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Well, please turn with me in
your Bibles to 2 Timothy chapter 2. 2nd Timothy chapter 2. I had
alluded to verses 8 and 8 to 10 this morning in our sermon
and wanted to deal with that, but I didn't want to bypass that
first section. So God willing, we'll take up
verses 8 to 10 next Sunday. But I want to look at chapter
2 verses 1 to 7. I think these are some good instructions
for us with reference to the thought of persecution. We looked
at that in our passage in Acts this morning. There was great
persecution upon the church. And Paul here is telling Timothy
and equipping Timothy on how he must deal with hardship, with
affliction, with trial, and with difficulty. And he does so in
a series of commands. In fact, the bulk of chapter
2 are commands or imperatives given to Timothy on how he is
to conduct himself in gospel ministry. So, I want to read
the chapter, and then, as I said, our focus will be on verses 1
to 7. So 2 Timothy 2, beginning in verse 1, you, therefore, my
son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things
that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these
to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. You, therefore,
must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one
engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this
life that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. And
also, if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes
according to the rules. The hardworking farmer must be
first to partake of the crops. Consider what I say, and may
the Lord give you understanding in all things. Remember that
Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead
according to my gospel, for which I suffer trouble as an evildoer,
even to the point of chains. But the word of God is not chained.
Therefore, I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that
they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with
eternal glory. This is a faithful saying, for
if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him. If we endure,
we shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will
deny us. If we are faithless, He remains
faithful. He cannot deny Himself. Remind
them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive
about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers. Be diligent
to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not
need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. but shun profane
and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness,
and their message will spread like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus
are of this sort, who have strayed concerning the truth, saying
that the resurrection has already passed, and they overthrow the
faith of some. Nevertheless, the solid foundation
of God stands, having this seal. The Lord knows those who are
His, and let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from
iniquity. But in a great house there are not only vessels of
gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor
and some for dishonor. Therefore, if anyone cleanses
himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified
and useful for the master, prepared for every good work. Flee also
youthful lusts, but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those
who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. but avoid foolish and
ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife. And a servant
of the Lord must not quarrel, but be gentle to all, able to
teach, patient in humility, correcting those who are in opposition.
If God perhaps will grant them repentance so that they may know
the truth and that they may come to their senses and escape the
snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his
will. Amen. Let us pray. Father, we
thank You for the written Word. We thank You that it's given
to us by inspiration of God Almighty, and that it's profitable for
our souls. And we pray tonight that the Spirit who gave the
Word would guide us in our understanding of that Word, and that You would
help us to appropriate it by faith, help us to put into practice
the things that are indicated here, by the Apostle Paul. Again,
forgive us for our sins and our unrighteousness. Help us to see
the mindset that is necessary for the Christian people, for
the people of God in this lower world. And do fill us now with
the Spirit and guide us in our understanding. We pray this through
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Well, as I said, this morning
we studied Acts chapter 8, where there was a great persecution
against the church. And we looked at 2 Timothy chapter
2, verses 8 to 10. Notice what he says in terms
of his position relative to the Word of God. He says, Remember
that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the
dead, according to my gospel, for which I suffer trouble as
an evildoer, even to the point of chains, but the Word of God
is not chained. Under Christ, the persecution
of the church nevertheless yields beneficial results. Under Christ,
the persecution of the church oftentimes promotes holiness
on the part of the people of God, evangelism, as we see there
in Acts chapter 8, on the part of the people of God. There are
remedial purposes for the persecution that Christians do face in this
world. So I thought it would be good
for us to look at the exhortation specifically in verses 1 to 7,
as Paul is preparing Timothy for a life that is punctuated
by trials, afflictions, and hardships. But to appreciate chapter 2,
verses 1 to 7, we need to go back into chapter 1. Specifically,
Paul tells Timothy in verses 8 to 10 that Timothy needs to
join with Paul in suffering for the cause of the gospel. Notice
in 2 Timothy 1.8, 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. So Timothy is to
join with Paul. He is to endure hardship. He
is to suffer affliction. He is to undergo persecution
and the heartaches associated with Christian ministry. Paul
highlights Paul's example in the verses that follow, specifically
in verses 11 and 12. He gives Timothy specific exhortation
in verses 13 and 14 of chapter 1 on how he is to conduct himself.
