"THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL"

2 Timothy  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented
0 ratings
· 3 views
Notes
Transcript
Over the next three weeks we are going to look at: 1) the power of the Gospel, 2) the availability of the Gospel, and 3) the dependability of the Gospel.
Proposition - This morning we are going to examine three principles that are essential to stay focused in the work of the ministry: 1) the motivation for ministry, 2) the commitment to the ministry, and 3) the promise of the ministry.
Interrogative question - Where does your daily drive come from? Another way we could ask this is my saying - What motivates you?
I submit to you this morning that if your motivation is not because of the Gospel then there is a massive misunderstanding of the Scriptures.
As with the preceding verbs “be strong” (v. 1), “entrust” (v. 2), and “consider” (v. 7), the Greek verb rendered remember is an imperative—as also are the following: “remind” (v. 14), “be diligent” (v. 15), “avoid” (v. 16), “abstain” (v. 19), “flee” and “pursue” (v. 22), and “refuse” (v. 23). These are gentle commands, but commands nonetheless. For a faithful and productive spiritual life, they are not options but imperatives, because they all characterize the sinless life of our supreme example, Jesus Christ. MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1995). 2 Timothy (p. 55). Moody Press.

1. The Motivation for Ministry - vs. 8

2 Timothy 2:8 NASB95
8 Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descendant of David, according to my gospel,
a. Remembering Jesus Christ -
“Remember” - (mnemoneuo) - verb, present, active, imperative, second person, singular - finite verb - remember
Sense: to remember and respond - to remember someone or something and respond accordingly.
I just want to show you have this word “remember” is used with the exact say meaning -
to remember and respond - to remember someone or something and respond accordingly -
Matthew 16:9 (NASB95)
9 “Do you not yet understand or remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets full you picked up?
Mark 8:18 (NASB95)
18Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember,
Luke 17:32 (NASB95)
32Remember Lot’s wife.
John 15:20 (NASB95)
20Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.
Acts 20:31 (NASB95)
31 “Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears.
Acts 20:35 (NASB95)
35 “In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”
Galatians 2:10 (NASB95)
10 They only asked us to remember the poor—the very thing I also was eager to do.
Colossians 4:18 (NASB95)
18 I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my imprisonment. Grace be with you.
2 Timothy 2:8 (NASB95)
8 Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descendant of David, according to my gospel,
Hebrews 11:15 (NASB95)
15 And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return.
Hebrews 13:7 (NASB95)
7 Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith.
Revelation 2:5 (NASB95)
5 ‘Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place—unless you repent.
Revelation 3:3 (NASB95)
3 ‘So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you.
Revelation 18:5 (NASB95)
5 for her sins have piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.
This question is what is Paul telling Timothy to remember?
Notice what our text says in vs. 8 - “Remember Jesus Christ...” - Now look back at chapter 1 verses 1, 2, 9, 10, 13 and chapter 2 verse 1, and 3. The question is why does Paul shift gears in verse 8 and say Remember Jesus Christ…
Note here “Jesus Christ,” instead of “Christ Jesus” as elsewhere in 2 Timothy. If this be more than a stylistic variation, the possible reason for it may well have been this, that the apostle wished to turn Timothy’s attention first of all to the historical, curse-laden Jesus (Gal. 3:13; 4:4, 5), in order that next he may remind him of the fact that this Jesus “was made” (was openly revealed as) Christ as a reward for his obedience unto death, yea the death of the cross (Acts 2:36; Phil. 2:5–11; see also footnote 19). Let Timothy then rivet his attention upon the resurrection; nay rather, let him keep his thought concentrated on the resurrected Lord himself. Hendriksen, W., & Kistemaker, S. J. (1953–2001). Exposition of the Pastoral Epistles (Vol. 4, p. 250). Baker Book House.
Galatians 4:4–5 NASB95
4 But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, 5 so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.
Acts 2:36 NASB95
36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified.”
Philippians 2:5–11 (NASB95)
5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.
8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
b. Remembering the Resurrection -
“Risen” - (egeiro) - verb, perfect, passive, participle, singular, accusative, masculine - attributive participle.
Sense: to resurrect - wake up - to resurrect, conceived of as walking up and arising (out of bed).
New Testament
Verb: ἐγείρω (egeirō), GK 1586 (S 1453), 144×. In the transitive (active) sense egeirō means to “waken, lift up, stimulate.” In the intransitive (passive) sense it conveys “to get up, rise up.” Note that this word was not used prior to the NT to refer to the resurrection of the dead.
In the active sense egeirō depicts the action of getting up, usually after waking up—as in Mt. 1:24 (“Joseph awoke from sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him”), 8:26 (“Then [Jesus] got up and rebuked the wind and sea”), and 25:7 (“Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps”).
