sent to the church at Philippi with a care for the people of God. He says, Paul, I have no man like minded. He will naturally care for your sins, for the sins.
And here in 1 and 2 Timothy, Timothy has been left at Ephesus with a charge. A charge that he teach and those that listen to him teach no other doctrine. And so he was a young man or a younger man for he was with Paul about 20 years.
One who could be amongst the saints with a ministry of comfort, of communication and doctrine, of concern for the needs of the individual saints, for care for the assemblies of God's people, and to charge that they hold no other doctrine.
You know, the older man, Paul had no resentment and no jealousy of a younger man coming forward. And the younger man, he had no youthful impatience. He wasn't a man that would force himself. The lesson was that they could work together.
Work together. You know, there's no fellowship like the fellowship of the Lord's people. It says in Acts chapter 2 that they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and in the fellowship. That is the fellowship of a called out company of God's people gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The church is not the building where we gather. The church is the company, the assembly of God's people. And that which distinguishes the assembly of God is that they take upon them no other name, no denominational name save the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And so there's a lesson that Timothy would have a ministry of encouragement or warning. To encourage what is of God and to promote what is of God. Timothy was a young man that, well, he may not have been outgoing or ferocious.
He was, compared with Paul, not such a man of learning and gift. But we know about Timothy, perhaps an affectionate, loving young man, but modest. We learn that he was of a timid disposition. Paul needs to tell him to stir up the gift that is in there.
That is, he was a young man who was warm and caring amongst God's people. But a warm and caring nature could develop weakness for the truth. He was a young man of physical weakness. Long, stressful journeys in those days were stressful upon a young man of weak body.
Take a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities, says Paul. And, you know, physical weakness could have been a disadvantage to stressful labor. And so we can see that in Timothy, he's not a young man that was pushing himself forward.
But there was that godliness. Thou, O man of God. There was that which was, ah yes, of more importance. That which needed to be stirred up. That which needed to be encouraged. That which needed to be brought forward.
You know, oft times we move amongst God's people. There's an older generation that have been faithful, that have been steadfast, that have carried the burden. And soon near the end of life, there needs to be those that would carry the burden forward.
And so Paul says, those things that I've committed to you, Timothy, commit to faithful men. That is, I, Paul, first generation. To Timothy, second generation. To faithful men, third generation. He'll teach others also the fourth generation.
There is that handing down from generation to generation. What then marks this young man? That is able, the servant of God that we pondered last night, able to hand over to Timothy and encourage him to go on.
Where we began to read 1 Timothy 6 verse 11. But thou, O man of God. Now you'll observe in those verses, verse 11 and 12, that there's three words. He says, flee, follow, and fight. Flee, follow, and fight.
He says, flee those things. Be ever fleeing. There are those things that he has to follow after as a runner, never to lose sight of. And then he says, fight, verse 12, the good fight of faith. Let's ponder that.
Flee, follow, and fight. Be ever fleeing. The verses have to do with the ill-gotten gain of false teachers. Those in the previous verses that would be rich, says the apostle. He says, there are those that are seeking after earthly riches.
The major acquisition of those things that they're going to leave behind. You know, my dear brother, dear sister, in recent times we've been talking about saints in Russia and giving a little account of a visit to persecuted saints for the connection between our two visits to Russia and India was persecuted saints in the midst of poverty.
But in the midst of poverty and great need, the gospel has been blessed. Souls have been saved. And we went to meetings and assemblies where there was over a hundred. In fact, during this year, I've addressed an assembly of 300.
God blessing. In the midst of poverty and need and privation. But largely you and I in the West, well, what's been the greatest hindrance has just been that grasping after those material things of earth.
Majorly acquisitions of things that we're going to leave behind. Ah, says Paul now, a man of God. Be ever freeing of those things. But in a positive sense. Negatively, free those things. But positively, aggressively, actively follow after.
Follow after as a runner would have before him the focus of the end of the race. The end of the race. Never lose sight of the objective that is before. Follow after. Or as the figure is in verse 12, of a soldier.
