Enduring it All

Open up God’s Word this morning to 2 Timothy 2. I have titled the message this morning, ‘Enduring it all” Pray with me.

Now before I get into the text today I think I need to define what it means to Endure. To Endure means to remain in existence to last.

Thats a great aim for a Christian. To remain in existence to see it all through until the end. And as I have mentioned before Paul is in his last days and he is encouraging Timothy To Endure it All because Jesus has endured it all.

In fact what I want you to see today as we go through the text is this…

Christians are to endure all things because Jesus has endured all things.

Let me read for you today the text we are going to be in.

2 Timothy 2:1–13 ESV

1 You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, 2 and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also. 3 Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. 5 An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. 6 It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops. 7 Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything. 8 Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, 9 for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! 10 Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. 11 The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; 12 if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; 13 if we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself.

Today I want to help you learn how to endure all things. First point this morning is this..

Jesus is why we endure all things.

Even though this idea comes later in the text I just read I believe for the Christian everything starts with remembrance. In fact that is why I believe Paul put this in the text because he wants to remember Jesus.

Seems pretty reasonably doesn’t it that Paul would want Timothy to remember Jesus, for us to Remember Jesus.

Remembrance I believe results in faithfulness. I Love what Paul tells Timothy to remember first. Remember Jesus Christ risen from the dead. We remember a Risen Lord and Savior. He is not like the other religions the other cults who leaders pass away no Jesus is alive.

Not only is he alive he was raised from the dead. Death could not hold him. Remember the gospels remember acts when he appeared alive to his apostles when he ascended to heaven my friends he is alive.

And friends that changes everything about today. Let us never forget that Jesus is alive.

And this man who we remember who is fully God was prophesied. He is the offspring of David. Why does this matter. 2 Sam 7:12-13

2 Samuel 7:12–13 ESV

12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

Jesus as I have mentioned many times before is the the Kings. Who is on his throne. In fact I read something this week that said. When your tank is empty, remember that the tomb is empty and the throne is occupied. You can endure anything if you have sufficient motivation. A lofty vision of the person and the work of Christ will keep us in the war, in the game, and on the farm. We will talk about the illustrations in the earlier verses momentarily.

Paul says to Timothy remember the gospel he preached. The gospel that came and changed his life and saved him from being an enemy of God into an apostle.

I want to add a few things to this idea of remembrance.

I wear this wedding ring I have on my finger for a couple reasons one to signify the fact that I am married but two to remember the covenant that my wife and I have with one another before God and each other. Sometimes its the little acts of remembrance that lead you to faithfulness. So he wants us to remember.

And he wanted Timothy to remember he was suffering in chains for it. This is one of my favorite parts of the text, because he is telling Timothy who is ministering in a difficult place with hey I am in chains for the gospel, they think its going to stop the message its going to end the gospel, but this is not the case, because I may be bound but you know what isn’t the word of God. The word of God is not bound.

The word of God the scripture says is alive, because the one who it speaks of about it is alive. And the word of God cannot be put in chains. One scholar said… looking at the Greek the understanding of this text indicates that the gospel word has not been bound in the past and its not bound now. The gospel word is the power of God unto salvation, and its not subject to the weakness and limitations of the ones carrying it. They can be imprisoned; God’s word cannot be.

All the apostles expect John faced Martyrdom yet the message went out because Jesus is alive the word of God is alive, and that is why we are to endure all things.

Paul as we read on gave more reason to why he endured all things because of Jesus. He did it for the sake of Gods elect, and I would argue Jesus did the same thing. He knew that his work was not in vain, that God was going to save his people, and he was going to use Paul to do that very thing. God is the one who saves he uses us as a vessel to proclaim gospel, but God comes and changes the lives of the believer.

Jesus going to the cross knew he would accomplish something great in his death, and that something was purchasing the salvation of his children. The cross accomplished something it was not just to make something possible it was so the elect would be saved.

One man said some words to take to heart. The doctrine of election did not make Paul's preaching of the gospel unnecessary, but rather it made it essential! God has ordained that people find salvation in Christ by means of a gospel presentation. Some people will believe if you will preach the gospel faithfully. And our gospel witness will require varying degrees of suffering, but we suffer that they may experience "eternal glory."

We endure all things even suffering because of Christ because he has a people to save and he uses us to do it through a variety of different means. God is still in the business of saving his. so friends endure all things just like Paul did because he vary well could be using your story with the power of the gospel to bring others into relationship with him. So they to may taste the glory that is to come.