Notice he says, 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. So Timothy is to hold
fast the pattern of sound words. He's not to hold them lightly,
he's not to be effeminate, but rather he is to be a man that
holds fast to the word of truth. He goes on to say he is to keep
that which has been committed to him by the Holy Spirit who
dwells in us. Now in the remainder of the chapter,
here in chapter 1, he gives examples of those who have departed, those
who have reneged, those who have not persevered, and those who
have abandoned or deserted the Apostle Paul. So there's negative
examples, but there is this one positive example in this man
Onesimus, and God, or Paul rather, wants him to find mercy on that
day. So the apostle there is very
much concerned with Timothy's faithfulness. He is very much
concerned with Timothy's perseverance. He is very much concerned that
Timothy endure hardship, that he participate in it, and that
he does not apostatize or reject the faith. And that's the purpose
of chapter 2. He gives him this series of commands
to show to him how he needs to function in light of the things
that have been stated in chapter 1. So I wanna look at verses
one to seven this evening under three considerations. There is
first the command to be strong in verse one. Secondly, the duty
to train pastors in verse two, and then the exhortation to suffer
hardship in verses three to seven. But note in the first place,
this command to be strong in verse one. You therefore, that
therefore connects us with everything he's already said previously
in chapter one. He is to not be ashamed of the
testimony of our Lord. He is not to be ashamed of Paul
as prisoner, but he is rather, according to verse 8, to share
with Paul in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power
of God. In order for Timothy to do this,
in order for Timothy to be the man of God that Timothy is supposed
to be, Paul now exhorts him in verse 1, you therefore, my son,
be strong. You're not to be passive, you're
not to be weak, you're not to be a coward, but rather you are
to be strong. But it's not a native strength. He says, be strong in the grace
that is in Christ Jesus. So it's not just dispositionally
sort of alpha males that are to be the leaders in the church.
Rather, it is those who are strong in the grace that is in Christ
Jesus our Lord. So there's obviously a need for
strength in the Christian ministry, but we also ought to appreciate
that this is a general exhortation for all of the people of God.
I don't want anybody here to tune out tonight and say, well,
you know, this doesn't apply to me because I'm not a Timothy
in a local church. This doesn't apply to me because
I'm not a vocational pastor. This doesn't apply to me because
I'm not set apart for gospel ministry. Whatever is true for
gospel ministers ought to be pursued by everybody in the church
of Jesus Christ. For example, in 1 Timothy chapter
3, you have the qualification for elders and you have the qualification
for deacons. No man should ever come to that
passage and skip it and say, well, you know, I don't have
to be the husband of one wife. I don't have to have good conduct.
I don't have to be the sort of person that's in view in this
passage because I'm not being considered for the eldership
or for the diaconate. This is the calling of God for
each and every person. But with reference to 1 Timothy
3, it must be exemplified in those men that are going to be
called by God through the church into service as elders and deacons. But in terms of the specific
exhortation of Timothy, yeah, it obtains. He's a Christian
minister. He's in a difficult situation. He needs to be strong.
But each and every one of us need to be strong in the grace
that is in Christ Jesus. There is that need. John Gill
says, to be strong in it is to preach it boldly, to defend it
bravely and courageously, oppose every error and heresy and every
better thereof. You see this back in 1st Timothy
chapter 1. Notice what Paul says in 1st Timothy 1.18. He says,
excuse me, this charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according
to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by
them you may wage the good warfare, having faith and a good conscience,
which some, having rejected concerning the faith, have suffered shipwreck,
of whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I delivered to Satan, that
they may learn not to blaspheme." So Timothy is to be strong in
the grace that is in Christ Jesus. You'll know that I oftentimes
invoke 1 Corinthians 16.3. The verb in our New King James
has be brave. The actual definition, according
to a very, you know, basic standard lexicon or dictionary of the
Greek, the definition is conduct oneself in a manly or courageous
way. This morning I made the observation
that the church doesn't just need males, it needs men to preach
and teach and to be bold and be full of courage. But that's
the specific definition given. And so the NASB-ESV render it
better. Act like men. The old King James
says, quit ye like men. In other words, men and women
are to act like men. The idea is courage, boldness,
bravery. steadfastness, perseverance,
endurance, dealing with the various things that come upon you in
a way that is well-pleasing to God. Again, it's not a natural
disposition that only a certain few men have or possess because
they're by nature strong. He says, you be strong in the
grace that is in Christ Jesus. It originates with the triune
God. It is specifically connected to the Lord Christ. Kelly says,
Timothy is to show manly resolution. Not my daughter, Kelly, but a
commentator named Kelly. Timothy is to show manly resolution,
but the real strength of his efforts will come from the grace
Christ freely gives. You see that interplay there.
There must be that boldness and courage on the part of the man,
but there must be that grace of Christ. Again, not just for
ministers of the gospel, but for all of us in our Christian
lives. Now notice, secondly, what Paul
says, In verse 2, there is a duty to train pastors. And I love
the way he just transitions here. He doesn't say, well, you know,
this is something unique to a few churches. If they have the time,
they can develop a pastoral training program and then equipment for
gospel ministry. No, it's never a matter of if
you have time. This is a responsibility laid
upon local churches and elders to look out among them to find
faithful men and to equip those faithful men so that they may
in turn teach others. This isn't an add-on to an already
busy ministry, but rather this is incorporated into a busy ministry. This is part and parcel of pastoral
ministry, is to develop or identify and develop men so that they
may likewise teach others. That's the emphasis in verse
2. And it's not a digression or
a diversion. So in verse 1 he says, I want
you to endure I want you to be strong in the grace that is in
Christ Jesus. And then in verses 3 to 7, I want you to endure
hardship. But before I get into that, I want to digress and just
talk about equipment. No, it's vital and necessarily
connected to the whole. In other words, the Christian
ministry was never envisaged to operate alone. Men aren't
supposed to be a one-man operation when it comes to the ministry
of the gospel in the context of the local church. There needs
to be a team of men. There needs to be a plurality
of elders. There needs to be many servants in the church of
Jesus Christ. If a church is carrying out her
role, her particular task, in a responsible, godly, and biblical
way, it will require a great deal of work. And no one man
should ever be called to shoulder the entirety of that work. And
so men are called specifically to identify faithful men. Notice what he says. And the
things that you have heard from me among many witnesses commit
these two faithful men who will be able to teach others also.
