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You can turn in your Bibles to 
2nd Timothy chapter 2. 2nd Timothy chapter 2. Our focus 
tonight is verses 11 to 13. I do, however, want to read the 
chapter, pray, and then remind us of what's going on in the 
particular context. 2nd Timothy chapter 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 hard-working 
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, law of 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, being taken captive 
by him to do his will. Amen. Well, let us pray. Father 
again we thank you for the scriptures and we pray now for the spirit 
to guide us as we study your holy word. Help us to learn the 
lessons that Paul has for Timothy here. Help us to see their application 
not only to a minister in the first century but to ministers 
in the 21st century and as well to all of God's people. For certainly 
the command to be strong and the command to endure or share 
in hardship is something that every Christian participates 
in. Paul says later that all those who desire to live godly 
in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. Lord help us to 
persevere. As we consider this doctrine 
tonight, as we consider this passage of scripture, give us 
wisdom, and give us grace, and give us help to do those things 
that you call us to do. Thank you that your spirit does 
work in us both to will and to do for your good pleasure. And 
we pray now through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Well as we have 
seen in many respects in 2nd Timothy chapter 1 verse 8 where 
the Apostle tells Timothy, 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. In many ways that 
verse controls or is the theme for everything that follows from 
chapter 1 all the way through the end of chapter 2. Timothy 
is to show loyalty first and foremost to the testimony of 
the Lord. He is to be faithful with reference 
to the gospel. He is not to compromise. He is 
not to add works. He is not to take away from it. 
He is not to supplement the truth of God. He is rather to maintain 
fidelity to the testimony of our Lord. Later on in chapter 
2 as we read, we'll see God willing in the weeks to come, he tells 
Timothy in verse 15, be diligent to present yourself approved 
to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing 
the word of truth. In other words, Timothy is not 
to be looking for the applause of men. He is not to be looking 
to be the most popular preacher in Ephesus. It is not celebrity 
status that Timothy is to pursue, but rather it is fidelity to 
the living God. He is to seek approval, not from 
men, but rather from God Most High. So according to 1A, Timothy 
is to be a loyal servant with reference to the testimony of 
the Lord Jesus. As well, Timothy is to show faithfulness 
and commitment to the Apostle Paul. Notice in verse 8, he says, 
nor of me, do not be ashamed of me, his prisoner. And Timothy 
is to share with Paul in the sufferings for the gospel according 
to the power of God. And then we consider chapter 
2. Notice in verse 1, Therefore my son be strong in the grace 
that is in Christ Jesus. This is God's will. This is God's 
revealed will for each and every one of us. Again, It's not just 
for Pastor Timothy in the church in Ephesus in the first century. 
It is for pastors today to be sure, but it is for all of us. 
We are to be strong. We're not to lie down. We're 
not to give up. We are not to roll over, but 
rather we are to overcome. We are to press on. We are to 
endure. We are to persevere. And that 
leads Paul to tell Timothy very specifically in verse 3, you 
therefore must endure hardship. Literally, you must share with 
me in hardship, Paul tells Timothy. And so we have the command, we 
have the imperative, we have the duty, we have what God wants 
from each of us, be strong. endure hardship, and because 
God is good, because God is kind, and because God truly does desire 
His people to live in a manner that is consistent with His revealed 
will, He gives us three incentives. He gives us three reasons why 
or three things that we ought to consider so that it helps 
us to endure hardship. In other words, when you are 
going through those trials, when you are going through those difficulties, 
don't just tune out. Don't just not think. Don't just 
give up. Don't just roll over. But rather, 
when you are enduring those hardships, the first thing you ought to 
do is contemplate Christ. You ought to contemplate our 
Lord Jesus. And that is precisely what Paul 
says in verse 8. Remember that Jesus Christ, of 
the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my 
gospel. So while you're enduring hardship, 
what are you doing? You're remembering the Son of 
God. You are remembering the Son of David. You are remembering 
the Lord Jesus in His incarnation. The fact that Paul says that 
He was raised from the dead indicates or presupposes the betrayal, 
the trial, and the death and the suffering of our Lord Jesus. 
