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Please turn in your Bibles to 
2 Timothy 3. 2 Timothy 3. Last week we considered Paul's 
warning to Timothy in verses 1 to 9. He describes the perilous 
times and the last days as men are wicked and ungodly and unrighteous 
and unholy. We also said that that last days 
was not confined or not in our future. but it was upon Timothy 
because Paul tells Timothy specifically, from such people turn away in 
verse 5b. And these were persons in the 
church, most likely apostates, defectors, in many cases were 
probably false teachers. Notice in verse 5a, having a 
form of godliness but denying its power. So this isn't the 
heathen, it isn't the pagan, it isn't the person that is outside, 
of the church that Paul deals with. He certainly deals with 
that person in Romans 1, but here specifically Timothy must 
be alert and he must be on guard with reference to those in the 
church that carry on in this manner. Those who deny the truth 
of the Christian gospel do not live righteous lives. They do 
not live godly lives. Notice for just a moment in Titus 
2.11 and 12, it says, for the grace of God that brings salvation 
has appeared to all men. Now the all there doesn't mean 
every man without exception, but it does suggest or it does 
tell us that the grace of God brings salvation, it has appeared 
to all men. And that grace of God that brings 
salvation as well teaches us, notice what it teaches, it teaches 
us that Denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live 
soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age. There is 
a close connection between what a man believes and how a man 
lives. If a man denies the gospel, he 
is not going to live a righteous life. If a man embraces the gospel, 
that gospel grace then teaches us how we are to deny ungodliness, 
worldly lusts, live soberly, righteously, and godly in the 
present age. So when we look at chapter 3 
in 2 Timothy, specifically verses 1 to 9, Paul is dealing with 
apostates. Now in verses 10 to 17, there 
are two contrasts. The first begins in verse 10. After describing these false 
teachers, after describing these apostates, Paul then says, but 
you, The emphasis now focuses on or shifts to Timothy and the 
necessity for his steadfast faithfulness. He makes another comment concerning 
evil men in verse 13 and then note the contrast in verse 14, 
but you must continue in the things which you have learned 
and been assured of. Remember that 2 Timothy is the last letter 
that Paul writes. He wants Timothy to get this, 
he wants Timothy to understand this, he wants Timothy to indeed 
be faithful to the very end. So he highlights this with reference 
to Timothy in his own life so that he can exhort him and encourage 
him to a steadfast faithfulness in the entirety of his life. 
We'll all just read the section, verses 10 to 17, and our focus 
tonight will just be verses 10 to 12. Beginning in 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, 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. All scripture 
is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, 
for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 
that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every 
good work. Well, let us pray. Father, we 
thank you for this passage of scripture. We pray for the ministry 
of the Holy Spirit. We pray that he would teach us 
these things and that by his grace we would persevere, that 
we would be steadfast to the end, that we would be faithful 
to our God over the long haul. that it would not just be a short 
profession or just a flash in the pan, but give each and every 
one of us that endurance and that perseverance that we most 
desperately need. We pray that you would bless 
this time of study together, and we ask through Jesus Christ 
our Lord. Amen. Now I want to look at three 
things in these two verses. In the first place, the commendation 
of Timothy. And it's interesting, or it's 
important for us to understand, he is not commending Timothy 
here as an end. In other words, he's not just 
here to say, Timothy, you're a great guy. You're a wonderful 
person. You're a beautiful specimen of 
a human being. Certainly Paul thought that. 
I believe that Paul had an affinity for, a love for, and an affection 
for Timothy. But Paul's endgame in this section 
is not to stroke Timothy and tell Timothy what a great guy 
he has been, but rather he is encouraging him to faithfulness 
to the very end. Ralph Davis makes a statement 
in one of his commentaries, something to the effect, we stand in the 
present, we look at the past for encouragement for the future. In other words, what Paul is 
doing is he is presently exhorting Timothy onto faithfulness in 
the future. And a means by which he does 
that is to take Timothy's past record and say, you have shown 
yourself faithful. You have done well in these particular 
things. I want you to continue. I want 
you to persevere. I want you to endure and fight 
to the very end. This is a means by which the 
Apostle will encourage Timothy to continue steadfast in the 
faith. So there is a commendation of 
Timothy. In the second place, there is 
an example provided by Paul. Again, not so that Paul can say, 
hey, I'm like Jesus, do what I say. No, it's a means by which 
he is able to show Timothy that he has in fact been faithful 
and this lays the groundwork for the exhortation. to a continued 
faithfulness. And then this section ends with 
what I'll call a general maxim, that's a truism, that's a statement 
of fact, a general maxim concerning persecution that we find in verse 
12. It's probably good for us, occasionally, 
to revisit that particular theme so that we understand what the 
Bible says. It is not a promise, the Bible 
doesn't promise us that we're going to live unmolested or unaffected 
all the way to heaven. There will be tribulation in 
this world. There will be difficulties and 
trials, and it's good for us to be reminded of that. But note 
in the first place this commendation of Timothy. He says, but you. 
