Pass it on
Senior Sunday • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Introduction
Introduction
Good morning South Gate,
My name is Braden Spurling and I serve as the student minister here at South Gate.
I am glad that we get to celebrate the seniors graduating from high school.
Celebrating the growth that we have seen during their time here,
Celebrating what God has done and what he will continue to do,
it is a season where we celebrate what is next,
what gets passed on next.
Because everyone has to decide what they are going to do with that they are handed.
Which makes me think of relay races.
One of the hardest things to watch in a relay race is when a team is winning, but then the drop the baton.
The fastest team can lose for one simple reason…
a bad handoff.
a runner who isn’t paying attention and takes off too soon or too late,
and it causes a fumble.
and when you hear the sound of the baton hitting the ground,
everyone in the stand knows that the race is lost.
today we are going to talk about receiving the baton, and passing the baton.
but the stats show that spiritually people are dropping the baton all around us.
We see people leaving the faith…
Pastors falling away…
Lifeway research came out and said that 66% of teenagers who attend church in high school leave the church by the time that they graduate college.
Think about that for a second, 2 out of 3.
so
Paul knows there are people who are stepping away from the faith,
but he does not want Timothy to fall away.
Paul is his spiritual Father,
so today we are going to be in 2 Timothy chapter 2.
Where Paul writes to Timothy and says “don’t drop this”
What was handed to me, I am handing to you, and want you to hand to others.
so lets read in 2 Timothy 2:1-13
You, therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.
Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in the concerns of civilian life; he seeks to please the commanding officer.
Also, if anyone competes as an athlete, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.
The hardworking farmer ought to be the first to get a share of the crops.
Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.
Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead and descended from David, according to my gospel,
for which I suffer to the point of being bound like a criminal. But the word of God is not bound.
This is why I endure all things for the elect: so that they also may obtain salvation, which is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.
This saying is trustworthy: For if we died with him, we will also live with him;
if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he will also deny us;
if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself.
pray
The background of this passage is important.
This is the last letter than Paul wrote.
he knew his time was coming to an end and would soon be killed.
In Chapter 1, Paul says people are leaving and abandoning him.
They are leaving him out to dry and are ashamed by him.
they are dropping the baton,
but he does not want this to happen to Timothy,
so he writes him this letter telling him to…
Receive and Pass on the Gospel Faithfully (vv. 1-2)
Receive and Pass on the Gospel Faithfully (vv. 1-2)
You, therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.
This letter is Paul writing to Timothy.
We see that he considers him like a son.
That he has been raising him up in the faith.
but he wants him to get his foundation right.
He is say making this point that the grace of Jesus is everything.
That what Timothy needs is not something he can give to or produce himself.
It is a supernatural strengthening that is given to him.
There are so many things and so many ways that people look for the strength
Things that will keep them going.
They they look for something sturdy to lean against when life gets hard,
but it is not our own strength.
This strengthening is grace and that grace is found in Jesus.
So the text says to be strong in grace,
Not be strong.
or pull yourself up
but be strong in grace.
Guys let me tell you, if you find yourself desperate for strength, you're in a great place.
because that makes you a great candidate for grace.
Knowing that you cannot do it.
because if dependence is the goal, weakness is the advantage.
We must know that we are totally dependent on Christ.
That it is never our strength, but his strength that works in us.
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me.
This is the call.
To realize that we need grace.
and we need it every single day.
When we know this and we truly believe that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life and he is the only way,
then we have a solid foundation.
When life throws curveballs, we can face them because we won’t be shaken.
so
Seniors as you step into the new.
College,
jobs,
military,
relationships
independence
temptation
pressure
and suffering
Remember the grace that you have been taught.
And I am not just speaking to seniors today.
All of us throughout our jobs,
Through the businesses of life.
We need to know that we must have our life built on the grace of Jesus.
And when we have the solid foundation, we can go.
Each senior today received a baton and on that baton is has 2 Timothy 2:2 on it.
That what they have heard, they are to commit to people who will tell others also.
And that is why we talk about being solid in grace.
it is not an easy task and we need his strength.
Paul used the example in chapter one that there are people who desserted him.
It is because they did not have the solid foundation.
Life got hard, and they bailed
So they did not have a baton to go and pass on to people.
They dropped the baton.
Do not forget Jesus and drop the baton, but instead take what you have learned and pass it on.
Seniors, Take what you have learned in these 17 or 18 years of life of the good news of Jesus and tell people.
Because if you remember what Paul did, he was a church planter and missionary.
So the message that we have heard to and are to go and pass on is that of Jesus.
