Well, just by way of review, remember back in chapter 1, the Apostle Paul, in verse 8, tells Timothy, 2nd Timothy is probably the latest epistle in the entirety of the New Testament. It is certainly Paul's last letter. It is basically his declaration, a dying declaration, and he acknowledges as much in 2nd Timothy chapter 4. He knows that he's going to die.
History tells us that he suffered under the neurotic persecution and that he was beheaded for the cause of God and truth. And so he's exhorting Timothy who will in turn exhort others on those things most needful with reference to Christian ministry. So he wants Timothy to join with him. He wants Timothy to endure hardships.
He wants Timothy to be faithful and persevering. And then he highlights his own example there in chapter 1, in verses 11 and 12. He then indicates the specifics with reference to Timothy's ministry in chapter 1, verses 13 and 14. 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 he's to hold fast the pattern of sound words, and he is to keep that which was committed to him by the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. He ends chapter one by citing negative examples. Those who have departed, those who have apostatized, those who did not endure, those who were not faithful and persevering.
He does cite, however, one faithful man by the name of Onesimus. And now in chapter two, he gives Timothy a series of exhortations, a series of commands. to help Timothy, to encourage Timothy, so that Timothy will be the minister that he's supposed to be. Last week we considered verses 1 to 7 in 2 Timothy chapter 2. Notice that Paul in verse 1 says, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. not be weak, not be effeminate, but rather as a minister of the gospel, you need to be strong, you need to be faithful, you need to be the kind of man that is serving the Lord Christ.
He then tells Timothy that he's to seek out or identify and then instruct men who will be able to instruct others as well. So the idea is that the ministry is never to be a one-man show. Timothy is to look out among the churches. He's to find those men that are faithful.
He is to teach those men, and those men likewise are to be teaching others. And then in verse 3, he gives him this exhortation. You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. That's the imperative.
You must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. It's very similar to what he's already said in 1 Timothy 1, verse 8. And then he gives him a series of examples to encourage him with reference to this end. You need to endure hardship.
You need to demonstrate the devotion of a soldier, the discipline of an athlete, the diligence of a farmer, and the dedication of a disciple. That's essentially what he says there in verses 3 to 7.
Introduction: Three Incentives
Now in verses 8 to 13, he gives incentives for that. In other words, he tells Timothy, not only what he must do, and he sets before Timothy examples of how he must do it, but he incentivizes Timothy. He gives him three particulars that he's supposed to focus on, that he's supposed to consider, so that he will, by God's grace, and thinking through these things, be able to endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. And that's what we find in verses 8 to 13.
First Incentive: Contemplate Christ
In the first place, he tells him that he needs to contemplate Christ. In the second place, he needs to consider the conduct of Paul. And then in the third place, he needs to recognize the communion that he has with Christ. So the contemplation of Christ, the conduct of the Apostle Paul, and communion with Christ are three incentives to aid Timothy so that he will endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
So when we look at these, those examples of the soldier, the example of the farmer, the example of the athlete, the dedication of a disciple, all those things are crucial. All those things are helpful. All those things are blessed. But in the first instance, with reference to the incentives, in verse 8, he says you need to contemplate Christ.
In other words, you're not just slugging it out. You're not just being a good soldier or a devoted or a diligent farmer. You're not just an athlete. But you're Christian.
You need to ponder Jesus. Any strength, any help, any grace, any power that we succeed in in our Christian life is directly owing to Christ. And that's what the apostle says in verse 8. He says,
Incarnation and Resurrection of Christ
Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel. We're not to try to live the Christian life apart from Jesus Christ. We're not simply called to be stoic, or to be Spartan, or to be those who grin and bear it, or those who knuckle under, or those who pull up their bootstraps. We do those things in concert with this conscious contemplation of who Jesus Christ is.
Now notice, remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel. So he wants us to focus primarily, at least in this passage, on the incarnation of Jesus Christ and on the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And I think these two go hand in hand with reference to the larger context, because Jesus is one who endured. Jesus is one who suffered.
Jesus is one who persevered. But Jesus is one who also reigns enthroned at the right hand of God Almighty. So incarnation and resurrection are key and vital things for Christian soldiers to contemplate with reference to their Savior, because it's paradigmatic or a pattern for the lives that we have. Christ learned obedience through what?
