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Everyone, for our call to worship, you can turn in your Bibles to Revelation chapter 19. Revelation chapter 19. We'll read verses 11 to 16 in Revelation 19. Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on him was called faithful and true, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except himself. He was clothed with the robe dipped in blood, and his name is called the Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed him on white horses. Now out of his mouth goes a sharp sword that with it he should strike the nations. And he himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He himself treads the wine press of the fierceness and and wrath of Almighty God. And he has on his robe and on his thigh a name written, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Amen. Well, please take your Trinity, your red trinity psalter, and turn to Psalm 24, Psalm 24. When you find that, you can stand and we'll sing together. Glory as the lamb of your forever and still shall bless right to of all blessed grace. All those who I take are seeking your face. Your head is yours. The great king of glory. Oh the king in glory. The Lord mighty Lord of the battle is here. The great king of glory to enter his great glory. Tell our host glory is he. Please be seated. Well, let us pray. Our blessed and holy God, it is a great joy and a privilege to be in the house of God again on this Lord's day. We acknowledge that from everlasting to everlasting, you are God. We acknowledge as well that you are infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in your being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth. We bless you for the doctrine of immutability. We thank you that the Lord God most high cannot and does not change. That the love that you set upon us is lasting and that that work that you began in us, you will certainly complete it unto the day of the Lord Jesus Christ. We praise you for your holiness and for your righteousness and for your justice. We praise you as well for your great grace and your great mercy. We praise you for the work of salvation, specifically the father in election and the son in redemption and the spirit in application of these great things. How we ask that tonight you would receive our glory and our praise and our honor. That we would come to the father through our lord Jesus Christ in the power of the holy spirit. That the triune God would be magnified in this place. That the triune God would be glorified and worshiped and praised. And may you indeed return blessing upon each and every one of us. God we ask that you would ren the heavens and come down and be found among your people in this place. God, we all have many trials, many difficulties, many temptations, and we need your presence in our lives. We ask that you would equip us for service unto you. We ask that you would fill us with your Holy Spirit so that when we enter into this new week, we may do so in the power of the spirit by your grace, resisting those things that that present themselves to us. And may we indeed take seriously the admonition from our brother Paul that if by the spirit you do put to death the deeds of the body you will live. We ask Father that you would be pleased as well to look with favor upon those in our congregation with physical trials. We know God that these things take a toll upon the soul of a man or woman. We pray that you would just give grace to each one of these who suffer. That you would cause them to know that even in the midst of these afflictions and trials, you are present. You are with them. May these things encourage them. And may they be built up in their most holy faith. And our father, we do pray that there would be relief from some of these physical distresses, some of these challenges and trials that that present themselves to the people of God here as well. Our father, we ask that you would just look with favor upon the young people and the children in this congregation. We know God that that Solomon said that children are to remember their creator in their youth. We pray that each of these would know the the joy of being found in the Lord Jesus Christ. We pray that by the power of your Holy Spirit through the gospel preached, you would cause them to see their sin and cause them to see that Christ alone is the savior. We ask as well that from our young people, you'd raise up godly men to pastor and to be missionaries, to be faithful servants of Christ in that capacity. Others to be faithful servants of Christ in other spheres and in other realms. Bless our our our young women that they may rise up and glorify you in all that they do and think and say. We pray for the ladies that are pregnant in this church. We ask that you would look with favor upon these little babies in the womb and that they would be born physically and one day they would be born again. We pray as well, God, for your blessing to be upon other churches. We know that we're not alone here in Chilowax. We pray for the churches in this city that preach the truth. We ask, God, that you would encourage and strengthen them. We pray that you would be with them in their times of worship. Bless those pastors that preach the gospel. And we pray that that word would run swiftly in this town and that many would come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. We pray for other reformed Baptist churches. We thank you that we're not alone in this. We pray for the business of Arba that everything would be conducted in a manner that is consistent with your holy word. That God, you would be glorified in and through this process and that you would be pleased to grant peace and unity to the churches associated. We ask our father as well that you would look with favor upon the brethren in Seattle. We thank you for the Lindblads and for uh Tom Lion and for Dr. Martin. We just pray that you would encourage these brothers and help them to persevere in the faith. Be with our brother Phil Caven. We know many many trials have come his way and we pray that you would strengthen him with might in the inner man so that Christ may dwell in his heart through faith as well. Father, bless the missionary enterprise. We thank thank you for our brothers and sisters laboring faithfully in China. We ask that you would continue to look with favor upon these families that you would bless these men who have the responsibility to preach and teach the truth. We pray that in that nation, in that society, you would be pleased to turn men and women and boys and girls from their idols to the true and living God. We pray as well for the churches in the Dominican and in Haiti. We pray for the Reformed Baptist Church in Islamabad and Pakistan. We thank you there is a faithful witness in that city and we pray that it would be that it would make impact way uh uh far from even that town that the gospel would go forth in these nations and that you would be pleased to cause your face to shine upon the peoples and let the nations be glad. Our father finally as