Stay the Course

Stay the Course: Persevering in Faith Amidst Challenges

Bible Passage: 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5

In 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5, Paul delivers a message to Timothy on remaining persistent and steadfast in faithfulness to God’s Word. He reminds Timothy of what he was raised with, and how even though the idolatry and false teachings that surround him seem to close in, he has been called and equipped to teach truth. This same message that Paul poured out to Timothy is the same message that speaks to us today. Timothy could feel the weight and the pressures of the things around him, and could have easily chosen to give in to those pressures and succumb to heretical and even blasphemous teachings. However, what Timothy chose to do was to hold fast to what he knows to be true and to honor God and to be obedient to the calling on his life. This same calling is on the lives of each one of us. In Matthew 28:18-20 Jesus says, “All authority in Heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always to the very end of the age” (Holy Bible, New International Version, 1973, Matthew 28:18-20).

So how do we as believers in Christ today, remain faithful in times of trials? How do we choose to remain steadfast in our faith when we feel worldy pressures pushing in on us? When it seems like we are surrounded on all sides by things that want to destroy us and pull us away from God’s truth. I know being a mother and a wife that the pressures that can build with trying to hold it all together while simultaneously feeling the weight of needing to hold it all together because that what society expects. So many things make us feel like we have to look a certain way, or have certain things in life that make us look successful, or perform a certain way to others. I am sure that Timothy probably felt some of those things. The reality is, is that we are not able to do these things on our own, and God does not expect these things from us. What He wants is for us to be in an intimate relationship with Him, so that He is at the top of it all. That is a call for us to surrender the things that we think we need to strive for and commit ourselves to His Word, and to be faithful in prayer. While doing these things we also need to remember that challenges and temptations are a part of this journey that we are one. We will be faced with trials of many kinds, but it is when we can remain steadfast in our faith and our relationship with Jesus and we proclaim His truth, that is what He desires for our lives.

1. Grounded in God's Word

2 Timothy 3:14-17

As Christians a way for us to remain grounded in our faith is to remember God’s Word. Paul gave the same reminder to Timothy in verse 14. This can be applied to someone today who has been a Christian for years, or someone who is new to the faith. As a seasoned Christian we need to cling to the true Word of God and allow that to saturate our lives. As a new believer, Paul is very clear on the importance of knowing and remaining in the Word of God. Paul starts verse 14 with a direct address “But as for you”. This is an exhortation to continue in the things that Timothy had learned and had become convinced of. What Timothy had here was his own testimony of things that he had been raised with, and the Holy Scriptures. Timothy had complete confidence in both sources, and this is what would prevent Timothy from slipping (Walvoord, Zuck, 1973).

So what do we do today? We firmly root ourselves in what we have been taught and we plant ourselves in God’s true Word. In verse 16 Paul tells us why. It says, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (Holy Bible, New International Version, 1973, 2 Timothy 3:16). It is through the Scriptures that we will gain wisdom for salvation through faith in Jesus, and that is our firm foundation in life. This foundation is what navigates us. If you were stranded at sea what are you going to need? You will need navigation and nourishment. If you are standed in life what do you need? You need the same things, but what matters is where you go looking for it. Our navigation comes from being in God’s Word. Everything that we need in this life is right there for us. If you are lost at sea and you have a compass, I can promise you that you would use it. If you are lost in life, our navigation is available to us, and all we have to do is open it and allow it to guide us. Our nourishment is going to come from reading it and applying it to our lives. Remaining consistent in prayer and faithful in our obedience to His Word.

2. Proclaim with Urgency

2 Timothy 4:1-2

In these next verses we see Paul’s charge to Timothy to preach the Word of God urgently and patiently in season and out of season. We will take an airlplane pilot for example. There is focus that they must have when flying a plane. However, if you take a pilot in crisis then you couple that focus with a strong sense of urgency. Not only does that pilot need to remain calm during this time, but he also needs to have a steady focus on the immense task at hand in order to save the lives of the other people. That same urgency and focus is needed for the world today. We are called to urgently share the Gospel with the lives of those who so desperately need it. In verse 1 of chapter 4 Paul says, “I give you this charge”. What he is saying here is “I give you this command”. There is a unique accountability that Christians have, and that is to share God’s Word with the world (MacArthur, 2005). Just as the pilot is sitting in a life and death situation, so are we. The lives of people around us who do not know Him hang in the balance. We do not know that day or time that Jesus will come back. We also do not know the day or time of when we will take our last breath. Just because we walk through each day not feeling the immense pressure that a pilot will feel in a crisis, does not mean that the urgency to share the Word of God is not there. Paul says to be prepared in and out of season. To take the Word of God and use it to reach, rebuke, correct and encourage, and this charge is not just for ourselves. Instead, it is for us to share with others. Not to glorify self, but to glorify God and to add to His Kingdom.

3. Persevere Through Challenges

2 Timothy 4:3-5

These last few verse heed a warning to us that can very much be applied to today. Just as Timothy was surrounded by false doctrine and the pressure to succumb to it, we are faced with the same things. We live in a society of “you do you” with a focus on self, and it can easily become tempting to fall into that frame of mind. We tell ourselves “well I deserve this”, or even so much as just leaning into what makes us feel good. Telling ourselves that we deserve something or that we are going to do something because it is what makes us feel good is not going to be a long-standing solution to anything. These things are fleeting. Paul warns us when he says, “For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own evil desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths” (Holy Bible, New International Version, 1973, 2 Timothy 4:3-4). You can take social media for instance. We have the option to allow who we want to follow us right? We can choose people who only agree with us on all matters. Do you think that if you had the same opportunity in life you would take it? Would you choose to tune out the person who calls you out on your sin? Would you take the chance to dismiss the person who pours life into you by offering you Biblical correction? Or would you allow these people into your life knowing that it is what you need? What we need to hear is not always what we want to hear, but it serves a life-giving and often times, a life-transforming moment. Paul goes on in verse 5 and says, “But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry” (Holy Bible, New Internatinal Version, 1973, 2 Timothy 4:5).

Closing

We can look at the life of Christ and how He exemplified faithfulness, obedience, and perseverance. He endured hardships and trials that we cannot imagine, and all if it for the sake of our salvation. He faced opposition, persecution, and suffering for all of mankind. He died a death that we deserve, and that we still deserve today. Because of His example, we are called to emulate that in our own lives. We can take courage in the example of Christ on how to remain faithful despite challenges, knowing that our reward will be found in our perseverance.

So how can we model Christ’s perseverance in our daily lives when facing difficulties?

What specific challenges or oppositions do you feel are currently testing your faith?

What steps can you take to resist temptations and distractions that pull you away from sound doctrine?

There are going to be times when the weight of responsibilities and tasks are going to leave you feeling overwhelmed and burned out. What we need to remember is to take a step back and evaluate our priorities. Where does God and time in His Word and time in prayer fall into those priorities? Is He at the top? If not, then things need to be adjusted. Are there things that can be removed from your list that are not serving you and especially not serving Him or time with Him? For us to be able to share God’s Word we need to be in it, and in order to be in it we have to make time for it. Quiet the noise of the world and find rest in Him. This is how we will live out the charge that Paul gave to Timothy. Remember what you have been taught. Remember the true Word of God and go and preach it and teach it with urgency to those around you. We are disciples making disciples, and we need to cultivate resilience to be able to persevere througth what life throws at us.

Closing Prayer