Guard the Gospel

Good morning and welcome to Dishman Baptist Church. Please take your Bibles and open them with me to 2 Timothy 1, 2 Timothy 1. It is always a blessing to stand here before you in the service of our King Jesus Christ. For those of you who are joining us for the first time, or maybe have only joined us within the last few weeks we have been going through the book of Mark since September of 2019 and we will return there next week.

This last week of the year is always a challenging week. There are many places around the nation where men are trying to comb the headlines to demonstrate how prophecy has been fulfilled this year all in an effort to point toward the second coming of Christ. We could have returned to Mark and picked up where we left off - which really might have amounted to the same thing as we had just started Mark 13 before we paused for advent and we are about to look at the passages regarding the tribulation and the second coming of Christ as He taught it to His disciples.

But this morning I think it is important for me to lay out an idea of what God desires for and from us as a church in the coming year. This is always a daunting task. Last year we resolved as a church to know nothing except, or really to know primarily, the Gospel. And this year we were forced to do this in some unexpected and unanticipated ways as the environment around us forced us to analyze two aspects: how our actions reflected the impact that the Gospel has had on us and how would our actions reflect on the Gospel as either a stumbling block or, at the very least, an opening in the lives of those who observe us.

This morning’s message is difficult because as this year closes there are mixed emotions. There is an anticipation for the coming year as we bring this year to a close and a sense of relief that this year is finally over. But there is also a measure of trepidation as well. This year has been so bad, so challenging that there is the dread that 2021 could actually turn out worse.

And there are indications that there will be challenges in the coming year. Those of you who know me know that I am not political as we know that our hope is not found in political parties but instead it is found in the person of Christ. Yet there are moments and issues that one party supports more than the other - and these issues are hardly representative of a Christian worldview. It shouldn’t be a surprise to us though when the world acts the way that it does. What adds to the challenge is when the church, or those within the church, endeavor to match the world in ideology and action.

Just a few days ago the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention published an article entitled “The diversity in our Christmas story” that contained this quote “Our Savior was born a mixed-race Savior. In His flesh, Christ embodied the racial diversity that would mark His kingdom. His kaleidoscopic heritage pointed to the day when every knee in Heaven and earth would bow at His name.” The premise of the article is that because of the presence of Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and Bathsheba in Christ’s genealogy that He was a multi-racial Savior and that this has significant implications and that we should recognize the racial diversity and all that that entails in this day and age.

Equally distressing is the very public fall of Ravi Zacharias who was a defender of the Gospel and had a very fruitful apologetics ministry. Speaking with someone just yesterday regarding this it is just a reminder that our hope is not found in teachers of the Gospel but in Christ and the Gospel itself. It is not that surprising when men from prosperity teaching churches fall - although it is disheartening for the reproach that it brings on the Gospel - but when a man that heretofore has been viewed as conservative and a stalwart man of the faith in our day falls it causes much pain and disillusionment. It is also a cautionary tale to all of us to never become too comfortable or complacent but to constantly seek the Lord’s face and His will in our lives.

It is into this milieu that we are about to step - as the world continues to be held captive to a virus, as society continues it’s path toward the days of Noah and as the church, or some within the visible church, seek to keep pace - and what charge would we be given by Christ, by our Captain, as we come to this new year?

As we resolved to know nothing in this past year except the Gospel, I believe that in this new year it will become necessary for us to guard the truths of the Gospel - within the walls of this building, within our homes, within our very lives surely and possibly be called to defend the Gospel within the public sphere as well. It is with this charge in mind that I ask you to look with me at 2 Timothy 1 as Paul gives his final orders to his young protege before his martyrdom outside of Rome. To set some context for us I’m going to read the entire chapter but we’ll be focusing in on verses 7-14 today.

2 Timothy 1 CSB

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will, for the sake of the promise of life in Christ Jesus: To Timothy, my dearly loved son. Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience as my ancestors did, when I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day. Remembering your tears, I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy. I recall your sincere faith that first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and now, I am convinced, is in you also. Therefore, I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and sound judgment. So don’t be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, or of me his prisoner. Instead, share in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God. He has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began. This has now been made evident through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who has abolished death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. For this gospel I was appointed a herald, apostle, and teacher, and that is why I suffer these things. But I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to guard what has been entrusted to me until that day. Hold on to the pattern of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit through the Holy Spirit who lives in us. You know that all those in the province of Asia have deserted me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes. May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains. On the contrary, when he was in Rome, he diligently searched for me and found me. May the Lord grant that he obtain mercy from him on that day. You know very well how much he ministered at Ephesus.

Now I want to make a statement up front before getting too deeply into this - by saying that God has not given us a spirit of fear I am in no way attempting to deliver a veiled rebuke to those who remain distant from us out of concern for the effects of COVID. The fear that this passage is primarily pointing too is a fear of suffering as a result of fidelity to the Gospel. It is fear that characterizes how we live out the gifts that have been given to us by God - not a random fearful state that we may be in. It is important to say that up front because this verse could be twisted to brow beat people into feeling guilty rather than encouraging them to rely on God - which is what Paul’s point is here.

As we explore the rest of Paul’s charge to his young apprentice the challenge to courage, the reason for courage and finally the result of courage. The challenge to courage, the reason for courage and the results of courage.

The Challenge to Courage

Three times in this opening Paul is going to either remind Timothy not to be ashamed or to hold up an example of someone who was not ashamed. First he tells Timothy not to be ashamed, then down in verse 12 he says “I am not ashamed” and in verse 16 he tells of Onesiphorus who “was not ashamed of my chains”. And what is it that Timothy is not to be ashamed of - the testimony of the Lord, or of me His prisoner.

The testimony of the Lord, on the surface, gives great reason to be ashamed. From a human standpoint, or a purely logical point of view, the testimony regarding Jesus Christ made absolutely no sense to the world around Timothy and was the cause of great derision and trouble. Paul writes that this testimony was a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles. It was a message that in many quarters of society was frowned upon at the least and heavily persecuted at the worst - and this was among those outside the church.

Timothy had also received mistreatment as a result of this testimony from those inside the church - and there are indications that even as he is receiving this letter from Paul that he is again being mistreated by those within the church of Ephesus. The popular message of the Judaizers, who sought to couple the requirements of the Law and the Old Covenant to the Gospel, had found many who were willing to not only listen but accept that it was necessary for them to add to their salvation and the message that Paul and Timothy preached.

Yet here Paul is telling Timothy not to be ashamed - reiterating to him the message that he had previously written to the Roman church while Timothy was present with him “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew and also to the Greek.” Not only is he not to be ashamed of the testimony but he is not to be ashamed of his association with Paul.

At this point Paul would probably have welcomed Job’s three friends. While he was being condemned from outside the Roman prison in which he was kept - everyone who could have comforted him had abandoned him. There were rumors circulating that Paul must have some secret, hidden sin issues and that was why he had been imprisoned again. In an instance like that it would have been very easy and tempting for Timothy to distance himself from his teacher just out of a sense of self-preservation. And the inclusion of this admonition in this letter may be an indication that he had begun to do that very thing. But Paul reminds Timothy of the reason for his imprisonment even as he challenges him not to be ashamed of him.

Paul never once viewed his imprisonment as being a result of the Roman authorities or the Jewish machinations against his ministry. He always sees himself as a prisoner of Christ. Here in our passage he says that he is Christ’s prisoner. In Philippians 1 he says that his imprisonment is because he is in Christ and that as a result of his imprisonment that the Gospel has actually flourished. In Ephesians 3 he says that he is a “prisoner of Christ Jesus” on behalf of the Gentiles. Paul’s imprisonment, rather than a reason for shame, is a demonstration of the sovereignty of God and His moving events for the furtherance of His will and His Gospel.

Now Paul challenges Timothy to courage - and this is a courage that all of us as Christians must embody. He calls him to share in suffering for the gospel. There is a difference between this suffering and the idea of persecution. The suffering that Paul is calling Timothy to share in is the natural outworking or occurence of the Gospel in the life of a person. When you become a Christian your citizenship is transferred from the kingdom of this world to the Kingdom of Heaven and as a result you are now an enemy of this world. Paul will write later in this letter that “all who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” Christ promised his disciples, and us, that we would be hated and that we would suffer for our testimony to His name.

Yet there is also a view here that this suffering could be avoided. That persecution can be avoided. There was a simple act that Timothy could take that would have removed all possibility of him suffering for the testimony of the Lord - and the same action is available to us today. Compromise. That’s it. If we would just agree that Christ isn’t the only way. If we would only accept that babies aren’t babies until they’re born and that God doesn’t have authority over their lives but instead the mother does. If we would only agree that certain systems have been established and set up unfairly and is biased toward certain types of people. If we would only agree that you can love anyone you want, that you can be anyone that you want then we could get along nicely. If we would just agree that Christ isn’t the only way and that really we’re all just good people trying our best and that we’re all going to get there in the end - then suffering would never find us.

Commenting on this Puritan Richard Baxter said “We are so reluctant to displease men, and so desirous to keep in credit and favor with them, that it makes us most unconscionably neglect our known duty. A foolish physician he is, and a most unfaithful friend, that will let a sick man die for fear of troubling him; and cruel wretches are we to our friends, that will rather suffer them to go quietly to hell, than we will anger them, or hazard our reputation with them.”

If we would just consent to leave people as they are, to accept them as they are - after all that’s what they say Jesus did - then we would be fine. Our reputations would remain intact, family dinners would be peaceful and we would never have to worry about suffering. Incidentally - when they point out that Jesus loved everyone and that He met them where they were what always gets missed is that Jesus never left them the same as they were when He met them. Only one person in Scripture comes to Christ and walks away unchanged - the rich young man. Everyone else He meets was changed.

Culture will tell us, some in the church will try and tell us, that we should just accept people as they are and not try to change them. But none of that fits with the Biblical testimony of our Lord. And so Timothy couldn’t do that and neither can we.

Paul challenges Timothy, and by extension us, to have the courage to stand firm in the face of opposition and suffering. But Paul doesn’t leave Timothy to his own devices or relying on his own strength - he says that he can rely on the power of God. And then he goes on to tell him what this power of God is.

The Reason for Courage

Paul tells Timothy to rely on the power of God. And then he gives one of the most succinct and perfect Gospel presentations in all of Scripture. Read verses 9 and 10 with me again.

2 Timothy 1:9–10 CSB

He has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began. This has now been made evident through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who has abolished death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

Paul affirms in these two short verses the sovereignty of God in salvation, the failure of our own attempts at righteousness, the predetermined plan of salvation, the humanity of Christ, His real and vicarious death and His resurrection to glory.

He writes that He has saved us with a holy calling - that salvation is all of Christ’s and none of our own is the most scandalous part of the Gospel. It’s not really that He was killed on a tree - most any person would happily allow someone to die on their behalf if it meant that they would be saved. But it is the idea that it is solely based on that death and that there is nothing they can do to add to it, to participate in it that is unbelievable to them. That their salvation is based solely on Christ’s death and not at all on their choice or actions is completely unacceptable. And yet here Paul says that it is Christ who saves alone - and not according to our works but by His holy calling.

Hymn writer Augustus Toplady said “Every religion, except one, puts you upon doing something in order to recommend yourself to God.… It is only the religion of Christ, which runs counter to all the rest, by affirming that we are saved and called with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to the Father’s own purpose and grace, which was [not sold out to us on certain conditions to be fulfilled by ourselves, but was] given us, in Christ, before the world began.”

It was according to His purpose - we have said here many times that Christ’s vicarious death on the cross on our behalf was not plan B, it was not even an audible but it was always the plan of God that this was the way that salvation would be purchased and given to His people. That Christ would come as a man - as we just celebrated His birth the other day - and would live in the frail body of a human to die as a human and by that death redeem for Himself a people through not only His death but also His resurrection.

Do you see how this glorious Gospel is completely presented in just these two short verses. And it is for this Gospel that Paul was appointed a herald, an apostle and teacher. Now none of us can be apostles - but all of us are called to be ambassadors. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5 “Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making His appeal through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God.”

Paul says that it is for this reason - for this appointment, this charge to be a herald and a teacher - that he suffers. Should we expect any less? Should we think that our role as a herald or a teacher would afford us more protection or a privileged place that was not enjoyed by Paul - or any other true herald through out the ages? Those who refuse to compromise, those who refuse to water down their message for the world’s palate will be run over by the world. But there is hope found in the next words of Paul - for himself, for Timothy and for us.

I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to guard what has been entrusted to me until that day. Now this is a bit of a difficult phrase to understand - but in the context of the passage the thought that makes the most sense here is this. Paul has put his faith in Christ and knows that the preservation and perseverance of the soul that God has entrusted to Paul lies not in Paul’s own strength or ability but in Christ’s finished work and it is that work which guards his soul until the day that he stands before God. It is the thought of Romans 8:38-39 in a more succinct fashion.

Romans 8:38–39 CSB

For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

This is the reason that we are capable of having courage - because the Gospel shows that Christ has acted sovereignly on our behalf and not only that but that what He has purchased with His blood is secure in His hands and He will not lose what He has bought. Now the result of courage is that we can hold true and guard the truth that has been entrusted to us.

The Result of Courage

The result of courage is that we hold on to the sound teaching and that we guard the good deposit that has been given to us. It is interesting if you look at the history of the church that battles are fought, then one generation reaps the benefits of that battle, the next generation gets complacent because they have not had to fight anything and the fourth generation loses what was fought for entirely. This is the story of Judges in a nutshell - the people would cry out to God, get redeemed and then forget what He had done for them and wander again.

We must hold on to the sound teaching - kids this is for you. You need to challenge us. You need to make sure we don’t shirk our responsibilities to pass on to you what we have been given. We need to fulfill the challenge of 2 Timothy 2:2

2 Timothy 2:2 CSB

What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

and also of Psalm 78:5-6

Psalm 78:5–6 CSB

He established a testimony in Jacob and set up a law in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to teach to their children so that a future generation— children yet to be born—might know. They were to rise and tell their children

The sound teaching that was given through Paul, down through the church fathers, the Reformers to us is being lost in a wave of compromise and capitulation. Do we have the courage to remain faithful to this book? Do we have the courage to suffer when needs be to ensure that these truths are not lost? Are we willing to protect this Gospel that has been entrusted to us?

I feel a great burden for making sure that we are remaining faithful to this truth, to this Gospel and that we are protecting it. That we are standing firm on these words and that we are not willing to compromise when the challenges, when the suffering comes.

The reformer John Calvin said it beautifully “A dog will bark if he sees his master attacked, and I should be a cowardly wretch if I could see God’s truth assailed and stood by silent.”

But the question is - how do we guard the Gospel? Normally when you are guarding something you keep it behind closed doors - the guards at Fort Knox do not guard the nations gold by throwing open the doors and allowing anyone to enter. Yet this is not how we should guard the Gospel. Let. It. Out. Let it out. The only way to guard the truths of the Gospel is to share the true Gospel. When we stand idly by and allow false truths to be spread without ever challenging them or opening our mouths regarding them we are failing in our responsibility to guard this good deposit.

There are many false truths that are circulating through the church - are you willing to question them? Are you willing to question things that maybe sound correct but you know that aren’t? Are you willing to let the Gospel out and let it do its work in the lives of people?

It is my challenge to us as a church this year to protect this Gospel. To be willing to suffer if necessary to keep the glorious truths of this gospel pure. Mostly my challenge is to let the Gospel out and to let it have its way. I’ll leave you with this quote from Charles Spurgeon...

300 Quotations for Preachers Letting the Gospel Lion Out

A great many learned men are defending the gospel; no doubt it is a very proper and right thing to do. Yet I always notice that, when there are most books of that kind, it is because the gospel itself is not being preached. Suppose a number of persons were to take it into their heads that they had to defend a lion, a full-grown king of beasts! There he is in the cage, and here come all the soldiers of the army to fight for him. Well, I should suggest to them, if they would not object, and feel that it was humbling to them, that they should kindly stand back, and open the door, and let the lion out! I believe that would be the best way of defending him, for he would take care of himself; and the best “apology” for the gospel is to let the gospel out.

This year embrace the challenge to have courage because you know the reason for your courage and you will see the results of your courage.