Paul tells us we pray for the governing authorities. We live in a day that looks like the prophet Isaiah's day when men call good evil and evil good. We ask our father that you would send forth your spirit to revive your church and to awaken those who are dead in their trespasses and sins. We long for the day and age when abortion would be criminalized and seen for the evil that it is. Our father, we know that you abominate, you loathe, you you hate hands that shed innocent blood. What must it be for a country that not only legislates such things but as well subsidizes it? We ask God that there would be a turning from these evils unto you, our great and our merciful God. We ask that you would continue with us now. Help us as we look to scripture tonight. Give us the mind of Christ and fill us with the spirit that we may learn your truth and put it into practice. And we ask these things through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Will you may turn in your Trinity himnel to him number 50. Hymn number 50 again will stand as we sing together. Praise to the Lord mighty king of creation. My soul praise for my help and sales. So wonderous [Music] Praise to the [Music] Lord. Surely heaven. What the Almighty will do. with our son. We will save our spread to me. Praise to the [Music] Lord. Praises people again. [Music] Please be seated. May turn in your Bibles to the prophet Jeremiah chapter 19. Jeremiah chapter 19 for our scripture reading this evening. Beginning in verse one, thus says the Lord, go and get a potter's earthn flask and take some of the elders of the people and some of the elders of the priests and go out to the valley of the son of Hinnamon, which is by the entry of the potshard gate, and proclaim there the words that I tell you, and say, "Hear the words of the Lord. Lord, oh kings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, behold, I will bring such a catastrophe on this place that whoever hears of it, his ears will tingle. because they have forsaken me and made this an alien place. Because they have burned incense in it to other gods, whom neither they, their fathers, nor the kings of Judah have known, and have filled this place with the blood of the innocents. They have also built the high places of Baal to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings to Baal, which I did not command or speak, nor did it come into my mind. Therefore, behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, that this place shall no more be called Tophed, or the valley of the son of Hinnam, but the valley of slaughter. And I will make void the council of Judah and Jerusalem in this place. And I will cause them to fall by the sword before their enemies, and by the hands of those who seek their lives. Their corpses I will give as meat for the birds of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth. I will make this city desolate and a hissing. Everyone who passes by it will be astonished and hiss because of all its plagues. And I will cause them to eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters. And everyone shall eat the flesh of his friend in the siege and in the desperation with which their enemies and those who seek their lives shall drive them to despair. Then you shall break the flask in the sight of the men who go with you and say to them, "Thus says the Lord of Hosts." Even so, I will break this people and this city as one breaks a potter's vessel, which cannot be made whole again, and they shall bury them in to there is no more place to bury. Thus I will do to this place, says the Lord, and to its inhabitants, and made uh make this city like Tophet, and the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses of the kings of Judah shall be defiled like the place of Tophed, because of all the houses on whose roofs they have burned incense to all the host of heaven, and poured out drink offerings to other gods. Then Jeremiah came from Tophet where the Lord had sent him to prophesy. And he stood in the court of the Lord's house and said to all the people, "Thus says the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel. Behold, I will bring on this city and on all her towns all the doom that I have pronounced against it because they have stiffened their necks that they might might not hear my words." Amen. Well, as we have had con uh continual uh opportunity to observe, the prophet is speaking at the time or just prior to the destruction of Jerusalem in the sixth century by Babylon. This was of course the wrath of God, the justice of God, the righteousness of God poured out upon his covenant people in accordance with Deuteronomy chapter 28. They had violated, they had rejected him. And so the measure of their wrath was now filled up. and God would bring justice to bear upon them. The very specific sin in view is indicated in this section. Notice, because they have forsaken me and made this an alien place, because they have burned incense in it to other gods, whom neither they, their fathers, nor the kings of Judah have known, and have filled this place with the blood of the innocents. They have also built the high places of Baal to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings to Baal. So they had rejected the true and living God. They had turned to idols. And in accordance with that idolatry, they offered up their own children as human sacrifices. And the Lord God most high, as I've already mentioned, in accordance with his written word, his covenant law is going to bring judgment to bear upon them. And then it's summarized in that last verse. Behold, I will bring on this city and and all her towns all the doom that I have pronounced against it because they have stiffened their necks that they might not hear my words. It is absolutely crucial that the people of God receive his word and seek by the grace of God and the spirit of God to do what he commands. Well, let us pray. Our father, we thank you for this your word. We thank you for the the written history of Israel. We know it's not just history. It's not just a book full of dates and times and places, but it's theological history. It tells us uh lessons about the Lord God most high. And Father, we pray that in this new covenant setting, we thank you and we praise you that Christ bore the curse. Christ bore the wrath for his people. Nevertheless, we are called in in terms of disciplehip to live in a manner that is consistent with our calling. Grant us the spirit. Grant us grace. Grant us ready and receptive hearts to receive the word of God and by your grace to obey that word of God. And we pray these things through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Will you can turn in your trinity himnel to number 429. Number 429. Again, we'll stand as we sing together. to the endless I know his name is all I trust. My soul to share my own And the young [Music] earth please turn in your Bibles to Second Timothy chapter 1. Second Timothy chapter 1. I'll read the chapter and then our focus this evening specifically is verse 8. It's part of the larger context that began at verse three. Verses 3 to 5, the apostle encourages Timothy by telling him about his prayer for Timothy. Verse six, he reminds Timothy to stir up the gift that of God that is in him through the laying on of his hands. He gives that great statement concerning the spirit and his power in the life of God's people in verse 7. And then beginning in verse 8 and probably continuing all the way to chapter 2 at verse 13, there is a constant emphasis. The apostle is highlighting for Timothy the necessity of loyalty to the gospel ministry. And Timothy has been called to serve Christ in this particular capacity. And in several different ways from, as I said, verse 8 through 213, Paul exhorts Timothy to faithfulness in the ministry that God had entrusted to him. So let us pick up reading in verse one. Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus. To Timothy, a beloved son, grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. I thank God whom I serve with a pure conscience as my forefathers did as without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day greatly desiring to see you being mindful of your tears that I may be filled with joy when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Ununice and I am persuaded is in you also therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Therefore, do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me, his prisoner. but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God who has saved us and called us with a holy calling not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began but has now been re uh been revealed by the appearing of our savior Jesus Christ who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel to which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. For this reason, I also suffer these things. Nevertheless, I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to keep what I have committed to him until that day. Hold fast the pattern of sound words, which you have heard from me in faith and love, which are in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. This you know that all those in Asia have turned away from me, among whom are felis and hermogynes. The Lord grant mercy to the household of Anessa, for he often refreshed me and was was not ashamed of my chain. But when he arrived in Rome, he sought me out very zealously and found me. The Lord grant to him that he may find mercy from the Lord in that day. And you know very well how many ways he ministered to me at Ephesus. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our father, we thank you for the written word. And we pray again for the spirit to guide our thoughts, to guide our minds and our hearts. We ask that you would wash us and purify us and forgive us for all sin and all unrighteousness. Certainly, as we come to a passage like this, we all need to embrace an unashamed allegiance to the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. We must all enter in to the reality. We may be called upon to suffer for his cause and for his name's sake. God, give us grace to do these things willingly. Give us grace to do these things joyfully, even as the the book of Acts records concerning your apostles. We bless you and we thank you that you've called us out of darkness into marvelous light. We bless you and we thank you that it is our privilege to serve you as your people in this world. Grant us the grace and the ability to do so in a manner that brings glory and honor and praise unto you our great God. And we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Well, as I understand this particular section, specifically verse 8 to the end of chapter 1, what we have is the pattern for gospel min ministry established here in verse 8. The apostle gives a prohibition and then he gives an exhortation which we'll look at in just a moment. After having cited this prohibition and exhortation, he makes it clear that Timothy is to be loyal. Timothy is to be loyal first and foremost to Christ in his gospel, secondly to the apostle Paul, and then thirdly to his own ministry. So the remainder of this section flows in that regard. Verse 8 is the command given to Timothy. Verses 9 and 10 then highlights the gospel. It shows us the redemptive facts concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. Timothy is to be loyal to that. Paul then highlights his own example as a gospel minister in verses 11 and 12. This goes along with what he says in verse 8. Do not be ashamed of me, Christ's prisoner. And then the emphasis in verses 13 and 14 falls upon Timothy's ministry. Timothy is to hold fast the pattern of sound words. He is to keep by the Holy Spirit that good thing which was committed to him. So it's a very tightly argued section. And then of course what we have in verses 15 and 16 or uh verse 15 are uh uh 15 to 18 rather are examples. We have negative and positive examples. Those who are not loyal to the gospel and to the apostle Paul and one who is loyal to the gospel and to the apostle Paul. So that would be Anessa Fororus. But let's look first at or let's look at verse 8 in 2 Timothy 1. Again, there are two broad categories here. The prohibition and then the exhortation. Notice the prohibition says, "Therefore, do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me, his prisoner." Timothy is prohibited from this. He is not supposed to do this. He's not to be a man that is ashamed. He is rather to be a man who has boldness. A man who has courage. A man who has backbone. A man who will stand up. Not some jellyfish that sort of slides behind a pulpit and just says a few pleasing things to make people happy. No. The apostle says, "Therefore, do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord." The connection is tight between verses 5-7 and verse 8. Notice how he begins verse 8. Therefore, this is an implication based on the way the apostle prays, based on the reminder for Timothy to stir up in him the gift that is already present. The fact is that Timothy has the power, he has the resources, he has the ability to not be ashamed of the god of of the testimony of our Lord. The idea here is to be ashamed of to experience or feel shame or disgrace with attention focused upon that which causes shame. In other words, the apostle or Timothy rather is to imitate the apostle Paul. Verse 12, for this reason I also suffer these things. Nevertheless, I am not ashamed. There's another powerful passage in the first chapter of Romans. Paul writes, "I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." The parallel passage to what we uh looked at this morning in Matthew 16 over in Mark 8, the Lord Jesus pronounces this upon those who have uh heard the gospel, those who've made a profession. In Mark 8:38, Jesus says, "For whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him, the son of man, will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his father with the holy angels." Now, when we look at this prohibition, we need to remember this does not necessarily mean that Timothy was ashamed. This does not necessarily mean that Timothy had apostatized or had slipped away or had not been performing as a man of God ought. Mount says verse 8 does not mean that Timothy is ashamed. The verse is a continual call to arms in the face of opposition. Turn for just a moment to the book of Ephesians in Ephesians chapter 6. I mentioned this last week in our study in second Timothy because Paul exhorts Timothy on a particular issue. It does not necessarily imply that Timothy was deficient. Just because Paul says God did not give us the spirit of fear, we ought not to conclude that Timothy is riddled by or paralyzed with fear. And exhortation comes to those who are doing what they're supposed to as a means by which that they are encouraged to continue. Notice Paul's prayer in Ephesians chapter 6 uh 6 beginning at verse 18. Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints and for me. Paul says, I want you to pray for me. What do you want us to pray for you, Paul? That you'll get out of jail because Paul was in jail when he writes Ephesians. No, that's not what he prays. He doesn't say, "Pray for me that I'll get better food while I'm in this jail or that I'll get a warmer coat while I'm in this jail." No, that's not what Paul's concern is when he is in this prison. As he's writing to the Ephesians, no. He says, "And pray for me that utterance may be given to me that I may open my mouth boldly to make the known the mystery of the gospel for which I am an ambassador in chains, that in it I may speak boldly as I ought to speak." Are we supposed to conclude that Paul had not witnessed? Paul had not testified. Paul had not faithfully carried out his his apostolic role. Paul knew the weakness of the flesh. He knew the power of prayer and he bids the people in Ephesus to pray for him. So when we come to this exhort uh this prohibition rather we are not to conclude or assume that Timothy was ashamed. Again mounts verse 8 does not mean that Timothy is ashamed. The verse is a continual call to arms in the face of opposition. It's good in the face of opposition to have someone who's continuing to call you to arms. It's good to have a leader, a friend, a mentor, a a a teacher that is going to exhort you to your your particular task. He goes on to say, "The possibility of failure and sin is always present and always merits close attention." We need to take heed lest we fall. We need to realize if somebody comes along and says, "I want to encourage you not to be ashamed." Don't get bent out of shape. Don't get mad. Don't say, "Well, what do you mean? I'm not look brother I'm just trying to encourage you just trying to be of help help to you do not immediately conclude that I've got your worst in my particular view but we need to understand that in the best of men there's always those seeds there's always that lurking place and I think mounts is right the possibility of failure and sin is always present and always merits close attention Peter and Barnabas fail Galatians 2 11-13 13 Timothy could also he doesn't heed the exhortations of the apostle Paul. Now notice the twofold object that Paul says Timothy is not to be ashamed of. Therefore do not be ashamed of first of all the testimony of our Lord and secondly nor of me his prisoner. What does he mean by the testimony of our Lord? If you look at 1 Timothy chapter 6 for just a moment. 1 Timothy chapter 6 at verse 12, fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life to which you are also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things and before Christ Jesus who witnessed same word the good confession before Pontius Pilate. Tim uh the Lord Jesus witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate. Is Paul telling Timothy not to be ashamed of that good confession? No. He's telling Timothy not to be ashamed of the gospel. That's what makes sense in this particular context here. The testimony of our Lord is the record of his doing, his dying, and his rising again. In other words, Timothy, do not be ashamed of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. He must not fear men. He must not be a coward. He must not shrink back from declaring the whole council of God. It's interesting the word testimony that is employed here. It's the word that evolved or developed into the the common word for martyr. We look at the word martyr and we associate it with death for the Lord Jesus Christ. Well, the root meaning of martyr is testimony. A martyr is one who gives testimony unto the Lord until such time as that martyr is executed or put to death for his faith. So Timothy is being called on by Paul not to be ashamed of the gospel of our Lord Jesus. We might ask the question, well why? Why would he prohibit this? or what temptations might there be for a man, especially a minister of the gospel, but by extension any one of us to be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord. In other words, when we find a prohibition like this, even though it mean doesn't mean that Timothy is guilty, Paul in his mind has seen or Paul has observed or Paul knows the tendency or the temptation to be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord. I think there's probably four things we could consider. And the first is the person of Christ. the person of Christ for much the same reason that Peter had such a struggle in Matthew chapter 16. They believed that Messiah was going to come in power. They believed that Messiah was going to come to subjugate their oppressors. They believed that Messiah was going to come wearing a crown and wielding a scepter. They did not think for a moment that the Messiah would be a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. They obviously misread the prophet Isaiah. They did not understand that Messiah wouldn't ride in to Jerusalem in a tank strapped with weaponry, but rather he'd come on the back of a donkey. It is the person of Christ. We are associated with one that as far as the world is concerned is nothing to look upon. We are associated with one that as far as men are concerned was perhaps a good ethical teacher but beyond that there wasn't a whole lot about him. Paul says do not be ashamed of the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. Secondly, the work of Christ. How do kings genuinely or generally triumph? Kings generally triumph through victory, through bringing destruction upon their enemies. Kings generally don't triumph by having a crown of thorns embedded into their heads. Kings generally don't triumph by being nailed to a cross. By being hoisted up as a public spectacle, by being degraded, by being spat on, by being slapped by Roman soldiers, by ultimately being forsaken by his closest companions and then the father himself. The work of Christ is an offense to men. You can look at 1 Corinthians chapter 1. And there might be in not Timothy per se, but in other men of God or even in some of the people of God this bit of shame. We don't want to rehearse the truth of the gospel for fear that people might look at us funny or they might think that we're odd or that they might think that