Leaving a legacy... (3)

Guarding the good deposit...

Last Sunday, as we were closing our message, Fan into flame the gift of God, in 2 Timothy 1:12. Paul said,

2 Timothy 1:12 NIV

12 That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day.

So Paul was convinced that God was able to guard what Paul had entrusted to Him, and now Paul was exhorting Timothy to guard the good deposit.

When I lived in Ontario, I used to take deposits into the bank for the Emo Feed Service. There was no etransfers or direct deposits, so at times the deposits could be quite substantial. I was given the deposit to guard, to keep it in safe keeping until I could put it in the night deposit at the bank. I took this job very seriously, as I could never replace the deposit if I lost it.

As we look at our Scripture, let’s pay special attention to Paul’s instructions to Timothy.

2 Timothy 1:13–18 NIV

13 What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. 14 Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us. 15 You know that everyone in the province of Asia has deserted me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes. 16 May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains. 17 On the contrary, when he was in Rome, he searched hard for me until he found me. 18 May the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day! You know very well in how many ways he helped me in Ephesus.

As the Day of the Lord approaches, we need to

Hold on to sound teaching...

As great as the internet can be as far as access to information, we have to be on our guard as to what and who we listen to.

2 Timothy 1:13 NIV

13 What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus.

There are times that we think that it’s good to be self-taught in the Scriptures, but who is it that keeps us accountable. Paul was keeping Timothy accountable. Paul had taught Timothy what was sound and he was encouraging Timothy to hold on to what he had been taught.

Do you know what you believe?

Do you know why you believe it?

As a church, we have a statement of faith, essential truths. We don’t believe something because it feels good, we believe because it is in agreement with God’s word. If what we believe is not in agreement with God’s word, we need to discard it. If somebody comes to you with a new teaching, put it up to the litmus test of Scripture. Any doctrine, teaching or revelation must come into agreement with the Word of God.

Several years ago, several people that I met, brought into question the deity and supremacy of Jesus Christ.

They asked, “Is Jesus really God?”

They believed that Jesus was the Son of God, but did not believe in the Trinity, that there is one God, three persons.

For me it was a non-starter. It was a teaching very similar to Jehovah’s Witnesses.

John 1:1 NIV

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

What about the incarnation?

John 1:14 NIV

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

When somebody stands against the essentials of our faith, they will not come on the authority of God’s word, but they will question the authority of God’s word.

Where do we first see this?

Genesis 3:1 NIV

1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

When people bring into question the authority of Scripture, when people bring into question the cross and God’s plan of salvation, when people question the deity of Jesus Christ, they are not Christians, but are trying to make you question your faith.

There may be disagreements on certain doctrines, beliefs, and for these we may have to have grace and show each other love in our disagreements, On essentials, we need to hold firm to what we believe, on non-essentials, we need to be gracious.

There are some teachings that are believed so that we feel better about ourselves.

At a funeral you might hear, Such and such a person is looking down on us. They are watching over us. There is no message of salvation, but everyone goes to heaven… Well maybe Hitler or Stalin or terrible villains won’t be there but good people go to heaven.

Even though that might make us feel better. it isn’t the truth. Good people don’t go to heaven, forgiven people go to heaven. If good people go to heaven, Jesus wasted His time dying on the cross and shedding His blood.

Galatians 2:20–21 NIV

20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”

In other words, if righteousness could be gained by living a good life, Christ died for nothing.

2 Timothy 1:13 NLT

13 Hold on to the pattern of wholesome teaching you learned from me—a pattern shaped by the faith and love that you have in Christ Jesus.

What we believe must be shaped by the faith and love we have in Christ.

1 Corinthians 13:1–3 NIV

1 If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

We might have all our ducks in a row as to what we believe, but without love it doesn’t amount to a hill of beans. Faith is not only accompanied by right teaching, it must be accompanied by love that cares enough to do something. Faith if not accompanied by action is dead. Even if we have faith to move mountains, without love, we are nothing.

