Bible In A Year - 2 Timothy

Bethlehem Bible Church iconBethlehem Bible Church

0 views

0 comments

00:00
All right, this morning is 2 Timothy, another pastoral epistle, and before we go into the study, we'll pray and ask the
00:12
Lord's blessing upon our time together again. Let's go to the Lord in prayer. Father again, we come to you and we're grateful.
00:22
We think of the access that we have before your throne of grace through the blood of our
00:28
Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and we thank you for his finished work on our behalf in Calvary.
00:34
We thank you that he bore our sins, Lord, that we're forgiven, that we're cleansed from all unrighteousness.
00:43
We're purchased of our God and we are your possession, and we're grateful for the time that we have to be able to come into the house of God to be able to open the word of God amongst those who are in the family of God and just rejoice in you and your greatness towards us,
01:02
Lord, such grace and such mercy and such lovingkindness. And we ask,
01:07
Lord God, please, this morning that we may be taught of the Holy Spirit, that our understanding would be made much clearer concerning different topics and subjects in the word, and that our hearts would be stirred because there's times when we go on in our
01:23
Christian life, Lord, and at times we can get discouraged and we can grow weary in the work, and things can press in upon us.
01:34
So, Lord, we ask you to revive us in the midst of the years, Lord, and in the midst of the years make your glory known amongst us, and may we be helped so that we bring more glory and honor to Christ.
01:47
And we pray in Jesus' precious name, amen. Again, 2
01:52
Timothy, you'll notice that I put a few verses up at the top of the sheet that kind of go along with the theme that I wrote, and I'll visit that theme there.
02:03
But first, I guess the first thing I'd like to say about this book is, you know, there are, if you had the knowledge that you only had a short period of time to live and you needed to convey truth to other people, you needed to pass the baton, as it were, what significance would you put in the words that you write, and what topics would you write about, and that's basically what the
02:31
Apostle Paul is dealing here with in 2 Timothy. These are his last words, and they're to be of significance.
02:42
He is at the end of his life, and he understands that. So he writes some words to Timothy, who is, as it says in chapter 1 and 2, verse 2, we see this again, to Timothy, my dearly beloved son.
02:58
Of course, this is his son in the faith. And Paul's words are powerful.
03:04
Paul's words are personal. You see that they're very precise in what he says, and they're very weighty.
03:12
And I think that if we were to say or have the opportunity to write our last and final thoughts, our parting thoughts, our final words,
03:23
I think they would be the same. As I got from MacArthur's study reference guide, it says that Paul's words take the form of a powerful spirit -inspired last will and testament.
03:40
And so this letter is from Paul, written at about 66 or 67
03:46
A .D. to Timothy, who is the pastor of the church at Ephesus.
03:52
And just a little bit of a background here, we know that Paul went into prison in Rome, and he was released from that first imprisonment for a short period of time, and he was able to minister.
04:06
And during that time, after he was released, he wrote 1 Timothy, and he wrote Titus. But by the time he's writing this letter, 2
04:13
Timothy, he's in prison again. And we see that in verses like chapter 1 and verse 16, where he says,
04:22
The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chain, or he was not ashamed of my imprisonment.
04:32
Paul is back in prison, and his re -arrest probably occurred during Nero's persecution, a time of Nero persecuting the
04:42
Christians. But you'll remember that when Paul was in prison the first time, that it was a bit different in that he had an optimism.
04:52
He had a confident hope that he was going to be released, because he wrote verses like,
04:58
I hope to shortly come to you, and those that he was writing to. He used those words that he felt as if, or at least he had the hope given to him, that he would be released.
05:11
But in that first imprisonment, it was a little bit different in that he was only basically under house arrest, and his visitors could come and go.
05:22
And we see that as we read in the other epistles. But this imprisonment is different.
05:29
Paul is in a cold cell. He's in chains, and there is no hope of his deliverance.
05:37
And we understand that basically when we go to the last chapter of 2 Timothy, and he gives all and every indication that the end of his life is near.
05:49
He says that great phrase, I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course,
05:54
I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. And he says, I'm ready to be offered up, and the time of my departure is at hand.
06:01
It's the end of his life. And in this, the second imprisonment here, as he's writing this letter, it's all completely different.
06:12
As I said, he's in the cell, in his chains. And something different happened that probably in a measure
06:20
I can imagine brought him a bit of discouragement, and yet he had a hope in the Lord.