Again, the sharp contrast between the false teachers, the sharp 
contrast between the apostates, those who did not follow Paul, 
and now Timothy, one who has, in fact, followed Paul. He says, 
but you have carefully followed my doctrine. John Calvin says, 
in order to urge Timothy, he employs this argument also, that 
he is not an ignorant and untaught soldier because Paul carried 
him through a long course of training. Again, he is encouraging 
him. This is something you have already 
been doing. You need to fight onward. You need to go forward. It is often that the people of 
God need repetition in terms of exhortation to perseverance 
to the very end. And that's why we ought to spend 
time in passages like these because we can get bruised and battered 
and beaten down and almost want to get to the point where we 
would throw up our hands and say, you know, all of these people, 
they go a different route, and it's difficult to pastor people, 
and it's difficult to maintain faithfulness for myself. I think 
I just want to go and run and hide. Paul says, don't go, run 
and hide. I want you to fight onward. And 
notice, with reference to Timothy, you have carefully followed. And then he indicates these several 
things. It was a careful following. It was a comprehensive, detailed 
approach to the Christian life. You know, there's a sloppiness 
about picking and choosing what we'll be good at. Well, I like 
Paul's doctrine, so I'll study that, but I'll be a slob when 
it comes to loving brethren. I like the emphasis on love over 
here because I don't really have the mind or the gift for that 
doctrine sort of thing. But as Paul indicates this particular 
list, which is a contrast to the vice list concerning the 
apostates in verses 2 to 5, as Paul highlights these things, 
Timothy is one who has carefully followed in each and every area 
that Paul sets forth in this particular matter. This is important 
as Christians. The Lord God Almighty saves us, 
and He justifies us, and in the life of sanctification, this 
is not a buffet. We don't pick love, and we don't 
pick faith, and we don't pick perseverance, but we neglect 
doctrine. We don't pick doctrine to the 
neglect of all those other things as well. We must be comprehensive 
in our approach to the Christian life. If you're not good at one 
of these things, don't neglect it. Pursue it and seek by the 
grace of God to embody the very virtue that Paul commends here 
with reference to Timothy. George Knight says, whereas those 
Paul has been speaking of opposed Paul and his teaching, Timothy 
has followed the teaching of Paul and the various aspects 
of Paul's life that went along with and corroborated that teaching. So Paul commends Timothy. He tells him in verse 10, but 
you have carefully followed mine. And as I said, he now gives a 
list that is contra to the list of those vices that were indicated 
in verses 2 to 5 concerning the apostates. And that brings us 
to the example provided by Paul. Several times in his epistles, 
the Apostle Paul does hold himself out as an example. We'll just 
look at one of those in Philippians chapter 3. He also does in 1 
Corinthians 11.1, 1 Corinthians 4.16, and other places as well. 
But notice in Philippians chapter 3, it's important to have examples 
in the Christian life. And it's important to be examples 
in the Christian life. Now, you don't do what you do 
so that people will look at you and say, wow, you're a wonderful 
specimen of a human being. You do what you do because you 
want to glorify and honor God. But it is something you ought 
to be conscious of, is that people are watching. Children, if you're 
a parent, You ought to strive to be a good example of the sorts 
of things that Paul models here for us. Notice in Philippians 
3.17, brethren, join in following my example and note those who 
so walk as you have us for a pattern. He says, follow my example and 
note those who so walk. So it's not just Paul. Paul is 
not elevating himself to like a Jesus-like sort of a persona. Paul says he's one example of 
others. It is important in the Christian 
life. Obviously we look to Jesus. But in this context and other 
places in the New Testament, Paul serves as a great model 
and as a great example. Notice the reason he gives for 
this admonition. The admonition or the encouragement 
or the command is, join in following my example. Note those who so 
walk. That means actively. You say, 
well, I just don't know anybody who models these Christian traits. 
You need to find them. You know, we just think everybody's 
going to come to our house and say, hey, I'm here to be your 
example. You have to be active in the Christian church. You 
know, sometimes people say, I just don't have any friends. Are you 
seeking to make friends? Didn't Solomon say this in the 
Proverbs? Somebody who's going to have friends and shows himself 
friendly? You don't just wait for people 
to knock on your door and say, I'm the guy that God sent to 
be your pal. I'm the guy that God sent to 
be your example. Paul says, scope out. The verb is the same verb used 
with reference to overseers in the church. What is the task 
of the overseer? to oversee, to scope out. He says, note those who so walk. Look for them. You need examples 
on how to model godly Christian living? Then look for them. Find 
them. Befriend them, buy them coffee, 
tell them you want to learn from them. That is legit in the Christian 
life. Younger women are to be taught 
by the older women. Again, don't sit on your couch 
waiting for the door to knock and the older woman says, I'm 
the one God sent to teach you all things. You younger women 
can use your initiative and go to the older women and say, can 
you show me how to bake a pie? That's just an outlandish example 
there. Can you show me how to study 
the Bible and deal with my kid? That is perfectly legitimate. 
