This is a Faithful Saying - Part 4

Sermon Series: “This is a Faithful Saying” (Show slide 1)

Sermon Text: 2 Timothy 2:11-13

If you were writing one last and final letter or sending the last text message to your son or daughter or someone you dearly loved, what would you write? Think about it for a minute…. What would truly be the most important thing you could say? 2 Timothy is Paul’s final N.T. letter written to Timothy, his spiritual son in the faith, the one whom he loved dearly. This second letter was written 2 years after the 1st and at this time Paul was in a Roman prison awaiting his own execution and death by Emperor Nero. In this last letter, Paul words would encourage Timothy to stand firm in the faith, to be faithful in his commitment to Christ in the midst of troubling times. He was to remain faithful and endure suffering to the end.

Today we will be in 2 Timothy chapter 2:1-13. In chapter 1, Paul calls Timothy to be courageous, guard the truth, and be faithful to his calling. In chapter 2, he presents a series of examples to challenge Timothy on how to be faithful as a follower of Christ. Like Timothy, we also as believers need to be ready when suffering comes our way because the world is going to get far worst and suffering and persecution will increase as we await the return of Jesus. So how can Timothy remain faithful in a time where the church was going through severe opposition and his mentor was in prison facing his last days? Paul sums it this way—Endure and be faithful to the end! This challenge was given to Timothy and also to us today! How do we endure and remain faithful to Christ? First: (Show Slide 2) 1. By trusting on the grace that Christ provides (v.1)

Let’s turn to our text today. Read along with me in 2:1 “You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” As a spiritual father figure, he wants his spiritual son Timothy to find strength in the Lord and the Holy Spirit. Paul reminds him that his strength was not found in himself, but in the grace of Jesus. Grace is a free gift and is God’s undeserved favor on our behalf. The grace of God provides the strength and ability for us to live godly lives. Paul tells Timothy to depend on this grace which keeps us focused on God and not on our daily circumstances. The world today says that you can overcome anything by setting your mind to it, channeling your own inner strength and power, but that is not true. As believers we need the grace of God, which is our source of salvation (Acts 18:27; Eph. 2:8-9). Grace is the power we need daily to live out the Christian life faithfully. Through His grace God shows us his love, mercy, compassion, forgiveness and restoration. As I was preparing for the sermon this statement caught my attention: “We start in grace, stand in grace and are strengthened in grace” (Bibleref.com). This is very comforting for the believers, because we are limited on what we can do on our own. We often feel inadequate, weak and inconsistent in our journey of faith. Christ give us the strength that we need. He gives us grace and the Holy Spirit so we must stay connected to him when we face opposition and suffering for his name’s sake. Secondly, we endure and remain faithful? (Show Slide 3) 2. By passing on the faith to others (v.2)

Read 2 Tim. verse 2. Timothy was to follow what he had learned from Paul’s example and teach God’s Word to others who would teach and pass that along to others. This is the discipleship process that we find in Scripture. Paul had spent years and taught Timothy in the presence of others about Christ, the gospel and His Word. We must pass on our faith because it’s our duty as believers (1 Tim. 2:2; 6:12). Timothy was to teach and train others who were capable and qualified in passing along the same truths that he was taught by Paul. These are believers “faithful men”, the Greek word used here is for both men and women who already had believed in Christ. This verse is not talking about evangelism but discipleship in the church and in the individual life of the believer. Discipleship doesn’t happen alone! This is a passing on, a process of teaching and growing in God’s truths. Paul tells Timothy to entrust this training to trained believers, who would “be able to teach others also.” The primary means by which the gospel and the word of God is spread is through relationships and discipleship. Notice that Paul desires for the faith to be passed on to future generations… from Paul to Timothy to faithful men who would then teach others. There are four generations of discipleship in view here. Passing on the faith is a multi-generational process for the church and we must be faithful in this area to grow and be spiritually healthy.

Our goal is to spread the Gospel and the Word of God. We can’t just keep it to ourselves. We must pass on our faith to the younger generations? Let me ask you a question. How are you passing on your faith? At Fuge camp we challenged the students to own their faith personally and then be able to share it with others so they too can be encouraged when life gets hard. The gospel message and Christ’s teachings are meant for everyone! So how are we doing in this area as a church? How are you doing in this area as a parent? Are we teaching our children, youth, those who are new to the faith to grow? Are we training and passing the baton to the next generation of believers? This is not the job of the pastor or elders only. Just as Paul passed his faith and trained others, even Timothy, now he expects faithful believers today to do the same. Timothy was entrusted with the great deposit of the Gospel and now he must entrust others with it. We can do that individually 1 one 1 and as a church community. At PBC, discipleship happens in Kids Connection, Youth Group, Women’s Bible study groups, Men’s Breakfast, Iron sharpens Iron and also in community groups throughout the week. Get plugged in so that you can grow and share your faith with others.