But he was raised from that. And then a second incentive, 
or a second thing we ought to consider as we endure hardship, 
is the conduct of Paul. Notice what Paul says in verses 
9 and 10. For which, gospel, 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." You see Paul's 
logic. Timothy, I want you to endure hardship. And while you're 
enduring hardship, I want you to remember Jesus. I want you 
to contemplate the Savior. I want you to consider what He 
went through. He left heaven above. He took 
on the likeness of man. He took on our flesh. He did 
not sin, but rather he assumed humanity to the second person 
of the glorious Trinity. And he suffered, and he died, 
and he was raised the third day. Timothy, as you're enduring hardship, 
you think through that. And Timothy, as you're enduring 
hardship, think about me, Paul says. Think about what I've gone 
through. We saw this last week, 2 Corinthians 
11. You think you have a tough time 
being a Christian? You think it's difficult in your 
workplace? You think your family is nasty 
or unkind or vicious to you? Just read 2 Corinthians 11 and 
see what the Apostle Paul endured for the cause of our Lord Jesus. And Paul does it for the sake 
of the elect. Paul does it for the furtherance 
of the gospel. Paul does it for the expansion 
of the kingdom of Christ. Paul does it for the church. 
He is truly others-minded. And so when he tells Timothy, 
endure hardship as a good soldier of Christ Jesus, you need to 
remember Jesus and you need to remember Paul's conduct. But 
in the third place, another reason is the communion that we have 
with Christ. And this is what I think verses 
11 to 13 indicate. We're to contemplate Jesus. We're to consider Him 
in His incarnation. He is the seed of David. We're 
to consider Him in His crucifixion, because He was raised the third 
day. We're to consider Him in all of His glory and His majesty. 
But we are to recognize that currently, presently, right now, 
according to verses 11 and 12, we have communion with Christ. We have fellowship with Christ. 
If you are called upon to endure hardship, you are not called 
upon to endure it alone. You're not called to go it alone. 
You're not called to just knuckle under or stiffen up your lip 
and just bear with it. We have present, vibrant, real 
communion with the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. We are to endure 
hardship with the remembrance of this reality. So let's look 
at verses 11 to 13. In the first place, Paul ascribes 
this to a faithful saying. Notice in 2.11, he says, this 
is a faithful saying. This is one of several in the 
epistles of Paul to Timothy and to Titus. There's one in 1 Timothy 
chapter 1, verse 15. It's a faithful saying, that 
Christ Jesus came into the world, sinners to save. Sometimes you 
may hear Pastor Porter refer to it that way, or myself. That's 
where the emphasis lies. Sinners to save. Sinners, not 
upright, positive, well-adjusted persons. The glory of the Christian 
gospel, according to 1 Timothy 1.15, is that Christ Jesus came 
into the world, sinners to save. And when Paul goes on, he says, 
"...of whom I am chief." You ought never to convince yourself 
that you are too far gone to be a candidate for salvation. 
The grace of God is powerful. The grace of God is glorious. 
The grace of God is sovereign. and Paul specifically was a recipient 
as he was in the act of persecuting the church of the living God. 
There's a faithful saying in chapter 3 verse 1 of 1st Timothy, 
if a man desires the office of bishop This is a good thing. This is a faithful saying. 4. 
9. Bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for 
all things. This is a faithful saying. And 
then we have this faithful saying, and then one further in Titus 
chapter 3 at verse 8. Titus 3. 8. This is a faithful 
saying. And these things I want you to 
affirm constantly. I think as Paul uses this particular 
phrase, It's sort of a way to underline, it's sort of a way 
to highlight, it's sort of a way to draw attention to what he 
is going to say. And I suspect these were faithful 
sayings that were in common understanding among the churches of Christ 
in the first century. In other words, what Paul does 
in verses 11 to 13 is remind them of something they already 
knew. Paul tells Timothy, endure hardship, 
and here's another incentive, another reason, another thing 
to help you in the midst of suffering. And I think the actual saying 
is broken down into two sections. First, the word of encouragement, 
and secondly, the word of warning. First, the word of encouragement 
in verses 11B to 12A. Note first the believer's union 
with Christ. This is a glorious thing. Imagine 
if you were in a prison somewhere, let's say on the other side of 
the world. and you are suffering grievously and you are not a 
Christian, it would be difficult to endure without some token, 
without some indicator that it was going to end. Right? I mean, 
imagine being in a horrible situation and having no evidence, no idea 
whatsoever that this was ever going to end. We don't have that 
as Christians. No matter how bad things may 
get, no matter how bad things may be, no matter how grim everything 
around us appears, we have present communion with the living Christ. And this is precisely what Paul 
emphasizes in the first part of verse 11 here. He says, for 
if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him. Now some 
commentators take this as a reference to martyrdom. If we die in martyrdom, 
we will be raised again by the power of the gospel. I don't 
think that's what's meant here. I think that's true, to be sure, 
but I think Paul's emphasis here is on union with Christ that 
takes place at conversion. We die with Him and we are raised 
in Him. So why ought you to endure hardship 
as a good soldier of Jesus Christ? Because you died to sin and you're 
alive to God in Christ Jesus. I think a parallel to verse 11 
is in Romans chapter 6, specifically at verse 8. Now if we died with 
Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him. This is union. This is communion. This is what 
we have as believers with our Lord. We are alive in Him. We are positionally reconciled 
to Him. Notice in 2nd Corinthians 5.14. In other words, what Paul is 
doing is giving you items with reference to your salvation that 
you are to focus upon so that you may endure hardship. When 
you are going through hardship, what is the most helpful tonic 
for your soul? It is the truth of the gospel. 
