Advice No.2 Be Strong

In God's word now, in this preparation for Tony speaking to us later, in 2 Timothy chapter 2, we're going to read the whole chapter. You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Jesus Christ and the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses and trust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others. Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs. He wants to please his commanding officer. Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor's crown unless he competes according to the rules.

The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this. Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David.

This is my gospel, for which I am suffering, even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God's word is not chained. Therefore, I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.

Here is a trustworthy saying. If we died with him, we will also live with him. If we endure, we will also reign with him.

If we disown him, he will also disown us. If we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself. Keep reminding them of these things, warn them before God against quarreling about words.

It is of no value and only ruins those who listen. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman, who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly.

Their teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have wandered away from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some.

Nevertheless, God's solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription. The Lord knows those who are his, and everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness. In a large house, there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay.

Some are for noble purposes, and some for ignoble. If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the master, and prepared to do any good work. Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels, and the Lord's servant must not quarrel. Instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him, he must gently instruct in the hope that God will grant them repentance, leading them to a knowledge of truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to his will.

May the Lord add his blessing to his word. He belongs to you, he belongs to you, he belongs to you, Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God. Blessing and power, he belongs to you, he belongs to you, Lord, Son of the living God.

And let's turn our Bibles open to the place where Richard left us, and that was in 2 Timothy, and chapter 2. Some of you were asking for notes of last week's study, which I haven't got printed up, but I've now pulled them off on my computer, and there are the full notes, but if you'd like a copy, then they're by the welcome desk, or the welcome desk area, and likewise the outline, which will be coming up in a little while this morning, there are some copies, though if you're that interested, you might like to jot down some of the references yourselves. And just while you're finding 2 Timothy, let me say that this evening is a real pleasure to, we're looking forward to, to having with us the daughter of Pastor Miha DeBarge, whose testimony is in priestly form in the welcome desk area of the tab. He died some years ago, butchered, martyred in Iran, and it's to me an incredible thing that his daughter is training for the ministry, and hopes to go back herself to the country where her dad was killed.

We also have with us this evening another young lady whose father is the present overseer of the evangelical churches in Iran. Along with them will be another company of perhaps 10 or so, basically young people, all from the Middle East, and I think you would do your soul good to be present tonight. I make an awful amount of effort in trying to bring people to the pulpit who I think will have something to say to us, not because they're well known, necessarily, but because their background and their experience is so moving and should be shared.

So that's what we have in store this evening. Well, 2 Timothy and chapter 2. Just for starters, for a moment, let me unpack the word apostolic succession. What does it mean? Apostolic succession.

You see, the Catholic churches particularly, and not only the Roman Catholic churches, the Greek Orthodox Church, the Russian Orthodox Church, the Romanian churches, some of the historic churches in the Far East as well as in the Middle East, they make quite a lot of play on apostolic succession. And put in the most simple form, it means that the apostle Peter laid his hands upon his successor, who laid his hands upon his successor, who laid his hands upon his successor, and so on and so on and so on and so forth, until you get to the bishop of Rome or the patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church. And apostolic succession is the physical conveying of the sacramental grace of church leadership from the time of Peter all the way down to the present century.

And what have we got to say to that? Well, not much. Apostolic succession has as its biblical objective the preservation and the passing on of the faith. So, what is the most important thing for William Carey to have done at the end of his life as he concluded that magnificent several decades of mission work in India? And the answer is he needed to have other Indians who had been instructed by him and would continue to do what he had commenced.

I remember one man in Bangladesh some years ago telling me, he said that he got to that particular time in life where he realized that his years ahead were numbered, and therefore the most important thing for him to do was not to have hundreds of people to listen to his ministry, but to get a group of Bangladeshi young people and instruct them in the faith, so that when he is dead and his spirit has returned to the Lord who gave it, then his ministry would continue through those young people. That is apostolic succession. And here is the Apostle Paul in 2 Timothy, and he has very much at the forefront of his mind that he is well beyond pension age.