That's what you should be doing in the Christian life. Note Paul's 
reasons for this admonition. For, verse 18, 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. You see what Paul says? 
You need to find good examples. Why? Because there is no lack 
of bad examples. There is no lack of bad examples. Note those who so walk. Why? Because many walk who worship 
their bellies. You don't want to fall prey to 
that sort of an example. You want to resist that and reject 
that. And the way to do that is to find good examples and 
follow their lead when it comes to the Christian life. So this 
whole idea of exampling or modeling in the Christian life is not 
foreign to Paul. But again, we need to understand. 
He's not putting himself on par with Jesus. He is simply using 
this as a means to show Timothy that Timothy has, in fact, a 
record of proven faithfulness, and that lays the groundwork 
for the exhortation to a track record of more faithfulness in 
his future. So going back to 2 Timothy, I 
want to just break this down into four sections. Basically, 
we have several statements here concerning Paul and the things 
that Timothy had carefully followed. We'll look at his doctrine, his 
conduct, his life, and his trials. Timothy had carefully followed 
Paul in his doctrine, in his conduct, in his life, and in 
his trials. Note first his doctrine. I don't 
know how much clearer I can make this than what I've already attempted 
to do with Titus 2, 11 and 12, but there is a close connection 
between doctrine and the way that we live. You see, we just 
can't be holy without knowing justification by faith alone. 
There's no sanctification until one is justified. There is no 
glorification, ultimately, until that work of the Spirit has transpired. And it's good for the people 
of God to understand the Gospel, to understand the Word of God, 
to understand the doctrines of grace, to understand the truth 
contained in Scripture, because it is that which provides the 
basis for godliness and righteousness. So often we look at people and 
we say, wow, that's a holy being because she does this, that, 
and the other. Well, if she can't define justification by faith 
alone, I would be suspicious about how holy a being she really 
is. Now, I know that's not popular 
today, but we oftentimes just look at the effect or we look 
at a fruit and we conclude that the tree must be legitimate. Brethren, Joel Osteen and those 
other sorts of men can produce outwardly moral people. The gospel is not about an outwardly 
moral people. It is not about behavior modification. It is about the transformation 
of the human heart by the power of God's Holy Spirit. It is about 
the regenerative act of the Spirit wherein that formerly dead sinner 
now lays hold of the Gospel offer given to him by God Most High. It is about faith in the Lord 
Jesus, and not a Lord Jesus of our imagining, not a Lord Jesus 
as we would like Him to be, but the Lord Jesus Christ as the 
Scriptures define Him, and as the Scriptures declare Him. It 
is absolutely crucial we understand His life, His death, and His 
resurrection. For that, my brothers and sisters, 
is the gospel. It's not our approach to it, 
it's not the feelings that come as a result of it, but it is 
the objective body of truth that is revealed concerning the Lord 
Christ Almighty. We must, by God's grace, believe 
that truth, and the scripture says when we believe that truth, 
then fruit will follow. It is not behavior modification. It is not whooping it up in some 
stadium telling you that ought to be a better you. It is about 
coming to the Lord Jesus Christ, believing the truth as it is 
in Jesus, and Paul emphasizes that first in his life. But you 
have carefully followed my doctrine. Several places in both 1st and 
2nd, well, and 1st and 2nd Timothy and in Titus, the apostle highlights 
the importance of sound doctrine. Notice in the second place his 
conduct, and under this we'll consider his manner of life and 
his purpose. We're not going to spend a great 
deal of time on each of these like we didn't spend a great 
deal of time on the vices. But notice specifically with 
reference to his manner of life. The book of Acts helps us tremendously 
in sort of sketching or fleshing out certain aspects of Paul's 
life and ministry. Notice in Acts chapter 20. Concerning 
his manner of life under the general heading of his conduct, 
notice his manner of life beginning in chapter 20 at verse 17. From 
Miletus, he sent to Ephesus and called for the elders of the 
church. This was the first pastor's conference, if you will. The 
apostle Paul is in Miletus, he sends to Ephesus, and he calls 
for the elders of the church. Those elders are identified as 
shepherds or pastors in verse 28. who oversee the Church of 
God. So all three terms apply to the 
same office in the Church. Elder is the Greek word presbuteron, 
overseer is episkopos, and pastor is poimen, and that means to 
shepherd. So all those things, those three 
terms, each sort of fleshing out a different facet of pastoral 
ministry are applied to the one in the same office, elder, pastor, 
shepherd, whatever you want to call them. Notice in verse 18, 
and when they had come to him, he said to them, you know from 
the first day that I came to Asia, in what manner I always 
lived among you, serving the Lord with all humility, with 
many tears and trials, which happened to me by the plotting 
of the Jews. Notice Paul's manner of life, 
serving the Lord with all humility. That's an amazing statement, 
isn't it? That's a great manner of life. Can you say you serve 
the Lord with all humility? That is a manner of life that 
is to be followed after. That is a manner of life that 
is to be pursued, serving the Lord with all humility. Timothy had engaged in that sort 
of conduct. You have carefully followed my 
doctrine, my manner of life. So we could say of Timothy, in 
light of this, that he served the Lord with all humility. Now 
notice, under conduct, his purpose. And I think we see this fleshed 
out in the following verses. Notice in verse 20 how I kept 
back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you and 
taught you publicly and from house to house. I kept back nothing 
that was helpful. Who's Paul mean? He means the 
sheep of God need food, and the sheep of God need to be fed, 
and Paul as a shepherd, or in this case as an apostle, is going 
to feed them. I'm not going to hold this back. 