Through suffering, according to Hebrews chapter 5. In a context where the apostle is telling Timothy to endure hardship, to suffer for the cause of Christ, what better place to direct Timothy than to the one who incarnate came into this world, was a man of sorrows, was acquainted with grief, acknowledged that the foxes had their holes, the birds had their nests, but the Son of Man had nowhere to lay his head. He was ultimately delivered up by godless men to godless men. He was ultimately crucified as a malefactor on the cross, but he was raised again the third day.
That sets forth the pattern for the people of God. Brethren, we ought never to think there'll be no hardship in the Christian life. If it marked our Savior's walk on this earth, then more than likely it is going to mark our walk on this earth. Again, it's not every single day that we have this ceaseless persecution upon us.
We have it pretty good for the most part. But Paul will say later in 2 Timothy 3 that all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. And remember, chapter 1 verse 8, chapter 2 verse 3, he wants Timothy to endure hardship. He wants Timothy to know something about suffering for the cause of God and truth.
And so Jesus is a perfect example and one that we ought to contemplate. Certainly, the devotion of a soldier, the discipline of an athlete, the diligence of a farmer, and the dedication of a disciple are helpful examples to inculcate in the people of God a persevering attitude. But Christ is crucial. That's where we focus.
This is akin to Hebrews chapter 12. We're to run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus. Chapter 11 is a great testimony concerning runners who had gone before us. A great testimony of those who persevered.
A great testimony of those who manifested endurance. A great testimony of those who live by faith. But the primary emphasis in Hebrews 12 is looking unto Jesus. We're not looking to Abraham.
We're not looking to Noah. We're not looking to Abel. We're not looking at them as our chief example. They're certainly helpful.
But we are looking unto Jesus as we run with endurance the race that is set before us. And I think that's Paul's point here. You need to remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel. Now, with reference to the incarnation, it stresses, obviously, the true humanity of Jesus Christ.
When Jesus was struck, when Jesus bled, when Jesus was crucified, when Jesus was spat upon, when Jesus was mistreated, He was, in fact, a real man. He didn't appear to be a man, but rather He was a man, and He suffered, and He learned obedience through that suffering. So the incarnation is most helpful for us to remember in terms of our running with endurance the race that is set before us. Paul underscores the royal lineage of Jesus.
He's of the seed of David. And then he mentions, was raised from the dead according to my gospel. He doesn't mention the man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. He doesn't mention the various sorts of things that Jesus suffered according to his humanity.
But the reality is that when he mentions the resurrection of Christ, that assumes the previous death of Jesus Christ, doesn't it? He wasn't resurrected without any idea or consciousness to the death of Jesus. No, the resurrection presupposes the previous suffering. It presupposes that previous humiliation.
It presupposes those blows that he received, the spit that was sent upon him. All of that is presupposed by this reference to the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and it fits the context. Endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. Be like your Savior.
When you think that you can't do it, you need to look to Him. You need to ponder Him. You need to run with endurance the race that is set before you, always looking to Christ. And I think we fall prey to this idea that it's almost the Galatian heresy, not the one where we have to get circumcised in order to be saved, but this concept where we start in the spirit and then we continue in the flesh, which again touches on the whole idea of salvation by circumcision, but I think it extends even further.
Christ as Pattern for Endurance
We come to Christ for our justification, but we don't stop with Christ in our sanctification. We need to depend upon Him. We need to be looking to Him. We need to be focused upon Him.
And that's Paul's exhortation to Timothy in particular. This reference to the incarnation and to the resurrection of our Lord Jesus highlights something that Timothy could ponder as he is running with endurance the race that is set before him. George Knight said, Timothy is to remember that Jesus is raised from death itself, and that triumph is to encourage him when he contemplates suffering hardship for Christ. You see how that functions?
You focus on the Lord Jesus when you're going through your miserable times, Because know that as Christ went through miserable times, the Father raised him from the dead and seated him at the right hand of the majesty on high. Now we're not going to be seated at the right hand on the majesty on high, but we will be resurrected and we will be glorified and we will live in the presence of our great and our triune God. So the contemplation of Christ is absolutely crucial for the good soldier of Jesus Christ.
Second Incentive: Paul's Conduct
Now, before we leave and go on to the conduct of Paul, notice what Paul says at the end of verse 8. He was raised from the dead according to my gospel. Paul describes or Paul indicates a degree of ownership upon the gospel. It's not that he was the author of it or rather the originator of it.
