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Title: The Coming Storm Text: II Timothy 2:1-7 FCF: We often struggle in the Christian life to endure suffering and trail. Prop: Because we are certain to have struggle and trial, we must depend on Christ and His church. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to II Timothy chapter 2. Coming off of a somewhat discouraging message last week, seeing the prevalence of apostasy, we step into this week hoping for a message of encouragement. And Paul delivers. What makes this passage difficult is that Paul writes II Timothy as almost a stream of consciousness kind of letter. This makes dividing it up for analysis extremely difficult. Every phrase and point hinges on another and pulls both from concepts he has and has not yet talked about. This section we are studying can’t really be divorced from verses 6-18 of chapter 1, nor can it be easily divided off from 8-13 of this chapter. We find ourselves in the middle of a greater discussion. Fortunately for us (and I do mean us) we can carve out these first 7 verses to give us closer to a 1 hour sermon rather than a 2 hour sermon. Unfortunately that will mean we will need to be keen listeners and observers of all that we have learned and even read ahead a little to know where Paul is going. I’d encourage you to add a read through of the entire book of II Timothy each week. Hopefully this will allow you to see the same threads I do as we make our way through. For today though, we are building from this concept of apostasy and holding fast to the gospel. Paul will again command Timothy with many of the same kinds of things he said in chapter 1. So let’s not delay. I am reading from chapter 2 starting in verse 1 and I will read through verse 13. I am reading from the NET which you can follow in the pew bible on page 1342. Transition: So we have a lot to cover today, so let’s get to it. I.) The Christian life will be full of struggle and suffering, so we must rely on Christ for strength, truth and endurance. (1-3) a. [Slide 2] 1 - So you, i. We do not always agree with or like the chapter divisions in our bible. Sometimes they help us in one way and hurt us in others. ii. In one sense, the interpretation of this text can be made more difficult by separating it from the previous section. The word “so” at the beginning here points us backward to look for the reason for what Paul is about to say to come from what came before it. If we ignore that, we could step into chapter 2 and miss something. iii. However, with this set off as chapter 2, we do see Paul cycle back to repeat themes he has given us in chapter 1. It seems like this should be the next chapter of what Paul says. iv. Paul, after giving both positive and negative reasons for Timothy to hold fast and endure and take up his mantle, now circles back and reasserts these commands in different words. v. Paul is done talking about himself. He is done talking about Phygelus. He is done talking about Hermogenes. He is done talking about Onesiphorus. vi. Paul addresses Timothy. So… YOU! vii. You is the first word in the Greek sentence, meaning it inherits the most emphasis. YOU Timothy… b. [Slide 3] My child, i. Here we have love again. ii. My beloved. My little one. My heir. My child. iii. Paul’s words here soften the strong commands he is about to issue to Timothy. It softens the emphasis on YOU. iv. He does not say this aggressively but with good brotherly, Christian love. v. What follows are four commands to Timothy. vi. The first is… c. [Slide 4] Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. i. He tells him, Timothy… my son… you be strong. ii. He is calling him to be something. iii. In the Greek, this is in the imperative mood but in the passive voice. It is a command, but what is clear, is that the ability to fulfill this command is not found within Timothy. iv. But for we English speakers we could see this if we just continued to read. v. Be strong… yes… but how? vi. In grace. vii. [Slide 5] What is grace? I actually posted a video on CBC scoop and on the Facebook page that I hope you viewed. The ministry is called “for the gospel” which has been established by Costi Hinn, Benny Hinn’s nephew who has been called out from his uncle’s false teachings and is a believer and preacher of the true gospel. The person in this video identifies four types of grace. Whether it be a gift of general goodness of His common grace to all men, or the special gifts of justification, power, and endurance in His Saving, Sanctifying, and Sustaining Grace given to His people, all of them share the same core. God’s underserved favor to undeserving people. viii. And Paul says that this grace is the kind that is in Christ Jesus. ix. This is the first callback to chapter 1. How does God save us? He saves us by His grace. And how is His grace communicated to us? It is granted to us, gifted to us, in