06:25
But because of this second imprisonment, the others that were with him at first, they feared the persecution that could come to them also, and possibly to where they could be imprisoned themselves, and they abandoned
06:46
Paul. And we see that he says that in a couple of places in this book, like first in chapter one in verse 15,
06:58
This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me, of whom is fragilis and homogenous.
07:08
There were those that had abandoned Paul. We see it also in chapter four, and in verse 10,
07:17
For Demas has forsaken me, or abandoned me, having loved this present world, and has departed unto
07:23
Thessalonica, Cretans to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. Only Luke is with me.
07:29
Take Mark and bring him with you, for he is profitable to me for the ministry. So there were those that didn't associate themselves with the apostle
07:38
Paul, and what he's doing as he's writing Timothy here, in second
07:43
Timothy, and facing, as it appears to him, hope is gone as far as the lengthening of the long life.
07:51
He's facing his imminent execution. Paul writes Timothy, and he asks him to hurry and to come, and come for the final visit, and to bring the books, and bring especially the parchments, you know, bring my coat, things that were important or could help him at the end.
08:08
That's what he does. And in this letter, a very personal letter to Timothy, again,
08:14
Paul is aware of the end of his life. He is going to pass, as it were, the mantle to Timothy.
08:19
He's going to pass the baton to Timothy, and he writes about significant topics that deal with pastoring, that deal with leading in a church, and also that can be applied to all of us as we read a book such as this, of what to look for in leadership, how to pray for those that are in leadership in the church, and there are things that we can practically apply to our own
08:43
Christian life as we consider and hopefully near the end of the class I'll get into as far as how we should look at our lives like the
08:50
Apostle Paul did and do an evaluation of where we are at any given point in our
08:56
Christian walk. In this book, then, as he deals with these significant topics, as he anticipates his death, challenging
09:04
Timothy, he exhorts Timothy in many different ways to continue on in his duties.
09:12
We see this in Chapter 1 and in Verse 6. He says to Timothy, well, let's read
09:18
Verse 5. When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith or the sincere faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother
09:26
Lois and then in your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded that is in you also.
09:31
We see that he had an influence, or at least there was an influence in his home with his grandmother and his mother who had been saved by God's grace, were
09:41
Christians, and Timothy comes to the faith also. Wherefore, he says in Verse 6,
09:47
I put you in remembrance that you stir up or you rekindle or you renew the gift of God which is in you by the putting on of my hands.
09:56
In Paul, he writes this to Timothy as far as to remember things and cause others to remember the things that he had bestowed through the teaching, through the apostles' teaching to him.
10:09
And he wanted Timothy to stir up the gift, and one of the ways that he admonishes him to do this is to think about the gift that God had given him, to renew his gift, to stir it up, because courage comes from a sense of your giftedness that the
10:27
Spirit of God, God gives us, God grants us not only the gift of salvation through the gift of repentance and the gift of faith, but spiritual gifts to be able to minister.
10:38
God had called Timothy and God had given him unique abilities to be able to minister as the pastor in the church, but Timothy, being young, no doubt came across in the church.
10:53
There were those in the church at Ephesus that possibly, and it appears as if they resented
11:01
Timothy's leadership. They looked down maybe upon him in a way because he was young, and this could have been a reason why
11:10
Paul needed to encourage him because it gives you an indication that Timothy was timid because Paul has to talk about don't be ashamed.
11:21
Notice this as we go on reading here in chapter 1, verse 7, for God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
11:33
So Paul says, look, Timothy, stir up the gift that is in you. Renew, be rekindled where you are in the faith and what
11:41
God has done in your life because God hasn't given us this spirit of fear, which in the
11:48
Greek this word, what this is dealing with is timidity. It's cowardice.
11:53
It could be cowardice that's caused by a weak and selfish character, and I would think that because of not only those in the church that maybe resented his leadership and looked down upon him because he was young, there was also the
12:10
Roman persecution against those that were preaching and ministering the gospel, and he saw that firsthand in the apostle
12:16
Paul's life, who is in prison in deep chains, and maybe it could also be because of the assault of the false teachers who were using their sophisticated systems of deception to pull the wool over people's eyes, and there is this attack against people, and Paul is encouraging
12:38
Timothy not to get all caught up in these disputations and these clever debates and all that because it's profitless.