It's not that he put it together, but he showed possession of it because it meant so much to him, right? We might do that in our own lives or in our own context. Oh yeah, that's my church. There's a bit of pride perhaps that goes into that exclamation or declaration.
I'm not suggesting that Paul is proud or anything like that, but he calls it my gospel. There's ownership with reference to the gospel, with reference to his ministry as the apostle to the Gentiles. He's not just doing this as a job. It is part of who he is.
It's something that he possesses. It's something that possesses him. It's something that masters him. And it's something that he wants to promote and he wants to declare.
John Calvin says, he calls it his gospel, not that he professed to be the author, but the minister of it. Beautiful. Now notice that leads us to the conduct of Paul in verses 9 to 10. Again, don't forget what the context is.
Endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. Contemplate Jesus in his incarnation and resurrection, but also consider the conduct of Paul. He's telling Timothy, I want you to follow my example here. Brethren, can we live or have we lived in such a way that we're able to tell young believers, younger believers, follow my example.
Can we say with Paul, imitate me as I imitate Christ. Can we say to the new believer, you just watch what I do, and you do likewise? That might be an embarrassing proposition for some of us, and we need to take inventory as to how we are conducting ourselves. But with reference to this exhortation of enduring hardship as a good soldier, Paul would be negligent to not set forth the example of Paul.
In Philippians, Paul tells us we're to scope out, we're to look around us, and we're to find examples, godly good examples, in the context of the local church that we're supposed to follow. And it's not necessarily the older people have to go out and find people to sort of sponsor. You younger people, you younger disciples, buddy up to the older ones, ask questions, talk to them, be in their presence. invite yourself over for coffee or set up something like that. That's an imperative in the book of Philippians, that we look at those who walk in a manner that is consistent with the Christian gospel, and we try to be around that.
In that ethical section in Titus chapter 2, what's Paul want the older women to do? Does he want them to start, you know, a cottage industry and, you know, Godlywoman.com and you know have a lot of people said no no no teach the younger women to do certain things You need to be faithful and teach the younger women in the context of the local church To do these things to love their husbands love their kids do the the work of homemaking I mean these things are so counter cultural today. I mean you know older women tell the younger women how to sweep and Oh wow, I'm probably going to go to jail next week for having even said such a thing. Teach the younger women how to make a turkey.
Teach the younger women how to bake a pie. Because this brings glory to God. You say, well how does that bring glory to God? It brings glory to God because it puts persons in their proper place.
Husbands, wives have functions in the home. And you know what Paul says happens if we don't do this? The word of God is blasphemed according to Paul in Titus chapter two. So the apostle wants us to find human examples.
The apostle uses human examples. Again, we're to focus on Christ. We're to be oriented toward Christ. But it's nice to have a Paul in our lives that we can sort of see practical Christianity fleshed out.
And that's what Paul does here in verses 9 and 10.
Paul's Suffering and Chains
He first of all highlights his own suffering. Notice in verse 9, he says, for which, my gospel, I suffer trouble as an evildoer. The repetition of this theme is in order to encourage Timothy to participate in enduring hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. I'm going to keep pounding that nail because I want you to see how it all functions in the context.
Again, 1.8, we've already referred to. Notice in 1.12, he says, for this reason, I also suffer these things. Nevertheless, I'm not ashamed for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he's able to keep that or keep what I have committed to him until that day. Notice in chapter 3 at verses 10 to 12.
Chapter 3, verse 10, but you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, long-suffering, love, perseverance, persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra, what persecutions I endured, and out of them all the Lord delivered me. Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution, but evil men and imposters will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus." What Paul says is that there's no shortage of bad examples. I mean, you look anywhere and everywhere, you're gonna find bad examples.
The shortage is in the good examples. And when you find those good examples, you seize upon that. You seek, by God's grace, to model or imitate that in your life. Turn to Philippians 3.
I've alluded to it. We should look at it because it speaks to this specific issue. Philippians chapter 3. Verse 17, he says, brethren, join in following my example and know those who so walk.
Literally, scope them out. Scope them out. Find those kinds of people. Surround yourself with those kinds of people.
You think that you're super godly and can do it on your own? You can't. You're not. You need to find good influences.