To hold on and to never let go in spite of opposition. And so in those verses he gives us, it's in your Bible and mine, the six virtues of a man of God. There are six virtues. Six is the number of human weakness.
Short of seven, perfection. And so there are in the weakness, and we're all conscious of weakness. But there are six features of a man of God, and they're in three pairs. The first two is Godward and Upward.
The second two is Selfward and Inward. And the last one is Manward and Outward. The first two, righteousness and godliness before God. I take it that it's not just our standing in righteousness. When we got saved, God gave us that standing in righteousness.
But he says follow after righteousness. That is in a practical way. There is no substitute to right living. The basis, the fundamental, the foundation of the life of a man of God would be living right.
Living right before God. Moral rectitude. Living right before God. We could think of the righteousness of a Joseph. You know when we're introduced to Joseph in the Bible, he was likely only a teenager.
These things begin young in life, you know. And Joseph was brought into those testing spheres. God gave him a revelation that one day he would have the glory amongst his brethren. But I tell you, there were years in his life it didn't look like it.
To be tested as he was cast into the pit. To be tested in part of his house by an evil woman. To be tested in the prison, down in the prison cell. Before he got into that place of recognition in the land of Egypt.
Joseph was a young man. And it began in teenage years. Marked by righteousness. It says, Paul, there is no substitute as fundamental as basic righteousness before God. But the ungodliness, that is that attitude of referential fear.
Reverence before God. That is not a fear of tyranny. I remember a man illustrating it. His mother died when he was young. And so he was brought up by his father and by his stepmother. His stepmother was notoriously severe.
He said he feared his stepmother. He dreaded his stepmother. But his father was loving and kind. He feared his father. He obeyed his father. His father was loving and kind. He had respect for his father.
It's not that slavish fear of a thing. Ah yes, but that reverential fear. You know amongst us as the people of God there's an awful casualness. Just behave ordinary. Dress ordinary. Contributions then really become a kind of ordinary.
My dear brother, dear sister, as we ponder the very expression of man of God, there is dignity. There is reverence. There is that even in the gospel that becomes the glorious gospel of the blessed God.
May we raise the standard of godliness. We could think of the godly Josiah in the Old Testament. The man in the Old Testament that was called a man of God was Josiah. And you know he was only a boy. Only a boy when he came to the throne of Israel.
My dear brother, my dear sister, the basis of it before God. Let us live our lives before God. If we merit the title a man or woman of God then it must begin with God. Righteousness before God. Godliness in the sight of God.
That is the focus of the life of Timothy was Godward. And that life of godliness, God's word was his constant standard. God's will was his constant aim. God's work was his constant joy. I ask God's worth was his daily theme.
It was God. God's word, God's will, God's work. That which is worthily commended before God as a man of God. But the second two. Faith and love. Self-worth. Now this is not just that initial faith of trusting Christ as Savior.
In the path of life we have trusted Christ as Savior. Depend upon Him for eternity. Saved and cannot lose it. But we have that faith, that rest, that trust. That faith which is expressed in confidence in God.
You know the man of God will be brought into circumstances where he will put God to the test. And God will put him to the test. We could think and we certainly do of the faith of Abraham. Abraham, the man of faith, went forth not knowing whether he went.
For a hundred years with his faithful servant by his side wind and storm searched his pilgrim tent as he onward moved in the path of faith. Upward and onward to his heavenly Fatherland beyond the stars.
The Bible speaks of Abraham as the man of faith. Righteousness. Godliness. But faith and love. You know, love is the main spring of faithful service. 1 Corinthians 13 says without love the whole thing is but sounding brass and tinkling cymbal.
That love. Love Godward and love manward. Spoke the other night on David. The man after God's own heart. There's something that draws you to the life of David. And it's that affection. That love that was revealed in those Psalms.
In the midst of all his pressure and difficulties. Ever think about the Psalms of David. Most of them were written before he was 30 years of age. It was in that early experience in life when he knew that testing time.
And that was throughout his heart in his fervor of love. Love to the people of God. Love for the house of God. Love for the things of God. Love for the service of God. That faith of an Abraham. That love of a David.