So Paul assumes that Timothy will be able to identify in the
context of the local church who is a faithful man. who has the
potential or the capacity to learn doctrine, to learn the
Bible, and then to teach others also. And Timothy and his fellow
elders, churches today in their eldership, ought to be identifying
faithful men. ought to be equipping those faithful
men so that in turn those faithful men can be ordained or installed
in the gospel ministry that they may teach others also. As I mentioned
this morning, brethren, the harvest is plentiful and the laborers
are few. We need men. We need men that
are biblically qualified, men that are biblically trained,
men that are biblically set apart for gospel ministry. Vernon needs
a pastor. Vancouver needs a church. Lower
Mainland needs more churches. I'll get calls or I'll get requests.
Can you recommend a church in Vancouver? This is a large city
full of many, many people, and it's tough at times to recommend
a good church. Brethren, these things ought
not to be. We ought to pray to God the Lord
to raise up men and to send them out so we can plant churches.
so that we can preach the gospel, so that we can do what those
disciples did when they left Jerusalem. They go into Judea
and Samaria, they are scattered and they are preaching the word
of the Lord. That is the crying need of our
day. Churches don't need more programs. They certainly don't need more
puppets and they don't need more ponies. They don't need more
rock bands. They don't need more entertainment.
They don't need more hip guys in their torn jeans holding their
lattes. They need faithful men that are
described in 1st and 2nd Timothy, faithful men that are qualified
according to 1st Timothy 3, men that will stand up that will
cry aloud, that will spare not, but will prosecute the truth
of God's holy word in a godless and vile age. That is the need
for our day. And if we are not praying to
that end, shame on us. If we as a church are not trying
to bring that to pass, shame on us. If we are not looking
around and seeing faithful men, then we ought to be on our knees
praying that the Lord will bring them. Again, parents, bring your
boys up just to encourage them. Gospel ministry is a legitimate
calling under God, and it's most valuable and most necessary today. You don't have to treat it as
some esoteric, mysterious thing. They have to have a vision. The
heavens have to open before they'll ever feel the call to go into
gospel ministry. Encourage them. kids at 15, 16,
17, 18, boys that make confessions of faith and exhibit godliness. Why wouldn't we try to produce
or promote in them the pursuit of gospel ministry, the pursuit
of a theological education, the pursuit of faithfulness in the
context of the local church? Now, brethren, when it comes
to this identification of faithful men, I don't think it's that
hard. I really don't think it's that hard. Well, you know that
guy, he glows. No, that's not it. That guy has
a halo. No, that's not it. He's faithful. He shows up at every meeting.
I've often said and will continue to say, nobody ever ought to
be considered for the eldership in a church that hasn't proven
themselves as faithful members. If you don't come to church regularly,
if you don't participate in the means of grace, if you are not
a team player in that regard, why would we want you to preach
to us? Good churchmanship is the first
and necessary ingredient before we ever put a man forward for
gospel ministry. He's the sort of guy that's there.
He's the sort of guy that's faithful. He's the sort of guy that doesn't
whine. He's the sort of guy that doesn't
complain. He's the sort of guy that does
what he's supposed to do. Again, it's not magic, it's not
mystery, but rather it is faithfulness, as our brother just exhorted
us from Malachi chapter 2. It ain't fame that preachers
should be seeking. It's faithfulness that preachers
should be seeking. It's not sensationalism, but
rather it's the normal, the ordinary, and the persevering that God
blesses in the long run. And Paul says to Timothy, be
strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. But Timothy, you
can't do this on your own. Timothy, you will die if you
try to be the faithful man of God, apart from having any help
or any assistance. You have to look out among you.
You have to identify those men. You have to commit gospel truth
to them, and then give them the opportunity to likewise teach
these things to others. You see, gospel ministry can
never be undertaken by one man. There must be a plurality of
men, and this is Paul's point. George Knight says, faithfulness
negatively consists in their not losing, with reference to
these men, not losing, neglecting, ignoring, or falsifying, like
the false teachers mentioned in this letter, what Paul has
said, and positively consists of their handling accurately
the word of truth. Notice that Paul mentions by
name specific persons that have defected. Notice this Hymenaeus
and Philetus in chapter 2, verse 17, their message will spread
like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are of this sort. What was their
heresy? What was their error? Verse 18,
who have strayed, concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection
is already past and they overthrow the faith of Sodom. Now, some
of us might go, wow, that's an odd thing that anybody would
ever believe that. Well, there's a doctrine out
there called hyperpreterism, which teaches essentially the
same thing. It's also identified as the Hymenaean heresy. It is
a denial of the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ bodily,
gloriously, and for the express purpose to judge the living and
the dead. This affected or plagued the
church in Corinth as well. Paul deals with that in 1 Corinthians
15. Some have said the resurrection has already occurred. Again,
we think this is odd and awkward, but it's out there in our own
generation, vis-a-vis hyper-preterism. Now, don't go home. Google hyperpreterism. It's not a very edifying thing
to do. I can't forbid you, but you know just don't waste the
time on that because it can be dangerous. These aren't fools. They're not dumb. I always tell
new believers, I don't know always, I like to think I always tell
new believers, you're not ready and equipped to go against a
20-year veteran of Jehovah's Witnesses. Even though you're
absolutely right and they're absolutely wrong, you don't know
enough yet. And that happens with hyperpreterism.