It is the truth of God's saving benefits. It is the truth of 
the Ordo Salutis, the application of the redemptive benefits that 
Jesus Christ has secured for all of his elect. Notice in 2 
Corinthians 5.14, for the love of Christ compels us, because 
we judge thus, that if one died for all, then all died. And he died for all that those 
who live should live no longer for themselves, but for him who 
died for them and rose again. It may not even be hardship that 
you're going through. It might just be some difficulties 
in your life. Do you panic? Do you fret? Do you throw up your hands and 
say, forget it. I'm done. It's over. You've died. and you have been raised again. You are in Christ. You have a 
present possession in the Savior. He holds you, and by God's grace, 
you hold Him. There is absolutely no reason 
why any believer ought to get to the point where they're throwing 
up their hands and saying, forget it, I've tried, it hasn't worked, 
I'm gonna go back to the city of destruction. No, you've died. and you've been raised again 
and your life is hidden with Christ in God. That's what Colossians 
3.3 says. Colossians 2.12 emphasizes this 
as well. We died with Him. We've been 
raised with Him. And so Paul to Timothy says you 
need to endure hardship. You need to consider the fact 
that you have been converted. You have been brought out of 
darkness into marvelous light. You've been saved by grace. These 
things that weren't true of you are now true of you. You were 
dead in your trespasses and sins, you were alienated from God, 
you were at enmity to God, you resisted God, you raised your 
fist to God, and then God in His grace saved you. God in His 
grace humbled you. God in His grace granted you 
the faith to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. So while you're 
enduring hardship, consider the fact that you're alive. You are 
alive in the Lord Jesus and you have present communion and union 
with the blessed Lord. What does Paul say in Galatians 
2.20? The life that I now live in the flesh, I live by faith 
in the Son of God who loved me and who gave himself for me. That's what we have. That's what 
we ponder. That's what we consider. Consider 
the fact that when you're undergoing hardship, the best thing you 
can set your mind and heart to is the reality that Christ is 
yours. That you are Christ's. Notice, 
secondly, by way of encouragement. He says, if we died with Him, 
we shall also live with Him. I call that the believer's union 
with Christ. Notice in verse 12a, the believer's 
perseverance in Christ. If we endure. And this is the crux, isn't it? This is the context. This is 
the point. This is what it's all about. 
If we endure. Timothy, endure hardship as a 
good soldier of Jesus Christ. Timothy, be disciplined like 
that athlete who trains his body. who gets up early, who goes to 
bed early, who forgoes the feasts and the parties so that he can 
buffet his body and bring it into subjection so that he can 
win the athlete's crown. Timothy, be like that diligent 
farmer, that hard-working farmer who labors, who waters, who feeds, 
who gets up early, who stays up late. That's something I've 
always thought. If you think your job is hard, 
look at a farmer. They're married to their farm. 
They're married to their cows. They're married to their chickens. 
They can't just go away. How do you just go away when 
you have 50 cows that need to be dealt with? You have to get 
somebody there to watch them. Farming is difficult. It's no 
surprise that Paul utilizes this as an example for diligence. We've got the, I'm sorry, the 
diligence rather, or the devotions rather, of the soldier, the discipline 
of the athlete, and the diligence of the farmer. He says you need 
to be that, Timothy. You need to endure hardship. 
And here, very specifically, he speaks of the saint's endurance 
or perseverance. The path, or rather the emphasis 
and the context is on endurance. And the endurance that the Christian 
is to evidence is endurance in and for the cause of Christ. 
Matthew 10 verse 22, a couple of passages to flesh this out. 
Matthew 10 verse 22, and you will be hated by all for my name's 
sake, but he who endures to the end will be saved. You say, Pastor 
Butler, you're a Reform. Don't you believe that God saves 
sinners? Don't you believe that as you continue reading in the 
Prophet Jeremiah 32, God says that He will put His fear, or 
put the fear of Him, into their hearts, and He will cause them 
not to depart from His ways? Doesn't Philippians 1.6 say, 
He who began a good work in you will complete it unto the day 
of Christ? Don't you Calvinists talk about eternal security, 
and once saved, always saved? Don't you Calvinist trump the 
fifth point of Calvinism, which is perseverance of the saints? 
