2 Timothy 1:13-2:13
2 Timothy • Sermon • Submitted
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· 4 viewsHolding fast to the Gospel and Being Willing to Suffer
Notes
Transcript
Intro:
Intro:
A military service member who fails to report for duty often faces serious charges. There are three related offenses that fall under this category—absence without leave (or AWOL), desertion, and missing movement—all carrying very serious penalties, up to and including the death penalty for desertion during war. Being AWOL for 30 days is considered desertion, while missing movement is charged when a service member misses the movement of a ship or aircraft intentionally or out of neglect.
Some estimates say that 2,500 to 4,000 soldiers desert annually in the US
-What does this have to do with anything?
-As I continue to study this book, 2 themes keep surfacing that dominate this book:
-The call to step up and endure suffering and persecution as a Christian
-And to not back down on the authority and sufficiency of God’s Word, but to cling to it
-And these 2 things go hand in hand
Vs. 13-14
Vs. 13-14
-Paul here tells Timothy to “hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me”
-“Timothy, hold onto my teaching!”
-Why would Paul command him to do this?
-Because when persecution comes, or hardship arises, we are always tempted to back down on the truths of the Word of God
-We may be tempted to think that what the Word of God says on this one issue may not be that big of a deal!
-We may be tempted to think that God might have got it wrong
-We might be tempted to shrink back from the truth because of the persecution we know will arise from it
-In the culture in which we live, the issue that we are tempted to shrink back in the most is the issue of sexuality
-In our culture, taking a stand for the truth of God’s Word about there being only 2 genders, or that sex is only to be enjoyed between a woman and a man within marriage could get you fired and prevented from future employment
Russell Berger was a veteran who served in the US military
-Upon leaving the military, he opened up a crossfit gym in Alabama
-He soon moved up the ranks of crossfit, and became one of the faces of the company
-He had a huge following on social media, and was a very respected ambassador of the brand
-There was a branch of CrossFit who’s owner decided to cancel a gay pride month event because it went against his religious beliefs
-The owner faced much backlash from the community over his stance
-Russell Berger then tweeted “Thank You CrossFitInfiltrate for standing by your convictions and refusing to celebrate sin by hosting indypride workout. The intolerance of the LGBTQ ideology toward any alternative view is mind-blowing”
-Russell sent out one more tweet having to do with the LGBTQ community and their harshness towards people opposed to their views, and was promptly fired by CrossFit
-It’s not just on the issue of sexuality!
-Are we holding to the truths that we are all sinners?
-That sin is rebellious and wicked in the sight of God?
-That hell is the just punishment for guilty sinners?
-Are we holding to Jesus Christ, being fully God and fully man, dying and rising again?
-Are we holding to faith in Him and no works of our’s as the only way to be saved?
-We are called to hold fast the pattern of sound words!
-But notice that we are called to do this “in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus”
-We must hold onto God’s Word with faith
-What does this entail?
-It means understanding that God is right, and even if everyone else is wrong
Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar. As it is written:
“That You may be justified in Your words,
And may overcome when You are judged.”
-I often hear Dennis Running quote a saying: “God says it, I believe it, that settles it.”
-We are commanded to hold to the truth in faith, but also in love!
-We are not to be ungracious or unkind to those who differ with us
-We are to be loving in the way we hold to the truth
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.
Brothers and sisters, the Gospel is offensive enough without us adding to it by our abrasive words or actions!
-Are you holding to truth in a loving way?
This faith and love are found in Christ Jesus, and only in His transforming work in our lives
Vs. 14
This verse is very similar
-Timothy is to “keep” or “guard” the good thing entrusted to him
-This “good thing” points back to the teaching of the Gospel of Paul
-What does it mean to guard it though?
-keep that question in the back of your mind, because I believe Paul clarifies it somewhat down in 2:2
Vs. 15-18
Vs. 15-18
Paul now gives 2 examples of what it looks like to hold on to the message and be faithful, one positive example and one negative
Vs. 15
-When Paul says “all”, he’s not saying that every single confessor of Christ in Asia has turned away from him
-All 3 of these men listed in these verses were probably from the Ephesian church, and so Onesiphorous was also from Asia
-But many had turned from Paul
-They were maybe afraid or ashamed to associate with him in his imprisonment
-We don’t know either of these men since this is the only time they’re mentioned in Scripture
-And it’s not exactly sure of whether this speaks of apostasy (denying the faith) or just turn away from Paul personally
-But we do know that when things got hard, they turned their back on Paul
-They weren’t willing to stand with Paul, even though he was imprisoned for the sake of the Gospel
-And they therefore serve as examples to Timothy of men who did not share in suffering and did not guard the teaching entrusted to them
Vs. 16-18
-But there is a positive example
-Onesiphorous actually sought Paul out
-He arrived in Rome and began the task seeking Paul out
-Paul couldn’t txt him is location back then
-there was no street address for Onesiphorous to look up
-So he hit the streets and began asking for Paul
-This could have been very dangerous, to go around asking about the whereabouts of a criminal against the Roman Empire
-But Onesiphorous was undeterred and unashamed of Paul’s chains
-He found Paul and refreshed him often, constantly going back to visit him and maybe bring him supplies
-This is what it looks like to endure and suffer willingly!