His years of service are fast coming to an end. What does he require? He requires someone who can take over the baton and continue to run the race. We have in England, or we have in Great Britain, the maxim, the death of the monarch, the king is dead, or in this case, the queen is dead.

Long live the king. Long live the successor. Buckingham Palace is never really empty in terms of an accepted head of state.

So, the gospel. When one man dies, the gospel still goes on. It's placed, this deposit of divine truth, it's placed within the trusteeship of another.

And here is Paul, and at the end of the first chapter of 2 Timothy, he tells us about a great defection from the faith. There are those who in large number embraced it, and there are those who in large number have departed from it. But there are exceptions to the rule.

One whose name we came across last week in the 16th verse was Onesiphorus. But Paul has his sights not just on this man who looked him up in Rome, who was not ashamed to identify with Paul, who was a prisoner, but the apostle has his sights on Timothy. My son, verse 1 of chapter 2, referred to also as my dear son, verse 2 of chapter 1, who Paul believes by the unveiling of the mind of God through the spirit to him, shall be his successor to continue the task that he, the apostle, has commenced.

But he has difficulties. Why? Well, Timothy, he's a timid man. It's amazing sometimes who God calls into his kingdom to be his servants.

Very often we would look in our secular carnal way to someone of great charismatic natural abilities, great personality oozing with presence. But God can take a very shy, a very reticent person. God can take a little old lady and use her in his kingdom to achieve things that men of standing and substance and younger years might not achieve.

This is our God. He takes the foolish things. He takes the despised things.

He takes the most unlikely individual, and he will use him or her in the service of the master. So, it's Timothy. Timothy, who is going to have the apostolic succession, so to speak, worked out in his experience.

Christ Jesus gives the deposit of the gospel, verse 14 of the first chapter, to the apostle Paul. He, in turn, passes it on to Timothy, and what he wants Timothy to do, verse 2 of chapter 2, is to have a lineup of men who also are to be instructed with this most remarkable news from God, the saving message of salvation, the things you've heard me say in the presence of many witnesses, and trust a reliable man who will also be qualified to teach others. So, you've got it? The Lord Jesus to Paul, Paul to Timothy, Timothy to the next generation, the next generation to the next generation, and so on and so forth.

Brothers and sisters, elders of this church, what is the most important responsibility we have? And the answer is to preserve the faith for a new generation. The answer is to take young men and young women and to tutor them in the Scriptures so that they know themselves what they believe. It's not just sufficient to preach the gospel to the whosoever.

Of course, that's of prime importance, but it's also very important to see that there's an up-and-coming generation. The best of us live 60, 70, 80, 90 years. The time comes when we are no more, and just for the gospel to be successfully declared in one generation means that nine decades go by and you've got an empty church.

So, apostolic succession is so necessary, singling out young men, young women who can continue to run the course, who continue to broadcast the gospel. But what about this difficulty that the Apostle Paul makes clear to Timothy, and that many of us here today also appreciate this awesome responsibility in the face of human inadequacy? The Apostle speaks to Timothy, and he speaks to you and to me, and he says, Be strong. Be strong.

How is Timothy to be strong? How are you to be strong? And the answer is by working at the endued grace or power that you have through the grace of God that's in you through Christ Jesus. So, as we make our way on the overhead, let me suggest to you that in this second chapter, as the Apostle pleads with Timothy to be a good ambassador, to be a good successor, he does so by giving at least three, perhaps four stimuli, four pieces of advice, which will enable Timothy to develop leadership capabilities. And the first one is hard graft.

Look at verses three to seven. Endure hardness with us like a good soldier. The Apostles made reference to what he wants from Timothy in the immediate, in the first verse, be strong in the grace.

Well, he picks it up. Endure hardship. By hard graft, you can be strong in the Lord.