Yes, it's perseverance of the saints. It's preservation by 
God. It is the fear put in our hearts 
by God. It is secure and stable because 
of God. But nevertheless, the Christian 
is to endure. He is to persevere. God calls 
us to run with endurance the race that is set before us. God doesn't save us and say, 
now you can lay on your couch, and you can eat Doritos, and 
you can watch Oprah, and you can just float your way into 
heaven. This, unfortunately, is the view that some people 
maintain. God saves us. God warns us. God exhorts us. God commands 
us to run with endurance. Paul puts it in a conditional 
sentence here. If we endure, then we shall reign. What's the implication? If we 
don't endure, we'll never reign. Now we know from the rest of 
the Bible if we don't endure because we never believe the 
gospel to begin with. Those, however, who believe by 
the grace of God will be about endurance. They will be about 
perseverance. They will not give up. They will 
not throw in the towel. I realize there are times, there 
are seasons, there is depression, there is melancholy, There is 
collapsing under the burden and weight of trial. There is weeping, 
and there is woe, and there is distress, but the man or woman 
of God gets up. By the grace of God they get 
up. They endure, they persevere, 
because He who began this good work in you will complete it 
under the day of Christ. If you give up and you never 
get up, it's because you were never saved to begin with. This 
is John's statement in 1 John 2.19. They went out from us, 
but they were not of us. For if they were of us, they 
would not have gone out from us. John teaches eternal security. Paul teaches eternal security. 
The Bible teaches eternal security. The Bible teaches the preservation 
by God. The Bible teaches the perseverance 
of the saints. The Bible teaches in Romans 8, 
there is nothing that shall separate us from the love of God which 
is in Christ Jesus our Lord. But that's saying God has given 
us the spirit such that the Apostle Paul in Philippians 2 can capture 
the dynamic that's involved in our sanctification, which is 
an aspect of our perseverance and endurance. In Philippians 
2, 12, Paul says, therefore, my beloved, as you have always 
obeyed, not as in my presence always, but now much more in 
my absence. Don't you love that? Don't you 
love what Paul says, as you've always obeyed, not as in my presence 
only. The Philippians weren't the kind 
of people that said, Paul's coming, look busy. I suspect sometimes little children 
are like this. They hear mom running up the 
stairs. Okay, I'm going to start cleaning my room now. I'm going 
to start doing what I'm supposed to do. I'm going to start doing 
what I was commanded to do. The Philippians weren't like 
that. You see, the saint of Christ doesn't need Paul's presence 
to do what's right. The saint of Christ doesn't need 
a lot of external coercion to do what's right. The saint of 
Christ shouldn't require the type of nagging that oftentimes 
goes on with reference to the saints of Christ. The saints 
of Christ want to obey Christ, and Paul commends the believers 
in Philippi for this very thing. Therefore, my beloved, as you 
have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much 
more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear 
and trembling. You've got to understand what 
Paul is saying. He's not saying work for your salvation. We work out what God has graciously 
deposited. We work out what God has already 
caused to happen. We're not working for salvation. We're not trying to complete 
the finished work of Jesus. We're not trying to add to it. 
We're not trying to supplement it. But the idea is that when 
God saves a soul, when God changes that heart, when God does what 
God alone can do, and now the sinner believes on the Lord Jesus 
Christ, he repents from his sins, he enters a battle. You remember 
Pilgrim's Progress? I love the banner edition, that 
hardback version. It shows Christian at the cross 
and he's at the foot and the burden is flying off of his back. It's a beautiful depiction, isn't 
it? We come to the cross and our burden is gone. It's gone. Our sin Oh, the bliss of this 
glorious thought. My sin not in part, but the whole 
is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Do you know 
at that cross we do take on a yoke. Jesus says this, come to me all 
you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest. We 
come and he gives us rest. He says take my yoke upon you. 
It's an easy yoke. It's a light burden. But you 
see, the idea is that when we come from the cross, having been 
justified freely by His grace, we enter the life of sanctification. 