It's kind of like if you've ever gone to the beach and there's
an undercurrent. You start off here, and then lo and behold,
you end up half a mile down the beach. Why is that? Because there's
undertow or an undercurrent, and it takes you astray. Hyperpreterism,
I think, functions that way because there's a rationality about it,
an internal logic about it, and people get sucked into it. So
that's my sort of qualifier to not go home and Google hyperpreterism. But the point is, is that the
Apostle Paul tells Timothy that he cannot do it on his own. The
Apostle Paul tells Timothy he is to be strong in the grace
that is in Christ Jesus. He tells Timothy that he's also
to identify and equip other men so that they will be able to
teach others also. In other words, this is not a
one-man show, Timothy. You need to be strong, but you
need to be wise. You need to be strong, but you
need to be smart. You need to be strong, but you
need to multiply your efforts by training men so that they
can, in turn, go out and teach others also. Now, notice thirdly,
the exhortation to suffer hardship, verses 3 to 7. He says, you therefore
must endure, you must share with me hardship as a good soldier,
of Jesus Christ. You therefore must endure hardship
as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. Go back to 1.8. 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. Paul knows what's happening in
terms of his own life and ministry. Paul knows he's at the end. Paul knows that this is probably
it for him. And history tells us he was right. He knew the time of his departure
was at hand. He knew that he was going to
go the way of all flesh. He knew that he was going to
be inducted into that blessed place where the spirits of just
men made perfect dwell in the presence of God Most High. He
knew that. And so there's a specific emphasis
by Paul on equipping Timothy so that Timothy can in turn carry
the baton for the next generation. And so Paul wants Timothy to
function in a way that is Pauline. He wants Timothy to function
the way that Paul himself had functioned. And Paul knows he
did it by the grace of God. He's not saying, I'm the model,
I'm the bestest guy ever. But God poured grace out on Paul. God used Paul mightily. And Paul
says to Timothy, I want you to follow my example. So that's
the emphasis here in chapter 2, verses 3 to 7. So he first
issues this command, verse three, you must, you therefore must
endure or you must share hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. Now that military or martial
imagery is used often by the apostle Paul. In fact, let's
look at a few places. Notice in Philippians chapter
two. Philippians chapter 2 at verse 25, this idea of being
a good soldier of Jesus Christ. It's a blessed or beautiful analogy
of what life in the Christian ministry is like. Notice in Philippians
2.25, yet I considered it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus,
my brother, fellow worker and fellow soldier, but your messenger
and the one who ministered to my need. 1 Timothy chapter 1. 1 Timothy 1, we already read
it. Verse 18, wage the good warfare. Wage the good warfare. In other
words, what you're doing, Timothy, is not CEOism. What you're doing,
Timothy, is not pep rally. What you're doing, Timothy, is
not just giving the people a shot in the arm so they can make it
through the present week. Timothy, you're engaged in warfare.
There's bullets whizzing by. There's napalm. There's all kinds
of enemy oppression, and you need to be aware of that, and
you need to be mindful of that. Philemon, too. Philemon, too. To Philemon, our beloved friend
and fellow laborer, to the beloved Aphia, our fellow soldier, and
to the church in your house. 1 Timothy chapter 6, while the
soldier reference is absent, the fighting emphasis is present. Notice in 1 Timothy 6.12, "...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." And then in 2 Timothy 4.7, 2 Timothy 4, 7, I have fought the
good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for
me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous
judge, will give to me on that day, and not to me only, but
also to all who have loved his appearing. So the presupposition
is clear. The Christian life generally,
and the Christian ministry specifically, is filled with hardship. It's
filled with trial. It's filled with difficulty. It's not easy. Again, we're not
just looking at the gospel ministry, but in the general sense, to
live the Christian life in an obviously non-Christian age is
a tough thing for the people of God. So Paul says you're supposed
to do it like a good soldier. And what's indicative of good
soldiers? They're devoted. They're devoted. They're not of two minds. They're
not divided, but rather they are devoted to the one who had
enlisted them. And that's Paul's point in 2
Timothy 2 at verse 4. He says, no one engaged in warfare
entangles himself with the affairs of this life that he may please
him who enlisted him as a soldier. So he is engaged in warfare and
he is engaged in it in a devoted manner. He's not of two minds,
he's not of two opinions, he's not of two loyalties, but rather
he follows his general, he follows his master, and he does whatever
the master bids. John Calvin says, we see how
many there are every day that throw away their spears, who
formerly made a great show of valor. When does this arise? Because they cannot be inured.