But then, two more. Two more that are largely manward. Patience and meekness. Patience, the word literally means remain under. Under trials and difficulties. To endure under trial. To be steadfast under trial.
Under trials and persecutions. Patience. And of course, your mind is already thinking of the patience of Job. The patience of Job. Sing a little about Job today. He was a wise man. He was a wealthy man.
I ace the wealthiest of all in the east. But he hadn't been tested. Under the hand of God, he lost all his wealth and all his family. And I think it's about chapter 40 of Job when he's looking back upon it all.
He says in the former experience, I knew God as God existed. But now mine eyes seeth thee. It was in the midst of his trials that he really got to know God and to see God. The man of God manifested in righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience.
The last one, meekness. Meekness as he faces opposition. You know, there's that about the figure of youth. And there's that about the spirit of self-importance that would really demand attention and would really assert their own rights and importance.
Meekness is the direct opposite of that. Assertion of personal rights. Moses, the meekest man in all the earth. Moses, when they spoke against him, his own brother and sister criticized him and found fault with him.
And his sister was stricken down because of sin with leprosy. Moses never opened his mouth to defend himself. He never opened his mouth in accusation against him. And all he said, he just left before God.
And he thought about his sister Miriam and he says, Lord, heal her now. There's a man. Yes, moving with meekness to serve the people of God. The features of a man of God. You know what we're talking about in our day?
We often talk about gift that is good, and ability that is essential, and the knowledge of the Word of God. And we kind of overemphasize that. But those things aren't included here. Ah yes, search your own hearts.
Brothers and sisters, male and female, in the service of God, a man or woman of God, thou, O man of God, flee these things of false ambition, but follow after aggressively, actively, the promotion and that of our lives individually of righteousness and godliness that is no substitute of faith and love before others and of patience and meekness in ourselves.
But verse 12, man of God, fight the good fight. Timothy, this is not going to be easy. You're in the battle. You're in the arena. There are enemies in every hand. There is opposition. We offer you conflict.
There are opponents. This is not just sailing through. You're going to be waging the warfare if you're going to verify the divine call and witness that noble confession of a man of God. He says here, they hold on eternal life.
What does that mean? You and I, what we got saved. God so loved the world, gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. He that believeth on the Son hath life.
Everlasting, eternal life. Once in Christ, in Christ forever. Save it and know it and cannot lose it. But, he says they hold upon eternal life. That means that true life. That true life. Not those selfish material things of life.
But they hold that which is real life. Life that is meaningful. You know, blessed is the portion of the Christian. You and I. You and I on this side of the grave we've got eternal life. You and I, if the Lord be not come, we'll pass by way of the grave.
On the other side, we've got eternal life. You and I have got eternal life that the grave will not remove. The pillar of death will make no difference to the possession of eternal life. Says Balder Timothy, it's that life.
They hold upon that, that energy, that vigor, that which gives us marrow in our bones and strength in the sinews of our faith and helps us to live. Live a life that is meaningful. You know, it's a sad business at the end of our little sojourn down here to come to the end of life with regrets.
I was speaking to a man some time ago. A good man. In the assembly. Went to the meetings. Very diligent going to the meetings. But he was a businessman. And he worked hard. I'm not saying there's anything a problem about his business.
It was honorable and upright. But you know, he spent hours long into the night and up early in the morning. And he spent his energy and his efforts on his time. Then he took ill and was evidently dying.
He says, you know, all I've done in life is make money. All I've done in life is make money. There was nothing questionable about it. But I could see, surrounded by the affluence that was his, that at the end, really, it hadn't been a meaningful life.
It hadn't been a life, could I encourage, would God there was more. But we're thankful for those in this meeting that are young in the faith and those that life lays before you. Could you stretch after those true virtues of life, those true values of life, that true victory in life, that of laying hold upon eternal life.
How do we do this? He says, verse 13, I give thee charge. Now this is solemn. I give thee charge and he calls two witnesses. He says, I call two witnesses in the sight of God and before Christ Jesus. This is a matter in the example that is stretched before him of the Lord Jesus Christ in death and resurrection.