And the Apostle will take you to three particular departments that he visits on many occasions in his letters. He'll take you first of all to the barracks, and he'll speak about the Roman soldier. He will take you, verse five, to the stadium and spotlight your attention on the athlete.

He will take you into the fields, and he will show you the farmer, and he will tell you this, and his teaching is so simple, it's for all of us to easily comprehend. He will tell you this, that each of those professions demands commitment for the soldier to be successful. He has to be faithful.

He disengages himself from any other responsibilities but the main one, which at the point of warfare is to repulse the enemy. So the Apostle says to Timothy, he says to you and to me, you're going to be strong. Work hard.

Work hard by being like a soldier with determination, with singleness of vision, to put your hand to the task of advancing the cause of Jesus Christ, and having your eye, the latter part of verse four, on your commanding officer, taking instruction from and working out your life and your lifestyle in accordance with the directives that he gives you. Now, what about the athlete? Well, the athlete in Paul's day has in mind the Olympic Games at Athens, and if he's successful, he doesn't get a gold medal as do the athletes today. He will get a wreath.

He will get a wreath of leaves. But the significance, the honor of that is such that the athlete, man or woman, will spend hours and hours, days, months, years, preparing for that event. And an athlete is nothing if he or she is not obedient to the rules of the game.

If anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor's crown unless he competes according to the rules. So it is in the service of Jesus Christ. You, Timothy, you people here in Worthing, to whom the baton is being passed on down the generations.

Twenty centuries have gone by. How are you going to be successful? By running according to the rules. By disentangling yourself from things that are not of prime importance.

By being a good soldier. By being a healthy athlete. There is no pain, there is no gain without pain in the realm of sport.

And that's exactly the same in the Christian realm. So he moves us from the barracks to the stadium, and then from the stadium he takes us to the green fields, and he brings to our focus the hard-working farmer. Now farmers are having a difficult time these days, are they not, in our country? And they gave some indication of their frustration last week when many of them marched into the centre of London and demonstrated before the government, trying to get the government's ear.

They've had great difficulty in the selling of meat and so on and so forth, you know. And the hard-working farmer is a man who should be honoured for what he endeavours to do. Now, how does the hard-working farmer receive his reward? Well, he does it by diligent labour out in the fields.

He has a harvest in mind, and when the harvest comes, then the farmer is very much blessed. Now, the Christian, the disciple of Jesus Christ, the Christian leader, he too wants a harvest. He wants a harvest in his own life, a harvest of holiness.

He wants to live a life that is in accord with the life and lifestyle of the Lord Jesus. What is more, he wants to see souls won for the Saviour. Because the Lord says, I'll send you out, the fields are white unto harvest.

You see the principle, the sustaining of the metaphor? Well, how do you win souls? Just by praying? Well, that's vital, of course. And I trust many of you will be at our half-day of prayer this coming Wednesday. But it's not just by winning souls, not just by praying.

It's by actually doing something. It's being involved. It's giving the tract.

It's tuning into the radio. It's encouraging people to listen to broadcasts. It's being.

It's doing. It's praying. Souls are won as a result of tears and sweat and hard labor.

And this is what Paul is saying to Timothy as he encourages him. Endure hardness as a soldier. Be strong in the Lord.

Work in accordance with the rules as does the athlete. Invest your time in the fields as does the farmer. How can you be strong in the Lord? By employing hard graft.

But then, through constant reflection. Look at verse 7 and drop down to verse 13. Constant reflection on whom? On what? Well, the apostle clears the point up.

Verse 7, reflect on what I am saying. And as you concentrate on my teaching, the Lord will help you to understand the significance of my point. Reflect on what I am saying and remember.

Remember Jesus Christ. There is nothing that triggers your spiritual maturity than having the Lord Jesus constantly in your mind. There's a bracelet that's been sold in great quantities in the United States of America.

And it's actually just come across to this country. The bracelet just has, and it's also on the ring as well, just has the engraving, WWJD. What would Jesus do? Many have been the young people who've worn that bracelet and perhaps in a moment of temptation they've seen those letters.