As bad morals corrupt, so good ones help shape and influence. So verse 17, brethren, join in following my example and note those who so walk as you have us for a pattern. Now notice his reasoning. Verse 18, for many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their mind on earthly things.
For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body, that it may be conformed to his glorious body, according to the working by which he is able even to subdue all things to himself. You see the logic there. Verse 17, join in following my example. Note those who so walk as you have us for a pattern, for many walk, of whom I have told you often and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ.
There is a proliferation of bad examples. So a whole lot of deadbeats out there, even in the professed church. You need to find Pauline-type men. You need to find godly men, godly women.
You need to note them, you need to scope them out, and you need to walk in a manner similar to them. Again, focusing upon contemplating the Lord Jesus Christ. But people like Paul, people like Peter, people like godly men, women, in the context of the local church, show that element, the practicality for the lives of God's people. So back to 2 Timothy 2, he says in verse 9, "...for which I suffer trouble as an evildoer, even to the point of chains." But he goes on, he says, "...but the word of God is not chained." I just think that's a beautiful statement and one that probably deserves a sermon on its own.
I'm not going to do that to you tonight. But while Paul is incarcerated, while the enemies of Christ think they've triumphed in silencing the chief proponent of Christianity, you cannot chain the word of God. You cannot stop the word of God. You cannot restrict the extension of Christ's kingdom.
Murder Stephen, if you're on the council, like they do in Acts chapter 7. What happens? Great persecution comes against the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh yeah, we're going to stomp them out with this great persecution.
No, you simply scatter them to other regions where they preach the word. You simply open the door to Samaria, where now Philip is ministering, and Philip is preaching Christ, and the whole city is full of joy as a result of it. You see, the enemies of Christ cannot stop him. The enemies of Christ try.
They desperately try, but they'll never be able to stomp out the work of Jesus Christ. He must reign till all his enemies are made his footstool. That is not... The issue is never the opposite is true.
It's not the case that the enemies will reign until they stomp out Christ. That's not what's going to happen, brethren. So the apostle highlights that while he is chained, while he is in trouble, as an evildoer, which is a very strong term, It's a very strong word. It's a bad, bad man.
He's not just considered, you know, the preacher of a different sort of story. He is considered as a threat to the Roman Empire. Same language used of the men on the cross. Evildoer, insurrectionist, terrorist is probably what Barnabas and his two cronies were up to.
You know, we talk about the thief on the cross, we get it in our head, they went into a Walmart and they boosted a Snickers bar. That's not what they were. These men deserved the death penalty in the Roman Empire by crucifixion. Their thievery was not Snickers bars at Walmart.
They were probably terrorists. They were a threat to the civil order. That's why they were executed via crucifixion. And so when Paul says, I suffer as an evildoer, It's not that a few people are displeased with Paul and his ministry.
It's that he's perceived to be a threat to the Roman Empire. That's the issue at stake. But even though that's the case, nevertheless, the word of God is not chained. Now, notice he highlights his endurance in verse 10.
Endurance for the Elect
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." Brethren, let me just make this real practical. We are told by Paul in verse 3 to endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. One of the things to incentivize that is a contemplation of our Lord Jesus. Another thing to incentivize that is to consider the Apostle Paul.
How did things turn out for him? How did it go for him? Well, he was counted as an evildoer, he was counted as a criminal, he was perceived to be a threat to the civil order at that particular time, but they weren't able to stop the Word of God. They weren't able to quench the power of the gospel.
They weren't able to thwart it. They weren't able to sidetrack it. They weren't able to stop it. And then Paul highlights something concerning his own enduring of hardship when he says, I endure all things for the sake of the elect.
See, brethren, Paul practiced what he preached. but he also preached what he practiced. And it ought to be the case that we want that. We not only practice what we preach, but we're able to preach what we practice. The model, the example, the good soldiering, enduring the hardship, realizing that God is faithful, God is gracious, God will see us through.
You see, that's the kind of stuff we need to exemplify in the context of the local church. Wouldn't it be great if some poor young believer said, man, I'm having a rotten go of it. And some older, faithful, seasoned saint came up and said, yeah, I had a rotten go of it, too. And the Lord's always proven himself faithful, just like Paul does there in 2 Timothy chapter 3.
Sometimes new believers or young believers, they're myopic. They don't see the big picture. They don't see how many times God does deliver his people. They haven't fully embraced the realities of Psalm 103, where the older folk among us have.