He's saying to Timothy, man of God, flee, follow, fight. He's saying, I'm going to give you an example, supreme example. We've talked about the example of Joseph and Josiah and Abraham and David and Job and Moses.
There's a man in the Bible, blessed man, and he far surpasses them all. And he says, I give thee charge before God and before Christ Jesus who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession. What's he saying?
He's saying to Timothy, man of God, get your eye fixed upon another man. The supreme example of the blessed Savior. I ask before Pontius Pilate, let us ponder that scene in the judgment hall of Pilate with a crown of thorns on his blessed head, with a reed of mockery in his hand, with a robe of degradation upon him.
Pilate said, art thou the king? Pilate led him forth. Behold the man. The people said, no king but Caesar. Pilate allowed him to be scourged, maltreated, allowed his soldiers to maltreat and buffet an innocent man.
Three times Pilate said, no fault in this man. Pilate allowed him to be so abused and more marred than any man that as he stood there short of death, he couldn't have been maltreated anymore. And then he brought him out and he said, behold the man.
As though they would have some pity. He put his own clothes upon him. Surely there's somebody in the crowd would remember. They remember as they thought of him, the man on the roads of Galilee, the man that walked the plains of Judea in his own clothes of a peasant who spoke the miracles, that did the parables, that spoke the parables, that performed the miracles, that lived an innocent life of utter perfection.
Pilate says, is there nobody would have pity on this man? Behold the man. No, no arm to save. No hand upraised to defend him. Lover and friend dost thou put far from me, mine acquaintance into darkness.
I sent him to Herod. And the whole thing, he never spoke one word of defense in all his meekness. And the whole thing was just turned to empty-headed amusement. And at last as he stood, Pilate said, art thou the king?
Said he, ye shall see. Ye shall see the Son of Man coming. Clouds and great glory. What's Paul saying here? Before Pontius Pilate the Savior stood rejected and despised and silent. The blessed example of the Savior.
The vindicated Christ, says Paul. It wasn't God's time for Him to be upon the throne. But down the long corridors of time, says Paul, there'll be a time who in His times we're at. Who in His times, in God's time, He will show, God will show in Christ who is the one and only potentate King of kings and Lord of lords.
It wasn't as he stood before Pontius Pilate his to be anointed as king. But God has not abandoned His purposes. And the vindicated Christ will rule and will be king and will be king of kings and Lord of lords.
For after the cross will come the crown and after the tree will come the throne. And the blessed man that stood with needle-pierced hands, the blessed man that they put a reed into his hand, there's going to be a day when he and that same hand, the same hand of the vindicated Christ, will take the chapter of universal dominion.
Taserion, usurated is. Before Pontius Pilate the Savior said, My kingdom is not of this world. What's Paul saying to Timothy? Timothy, it's not now. It's not in this material scene. It's not now. My kingdom, Timothy, it's not of this world.
But you're associated with one that has gone before. God's purposes will not be altered. God's first thoughts are always God's final thoughts. And God will, in divine purpose, show who is the one and only potentate, King of kings and Lord of lords.
So he says to Timothy, Thou man of God, keep this commandment. Verse 14 You'll observe what he's saying. Timothy, don't turn back. Verse 11, follow. Timothy, don't give up. Verse 12, fight. Timothy, don't let go.
Hold fast. Timothy, don't give in. Verse 14, keep. Don't turn back. Don't give up. Don't let go. Don't give in. You're in the conflict. And the battle, the battle is strong. He says to Timothy, keep. Keep intact.
Preserve that treasure as though that treasure is given to a trustee. A priceless treasure. That deposit of grace, that treasure of the gospel, those truths of the epistles, keep unstained without reproach unto the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The imminent appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. My dear brother, if there's one thing that will encourage, my dear sister, if there's one thing that will promote godliness, it's the thought of the imminent recoming and the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Timothy, you're in the battle, but the battle is soon to be over. Timothy, there's a conflict now, but the conflict will soon be finished. Timothy, you're in the war, but soon the victory will be won.