And it's helped them to stop at the point of folly. What would Jesus do? See, here's the apostle and he's writing to Timothy and he's saying, reflect on what I'm saying and remember Jesus. Can I get so many forget? The hymn you remember around the Lord's table suggests that it is so easy for us to push out of our mind the person of our Lord Jesus.

But in order to be strong, you almost need, forgive the word if you think this is too extreme, you almost need an obsession. So that he is central to your thinking, central to your day. Remember Jesus Christ, well who is Jesus? He is the one who has brought together through his life and his ministry what Paul calls, verse 8, my gospel.

Now hold on a little or else you'll misunderstand Paul. He's made it very clear in the 14th verse of the first chapter that the gospel that he proclaims is not one that he has worked out. It is not a gospel by human contrition, by human connivance.

It is not a gospel worked out through Paul's own intellectual ability. It is a gospel that has been bestowed. It is a deposit which the apostle has received.

This gospel is so glorious, this gospel is so personal that the apostle will call it my gospel. And there is a very personal aspect to salvation isn't there? He loved me and he gave himself for me. But what is this gospel all about? Well it's about Jesus, verse 8. Jesus, who was human, descended from David.

Jesus, who was divine, raised from the dead. Here in sort of staccato comment, the apostle brilliantly summarizes the essence of the gospel. Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David.

David's family were a very lowly family at the time of Mary, you remember. Mary, the mother of our Lord Jesus. He was born into very humble circumstances.

Though the lineage of Mary could be traced back to David, hard times have befallen the descendants of David. And our Lord is born in a manger. Descended from David.

Human. A baby who cries. A man who gets thirsty.

A man who recognizes loneliness when people who were close to him had left him. This is my gospel. It's the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The humanity of whom is indicated by the thought that he's descended from David. But he's not just human. He's also divine.

He's been raised from the dead. Raised for your justification. Raised so that your sins might be seen to have been forgiven as was his promise implicitly in his teaching.

This side of the grave. This Lord Jesus who at the human level was born so lowly has been raised. Raised beyond death.

Raised beyond the heavens. Seated at the right hand of the Father. Given the place that is above every place in the universe.

This is my gospel. This is what I proclaim. And as a result of proclaiming that gospel, I'm in difficulty.

But so was he. For which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. The word criminal is hardly used in Scripture.

Apart from the two who are either side of the cross of our Lord Jesus. And here is the apostle and he's saying I've embraced the gospel. And as a result of proclaiming that gospel to others, Timothy, I'm a criminal.

In the eyes of the law. I'm here in Rome. And I'm fettered.

I can't go where I want to go. But Timothy, the gospel that I preach. This great glorious gospel of Jesus Christ.

That cannot be chained. It goes on. It continues to live in the churches that I've established.

In men who I've won to the Lord like yourself. That gospel continues to be broadcasted. And Timothy, when you remember that.

And men and women in the 20th century. When you have that in your convictions. You realize that being a gospel.

Being a person who is close to Jesus Christ. Well, that's worth everything. Even the lack of liberty.

Because as a result of your ministries. There are people, verse 10. Who have entered into and are entering into salvation.

In Christ Jesus. And there is the prospect of eternal glory. So, you see.

When you work at these things. It gives you a frame. With which not only to interpret life.

But live it. Yourself. So the apostle introduces Timothy to.

What actually was an old fashioned hymn. Of the early church. If you're following from the NIV.

You'll see that those lines from the 11th verse onwards. Or the second line down from the 11th verse. Are indented.

If you push it back into the Greek. It forms a poem. Here is an early hymn on Jesus.

And it is Christocentric. It is Jesucentric. What does it say? Well, it talks about the believer being involved in the life of Jesus.

If we died with him. We'll also live with him. If we endure, we'll also reign with him.

If we disown him, he will disown us. If we're faithless, he will remain faithful. For he cannot disown himself.