We need to

Guard the good deposit...

entrusted to you.

The NLT says

2 Timothy 1:14 NLT

14 Through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives within us, carefully guard the precious truth that has been entrusted to you.

Often when we think of guarding something, we might want to put it in a secret hiding place so that nobody can steal it. On the contrary, we need to share the truth that has been entrusted to us.

In 2 Timothy 4, Paul admonished Timothy. He said,

2 Timothy 4:2–5 NIV

2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.

How do we guard the good deposit?

How do we guard the precious truth that has been entrusted to us?

Through the power of the Holy Spirit...

who is in you...

We need the power and the leading of the Holy Spirit so we can guard what has been entrusted to us. We have been promised that the Holy Spirit will guide us into all truth. The Holy Spirit brings God’s word alive to us.

Hebrews 4:12 NIV

12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

The Holy Spirit works within the boundary of Scripture, and in that, there is safety. If we didn’t have the Word of God, it would be so easy to get sidetracked and be led astray. If what we believe is contrary to Scripture, we need to change our trajectory.

For the last few minutes, I want to share some obscure names in Scripture and what the represent.

Phygelus and Hermogenes...

These are two names that we only see once in Scripture. Their names were noteworthy enough to mention. Sadly, they had deserted Paul in his time of need.

For someone who is close, that betrays or deserts a brother or sister in Christ, it’s got to be difficult. I’m sure that Paul had invested into these men and when he was in prison, they had abandoned him.

2 Timothy 1:15 NIV

15 You know that everyone in the province of Asia has deserted me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes.

Had everybody deserted Paul? It can be difficult when we are at our weakest. It can be brutal. Even though we know God’s promise,

I will never leave you or forsake you...

We have been made for fellowship. My prayer is that you never feel that proverbial stabbing in the back. If you do, I pray that God will give you the grace to forgive. In those times of loneliness, I pray that God’s grace will be sufficient for you, that His strength will be made perfect in your weakness.

Paul mentions a friend who was loyal.

Onesiphorus...

2 Timothy 1:16–18 NIV

16 May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains. 17 On the contrary, when he was in Rome, he searched hard for me until he found me. 18 May the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day! You know very well in how many ways he helped me in Ephesus.

I’m not sure if you have had that friend that searched you out in your time of trouble. Onesiphorus was from Ephesus, and he made a trip to Rome. While he was there, he searched until he found Paul. He wasn’t ashamed of Paul, but he persevered until he was able to

Bring refreshment...

to Paul.

Often when we pray that we ask that God would use us in big ways, yet, maybe God is calling you to bring encouragement to somebody who is discouraged. It could be something as simple as a cup of coffee and a visit. It could be a meal. It might even be some fresh baking. Must be close to lunch.

It might be mowing some grass or lending a helping hand.

When God calls us to serve, it isn’t always easy, and it doesn’t always come at convenient times. I believe it is always worth it. It wasn’t easy and it probably wasn’t convenient for Onesiphorus to find Paul, but it blessed Paul’s heart to know that somebody cared. It also blessed Onesiphorus too.

It is more blessed to give than to receive...

Will you look for opportunities to bring refreshing to someone’s soul? Will you ask the Lord to you opportunities to minister to others? Will you bring refreshing to those who have served and encouraged others, in their time of need?

My prayer is that we would all take this seriously.

Will you contend for the faith and guard the good deposit through the power of the Holy Spirit?

We live in times in which deception has become a powerful tool of the enemy. So many times, we can be convinced that it is a person that is deceiving many, and yet

Ephesians 6:10–18 NIV

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

We cannot wage this war alone. We need the power of the Holy Spirit and the children of God. If we try to fight this with worldly weapons, we will lose, but as we do war in the power of the Spirit, we will not be defeated.

So many think that the battle that is raging in our world will be settled with political powers, but we can’t do spiritual battles with human wisdom.

Let’s take our stand and pray that God will give us mercy on that day!

Let’s pray!