I'm going to give you this. I'm going to put it out there. 
I want you to eat. I want you to be well fed. And notice the 
specifics in verse 21, testifying to Jews and also to Greeks, repentance 
toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. And now notice, 
specifically with reference to his purpose, and see, now I go 
bound in the Spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will 
happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies in 
every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me. Again, 
this morning I said it would be difficult to be a Jeremiah 
to go to the temple to tell that people that their temple was 
going to be destroyed. Paul's told by the Spirit that 
when he goes to certain cities, tribulations await him. If I 
was Paul, I'd say, this would be a good time for a vacation. 
Tribulation's over here. I think I'm going to go over 
here. That was not his purpose, you see. His purpose is specified 
in verse 24, but none of these things move me, nor do I count 
my life dear to myself so that I may finish my race with joy 
and the ministry which I receive from the Lord Jesus to testify 
to the gospel of the grace of God. That is a great purpose, 
and Timothy had followed Paul carefully, not only in his doctrine, 
not only in his manner of life, but in this purpose. He was single-focused. He had a particular end and objective 
in view. What Paul made as his aim, so 
did Timothy. Now notice, with reference to 
his life, those sort of general virtues that he indicates in 
the following statements. Notice, faith, long-suffering, 
love, perseverance. Faith. Paul trusted God. So you don't go to city to city 
facing tribulations and difficulties and trials if you don't trust 
God. He commends to Timothy faith 
in 1 Timothy chapter 6 and verse 11. He commends to Timothy faith 
in 2 Timothy 2, verse 22. In other words, Timothy, you 
cannot live the Christian life apart from faith. Yes, justification. by faith alone in terms of our 
right position before God, but a life of faith, trusting God 
for your daily bread, trusting God that He is going to forgive 
you of your sins, trusting God that He is going to afford you 
protection from your enemy, trusting God for the things that we so 
oftentimes fret about. We need to trust in Him. We need 
to exercise faith. And Timothy had displayed a careful 
following in this particular area. Under his life, he mentions 
long-suffering. Paul was a patient man. I think 
that at times we have this idea that the author of Romans chapter 
9 and Ephesians chapter 1 was this theology machine. We almost 
have it in our minds that he would be the moderator of one 
of these forums on Facebook, and he would be the bully and 
the guy that would throw people out because they just crossed 
a line. Now, I don't think Paul would 
have a problem with doing such things. Paul was patient. Paul was long-suffering. Again, 
he commends this to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2.24, and then in 2 
Timothy 4.2, which we'll see. Timothy is to preach the Word. 
He is to be ready in season and out of season. The manner by 
which he is to preach that Word, he is to convince, rebuke, exhort. And then Paul says, with all 
long-suffering and teaching. That's tough with all long-suffering 
and teaching. That's tough because you want 
people to get it. I mean, if you put food down 
there and you see the sheep getting near it, you want them to eat 
it and get nourished and be happy, healthy sheep and bathe their 
way to wherever they go. This doesn't always happen. Sometimes 
you put the food out there and they sniff it and they get near 
it and they get around it and then they go bathe their way, 
the opposite, doing the opposite thing. You need long-suffering. You need patience. Timothy, you 
can't be in the pastoral ministry if you're an impatient man. Rome 
was not built in a day. The kingdom of God is not built 
in a day. The Lord Christ promised to build 
His church. He promised that the gates of 
Hades would not prevail against it. But He didn't promise to 
do it by Tuesday. You must have long-suffering. And notice, under this heading 
of life, he speaks of love. As I mentioned, the man who authored 
Romans 9, that showstopper in terms of sovereign grace. You 
ever been in a sort of a debate or a discussion with somebody 
about the doctrines of grace, and you know, you start off a 
little bit meek and mild and slow, and you kind of dance around 
the issues, and then they might really just keep zinging you 
and zinging you, and you say, all right, let's go to Romans 
9. That is the nuclear arsenal that's going to devastate this 
argument. Well, the author of Romans 9 
is the author of 1 Corinthians 13. He's not just a theology 
machine. He's not out there just providing 
us fodder to beat up our minions with. He writes that blessed 
chapter concerning love and the virtuousness of it and the characteristics 
of it. That's what Paul was. That's 
why it ought to offend us and bother us. Yes, of course, when 
they blaspheme Jesus, but when persons cast aspersion upon the 
Apostle Paul, I mean this Bishop Spong and others that suggest 
he was some repressed homosexual, or others who perhaps say that 
he was a male chauvinistic pig, or that he was this, or he was 
that, or he was the eternal enemy of women. Brethren, that ought 
to bother us because this man penned 1 Corinthians 13 and defined 
love for us. And here he tells Timothy, you 
have carefully followed my pattern of love. And then notice in the 
fourth place, under life, he says perseverance. Did Paul persevere? Absolutely. It's interesting because the 
next two virtues that he mentions, or not really virtues, experiences, 
when he speaks of persecutions and afflictions, I wouldn't call 
those virtues, those are things that happen to Paul. The persecutions 
and afflictions expand on this reference to perseverance. Because 
you see, that's what he wants to communicate to Timothy. All 
those other things to be sure, but when he considers the reality 
of perseverance, what better way to demonstrate perseverance 
than through my own persecutions and afflictions? What better 
way to give you a concrete example of my perseverance than to demonstrate 
it through the persecutions and afflictions that I have undergone? 