It's a hymn about the Lord Jesus. And if you're going to be strong. Then you need always to have your vision focused on him.

It's a hymn that talks about dying to self. It doesn't mean dying physically, naturally. It means dying to the things that otherwise might have occupied you.

This entanglement that the soldier has left on one side. Well, this is the apostle quoting this hymn. And sustaining the same point.

The apostle knew what it was to die, didn't he? He said, I die daily. He said, for me to live is Christ. The things that held him before no longer hold him anymore.

And this is what he wants of Timothy. This is what he wants of you and me. An obsession with the Lord Jesus.

And as we confess him. Here on earth. So he confesses us.

He'll always remain faithful to his word. If we deny him, then he'll deny us. Because, well, that's what he has said.

If you are able to confess me before men on earth. Then I will confess you before my father who is in heaven. If we're faithless, he'll still be faithful.

He cannot disown himself. So let's do a summary. What have we discovered in these opening verses of this second chapter? Well, Paul from a secular analogy and spiritual experience.

Has taught us that there is blessing through pain. And fruit through toil. And life through death.

And for Jesus, that sort of life. As for Paul. Brought him into great difficulty.

As it might bring you and me. But nonetheless, as we continue. With the stimulus of working.

Hard graft. As we reflect upon our Lord Jesus Christ. So we shall be more strong in the faith.

And another thing that will encourage strength. Is diligent study. Look at verse 14.

Right down to the 21st verse. Keep reminding them of these things. Since now Paul is referring to Timothy's ministry.

The people that he's going to influence. So let's drop a little bit lower down. To a more personal comment that Paul makes to Timothy.

Do your best. Verse 15. To present yourself to God as one approved.

A workman who needs not to be ashamed. And who correctly handles the word of truth. Here is Paul giving advice to Timothy.

And he speaks about a workman. And not only does he speak about a workman. He goes from the workplace to the kitchen.

And if you drop down to the 20th verse. You'll find the apostle speaking of articles in a home. And he talks about some articles.

Some utensils. Verse 21. Which are noble.

And have a lot of purpose. And there are others that are relatively insignificant. What is Paul wanting to say to Timothy? What does he want to say to you and to me? He says there are two workmen.

And I want you to be like one. Rather than the other. There are two types of utensils.

One is useful. The other is just menial. As for the workman.

Well let's come back to it. Verse 15. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved as a workman.

Who does not need to be ashamed. And who correctly handles the word of truth. What's Paul referring to? Well he's referring to Bible study.

He's saying that it's important for you to come to the Bible. Almost like a miner comes to the coal face. Or if you like.

Like someone opening up a new motorway. To go straight. And to teach it straight to other people.

There are however those. And he makes some reference to an example. A couple of people called Hymenaeus and Philetus.

Verse 17. Who are bad workmen. Why? Well look at verse 18.

They've wandered away from the truth. And the Greek word is of an arrow being placed into a bowl. And instead of the arrow going straight.

It swerves. Now says the apostle. Timothy.

Your Bible study should be done with such discipline. That you in turn can instruct others. And take them straight to the Lord.

So that if anyone follows you. They're not deflected. They don't go down a cul-de-sac.

In other words. You are able to continue to do what I have been doing. And that is to lead men and women to Jesus.

Now today in the church. You get the same sort of example. There are folks who are concerned for Scripture.

And to teach Scripture. And there are those who alas. Unfortunately.

Like these two characters to whom Paul makes reference. And they've not been very diligent. And one of the reasons why the sects are booming.

With numbers these days. Is because the instruction of the apostle Paul. Has been to some extent ignored.

You see there's only one way of salvation. Look at verse 19. The Lord knows those who are his.

Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord. Must turn away from wickedness. Now Timothy.

If you appreciate this. Then you will go straight to the Lord. In terms of studying Scripture.

And bring people straight to the Lord. In terms of your evangelism. And the last stimulus.

Well it's through the development of character. Through the development of character. From the 22nd verse down to the end of the chapter.