-This is what it looks like to hold onto and to guard the sound teaching of our Lord
Vs. 1-7
Vs. 1-7
Vs. 1
-In light of the negative and positive examples, Paul has a command for Timothy:
-Be strong!
-Don’t back down!
-But notice how he is to do this once again:
-In the grace that is in Christ Jesus
-Maybe you’re here, and as you hear these commands to be strong and endure, your heart sinks a little bit like mine sometimes does
-Why?
-Because we’re not very strong
-You and I don’t have the courage and the fortitude to stand on the truths of the Word of God
-And you’re right! You and I don’t!
-But Jesus does
-You and I can be strong and stand firm through His grace!
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
-Remember, this comes from humbly acknowledging our weaknesses and allowing His strength to shine through our weakness
Vs. 2
-Going back to vs. 14 where Paul commands Timothy to “keep” or “guard” the good thing, the Gospel and sound teaching
-This is how it is accomplished
“Timothy, find reliable men, and then teach them what I have taught you!”
why?
-So that they can teach others also!
-This is how Timothy is to guard the message!
-He is to faithfully pass on the truths of God’s Word, that Paul has taught Him, on to other people who will then teach other people!
-Brothers and sisters, it is the job of pastors and teachers to pass along the Gospel and sound doctrine to faithful and reliable men who will be able to teach others also!
-And truly, this has application to all of us as Christians to a certain extent, because we’re all commanded to be disciples that are making disciples!
First of all, are you someone who is reliable?
-Are you hungry for the Word of God?
-Are you submissive to the truths of God’s Word?
-Are you faithful to study the Word?
-Are you faithful to listen to the preaching and teaching of God’s Word?
-Are you submitting yourself to godly teaching and discipleship?
-And then, are you seeking to pass that on to others in your local body?
-Are you faithfully discipling and mentoring someone else in your life?
-I’ve only been in ministry for 3 years now, so my experience pales in comparison to wonderful, faithful men of God like my dad and brother Kevin here
-But there’s one thing I’ve definitely seen and learned:
-There’s no such thing as microwave sanctification
-You can’t zap-fry someone into spiritual maturity
-It takes committing time and energy to people to teach them the Word, to preach the Word to them, and to help them one-on-one
-Imagine you’re opening up a restaurant
-You’ve been handed down the best and most amazing recipe for apple pie the world has ever known
-You hire 400 employees
-The recipe is very complex, the way you mix the ingredients is very precise, the temperature and time of the baking is all very specific
-What will you do?
-Will you print out a handout and have them all read it for 10 minutes and then go to work?
-Will you give a little video for them all to watch simultaneously?
-Or will you take care to teach them diligently?
-Finding a few faithful and reliable workers
-Having hours of training time, one on one coaching sessions, group study time, and guiding and encouraging them until they’re well-trained and confident?
-And then, have them turn around, and train other employees!
-1 or 2 here, a small group there
-And then bring them together in larger groups for lectures, training videos, practice sessions
-Will you have regular meetings, and help them work on specific skills, and review?
-Until finally, you’ve got a group of confident, well trained employees who can teach others the intricate recipe
-This is what we’re called to do!
-Your pastors and elders are to lead the charge in this, and we are all to participate in understanding the Word of God and then passing it faithfully on to reliable people who will then teach others!
-And this takes time and effort!
-But the end result is worth it!
Vs. 3
Paul now commands Timothy to endure hardship
-The idea seems to go back to the theme of persecution
-As Christians, we need to be ready to step up and endure the persecution that will surely come our way
-Timothy needs to do this as a good soldier of Jesus Christ
-Hardship and suffering are part of being a soldier!
-When your sergeant wakes you up at 4am to stand at attention or go on a run, you don’t inform him that you’d prefer to sleep till noon and then have breakfast in bed
-or at least you don’t do that more than once
-Why?
-Because as a soldier, hardship is expected!
-You don’t sign up as a soldier to live in luxury
-And to be a Christian is to suffer persecution
Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
-This is what you and I are called to
Vs. 4-6
Paul gives 3 illustrations to show how Christians are to suffer hardship
Vs. 4
-Paul continues his solider metaphor here from the previous verse
-If you want to be a good soldier, you don’t get to go on 3 week vacations any time you want
-You don’t get to skip out of basic training because your mom wants you home for Sunday dinner
-My older brother got married back in early June
-And his wife has 2 brothers, one of who is in the military
-She was informed a few weeks before the wedding that that brother was not going to be attending because he had training to do
-And no matter how disappointing that was to her or her brother, it wasn’t going to change anything
-Why?
-Because he was committed to the military and civilian affairs couldn’t take precedence over that
Vs. 5
-In order to compete in the Greek games of the day, an athlete had to spend 10 months in rigorous training, and then take an oath that he had performed the 10 months of training in order to participate
-And this could very well be what Paul is referring to
-Timothy is expected to persevere in both training and participating
Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.
For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.