Christ. When? Before time began. x. So which grace of the 4 is this talking about? It is somewhat of a trick question, because it is probably talking about all of them. I have a whole bunch of thoughts on why that is true – but maybe we’ll save that for the bible study next week. xi. For now – let us understand that if Timothy is going to be strong enough to face all that Paul is asking of him, it cannot be his own strength. It must be drawn from the gifted goodness, justification, power, and endurance of God through Christ. xii. My friends, this is how we too can be strong. God says when we are weak, He is strong. His grace is sufficient. xiii. But there is more… d. [Slide 6] 2 – And entrust i. The word here is deposit. ii. It is to place in someone’s care. iii. This is the second command given to Timothy. He is to give, or entrust what? e. [Slide 7] What you heard me say in the presence of many others as witnesses i. So generally, we are talking about the apostle Paul’s corpus of teaching. ii. However, he puts some caveats on this that we could gloss over, but we shouldn’t. iii. What specifically is Paul saying? iv. Not simply what I taught you – but what? v. What you heard me say and what other witnesses can verify. So, is this expressing doubt for Timothy to convey the proper message? Is Paul saying – hey Timothy, don’t trust your own recollection of what I said. Pass on what you know I said because many people heard me say it and can confirm it. vi. So the answer to this is both yes and no. 1. I don’t think Paul intends any slight to Timothy or lack of confidence that Timothy will deposit the right message. 2. However, I do believe Paul is demonstrating a principle that we learned in I John. A principle that we struggle with as evangelical protestants. What is that principle? No private interpretation of the scripture. But what does that mean and what doesn’t that mean? a. It means that no Christian has a right to declare “My creed, my statement of faith, is the bible!” i. Now that sounds good. It sounds like something we might want to affirm. ii. But in reality, what they are actually saying is… “My creed, my statement of faith, is what I have accepted as the right interpretation of the bible!” iii. After all, a simple question following their statement would be, “What does the bible say about the trinity?” Immediately the person is caught in a dilemma. They may believe that God is three persons in one being. But the bible does not use the word trinity. Nor does the bible overtly say God is three persons in one being. It teaches this… but the only way to get there is by interpretation. It is by hermeneutics. b. However, no private interpretation, does not mean that we are to submit to the largest body of interpreters, nor to every widely accepted tradition. i. The Arian heretics once greatly outnumbered those who were orthodox. ii. Elijah and 7000 were by far the minority. iii. In fact, of all those claiming to be of Christ, many are probably not. iv. How can I say that? I didn’t. Christ did. “On that day, MANY will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, and in your name cast out demons and do many powerful deeds?” Then I will declare to them, “I never knew you. Go away from me, you lawbreakers!” v. So, to trust the greater swath of Christendom with how we interpret scripture seems… unwise. 3. So what does this mean for Timothy? 4. Deposit the teachings that are verifiable by others. 5. This is a safeguard for Timothy in two ways. a. First, that he not transmit error. i. In this, it echoes back to chapter 1 where Paul exhorted Timothy to hold fast to the standard of sound words that he heard from Paul. ii. It is worthy to note that in chapter 1 Paul said to hold fast with the faith and love that are in Christ. So, although unsaid here, dependance on Christ is still the means to safeguard himself from error. b. The second safeguard for Timothy is that those who doubt what he says will be silenced. Any who would say, “I don’t think that is what Paul taught.” Will have to also stand against all those who heard the same message. vii. So, Timothy is to deposit teaching that is able to be verified by reliable witnesses, to whom? f. [Slide 8] To faithful people i. Does this mean those who are trustworthy or those who are full of faith? ii. Because of what we are discussing here, the teachings of the apostle, it seems that both are necessary. General trustworthiness to accomplish the task seems predicated upon their being full of faith – genuine believers. iii. This runs directly counter to our natural inclinations. iv. Who might we want to teach doctrines of our faith to? Certainly, to those who are unbelieving correct? v. No. Paul tells Timothy to focus on those who are faithful. Why? vi. What is Paul asking Timothy to do? We are getting ahead of ourselves a little, and I don’t want to spoil anything. But Paul is going to tell