We're not to continue in sin. Jesus came to save us from our 
sin. And part of that whole aspect, 
sanctification to be sure, but perseverance. You see, at times 
it seems as if we as Christians say, you know, I'm pretty battle 
weary. I just want to lay down. Now, God gives us Sabbath rest. He's good, right? There are seasons 
in the life of the soldier where a little bit of rest will do 
him a world of good. Right? Come apart and rest a 
while, Jesus says to his disciples. You can't rest forever. You've 
got to run. You've got to endure. You've 
got to persevere. The imagery that Paul uses with 
reference to Timothy are those three metaphors. Soldiers are 
devoted. Athletes need discipline. I mean, 
really, could you be an Olympic athlete? You really want to live 
that way? You really want to go through 
that? That's your calling in life? To train your body? To neglect every comfort or everything 
out there that would bring you pleasure? You know, to measure 
out your nutrients, to get your macros in, to get all that? To 
exercise to the point where you win that crown? and the farmer. Maybe the farmer isn't as difficult 
today as it was in Paul's day. I've also thought this too. The 
hard-working farmers, I'm not picking on farmers, but driving 
around in an air-conditioned tractor, that's probably a whole 
lot better than what Paul had in mind. Okay? I'm not, you know, 
belittling. I have the greatest amount of 
respect for farmers. They do things I don't do, and 
that's an amazing thing. But however, the farmers in Paul's 
day probably were a little bit more, you know, rugged than the 
farmers in our day. You know, listening to talk radio, 
you know, in your tractor for 12 hours. You at least know what's 
going on in the world, in the political sphere. You see, Paul 
says in verse 12, if we endure, we shall also reign with him." 
If we endure, we shall also reign with him. You say, but you said 
this whole section is considered the communion with Christ. I 
love what our confession says concerning this doctrine of perseverance. Chapter two, I'm sorry, chapter 
17, paragraph two, this perseverance of the saints depends not upon 
their own free will. This is talking about the reality 
that it's actually successful. In the first paragraph, it talks 
about the saints needing to do what they're supposed to do. 
But in the second paragraph, 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 His Spirit, the seed of God within them, and the nature of 
the covenant of grace from all which arises also, the certainty 
and infallibility thereof." we are to go forward upon the efficacy 
of the merit and the intercession of Jesus Christ and union with 
Him. You see, endure hardship in vital 
communion and union with our Lord Jesus. If we ask the question 
of verse 12a, how do we endure? I've already said you need to 
not just give up, And brethren, let me just say to you, I know 
what it is to want to give up. I remember pacing this room, 
autobiography, and falling down probably about where Roger is, 
at least in that general area, and crying like a baby. If you 
would have happened to walk in here, you'd have said, man, this 
guy is coming unglued. So I know what that's like. But you know what? You've got 
to get back up off the floor, you've got to dry the eyes, and 
you've got to keep walking, not around in this building, but 
you need to go forward. Life is hard. Becoming a Christian 
doesn't make life easy. In fact, at times, it makes it 
more difficult. I love the passage concerning 
the call of King David. It's when the Spirit of God comes 
on him that the trouble begins in his life. Did he have any 
trouble when he was out there shepherding the flock? I mean, 
he had the occasional bear and lion that he had to kill and 
rip apart with his bare hands. There's a man for you. We are 
lightweights today. We shoot them from 300 yards 
away. David just ripped them apart. It was when the Spirit 
of God came that he had to run for his life. You see, we do 
error if we think that the Christian life means ease, comfort, and 
constant, problem-less existence. In this world, you will have 
tribulation. Jesus promises in John 16, 33. But be of good cheer, I've overcome 
the world. If we ask the question, how do 
we endure? Using the means is a very helpful 
thing. Using the means. How do we endure? If we're an athlete, we use the 
means. We get up early, we go to bed early, we eat the proper 
food, we exercise our bodies. We're soldiers, we clean our 
weapons, we make sure we have a clear line of fire, and we 
take out the target. If we are farmers, we get up 
early, because typically that's what you have to do as a farmer. 
Couldn't they start at eight? I mean, I don't know. I'm not 
a farmer. Let's get these cows on the cycle 
of eight-ish. You know, if that can't be done, 
I guess not. You've got to get up at three. 
Why? Because there's something that you need to do. You've got 
to employ those means. With a Christian life, God hasn't 
left us alone. He doesn't say endure hardship. 
And I'm not going to give you any helps. He's given us three 
helps in this context. He has told us to contemplate 
Christ. He has told us to consider the 
conduct of Paul. Now He's called us to consider 
our communion with the Lord Jesus. How do we feed that communion? 
How do we feed that union? We have Bibles. We have a word 
from God. We have the truth of Holy Scripture. 
At some point in your Christian life, you need to come to grips 
with the reality of Matthew 4. You need to come to grips with 
the reality of Deuteronomy. You need to understand that God 
is not playing games when He says that man shall not live 
by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth 
of God. That's not a slogan. That's not a bumper sticker. 