we're strange for worshiping a man who was crucified. Notice in 1 Corinthians 1:18, "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing. But to us who are being saved, it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified. To the Jews is stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness. You see, in this first century context, a gospel minister knew that Greeks thought this was a foolish message. He knew that Jews were scandalized by this message because it was the proclamation of a crucified Messiah. Those things they just could not get their minds wrapped around. So perhaps again not Timothy but another man called him to this employee would have wavered would have been unfaithful would have shrunk back he didn't want to be looked at or he didn't want to be viewed upon or viewed upon as one who who worshiped such a Christ like this brethren I suspect this sort of thing is still alive in the modern church he was publicly executed as a notorious criminal we get around people that are educated in a secular sense or in a worldly sense. Are we as bold to share with them the gospel? Are we as bold to preach a crucified Messiah as we are perhaps in our living room when the audience is our children? Do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord is what the Apostle Paul says. I would submit thirdly, one of the reasons why people might be ashamed is the doctrine of Christ. the doctrine of Christ. You see, I think this is probably even closer to the modern situation. Christ endorsed the Old Testament, didn't he? You heard the argument, Jesus never condemned homosexuality, so therefore, it's lawful. There are other elements of Old Covenant law that Jesus never spoke on, but we certainly assume that they're still spoken against. just to use the most obvious beastiality. I don't ever remember a place in the gospels where Jesus spoke to that particular issue. Does anybody argue therefore it's okay for us to engage in this abominable act? Certainly not. Christ endorsed the Old Testament uh Matthew 5:17 to20. Do not think, remember the ideas there. Do not let it begin to rise up in your mind that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets. I did not come to abolish, but I came to fulfill or we might say to confirm or affirm them. There is a real hatred for old covenant ethics. Now, I'm not saying everything in the Old Testament necessarily carries over. There are certainly ceremonial elements of the law that are done away with because of fulfillment in Jesus Christ. The judicial law, we could sit down and debate which aspects of that does come into play with reference to the new covenant setting. The moral law of God, the ten commandments transcends whichever covenant happens to be in place at the time. It's not just the old testament law, the ten commandments. That is the new covenant law. Visa v the prophet Jeremiah. He says God will write his law on their hearts. Jeremiah 31:31-34. Listen to a very famous atheist concerning the Old Testament. My fear is is that some in the church share at least some elements of this. He says this concerning the Old Testament. The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction. Jealous and proud of it. A petty, unjust, unforgiving control freak. A vindictive, bloodthirsty, ethnic cleanser. a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filioidal, pestilential, megalomania, maniacal, sedto masochistic, capriciously malevolent bully. That is utter blasphemy. The God of the Old Testament is the God of love, the God of loving kindness, the God of mercy, the God of compassion. Turn with me for just a moment to the book of Exodus. In Exodus 33, Exodus 33, when Moses desires to see God's glory, look at what it is that God shows or God demonstrates or God gives to him rather. Chapter 34. When God demonstrated his glory to uh Moses in the book of Exodus, just picking up at verse 5 in chapter 34. Now the Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there and proclaimed the name of the Lord. man. The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, "The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering and abounding in goodness and truth." Brethren, I suspect there's people in the church that do not believe this about our God. It's not just Dawkins that has a faulty or defective view of the Old Testament. It's many in professing evangelicalism and reformed communities. This idea that the God of the Old Testament only killed people and he only judged people and he only brought wrath upon people. That is to be ashamed of the Christ who endorsed that God. This is his father. This is his Lord, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children's children to the third and fourth generations. You see, God is love, but God is just and righteous. We don't pick and choose. God's not a cosmic buffet. We only like those good elements of God and that's how we're going to form our our theology. All that nasty bad stuff, we're going to just speak against it and we're going to say that that it's just wrong or we just don't appreciate it. Brethren, I suspect there are some within evangelicalism and reformed churches that are ashamed of the reality that Jesus Christ endorsed the Old Testament ethic. And as well, Christ preached conformity to God's law. I think men don't mind Jesus as long as he doesn't get too personal. We don't mind Jesus showing us a kinder, gentler way. We don't mind Jesus showing us what it is to lay down his life for his people. Not that they understand the substitutionary, wrathbearing implications of that. But when Jesus tells people not to engage in certain vile acts, well, we just don't want this man to rule over us. You see, you see, unfortunately in the church today or in the professing church, we want to pair off what we perceive to be the rough edges. We want to market Jesus to be a kinder, gentler Jesus so that more people will come to know him. Well, in the final analysis, well, we must ask the question, what Jesus are we actually offering them? Because if it's a Jesus of our own manufacturer, we're no better than after the Assyrian settlement of the northern tribes when everybody was making their gods and seeking to worship them. And I would suspect another potential cause, and again, this is just some things that I think flow out of this passage. Do not be ashamed of the testimony of the Lord, the person of Christ, the work of Christ, the doctrine of Christ. what I would call the cause of Christ. The cause of Christ. The Lord Jesus instituted his church and defined its authority and responsibility. The Lord Jesus instituted his church and defined or gave it rather its authority and defined its responsibility. I wonder at times if men betray an ashamedness of or an ashamedness of our Lord Jesus Christ because they don't want to go the way that Christ has said. Christ says be faithful. Christ says use the means of grace. Christ has never sanctioned paying an organization to make your church like a Fortune 500 business or company. Christ has never sanctioned the practice