Thirdly, (Show Slide 4) we endure 3: By sharing in our suffering for Christ (v.3-7)

In verse 3, Paul shifts his attention to the Christian life by providing three examples on how to be faithful. Paul writes “share in suffering”. During his ministry Paul suffered for the gospel and it was not a surprise for him. In Acts 9:16, the Lord tells Ananias this in refence to Paul: “For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.”

Paul tells Timothy that as a follower of Jesus he should be willing to suffer for the faith. Paul mentions suffering multiple times to Timothy as a Christian and a leader (2 Tim. 1:8, 12; 2 Tim. 2:9; 3:11; 4:5). Suffering, enduring hardships and trials for the sake of the gospel and Christ are part of the DNA of the Christian life. If we are truly seeking to live our lives for God we will suffer, the Bible states. In Matthew 10:22 Jesus says—"You will be hated by everyone because of My name, but the one who perseveres to the end will be saved.”

Acts 14:22— This is when Paul was stoned at Lystra and was with Barnabas, what did they do next? “strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.”

Paul in 2 Timothy 3:12: says “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”

Paul uses a few word pictures to illustrate this point. First, Timothy was to suffer “as a good soldier of Christ Jesus”. (Show Slide 5) Now let clarify this idea of suffering. Paul is not saying that we ought to seek it out or tell others to treat us violently for being Christian. In many occasions Paul avoided and fled from situations that threatened his life. He is talking about the attitude and our approach to suffering for Jesus for the gospel. Like a soldier, Christians are to be disciplined and willing to share in suffering and hardships for the sake of the Gospel. A soldier focuses on his mission, not distracted or concerned about day-to-day civilian matters.

He or she follows and obeys the leader or commander and wants to accomplish the given assignment. As soldiers are characterized by their discipline we too must be disciplined and daily focus on the mission at hand. For Timothy, he was chosen by Christ, His commander and thus he must be faithful to Him to fulfill the mission for which God had called him. Timothy was to be diligent and by enduring to the end gain approval from Jesus.

Read verse 4. We Christians, “as fellow soldiers”, we serve together and have a job to do and we can’t allow the things of the world such as entertainment, politics or anything trivial to deter us from carrying God’s mission. We must be concerned, first and foremost, with the work of God, His will and mission even when it leads to suffering. Christians are to be well trained and disciplined and prepared to do the work of the Lord no matter how hard it gets.

(Show Slide 6). The 2nd picture we get in this chapter is that of an athlete. Here Paul reminds us that an athlete does not win unless one competes according to the rules of the game. Athletes who competed in the ancient Greek Olympics were given strict rules in their training and competition. If they didn’t compete the right way they were disqualified and could not be crowned. The winner usually would receive an olive wreath from a sacred tree near the temple of Zeus in Olympia. The competitors had to swear that they had strictly trained for 10 months prior in order to enter the event (TBKC p. 752; Bible Ref.com).

Today’s many athletes commit their lives to training for competition in order to win trophies, medals and titles, yet they can be disqualified by breaking the established rules of the game. (Show Slide 7) Such is the story of Lance Armstrong, the American professional cyclist. He achieved great fame for winning the Tour de France 7 years in a row from 1999 to 2005, but was stripped of all his titles in 2012 after an investigation found that he had been using performance-enhancing drugs over his career. His decision to cheat in order to win, led Armstrong to be disqualified and be banned for life from the sport (Wikipedia). It matters how you train, compete and how you win! The emphasis Paul makes here is not how many are qualified to participate in a race, but which one will be diligent to the end to win the crown.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27, Paul’s focus was to maintaining a disciplined and focused approach to one's faith and spiritual life, similar to how an athlete disciplines their body to compete effectively.  It takes discipline, focus, avoiding the crowd, wondering aimlessly, living out the truth, perseverance, continuous learning and growing in the faith to stay the course. Timothy was to follow God’s truth daily and in doing so he would be rewarded with an eternal prize at the end. This is not a matter of earning salvation but being faithful in the Christian race to the end thus receiving an eternal reward.