The gray hairs among us have known the presence of God in the midst of great trial, great affliction, and great suffering. Our younger brethren need to see that. They need it modeled. They need it exemplified so that they will run with endurance the race that is set before them.
Looking unto Jesus, but thankful there's a brethren ship around them that is able to encourage them by saying, the Lord is faithful and he will never leave you nor forsake you. That's Paul's point. I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Now when he says, I endure all things for the sake of the elect, it's not as if he's not God-centered.
We might expect Paul to say, therefore, I endure all things for the glory of God. I endure all things for the gospel of Jesus Christ. I endure all things for Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Here he says, I endure all things for the sake of the elect.
This is not an inversion of a God-first order. Rather, the salvation of the elect is a primary means by which God is glorified. So he endures these things for the elect because he knows this is the vehicle by which God is glorified and honored. So it is God first.
It is God-centeredness. John Calvin says, when he says that he endures for the sake of the elect, this demonstrates how much more he cares for the edification of the church than for himself. That's a beautiful statement. When he says that he endures for the sake of the elect, this demonstrates how much more he cares for the edification of the church than for himself.
That's a key ingredient to a decent pastor, is that he's more concerned for the glory of God and the good of the church than he is for himself. Calvin goes on, I almost called him Paul, it's Calvin commenting on Paul, "...for he is prepared not only to die, but to be reckoned in the number of wicked men that he may promote the salvation of the church." He's not willing only to die, but he's willing to be tarnished. He's willing to be tarred and feathered in the Roman Empire. He's willing to have what is an excellent reputation dashed into the ground.
Oh, did you hear about that apostle? He's in prison. Did you hear about that apostle? He's been sentenced to death.
Did you hear about that apostle of the Christians? He's an evildoer. See, Paul doesn't care. What he cares about are the elect of God.
What he cares about is the salvation of God. What he cares about is the glory of God, and that's what he emphasizes in this statement. Notice what he says, "...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." the suffering of Paul did not secure the salvation of the elect. Jesus Christ secures the salvation of the elect.
We know that God in eternity past purposed to save a great multitude that no man can number from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation. And God not only purposed to save, God not only predestined to save, God not only foreordained to save, but God purposed the means by which sinners would be saved. And Paul is one of those means. Paul is a preacher to the Gentiles.
And Paul is an instrument in the hand of God to bring that salvation to pass upon sinners whom the Lord had chosen. Now, again, in the context, Jesus, incarnation, suffering, death, resurrection. The Apostle Paul, imprisonment as an evildoer to the point of chains. Endurance, knowing that there is salvation for the elect of God.
So, bad and then good. Just like the examples Paul set forth in verses 1 to 7. The soldier pleases the commander. The athlete wins the crown.
The farmer shares in the crops. And the apostle sees those for whom Jesus died, saved by grace through faith. So the pattern is, endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. Because your good soldiering, going through hardship, is not neglected by God.
See, that's one of the things I think is a challenge to the people of God. We want credit, don't we? Oh, no, not me, brother. OK.
Most people want credit. That's why Facebook is a hit. It's why selfies are everywhere. We all want credit.
We all want everybody to see what we do. This is why Jesus specifically says, when you do a good thing or when you give alms, don't sound the trumpet like the hypocrites do. Why do you think the hypocrites do that? Because they want credit.
They want to, you know, hey, everybody, I'm about to deposit my offering in the box. You know, just pay attention over here. It's a big one, too. I can hardly squeeze it in.
You know, that sort of a thing. Well, that's not the way we're supposed to be. And I think there's this idea that if we don't get credit for a good deed done, it's almost like the good deed wasn't done. That whole tree falling in the forest, if nobody's there, does it actually make a sound?
The good deed done that nobody sees, was it actually a good deed? Maybe believers struggle with that from time to time. I want my credit. I want my notoriety.
I want to be recognized. I want people to see how good and godly I am. And then there's that pang of conscience that says, oh no, brother, you shouldn't be that way. You should be humble.
You should be lowly. You should be insignificant. All right, good. The point is, while we may not appreciate anything that you ever do for the kingdom of God, God does.
I just think that's a great boon. I think that should get everybody out of bed every day. In fact, I think this is the apostle's point in 1 Corinthians 15. After that long discourse in terms of the resurrection, in 1 Corinthians chapter 15, verse 58, he brings it home.