Timothy to come to Rome. vii. It seemed that before, Timothy was called to be the pastor here at Ephesus for the foreseeable future, but now Paul wants him to come to Rome. viii. So why should Timothy invest only in faithful people? g. [Slide 9] Who will be competent to teach others as well. i. Paul is telling Timothy to focus on passing his instruction to those who are genuine believers and trustworthy enough to convey those truths to others. ii. And so Paul’s instruction is to make disciples. To replicate himself. To go and find for himself a few “sons in the faith” iii. So that they can be the next Timothy there in Ephesus and so Timothy can be the next Paul in Rome. iv. Inherent in the call for Timothy to come to Rome… is what? h. [Slide 10] 3 – Take your share of suffering i. Paul commands Timothy to take his share of suffering. He is calling Timothy to the belly of the beast. ii. This echoes back to chapter 1 where Paul says to take his share of suffering for the gospel in the power of God. iii. So, once again, the means for Timothy to take his share in suffering for the gospel, is the power of God. iv. Or as Paul chooses to put it… i. [Slide 11] As a good soldier of Christ Jesus. i. The means for Timothy to take up this suffering for the gospel is rooted in the command of the Captain of our Salvation – Christ Jesus. ii. Certainly Timothy would suffer in Rome, but as Paul puts it, this is an axiom for all true believers. iii. To be a good soldier in the Lord Jesus’ Army, you will suffer. iv. Suffer in God’s power, and suffer under the Lord’s command. j. [Slide 12] Passage Truth: What Paul teaches by implication in this passage, is that the work of the Lord and His Kingdom is full of struggle. There is so much struggle that Timothy will have to rely on things that are given to him by God to make it. k. Passage Application: And that is the essence of all three of Paul’s commands. Timothy must be strong in the grace of Christ, he must teach the message that was given to him, clinging to it in the faith and love of Christ, and he must take up suffering for the gospel as the will of Christ for him. Ultimately this is so Timothy can leave Ephesus in good hands while going to Paul to be re-commissioned. l. [Slide 13] Broader Biblical Truth: If we look no further than the sayings of our Lord Jesus, we find him predict some things. John 15 Jesus says that if the world hates you, keep in mind, it hated me first. John 16 he says I have told you these things so that you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. But this same Christ who predicts our suffering, struggle, and trouble in this world, also says in John 15 – I am the vine and you are the branches, without me you can do nothing. Meaning that if we are to make it. If we are to endure – it cannot be without Him. m. Broader Biblical Application: So for us at CBC, the commands of Paul are our commands. We also must be strong to face the coming days. We also must pass on the faithful teachings of the apostles to the extent that we raise up future teachers. We also must ready ourselves to suffer for the name of Christ. Whether in persecution, trouble, difficulty or pain. But it is important for us to realize that to do any of these – we cannot rely on ourselves. It is only in the grace, faith, love, and hope of Christ that we can face uncertain days. Are you prepared to lose everything to keep Christ? Are you prepared to cling to the warmth of His promises as you shiver in the cold? The world may take everything from us – but they cannot take away Christ. Killing us only gives Him to us fully. And taking all we have is taking nothing we will keep forever. It pains us to think this way. But my friends, I fear, that if we do not start thinking this way now… by the time we get around to it… We may not be ready. We must practice now. Is Christ enough for you right now? Is He enough? Transition: [Slide 14(blank)] What Paul implies in these first 3 verses in teaching, he will now make plain in the next three illustrations. And although the commands in these first three verses were overt, he will now give 3 more commands by way of implication. II.) The Christian life will be full of struggle and suffering, so we must be focused, endure in obedience, and work diligently for Christ. (4-7) a. [Slide 15] 4 – No one in military service i. Given the daunting task of these three commands, Paul will now riff off of the imagery of a soldier in Christ’s army, and introduce three occupational illustrations for Timothy to consider. ii. Paul begins by saying that no one in military service… b. [Slide 16] Gets entangled in matters of everyday life; i. Paul presents a somewhat comical thought as an illustration. ii. Imagine a young soldier on the field of battle. He has been called out to war, but must stop to take a phone call from his wife, asking him what he wants for dinner. iii. Imagine in the midst