Staying the Course by Guarding the Truth
Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 2 viewsNotes
Transcript
Intro:
Intro:
good evening, it is so good to be here with you guys today. My name is Brian and i am from Calvary Chapel La Habra.
Bobby is one of my best friends so it is an honor for me to be here in his place tonight and to dig into the word with you.
today we will be taking a break from the book at Acts which i know you have been going through and we will take a look at a different passage. If you have your bible , turn with me to the book of 2 Timothy 1.
I have titled our message today.... “Staying the course by Guarding the Truth”.
Staying the course - is a phrase used in the context of war or battle, meaning to pursue a goal regardless of any obstacles or criticism.
The picture we also associate this with is a ship sailing through a storm, being tossed from side to side , and the captain working hard to keep the ship on its proper course. Working hard to get the ship through the storm and to its proper destination.
the opposite phrase to “staying the course “..... is “to cut and run”.
Transition
See the book of 2 Tim. was the last letter written by Paul the apostle. Paul finds himself in a Roman prison for the second time at this point and he knows that his time is coming to an end. It would not be long after this letter is written, that Paul would be executed for his faith in Rome.
During this time the Roman persecution was extremely high under the emperor Nero. Paul would be taken into custody and would be put in prison, known as a leader in the church. While Paul was in prison, it appears that all those who were with him left with exception of Luke, possibly because of the fear of also being put in to prison.
And as Paul is sitting in a dark , damp prison, this letter is written to Timothy, his beloved Son in the faith.
Timothy was a young man when he began to travel with Paul and would be discipled by him. Eventually, Timothy would be left in the City of Ephesus as the church pastor.
Timothy’s role in Ephesus was to correct some of the things that had been taken place there, to correct the false teachings and to properly instruct those believers.
Now its important to understand what is taking place as Paul write this letter. Because he is watching and hearing about the faith he has worked so hard to develope in believers over the years , be wiped out by outward persecution in the west, and inwardly by false teachers in the East at Ephesus, where Timothy is at.
many had lost their lives due to persecution, many others had fled and walked away from their faith because of persecution, others had been lead away from their faith by false teachers, because of deception.
Paul understanding that his time is coming to an end, would write to encourage and to charge Timothy to “Stay the Course”, to remain “faithful”. And one of the main ways that Paul encourages Timothy to be faithful, is by holding on to the word of God, by holding on to the truth.
The picture i want to set before you is of a ship at sea in the middle of the storm. The waves are crashing against the ship, the wind is raging. Paul as a captain who has sailed for many years is crying out to the younger sailor Timothy, he is telling him to hold on tightly to that Helm of the boat. Don’t let go of that Helm Timothy, hold on tight. If you can manage to hold on tight, you will be able to keep the ship sailing straight through the storm and you won’t get lost by the waves or you won’t sink.
hold on tight and the peaceful rest of our destination is assured.
- Paul is urging Timothy to stay the course in a culture filled with the absence of faithfulness. In the midst of a culture that is pushing to make him crumble in fear and to flee….. the charge was to be faithful and stay the course.
Transition
And the reality is that this passage is very relative to our day and age today. We live in a culture that does not physically persecute Christians in the Western societies, but we live in a culture that is just as hostile towards Christianity as in the Roman empire.
It is difficult to be a Christian in the current culture we live in. There is backlash from the government , from celebrities, from social media, from school districts, from our work places at times, from our families and friends, backlash if we line up with teachings of the bible.
There is a certain course the world is going and if you and I are not in line with it, if we don’t believe what they believe or affirm what they do, then we are cancelled or face backlash. And as in Paul’s days , you have many Christians today who begin to slowly walk away from their faith.
Many young adults will begin to slowly walk away from their faith as they graduate High School and start the real world if you will.
for some it is the pressure of the backlash, for others its the influence of the trends, celebrities or social media, these things will drive them to buy in and believe the culture’s narrative. For many , its the deception of false teachings.
The false teachings of liberal teachers in college with a specific agenda, the false teachings of our culture’s narrative as we spoke about, being pushed by the liberal thinking people with large platforms of influence, like celebrities or social media influencers.
It is the slow progression of letting go of the truth of God’s word and slowly buying into the lie.
So today these words of Paul are just as important and crucial for us to take to heart.
I. Something has been entrusted to us (v.13-14)
A. Pattern of sound words (v.13)
Paul here tells Timothy to “hold fast” the pattern of sound words which he has heard.
that word “hold fast”- speaks about holding onto, or to keep.
Paul is telling Timothy to work hard to keep something. This shows that there is a personal responsibility here. It was not Paul’s job to keep what Timothy had, all Paul could do was to encourage others to do the same as he had done for so many years, but Timothy would have to work hard to keep the pattern of sound words for himself
Transition
the pattern of sound words here is speaking about the teaching of the word of God which Timothy had heard directly from Paul as he was with him during his missionary journeys.