He says, therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain, in the Lord. I want to say this as graciously and as kindly and as delicately as I can, but we can be a pretty unthankful lot. Remember, Jesus heals 10 lepers and one comes back to express gratitude. And he was the foreigner.
He was the Samaritan. He was the mongrel. He was the another race guy. Why didn't the other nine come and thank Jesus for the wonderful thing that he had just done?
Oh, those terrible people. Brethren, ingratitude is one of the things that we bear in our hearts for probably ever. And there's this unthankfulness when people do genuinely good things. But God's not like that.
God knows what you do, and God will reward you openly someday. And I think that this is the point. 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. Take a man like Paul. a man that, you know, everybody else was an intellectual and religious midget near.
I mean, Paul was a great intellect. Paul was an apostle of Jesus Christ. Paul was useful in ways that no other man has ever been in the history of the church. Paul is, you know, some have said Paul is responsible for, you know, Western civilization by and large.
I mean, it's just a really an amazing thing. But here he is sitting in a dank prison cell waiting to be murdered, waiting to be executed under Nero. But that's not what concerns him. That's not what bothers him.
That's not what affects him. He knows that through the efforts he's engaged in, the Lord's blessing it, the word of God can't be changed. It's still going forth through the likes of Timothy and through other companions, and sinners are getting saved. Paul will happily endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.
Third Incentive: Communion with Christ
So brethren, endure hardship as good soldiers of Jesus Christ, contemplating Christ, considering the conduct of Paul, and then notice thirdly and finally, focusing or thinking through your communion with Christ. Your communion with Christ.
The Faithful Saying
Notice in verse 11, he says, this is a faithful saying. There are six of these in the pastoral epistles, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and Titus. There are six of these faithful sayings. And so Paul is giving us this faithful saying.
Notice he says,
Union with Christ: Died and Live
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. I think the encouragement is in verses 11b to 12a, and then a bit of warning in verses 12b and 13. Let's look at the encouragement. In the first place, he wants us to focus on our union with Christ.
When he says, for if we died with him, we shall also live with him, this probably is not physical death. It's probably not pointing to the eschaton. The death died here is the death to self. The death died here is the death of the old man.
The death died here is what Paul speaks of in Romans chapter 6, specifically in verse 8. Now, if we died with Christ, we believe that we also shall live with Christ. The emphasis in verse 11, for if we died with Him, we were saved by grace through faith in Jesus. The old man is dead.
The new man is alive. The new man is resurrected. The new man is what we are in Christ Jesus. If we died with him, we shall also live what?
With him. In other words, communion with Christ in the here and the now. Run, focus, endure hardship, not as some detached sort of thing, but rather as one in vital union with the living Christ. You died with Him.
You were buried with Him. You were raised with Him. All things symbolized by our baptism. Now we live with Him.
So as we endure hardship as good soldiers of Jesus Christ, it's not in a relationship of absolute independence or autonomy. We're doing it in constant union with Christ Jesus our Lord. The believer's union with Christ is a motivation for participation in suffering with Paul and for Jesus Christ. Notice then the believer's perseverance in Christ in verse 12a.
Perseverance and Reigning with Christ
If we endure, we shall also reign with him. Again, that's the emphasis, heavy in the context. Chapter 1, verse 8. Chapter 2, verse 3.
And then again in chapter 2, verse 10. Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect. Paul tells us if we endure, we shall also reign with him. That's an incentive, isn't it?
One of the biggest problems with, say, socialism or communism is that it de-incentivizes people. When you give people stuff, they won't go out and work for it. When you give people stuff, they'll lay on their couch and expect more. That de-incentivizes.
Incentivization is a good thing. And so the Bible does that with us. And the Bible does that here specifically in terms of our perseverance. And I brought this message last week, because at times, believers fall into ruts.
At times, believers grow sluggish. At times, believers start to walk a bit slower. At times, believers may even limp along. At times, they may be on their face just, you know, eking it out little by little by little.
So we need encouragements on endurance, encouragements on perseverance, and that's precisely the context in 2 Timothy chapter 2. Endure hardship is a good soldier of Jesus Christ. Don't whine about it, don't snivel about it, don't go to a therapy group over it, but rather endure it. That's the emphasis of the Apostle.