of battle a soldier calls timeout to log into his bank account and pay his bills. iv. Such silliness is too much. If we saw it in a movie we would have to conclude it to be a comedy and not a documentary. That is why Paul says NO ONE in military service. This would never happen. v. Why? vi. The nature of war is so far removed from every day civilian life that some soldiers return and express genuine frustration with their friends and family over their concern for such trivial matters. Having been used to the battlefield where the stakes are so high, coming home to folding clothes and attending Christmas plays, hardly seems like something worthy of their attention. vii. Such is the juxtaposition Paul throws at Timothy. viii. He is a soldier in the Lord’s Army. And he is currently at war. For him to lose focus and worry about the trivial, at such a time as this, cannot be permitted. ix. And Paul not only presents a logical reason for this not to be, but also presents an incentivized reason for this not to be. c. [Slide 17] Otherwise, he will not please the one who recruited him. i. Now we see the word “recruited” and we think of someone as a military recruiter sitting in an office trying to get young men to be all they can be. ii. However, in a 1st Century context, such a position was unnecessary. The pay of the soldier was good, there was glory in being a Roman legionary, and several were forced to serve in the military. iii. Who then is his recruiter? iv. His captain. His general. That is his recruiter. The one who picked him from a pool of soldiers to fight for him. v. Do you think a general would be satisfied with his hand-picked men who have to stopped fighting because they were just “super invested in a football game right now”? vi. So, Christ is not pleased with a soldier of the cross who is consumed or entangled by the world and all its cares. vii. We are in the world. Therefore, these cares are necessary. But we are not of the world. Anything that will burn someday, anything we will not take with us, must be seen already as expendable. viii. Remember – all we need is Christ. Is He enough? d. [Slide 18] 5 – Also, if anyone competes as an athlete, i. The second occupation is that of an athlete. ii. These are the famed Olympic games. Athletes from all over the Roman empire would gather to compete in these displays of strength and dexterity. iii. And Paul says of any athlete… e. [Slide 19] He will not be crowned as the winner i. Athletes compete to win. There is no other reason to compete. ii. Certainly, exercise and fun are great incentives, but winning is the only reason to compete, especially at this level. iii. And what does the winner receive? iv. A crown of leaves. That’s all. No money. No paycheck. v. So, what is the athlete truly competing for? vi. Glory. Honor. Respect. vii. And what is the prize for those who finish the race set before us? viii. The Glory of Christ. We inherit with Him, glory. Paul actually brings this up in verse 9. Again, these contexts are so woven together it is sometimes – impossible to untangle them. ix. But how is the athlete to win? f. [Slide 20] Unless he competes according to the rules. i. But here is the comical illustration. ii. Will a baseball pitcher receive glory for throwing great pitches after it is discovered that he uses sticky substances to make the ball do unhittable things? iii. Will a football player receive glory for deflating footballs so he can throw it better? iv. Will there ever be an athlete that receives glory for winning by cheating? v. No! There is no honor in winning, if you must break the rules to do it. It isn’t a true victory. And the only real justice for this, is that you are disqualified. vi. What does this mean in Paul’s context? It is by the word and will of God alone that all things consist. He has established the rules. vii. If we are to win, so as to gain the prize, we must cast aside every weight that holds us down, and do as the Lord asks us. We must train hard in His will. That is the only way to win. The only way to attain to the glory of Christ is to continue to trust Him and keep His commands. Afterall, it is only the believing ones who will not perish, but have everlasting life. g. [Slide 21] 6- The farmer who works hard i. The final example is that of a farmer. ii. Specifically of a farmer that works hard. iii. What do you call a farmer who doesn’t work hard? iv. I don’t know – but I know what you don’t call him in a few years… you don’t call him a farmer. v. Especially in this society. Farmers did not have the large-scale crop yields that we have grown accustomed to in this culture with our technology. vi. A farmer does not plant and work for sales alone – but to feed himself and his family. He needs to have enough to supply his household, his workers, and still some to spare to trade for goods that he cannot make or grow. vii. So, one thing is true, without