He is saying remember Jesus so you can go and tell others about him.
Evangelism is so important.
It keeps us rooted in Jesus and people hear the gospel message.
It keeps us rooted in Jesus because if they respond yes or no is not up to us.
Obedience does not determine the outcome.
You can share the gospel with 100 people and none can come to faith.
You can also share with 5 people in one week and all 5 can come to faith.
Why? we are just doing what we are told, God is doing the growth.
Riddle me this:
Jonah. We went through Jonah last year.
That dude ran from God, got swallowed and spit up be a whale.
Did not want to, but was finally obedient and went and preached to Nianevah and the town repented.
Noah on the other hand.
That dude preached for years!
He was obedient and everyone thought he was crazy for it.
But his outcome was not mass people turning from their evil deeds,
After years of preaching 7 people.
Only his own family turned.
Us being obedient does not mean automatically hundreds or thousands will come to faith, it might.
but we must be obedient to go and share what we know with others because we are commanded to.
Joel talked about it a few weeks ago.
He told them, “The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few. Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.
And he challenged us to pray for workers to go out into the harvest.
have you been praying for that?
Joel said every day at 10:02 we should pray for the harvesters.
The harvest is plentiful.
There are thousands of people in neighborhoods all around us.
people in our jobs,
people in our circles,
don’t just think that I am saying the students need to go.
If you get done today and say man that’s a great message that applies to the students, then you are doing it wrong, you don’t need a baton, you need some q-tips, we can clean our ears and try again.
This is a call for all of us.
To go and make disciples,
the go and harvest,
to be faithful to pass the baton.
That is why we are here.
From the time of Christ to 2026 people have passed on to faithful men.
and do not sit back and think someone else will.
Some people will never hear unless YOU speak.
I heard a pastor say once that before he went into ministry he worked high up at AT&T, he was in a corporate office where he had to have a clearance badge to get in.
Everyday he would have to scan in to get on that floor he worked in.
Now he is a Pastor, he gets paid to tell people the gospel, but he no longer has access to those people.
He no longer has a badge that can get him into the room to share the gospel with them,
There are people like that in our lives, you never know when someone will move, when someone gets a new job,
The people around us need Jesus!
So we need to stay rooted in Jesus and trust that he will help us.
it is personal.
When you get to heaven you can’t say I was a part of a church that gave a lot to missions.
I was a part of a church that shared the gospel.
Those can be true statements, but you will be judged on what you yourself did,
not the accomplishiments of your church.
and we have an opportunity to impact the lives of so many people.
This verse tells us that what we do with the Gospel can impact generations.
If we are not intensional about the gospel, what we believe, the next generation will assume and the 3rd will forget and deny it.
but we see 4 generations in this one verse.
being intentional about the gospel sharing impacts more than just the person you are pouring into.
Slide 1 here.
4 generations in one verse.
That does not just apply to Paul and Timothy, but to us as well.
who are you pouring into.
Not just evangelism, but what comes with evangelism is discipleship.
This is my plea to you to be evangelstic and disciple.
To get plugged into a life group,
Pour into people and be poured into
but also know the impact of what it means to serve
Especially what it means to pour into the next generation
in both kids and student ministry.
Slide 2
Because to make it personal, the students here aren’t the next generation of the church,
They are the church right now,
and they are shaping how these batons are going to keep being passed.
It says to pass to faithful men,
Not gifted men,
or talented men.
or impressive men,
but faithful men
God uses nobodys to tell everybody, all about somebody who can save their soul.
but it is not easy, but we must…
Endure Hardship while Carrying the Gospel (vv. 3-7)
Endure Hardship while Carrying the Gospel (vv. 3-7)
Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in the concerns of civilian life; he seeks to please the commanding officer.
Also, if anyone competes as an athlete, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.
The hardworking farmer ought to be the first to get a share of the crops.
Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.
We see that we are to share in sufferings because that is what a good solder does.
so Paul is going to go and apply this to a soldier, an athlete, and a farmer.
but
first is the solider.
With how much Paul was in jail, he knew the life of a solider pretty well.
I mean he was chained to one… more than once actually.
and he knows that a good solider is known for his focus and willingness to suffer.
As Christians we are going to suffer.
because
Following Jesus publically will cost us something.
You might say Braden it is 2026 people don’t suffer as much as they used to for being a Christian.
That is not true!
There are more Christian deaths and martyrs than any other time period.
On the low end over the last 5 years, 13 Christians are martyred a day.