12:45
It doesn't profit anybody, and it's not worthwhile. So you have these things that are coming
12:51
Timothy's way, and it gives you an indication in the way that the apostle
12:57
Paul is teaching, and notice in chapter 1, verse 8, he says, Do not, therefore, be ashamed of the testimony of our
13:07
Lord, nor of me as prisoner, but be a partaker, or join with us in the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God.
13:16
And that encouragement came from Paul to Timothy, the aged apostle to the young pastor, and I believe that it can come to us as believers in the day in which we live because of the attacks that come our way, because we are in the world, but we are not of the world, and as believers, we're to shine as lights in a dark, dark world, and when we go into this world and we work, or we go and meet with our family, or we meet with our neighbors, you always have that sense that we really need to program ourselves for rejection, don't we?
13:48
I mean, we just are amongst people being believers, being born from above, being separated by God to serve
13:56
God, the true and the living God, being saved from the darkness of this world, from the systems, the teaching, the philosophy of it.
14:04
When we begin to speak and when we begin to live for Christ, we are labeled.
14:11
We are looked at as being quite strange, and that is an okay thing because we are to be fools for Christ.
14:19
We are to be separate, but at times it can come upon us and weigh heavily upon us because we do want to be accepted.
14:28
We do want to be able to rub shoulders with people and to live peaceably in the world, but many times there's this friction and there's this persecution that can come.
14:41
Oh, yeah, that's right. I mean, just even at work, somebody uses foul language.
14:49
Who do they look at and apologize to? It's the Christians, right? Oh, I'm sorry. Why didn't he turn to the other person he's talking to and say, oh,
14:56
I'm sorry? Because they know there's a standard there. There's a difference between the two, and they know that we don't do that and we don't speak that way because we want our words to be seasoned with salt and seasoned with grace and to be encouraging and edifying, and we're different.
15:14
So there is this automatic identity that we have with Christ and this automatic persecution that comes to us as we...
15:25
Notice what it says in chapter 3. We'll go back to 1, hold your place there. Chapter 3 in verse 10,
15:34
Paul says, But you have fully known my doctrine, my manner of life, my purpose, faith, long -suffering, charity, patience, persecutions, afflictions.
15:46
Is that just for the apostle Paul? No, because notice what he says. These came to me in Antioch, in Iconium, in Lystra.
15:56
What happened to Paul at Lystra? He got stoned, and they left him for dead.
16:01
God raised him up. He wasn't through with him yet. What persecutions I endured. I love this phrase that he puts in there,
16:08
But out of them all the Lord delivered me, and he will for every believer. But notice this in verse 12.
16:14
I mean, these are just not for the leaders in the church. Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
16:24
So that's everyone who would take up their cross and follow Christ, everyone who would identify with Christ right from the get -go.
16:33
I was talking to somebody last week who didn't quite fully understand what baptism meant, and from the beginning, baptism is an identification of the believer with Christ.
16:42
It has nothing to do with our salvation, but from right out of the gate, it is the first step of obedience. That's why it's so needful from the beginning,
16:51
I believe, that when someone comes to faith in Christ, they understand what it means to be saved. They understand what it means to be baptized.
16:57
It's an identification. It's a picture of what Christ has done in our lives. Do it. To take that step to follow
17:05
Christ and to take up our cross and to serve the Lord, but if we choose to live piously or we choose to live devoutly before God, live godly in Christ Jesus, we will suffer persecution.
17:20
And the persecution came to Paul. Timothy sees that. He's got the attack from within. He's got the attack from without.
17:26
Maybe driving him or as susceptible Timothy is to being timid, to being maybe not as powerful and as bold in his ministry as he ought to be, and Paul says, don't be ashamed.
17:41
Notice back in chapter 1, that was in verse 8, but notice what it says in verse 12.
17:51
For which cause I also suffer these things, nevertheless, and these words come to us from the hymn that we sing,
18:00
I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that he is able to keep that which
18:06
I have committed unto him against that day. But that phrase, we don't sing it, but it begins with,
18:12
I am not ashamed. The apostle Paul says that. He's not ashamed to own
18:17
Christ. He's not ashamed of anything that God has brought his way. He's not ashamed to speak of the
18:23
Lord. He's not ashamed to live openly for Christ because he knows that, and I think the confidence that he has, and he wants to kind of relay this to Timothy, is that God is for us who can be against us.