of bring bringing worldly principles that may work very well in the marketplace but employ them in the church and use techniques and use manipulation and you you know what in my mind that shows that people are ashamed of the Lord Jesus because if we are serious about Christ in his person in his work in his doctrine we will be serious about Christ with reference to the means that he uses to build his church. He is the sovereign. He is the builder. He is the wise one. If Jesus wants to use a plain old hammer and nail, it is not our business to take it from him and put a makita in his hand. Christ is absolutely sovereign. If he wants a makita, he would pick one up. We are not smarter than him. We are not wiser than him. We are not nobler than him. Our task, our calling, our job is to be faithful to him. That's it. Brethren, some do not want to accept the low aims of just building churches disciple by disciple by disciple over the long hall. We've got to have it now. We've got to do it big. We've got to do it with rigomearroll. We've got to get puppeteers. We've got to get jugglers. We've got to get whatever it is in here that'll get the people in. But brethren, Jesus doesn't sanction such an approach. These are some of the things that does evidence that there are some today that are ashamed of the testimony of our Lord. The appropriate response to Christ and his gospel is power, love, and of a sound mind. Notice in uh chapter 1 verse 6, therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear. Timothy, do not be ashamed. Don't fear the face of men. Don't be a coward. People don't like the way that you preach about the substitutionary curse bearing of Christ. Preach it nonetheless. Maybe they don't like the way you rattle on about a certain thing. That that's fine. But if you're preaching the gospel, you're preaching the truth. Don't fear the face of men, never shrink back to declare the whole council of God. The spirit in us does not promote fear. He produces power. He produces love. He produces a sound mind. Therefore, Timothy and all ministers of the gospel are to unashamedly preach the gospel of our Lord Jesus. Listen to Calvin. He said, "He who is armed with the power of God will not tremble at the noise raised by the world, but will reckon it honorable that wicked men mark them with disgrace." Beautiful. In case you were taking a sip and you didn't hear that, I'll repeat it. He who is armed with the power of God will not tremble at the noise raised by the world, but will reckon it honorable that wicked men marked them with disgrace. Remember when they laid many stripes on the apostles in the book of Acts? What does it say when they left from that place? We're going to call our MPs. You'll hear from our attorneys. You're going down for what you have did. know they rejoiced because they were counted worthy to suffer shame for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Calvin goes on to say, accordingly, the more hateful the doctrine of the gospel is in the world, the more earnestly should they labor to confess it openly. That is not the ethic that is rampant, at least in some sectors of evangelicalism in reformed churches. We need to understand with John Calvin, the more hateful the doctrine of the gospel is in the world, the more earnestly should they labor to confess it openly. So that's the first object that Timothy is not to be ashamed of. Notice secondly, he says, "Nor of me, his prisoner." Nor of me his prisoner. Why would this have to be told to Timothy? Do you ever or have you ever had a friend in prison? Do you typically boast about that person? Yeah, I got a friend. He's in prison. If you had a friend in Ottawa that was in the political realm, you'd probably boast about that person. But if you had a friend that was in the big house, you might not boast about that person. You see, it doesn't look good when your buddies are in the slammer, right? I mean for most people I understand Charles Manson just got engaged. I guess there is someone out there for everyone but for most people there's a bit of shame a bit of ignominy associated with imprisonment. You say well that simply can't be the case. This you know Paul says in verse 15 that all those in Asia have turned away from me among whom are felis and hermogynes. They didn't want to associate with a prisoner. They didn't want to be looked upon as a friend of one that was in the slammer. This brought them into suspicion. This brought them into consideration. So Paul says essentially do not be ashamed of the gospel of our Lord Jesus and do not be ashamed of me its chief proponent Timothy do not disown me is what Paul is saying. Notice as well what the apostle says here in verse 8 that is interesting. He says nor of me his prisoner the nearest antecedent is Lord. Paul is saying that he is Jesus prisoner. He says the same thing in Ephesians 3:1. He says the same thing in Ephesians 4:1. He says the same thing in Phileiman 9. Now Jesus was not Nero. Nero was the head of the Roman state at this particular time. Jesus wasn't a jailer. He didn't have a a ring of keys on his on his belt. And he locked Paul up into that slammer. What is Paul saying? He is saying, "I am Christ's prisoner. This is bigger than Nero. This is bigger than the Roman state. This is bigger than the empire. I am here because the sovereign plan and the sovereign mind of our great God and Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. I am his prisoner." And you mustn't forget that Timothy. George Knight says that Paul's imprisonment is for no other reason than that he serves the Lord. Paul always refers to himself as a prisoner in this way that he does so here gives Timothy perspective on Paul's imprisonment and thereby gives him reason not to be ashamed of the apostle. It's beautiful. What's the logical implication? If we are ashamed of the chief proponent of the gospel, then we are ashamed of the gospel itself. It makes sense, doesn't it? nor of me his prisoner. Philip Towner says to be ashamed of the gospel is also to be ashamed of its representatives. Faithfulness to Christ makes no sense apart from the faithfulness to those appointed by him and suffering for him. This is why, as I've already pointed out in verses 11 and 12, the apostle highlights his example, his role, his precedent. It is to encourage Timothy to faithfulness and to loyalty and to perseverance in the face not only of the Roman state, but in the face of heretics within the professing church. When we get to second Timothy 4 and Paul signs off, he says, "Preach the word. Be ready in season and out of season. convince, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and teaching. Why? Because the Roman state is going to come and knock down the building and and and destroy you in your church setting. No, because the time will come when they the people who should know better, the people who profess saving faith, they will not endure sound doctrine. Timothy's response to that is not to run and hide and suck his thumb and lay down with his blanking. When men refuse sound