doubt, of farmers who work hard… h. [Slide 22] Ought to have the first share of the crops. i. It is certainly a natural and logical conclusion, isn’t it? ii. The silly picture would be a farmer working hard, sweating and breaking his back to bring in the crops and then starving to death because he took it to market and neglected to feed himself. iii. No! A farmer who works hard will have his belly filled first and his family cared for. Then he will take the grain to market. iv. And so Paul’s third illustration points to another truth of the struggle in the Christian life. v. We labor in this calling. We work hard in this work. But we feast on the first fruits. vi. Is this talking about converts, trained disciples, or something else. For me, it makes most sense in the context – given this is a personal plea for Timothy to be strong and endure – that this speaks more toward Timothy’s own spiritual person. vii. As much as I tell you that every week I am drug through the word of God and beat up and tattered and broken. Then my job truly gets difficult as I try to condense all I have learned into 45 minutes so you can try… try to absorb it. As much as that is true… viii. I am a fat and full farmer for it! ix. Yes, I am broken and beaten. Yes I am perplexed and puzzled. Yes I am drug along by my ankles sometimes. But I am immeasurably blessed by it! x. I am gorged on the first fruits of my labor. And then I bring the rich bounty I have left on Sunday – so that you may eat and be filled too. Much like the Lepers in the Syrian camp. I cannot feast on this alone. I must bring it to you to eat. xi. My friends, if you obey Paul’s command to teach faithful people the words of Christ… you too will experience this. xii. Does not the jug that dispenses the water to several cups, hold all the water at some point? xiii. If you want to be blessed of God, Study the word in order to teach it. It will be a labor. But it will have great reward. xiv. If you do not believe this, just ask the men who filled in for me while I was away. Ask the men who have been leading Foundations since the beginning of the year. See if they have experienced this. i. [Slide 23] 7 – Think about what I am saying i. The meaning of Paul’s illustrations seems clear enough. That this life for Christ will be full of difficulty and suffering. We must be focused, we must endure in obedience, and we must be diligent in our work. ii. But Paul does not explain to Timothy what each of these means for him. iii. So he tells Timothy to think about them. iv. In fact, this is another imperative for Timothy. v. Yes, be strong in Christ. Yes, entrust sound teaching to faithful people. Yes, Take your share of suffering. But also, think on these things. vi. What does it mean to be focused to please Christ our Captain? vii. What does it mean to endure in obedience for Christ our glory? viii. What does it mean to be diligent in our work for Christ’s our true Word? ix. This is what Paul tells Timothy to think about – but once again… a familiar thread comes through. j. [Slide 24] And the Lord will give you understanding of all this. i. From where can Timothy expect all this understanding to come? ii. From who else? iii. None other than the giver of every perfect gift, the Father of Lights, with whom there is no variation. iv. Our Lord and our God. k. [Slide 25] Passage Truth: Now more clearly Paul teaches through illustrations that the Christian life is a life full of struggle and suffering. That if Timothy wants to please his Captain, win Christ’s Glory, and see abundant fruit, he will need to be prepared to struggle and suffer. l. Passage Application: So for Timothy this means he must be focused on the call, he must endure in obedience, and he must be diligent in the work that is laid before him. m. [Slide 26] Broader Biblical Truth: Zooming out to all of scripture and even beyond to church history – we know that generally speaking, a life lived for Christ is a life destined for pain. It is difficult for us to come to that conclusion given our historical context. But a look into the old and new testaments confirms this to be true. So how can we prepare for such difficulty? n. Broader Biblical Application: Well, church, we must be single-focused. We may see to the affairs of this world, but we must not be entangled by them. We must strive to win the prize, but we can only reach the glory of Christ if we walk in His ways. And we must work diligently if we desire an abundant crop. In short – there is no way but forward. The path ahead is difficult, but didn’t we count the cost? Didn’t we spy this treacherous path through the narrow gate? Didn’t we see that before entering in? Didn’t we know that our life would be full of self-denial and submission? But once again our hearts and heads are turned to see Christ at the center of all this. Indeed, it is His pleasure we seek, He is the prize we run for, and His abundant