Intro. Notice that Paul is here giving Timothy a series of commandments.
1. "Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus."
2. "The things that you have heard from me, commit to faithful men, who will be able to teach others."
3. "Endure hardness as a good soldier."
4. "The husbandman that laboreth must first be partaker of the fruits."
5. "Consider what I say."
6. "Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead."
I. BE STRONG IN THE GRACE THAT IS IN CHRIST JESUS.
A. Another translation has it, "Find your strength in the grace that is in Christ Jesus."
1. In the previous chapter Paul speaks of those in Asia who had turned against him.
a. Men that had at one time been a part of his team.
b. Men who had been fellowlaborers. Paul when he wrote to Philemon referred to Demas as his fellowlaborer. Now he writes to Timothy, "Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world."
c. Surely Paul had found his strength in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
2. Timothy was likeminded to Paul, so they will also turn against Timothy.
3. Find your strength in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
B. We must learn to find our strength in the grace that is in Christ Jesus
1. You may find yourself in the position that those who you thought were your closest associates, and greatest supporters will turn against you.
2. As David said concerning Ahithophel
PSA 55:12 For [it was] not an enemy [that] reproached me; then I could have borne [it]: neither [was it] he that hated me [that] did magnify [himself] against me; then I would have hid myself from him:
PSA 55:13 But [it was] you, a man my equal, my guide, and my acquaintance.
PSA 55:14 We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company.
C. What to do when you find that people have turned against you for the truth's sake?
1. Find your strength in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
2. Maybe it is not for the truth's sake that they have turned against you, maybe it is because you have done some stupid thing for which you are sorry, but all the repentance in the world doesn't seem to change their feelings and attitude toward you.
3. All the more you need to find your strength in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
D. Where do you look when you need strength?
1. Sometimes we look to our friends, but we do not always find strength through them.
2. They may say, "You did what? I can't believe that you could be so dumb, you're hopeless man, maybe you should see a shrink."
3. Job certainly did not find strength in his friends who had come ostensibly to comfort him. "Miserable comforters are ye all, is there no end to your empty words?"
II. "THE THINGS THAT YOU HAVE HEARD FROM ME, COMMIT TO FAITHFUL MEN."
A. This is the formula by which Jesus operated.
1. He spent time discipling the disciples.
2. He shared the truths of God with a select group of people.
a. This is the most effective way to expand your ministry.
b. Pour yourself into a small group, make them strong in the word.
c. If you effectively disciple 10 persons every three years, then if those 10 persons will each disciple 10 others every three years, and each one that is discipled over a three year period, will disciple 10 others every three years, in 6 years you would have 110 teachers, in 9 years, 11,220; in 12 years, 123,540; and in 15 years it would swell to 1,358,940. In three more years or 18 total years it would be 15,083,220 and in just 21 years, 167,409,240 would have been discipled. Considering the population in those days is estimated around 200,000,000. You see how they could have reached the whole world in less than 25 years. Considering the rapid population growth today it would take us less than 27 years to reach the whole world
B. This is the most effective way of multiplying your ministry, to commit to faithful men the things that you have been taught, so that they shall be able to teach others.
III. "ENDURE HARDNESS AS A GOOD SOLDIER."
A. How do the marines develop their hard muscles? Through discipline and training.
B. We have too many softies in the ministry. Not willing to go the extra mile.
1. Not willing to put up with a little discomfort or hardship.
2. To many, sacrifice is a dirty word.
3. We received a letter from a couple who were seeking to raise support to go to Rio de Janeiro as missionaries. They figured that they needed $6,000 a month. Figured in their budget was leasing a new car, and a house maid, so the wife could be free to spend time in the studio.
4. Needless to say, we did not feel led to support them, and they never made it to the mission field, the Lord was gracious to the people in Rio.
5. It is interesting to me that those who are conscripted to serve their country in the armed forces, are willing to put up with much greater discomforts than what we are usually called upon to do. Fellows get orders to do a 6 month stint overseas. Their family must stay home. Many have left the ministry for much less than that.