You see Paul's method in this particular section. It's masterful. It is a masterpiece, and he encourages 
Timothy, or he acknowledges Timothy, has carefully followed my perseverance. Again, he commends this to Timothy 
in 1 Timothy. Notice he fleshes it out in his 
own life in 2 Timothy 4, 6 to 8. One of those passages in scripture 
that I hope all of us just have a great heart for. It is basically 
his final official words, the rest of the epistle. He does 
make many comments, but they are of a concluding nature to 
his friend Timothy. Notice in 2 Timothy 4.6, for 
I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the 
time of my departure is at hand. 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 appearance. Say 
what you will about Paul, he certainly was a man of perseverance. 
And now look at persecutions and afflictions. Again, this 
gives concrete examples to his perseverance. The emphasis on 
suffering just in 2 Timothy. 2 Timothy 1.8, 2 Timothy 1.12, 
2 Timothy 1.15, 2 Timothy 2.3, and 2 Timothy 2.9 and 10. What's 
Paul's point to Timothy? Paul's point to Timothy is, you're 
going to suffer. Who are the two enemies of the 
Christian church in the first century? The first was unbelieving 
Israel. When you follow the trajectory 
of the Apostle Paul in the book of Acts, the first official enemy 
that opposed Paul and his ministry was unbelieving Israel. The second was the Roman government. and especially by the time Paul 
writes 2 Timothy. At the time that Paul wrote Romans, 
Nero wasn't nearly as bad as he would become. By the time 
Paul writes 2 Timothy, Nero is mad. Nero is nuts. Nero is a brutal man. Nero is a beast. Nero would take 
Christians and he would tie them up and he would light them on 
fire to be torches to illuminate his garden parties. There are 
other things that Nero did that were so disgusting we can't really 
speak about them with young children around. And so while Paul is 
writing this, Paul is in a Roman prison. Paul knows he's going 
to die and Paul is alerting Timothy or re-encouraging Timothy that 
the persecution is real and you need to maintain steadfastness 
in the midst of it. You need to be a persevering 
man. You need to not only have followed 
me carefully, you need to continue to follow me carefully And when 
Nero cuts my head off, you need to continue to follow me carefully. That's the emphasis by the apostle 
in this particular section. And he flashes out specifically 
these persecutions and afflictions with three incidents. And these 
three incidents happened early in Paul's career. Turn back to 
Acts chapter 14. And the reason why, or one of 
the reasons why he appeals to these, it's not that he didn't 
have any persecution since that early, or that first missionary 
journey, but this is the region from whence Timothy hailed. Timothy 
certainly knew specifically about Antioch, about Iconium, and about 
Lystra. Do you want to know how Paul 
persevered? Do you want to know what persecutions and afflictions 
look like? Do you want to know what a man 
does for the cause of God and truth? Well, Acts 14, in the 
first place, specifically chapter 13, verses 42 to 50. This is 
in Pisidian Antioch. Notice in verse 42 of chapter 
13. So when the Jews went out of the synagogue, the Gentiles 
begged, that these words might be preached to them the next 
Sabbath." I've always loved that statement. I mean, this has nothing 
to do with what I'm about to say, but the idea that people 
begged to hear the word of God. Paul comes out of the synagogue 
having preached to the Jews who ultimately want to deal with 
him very maliciously, but the Gentiles beg. Are we beggars 
for the word of God? Do we avail ourselves to the 
means that God has ordained? Do we read the Bible each and 
every day? Are we in the scriptures? Are 
we meditating? Are we contemplating? Are we 
rolling it about in our head? Are we in church morning and 
evening? Are we where the word of God 
is preached? These Gentiles begged to hear 
the scriptures. Remember, they didn't have Thomas 
Nelson publishers. They didn't have handsome goatskin 
Cambridge Bibles. They didn't have phones in their 
pockets with Bible apps. If they were going to hear the 
word of God, it would come through preaching. It would come through 
the proclamation of the truth. You see, early Christians wouldn't 
miss church because that was their access to the scriptures. They didn't have quiet times 
with their devotional morning and evening. They didn't have 
emails coming into their inbox leading them through a particular 
meditation. They didn't have these things. 