That means to habituate to something undesirable. They cannot be inured
to the cross. First, they are so effeminate
that they shrink from warfare. Next, they do not know any other
way of fighting than to contend haughtily and fiercely with their
adversaries, and they cannot bear to learn what it is to possess
their souls in patience. So on one hand, they're too effeminate
to even engage in the warfare, but on the other hand, they're
hotheads. They don't know how to engage in a manner that is
distinctly Christian. And Paul gives counsel with reference
to that later in the chapter. Notice in verse 24, a servant
of the Lord must not quarrel, but be gentle to all, able to
teach, patient in humility, correcting those who are in opposition.
If God perhaps will grant them repentance so that they may know
the truth and that they may come to their senses and escape the
snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his
will. We are good soldiers of Jesus Christ. We're not good
soldiers out there to promote the cause of Jesus Christ using
worldly or satanic methodology. Cursing at people on Facebook
doesn't promote the cause of God and truth. Cursing at people
in a private dialogue and shouting at them on why they're wrong
or foolish and how they need to submit to the truth of God's
holy word does not advance the cause of God and truth. This
is Paul's point with reference to later in the chapter. But
in terms of 2 Timothy 2, 3, and 4, the soldier is devoted. And with reference to gospel
ministry in particular, notice he says in verse 4, no one engaged
in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life
that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. The Roman soldier
did not farm and engage in commerce. The Roman soldier didn't work
at 7-Eleven and then go out to battle. The Roman soldier didn't
work at wherever else and then go out to battle. He was devoted
to his master. And this is Paul's point here.
And when we come to this particular passage, I don't think the emphasis
is on ministers withdrawing. Oh, they're cloistered away in
their little monastery and you can't ever bug them. That's not
the point. It's not withdrawal, but it's
rather don't be distracted. That Malachi 2 thing again. It's that what is the calling
of the Christian minister thing again. It's not to rev up the
people of God. It's not to be a holy cheerleader.
It's not to be a CEO. It's not to be a manager. or
one that is task-oriented to make sure it's to be a preacher
of God's holy word. Do not be distracted from that. I read recently of a seminary
professor who said that whenever one of his students are late
with a paper for submission, he either fails them or gives
them a letter grade less. I think he should fail them.
But maybe he just gives them a letter grade less. You know
what his rationale is? You've got to preach on Sunday.
You've got to preach on Sunday. There's no, well, you know, I
didn't get to it this week. It's one of the things about
the life of a preacher. There's always two deadlines every week.
Well, three, depending on what the week looks like. Maybe four,
depending on what the week may, could be five, depending on what
the week looks like. There's always deadlines. And
Paul's point is not withdrawal, but it's rather don't be distracted. Certainly the church should look
after her ministers and make sure they have adequate support
so that they don't need to work at 7-eleven and so they can give
themselves to the ministry of the word and to doctrine. But
differently than other positions in this world, Steve or other
deacons don't call me on Thursday and say, did you get your sermon
done? Are you ready for Sunday? Maybe they should once in a while.
might, you know, light the candle under me for even further exploits
under God. But there's no micromanagement
going on there. If a man of God isn't disciplined,
if he's not devoted to his cause, he's going to fritter away time.
He's going to waste time. He's not going to do the thing
that God has called him to do. And the soldier of Jesus Christ
is devoted to his master, and he functions in a manner that
is appropriate. Towner says, the soldier's goal
is to please or satisfy the wishes of the commander who expects
nothing less than complete attention to duty so that the military
objectives will be accomplished. Now, having been in the military,
I understand this. When the commander gives orders,
you don't say, but wait a minute, I just don't think I want to
do that. You never say that. You do what you're told. You
obey. You're devoted to the mission,
to the master. You don't ask questions. You
function the way you're supposed to. And this is what Paul wants
for Timothy. Again, as our brother said, you're
not to be novel. You're not to be innovative.
You're not to be creative. You're to be obedient. You're
to be devoted to the master who called you. You're to do his
will, his bidding. It's not your task to reorient
things. Do you ever get that where people
go to work and they tell the boss, well, there's a better
way to do this. You've just been hired. Maybe
you ought to just be quiet for a while and learn the ropes before
you try to manage everybody and everything else. You see, Paul
says, Timothy, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ, you need to
be devoted. But notice what else Paul does.
And again, I hope that you're not all saying, boy, this only
applies to Jim Butler. It doesn't. You all need to be
devoted soldiers of Jesus Christ. You all need to be strong in
the grace that is in Christ Jesus. But as well, you need to have
the discipline of an athlete, the discipline of an athlete.