doctrine, Paul's admonition is to preach sound doctrine, the people never get to describe or define what it is that is best for them. God does that consistently. Notice, we've seen the prohibition. Look at the the exhortation. The latter part of verse eight says,"Do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings of for the gospel according to the power of God." The command to suffer with Paul. You see, Paul when he wrote didn't say, you know, I'm hopeful that Timothy doesn't get bent out of shape about this. I I I hope that this doesn't defend Timothy. I I hope that this doesn't bother Timothy. I I I hope that Timothy doesn't cut me off. No, Paul tells Timothy very specifically to not be ashamed of the gospel and to suffer with Paul for the gospel. The apostle experienced a great deal of suffering in his call. At least that call recorded in the book of Acts when Jesus speaks to Ananas. He says, "I must show him how many things he must suffer for my name's sake." 2 Corinthians 11, the apostle specifies the various things that had happened to him in gospel ministry. Paul is in uh prison when he writes to Timothy. Paul knows that he's going to die in this particular imprisonment. At the end of chapter 4, he says, "I know that my time is short. I am being poured out as a drink offering. The time of my departure is at hand." Timothy didn't have to scratch his head and say, "I wonder what Paul means about suffering for the gospel." Gordon Fee makes this excellent observation as well with reference to suffering. He says in Paul's understanding this suffering is closely related to Christ's own suffering both the physical pain of torture and the humiliation of the shamefulness of crucifixion. Only in this context can one accurately hear the two imperatives which are actually the two sides of a single reality. In other words, when we read but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God. Paul is not writing from a cushy place in the southern state saying, "I've only got 600 people in my church and they didn't vote me a big raise this year." That's not suffering for the gospel. Being in prison and getting your head chopped off under the command of Nero is suffering for the gospel. That's the reality. It is in light of that suffering of Christ. Just like we saw this morning, Jesus announces he must go to Jerusalem. He must suffer. He must die. He must be raised on the third day. And on the heels of that, he tells his disciples, "If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself. Let him take up his cross and follow me." You see, the way of Christ is not the way of ease and comfort and happiness and joy all the time. Certainly there's comfort, joy, and happiness being se uh securely found in him. But in terms of physical comforts, in terms of the the earthly comforts, in terms of those things we so desperately crave, Paul says to Timothy, "Share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God." Philippians chapter 1, the apostle understands that his imprisonment there, remember we argued in the introduction to second Timothy, Paul spent at least two times in prison. Might have been a third one in there as well. But in the first imprisonment, he writes Philippians, Ephesians, Colossians, and Phileiman here. This is the second imprisonment after the book of Acts is over. When Acts 28 closes, Paul is released from that imprisonment. Paul then goes and does lots of ministry. And here in second Timothy, he's back in prison and he knows that his time is short. Second Timothy is the last letter that the Apostle Paul wrote. It was his swan song. It was his 11th hour. It was the the the the dying words of the Apostle Paul. He knew what suffering was all about. But notice what he says in this particular section. He says, "Share with me in the sufferings for the gospel." Share with me in the sufferings for the gospel. You see, to suffer in and of itself is not commendatory. To suffer in and of itself, just like we saw this morning, to die for a cause that is wrong isn't noble. To die for an idol is not a good thing. To die for Christ is a most blessed thing. To suffer because you're a political revolutionary, there's no nobility there. To suffer because you're a murderer, there's no nobility there. To suffer because you're a thief or you're a busy body, there's no nobility there. But suffer with me for the gospel. This is essentially what Peter says in First Peter chapter 4 in a passage that highlights tribulation for all of the people of God. 1 Peter chapter 4. Basically, he gives four rules on how to deal with tribulation. It's a whole another sermon. Just give you the heads. You ought to expect it. Verse 12. You ought to expect it. You as a godly man or woman living in an ungodly world, you ought to expect some sort of persecution. You ought to exalt in it. Not exalt it, but exalt in it. That means be joyful. Not because you have some sick fascination with pain and suffering, but because you're called upon to suffer for Christ. And then he says, evaluate its cause. Verses 15 to 18. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busy body in other people's matters. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter. The same is true in second Timothy 1. Timothy, join or share with me in the sufferings for the gospel. Not because you're a complainer. Oh, they're persecuting me because because of what? There's been recent stories of pastors or you'll hear of ministers that do things that are wrong and then it gets to social media and then social media I don't even like saying social media but social media says here's what pastor so and so did. What typically happens is that the spotlight then shines upon those who put it on social media. Now I'm not suggesting that we should gossip. I'm not suggesting that we should share everybody's business. But more often than not, the spotlight is taken off of the man who's actually sinned and he becomes the sufferer. He becomes the victim of social media. No, he betrayed his Lord in his calling and he shouldn't have done that. Yeah, I grant it shouldn't have been all over social media, but let's not lose sight of the reality that this man brought these things upon himself. So, the suffering isn't because of mean and nasty vindictive people out there. Timothy wasn't to be a sufferer because he was obnoxious. He wasn't to be a sufferer because he was politically, you know, incorrect. He was to suffer, which I think being faithful to the gospel will render one politically incorrect. But he was to be faithful to the gospel. Then notice finally, the power to persevere, suffer or share with me in the sufferings of the gospel according to the power of God. according to the power of God. This is ability given to Timothy already in verse 7. The gift was already his. According to verse six, the spirit does not produce fear. I'm not saying that every man who preaches the gospel or every Christian who witnesses faithfully doesn't get the fluttered heart, doesn't get, you know, the the butterflies in the stone. I'm not saying that. It's always