This is why Paul in 1 Timothy chapter 4 tells Timothy to give 
attention to reading. He doesn't mean in his private 
study, he means in the public house of God. Because if he didn't 
read the scriptures aloud, there were persons who wouldn't hear 
the scripture. Do you know that those things 
that we study verse by verse and spend time on, they were 
oral, they were a herd in the first place. There is a sense wherein when 
we read scripture, whether it's Jeremiah 52 or Revelation 10, 
brethren, you would listen and hang on that if you didn't have 
your Bible, if you didn't have five Bibles at home, if you didn't 
have your phone app, if you didn't have all those things. Imagine 
there was one day in seven, one day carved out by God, wherein 
you came into contact with the Word of God. I suppose, and I'd 
like to think, that would change our Lord's Day ethic. It would 
add a gravity to it, and I would hope it would change that ethic 
concerning the Word of God and our reception of it. The fact 
that we have all these things, we ought to utilize them. So 
that's just a bit of an aside. Notice in verse 43, now when 
the congregation had broken up, many of the Jews and devout proselytes 
followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, persuaded them 
to continue in the grace of God. I love this one too, verse 44, 
on the next Sabbath, almost the whole city came together to hear 
the word of God. Why? Because the persons who 
heard it went to work that week, went to their neighbor's house 
for dinner that week, went to their families that week and 
said, you need to come. You need to be where the word 
of God is preached. This Paul came to the synagogue 
and he preached Jesus. This Paul came to the synagogue 
and he proclaimed the word. On the next Sabbath, almost the 
whole city came together to hear the word of God. It's a beautiful 
thing. But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled 
with envy and contradicting and blaspheming, they opposed the 
things spoken by Paul. Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold 
and said, it was necessary that the word of God should be spoken 
to you first. But since you reject it and judge 
yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the 
Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded 
us, I have set you as a light to the Gentiles that you should 
be for salvation to the ends of the earth. Now when the Gentiles 
heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. 
And as many as had been appointed to eternal life, believed. And 
the word of the Lord was being spread throughout all the region, 
but the Jews stirred up the devout and prominent women, and the 
chief men of the city raised up persecution against Paul and 
Barnabas and expelled them from their region. But they shook 
off the dust from their feet against them and came to Iconium, 
and the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit." 
So you see in Antioch, he had persecution, he had affliction. 
Next stop is Iconium, verses 1 to 7. Now it happened in Iconium 
that they went together to the synagogue of the Jews and so 
spoke that a great multitude, both of the Jews and of the Greeks, 
believed." I like that verse, too. They so spoke that a great 
multitude of Jews and Greeks believed. That's an interesting 
emphasis, isn't it? As many had been appointed to 
eternal life believed, sovereign grace. Over in Acts chapter 16 
at the riverside in Philippi, the Lord opened Lydia's heart 
to receive the things spoken by Paul. Sovereign grace, chapter 
13. Sovereign grace, chapter 16. 
Good preaching, chapter 14. They so spoke. Brethren, preaching 
must be good. It must, in the first place, 
be accurate. It must expound the truth as 
it is in Jesus. But it must be compelling. It 
must be interesting. It must be so spoken that people 
want what is being proclaimed. There's an argument here that 
preachers ought not to just preach. They ought to strive to preach 
well. Because that's what it says, 
they so spoke that a great multitude, both of the Jews and of the Greeks, 
believed. And note how Luke doesn't have any problem with this statement. If you didn't have Acts 16 and 
God opening Lydia's heart, if you didn't have Acts 13 with 
these appointed unto eternal life ones believing, and you 
just read that, you might be inclined to believe that good 
preaching is the reason why people get saved. They so spoke that 
a great multitude believe. Luke doesn't have any problem 
telling us about sovereignty and as well telling us about 
the means that God uses to express that sovereignty and the salvation 
of his people. God is pleased, according to 
1 Corinthians 1.21, to use the foolishness of the message preached 
to save those who believe. Again, I digress. Please forgive 
me. The Acts is a tough book to just pop into. Notice, verse 
three. Verse two, but the unbelieving 
Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against 
the brethren. Therefore they stayed there a long time, speaking 
boldly in the Lord, who was bearing witness to the word of his grace, 
granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands. But the 
multitude of the city was divided, part sided with the Jews, part 
with the apostles. And when a violent attempt was 
made by both the Gentiles and Jews with their rulers, to abuse 
and stone them, they became aware of it and fled to Lystra and 
Derbe, cities of Iconia, and to the surrounding region, and 
they were preaching the gospel there." So you see, in Antioch, 
Iconium, and then thirdly, Lystra. And Lystra is where the stoning 
actually occurs. Notice in chapter 14, verses 
19 and 20. Then Jews from Antioch and Iconium. Now you've got to understand 
something about the lay of the land here. This is a long journey. 