18:37
And with that thought, before I come back here, you'll notice as I said in chapter 3, verse 11,
18:43
Paul says there were persecutions and afflictions that came my way. But out of them all, the
18:49
Lord delivered me. Notice, as I said earlier, the rejection of the apostle
18:56
Paul when people left him because they maybe didn't want to be associated with him because maybe they'd lay hold upon them and throw them, and they'd be persecuted too, and throw them into prison.
19:07
And we see this in chapter 4, in verse 11, only
19:12
Luke is with me. Take Mark, bring him with you, for he is profitable to me for the ministry.
19:19
And Tychicus have I sent to Ephesus. The cloak that I left at Troas with Carpus, when you come, bring it with you.
19:25
And the books, but especially the parchments. Verse 14, 414, Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil.
19:33
The Lord reward him according to his works, of whom beware also, or watch out for him, for he has greatly withstood our words, or our teaching, or our doctrine.
19:41
Verse 16, at my first answer, no man stood with me.
19:47
People abandoned Paul. And he says, but all men forsook me. I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge.
19:53
Notice this though, his encouragement in the Lord. Notwithstanding, the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that the
20:05
Gentiles might hear, and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. And the
20:10
Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom, to whom be glory forever and ever.
20:17
Amen. I believe Paul is saying this, not only is it his own personal testimony, that God was faithful to him, and God delivered him out of the hands of those who would do evil against him, and try to keep him from pursuing on in his gospel ministry in the past.
20:35
He's doing it not only for his own testimony unto the goodness of the Lord, and to bring glory to the Lord, but he's also doing it to encourage
20:42
Timothy. And we have the word of God to encourage us. When the time gets difficult, when we own
20:48
Christ, when we identify with Christ and we stand up, stand up for Jesus, he's soldiers of the cross, lift high his royal banner, it must not suffer loss.
20:57
When we preach the gospel, when we live in our neighborhood, and live within our family, and live on the job, and live at school, and the attack comes our way, what we can be greatly encouraged is that no weapon that is formed against us will prosper, and that the
21:16
Lord is on our side. As the psalmist said, I will not fear what man can do unto me.
21:22
Greater is he that is in us than he that is in the world. And we have so many encouraging promises from the
21:28
Lord. I just think of Hebrews 13 .5, Let your conversation be without covetousness, and be content with such things as ye have.
21:37
For he has said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. Paul's friends forsook him and abandoned him, but the
21:43
Lord never did. Never did, as you read the accounts of his life in the book of Acts and the other epistles, where he writes of those things, and here to encourage
21:51
Timothy. Timothy, don't be ashamed. God is for you. God is not against us, and God will deliver you.
21:58
Not only has he gifted you, but God will deliver you. And he is able. Back to chapter 1, and in verse 12,
22:04
Don't be ashamed, because I know whom I've believed. I've believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. I am persuaded, or I am convinced, that he is able to keep us.
22:15
The word able there. God is able. What attribute of God does that point to? His omnipotence.
22:23
God is all -powerful. He's able to keep that which we've committed unto him against that day, or until that day, when time is no more, and we're in the presence of the
22:33
Lord, our souls which have been committed to him. And we have believed upon him. He is the shepherd and the bishop, or the overseer of our souls.
22:43
And he can keep us, and none of us will fall out of his hand. We are not ever to be out of his care.
22:50
We will never be abandoned. And God is able to keep, or that word keep is a military term. God is able to guard us.
22:57
We are kept by the power of God through faith in Christ Jesus, Timothy wrote, I mean
23:03
Peter wrote, 1 Peter 1 .5. And Paul uses this to encourage. Don't be ashamed.
23:08
Notice he gives an example down in verse 16. The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me, and he was not ashamed of my imprisonment.
23:19
He wasn't ashamed. And Timothy, don't be ashamed. So we see this thread here as Paul is encouraging
23:25
Timothy to be faithful. And then Paul also encourages Timothy, like he did in 1
23:31
Timothy, to hold on to sound doctrine. We see this in 1 .13.
23:37
Hold fast that form of sound words, or sound teaching, or sound doctrine, which you have heard from me in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.
23:47
And that good thing which was committed unto thee, keep or guard by the Holy Ghost which dwells in us.
23:53
So not only did Paul encourage him to continue to be faithful, but to hold on to sound doctrine.