going to be a degree of that sort of a challenge that we have to overcome. But if we're paralyzed by fear and we can't preach the truth, we're not doing what we're supposed to, then we're betraying that power that is there for us that we ought to be utilizing, that we ought to be using. The spirit does not produce fear. He produces power, love, and a sound mind. Timothy had all the resources at his disposal to make sure that he could comply a with the prohibition and b with the particular exhortation. Philip Towner makes this observation. And what the spirit provides is power to endure the stress that comes from bearing witness to God, not removal to some safe place. You see, the spirit gives the power for a man to persevere through the hardship. The spirit doesn't magically come and lay hold of the man and translate him over to Barbados for a nice summer vacation. That's not the emphasis. You have the power of the Holy Spirit to keep you as you persevere through these trials, through these difficulties, through these hardships. It's very intriguing to me as well in light at least again of some sectors of the professing church today. And I I hope it doesn't sound like I'm picking on everyone. I'm just making some observations. In some churches, what is the evidence of God's power? In some churches, the evidence of God's power is miracles. The evidence of God's power is tongue speaking. The evidence of God's power is prophesying. The evidence of God's power is a whole host of things that Paul isn't talking about in second Timothy chapter 1. Do you know what an evidence of God's power is? Do you know what a manifestation of God's power is? It is when a man of God takes seriously the mandate from God to faithfully execute the ministry unto God in a manner that is loyal, that is consistent, and that is persevering. God's power is evident in uh men that faithfully carry out the task that the Lord God most high has called them to. That's not the way it is today. If I go to a pastor's conference, not reformed Baptist, we're all well trained in this, but a non-reformed Baptist context, how big's your church? That's really what validates a ministry. How big is your church? How many people do you have? Well, you know, on a given Sunday night, we might have 50 people there. You kind of see the eyes roll. What 50? What 50? That's chump change, man. So they had a mega church, celebrity preacher. Your face should be on a coffee cup or a t-shirt or on a bus. There ought to be book deals. There ought to be endorsements. There ought to be all these things. No, there ought to be faithfulness over the long haul for 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 years. Gardener Spring labored at the Brick Presbyterian Church in New York for 60 years. That's a demonstration of God's power. That's a demonstration of God's power that men obey the Lord. They're not ashamed of the gospel. They are faithful with reference to the ministry. That is a demonstration of God's power. But brethren, the apostle is not impressed with the world's standards of success. He is not impressed with numbers. He is not impressed with money. He is not impressed with celebrity status. He's not impressed with the things that we're so often impressed by. Paul links God's power to Timothy's faithfulness. Timothy's faithful. This is a manifestation. This is a demonstration. This is the legitimate proof that the spirit of God is at work. Probably all looking at me like, "Boy, you're nuts." It's devastating to hear somebody come into a biblically regulated church to say, "There's no spirit here because it's boring." Since when did boring become the rule as to whether the spirit is present or not? This is the way we think. It didn't didn't excite me. It didn't, you know, rile me up. It it it didn't meet me. If the word of God doesn't feed your soul, then there's something bigger at stake. The word of God does not minister the balm of Gilead to your heart. Simple worship means to be decorated with a bunch of other things. You haven't got the emphasis in the New Testament documents. Well, in conclusion, we see the pattern for gospel ministry, the commitment to an unashamed proclamation of the gospel of our Lord Jesus and the willingness to suffer for the gospel rather than to compromise the gospel. We are not to pair off the rough edges. We are not to massage it. so that the masses will be more receptive. We are to preach the unadulterated truth of God's holy word. Secondly, Paul called upon Timothy to exercise loyalty, faithfulness to Christ, to Paul and to Timothy. Again, Fee says, "Thus the two imperatives of this verse, and treat Timothy to the three basic loyalties to Christ and his gospel, to Paul, and to his own ministry." Thirdly, as we saw this morning, we see again tonight the consistent testimony of scripture is completely, utterly contrary to the health, wealth, and prosperity gospel. There is suffering associated with the cross. There are trials and sorrows associated with the cross. There are hardships associated with the cross. You don't come to Jesus simply to get good things. You come to Jesus by the grace of God to receive the forgiveness of sins and to get the best thing, the imputed imputed righteousness of another so that you can stand before God most high. The Bible is clear that the people of God will face persecution and suffering and trial. Just remember that when you are called upon in like situations, God has not given you a spirit of fear. God has given you the spirit of power and of love and of a sound mind. So whether minister or brother or sister in the church, we need to take seriously this prohibition. Do not be ashamed of the gospel. Do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord. And do not be ashamed of men who suffer or men who are imprisoned or women who are imprisoned for their faith in the Lord of glory and join with Paul and suffering for the gospel if God the Lord has ordained it such. Well, let us pray. Our father, we thank you for the consistent testimony of holy scripture. We pray for men of God laboring in churches in obscurity. We pray that you would just cause them to be faithful, to persevere, to be the men that that Paul tells Timothy to be. We ask, God, that you would bless the churches that we know and love, that you would bless our brothers in in service to Christ, that they would not be ashamed of the gospel, and that they would enter into suffering should they be called upon. I pray for Pastor Cam and myself that you would grant us grace to be faithful and never to shrink back from declaring the whole council of God. Help us to hold fast the word. Help us to hold forth the word and help us to do so for the glory of God and for the well-being of this church. God, bless and protect this this flock. And I pray that each brother and each sister here would not be ashamed. And each brother and each sister here would enter into those things that you call us unto for our service to Christ. Go with us now we pray. And we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.