It's always amazed me how these God-hating rebels who despise 
the Apostle Paul would walk 80 miles to deal with him. Actually, 
it was 80 miles from Pisidian Antioch to Iconium. Iconium was 
18 miles from Lystra. So they were traversing some 
ground in their concerted effort to deal with the threat of the 
Apostle to the Gentiles. Notice in verse 19, then Jews 
from Antioch and Iconium came there, and having persuaded the 
multitudes, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, 
supposing him to be dead. However, when the disciples gathered 
around him, he rose up and went into the city, and the next day 
he departed with Barnabas to Derbe. So Paul walked 60 miles 
to Derbe the morning after having been stoned. You know, we'll 
get a sniffle and not go to church. I got a bit of a crick in my 
neck. I don't think I can read my Bible 
today. I got this pesky hip pain and 
I think I just need to lay in bed. Paul was stoned. Not in the common parlance, but 
in the original. They took large boulders and 
threw them at him. They drag him to the end of the 
city, supposing him to be dead. That means he wasn't moving. 
These could have just been foolish men that saw bodies and thought 
they were dead, or they could have been like any one of us. 
I remember one time going to the Envision there, going up 
to the drive-thru, and there was a car park there. This guy 
was hunched over his steering wheel. And some other guy said, 
that guy's dead. I said, did you knock on the window? Maybe 
he's not. So I knocked on the window. The 
guy wasn't dead. This guy was ready to call the paramedics. 
And this guy obviously thought he was dead. I wouldn't think 
that this was what the situation was. Paul had been stoned. He had welts. He had blood. He 
had bruising. And yet he gets up, and he walks 
60 miles to Derby. That is just convicting, isn't 
it? Don't lay us low when we grumble 
or when we complain or when we don't have energy to do the things 
that we're supposed to do. Paul got up and hobbled. And 
I guarantee you when he was in Derby, when he was in this place, 
when he says in 1422, we must through many tribulations enter 
the kingdom of God, no one raised their hands and said, what do 
you mean? He had just been stoned. Obviously, 
we know what he means. We must, through many tribulations, 
enter the kingdom of God. 2 Corinthians 11, we simply don't 
have time to go there, but several other instances of Paul's persecutions 
and afflictions. You get the point. Back to 2 
Timothy 3. Persecutions, afflictions, which 
happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra, what persecutions 
I endured." Probably the translations that put an exclamation point 
there are on the right path. What persecutions I endured. 
He's not repeating it again just to, you know, sort of give another 
repetition. He's musing on the reality that, 
yeah, I have endured some persecutions, but note the emphasis in the 
following portion. And out of them all, or out of 
them all, the Lord delivered me. You see that blessed combination 
there, perseverance of the saints and preservation by God. You 
see that blessed combination that when the people of God do 
what God calls them to do, if it costs them pain and punishment 
and misfortune and persecution and affliction, they can rest 
assured that the Lord God will ultimately deliver them. The 
backdrop to this is the psalm that we read at the outset of 
worship. Psalm 34, the same language is used in this particular instance. Verse 17, the righteous cry out 
and the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. 
The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart and save 
such as have a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the 
righteous, but the Lord delivers them out of them all. Isn't that 
beautiful? That's a promise given by God 
to the people of God. Many are the afflictions of the 
righteous, but the Lord delivers them out of them all. What does 
that look like? It looks like Acts 13. It looks 
like Acts 14. It looks like 2 Timothy 3. It 
looks like the Apostle Paul. When you see Paul hobbling along 
and wondering how he's going to make it from place to place, 
realize the Lord sustains him. The Lord delivers him. The Lord 
fortifies him. and it is the Lord who comes 
to his people in their many afflictions. Gordon Clark says, yes, the Lord 
delivered Paul, but only after he had suffered most painfully. 