More importantly, the word can describe people being raised who were known to be dead. After the death of Jairus’ daughter (Mk. 5:22–24, 35–43), in a situation that seemed hopelessly irreversible, Jesus took the girl’s hand and said, “Talitha kum” (“Little girl, I say to you, get up!”), an Aramaic phrase translated into Greek by egeirō. The idea of the death as sleep reaches back to the OT, for when a prominent character or king dies, he has gone to “sleep with his fathers” (Gen. 47:30; Deut. 31:16; 1 Ki. 1:21; 2:10). While there is no developed doctrine of the resurrection in the OT, it is a clear, audible whisper (see especially Isa. 26:19; Dan. 12:2). For NT writers, however, death is not final. For example, in Jn. 11:11–14 Jesus uses sleep-of-death talk regarding Lazarus; John then uses egeirō three times to refer to raising Lazarus (12:1, 9, 17).
The core of egeirō has to do with the raising of Jesus from the dead. Except for Phil. 1:17, the letters of the NT never use this verb for anything except the resurrection of Jesus. It becomes a technical term for Paul because it occurs so often in Romans and 1 Corinthians (more than 30×, with a heavy saturation in 1 Cor. 15, the chief passage on the resurrection in the NT). Jesus is the firstfruits of the resurrection, who is thus qualified to raise us from the dead when he returns to this earth (1 Cor. 15:20; 2 Cor. 4:14). God has transferred the power to raise the dead to his Son, who will enact it when he returns (1 Thess. 4:13–18). Mounce, W. D. (2006). In Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old & New Testament Words (p. 558). Zondervan.
1 Corinthians 15:50–58 (NASB95)
50 Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
53 For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “Death is swallowed up in victory.
55 “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; 57 but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.
c. Remembering the Fulfilled Lineage -
“Descendant” - (sperma) - noun, genitive, singular, neuter - prepositional object - seed; descendants; posterity
Sense: descendant - seed - a descendant, understood as the scattering of seed which will grow and bear fruit.
“of David” - (dauid) - noun, genitive, singular, masculine - proper name - David; David (Heb. translit.)
This is the only time that this phrase is used in the Pastorals - In the Gospel of Matthew alone the word “David” is used 17 times. This is fascinating b/c Matthews audience was Jewish and they have been looking for the coming Messiah.
Fourth, his descent from David is also a stock element within the gospel tradition (Rom 1:3; John 7:42); although this statement implies Incarnation (see Gal. 4:4), it goes beyond to indicate the conviction that Jesus is messiah (cf. John 7:42).7 Commentators have tended to see in this formulation (and in Rom 1:3–4) the reflection of a two-stage Christology that distinguishes rigidly between Jesus’ earthly status and his exaltation.8 But the two parts of the formula should be seen as a unity, expressing the belief that Jesus’ messianic identity consists both in his descent from David and in his resurrection: the resurrected one is the messiah. Towner, P. H. (2006). The Letters to Timothy and Titus (p. 500). Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
Romans 1:3 NASB95
3 concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh,
2 Samuel 7:12–15 NASB95
12 “When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, 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. 14 “I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; when he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men, 15 but My lovingkindness shall not depart from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you.
That the Messiah is a “descendant of David” (idiomatically rendered) is also conveyed in all four Gospels, Acts, and Revelation (Mt. 1:1; 2:5ff.; 22:41–45 par. Mk. 12:35–37/Lk. 20:41–44; Acts 2:25–36; 13:23; Rev. 22:16) and is based on the God’s promise in the OT (e.g., 2 Sa. 7:12ff.; Ps. 89:3f.; Je. 23:5). Knight, G. W. (1992). The Pastoral Epistles: a commentary on the Greek text (p. 397). W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press.
He is the supreme and ultimate teacher of teachers. He was the greatest soldier, the greatest athlete, and the greatest farmer, as it were. He fought the greatest battle and won the greatest victory. He ran the greatest race and won the greatest prize. He sowed the perfect seed and reaped the perfect harvest. MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1995). 2 Timothy (p. 56). Moody Press.
As John reminds us, “The one who says he abides in Him [Christ] ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked” (1 John 2:6). Peter asks, “For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God. For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth” (1 Peter 2:20–22). We are to fix “our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb. 12:2). MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1995). 2 Timothy (pp. 55–56). Moody Press.
Paul made frequent appeal to the memory in addressing Timothy in this Epistle (1:6; 3:14–15). Here he urged Timothy to rivet his attention on Christ. Two features of Christ’s person and work attracted Paul’s attention. First, he stressed Christ’s resurrection. The perfect tense of the participle for “raised” suggests that Paul was stressing the result of Christ’s resurrection, the demonstration of his lordship (Rom 1:4), rather than the fact of the resurrection. Jesus’ resurrection from the dead is the prime example of eschatological victory after death. It provides an encouragement for anyone facing suffering.50 The affirmation of the resurrection here also prepares us for the exposure in 2:14–18 of some who denied the future resurrection of believers by affirming that it had already occurred. Lea, T. D., & Griffin, H. P. (1992). 1, 2 Timothy, Titus (Vol. 34, p. 206). Broadman & Holman Publishers.