That's not a fridge magnet. That is your life. It is this 
Word that sustains and nourishes the soul. It is this Word that 
feeds the people of God. It is this Word that will keep 
you, by God's grace, enduring and persevering. How many times 
have you gone through issues or trials or difficulties or 
problems and you have found strength in the Word? How many times have 
you read something in Holy Scripture that you said, wow, the Lord 
has just given me this for an encouragement to my soul. Perhaps 
you're struggling with temptation. You're struggling with those 
particular trials. And you read in James 1, blessed 
is the man who endures trials. The man who resists temptation. Blessed is that particular one. 
Brethren, the Word of God is a means to feed the soul. How 
do we live the Christian life without prayer? How? How do we possibly think we're 
going to traverse an evil world, we're going to endure hardship, 
we're going to persevere through persecution, we're going to go 
through the struggles of this life without calling upon our 
Father? All of us, as parents, know how 
vital it is for our children to communicate with us. Right? Your children come and say, Mom, 
Dad, I've got a tooth that's bleeding. Alright, let's go take 
care of you. It's a wretched parent that says, just bleed 
out. They're going to take him to the dentist, because the kid 
said something. What's Jesus' logic in the Gospel 
of Matthew? And as well in the parallel in 
Luke's Gospel. If you then, being evil, love 
to give good gifts to your children, like a trip to the dentist when 
their mouth is bleeding, How much more will your Heavenly 
Father give the Holy Spirit, guess what, to those who ask? Father, my mouth is bleeding, 
please provide for me. Father, I'm going through this 
difficulty at work, please provide for me. Father, I don't know 
how we're going to make ends meet in the budget, please help 
me. It is this or one of the means 
by which we endure. We persevere. This is where we're 
at. This is what is essential. This 
is what is necessary. Our hardship is not the hardship 
in Iraq or Syria. We don't have that problem. Imagine 
being in Iraq or Syria. and coming home to find a note 
on your door saying either pay us a great deal of money, convert 
to Islam or die. How do you like those options? 
Our hardships in many respects are a lot more tame than that. 
We need to ponder the glory of God. We need to read His Word. 
We need to pray, and dare I say it, we need to be in church. 
We need to avail ourselves of the corporate means of grace. 
God the Lord is pleased to feed His people in places like this, 
that assemble together for worship, that assemble together for instruction, 
that assemble together for the supper. You know, the supper 
is not a reward for our good week. We don't come to the supper 
because we read our Bibles five times this week, Lord. We didn't 
say anything vicious to our kids, Lord. We didn't let them bleed 
out, Lord, so I get to take the supper. Do we ever consider the 
reality of the imagery that the Bible uses? Whose house is the 
church? It is God's house. Who serves 
dinner in the house? It is the householder, the house 
owner. The Lord's Supper is better viewed 
as a means of grace, a means by which God sends grace to his 
people through this particular ordinance. We are on the receiving 
end when it comes to the supper. We're not doing for God. God 
says, I want to feed you. I want to encourage you. I want 
to confirm your faith. I want to strengthen you with 
might and the inner man. And it is my spirit that does 
that. So please come, take, and eat. To say no to that? to disregard that, to miss church 
on that night, is really an affront to the householder who is spreading 
out the banquet, who is spreading out the feast. If I spent a Friday 
night busily preparing a meal, having already invited you, and 
it comes to 5 p.m. and you say, I'm not going to 
show up, and I'm not even going to call, I'm just not going to 
be there. Say, oh man, that's too bad. 
I made this great meal. Good feast. It would have really 
encouraged and nourished you. I'm not saying this as a pastor. 
Like, I want you to be in church because I'm taking attendance 
and I'm keeping... That's not it at all. I hope you all know 
me better than that by now. I just know the direct correlation 
between a proper use of the means of grace and growth in grace. It is not magic. People who read 
their Bibles, people who pray, people who go to church, typically 
grow. It's like taking water and pouring 
it on a seed and putting it under sun. What happens? Typically 
it grows. What happens when a man starts 
reducing his caloric intake and he starts picking up heavy things? 
He typically loses weight and puts on muscle mass. That's the 
normal course of events. The same is true in the spiritual 
sphere. How do we endure? What is this 
all about? Pick up your Bible and read it. 
Pray to your God, show up in church and run with endurance 
the race that is set before you. And then notice what Paul holds 
out in terms of an incentive for this, if we endure, we shall 
also reign with Him. Isn't that beautiful? Again, 
I think this is part of Paul's argument in the entirety of this 
section, beginning in 2.3. Beginning in 2.3, what happens? 