Think of a visible, vindicated, victorious Christ. Could I encourage our hearts today? It might seem so. Remnant testimony, devil, I need to say it tonight. Empty seats. Just a few of the faithful. But mind you, the battle will soon be over.
The conflict will soon be finished. The victory will soon be won. Timothy, hold on. Keep that which has been given to you. Keep the truths of the little assembly. Keep the truth of gathering to his name, baptism associated with his name, and all that we have through Christ.
I ask the ardent spirit, sixteen, the ardent spirit of the great veteran, he rises to that magnificent doxology in his times, the vindicated Christ. You see, as I've said, maybe not an outward young man, modest, inward looking, constantly maybe searching and seeking of his own fears, bodily marked by weakness.
In the midst of this conflict and this difficulty, there might have just been the danger of Timothy holding back. You know that spirit, let others do it. Let somebody else. Oh, just tag along. Turn up on Sunday.
Just be at the meeting. Yeah, sure. But just let somebody else face the bottle. And somebody else carry the burden. And somebody else, well, there's just a danger. A danger that the man of God might hide behind a veil of silence, may be sleeping, may shrink in the bottle, may be filled with fear of satanic attack.
And so he maybe just wouldn't lift his head above the parabet and face the enemy. I like the way the Apostle so often addressed this young man, Timothy. Have you not all so young? Yes, maturing in the things of God, not in us now.
And not somebody that hasn't been proved. He says in 1 Corinthians, he's Timothy, my son and faithful in the Lord. He says here in 2 Timothy 2 verse 1, Timothy, my son, be strengthened in the grace in the things which thou hast learned of me and that which have been many witnesses.
I saying to the second, to the third, to the fourth generation, be faithful. The Bible speaks of faithful Abraham. Hebrews 3 speaks of Moses, faithful in all God's house. Man of God's a faithful man. Faithful to God.
Faithful in testimony. Faithful in the Gospel. Faithful in the assembly. Faithful in doctrine. In that sense of being trustworthy, dependable, true. As brethren and sisters in the assembly, are we dependable, brethren and sisters.
In days when there is blessing and the sun is shining and the south wind blows softly and everything is favorable, we're there. In days of adversity, when the cold wind is from the north and the blast is in the faith and the hills are steep and the corners are sharp and the difficulties are real, are we in the assembly out of convenience or conviction?
Man of God. You know, there's a generation slide. You don't need me to tell you that. A generation slide amongst us. Brethren and sisters of a former generation came out from denominationalism and it cost them much to pay the price.
But you and I have entered into an inheritance that has cost us little. And there's that spirit of toleration and compromise. I want to ponder 2 Timothy. Paul's last words. He talks about the last days.
He longs to see Timothy, his endearing son, that faithful minister. He doesn't want Timothy to remain silent. He says, stir up the gift. He doesn't want him to shrink back. He says, Timothy, you're in the battle at the forefront of the battle.
He says, Timothy, there's a Saddamic attack in dark and difficult days. 6 times, he says, hold fast. Cleave. Cleave to those sound words and doctrines. Indeed, sound words, the language really is statements.
The accuracy of God's chosen words. Hold fast and keep. Guard as a soldier. Keep as a steward. Teach as a servant. Teach others also. You'll notice this in 2 Timothy 2. Verse 1, he's a son. Thou therefore, my son.
Verse 3, he's a soldier. Verse 5, he's an athlete. Strive lawfully. In verse 6, he's a farmer. The husband man that labors. In verse 15, he's seen as a worker. Workman. Laboring in the word of truth. In verse 21, he's seen as a vassal.
Meet for the master's use. And in verse 24, he's a servant. A bondservant of the Lord. The man of God. Seven number features in chapter 2. Number 1, a son. That which is genuine, my genuine son. Verse 3, a soldier.
Endure hardness. Stand hold heartedly. Stand steadfastly. As a sentry on duty, the tack is imminent. So, endure hardness. Verse 5, strive lawfully. As the runner in the race. As the athlete. Putting every effort, with every breath, with every sinew.