Paul says devotion of a soldier. Notice as well, he says, you
need the discipline of an athlete. Verse five. And also, if anyone
competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes
according to the rules. Go back to first Corinthians
chapter nine. I love Paul, he uses manly metaphor. Manly metaphor. Soldiering, running, fighting,
manly metaphor. Fathers, train your sons up with
manly metaphors. Not ballet or, you know, I don't
know, maybe ballet is a manly thing, I don't know. But notice
in 1 Corinthians chapter 9 at verse 24, do you not know that
those who run in a race all run but one receives the prize? It's
another thing. We've got, you know, participation
trophies today. Boy, we don't want to hurt anybody's
self-esteem. We have to give them a participation
trophy. You get rewarded for just showing
up? Come on. Used to be you got rewarded when
you won. That's the way it ought to be, and that's the basis upon
which Paul's metaphor works. Oh, he participated, so let's
give him an award. No, let's teach him he should
participate without any sort of external stimuli. You get
these perfect attendance awards at work. Just show up. That's why they pay you. It's
to show up. You shouldn't get a reward for
doing what you're expected to do, but such is the age in which
we live. We have to reward basic behavior
because it's so lacking among so many today. Well, you know,
he showed up. That's great. That deserves a
reward. You know, there was a time in
at least Canada and America when it wasn't like that. You just
did what you were supposed to do without the external stimuli. But notice what Paul says. 1
Corinthians 9.24. Do you not know that those who
run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such
a way that you may obtain it. Now, kids, don't go home and
throw away your participation trophies. I'm not trying to rain
on your parade here. Go ahead and keep them. But as
I'm speaking this, it's occurring to me Some of these little guys
might be shattered and go throw their trophies away. Don't do
that. Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone
who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now,
they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable
crown. It's an interesting thing. Everyone
who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. We've
heard of what athletes go through in order to get shredded and
ripped and 8% or 10% body fat. They don't even use toothpaste
because there's a hint of sugar in it, and it might bring out
some water weight. They don't do that. They're temperate in
all things. They don't go out and party on Friday night. They
don't knock back beers the day before a competition. They go
to bed early, they get up early, and they buffet their body. And
Paul says they do that to get a temporal crown. They do that
to get a laurel wreath wrapped around their head and maybe tickets
to the theater. That was the prize for athletics
at this particular time. You see Paul's point. These guys
put their bodies through such rigor to get a laurel wreath
wrapped around their head for a time and get theater tickets.
But what do we have going for us? What is it that is our prize? What is in our future? And how
should we learn to fight? And everyone who competes for
the prize, verse 25, is temperate in all things. Now they do it
to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.
Therefore I run thus, not with uncertainty, thus I fight, not
as one who beats the air. but I discipline my body and
bring it into subjection lest, when I have preached to others,
I myself should become disqualified." Turn over to 1 Timothy 4. Again,
just to see this athletic imagery utilized by the Apostle Paul,
and then we'll work our way back to Timothy. 2nd Timothy but in
1st Timothy chapter 4 verse 7 well verse 6 if you instruct the brethren
or by Instructing the brethren we might translate by instructing
the brethren in these things you will be a good minister of
Jesus Christ Nourished in the words of faith and of good doctrine
which you have carefully followed but reject profane and old wives
fables and notice exercise yourself toward godliness The NAS renders
it, discipline yourself for godliness. The athletic imagery obtains
here and Paul uses it for Timothy. He says, reject profane and old
wives' fables and exercise yourself toward godliness. For bodily
exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all
things. Before you say, well, I don't
need to exercise physically, because Paul says it's profitable
for little. The comparison is that godliness
profits for now and the age to come. Bodily exercise does profit
now, and we should utilize it. Don't ever go to 1 Timothy 4
and say, well, you know, Paul denigrates the place of bodily
exercise, so therefore, I'm going to lay on my couch, and the only
exercise I'm going to get is throwing food into my mouth. That's not Paul's point. It's
a comparative. Godliness is profitable for now
and the age to come versus physical discipline, physical exercise,
which is profitable now. It is profitable. It profits
a little, again, in comparison with the lot that godliness profits,
but the emphasis here is primarily upon Timothy's need to exercise
himself toward godliness. Back to 2 Timothy chapter 2.
He is to exhibit the devotion of the soldier. He is to exhibit
the discipline of the athlete. And then notice thirdly, he is
to exhibit the diligence of the farmer. Verse 6, the hard-working
farmer must be first to partake of the cross. It's been a nice
thing to live in Chilliwack for the last 20-plus years. I have
seen this displayed. I have seen this evidenced. I
have seen firsthand what this passage looks like among some
even in this room. Growing up in Southern California,
I didn't ever visit dairy farms. No, I guess I should have, but
I just never did. But having lived here, I have.
I've seen what farmers do. I've seen how they do it. And
my hat's off to them. They are most diligent in the
execution of their duties. They correctly know that if they
don't get up at oh, dark 30, and they don't go out and do
what they're supposed to in terms of their animals or land, they're
likely to starve to death. That's a great motivator and
a great impetus for one to get out of bed. And these men are,
in fact, diligent, and they do these things so that they can
participate in the crops themselves. We need to understand Paul's
point. He wants Timothy to do what he
calls him to do with the devotion of the soldier, the discipline
of the athlete, and the diligence of the father. George Knight
again says, Paul has called on Timothy to suffer hardship and
has placed before him three models for him to consider in that service.
The soldier who pleases his commander and is not distracted from his
service to him. The law-abiding athlete who gains
the crown. I love that with reference to...
I bypassed that in verse 5. Also, if anyone completes in
athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according
to the rules. He doesn't revise the rules. He doesn't develop new rules.