The devoted soldier pleases his commander. That's the reward 
for the soldier. He's happy because his commander's 
happy. It's a great analogy. If you're 
in the military, you know a happy commander means a happy troop. 
An unhappy commander means a very unhappy troop. There is prize, 
there is reward for the diligence or rather the devotion of the 
soldier. With reference to the discipline 
of the athlete. What happens? He is crowned the 
victor. What happens with the diligent 
farmer? He gets to eat the crops. What happens with the Lord Jesus? 
He suffers. He dies. He goes through that. He's raised the third day. He 
ascends on high. He led captivity captive. He 
gives gifts to men. He's stationed at the right hand 
of the majesty of God on high. You see the pattern. Persevere, 
endure, slug it out, and there's great benefit at the end. Paul 
endures all these things for what? For the sake of the elect. 
Because every time a sinner gets saved, Paul is happy. Every time 
a sinner gets saved, Paul rejoices. Every time that one of his letters 
is circulated, and it's preached, and someone is saved, Paul says, 
it is all worth it. to sit in this prison cell, to 
be forgotten, to be neglected, to be treated like a criminal. 
It's all worth it, because I know that God's elect are coming into 
the fold. And the same is true with us. If we endure, we shall 
also reign with Him. It's not for nothing. Persevere. Get up. Run the race. Go forward. Those are the encouragements, 
the believer's union with Christ, the believer's perseverance in 
Christ. Notice, finally and quickly, the warning. Verses 12b and 13. Paul says, if we deny him, he 
also will deny us. John Calvin says, a threatening 
is added for the purpose of shaking off sloth. You see, there's a 
negative side to this. If you don't get back up, if 
you don't get back in the race, if you don't run, if you don't 
persevere, if you don't endure, it is going to evidence something 
that is true concerning you. Paul says, if we deny Him, He 
also will deny us. The opposite to perseverance, 
the opposite to endurance, the opposite, of course, is a denial 
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Matthew 10 verse 32 and 33, Therefore 
whoever confesses me before men, him I will also confess before 
my Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies me before 
men, him I will also deny before my Father who is in heaven. And turn to Revelation 21. Revelation 
21, specifically verse 8. Revelation 21 verse 8. This is a warning, the end of 
verse 12. We are to endure, we are to understand 
that if we endure we will reign with the Lord Jesus Christ. We will receive that reward. 
But now as Calvin said, a threatening is added for the purpose of shaking 
off sloth. Sloth may be our greatest nemesis 
when it comes to this whole idea of endurance. Sloth Laziness. I don't want to fight. I don't 
want to run. I don't want to train. I don't want to get up 
early. I don't want to do what the soldier 
does. I don't want to do what the athlete 
does. I don't want to do what the farmer does. I just want 
to have it easy. That's why the warning is given 
here. Notice in Revelation 21.8, but the cowardly, unbelieving, 
abominable murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters 
and all liars shall have their part in the lake, which burns 
with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." I think 
both of the two first terms are captured in our text in 2 Timothy. Notice, cowardly and unbelieving. Cowardly, that's an interesting 
one. I'm sure some of you in here 
are afraid of snakes. Some people are afraid of rats. 
Some people are afraid of heights. Some people are afraid of bears, 
unless they've got a gun. And even then, it's probably 
a bit shaky when you're looking at a big bear. Is that what John 
means here? Cowardly people end up in hell? 
If I'm afraid of the dark, God's going to throw me into the lake 
of fire? If I've got a bit of hesitancy to walk into a room 
where there's a big spider, does that land me a spot in hell? 
No, cowardly here are the people that didn't follow the admonitions 
that is at the very end of each of the seven letters to the churches 
in Asia Minor. Revelation 2 and 3, there are 
seven letters to the seven churches in Asia Minor. Each one of them 
ends with a promise to him who overcomes. To Him who overcomes. To Him who overcomes. To Him who overcomes. You get 
the point? Seven times. So when we get to 
Revelation 21.8, we see cowardly, we ought not to think spiders, 
we ought not to think tigers, we ought not to think bears, 
we ought to think a denial of the Lord Jesus. We have not overcome, 
we have not endured, we have not persevered, and we have given 
manifold evidence that we were never saved. That's why the cowardly 
find themselves in the lake of fire. So back to our text in 
2 Timothy. Paul says, if we deny Him, He 
also will deny us. Now notice, if we are faithless, 
he remains faithful, he cannot deny himself. Now it's difficult 
to be dogmatic on verse 13, but here's what I think. If we are 
faithless, he remains faithful. Some people teach that the wavering, 
doubting, weak believer will nevertheless find themselves 
safely folded in the New Jerusalem because Jesus remains faithful. I do believe that's taught in 
the Bible. I believe that's certainly the 
instance of Simon Peter. Simon Peter denied his Lord three 
times. That evidence is a weakness. 