This wonderful text does not end there. Its filled with more promises. He says The saying is trustworthy. Again when he says something like this our ears need to open our eyes need to see. And what says helps us endure. Its both a promise to those who follow and those who don’t. Notice Paul uses the word if Here. and we.

If we have died with him, we will also live with him.

Man that could be a sermon in itself. Few things. The Christian life is a call to die to self. For the last 17 years of my life there has been a call on my life to remove all my sinful desires, the passions of the flesh to live for Christ.

Thats why we get baptized. To symbolize the work that Jesus has done in our hearts. To essential say. Jesus I have died to my old life let me live for you. Let me be raised to new life.

Romans 6:11 ESV

11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

When we become born again believers our old life is gone, the new is beginning. True life starts with a relationship with Christ.

ROmans 6:8

Romans 6:8 ESV

8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.

how do you die with Christ? Starts with understanding Galatians 2:20 which says..

Galatians 2:20 ESV

20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

One man said. In short, Galatians 2:20 tells us how we escaped the penalty of sin to live a life that pleases God. Knowing that we are “crucified with Christ” should give us great encouragement in our Christian walk. We have the power to say “no” to sin and “yes” to God.

Thats what happens when you are transformed you have the ability to truly die with him, and to live for Christ. When we are transformed by him our desires become new.

Paul says also if we endure with him, we will also reign with him. Notice we see that endure word that I have focused so much on in this sermon. Now what Paul is telling Timothy if you endure through this life what is waiting for you and for all who follow Jesus is a reign with him.

There is an old saying that I read this week.. There is no crown without a cross. As it was with Christ himself, so it is also with those who would come after him.

with all the promises that come with those who endure this is a warning as well. If we deny him, he also will deny us.

I spoke of this some last week, but if you deny Jesus in this life he will surely deny you in the next.

at the end of the day no matter if we endure or not Jesus did in every way he is faithful, and cannot deny himself even if we deny him.

Jesus is why we endure all things. and we endure all things because we have been taught how to endure.

2nd point this morning is this..

We endure all things because we have been taught how to endure.

Timothy as we know was Paul’s spiritual child. He was entrusted with this great task of teaching others all the things Paul taught him, and not only teach them the things, but do so in such a way where he would make disciples who make disciples.

Timothy was to do this all by the grace and strength of God. One man said.. Christians who make an eternal difference in this world are those who have learned to rely on God's strength, not their own. David Livingstone once commented on all the work Charles Spurgeon would do in a typical day (and Livingstone was no sluggard!). He asked the prince of preachers how he could do it all. Spurgeon said, "You have forgotten, there are two of us". God's presence in us supplies what we need to endure.

Now when it comes to passing down the gospel message. Starting with Paul he is passing down the message to Timothy then Timothy is passing down to another generation who is to pass it on to the next generations. Thats four generations here. This is how God has allowed Christianity to continue from each generation being faithful to the next. Folks we need to be in the business of making disciples who make disciples. We are only one generation away from the gospel not going out when we don’t follow the pattern laid out by Paul in the scriptures.

I have told you before but I would not be standing up here if I did not have people who poured into me. Who helped me endure. Let us be people who don’t take what we have to the grave, but let us take to be people who need to be free from their own graves.

I love golf and I love this illustration I have read applying to this.. You could think of teaching like the three types of golf clubs.

You have woods, irons, and a putter. The woods are big, showy, and impressive. That is like preaching publicly. You are able to cover a lot of ground, talking to lots of people. Then you have irons. They require finesse and accuracy. Irons are like classrooms or smaller groups, where you get feedback and dialogue. Then there is the putter! This is the club that poor golfers misunderstand and so often fall to practice with! It is personal. It is for short distances. I liken it to this third way of teaching described in 2 Timothy 2:2. Which of the three clubs is most important? While you need all three clubs in your bag, my observation has been that many pastors have a pulpit ministry (a driver), and sometimes a classroom (irons), but few use their putter (mentoring a few "faithful men"). But good golfers remind poor golfers (like me) that "you drive for show and putt for dough." An important lesson from the book of 2 Timothy for Christian leaders is that we should remember the importance of all our clubs. Do you have a few "blokes worth watching" in whom you are investing your life and instruction?

I have said this before but if you want to get more serious about growing in your faith, I would love to pour into you as so many have poured into me, because if you want to endure the things in this life you have to be taught, and you are taught through others, but also taught by God and his word. That putter illustration can be used personally you will never have more growth in your life than if you spend time with the Lord in his word and in prayer. Be taught by God, and see how it makes you endure.

This brings me to my third point today.

Enduring all things takes discipline.

The Christian life takes work. Paul on his missionary journeys was one of the hardest working people the world has ever known. He was a bi-vocational missionary.