But you're not to endure it the way that a Spartan endures, you know, life in the wilderness. You endure it by contemplating the Savior. You endure it by considering the conduct of that great man that went before you, namely the Apostle Paul. And you do it consciously realizing your communion and union with Jesus Christ.
And you do it realizing that if we endure, we shall also reign with Him. It's one of those passages that it's hard to exegete because we really don't know all that's involved there. Is it great? Yeah.
Is it glorious? Absolutely. What does it mean precisely? I'm not sure.
It means that we shall also reign with him. He'd want me anywhere near his tribunal is, you know, beyond my scope. It's above my pay grade. But the reality is, if we endure, we shall also reign with him.
Endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. Think about Jesus incarnate. Second person, the Trinity, taking on our humanity, all the common essential properties and common infirmities thereof, yet without sin, dying, being crucified, being spat on, being struck, but being raised from the dead. Think about the Apostle Paul and what he went through for the elect.
And think about the reality that if you've died, you've been converted, you've been saved by grace through faith, you now presently live with him. And then this, if we endure, we shall also reign with him. That's in our future. That's where we're headed.
That's what the blessed hope is. And so the apostle emphasizes for Timothy and us by extension that if we endure, we shall also reign with him.
Warning Against Denial and Faithlessness
Now, a warning comes. A warning in verses 12b and 13. Paul says if we deny him, he also will deny us. If we are faithless, he remains faithful.
He cannot deny himself. I would suggest that in the first place, it is a warning to caution, or rather, a warning for believers. Drop down for just a moment to verse 19. 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.
There is the reality that sometimes people make this profession of faith, but they're not legit. They're not genuine. They're not real. 1 John 2.19, they went out from us, but they were not of us. Because if they had been of us, they would not have gone out from us.
The logic is impeccable, right? There are those who profess the saving faith, but they're not legit. There are those who profess the saving faith at some point, but then they end up denying the Lord Jesus Christ. You know what the recurring theme in the letters to the churches in Asia Minor are?
In the book of Revelation, it's to overcome. It's to overcome. It's to overcome. It's to overcome.
It's to overcome. It's to overcome. It's to overcome. Seven letters in that book of Revelation.
And what's the constant refrain? Overcome. When you get to Revelation 21 and verse 8, and you see the types of people that are going to populate the lake of fire, you will see that the cowardly are in the lake of fire. Now, cowardly there ought not to be thought of somebody who's afraid of bears.
I'm a coward if I'm alone with a bear. That's cowardice. But that's not what sends somebody to hell. I may need to man up and tackle that bear and get better at my masculinity, but it's not going to keep me from heaven to be afraid of a bear and run.
It's not spiders or snakes. It's not that kind of cowardice. The refrain in the letters to the churches in Asia Minor on overcoming would indicate that the cowardly that go to the lake of fire are those who didn't overcome. Those who succumb to the beastly pressure.
Those who succumb to the state and to false religion and recanted and renounced their Savior, or the Savior they professed. That's what cowardice is in Revelation 21.8. It's those who did not endure. It's those who did not overcome.
It's those who did not run with endurance the race that was set before them. It is rather the fake, the phony, the counterfeit, the hypocrite. And so the apostle ends this statement with a warning to those people. And it's a warning for true believers.
God uses the warnings given to true believers to keep us in check. It's like when you scream at your kid not to lick his finger and put it into an electrical outlet. It's not dispossessing the kid of being your kid. You're giving him a warning to keep him in check.
You're giving him a warning so that he doesn't lick his finger and put it in the outlet. You're giving him a warning so that he'll tow the line properly. The warnings are not substance-less or without substance in the New Testament if we understand predestination and election and the security of the saint or the perseverance of the saints. They are used by God as a means to secure our security.
They are used by God to hopefully hedge us in. And so he ends here on this solemn note of warning. The opposite of the perseverance and the endurance in verse 12a is a denial of Jesus. If we deny him, he also will deny us.
That's the contrary to if we endure. Failing to endure, failing to persevere, failing to go forward in your confession of faith is tantamount to denying the Lord Christ Himself. Now, the background for Paul's warning, obviously, is Matthew 10.33. Well, I say obviously, it's obvious at least to me, but whoever denies me before men, him I will also deny before my Father who is in heaven.
And the reality is, is that a denial of Jesus Christ evidences that the person was never saved. Calvin says their base denial of Christ proceeds not only from weakness, but from unbelief. So you see, there is a place for this warning. And then verse 13 is quite intriguing.