That is just shy of 5,000 people a year.
and you could say most of those are not in America and you would be correct.
but that does not mean there is not suffering.
If we are doing our jobs as Christians and really living as if we are being obedient to every command the Bible gives us, we will run into suffering.
We would run into people who say sharing your faith in imposing your beliefs on them and is unkind.
We would run into people who hate us because the Bible stands up for the sanctity of life.
If we were more vocal about things we would run into suffering.
If we were more vocal about marriage being between one man and one women.
That sex belongs only in marriage.
That pornography is sinful
and gender is something created by God.
but so many times we don’t
Because that would be us being political.
That’s not us getting political, that’s speaking on issues the Bible has stated and stood on for thousands of years.
A Christian should stand up for the things in the Bible and expect suffering because thats what scripture tells us will happen.
In fact, all who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.
That is why Paul talks about the solider.
It does not matter what is going on in his life, the solider puts aside their own pleasure to do their task faithfully.
he does not get distracted by anything unessential to the mission.
The goal is to please and satisfy the wishes commander.
That is how we should be when it comes to our commander.
When it comes to Christ.
We are looking to follow him with our entire being.
Not just hear his words, but put action to them.
If all you do is study film, that doesn’t make you a great athelte, it makes you a film analyzer.
We have to go and have action.
Going to Church doesn’t mean that you are a Christian as much as
Sticking your head in the oven doesnt make you a turkey.
We must stay focused on God and do the will of God.
And we cannot get entangled in things that are there to distract.
This world is full of distractions.
and if the devil doesnt have to get you to fall into some major sin.
All he has to do is keep you busy.
So busy that you push out your time with the Lord.
The saying is:
If Satan cant make you bad, he’ll make you busy.
The next thing that Paul applies this to is an athlete.
The main reason that he does this is to show tell us that we can’t cut corners and we have to compete according to the rules.
Again, we have to know the rules to live by them
We must know God to know what his word says.
Just like we have to know what we believe to tell others what we believe.
and that can take hard work.
There is not a short cut in our walk with Christ.
We have to spend time with him, to grow with him.
Just like an athlete.
You might be naturally born athletic.
Or you might be born into a family that goes to church.
But it is up to the athlete to train.
just like it is up to us to make our faith personal.
That is the problem we all hate discipline.
We want to be great,
we want to excel in our faith,
but we treat it like merely watching athletics.
If we are not careful the church can turn into a football game.
22 people on the field in desperate need of rest with hundreds or thousands of people watching them in desperate need of exercise.
Paul does not want us to live out our faith like someone who watches sports.
but someone who trains like an athlete.
Who is willing to go.
But it requires discipline.
Millions admire athletes, but few imitate them.
Many enjoy their performances, but few attempt their training.
No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
What are we doing for godliness?
Are we willing to suffer?
Are we willing to train?
Are we willing to say yes to passing that baton?
It comes down to walking in accordance with God’s Word.
What does it say, and how does it change my life?
When we read the commands of scripture and know that is going to be hard.
We should have discipline to go and do it because that is what Jesus commanded us to do.
The things that shape you usually stretch you.
Chalres Spurgeon said “Whenever God means to make a man great, He always break him into pieces first.”
Christianity is not easy.
But it is worth it.
You will never regret following the Word of God,
But we have to follow the rules.
Just like the athlete.
We can’t cut the things that we do not want out of the Bible.
We have to be willing to do them all.
Just like an athlete does hard things in his training.
The last example we see if of the farmer…
People honor you if you are in the military.
People love watching and playing sports.
but faithful ministry is often ordinary, hidden, and slow.
Farming is hard work, and that is what Paul wants us to see.
There is no metal for farmers, there are not press conferences for being the farmer who produces the most bales of hay,
You don’t get a trophy, you get up and work every day.
Because if the farmer doesn’t work, there is not harvest.
If he doesnt plow there is no crop.
There is no reward.
Lazy people make terrible farmers, because it is a lot of hard work and dedication.
But lazy people also make bad Christians, because it is the same thing.
We can’t assume that other people are going to go do ministry!
We have to wake up and live on mission.
If we do not, then we will not see the harvest.
Paul is telling Timothy, do not give up,
do not drop the baton,
keep plowing,
keep working.
It is not just here in the Bible that says this.
Let us not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up.
If we do the things of God, what the Bible tells us to daily.
Over and over again,
knowing that is how we will reach the goal,
then there will be a harvest.
Yes, obedience does not determine outcome, but God is faithful to the ones who do what his word says.
We are to work hard for the sake of the Kingdom.