-We as Christians are to share in the suffering and perseverance that comes with being a Christian!
Vs. 6
-Now, I’ll be the first to admit that I’m no farm-boy
-I am very very much not an outdoorsy, nature-y kind of person
-I enjoy sports
-I also enjoy being outside
-However, I know little to nothing about farming
-But, the point of this metaphor is very clear: to be a good soldier for Jesus Christ, there is hard work involved
-You and I must be hardworking servants of Jesus Christ
-We are called to know God through His Word:
-this takes effort and time
-We are called to intercede for those around us:
-thinks takes hard work and faithfulness to prayer
-We are called to be a witness for Christ:
-This takes time to practice witnessing, and then commitment to going and spending time with lost people
-We are called to be faithful members of our local church and to build our body up:
-This takes work and effort, first of being here, and then seeking to meet needs and encourage our brothers and sisters
Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily.
What happens with the lazy farmer?
-He rolls out of bed close to noon
-He throws an inadequate amount of food as his animals
-He skips the whole process of preparing his field for harvest
-He thinks it will be a lot easier just to go and scatter some seed around
-He often forgets to water or fertilize, or is just too lazy to do so
-What happens at harvest time?
-There is little to reap
-Being a biblical Christian is hard work!
-But notice: it’s worth it!
-All of the metaphors have the idea of reward
-Vs. 4 — we get to please the one who recruited us
-Vs. 5 — we get crowned
-Vs. 6 — we get to partake of the crops
For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.
But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
“Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”
One day we will get to stand in the very presence of the One who saved us!
-And we ought to join in suffering now in order to be pleasing to the one Who died for us
Vs. 7
-Timothy, think about these things
-Let these commands and metaphors resonate in you, and the Lord will give you understanding
Vs. 8-13
Vs. 8-13
Vs. 8
The Holman Christian Standard Bible Chapter 2
Keep your attention on Jesus Christ as risen from the dead and descended from David.
-We are to stay fixed in Jesus Christ
looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
-Keep your attention on Him!
-In our suffering and in our persecution, we are to have our attention fully on Him
-We all know the difference between someone giving us some of their attention vs. all of their attention and focus
-You all have been there with your spouse or kids or grandkids
-Paul refers to Him as risen from the dead
-He’s the triumphant One!
-He’s the One who has conquered sin and death
-He’s the seed of David
-He’s the fulfillment of OT prophecy
-He’s the promised King
-The One who will rule forever
Vs. 9
-Paul makes it clear that he is suffering for the Gospel
-This is why he is in chains
-But he wants Timothy to know:
the Word of God is not chained!
-When we hold fast to the Word of God like we ought as Christians, they may lock us up!
-But God’s Word can’t be locked up
-They can take away our voice or our influence. They can cancel us!
-But the Word of God cannot be silenced or canceled
-They may even kill us!
-But God’s Word will stand forever
Vs. 10
-What does that mean?
-It means that in order for people to be saved and to be brought into right relationship with Jesus Christ, the Gospel must be preached!
-And for the Gospel to be preached, there will be suffering
-And Paul is willing to suffer!
-He’s willing to suffer so that people can be saved
Vs. 11-13
-And with that, Paul launches into a poem or a hymn
-This could have been an early church hymn that was well-known
-Or it may have been written by Paul himself
-It is made up of 4 “if-then” statements meant to encourage Timothy to persevere in suffering for Christ
Vs. 11
-this speaks to the decision of salvation, often symbolically shown in Christian baptism
Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
-If we choose to die to sin and self and repent of our sin, we will also live with Him
-We get to live with Christ eternally!
My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.
Vs. 12a
-This is why it is so important for Paul to call Timothy to be faithful!
-Timothy is to endure and persevere!
-Because brothers and sisters, if we endure, we shall also reign with Him!
-What an incredible promise!!
Vs. 12b
-Here then is our solemn warning
-This refers to turning away from Christ completely
-To deny Christ is to not have an eternal relationship with Him
But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.
For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries.
But verse 13 gives us one of the most beautiful promises in all of Scripture, and the anchor to our hope
Vs. 13
-This is not talking about apostasy as in verse 12, but of unfaithfulness to God that we are all capable of and commit on a daily basis
-Ultimately, God’s covenant with you and I is not based on anything we do or can do
-It is based on the completely unchanging character of God
-Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sin
But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.
-I once heard a preacher give an illustration about a fellow preacher
-the man’s daughter had wanted a bike
-and so he promised that he would get her one at some point down the road
-months past and her birthday was coming up
-the man found the perfect bike
-he was so excited to surprise his daughter
-so when it was time to open presents, he brought in this beautiful biked all wrapped up
-He was so looking forward to her surprise and delight
-and when she opened the bike, she did not seem the least bit surprised, although she loved the gift
-The man was kind of stunned and a little disappointed
-he pulled her aside and asked her if she had found out about the bike
“no” she said. Then she simply told him: “you promised to get me the bike, and daddy’s don’t break their promises”
Application:
-Are you and I faithfully standing on the truth of the Word of God?
-Are we willing to stand on it despite persecution
-We can be faithful, because God is faithful to us forever