As Christians, we need to do things God’s way and not risk disqualification. Paul wrote this in 1 Cor. 9:27 (Show Slide 8)

In verses 6-7, Paul word picture is that of a farmer. (Show slide 9) The farmer is hard-working and he is continuously at work. He can’t be lazy on the daily tasks because we know as the saying goes… “A farmer’s work is never done.” The farmer is the one who should have “first dibs” on the share of the crops. He or she has worked hard for it and has endured and been patient and now is the first to reap the benefits of his or her labor. As Christians we are to be like the hard-working farmer in season and out of season sowing seeds of the gospel to a lost world, growing and maturing in the faith and enduring through the long journey. We must be devoted, be patient and overcoming obstacles and challenges that come our way. Our work is never done and we must be disciplined to see it through. We also need to rely and trust in the Lord and the Holy Spirit for the results of our labor. Believers we are called to work hard, be diligent, disciplined, stay focused on God’s mission, to suffer when necessary and also depend on the Lord for the outcome. Are you being diligent and working hard for the Lord? This brings us to the 4th point (Show Slide 10) 4: By remembering Jesus and the cause of Paul’s suffering (vv. 8-10)

In these verses 8-12 Paul focuses on the example of Jesus. Paul’s description includes his death and resurrection. He also points that Jesus is the promised Messiah, the offspring of David, God in human form who came from David’s family line into the world to save mankind. This is the gospel message for which Paul was suffering and even facing death in prison. In verse 8 he tells Timothy to “Remember Jesus Christ”! Don’t lose sight of who He is and whom you are serving. Paul points to the Gospel! This is the gospel that Timothy was to preach, teach and suffer for as well. At M-Fuge camp, the students were taught and given a simple and creative tool to be bold in sharing the gospel with people they met at the different sites. We have a picture of it on the screen. (Show Slide 11) The gospel message is this: God created a perfect world. Man’s disobedience broke the relationship with God and caused the world to be broken by sin. God sent his perfect Son to save the world from sin. Jesus died on a cross to pay the punishment for our sin. He was buried and on the 3rd day God raised Jesus back to life. Jesus ascended to heaven and promised that he would return one day. If we trust Jesus and ask him to be our Lord and Savior, we can have eternal life with Him and will reign with him.

This is the gospel which Paul was suffering for in prison in verse 9. This was the very reason he was in chains. It wasn’t that he was a criminal, but despite his situation, Paul was not ashamed of his chains because it was for the Lord Jesus that he was suffering (2 Tim. 1:16). Unlike his first imprisonment when Paul was under arrest this one was more severe and Paul knew he would soon die. Despite his impending death, Paul could rejoice knowing that the gospel message was not chained with him in prison. During both imprisonments, Paul wrote letters and communicated the word of God which impacted many people and churches including Timothy and his church at Ephesus. Think about how God has preserved His Word and even today we have access to Paul’s letters and writings in the Scriptures. There is no power on earth, not even Satan, that can chain the gospel! There is nothing that can limit it from spreading out to the entire world and now we see more of that with social media and technology. Think about the impact that it has in today’s world where we have access to it from anywhere.

Paul is willing to endure in everything so that many can come to faith in Christ by responding to the gospel he preached. The elect here refers to those who were believers and or would become. Paul saw himself as a servant of God for the sake of the elect—the believers in Christ.

God desires that all obtain the salvation that he offers through Christ. Paul was clear of God’s mission and thus as a good soldier endured the suffering and persevered to the end. Have you received the free gift of God in Christ Jesus our Lord? When we put our faith and trust in Jesus, we became part of God’s elect and God sends the Holy Spirit to live in us. The Holy Spirit gives us power and courage to share our faith and like Paul keep fighting the good fight of the faith. Earlier in the chapter Paul wrote: “for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” (2 Tim. 1:7). Timothy needed to be reminded of this and be bold and strong in the faith. We not only receive the Holy Spirit but also the gift of eternal life. We look forward to the eternal reward in being with Jesus in glory forever.