24:05
You'll notice in chapter 2 he encourages him to avoid error. And I kind of touched on this before.
24:12
Chapter 2 in verse 15 is a verse that many of us know and probably have memorized and we have applied to ourselves, and it's rightly so to apply it personally.
24:22
But in the context of this book, it is that the pastor, the leader in the church, is to have a studying ministry, not only a persevering one and a holy one, but to have one of study.
24:34
Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed.
24:40
Notice that word there again. Rightly dividing or straight cutting or handling the word of God properly, the word of truth, but shun profane, verse 16, and vain dabblings, for they will increase unto more ungodliness.
24:56
And their word, that type of unsound doctrine and that debating about things that are not profitable, going off into tangents and dealing with different subjects that are not to be the thrust of gospel ministry.
25:13
He says, that word will eat as does a canker or gangrene or cancer, you might see a note in your margin, of whom is hymeneus and felitis.
25:23
Be careful. Avoid error. Not only to avoid error, but also, I've kind of touched on this, but Paul wanted
25:30
Timothy to embrace persecution, to accept it as being that which is going to come the way of the believer.
25:41
Notice in 2 .9, chapter 2, verse 9, Paul says, where and I suffer trouble as an evildoer.
25:49
He said, I'm considered a criminal, even under bonds, even to my imprisonment. I mean, I'm laboring for Christ, and yet I'm thrown in prison, thought of as an evildoer.
25:57
Of course, we know that God will make all this right. God will vindicate. God will take care of and preserve his people.
26:06
But in life, the suffering comes. But the word of God is not imprisoned or bound.
26:12
Therefore, this is one of the thrusts of Paul's life. I endure all things for the elect's sake, that they may also obtain the salvation, which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.
26:25
And what Paul is saying is he endures everything for the church's sake, for those that are the people of God.
26:31
And he'll press on, suffering for others, because there are those that God would give him as fruit of his ministry of the gospel preaching, many who would be saved.
26:43
Also in chapter 3, well, I read those verses and how the
26:49
Lord delivered him out of all of those situations. And then one of the other things that he does is he wants to –
26:57
Paul wants Timothy to put his confidence in the scripture and to make sure that that is vital and make sure that that is central in his ministry.
27:08
Notice in chapter 3 and in verse 14, he says to Timothy, but continue thou in the things which thou has learned and has been assured of, knowing of whom thou has learned them, and that from a child you have known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
27:30
And then he goes on and he says, because all scripture is given by inspiration of God.
27:36
That's an interesting word in the Greek. If you were to look that one up, it is theopneustos.
27:46
And what it is, it's God, and then pneuma, when you think of that, pneumatology, study of the
27:54
Holy Spirit, but pneuma means breath or wind. And what it is is
28:00
God breathed. That's what this means, and God breathed out the scriptures.
28:06
They're inspired. They're directly from God. And that scripture, Timothy, is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, verse 16, that the man of God, speaking to him,
28:22
Timothy, might be adequately equipped and thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
28:28
And the idea that you have there is that the word of God fully equips the gospel minister.
28:37
And the idea is like outfitting a ship that's going in the past, taking a ship and supplying it and outfitting it, preparing it, making sure that everything is needed there for the journey and everything that is needed for the gospel minister, for the man who would preach and teach the word of God and to lead and to pastor the men that would pastor and lead and shepherd a church, everything that is necessary is in the word of God.
29:06
And that's why there's a great danger when you go outside of the word of God and you bring in the tradition of man, you bring in other books that are taken and given more authority than the word of God.
29:19
You take away from that which is authoritatively given to us from the
29:24
Lord. So that's kind of like an overview of the book.
29:30
You can take your notes. Oh, and speaking of which, on the second page on the backside, miscellaneous notes, the fourth bullet, just cross it out because that's one of those cut and paste errors.
29:40
That's actually 1 Timothy, not 2 Timothy. But under miscellaneous notes, there's a lot of notes there that have to deal with this book and how it pertains to the gospel minister.
29:51
Lou, I don't know if you noticed in this book things. Did you see things again? They're there. If you look in 112, for which cause
30:01
I also suffer these things. 114, that good thing which was committed unto thee keep.
30:07
Verse 18, the Lord grant unto him that he may find mercy of the Lord in that day and how many things he ministered unto me.
30:14
In chapter two, we see it in verse two. And the things which you have heard of me among many witnesses, pass them, commit them down to others.
