Certainly We Can Be Certain

Pastorals: Message Twenty-Eight

2 Timothy 2:8-13

ETS: Paul encouraged Timothy to remember Jesus and remain loyal to Him amidst suffering.

ESS: We ought to remain loyal to Jesus amidst the suffering in this life.

OSS: [MO: Devotional] {SO: I want the hearers to worship Christ remaining loyal to Him even amidst adverse realities.}

PQ: What certainties did Paul highlight in this text?

UW: Certainties

Intro.:

TS: Let us examine a few certainties together, now:

Jesus is the fulfillment of the Messianic promise. (v. 8)

Remember is a theme of 2 Timothy as Paul is nearing the end of his life. He is remembering a lot of things from his life, but he is also encouraging Timothy to remember some things.

Particularly, here Paul urges Timothy to remember Jesus Christ- the fulfillment of the Messianic promise: He has risen from the dead and descended from the seed of David.

We ought to remember Jesus Christ and remain loyal to Him amidst adverse situations: What is certain? He is certainly the fulfillment of the Messianic promise!

The Word of God possesses power: power unto Salvation. (vv. 9-10)

Paul was suffering for because of his affiliation with the Gospel. He was bound like a criminal, the word used to describe the criminals who were placed on crosses beside Jesus in Luke 23:32.

“But the Word of God is not bound.” This shows two things: 1) the power of the Word exceeds the power of man. 2) the spread of the Gospel is not dependent on any human or individual minister.

Because of this- the Gospel- Paul suffered all things for the elect.

Several interpretations are possible for “the elect.” Some (Platt, Guthrie, Kostenberger) choose to understand this as those that God chooses to be His own. Others view this as the same wording as Deuteronomy 7:6 (Lea) referring to God’s chosen people through whom the rest of the world would be chosen.

Regardless of one’s interpretation, there is an urgency communicated: Paul suffered for those who had not yet obtained salvation.

What is certain? The Word of God is certainly powerful unto salvation and unable to be bound (Rm. 1:16b).

A reward awaits those who remain loyal. (vv. 11-13)

Another of the “trustworthy statements” in the Pastoral epistles.

These verses are believed to be a hymn originating with Paul.

The first of the two conditional pairs discusses positive rewards: if we die, we live; if we endure, we reign.

The second of the two conditional statements, though, contain warnings: if we deny him, he will deny us (Mt. 10:33); yet it highlights God’s character- if we are faithless, he is still faithful.

This last statement has been of much debate among scholars- what exactly does this mean? It means that God is consistent within His character. He does not change, and thus, He cannot deny Himself, His character. The interpretations have variety: one (either Platt or Guthrie) suggested that the two final pairs, vv. 12-13, are parallels and thus it should be understood that to deny him is to be faithless, thus God will deny us (by being consistent with His just character). As such, this can be viewed as a warning. Other interpretations have chosen to understand this as a comfort to believers amidst their struggles and sufferings- that if they fall short and fail to be faithful, He is still faithful. Both interpretations have significance and bear weight. However, the two are very different. One leads to God being gracious while the other leads to God being just.

Either way, God is consistent with His character and a reward awaits those who remain loyal and faithful even amidst suffering and difficulty.

What is certain? There is certainly a reward awaiting those who remain faithful to Him amidst the adverse situations in this life.

CONCLUSION: There are a few things that Paul wanted Timothy to remain certain about amidst the adverse situation they found themselves in: Paul wanted Timothy to know for certain that Jesus was the fulfillment of the Messianic promise, that the Word of God is powerful unto salvation, and that an award awaited him if he remained faithful. We like certainty, right? We can also certainly know these things. When we know these things, they ought to influence the way that we live and minister amidst the adverse situations of this life. Are we remaining faithful to God and His calling in our life? Are we worshipping God by remembering and honoring His faithfulness to us? Are we worshipping God by clinging to His power and sharing it with others? Are we embracing the reward now for being faithful?