2. The Commitment to the Ministry - vs. 9a

2 Timothy 2:9 NASB95
9 for which I suffer hardship even to imprisonment as a criminal; but the word of God is not imprisoned.
a. A willingness to Suffer -
“I suffer hardship” - (kakopatheo) - verb, present, active, indicative, first person, singular - finite verb - suffer misfortune -
Sense: to suffer (pain) - to experience harm or emotional pain -
Notice how this idea is taught throughout Scripture -
“Suffer Hardship “
2 Timothy 2:9 (NASB95)
9 for which I suffer hardship even to imprisonment as a criminal; but the word of God is not imprisoned.
“Endure Hardship”
2 Timothy 4:5 (NASB95)
5 But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
“Suffering”
James 5:13 (NASB95)
13 Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises.
On the one hand, he suffered as a prisoner (“to the point of being chained”). Elsewhere the allusion to his fetters 20 was sufficient to indicate his incarceration (Phil 1:7, 13–14, 17; Col 4:18; Phlm 10, 13). It carried the connotation of shame for wrongdoing, 21 even if Paul boldly called himself Christ’s prisoner (Eph 3:1; 4:1; Phlm 1). Towner, P. H. (2006). The Letters to Timothy and Titus (pp. 502–503). Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
2 Corinthians 11:23–28 (NASB95)
23 Are they servants of Christ?—I speak as if insane—I more so; in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. 24 Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep.
26 I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; 27 I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. 28 Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches.
b. A willingness to be Imprisoned -
“imprisonment” - (desmos) - noun, genitive, plural, masculine - prepositional object - bond; fetter; bonds
Sense: imprisonment - chain - the state of being imprisoned, conceived of as chains.
“imprisonment”
Acts 23:29 (NASB95)
29 and I found him to be accused over questions about their Law, but under no accusation deserving death or imprisonment.
Acts 26:31 (NASB95)
31 and when they had gone aside, they began talking to one another, saying, “This man is not doing anything worthy of death or imprisonment.”
Philippians 1:7 (NASB95)
7 For it is only right for me to feel this way about you all, because I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers of grace with me.
Philippians 1:13–14 (NASB95)
13 so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else, 14 and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear.
Philippians 1:17–18 (NASB95)
17 the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment. 18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice,
Colossians 4:18 (NASB95)
18 I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my imprisonment. Grace be with you.
2 Timothy 2:9 (NASB95)
9 for which I suffer hardship even to imprisonment as a criminal; but the word of God is not imprisoned.
Philemon 10 (NASB95)
10 I appeal to you for my child Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my imprisonment,
Philemon 13 (NASB95)
13 whom I wished to keep with me, so that on your behalf he might minister to me in my imprisonment for the gospel;
“A criminal” - (kakourgos) - adjective, nominative, singular, masculine - subject of the dependent clause - criminal
Sense: evildoer - someone who does evil deliberately; especially someone who deserves to be punished for their acts.
Luke 23:32–43 (NASB95)
32 Two others also, who were criminals, were being led away to be put to death with Him. 33 When they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left. 34 But Jesus was saying, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves.
35 And the people stood by, looking on. And even the rulers were sneering at Him, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if this is the Christ of God, His Chosen One.” 36 The soldiers also mocked Him, coming up to Him, offering Him sour wine, 37 and saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself!”
38 Now there was also an inscription above Him, “THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.” 39 One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, “Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!” 40 But the other answered, and rebuking him said, “Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?
41 “And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!” 43 And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.”
Then we see this word in our text -
2 Timothy 2:9 (NASB95)
9 for which I suffer hardship even to imprisonment as a criminal; but the word of God is not imprisoned.
This is the great proof of his divine mission, and therefore a great confirmation of the truth of the Christian religion; and the consideration of it should make us faithful to our Christian profession, and should particularly encourage us in suffering for it. Let suffering saints remember this. Observe, 1. We are to look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who, for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despised the shame, and has now sat down at the right hand of the throne of God, Heb. 12:2. 2. The incarnation and resurrection of Jesus Christ, heartily believed and rightly considered, will support a Christian under all sufferings in the present life. Henry, M. (1994). Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible: complete and unabridged in one volume (p. 2361). Hendrickson.