30:24
Verse seven, consider what I say and the Lord give the understanding in all things. Verse 10, therefore,
30:30
I endure all things for the elect's sake. I think there's another one in 214.
30:36
Of these things, put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord.
30:41
And if you're taking notes, it's also in 314 and in 45. It's important.
30:49
It's not just, again, just any old thing. It's not just virtual theology.
30:57
It is specific things that the apostle Paul taught and passed them on, particularly the passing of the baton is something that is very important.
31:06
Paul had spent time to disciple and to equip and to prepare and pour his life into Timothy.
31:15
And he understood that ministry is to reproduce itself. And one of the important things he does in chapter two, notice if you go there with me, he says,
31:23
Thou, therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard of me or the up in 113, hold fast that form of sound words or sound doctrine, which you have heard of me.
31:38
These things to to. You've heard of me among many witnesses.
31:44
The same commit to or the same and trust you do this to faithful men who shall be able to teach others also.
31:53
And the idea here, Paul wants to be sure that Timothy understands that it's important to train up men to pass on the doctrine, to pass on what what is critical and vital when it comes to all of the all of the important core doctrine of Christianity and to equip somebody in gospel ministry.
32:14
And you notice here that there's about four generations being dealt with. You have Paul one.
32:20
Then you have Timothy two. And then Timothy is to train other faithful men, three, who are to be able to teach others also for.
32:28
So he says this is to be perpetuated. This teaching is to be passed on and ensure that you do this.
32:34
This is a Christian soldiers manual. Also, because Paul gives this idea, verse four, no man wars, wars, entangles himself.
32:43
The next verse with the affairs of this life so that he can please him who has chosen him to be a soldier.
32:49
You know, endure hardness as a soldier. He speaks of in this book. It is a passing of the baton book, as we saw in Chapter two.
32:57
And it is it is a book that deals with Paul's final words, his inspired, as it were, will and testament.
33:07
Let me think. I dealt with Trinity, the things. Oh, the things that the Lord did or just I highlight in my
33:13
Bible. Sometimes when I when I get in the mood, I take a multicolored pencil.
33:20
And blue to me is something glorious and wonderful that the Lord is doing. And I have a bunch of blue in here. I just want to share it with you.
33:27
Notice a verse, chapter one, verse seven. God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and love and a sound mind.
33:36
Notice in chapter one, verse nine, speaking of God, the power of God at the end of verse eight.
33:42
God, who has saved us, verse nine, one nine. God, who has saved us, we don't save ourselves.
33:48
And he has called us with an holy calling, not according to our works. There is again, he just lays that down in almost every letter, every epistle that he writes.
33:59
It is not according to works, but according to his 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
34:11
Savior, Jesus Christ, who has abolished death or he has rendered death ineffective.
34:17
And he has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. Notice in I've read some of the other ones in two seven.
34:29
Consider what I say in the Lord. Give you understanding in all things. Is another one of those verses that refer to things, but it's
34:39
God that gives us an understanding. I love to 19. It was a memory verse many years ago and just have held to that to 19.
34:47
Nevertheless, the foundation of God stands sure. Having this seal, the
34:53
Lord knows them that are his. I mean, just that phrase right there is enough to say,
35:00
OK, I've had enough today. The Lord is intimately acquainted with and knows us, knows everything about us and still loves us, knows everything that we will need and provides it.
35:12
But the Lord is intimately in close relationship with and favor and has such a close regard for his people.
35:22
And because of that, Paul says, because of that, he says, and let everyone that names the name of Christ depart from iniquity, run away from sin or flee wickedness that that ought to be what we strive to do as we mortify the flesh and run away from sin.
35:41
I talked about God. All scripture is given by inspiration of God. Three sixteen, something wonderful the
35:47
Lord has done. And all those verses that talk about like in four seventeen where Paul says, everybody has forsaken me.
35:55
Everybody has abandoned me. But notwithstanding, four seventeen, the Lord stood with me.
36:02
And there have been times, have there not? Brother and sister in Christ, when it appears as if we are the only ones living in the world.
36:08
And we're almost where everything is just shut out from us. We just seem to be dealing with some particular instance or maybe somebody has forsaken you.
36:18
Somebody has abandoned you. And yet, you know, and you have that great, deep and abiding sense and presence of the indwelling of the
36:27
Holy Spirit and that God is standing with you. God is for you. He is not against you.