Timothy had not only sat under the teachings of Paul but had personally been discipled by Paul. He was well trained in the word of God, he had learned how to live as a follower of Christ by watching Paul himself.
But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance,
it was this word of God, the gospel message, the good thing which he had heard that was committed to him.
B. That good thing (v.14)
that word “committed” speaks about depositing into one’s account and to be faithful to keep and watch over.
it was the word of God and the gospel message which had been deposited into Timothy’s heart and mind from a young age.
we see that Timothy had a believing mother and grandmother who poured into Timothy’s live the word of God.
when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also.
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.
See it was not just what Paul had spoken to Timothy, but it was what his mother and grandmother had poured into him that was important.
God used many different vessels to cultivate the truth of God’s word into the life of Timothy.
Transition
i want you to understand this principal. God will bring many different people into your lives over the course of your life who will pour into you the word of God.
God’s intention in this is to have you built up and to grow into maturity spiritually speaking. For many of you it may have started just like Timothy, you may have grown up in a christian home where your moms poured into you from a young age.
for others, you may have gotten saved later in life and God has brought mentors and pastors who have stepped in to be those spiritual mothers and fathers in your life.
God’s heart is for you to growing spiritually and to mold and shape you into the image of His son. And at the base of all spiritual maturity and all mentorship should be the word of God.
the word of God is that good thing Paul is speaking about. The word of God is the foundation of our lives. It is that which we can build our entire lives on. Why? Because the word of God is truth.
Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.
The Word or God was given to us by God himself
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
The word of God is God himself
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.
All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
The word of God is God himself. We know that God is truth, he cannot lie. Therefore, we can build our lives completely on the word of God.
this is the basis of where we build our lives. This is the source of where we make decisions, this is the source where view the culture around us....... It is the word of God that is the Helm of our ship, that is meant to keep us on course, it is meant to keep us on the right path which will lead us to our final destination , to be with the father in heaven.
Transition
Paul would tell Timothy to “hold fast” and to “keep” the word of God or the “truth”.
the fact that Paul is saying this to Timothy gives us insight into the reality that there are forces at work trying to take away the truth from us, or trying to rip us off.
II. Someone is trying to take away what was entrusted
A. Satan is trying to steal the truth away from me
The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
John tells us that Satan is the thief who comes to do nothing but to rip us off. To steal the truth from our lives. To undermine God’s word, to lead us astray and ultimately to bring destruction to us.
now the assumption can be that there is this all out attack on my life that will be visible and i will be able to detect. i will be able to see the attack coming and i will be able to defend. And sometimes that is how it happens.
but the reality is that Satan has been doing this a long time and he is patient. Satan has mastered the art of slowly turning a culture into a certain direction. He has been the mastermind of directing cultures to live, walk and pursue things that are in opposition to God’s word and His will.
And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,
Paul tells us here that Satan is the one who is leading the culture to go a certain direction. And we used to follow this course when we did not know God.
The current culture is lead by Satan and is under the captivity of Satan and are following a lie. They do not know the truth.
in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth,
The culture and those who do not believe in God, do not know Truth. But instead are following a lie directed by Satan.
but just as in Paul’s day, the danger that we see today is that just because you have known the truth, doesn’t mean that you will continue walking in truth.
there are many even within the church who have slowly moved themselves away from the truth and have began to believe and follow the lie.
so what we want to do tonight is look at a few things that have crept into the lives of believers and have caused them to let go of the truth.
B. Methods he uses
Becoming Apathetic
Apathy speaks of not “suffering” or not having “passion”.
when we are talking about apathy in the Christian life, we are talking about not wanting to “suffer”, or not wanting to do hard things. We often tend to move away from doing things that we know will be hard.
it’s hard to get up early and read the bible. It’s hard to read the bible period. It is hard to get off of social media, it is hard to make it to church on a Monday night. It is hard to be honest and transparent with people.
This also speaks of losing passion. I have worked with jr high & high school and young adults kids on and off over the last 20 years. And one of the things that i have seen are the big struggles of those who grew up in the church.
they have sat through so many bible studies, they have read the bible, they have been to so many retreats, so many youth events etc..... that they lose the passion for the things of God, they lose passion for the word of God.
and in either one of these attitudes can lead to a slow drifting away from the foundation of God’s truth.
Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away.
2. Listening to False teachers
This was one of the issues that Timothy was dealing with in Ephesus. You had leaders who had started to teach false doctrine and they began to draw people to themselves.
Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.
These words were all too familiar to Paul and Timothy. Many had believed the lies of false teachers. There was a departure of the truth to follow a lie.
now Paul gives us insight into one the reasons people followed these false teachers, because they had itching ears....which means people will follow teachers who will tell them what they want to hear.