Knowing that all authority in heaven was given to Jesus and he tells us to go.
and so we are told to think about these things.
think about what what scripture says so we know what to follow.
To be like the Bereans in Acts who tested the scriptures and when they had tested them, they knew that it was true.
Knowing that Jesus is the ones who brings total truth,
which is why we need to…
Remember Jesus and Remain Faithful (vv. 8-13)
Remember Jesus and Remain Faithful (vv. 8-13)
Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead and descended from David, according to my gospel,
for which I suffer to the point of being bound like a criminal. But the word of God is not bound.
This is why I endure all things for the elect: so that they also may obtain salvation, which is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.
This saying is trustworthy: For if we died with him, we will also live with him;
if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he will also deny us;
if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself.
Those first 3 words, “remember Jesus Christ”
Everything revolves around that,
He is our anchor.
As we endure to the end,
we must never take our eyes off of him.
We often times look at all the distractions around us,
We look around to see what others think of us,
But often times when we are looking around, we should be looking up.
Remembering Jesus.
because if the tomb is empty, anything is possible.
And guys, the tomb is empty,
Everything we believe is rooted in the ressurection and how Jesus conquered sin
and we must not forget that when he died on that cross
All we must do is follow him and that forgiveness is accredited to our account.
That he is going to take care of the rest.
He will be there allowing us to rely on his strength
So when suffering comes… we can look to Jesus.
When temptation comes, we can look to Jesus,
When doubt comes… we remember Jesus,
Our risen Savior.
Because Jesus rose,
Suffering is not final,
Death is defeated,
so endurance to the end is worth it.
because the the gospel cannot be chained.
We can be chained…
We can suffer
We can go through hardships
I mean look at Paul
Paul is chained…
but our God will keep moving.
Paul was able to take his hard season and write so many books of the Bible, so many letters.
This is why we can push through the hard seasons,
because no matter how much we are suffering,
it is nothing compared to the glory that is going to be revealed,
It is nothing compared to eternal life with him,
And the Bible used this big scary word to some people “the elect.”
What I want you to know that if you are saved, you are one of the elect.
If you are not saved and at the end of service you talk the isle and say I want to give my life to Christ, then you are elect.
If you want more information about this come serve in the Student ministry because next Sunday we are talking about how God’s sovernty and are free will collide.
We see the word elect, but then we see a promise
we are promised if we die with him, then we will live with him
if we lay down our old lives,
If we accept Jesus and allow him to make us a new Creation.
That is why we dunk people when we baptise them,
It represents going under the surface, buried with Christ, but raised to walk with newness of life.
so if we die with him, we will live with him.
We are to endure,
As the old saying goes, there is no crown without a cross.
There will be things that we have to endure.
but Christ is there with us
But I do not want you to run this race,
get to the end,
And not know Christ
Because we do not want to deny Christ.
Because that will mean that he will deny us.
Today, do not deny him, run to him because his grace will strengthen you.
So what are we going to do?
Today every senior received a baton.
I want you to know that it is more than a gift, but it is also a reminder.
That the gospel has been handed to you.
Your parents handed it to you.
Your pastors handed it to you,
Your leaders have handed it to you,
From all the faithful people who have poured into you
Now the question becomes, what are you going to do with it?
Will you drop it?
Will you keep it to yourself?
Or will you pass it on?
and this is not just to the seniors, but to all of us,
When we walk about of the doors, into the mission field, what are we going to do?
Maybe you are here and you do not know Jesus, I would love to have a conversation and “get the baton” in your hand to start your relay.
Because we are going into the world with people who do not know Jesus.
Your mission field is wherever God has placed you.
We must look for people who do not know Jesus.
There are… Classrooms with people who do not know him.
Workplaces with people who do not know him.
Places full of hostility towards Christ,
But remember this, you are not called to hold the baton perfectly with your own strength.
We are called to be strong in grace.
We must remember that the same grace that saves us will sustain us.
and we must look for ways to take that grace, the grace only found in Jesus and hand the baton to someone else.
be like the solider who obeys the commander and puts aside himself for the comander,
Be the athelete who trains and doesn’t cut corners,
and the farmer who works hard for the harvest,
so the gospel will keep moving forward.
Remember Jesus
Endure hardships
Stay faithful
because the word of God is not bound.
I finish all of my sermons with the youth by saying the same thing…
any thoughts, comments, questions, concerns, or stones for heresy.
so one last thing.
If you depart from Springfield and South Gate is no longer your church, take that saying with you
ask questions, look for heresy,
and keep your eyes on Jesus.
let’s pray