And Paul really loves to use certain illustrations to drive home the certain points he likes to make. So he uses three in the text that you see in his other writings as well.

A Solider, an Athlete, and a Farmer. Each of which pretty much all can relate to or understand.

So first he goes to the solider, and touches on some of the stuff we talked about last week and that was suffering. And he says to share in the suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

Again based on the language in the text we see that suffering seems to be something that is expected in this life, seems like bit of a requirement if you read the scriptures that suffering will happen. Jesus as we know suffered Paul suffered, Timothy suffered I have suffered you have probably suffered, but the use of a solider in the text tends to lead us to believe that we must again endure it.

There are stories from war of soliders fighting on the battle lines in the worst of conditions, disciplined to suffer through the worst that could be thrown there way and this applies for believers as well. Because we are good soliders of Jesus Christ, but Paul does not just leave us with that statement for soliders he adds to it by saying. No solider gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.

Friends that should hit hard for us. We have not only been called from death to life we have been enlisted as a good solider to fight for the things that God has called us to fight for. Not the things we want next week we will learn more about this. But a good solider remembers the patch on his uniform we should be the same because we remember who enlisted us.

Listen to this… Verse 4 is clear in its insistence on devotion to duty and to one’s commanding officer over against succumbing to diversions that may interfere with military duty. By Paul’s time the Roman empire had long since secured its dominance, but to maintain the borders was a continuing task. The military forces were everywhere, and rapid troop movements were made possible by the famous Roman road system. Soldiers were especially concentrated at the far-flung borders, where insurrections were especially likely. This meant extensive training. There could be no weakening of resolve, skill, or strength. Daily discipline was enforced; diversions could not be tolerated. Because of the extensive distribution of the troops, Paul’s image of the soldier’s devotion was immediately recognizable and impressive.

Could you imagine for just a moment if you had the kind of discipline of a good solider? I see men who have served in past military campaigns carry around the call they had on their hats t shirts, and they are so proud to serve the one who enlisted them, they wear it as a badge with their very own life, are you the same?

Next you see the example of an athlete, but he uses the example of an athlete following the rules in this illustration. A major part of playing sports is following the rules. For example you dont have more than 5 players on each team when you are playing basketball. You don’t get to tackle someone as they are going for a layup- you cant hold someone face mask in football, you have to line up correctly so you dont get penalized. The Christian life has rules as well. As I have preached over and over again to you rule following it not legalism its just part of life when you love Jesus as your Lord. Discipline yourself where you can suffer through the good and bad, following the one who enlisted you in every possible way.

Finally we see the Farmer, and it deserves it own point.

Final point this morning is this.

Enduring all things has earthly and heavenly rewards.

v 6 2 Timothy 2:6

2 Timothy 2:6 ESV

6 It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops.

A Solider and an Athlete work hard to do what they are called to, and so do farmers.

If the farmer does not work he does not eat. He does not get paid. He does not reap what he sows. Some goes for a Christian. You can say I know Jesus Christ. I know he has forgiven me of my sins, but I am not going to do anything about it and you will not have any fruit in your life.

Galatians 6:7–9 ESV

7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. 9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.

We work hard we discipline ourselves because of the promises that we have in Christ both on earth and in heaven. We should be able to endure all things, because we have Christ.

Christ who as we have learned over and over again endured everything to the point of death even death on cross so you can I could have life and so you can I could endure everything in this life. Do you know the one who endured it all so you could be saved. If not? Repent turn towards God be saved, so that you can Endure all things for the rest of your days.

Now today we are responding a little differently. We have the Bailey Family here, and I am going to ask them to come up here before we close in just a moment. I am always blow away by the sovereignty of God, because this text has a command in it. 2 Tim 2:2

2 Timothy 2:2 ESV

2 and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.

Now in the case of the Bailey Family we have a little girl name shela who they want to dedicate to the Lord.They want to pass down the faith given to them. So that she can one day teach her own family of your incredible grace. Now before we do this as a church I want to say something. This is no way something that saved miss Xelha she will have to make that decision on her own one day as her parent’s made it their own. This is essentially a call for her parents her family, and us to help point Xelha to Christ in every possible way. SO that she will see Christ in her home in your family and in us, and she will taste and see that the Lord is good and want to follow him for the rest of her days. If you are able and willing. I would ask that you come and put your hands of them on this family and join me in praying for them for just a moment and ill close in prayer then what ill do is offer this alter to anyone who wants to come and make their own decision whether that he to be saved, baptized, join this church. Or maybe you just need prayer yourself. So Bailey family please come.