36:33
Well, what I'm going to do to to finish is to go to chapter four, because this is where it deals with the apostles.
36:44
Basically, his last words and we see how he how he states those. Very interestingly, take your hand and put it in first,
36:55
Second Timothy, chapter four, and turn back to First Timothy. Chapter six, the last chapter we were dealing with last week.
37:05
And notice, let's go to first, Second Timothy, four, one. Paul says this as he writes this solemn charge that comes to Timothy.
37:17
I charge you, therefore, before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick or the living and the dead that is appearing in his kingdom, preach the word, be instant or be ready in season and out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
37:33
And that is a that is a charge, a solemn charge that we are well aware of here.
37:39
And we desire by God's grace to uphold, to preach the word of God. But Paul made an interesting charge to Timothy in First Timothy.
37:48
And notice the words that were here in First Timothy four, Second Timothy four. He says, I charge you before God, before the
37:55
Lord Jesus, the quick and the dead is appearing of his kingdom. Go back to First Timothy, chapter six.
38:03
And notice what he says in verse 13. I give the charge in the sight of God who quickens all things.
38:12
And before Jesus Christ or Christ Jesus before who before Pontius Pontius Pilate witness a good confession that they'll keep this commandment without spot, unrebukable or without reproach until the appearing of the
38:27
Lord Jesus Christ is the wording very similar. It is, isn't it? And the charge that's here is that the charges in Second Timothy four deals basically with the charge to preach the word.
38:40
And in First Timothy, chapter six, the charge isn't the message.
38:46
That's that's in Second Timothy four. What's in this charge here is is the preacher is the man.
38:55
He's talking about what kind of a man is to preach and the person who is is to preach. He says,
39:00
I give you charge. Do those things. What I said earlier, fight the good fight of faith, lay hold of eternal life, flee youthful lusts, flee things and follow after righteousness.
39:11
But I think what the apostles solemn charge here in First Timothy six is, is that the man of God must have integrity.
39:19
The man of God must have character. He must have the proper behavior. He's got to be a pure and choice, clean vessel.
39:28
He's talking about without spot, he says, without reproach at the appearing of the Lord. So keep up your testimony, because there is no power when you're preaching.
39:38
If the life doesn't match what you're preaching, it's a very important. So the charge is there.
39:43
And I, as I was studying, I saw I remember the word charge in First Timothy six and Second Timothy four and just thought that I'd share that with you, how important it is to pray for those who are preaching, pray for your pastors and leaders that that that God, by his grace, would keep them and that they would strive to be more and more holy and more and more like Christ and separated from the world and be careful in their in their walk.
40:07
OK, finish up Second Timothy chapter four. I'm going to try to make this real practical for us here at the end, just for you to take this away with you.
40:16
Notice what he says in wrote to Timothy in Second Timothy four, six. Paul says, for I am now ready to be offered.
40:27
Or to be poured out like a drink offering, that's what he's saying, that's what the Greek word is. I am ready now to be offered and the time of my departure is at hand.
40:37
I have fought a good fight. I have finished my course or my my race. I have kept the faith.
40:44
Henceforth, there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge shall give me at that day and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
40:55
And what Paul is doing here in his last words, his parting words, his weighty, heavy, significant words as he's given this to Timothy, he's saying that my life is over.
41:07
I believe that I'm at the I've come around the corner and I am heading towards the finish line of the race of my life.
41:14
And my course is almost done. And interestingly, he does a self evaluation.
41:21
I think it's important for us to this. Paul looks at the present. Notice how he does that in verse six.
41:27
I am now I am now presently ready to be offered up or to be poured out in the time of my departure is at hand.
41:37
And Paul is dealing with present the present reality of his life.
41:43
He's approaching the end of his life and he's ready. And he and he considers that this is something that God is doing in his life.
41:52
And you notice here there's no fighting. There's a resigning to the will of God, that his days are numbered, that that God has used him for God's purposes and he has resigned himself.
42:05
He is ready to go. People that we talk to might not be ready to go.
42:10
I mean, one, because some folks aren't ready to go to go because one, they're not believers.
42:16
And life is a question mark and death is a question mark. And only those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ shall be saved.
42:23
And they're the only ones who are truly ready to leave this world and to enter into an eternal presence with God through the mighty working of the
42:31
Lord. But Paul is a Christian who can say that he was ready. And I would just say the question comes to us.
