A Call to Remember

Introduction

Sometimes in the midst of our work, we get discouraged and wonder what’s the use…I’m not sure if what I’m doing matters or is worth the effort. It’s at those times we may step back and remember what brought us to the place we are, and what gave us the initial passion to get started.

As we continue through Paul’s charge to Timothy regarding the entrust Faith, the gospel, that must be used, preserved, and passed on, we may wonder if its worth all the effort. Last week we saw that Paul tells Timothy that he is to teach faithful men regarding this entrust Faith, and to do so in the context of being a suffering soldier, rule-keeping athlete, and hard working farmer. What guarantee is there that we will succeed and that God will use His Word to accomplish His plan. In this passage for this evening, Paul is calling us to remember the particular points of the gospel, and reminds us that though we may endure hardship and even imprisonment, that God is at the core of all we do in order to use us to be instruments in the salvation of the elect.

Text: 2 Tim 2:8-13

Main Idea: Since God has called us to endure in the proclamation of the gospel so that salvation will come to God's elect, we must remember that the success in doing so is found in the character and work of God.

1. Remember Christ’s Identity (v. 8)

a) The Anointed One

Jesus, the Christ (Messiah, anointed one)

Matthew 16:16 ESV

16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Luke 24:46 ESV

46 and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead,

b) The Resurrected One

risen from the dead - The resurrection of Jesus is the impetus that propels us forward to complete our task.

1 Peter 1:3 ESV

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

c) The Royal One

offspring of David - the fulfillment of God’s plan that the messiah would be the son of David.

Matthew 1:1 ESV

1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

Nathan speaking God’s words to King David said:

2 Samuel 7:16–17 ESV

16 And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’ ” 17 In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.

Luke 1:31–33 ESV

31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

d) The Saving One

as preached in my gospel - The gospel is the good news that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and rose again, thus saving us from the wrath of God.

Jesus means, Jehovah is salvation.

Matthew 1:21 ESV

21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

2. Remember the Unbound Word (vv. 9-10)

a) Brings human suffering (v. 9)

Preaching the Word is foolishness to those who are perishing, and thus breeds persecution and suffering.

1 Corinthians 2:14 ESV

14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.

Though the preaching of the Word breeds suffering for the preacher, nonetheless the preacher can be encouraged because the Word preached is not bound or ineffective but will accomplish its intended purpose!

Isaiah 55:11 ESV

11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

b) Brings human endurance (v. 10)

As a result, the suffering preacher can confidently endure because he/she knows that God will save His elect through their efforts.

Purpose and guaranteed success will always breed endurance.

1 Corinthians 15:58 ESV

58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

3. Remember God’s Work in Us (vv. 11-13)

Probably an early Christian hymn, a cross-bearer’s or martyr’s hymn.

a) A Trustworthy Work (v. 11)

trustworthy (pistos)- meaning dependable, certain to occur, truth

Being in Christ is the essence of the gospel. We died with Him, we will live with him.

Romans 6:8 ESV

8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.

b) An Enduring Work (v. 12)

endure (hypomeno - pres, act, ind) - to stay behind and remain alive

The fact that we will be alive, reigning with Christ causes us to endure this life!

Those who do not endure but deny Christ, are not His and will be denied by Him.

The perseverance of the saints is the biblical understanding of eternal security.

1 John 2:19 ESV

19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.

Mark 13:13 ESV

13 And you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

Philippians 2:12–13 ESV

12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

c) A Faithful Work (v. 13)

Shows that even in our endurance, there can be times of faithlessness, however, the faithful (pistos) work of God continues.

he cannot deny himself - This faithful work of God is bond to the very character of God and His redemptive plan

Philippians 1:6 ESV

6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

So What?

When we get discouraged and are ready to give up as a follower of Jesus Christ and a proclaimer of His gospel, we must remember who Christ is, what the Word does, and what God is doing in and through us.

Are you/we enduring? Or are we just a professor of Jesus Christ, but as soon as the going gets tough, we are out of here.

Are you discouraged because you desire with all our heart to love and serve God, but have times of doubt and failure in our walk with the Lord? Well, praise the Lord, as a child of God, your relationship with God is not dependent on your faithfulness to Him, but His faithfulness to you.