If we are faithless, he remains faithful. He cannot deny himself. Now, this goes one of two ways. The first is that the wavering, doubting Christian can be assured of salvation because of Christ's faithfulness.
If we are faithless, he remains faithful. Now, I think that truth is taught in the Bible. The wavering, doubting Christian can be assured of salvation because of Christ's faithfulness. That truth is taught, but I don't think it's taught here.
It's taught when Peter denies his master. It's taught when David commits adultery and murder. It's taught that those whom God saves, He saves to the uttermost. It's taught in the reality that he who begins a good work in you will complete it onto the day of Jesus Christ.
And so we, brothers and sisters, which is all of us, at least at some point or time or many points and times, we need to be encouraged that Christ is faithful. The one who began this work in us will complete it onto that day. It's a blessed thing. Look at 1 Timothy, I'm sorry, 2 Timothy 1.12.
The Apostle says, for this reason I also suffer these things. Nevertheless, I'm 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. So the text, or rather that teaching, is taught in Scripture. But I don't think that's what's in view here.
The language here suggests a companion thought with verse 12b. This denial, this faithlessness, it's the absence of it. And so when Paul says in verse 13, if we are faithless, he remains faithful, he cannot deny himself, there is punishment, there is judgment, there is wrath and curse for those who are not legit. That's, I think, the emphasis again.
It functions as a bit of a warning at the end of an exhortation so that we will examine ourselves on occasion, so that we do not delude ourselves, and so that we will run with endurance the race that is set before us.
Application: The Lord's Supper
So, brothers and sisters, that brings us to the supper. It brings us to 1 Corinthians chapter 11. if a key event or a key incentive in our lives for the promotion of running with endurance or soldiering or being good soldiers of Jesus Christ. If one of the key focuses is the contemplation of Christ, I hope that you'll appreciate how intrinsic the supper is to that end. It's not that we don't think about the death of Christ the rest of the month.
It's not that we don't preach the death of Christ the rest of the month. But we bless God that he is, as creator, spoken to us as preacher, and given us tangible things by which we connect, we think, we ponder, we meditate, and we remember the death of the Lord Jesus Christ on our behalf. This ought to promote in us what Paul says in verse 12. If we endure, we shall also reign with him.
The supper is a means of grace. It is calculated to help runners in the Christian race. It is calculated to fortify good soldiers of Jesus Christ. It is calculated to incentivize and to promote that contemplation of our Lord Jesus so that we can know of the truth that God is for us, and that being the case, what can man do?
We need to endure hardship as good soldiers of Jesus Christ. We don't do it as Spartans. We don't do it as islands unto ourselves. We do it as those focused upon Christ.
This is a great means tonight. We do it as those who remember brethren like the Apostle Paul, and we do it as those who are consciously aware of the union they presently bear with Christ. We died with Him. We now live with Him.
If we endure, we will reign with Him. That is a great incentive for us to do what the Apostle says in 2 Timothy 2 at verse 3. And if you're not a Christian here tonight, The way to Christianity or the way to salvation isn't by enduring hardship. The way to salvation is by belief in the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Enduring hardship as good soldiers of Jesus Christ is a specifically Christian duty. If you're not a Christian, your responsibility is to look unto Jesus Christ and live. That's the means by which sinners are saved. It is to look to the one who hung, the one who died, the one who was raised, the one who now reigns and rules at the right hand of the Father.
It is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ Jesus alone, that sinners know everlasting life. My encouragement, do not take the supper if you're not a believer. It is for believers. Your chief duty, if I can use that term, your chief responsibility, perhaps better, is to believe the gospel and then participate in the supper.
Well, let us close in a word of prayer.
Closing Prayer
Father, we thank you for your word. We thank you for what Christ did on our behalf. We thank you for his life, his death, his resurrection. And we thank you that you give us also examples in the Apostle Paul and others in the history of the church, and even in our own local churches.
God, may these things promote in us that endurance. May these things promote in us that enduring hardship as good soldiers of Jesus Christ. And may we realize that if we endure, we will reign with him. knowing that there is a great future, great prospect for all of your people to be where Christ is. May this encourage our hearts, and may you strengthen us with might in the inner man, and may you cause us to run faithfully before you.
And we ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.