Keeping going. Keeping to the course. Not deviating this way or that way. Not doing U-turns. Not being tripped up, but strive lawfully. Verse 6, farmer. Husband man that labors. Sow energetically. Sow the good seed of the word of God into the heart of sinners, into the heart of saints.
It's profitable in all things. The husband man that labors. Verse 15, the work man. Laboring, he says, in the word of truth. He's to stand steadfastly. He's to strive lawfully. He's to sow energetically.
What does it mean here? Laboring or studying diligently in the word of truth. This is costly. My dear brothers and sisters, there's an awful shallowness amongst us as the people of God. To have a knowledge of the word of God, my dear young brother and dear sister, it's going to cost you.
It's going to cost you your time. It is going to cost you your leisure time. It is going to cause you to give up. Give up your Saturday. Give up the overtime. Give up the pursuits of the family. Give up those social hours with your wife by your side.
You'll have to be able to sacrifice. You know, we're prepared to serve God in our day if it doesn't cost us very much. There's so much maybe... I'm not saying it's gross or anything. Give up those things which are legitimate.
Says somebody, have I to give up all those things just to learn in the school of God, just to mature in the school of God, just to labor in the word of truth? If it doesn't cost you anything, it's not worth anything.
And those things that are demanded of us sacrificially to give up, there's one answer to all that. Have I to give up my Saturday, my leisure hours, my social life, and those things that are demanded of me by others that are all around me?
There's one answer, my dear brother and dear sister. God gave up His Son. You and I wouldn't be looking at each other in this meeting if God had not given up His Son. Is it a big matter for you and I to make a little sacrifice in the service of God?
Oh yes, laboring in the word of truth. Verse 21, a vassal, sanctified holy, meek for the master's use. Verse 24, a servant. The word is a bondservant of the Lord. We read in connection with Paul last night, at the end of his sojourn in chapter 4, he says to Timothy, Watch, endure affliction, do the work of an evangelist, make foolproof of thy ministry.
And says, Paul, if you do it as I have done it, and follow the example, and above all follow the example of the Lord Jesus Christ before Pontius Pilate, do it in view of the appearing of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Keep your eye upon Christ. Keep your eye upon the One. Then he stood before Pontius Pilate. He stood before an unrighteous judge. Really, sometimes I think Pilate stood before the Lord. For Pilate condemned himself when Christ was justified.
But there'll come a day, says Paul, when he'll be the judge. And says, Paul, I'll be standing before him. And Timothy, you'll be standing before him. And we leave it in view of that day in which the righteous judge, I ask that reward that will be given me by the righteous judge, says Paul.
That which will be handed out by the Lord the righteous judge at that day. The bondservant of Jesus Christ serves humbly. He'll not strive, but he'll be gentle in all things. And how good the commendation.
In that day, well done, good and faithful servant. What a high and lofty, a lofty aim. But well worth it in that day if even now we would be called the man or woman of God. May God help us. May God encourage us.
May God help us to lift our sights a little higher above the horizontal that is about us. Saturifactions upon things above where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God. To live in anticipation of the imminent appearing of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
And be able to serve before He who is the righteous judge. For He'll be able to assess it all. That we might look at it now as we look at it then. Scanned by the Lord on angels and men. May God bless His Word.
Shall we pray? Our Father, we seek Thy face in the precious name of the Lord Jesus. And we bless Thee for a few that have gathered even tonight around Thy Word. Thou dost know that there are likely those around these parts, and with a little thought they should have been here.
But we thank Thee for those that are faithful. And those that would seek to serve the Lord dark and closing to death. Pray Thy blessing upon those elderly. At the end of life, we read of Moses that his hand was steady until the going down of the sun.
We thank Thee for steady faithful saints. Pray for those that are young in the faith. Those that are setting out. And those that are entering into married life. And those that are moving forward. We pray that there might be that focus in life.
That center in life. That vision of the blessed man that has gone before. Who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession. And we thank Thee for him we read. That God will show in his times he was the one and only potentate.
King of kings and Lord of lords. That we might be closer drawn to him. That we might engage with the foe. That we might follow and flee and fight in the good fight of faith. Bless Thy word we pray. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen.