2 Timothy 2:1-2 (Chris Cannon)

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2 Timothy 2:1–2 NASB95

You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

Pray

Opening- nervousness and timothy

As Christians today we face many challenges that we must patiently endure.

In the midst of these trials we are exhorted to be diligent in the faith and find our strength in Christ.

Paul is writing to Timothy here in a sense of urgency. Paul is imprisoned and about to die.

He is writing Timothy to prepare him for continuing the ministry in the post apostolic age.

What I mean by that is this: The age after which the apostles were active and alive. The apostles were given to the church for a specific time and period after the ascension of Jesus, but once they passed away, the church was then supposed to carry on the tradition and teaching of the Apostles.

There was a gap between when Jesus ascended and when Scripture was available in its entirety.

With the Scriptures in place, there was no need for any more apostles.

That is why Today, we no longer have Apostles. We have pastors who preach and teach the word.

Timothy is about to enter into that time.

Some things we should know about Timothy’s background.

He had been faithfully taught the scriptures from childhood by his mother and grandmother.

He had been saved and discipled through the ministry of Paul, thus making him Paul’s spiritual son in the Lord.

Paul is speaking to Timothy in a personal tone when he says

2 Timothy 2:1 NASB95

You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

Timothy has been known to be a timid man (Timid Timothy), but it is now time for him to step up and be strong.

He must not hide behind his timidness and must step up to preach the gospel.

And to do this, Timothy must realize where to find his strength.

That strength is found in divine grace as Paul tells him here.  

2 Timothy 2:1 NASB95

You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

What Paul means by this is for Timothy to be empowered, in the sufficient grace and strength that comes only from Christ Jesus.

This is not a strength of our own, or one we can manufacture by our own effort, or develop through our physical abilities.

Timothy need to hear this. The strength to do this will not come from within him, but from somewhere and rather someone outside of himself.

The courage and strength that Timothy, and every child of God is exhorted to draw upon, is the divine strength that comes from God alone as a gift of His grace.

Our own strength is limited and will fail us.

(Illustration- About Weakness on our own.)

The strength that comes from Christ is an unfailing one.

God has promised to supply sufficient strength to us as believers to accomplish the tasks He sets before us, not because of anything we have done to deserve it, but through the unmerited and unconditional grace that is found in Christ.

It is gracious strength.

Meaning- Paul’s charge to Timothy to “Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus” is telling him that his strength comes from the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

He is to be inwardly strengthened in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. In his own strength he will be able to do nothing, but in the grace which Christ freely bestows on all believers who ask of Him, Timothy will be able to find all that he needs to strengthen his own character and for the instruction of others.

(Preaching- Illustration from your own struggle)

Apply it by connecting to their struggle.

Parenthood

Serving in the church (SS TEACHER Deacon, etc)

ETC

Whatever task you’ve been asked and tasked with doing, there is sufficient strength in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

Nothing would come Timothy’s way which he would not be able to handle through the graced strength.

No person, no pain, no tribulation.

There wouldn’t be a time when he could not stand tall, because there would never be a time when grace was abundantly present.

The same can be said of those who are believers.

If God calls you to do something He will supply sufficient strength through His grace.

John Macarthur says this:

“God’s continuing grace in the lives of believers operates in justification and sanctification, in forgiveness and in holiness, and in His grace applies to our service. The same grace that forgives us and makes us holy is the same grace that empowers us. Because we belong to Christ we are continually in the sphere of grace, but to enjoy the sphere of blessing we must live in the sphere of obedience.”

Not only is Timothy being exhorted to be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, but also to provide spiritual strength for those in His care.

2 Timothy 2:2 NASB95

The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

The charge to guard the gospel through graced strength is followed by a challenge to protect it through careful delegation.

Paul is not only writing to strengthen and encourage Timothy just for Timothy’s benefit here. He has a much larger purpose. This command is made in light of people who will come after Timothy.

He is trying to spiritually motivate us as sharers of the gospel as well as Timothy to hold fast to the Gospel of grace and to faithfully preach the unchangeable Word of God, in season and out, conforming, rebuking, and encouraging others with never failing patience while teaching sound doctrine.

“The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses” here is referring to the things that had been handed down from Christ to the apostles.

Essentially the Gospel.

Paul is telling Timothy here exactly what he is to teach.

The Gospel. Nothing more, nothing less.

As with Timothy we also are to teach GOD’S WORD and not OUR OWN.

When you hear people say they have a “word from the Lord” be careful of that.

If it doesn’t come out of His word, This Word right here (hold up bible) then it probably didn’t come from God.

As we go on, we need to talk about who the witnesses were.

2 Timothy 2:2 NASB95

The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

The witnesses Paul is speaking of here are those like Luke, Silas, and many other apostles that could attest to the accuracy of Paul’s teachings.

He goes on to say to entrust these things to faithful MEN who will be able to teach others also.

I think the word MEN here is key. Timothy is to find other men to pass this down to.

Paul found hIm. He had to find someone else and pass it down.

Paul is specific that the ones he was to look for were to be faithful. They were to be men. They were to be able to teach.

We see the same heart for the leaders and teachers in the church in his first letter.

1 Timothy 3:1–2 NASB95

It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do. An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,

We see the same thing in the first letter as we do the second.

The church needs men.

Who are faithful.

And who are able to teach.

MPBC- We need more men here who are faithful and who able to to teach.

(Express your own heart here)

But Paul is not only specific about who Timothy is to select. He is specific about what Timothy is to teach.

Timothy is not free to teach his words.

Paul is telling him YOU TEACH SCRIPTURE, what you have been taught. Jesus of course was the master teacher.

He taught the apostles, who taught others, who taught others, who are still teaching others and so on throughout the church age.

William Barclay says this:

“The teacher is the link in the living chain which stretches unbroken from this present moment back to Jesus Christ. The glory of teachings is that it links the present with the earthly life of Jesus Christ.”

In every generation, God has raised up new links in this living chain of FAITHFUL MEN to pass on the good news of people of their day.

(list out faithful preachers and teachers in your life)

God has been faithful in every stage of my life to give faithful Bible teachers.

And my desire is to do that for those who come after me. I hope that you desire that as well.

But how do we do this?

We accomplish this today through the Great Commission.

Matthew 28:18–20 NASB95

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

In both 2 Timothy 2 and Matt 28:18-20, it is clear where the strength comes from, Christ.

In the same way Christ is telling the disciples to go and preach the gospel, Paul is telling Timothy the same thing.

The same way Timothy is to find His strength in the grace that is in Christ, We are to also do the same.

We know his strength is sufficient because he says:

Matthew 28:18 NASB95

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.

Essentially it is only Jesus who can say I am with you always not man.

Paul was about to die therefore he would be leaving Timothy, but Christ would still be with him.

There is one whose grace will always be there.

Our hope is in Christ and Christ alone, not man.

The only person needed for the church to succeed is Christ.

He is the head, without the head, there is no body.

If Christ is not the head of the church then that church is dead.

We have to be diligent in preaching the gospel accurately and often.

Even though God is the sovereign God of the universe and he is in charge of doing the saving it is us who are charged with spreading the gospel.

Are you sharing the gospel? If so how often? If not why?

Why do we find the time to send all these mindless memes, share our life story on social media, or stand around telling jokes and not find time to share the gospel?

Is it not the most loving thing we can do as to share the good news of Christ?

Sometimes we seem as we want to bottle Him up and keep Him all to ourselves.

It’s like we think we are going to run out of Jesus.

Church don’t do that. Share the gospel.

We have been commanded by God to do so.

Be strong in His grace.

Teach others what you have been taught, and pray that God will use them to teach other also.

Pray.