APRIL 21, 2013
●By definition, all Christians have faith...this is a perquisite.
●Yet, one of the missing characteristics in the lives of many professing Christians is faithfulness.
●They are not concentrating on their faith day in and day out because they do not take it seriously enough.
●On the other hand, there are sensitive souls who are filled with the fear of failing the Lord.
●They live with this fear every day of their lives.
●They tend to get discouraged.
●Even the smallest of failures tend to depress them.
●Those in the first group need to be challenged to make a FULL COMMITMENT of themselves TO CHRIST so that their lives will be transformed.
●They need to realize that Christianity is more than a set of benefits and privileges.
●Christianity is also a set of important responsibilities.
●Those in the second group need the reinforcement of faith in God's unfailing help.
1. PASS ON THE FAITH (2 TIMOTHY 2:1-2)
2 Timothy 2:1-2
1 You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, these entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.
NASB
Verse 1:
●Timothy's strength in the sphere of grace will grow if he cultivates the gift of grace which had been bestowed on him.
●When Peter promised to die rather then to deny Christ, he was attempting to be strong in his own strength.
●Had he been strong in the Grace that was available in Jesus, his story might have turned out a bit differently.
Verse 2:
●The things that Timothy had heard of Paul was obviously the Gospel.
●Undoubtedly it refers to the entire series of sermons and lessons which Timothy had heard from Paul.
●So this verse is telling Timothy to be strong in teaching the gospel to faithful men who in turn will be able to teach others.
2. STAY FOCUSED (2 TIMOTHY 2:3-10)
2 Timothy 2:3-10
3 Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier. 5 And also if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules. 6 The hard-working farmer ought to be the first to receive his share of the crops. 7 Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything. 8 Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descendant of David, according to my gospel, 9 for which I suffer hardship even to imprisonment as a criminal; but the word of God is not imprisoned. 10 For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory.
NASB
Verse 3:
●Even so, the Captain of our Salvation, Jesus Christ, cared that His disciples should share in His sufferings and in some measure his sorrows.
●And to the Christian who has begun a good fight and then wants to quit should remember these words of the Lord...
Luke 9:62 But Jesus said to him, "No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."
Verse 4:
●If we get so involved in the things of this world that we have no time for the service of the Lord, then it is impossible to please Jesus Christ, the One who has chosen us to be his soldiers.
●Each believer has to establish where to put God in their life.
●We are to recognize that the Christian life is not a playground; it is a battlefield.
Verse5:
●Wholehearted devotion is not all that is required - rules must be obeyed.
●Paul wanted to run the Christian race in such a way that the One who is at the end of the race - the Lord Jesus - would be able to reward him.
"The only exercise some Christians get is jumping to conclusions, running down their friends, sidestepping responsibility, and pushing their luck."
J. Vernon McGee
●We must do the RIGHT THING in the RIGHT WAY.
Verse 6:
●If the farmer works hard, he should be the first to take his share of the crops or any worker in God's vineyard, and thereby be the first to be rewarded.
●Not only will his faith be strengthened, he will be blessed.
Verse 7:
●What has been written must be meditated on.
●What has been spoken must be digested.
●By such means as these the Holy Spirit will give him all the guidance he will need in the performance of his task.
Verse 8:
●Paul does not miss many chances to talk about his favorite subject..... The resurrection of Jesus Christ!
●Timothy should keep his thoughts concentrated on the resurrected Lord Himself.
●As the living and reigning Lord, Jesus Christ is able as well as willing to help you and to carry you though.
●What ever happens, never lose courage - we know that to them that love God all things work together for good.
●At the time, Paul was in prison for preaching and teaching the Word of God.
●"Bonds" may refer to literal shackles, chains, or fetters, but could also refer to the hardship of imprisonment.
●As if to say, "The authorities have put me in this dungeon, but they cannot imprison the Gospel.
●Although Paul was in chains, he discovered that the Word of God was still going out in the Roman world.
Verse 9:
●Because the Word of God was not bound, Paul did not lose courage but persevered in faith and witness-bearing even in the midst of bitter trial.
●All this on account of the elect, that they may obtain salvation.
●These elect are those on whom God has set His unbounding love from all eternity.
●The elect are objects of His sovereign good pleasure, chosen not because of their foreseen goodness or faith but because God willed it so.
●It was not man's faith which caused election; but election which caused man's faith.
Verse 10:
●The God who in His sovereign love chooses a person, in time powerfully influences their will, illumines their mind, floods their heart with love in return for ●God's love, so that these "faculties," under the constant guidance of the Holy ●Spirit, begin to function to God's glory in their own right.
●The decree of election includes the means as well as the end.
3. TEACH THE TRUTH (2 TIMOTHY 2:14-15)
2 Timothy 2:14-15
14 Remind them of these things, and solemnly charge them in the presence of God not to wrangle about words, which is useless, and leads to the ruin of the hearers. 15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth.
NASB
Verse 14:
●The key concern of Paul was that the people at Ephesus may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus.
●If they, or any one else wanted to strive about something, let them strive for the salvation which is in Christ Jesus.
Verse 15:
●All that we know of God and how to live and grow as a Christian, in a way that is pleasing to Him, is written in the bible.
●NOT to study is to ignore what God has been pleased to provide us for our edification.
4. BE GENTLE AND PATIENT (2 TIMOTHY 2:22-26)
2 Timothy 2:22-26
22 Now flee from youthful lusts, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. 23 But refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels. 24 And the Lord's bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, 25 with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, 26 and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.
NASB
Verse 22:
●"youthful lusts" indicates strong yearning (e.g. pleasure, power, desire for material possessions) that are of a sinful nature.
●Whenever we see "faith, love and peace," placed together they sum up the Christian life.
Verse 23:
●The person who has been properly educated in God's redemptive truth is able to distinguish between the worth-while and the worthless, and does not conduct useless inquiries (into genealogical and other Jewish-tradition lore).
"Some folk are continually wanting to argue with me about nonessentials. I don't have time for that. We are living in a world that is on fire! Let's get the Word of God to it before it is too late."
J Vernon McGee
Verse 24:
●Timothy is the servant. He should resemble his Lord, who was meek, lowly, restful, who when he was oppressed and afflicted did not open His mouth.
●Every believer must be gentle, that is, affable, easy to speak to, approachable in their demeanor; not irritable, intolerant, sarcastic, or scornful, not even toward those who err. He must try to win them - hence, he must be gentle to all.
●Every believer must be able to teach, capable of imparting counsel and instruction.
Verse 25:
●If you are trying to win a person to Christ, don't argue with him. If he disagrees with you, just keep on giving him the Word of God.
●If there were to be a change in the habits and behavior of the false teachers, no one less than God would have to bring it about. It was Paul's earnest longing that this great transformation might be achieved.
Verse 26:
●True conversion brings about a radical change:
1. From ignorance to acknowledgment of the truth.
2. From being a prisoner of the devil to a follower of the Son of God.
3. From slavery to freedom.
No comments:
Post a Comment