Today you have many different groups of people with different agendas pushing a different narrative. From political parties, BLM, covid, LGTBQ, subject truth....
and within these groups you will have people who proclaim to be the authority over a certain subject teaching all who will listen. They are teaching from their understanding, from their personal position and they will teach it as their truth.
you have heard that spoken i’m sure, My truth, your truth. The thought that there is no real absolute truth but all is relative. That is a lie.
but the sad thing is many Christians have began to buy into the lies. There are Christians that think its okay to be in a homosexual relationship. There are churches that support a gay lifestyle.
you have churches who have gotten themselves behind the BLM movements and behind certain political movements.
Satan understands that he doesn’t have to change your mind all at once. He just needs you to slowly remove yourself from believing the truth in certain areas. Maybe it’s ok to be in a homosexual relationship, they love each other. And because of those things we will remove ourselves from bible studies or from places where biblical truth is taught. We don’t want to be offended.
All it takes is of us to believe in the one lie, that will ultimatley spread to more lies. it is like cancer.
But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness. And their message will spread like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are of this sort, who have strayed concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection is already past; and they overthrow the faith of some.
Paul tells us of two men who believed the lie which spread like cancer and lead them to stray from the truth.
3. Thinking you don’t need the Word of God.
Here is one lie that i have seen believed by young adults. The thought that i don’t need to sit in a bible study. I have seen high school kids who graduate and because they have either growth up in the church or have been in youth group, , they think that they have it all figured out.
i can’t tell you how i have seen young adult groups say oh we don’t need to sit and have a bible study, we just want to hang out and have fun. Hanging out is fun and is needed, but nothing is going to replace the word of God directing your life, specially in a season that is new and where you are trying to figure it out.
how is it that during this time period you will have to figure out what college to go to, what career path you will take, who you will date, who you will marry, when to have kids, and to think that we will make good choices simply by hanging out.....
this is the time you need the word of God more than ever in your life to establish a real foundation that you can build your life upon.
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
3.. Fall in love with the world – 2 Tim. 3:9-10, 1 john 2:15-17, by product of loving and pursuing the things of this world is this type of individual – 2 Tim. 3:1-5
Be diligent to come to me quickly; for Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and has departed for Thessalonica—Crescens for Galatia, Titus for Dalmatia.
Paul tells us of Demas who forsook Paul because he loved the world, he chose the world instead of pursuing God.
One of the ways satan will get us to remove ourselves from the truth and from pursing God, is by dangling the pleasures of this world. Look sin can be full of pleasure for the moment. We wouldn’t be tempted if it was not fun.
But that sinful pleasure is fleeting and deceiving. It promises to deliver something that it will never satisfy.
We will love the thing that is sitting on the throne of our hearts. The thing that will sit on our hearts will be the thing we give priority to.
we are given insight into what a person who pursues the world and its pleasure will look like
But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, 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!
sounds like today doesn’t it?
3. Getting involved in sexual immorality – 2 Tim. 2:20-22, 1 Cor.10:8
this is one of those areas that satan loves to attack young adults and to lie to you. it’s a time when hormones are going, your trying to legal to date in the christian world, your looking for a wife or husband.
-and the world is telling you that you can do whatever you want with your body. Go ahead and test drive before you buy, that’s what they say.
Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
see your body is not your own, your body is not to be used for your pleasure, but to glorify God.
But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work. Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
Transition
ok so we have seen that we have been entrusted with the Truth and that it is our responsibility to hold on to it and to keep that truth. We know Satan is trying to steal that truth from my heart....... how am i supposed to guard that truth??
III. Something has to be done on my part to keep what was entrusted (v13-14)
A. Stay the course ( 2 Tim. 3:14-15)
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.
Timothy was urged to continue in the things which he had learned. To stay on the current course. Don’t move from your fixed position.
The fact that you are hear on a Monday night is great. God would say, stay where you are at. There may come a time when you are tempted to move away from this current position because things get hard, or because someone hurt you, or things didn’t go the way you thought........
stay the course. Stay where God has you. Be faithful to keep doing what God has called you to.
B. Stay consistent in the word of God ( 2 Tim. 2:15, 2 Tim. 3:16)
the only way to know a lie is to be grounded in the truth.
But reject profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness.
you must work hard and be disciplined to get in the word of God daily. We live in a culture that is bombarding you with their beliefs , you and i need to get into the word to get what God has to say to us.
C. Stay watchful ( 2 Tim. 4:5)
But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
you must be watchful at all times. The thought is of a man on a watch tower looking out for the enemy.
That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.
We are told that it is the Holy Spirit would will enable us to keep what was committed to us. As we spend time with God in his word, in prayer, it will be the Holy spirit that will open our hearts and minds to see the attacks of the enemy.
He will allow us to be watchful as we have His insight and His heart.