This brings us to the last point, how do we endure? (Show Slide 12) 5: By relying on God’s faithfulness (v. 11-13)

The phrase, “The saying is trustworthy” in often used in the Pastoral letters as we have seen in this series and in this passage is unique in that it is written in a poem format. In verse 11, we learn that believers have died to sin and the world with Christ through the believer’s baptism (Colo. 2:20; 3:1-3). (Show Slide 13-14) Baptism identifies us with Christ in his death and resurrection and walking in a way that reflects Christ’s character. Just as we have died with him in baptism, we will also experience resurrection with him as mentioned in 1 Corinthians 15:52. (Show Slide 15)

In verse 12, Paul continues this hymn, if we endure with him, we will also reign with him. This endurance was referring to the suffering that Paul had just mentioned earlier. Is this idea of “remaining, lasting”, which is one of the themes found in the second letter to Timothy. The endurance is proof of those who are truly saved, his true disciples and are part of God’s family who will also reign with Christ in the millennial Kingdom as mentioned in Rev. 20:6. (Show Slide 16). Read verse.

The next phrase “if we deny him, he also will deny us” presents a contrast with those who endure. If a believer endures, he or she reigns. If a person denies Christ, He will deny eternal life in return. Rejecting Christ, like some had, that Paul refers too in both letters to Timothy, means separation from God forever. John 3:18, 36 clearly state that God will reject those who reject His son Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah, the Savior of the world.

Paul concludes the faithful saying or this poem or song with a hopeful truth. This last verse is in reference to believers. In this journey of faith, we will fall short at times. We cannot obey God perfectly and there will be times of doubt, where our faith is tested. We can trust in the almighty God to be faithful despite our faithlessness. God has proven his faithfulness to all generations from the beginning of time, from the history of the O.T to that of the N.T and even now. When we fail, He is there to restore us, to hold us up. When Peter denied Jesus, He was there to forgive and restore him back to leadership. He is there to draw us near to Him, when we experience failures. In 1 John 1:9, John reminds us that: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

He remains faithful when you and I are not! It’s important to note here that God being faithful does not mean that He will always save us from our consequences, circumstances or even death. God being faithful means that He knows best and will give us the strength to endure and go through suffering and even death with full confidence and reliance on Him!

The story of Vibia Perpetua—Optional (Show Slides 17-18)

Perpetua was a young, well-educated woman who came from an affluent family in the city of Carthage (modern-day Tunisia) in the early part of the 3rd century. She as a young mother, at age 21, became a Christ follower at a time where the church was being persecuted. Carthage officials placed Perpetua and her Christian friends under arrest for practicing Christianity. Her father was very ashamed at what she had become and feared of losing her and the child. He begged Perpetua to renounce her faith. “Father”, she answered, “Do you see this pitcher sitting here?”

“I see it.” “Can it be called by any other name than what it is?” “No” her father replied.

“Neither can I call myself anything but what I am—a Christian.” Her father was so angry with her and tried to reason with her to avoid death. Perpetua with her friends were thrown in prison and while there she was worried about her baby boy. While in prison, her father still pleaded with her to consider her family, her life, her son and renounce her faith, but she didn’t. In her trial, she affirmed her faith and said “I am a Christian” and would not deny Christ.

(Show Slide 19-20)

Soon after, she and her faithful friends were thrown in the arena to be trampled and attacked by the wild beasts and be killed at the hands of gladiators. Despite the suffering, the pain and humiliation, these believers along with Perpetua stayed faithful to the end no matter the cost. “They courageously clung to Jesus, and ultimately found him faithful.” (Dan Graves article; Torchlighters.org articles)

Will you be found faithful to the end?

Let’s Pray: Lord Jesus, as we looked at Paul’s example and the example of many brothers and sisters who have gone before us in history, who proved to be faithful, give us each day the courage and strength to endure in our faith till the end. Amen

Benediction: 2 Timothy 2:11-13 (ESV)

11 The saying is trustworthy, for:

12 If we have died with him, we will also live with him;

if we endure, we will also reign with him;

13 if we deny him, he also will deny us;

if we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself.

Study Resources:

Sailhamer, H. John. NIV Compact Bible Commentary: 2 Timothy

Knight, W. Geroge. The Layman’s Bible Handbook: 2 Timothy

Life Application Study Bible: 2 Timothy NLT

Liftin, Duane A. Bible Knowledge Commentary: 2 Timothy 2

https://www.bibleref.com/2-Timothy/2/2-Timothy-2-1.html

https://torchlighters.org/vibia-perpetua-the-young-roman-mother-who-chose-christ/

https://torchlighters.org/perpetua-faithful-to-the-end/