He doesn't say, well, you know, I don't want to do a 440. I'd
rather do a 330. He does what he's supposed to do. And then
he goes on to say, and the hardworking farmer who receives his share
of the crops, together they speak of a vigorous and undivided service
that is rewarded. But as we close out this particular
section, what do we do with verse seven? Verse seven seems to sort
of almost hang there. You've got the devotion of the
soldier, the discipline of the athlete, the diligence of the
farmer. At least back when I initially preached this, I must have worked
out in my head or thought through this, and I came up with the
dedication of the disciple. Or I saw it in George Knight,
or Kelly, or one of these other brothers. But notice the dedication
of the disciple. You're to be devoted like a soldier,
disciplined like an athlete, diligent like a farmer, but you're
supposed to be dedicated like a disciple. Notice in verse 7,
consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding
in all things. He wants Timothy to reflect. He wants Timothy to understand.
He wants Timothy to apply the things that he has heard. And
then he says, and may the Lord give you understanding in all
things. The Lord gives understanding
with reference to things that have already been revealed. In
other words, Paul has instructed Timothy didactically. Paul has
given him information. Paul has passed on knowledge,
but Paul realizes that apart from the Lord's blessing, that
knowledge will not be internalized and then exemplified in Timothy's
ministry, life, and conduct. And I want you to notice the
interplay here between serious thought and sovereign grace.
The interplay between serious thought and sovereign grace.
Verse 7, consider what I say. Serious thought, and may the
Lord give you understanding in all things. Sovereign grace. See, we're not supposed to suspend
serious thought. We're not supposed to say, well,
I'm just going to empty my mind and may the Lord give me wisdom
in all things. No, we're not supposed to do
that. We're not supposed to bypass serious thought, banking on sovereign
grace to deliver us from our ineptitude. We're supposed to
use our minds. We're supposed to exercise our
minds. We're supposed to be intellectually
rigorous. We're supposed to give thought
to and contemplation of what the apostle has spoken by inspiration
of the Holy Spirit, understanding ultimately that it is the Lord
who gives us an understanding in all So there is this command
to Timothy to listen, and there is this petition for Timothy
that God's grace would bring this message home to him. Well,
in conclusion, I want to first notice that there is, I have
here in my notes, the perpetual presence of hardship. Perhaps
I should just say the presence of hardship. We can overdo it
on the perpetuality of hardship as well. God is good. God is
kind. We're not being arrested presently. We get to worship here. We've
got brand new, wonderful hymn books that make a nice sound
when you pull them out of the slot there. I've been told that
by several, and I witnessed it for myself sitting out there
this evening, and it is quite pleasing. We have many good things. It's not a constant, rigorous,
oppressive thing going on in our lives. The Lord is good. He is kind. Go to 1 Timothy chapter
4 for just a moment. I think we forget this at times. First Timothy 4.1, now the Spirit
expressly says that in latter times, or that in latter times,
some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits
and doctrines of demons, speaking lies and hypocrisy, having their
own conscience seared with a hot iron. Now, what's the particulars
involved? Look at what Paul says are deceiving
spirits, doctrines of demons, speaking lies and hypocrisy.
He says in verse three, forbidding to marry. Again, I've thought,
how can Roman Catholics ever read that and continue to subscribe
to a celibate clergy? It's just never the intention
of God to do that to his servants. God's far more kind than the
papal church. But that is a doctrine of demon
to forbid marriage, but as well and commanding to abstain from
foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by
those who believe and know the truth. God's not at war with
you having a good steak. God's not at war with you having
a good meal. And by God's grace, we get to
enjoy such things. In fact, look at verse four.
For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused
if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is sanctified by the word
of God and prayer. Now, probably what's in view
there is some sort of incipient Gnosticism, this idea that matter
is bad, marriage bad, steak bad, spirit good. That's not Christianity. Christianity recognizes that
God is not at war with us as creatures. He's at war with us
as sinners. We are creatures. Marriage is
given for our benefit. Stakes are given for our benefit. There are many good things given
by God, and the sanctified mind has no problem enjoying those
blessings and benefits. Now, I say all that to simply
highlight that at least for us in Chilliwack and Abbotsford
in the 21st century, our lives are not marked by perpetual hardship. That would be an overstatement.
But with reference to Christianity, there is hardship. There is persecution. There is that enmity against
the people of God, directed at them by Satan, through the agents
that he has in this world. And we need to appreciate the
reality, not only in the gospel ministry, but in the Christian
life. You will be opposed from time
to time. You will be resisted from time
to time. You may be persecuted from time
to time. What's the answer? To run home
and cry? No. Be a good soldier of Jesus
Christ. Be devoted to your master. Be
disciplined like an athlete. Be diligent like a farmer and
be dedicated like a disciple. That's how you face the suffering
and the persecution and the affliction and the trial that you may face.
You can't put your thumb in your mouth and fall down and assume
the fetal position and just hope that everything goes away. That
is not the response from the people of God. The people of
God are supposed to imbibe what Paul portrays here in terms of
a good soldier of Jesus Christ. Secondly, I'd like to give us
all an exhortation on perseverance. Long timers here will understand
the reference to the middle mile. There's a devotional I read many,
many years ago. It must have been, I don't know,
18, how long have I been trotting this one out for? 15, 18 years?