C. "No man that warreth entangles himself with the affairs of this life."
1. This is why Paul suggested celibacy. He that is married seeks how to please his wife, but he that is unmarried seeks how to please the Lord.
2. So here Paul tells Timothy to please Him who has called you to be a soldier.
3. To the Corinthians Paul exhorted, "Let your every contact with the world be as light as possible."
D. "If a man strives for masteries, he is not crowned unless he strives lawfully."
1. Striving for the masteries is a reference to the Olympic wrestling contests.
2. Evidently they did not have the WWF in those days, with the half-wit referees.
E. "The husbandman that labors must be first partakers of the fruit."
1. You cannot give to others, what you have not experienced yourself.
2. Paul said, "That which I have received from the Lord, I also delivered unto you."
IV. "CONSIDER WHAT I SAY."
A. Think it over, it makes sense.
B. It interests me how that God wants us to think and to reason, to think things through.
1. One of my granddaughters when she was small we would ride together in the car would say, "Grandpa, let's talk about God, I love to talk about God." When she made a profound statement about God, I said, "Vanessa, that is brilliant, you are so smart." She answered, "God gave me a bwain and He wants me to use it." How true that is.
2. God said, "Come now, let us reason together."
3. Paul said, "Which is your reasonable service."
C. Satan does not want people to think, and does everything possible to keep them from thinking.
1. The word muse in Greek is to think.
2. Put the negative a in front of it and you have amuse. Not to think.
3. The purpose of amusement is to keep you from thinking.
4. Satan has done a very effective job of amusing the world.
D. Paul adds a prayer, "And the Lord give you understanding of all things."
V. "REMEMBER THAT JESUS CHRIST WAS RAISED FROM THE DEAD."
A. In a recent poll of ministers when asked the question do you believe in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead? 51% of the Methodist ministers answered no. 35% of Episcopalians. 33% American Baptist. 30% Presbyterians and 13% of the American Lutherans.
B. Paul says, "According to my gospel."
C. To the Corinthians Paul said,
1CO 15:1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
1CO 15:2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
1CO 15:3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
1CO 15:4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
1CO 15:5 And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:
1. Without the resurrection we have no gospel.
1CO 15:14 And if Christ be not risen, then [is] our preaching vain, and your faith [is] also vain.
1CO 15:17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith [is] vain; ye are yet in your sins.
1CO 15:19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
D. For preaching the resurrection Paul said he suffered trouble. He was even put in bonds for preaching the resurrection, but he declared the word of God was not bound.
1. Paul was willing to be bound, stoned, beaten, shipwrecked, and whatever else for the elect's sake.
2. That they may obtain salvation and eternal glory.
a. It isn't just that we have been saved from hell.
b. But we have the promise of eternal glory.
c. Too many ministers concentrate on the saved from, but do not share enough on the hope of eternal glory.
E. It is a faithful saying: "If we are dead with Him, we shall also live with Him."
1. Paul wrote: "I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I but Christ liveth in me."
2. Paul said: "And when Christ, who is our life shall appear."
3. Jesus said that whoever sought to save his life would lose it, but he that would lose his life for His sake would find it.
D. "If we suffer with Him, we shall reign with Him."
1. Paul said that the present sufferings were not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed.
2. He said, "For our light affliction which is but for a moment, worketh an exceeding eternal weight of glory."
E. "If we deny Him, He will deny us."
1. Jesus told us that.
MAT 10:32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.
MAT 10:33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.
F. If we believe not, He abides faithful, He can't deny Himself.
1. One of the folly's of man is to think that they can eliminate truth because they do not believe it.
2. A person may say, "I do not believe in God." Does that cause God to cease to exist?
3. Does that prove that God doesn't exist?
4. No, the only thing that it proves is that the man is a fool "For the fool has said in his heart, There is no God."
5. You may say to me, "I don't believe that you exist." Can I say, "Well I don't believe that I exist either." Does that then make me non-existent?
6. Jesus abides faithful, He cannot deny Himself.
Verse-Reference
Square — [Jhn 1:1 KJV]
Abbreviate Books
Use SBL Abbrev.