The apostle Paul tells Timothy what to do. What not to do. What his goal is.

He's to flee the evil desires of youth. He is to pursue righteousness. He is in effect to use those same disciplines spiritually.

As the soldier does military. As the farmer does in the horticultural or husbanding sense. As the athlete does in the stadium.

What characteristics ought to be attractive to the Christian. And particularly the Christian leader. Well those of righteousness, faith, love and peace.

But what about the way that you can recognize. Someone who's mature and strong in God. Well look at verse 24.

The Lord's servant. Isn't it interesting. When the apostle defines a leader.

And it has no visible for any Christian. He talks about a man a woman who's not a quarrelsome person. But rather someone who is kind.

Kind to everybody. Able to teach. Not resentful.

Gentle. In his instruction. How different that is from the cartoon character that you sometimes see.

In print. Or maybe the way the media passes off what the clergyman is like. He's either a wimp.

Or he's someone who's bashing people on their heads with a thick authorized version of the Bible. But poor sister Timothy is nothing like that at all. The Christian who is influencing others.

Is the Lord's servant. Verse 24. Now what does he have in mind.

Well when you speak about the servant of the Lord. Those of you who are familiar with the Old Testament scriptures. You will know that around Isaiah 50.

The chapters before and the chapters after. There is description of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Evev the Yahweh to put it in the Hebrew.

He is the servant of the Lord. What is he like? Well a bruised reed he will not break. A quenching flax he will not snuff out.

What does that mean? It's Hebrew. It's Hebrew poetry. For the gentleness of a leader.

Who when he sees a woman who is in difficulty. And is accused by men. He dismisses them and deals with the woman.

He's the sort of man who takes the leper and puts his arm around the leper. And sends the leper away healed and restored. He's the person who deals with an individual.

In such a kind and a caring fashion. He's the good shepherd of the sheep. He's the compassionate understanding Lord Jesus.

He's gentle. He's kind. The venom that sometimes came from our Lord Jesus was very, very rare.

And it was always directed towards those who what? Who were not making a straight walk to God themselves. And were preventing others from so doing. Who were swerving themselves and causing others to deviate.

Our Lord Jesus. He is the one that the apostle has in mind. And there are references which I haven't time to go to this morning from Isaiah.

And the 50th chapters or thereabouts. That illustrates the point. And the goal of course is.

Well to lead others out of the trap of the devil. To lead them into the certainties of salvation. That they may come as a result of what you know Timothy.

And of what you are. That they will come to their senses. And escape from the trap of the devil.

Who has taken them captive to do his will. So in summary fashion what have we discovered? Well we've discovered what the sort of person is like. Who is strung in the lard.

We've discovered it by secular analogy. He's like a soldier. Who has his ear to the commands of the officer in charge.

And he distances himself from any other secondary responsibility. What is a Christian like? He's like an athlete. Who pains himself in the very process of training.

In order that he might run well. And receive the reward. What is a Christian like? He's like a farmer.

Who husbands his animals. Who tends his fields. Who works hard.

What is a Christian like? He's like a workman. Who handles the Bible with diligence. And with integrity.

What is a Christian like? He's like the most useful vessel. Or utensil. In a kitchen.

And he shows his value therefore. As someone whom the master can use. Time and time again.

What is a Christian like? He's like a servant. He's like the Eveth Yahweh. The something of Jesus.

That's rubbed off on him. Now Timothy. Be strong.

You can do it Timothy. With the grace of Jesus that's in you. And you're responding to the advice that I'm giving.

Timothy. You and the Lord. Can do it together.

You can achieve his purposes. For your life. And the same is true today.

Jesus. The Lord. And you.

Together. Can do it. Making your life.

Effective. Increasingly. In his service.

Give thanks with a grateful heart. Give thanks to the Holy One. Give thanks because he's given.

Jesus Christ his Son. Because he's given. And strong.

May gods of water. Lord has done.