But there was this devotional that I read and the fellow highlighted
the importance of the middle mile. And when you look at a
race, for instance, and if you were to say it was 26 miles,
let's say it was a marathon, that first mile is where a lot
of people gather to see the running begin. The 26th mile is a place
where you would gather because you want to see the running end,
especially if you are one of the runners. But there's pomp
and show at the beginning, at the end. It's that middle stuff. You know, nobody goes and stakes
out mile marker 13 at a marathon. Oh, I really like to watch them
wheeze and almost collapse there. They don't typically do that.
They're at the beginning or they're at the end. What do you think
is probably the most difficult spot for the marathon runner?
It's not the beginning when everybody's cheering him on. Go, go, go.
It's not the end when everybody's cheering him on. Go, go, go,
go. It's the middle mile when there's nobody there cheering
him on. It's the middle mile where it's him alone. It's the
middle mile where he's got to persevere, where he's got to
endure, where he's got to keep himself on his legs, where he
has to resist the temptation to vomit and to lose every sense
of his being. He has got to be faithful and
persevering. And it occurs to me that this
is an apt analogy of the Christian life. We get converted. Everybody's
happy for us. We're dying on our deathbed.
Everybody's happy for us. Not that we're dying, but that
we're going to go into the presence of our Lord. But it's the middle
mile. It's what we are before God on
our own. We need to persevere. We need
to endure. And the tendency or the temptation
might flood our hearts to shave off some rough edges. To not
manifest the same sort of zeal that we did in the first few
miles. We're going to just adopt a position
or a posture where we're going to coast, and hopefully we are
going to make it. That's unacceptable. What Paul
describes here in terms of the devotion of the soldier, the
discipline of the athlete, the diligence of the farmer, and
the dedication of the disciple must obtain throughout the career
of the man of God. It is never okay to say, well,
you know, I used to really love to hang out with the people of
God. Now, not so much. I used to really love my Bible
reading, but now not so much. I used to really like to pray,
but now not so much. Brethren, we need to take ourselves
by the scruff of the neck and give ourselves a good shake and
put finger and face and say, you need to run. You need to
endure. You need to persevere. Our confession
of faith is wonderful here. What's the basis of our perseverance?
This perseverance of the saints depends not upon their own free
will, but upon the immutability of the decree of election, flowing
from the free and unchangeable love of God the Father, upon
the efficacy of the merit and intercession of Jesus Christ,
and union with Him. the oath of God, the abiding
of the Spirit, and the seed of God within them, and the nature
of the covenant of grace, from all which arises also the certainty
and infallibility thereof." Essentially, we persevere by God's grace. But then the confession ends
on a most practical note, and I don't read this to sort of
justify any inactivity on our part, or any compromise on our
part, but to encourage us. Because perhaps we are sluggish. Perhaps we are in a rut. You
know the only difference between a rut and a grave is depth. And
maybe God will use this to stir some of us up, to look at ourselves
afresh and say, do I need to run the way I used to run? Our
confession highlights, and though they may, through the temptation
of Satan and of the world, the prevalency of corruption remaining
in them, and the neglect of means of their preservation, fall into
grievous sins, and for a time continue therein, whereby they
incur God's displeasure and grieve His Holy Spirit, come to have
their graces and comforts impaired, have their hearts hardened and
their consciences wounded, hurt and scandalize others, and bring
temporal judgments upon themselves. Yet shall they renew their repentance
and be preserved through faith in Christ Jesus to the end."
Again, I don't read that so that we'll go out and be neglectful,
so that we'll go out and be sluggish in that middle mile. But if,
under God, this sermon finds us out and we can conclude that
we've been in a rut, There's great encouragement. There's
forgiveness with God that he may be feared. There's mercy
with God. There's renewal of repentance.
There's renewal of that desire to run the race with endurance,
looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of faith. Well,
brethren, I hope that this is helpful, and I hope that we together
will persevere, that we together will endure hardship, and that
we together will show the devotion, the discipline, the diligence
and the dedication that Paul says Timothy is to manifest,
and by extension, not just all gospel ministers, but every disciple
of Jesus Christ. Well, let us close in a word
of prayer. Father, we thank you for your word. We thank you for
these admonitions and exhortations in our Bibles. And we pray that
your Holy Spirit would be at work in our hearts and in our
lives. Help us to not be sluggish. Help us to shake off any sorts
of things that we've developed in our own hearts or lives that
are contrary to the Christian race. Give us grace, Lord God,
to endure. to run, to be diligent, to be
devoted, to be disciplined in all the things that Paul says
in 2 Timothy 2. I thank you for the brothers
and the sisters here. I thank you for our local church.
Help us to be healthy. Help us to pursue the things
that are pleasing in your sight. And would you go with us now
and cause your face to shine upon us. May we know your peace.
May we know your preservation. May we know your protection in
this coming week. And we ask this through Jesus Christ our
Lord. Amen. We'll close with a brief time
of meditation and then be dismissed.