42:39
For all intents and purposes, if this was the last day of our life, could we say that we're ready to go?
42:46
Could we honestly say that we're ready? We'd submit to the will of God to take us in our lives.
42:53
And not only that, but being ready. Notice what he says. He looks at present reality, but he looks in the past, doesn't he?
43:00
In verse seven, he says, I have fought a good fight. I have finished my race or my course.
43:06
I have kept the faith. Paul looks back upon his past life, his whole life as a believer, since God saved him, arrested him on the road to Damascus and put him into the ministry.
43:21
Paul, when he looks back upon his life, he doesn't have any regrets. There's no remorse.
43:28
I mean, he's oh, I wish I had done this, that and the other. I mean, if we're thinking right now that if this is the last day of my life and you say, oh,
43:36
I'm not ready to go. And I really haven't lived and used my time wisely. And I haven't
43:41
I haven't exerted myself for the kingdom of God and for Christ's sake. We need to turn from that, don't we?
43:48
And we need to be refocused and look at what it is that we're all about being Christians and minister and be used by the
43:56
Lord as instruments of righteousness in his hand so that when our day comes, when we're on our deathbed or we understand that maybe we have just a short while to live, we can say without remorse and without regret,
44:09
I have fought a good fight. I finished my course and I have kept the faith, but not Paul just didn't deal with present reality.
44:16
He didn't the present reality, not just the past, but he also deals with the future here in verse eight.
44:21
He says, henceforth, there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the
44:27
Lord, the righteous judge shall give me at that day. And what Paul is saying here is that he is anticipating a heavenly reward.
44:38
And that is not a that is not something that is selfish to grasp after. That is something that is promised by God that God will reward.
44:47
Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. The Lord says, well done. What what?
44:52
Well done your service. It's worthwhile. It was gold and silver and precious stones and it won't be burned up.
44:59
First Corinthians chapter three. It is it is good. It was worthwhile. It was for the kingdom's sake, the gospel's sake, for Christ's sake.
45:05
And Paul's life was like that. And and he's he's anticipating that God will reward him.
45:11
And he says the righteous judge will will reward. He's going to look and evaluate and judge and everything that was in my life and reward accordingly the things that are done in the body, whether good or bad, as we stand before the beam of seat.
45:23
And he says he's going to give him a crown. And not only Paul, I love these verses where it includes us all.
45:29
It says, and not only me, but onto all them also that love his appearing by loving his appearing.
45:38
That means, do you do you look forward to and do you embrace and do you understand that Jesus is coming and either in our death or in him coming to take us away, to be caught up in the clouds, to be with the
45:50
Lord forever? Do we do we love his appearing in such a way that we live like it and we we anticipate it and we understand that he's going to shower his blessing of not only eternal life with him, being face to face with him, but to reward us and to give us a crown of righteousness.
46:08
And what a wonder present reality looking over our past and anticipating the future.
46:14
Paul writes this to Timothy. And basically, when he says that to Timothy, Timothy is worth it all every labor, every everything that you give in your ministry for Christ.
46:24
It's going to be worth it all. And the same can be said for us, brethren, that the
46:29
Lord is going to reward us and the Lord is going to favor us. And the Lord is going to delight in bringing us unto himself for all eternity.
46:39
So here we have another book getting closer to the end through the
46:45
Bible in a year or two or more. And here we had a soldier's manual, a passing of the baton and Paul's final words that encourage us.
46:56
And I think they would spur us on also to reevaluate our lives and to get focused and priorities straight so that we can say like the
47:04
Apostle Paul at the end of our days, I fought a good fight, finished my course, my course, my race, not someone else's, my race, what
47:12
God wants me to do in my lifetime, my ministry. And I have kept the faith. Let's pray.
47:19
Father, thank you once again. You are so good to us to give us your word, to encourage us, to warn us on which way not to go and to exhort us to go in the path that brings you most pleasure.
47:33
And our desire is to be pleasing in your sight and all that we do. By your grace, by the power of the
47:41
Spirit of God within us, may we live above the world, may we live separate from it and yet in it to be a light shining in the dark world, present evil world we live in so that others, maybe for the elect's sake we can endure suffering so they too would be saved by grace.
48:03
And Lord, please continue to be with us as we meet this morning and have our service and worship and time around the table and fellowship together.