gifts are our sustenance. Conclusion: [Slide 27(blank) How do we apply this text to us CBC? Well, there are 7 commands in this text. 4 that are overtly commands and 3 that are implied from illustrations. Be strong in the grace of Christ. Entrust sound teaching to faithful people who will do the same. Take up Suffering for Christ. Be focused on the mission. Endure in obedience. Work diligently for abundant fruit. Think about these things. I believe the last command is somewhat separated from the rest. It is a command for us to apply the text to our hearts. It doesn’t become the text, it is a command to obey the text really. So, that gets us down to 6 commands. That is still a lot. I believe we can further group these commands into two categories. Furthermore, it seems like verses 1-2 set these up for us. 1.) To be strong in the grace of Christ is to take up suffering, remain focused on the mission and to endure in obedience. 2.) To entrust sound teaching to faithful people who will do the same is to work diligently striving for abundant fruit. And I believe we can boil this down even further. What is Paul’s 1 command? Discipleship. Make Disciples. Personal and Communal. Timothy must be personally strong in Christ. He must endure, he must be focused, He must be filled with grace. His path to that is through diligence to which He will feast on the first fruit of the increase. But if the church is to continue on mission and obeying the rules, the doctrines and teachings of the gospel of Christ must be passed on by faithful people to faithful people. There must be a communal commitment to diligent work so that we will not only be supplied personally, but communally as well. Some commentators, particularly of a Pentecostal background, see Paul handing down a succession of the apostolic role here. That Timothy is taking the title of apostle. [Slide 28] That is not at all what Paul is teaching. This is none other than the intended role of Christ’s Church. Paul spoke of this in Ephesians 4 4:11 It was he (Jesus) who gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 4:12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry (what is the work of the ministry?) that is, to build up the body of Christ, (when will that be completed?) 4:13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God – a mature person, attaining to the measure of Christ’s full stature. (So, until we are all like Christ. Cool. So, how do we get there?) 4:14 So we are no longer to be children, tossed back and forth by waves and carried about by every wind of teaching by the trickery of people who craftily carry out their deceitful schemes. (ok so stop being duped by false teaching. Then what?) 4:15 But practicing the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Christ, who is the head. (So the only way to attain the measure of Christ’s full stature is to live out what we believe with a motive of love and by this we will grow into it… that makes sense. But who will help me do this?) 4:16 From him the whole body grows, fitted and held together through every supporting ligament. As each one does its part, the body grows in love. (Christ and other Christians. Wow. That is the church!) Do you see that what Paul calls Timothy and those who will continue what he taught to do in this passage, is to be the church Christ designed? To personally and communally grow to the full stature of Christ. And Paul wrote this to the Ephesian church about 6 or 7 years before he writes this to Timothy who is now there in Ephesus trying to do the exact same thing. You’ll have to excuse a preacher if he repeats himself my friends. [Slide 29 (end)] This is the essence of the church. We are the body of Christ, working in Christ, to grow together in Christ, into the full stature of Christ. The Christian life is hard. It is a struggle. We need the grace, faith, and love of Christ in us and from us to all His people. This is the way we will finish our race. This is the way we will fight the good fight. For those of you sitting at home watching. Not because you are ill, or shut in, or caring for those who are ill or shut in, or because you simply could not make it today. But you are sitting at home because you have thought that you can get your “church” in by watching online… Listen to me… You won’t make it when the suffering comes my friends. You need this. Get off your couch and submit yourself to a local body… SOMEWHERE! And for those sitting here in the pews. You need this too! If you aren’t a member yet… you need to be! Membership is submission to one another. Submission to minister and care for each other. Make it a priority! The body is joined together and grown by Christ, toward Christ. We are sustained by Christ. A fitting message for the Supper we will partake in next week. Christ sustains us… He is the only way we will endure the coming storm. Is Christ and His church enough for you?