3. The Promise of the Ministry - vs. 9b

2 Timothy 2:9 NASB95
9 for which I suffer hardship even to imprisonment as a criminal; but the word of God is not imprisoned.
“is imprisoned” - (deo) - verb, perfect passive, indicative, third person, singular - finite verb - tie; bind
Sense: to be restricted - be bound - to be or become restricted, conceived of as being tied up or imprisoned.
Mark 15:7 (NASB95)
7 The man named Barabbas had been imprisoned with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the insurrection.
Acts 24:27 (NASB95)
27 But after two years had passed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus, and wishing to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul imprisoned.
Colossians 4:3 (NASB95)
3 praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned;
2 Timothy 2:9 (NASB95)
9 for which I suffer hardship even to imprisonment as a criminal; but the word of God is not imprisoned.
Others will carry on when I leave this earthly scene. The authorities have put me in this dungeon, but they cannot imprison the gospel. It will triumph. It will perform its pre-ordained mission on earth. No enemy can thwart it. See the beautiful commentary which Scripture itself supplies in such well-known passages as Is. 40:8; 55:11; Phil. 1:12–14; and 2 Tim. 4:17. Hendriksen, W., & Kistemaker, S. J. (1953–2001). Exposition of the Pastoral Epistles (Vol. 4, pp. 251–252). Baker Book House.
Isaiah 40:8 NASB95
8 The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.
Isaiah 55:11 NASB95
11 So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.
Philippians 1:12–14 NASB95
12 Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, 13 so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else, 14 and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear.
2 Timothy 4:17 NASB95
17 But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that through me the proclamation might be fully accomplished, and that all the Gentiles might hear; and I was rescued out of the lion’s mouth.
Whether or not he was familiar with Peter’s first letter (written several years before 2 Timothy), he certainly would have agreed with the attitude of his fellow apostle, who, as quoted above, wrote, “If when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God. For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps” (1 Peter 2:20–21). Paul was “well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak,” he testified, “then I am strong” (2 Cor. 12:10). MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1995). 2 Timothy (pp. 58–59). Moody Press.
At one time there were some 600 miles of catacombs under the city of Rome, nearly all them dug and used by ten generations of Christians over a period of 300 years. In the early centuries of the church, the catacombs served as meeting and burial places for perhaps as many as four million Christians. A common inscription found on walls there is “The Word of God is not bound.” In his famous hymn “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God,” Martin Luther declared, “The body they may kill; God’s truth abideth still.” MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1995). 2 Timothy (pp. 59–60). Moody Press.
John Bunyan wrote his most famous work, Pilgrim’s Progress, while jailed in Bedford, England, for preaching the gospel. Yet for several centuries that book was second in sales only to the Bible. Bunyan’s cell window faced a high stone wall that surrounded the prison, making it impossible to see into or out of his cell. On many days, however, he would preach loudly enough for his voice to be heard on the outside of the wall, where hundreds of listeners, believers and unbelievers, eagerly awaited his proclamation of God’s Word, which was unconfined by stone walls or iron bars. MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1995). 2 Timothy (p. 60). Moody Press.
Before the Communist conquest in the late 1940s and early 1950s, there were more than 700,000 Christians in China. During the subsequent “cultural revolution,” at least 30 million Chinese were slaughtered, including most of the Christians. Yet, after more than forty years of brutal oppression, imprisonment, and executions, the church of Jesus Christ in that vast country has a current membership of an estimated 30 million to 100 million. Although written copies of Scripture are still scarce, the truth of God’s Word endures in their hearts. Its power cannot be bound. The more it is assailed, the more it prevails. MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1995). 2 Timothy (p. 60). Moody Press.
Andrew Melville was the successor of John Knox in the Scottish Reformation. On one occasion, a certain official had him arrested and said, “There will never be quietness in this country till half a dozen of you be hanged or banished [from] the country.” With perfect composure, Melville fearlessly replied, “It is the same to me whether I rot in the air or in the ground. The earth is the Lord’s; my fatherland is wherever well-doing is. I have been ready to give my life, when it was not half as well worn, at the pleasure of my God. I lived out of your country ten years as well as in it. Yet God be glorified, it will not lie in your power to hang nor exile His truth!” MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1995). 2 Timothy (p. 60). Moody Press.
SO WHAT?
Where does your daily drive come from? Another way we could ask this is my saying - What motivates you?
Related Media
See more
Related Sermons
See more