Going Forward

Review

2 Timothy 1:6 “6 Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.”

2 Timothy 1:8 “8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God,”

2 Timothy 1:13 “13 Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.”

Going Forward

2 Timothy 2:1–2 “1 You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”

Be Strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus

Timothy had forgotten God. He was over come with the pressure from this World.

Paul had reminded Him of His Power in God.

2 Timothy 1:7 “7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

He should have been filled with the Power of the Spirit, Love from God, and rapped around with a sound mind.

The Christian is stable.

He is a tree from Psalms 1, a Rock from Matthew 6, A solder from Eph 6 walking with the legion of the Lord. He was made to battle and to stand.

Joshua 1:8–9 “8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”” (3 fears — Fear of the Jews, fear of the Job to lead in warfare, and fear of the Land.... Yet all that is needed is one thing, to know that God has called us and that our only accountability is to the Word of God.)

The Unbeliever is chaff, (Psa. 1, Jeremiah, waves, foundation of sand)

Ephesians 4:14 “14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,”

Without the word, even a Christian is susceptible.

Hebrews 13:9 “9 Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines. For it is good that the heart be established by grace, not with foods which have not profited those who have been occupied with them.”

The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing!

Romans 1:16 “16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.”

1 Corinthians 1:18–25 “18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.” 20 Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. 22 For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”

First Command: Be Strong.

Imperative — It is something that we are to do! To go forward in strength.

Ephesians 6:10–12 “10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

2 Timothy 2:1 “1 You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.”

Paul is again returning to remind Timothy of this amazing Gospel that was planned out for us from before time began and was brought to us by God’s own Son, Jesus, and was preached by the Apostles of the Lord.

2 Timothy 1:9–10 “9 who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, 10 but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,”

So we are to go forward in faith, not in sight. Trusting that God will accomplish that work that He wants through the preaching of the Word.

Ephesians 4:11–16 “11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”

All of the Gifts are teachers of the Word.

Notice the results of the Word being taught.

Unity in the faith and knowledge of the Son.

Maturity - a stature of the fullness of Christ.

Stability — freedom from the trickery of men.

Growth into Christ.

Growth as a body.

2 Command: Commit to Faithful Men

The Assurance of what we have received.

the things which you have heard from me among many witnesses....

Both the witnesses of what Paul taught, but more the fellow witnesses of this truth. (The other Apostles, Barnabas, Silas… and the miracles of the Holy Spirit.)

2 Timothy 3:14–17 “14 But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, 15 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. 16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

We have everything that we need in the Word which was delivered.

Jude 3 “3 Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.”

2 Peter 1:3–4 “3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”

He is to teach to teachers who will teach other teachers.

Here is the encouragement for ministry. It is to be multiplicative. We are to preach to all, but those young men that come to Timothy, that ignore the false doctrine around them, we are to teach them.... encouraging them to get involved in teaching others, and to pass this same pattern on.

It isn’t some special formula, but a continuing daily investment in people, encouraging them to get involved and then following this involvement on as it grows. Encouraging them to also be involved and follow on.

There is only one requirement.

Faithfulness. (Titus speaks of Older Women discipling younger women. Maturity in the faith.)

To often we want the Gospel to go forward by programs, or by big revivals, or by sign and wonders and huge steps… Yet it’s power is in it’s truth. Those who enter in and know God, being discipled and sent out to pass this on again. It is the day to day preaching of the Word.

To the lost, we are not responsible to save them. We can’t do this. We are called to be a witness to that which we know.

Acts 1:8 “8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.””

Many drop out as the work is hard, it is unrewarding, there is persecution, .... Yet listen to the calls from God. to the end of the earth!

Matthew 28:18–20 “18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.”

Our Job is to pass on the pure Gospel.

1 Timothy 6:20 “20 O Timothy! Guard what was committed to your trust, avoiding the profane and idle babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge—”

2 Timothy 2:14 “14 Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers.”

Hebrews 13:9 “9 Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines. For it is good that the heart be established by grace, not with foods which have not profited those who have been occupied with them.”

John 1:17 “17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”

Mark 7:7 “7 And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”

Hebrews 12:15 “15 looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled;”