It evidence is a wavering. It evidence is an unbelief to 
a certain degree. There was restoration to be sure. 
So there is biblical warrant for understanding that even the 
weak believer, the one who has faith, as Machen says, you know, 
mustard seed faith will not move mountains, but there's one thing 
it will do. It will bring a soul into peace 
with God through Jesus Christ. I think that's taught, but I 
don't think that's taught here. I think two encouragements are rounded 
out by two warnings. If we deny Him, He also will 
deny us. If we are faithless, He remains 
faithful. To do what? To cast us off. To throw us into the lake of 
fire. To do what He says in 1033 of 
Matthew. Whoever denies Me, I will deny 
him before My Father. And then the last statement where 
it says, he cannot deny himself, underscores by virtue of the 
character or the nature or the person of our Lord Jesus, and 
I think specifically in terms of his mediatorial capacity, 
if we are faithless, he remains faithful, he cannot deny himself. If we endure, we shall reign 
with Him. If we do not endure, and we do not persevere, and 
we are faithless, He remains faithful, He cannot deny Himself, 
there is a certain punishment and judgment in our future, if 
that is the case. Calvin makes the proper observation, 
their base denial of Christ proceeds not only from weakness, but from 
unbelief. It says, if we are faithless. It's not little faith in this 
particular clause, it is faith less. So the promise is, to those 
who endure, those who persevere, those who run with endurance, 
the race that is set before them, by God's grace to be sure, they 
will ultimately reign with Jesus Christ. But if we deny Christ, 
if we are faithless, the language of Revelation 21.8, if we are 
cowardly and do not overcome, Christ is faithful, Christ is 
unchanging, Christ who brings blessing and joy and reigning 
to his beloved. is the same faithful one who 
will cast off those who have rejected Him." Well, in conclusion, 
verse 3 of chapter 2 is the command. We must endure hardship. We must. God hasn't left us to ourself. 
He's told us to consider his son, to consider his chief apostle, 
and to consider the communion that is ours with the Lord Christ. Now I want to bring this to a 
close by a very simple question. Are you, are you believing in 
him or denying him? You see, there's no third place 
in the passage. We are either in Christ or we 
are not. We are either dead and raised 
with Him, or we are dead in our trespasses and sins. Ask yourselves 
tonight, whether you're old, whether you're young, whether 
you're tall, whether you're short, where am I at? What is the case 
with my soul? What is happening with me? What 
do I think concerning Jesus? Is what Paul says here true of 
me? If we died with Him, we shall 
also live with Him. I have a new life in the Lord 
Jesus. I have been raised from the dead, 
and by God's grace I'm enduring, I'm persevering, I'm running. 
I fall sometimes, I fall a lot, but God in His grace picks me 
back up, He dusts me off, and He sends me back on my merry 
little way, and I'm running for dear life. Praise God Almighty, 
from whom all blessings flow. But if you're in the latter part 
of these verses, do you deny Christ? You may not go out and 
hold up signs, you may not debate James White, you may not say 
with those atheists that God is not, that Christ is a hoax, 
but you may deny Him by not trusting. You may deny Him by resisting 
the call of the gospel. The gospel is not God loves you 
and has a wonderful plan for your life. The gospel is that 
Christ died Christ was raised the third day and everyone who 
believes in Him will have everlasting life. That's good news. Do not deny it because on that 
day those who have denied Him will be denied by Him in the 
presence of the Father and of all the holy angels and they 
will hear those most accursed words from Matthew's gospel, 
from me. I never knew you. Or depart from 
me into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. 
You're either a believer or a denier. And if you're a denier, I plead 
with you to come to the Lord Jesus, to believe the gospel, 
to be saved. Well, let us pray. Our Father, 
we thank you for your word and we thank you that you not only 
command enduring hardship, but you give us so many good things 
to consider while we do so. Help us not forget these things. 
Help us, God, to internalize these things and help us as we 
face the daily struggles of life, that we would do so in a genuinely 
Christian manner, that we would not throw up our hands, that 
we would not quit the race, that we would not want to abandon 
the faith, but God give us grace to endure, to persevere, to run, 
and to look unto Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith. 
And we pray these things in his most blessed name. Amen.