The Lord did not prevent persecution, nor did the Lord prevent the 
later execution. Therefore, rather than promising 
energetic Christians freedom from tribulation, the verse seems 
to suggest that God will preserve his servants' lives, through 
tribulation until they have accomplished the work God intended them to 
accomplish. That's an emphasis that we need 
to be reminded of. God doesn't always deliver us 
out of. He delivers us sometimes on the 
other side of. I mean, he delivers us out of, 
obviously, but after we are going through the pain. What does Paul 
say to the Galatians in Galatians 5.17, from now on let no one, 
I'm sorry, 6.17, from now on let no one trouble me for I bear 
in my body the brand marks of Jesus. That means if you took 
off his outer garment, you would see stripes in his back. Those were the brand marks of 
Jesus. He had suffered for the cause 
of Christ in these missionary journeys. And that then leads 
him to say in verse 12, yes, and all who desire to live godly 
in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. So it's not just me, Timothy, 
Paul is saying, it's you too, and it's all those who desire 
to live godly in Christ Jesus. Now, this isn't a subgroup of 
Christians. You know, there's those of us 
who really don't desire to live godly in Christ Jesus, but we're 
in. And then there's this subgroup who really desire to live godly 
in Christ Jesus. Now, George Knight says, this 
describes not a description of a subgroup of Christians who 
desire a more godly life, but rather a description of real 
Christians in distinction from those who follow false teaching. The false teachers have a form 
of godliness, but they deny its power. And no doubt there wasn't 
suffering associated with their heresy like it would be if they 
believed the truth. You see the contrast, having 
a form of godliness but denying its power. Here specifically, 
all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus, what is promised 
them is persecution. The verb is a future passive 
and that implies the inevitability of the outcome. In other words, 
all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. Now that persecution may look 
differently in Saudi Arabia, or in Canada, or in Syria, or 
in wherever, but persecuted we will be when we desire to live 
godly in Christ Jesus. I have several passages here, 
we will not go to them. If you are interested where the 
Lord Jesus taught this, email me and I will send, actually 
Matthew 5, Matthew 10, John 15, John 16. The Lord Jesus experienced 
this, didn't he? He suffered persecution. The 
Apostle Paul taught this in Acts 14.22, we must through many tribulations 
enter the kingdom of God. He teaches it in Romans 5.3, 
8.18, 12.14, 1 Thessalonians 3.4. The Apostle Paul experienced 
this, not only the text we read, but as I said, 2 Corinthians 
11.22 and following. And genuine believers in every 
age will indeed suffer persecution. I like what Calvin says. Moreover, 
as soon as zeal for God is manifested by a believer, it kindles the 
rage of all ungodly men. And although they have not a 
drawn sword, yet they vomit out their venom either by murmuring 
or by slander or by raising a disturbance or by other methods. Accordingly, 
although they are not exposed to the same assaults and do not 
engage in the same battles, yet they have a warfare in common 
and shall never be wholly at peace and exempt from persecutions. That is what the Bible says. If you think that your Christian 
life ought to be nothing but joy, happiness, and attendant 
benefits, you have not read the Bible properly. All who desire 
to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. Well, in conclusion, we ought 
to strive with Timothy to follow carefully or carefully follow 
Paul in these particulars, in his doctrine, in his conduct, 
in his life, in his persecutions. We ought to follow him with a 
careful and a comprehensive pursuit to be the kinds of people that 
we see in this passage. In the second place, we ought 
to look at those in our lives that can serve as examples. We 
ought to look at the scripture. Isn't this what the book of Hebrews 
does? In Hebrews chapter 11, it shows 
us all these men and women who by faith did mighty things. Why 
do you think that's there? So you cannot read it and not 
be encouraged by it? Or so that you can understand 
it and find benefit for your soul? Or a man like Jonathan 
in 1 Samuel. I mean, what a man, what an example 
of steadfast determination to the very end, to the bitter end, 
fighting to his death near a father that basically ruined his son's 
life. I mean, those are good examples 
for the people of God. We need to scope them out, and 
we need to carefully follow them. As well, we ought to understand 
this General Maxim, and while, again, we are not in Syria, we're 
not in Iraq, we're not in Iran, we're not with Saeed al-Badini 
in prison, Nevertheless, when we pursue godliness in this wicked 
world, there will be persecution, either from the pagans outside 
or from the internal subversion of the church inside or within 
the church. There are always going to be 
those false teachers, those who have a form of godliness but 
deny its power, who are going to denounce the prophets or the 
men that preach the truth. They did it to Jeremiah, they 
did it to the Lord Jesus, they will do it to genuine preachers 
of the Gospel today. And in the final place, we ought 
to see that the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ is worth our 
all. I mean, if you don't get that 
from the life of the Apostle, none of these things move me, 
he says. Nor do I count my life dear. The only thing that matters to 
me is that I finish and I do the ministry that the Lord God 
has committed to me. Christ is glorious. Christ is 
wondrous. Christ is worth our all. Well, let us pray. Father, we 
thank you for your word and for these emphases and I pray that 
you would seal them to our hearts and give us grace to pursue these 
things, grace to follow godly examples, grace to be godly examples 
to the children and the young people in this congregation. 
May it be the case that they can look at the adults in this 
congregation and say, that's the kind of man or the kind of 
woman or husband or father or worker that I want to be like. 
May you grant us help in these things, Lord God. And Lord, we 
thank you for our Lord Jesus Christ. We thank you for his 
blood and his atonement. We thank you for his resurrection 
and his current session. We know that while believers 
suffer persecution in this present age, there is an age coming wherein 
the elect of God will be vindicated, the church will be vindicated, 
and all lawless men, all apostates, all persecutors will be punished 
by the Lamb of God. We ask that you would go with 
us now and we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.