Sermon - 2 Timothy 2:8-15 If We Die We Live With Him

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Pitts Creek and Beaver Dam Churches

Sermon - 2 Timothy 2:8-15 If We Die We Live With Him

October 13, 2013

I am continuing today with my sermon series drawn from a couple of letters sent from the Apostle Paul to a young pastor he had trained named Timothy. The book of 2 Timothy is a short letter written by Paul who was in prison in Rome awaiting his execution. In the letter Paul is summoning Timothy to come at once to Rome. As you might expect a letter like this would have a profound impact on the person and church that received it. And so Paul must speak as a pastor to Timothy to assure him that the gospel he had learned from Paul was still true even if Paul himself was about to die. Paul has to help Timothy and the church to grow spiritually. We will get to this, but first let's pray.

“Grant unto us, O Lord, to be occupied in the mysteries of thy heavenly wisdom, with true progress in piety, to thy glory and our own edification. Amen.” (John Calvin)

2 Timothy 2:1-15 NIV 2 Timothy 2:1 You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others. 3 Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs-- he wants to please his commanding officer. 5 Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor's crown unless he competes according to the rules. 6 The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. 7 Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this. 8 Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, 9 for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God's word is not chained. 10 Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.

11 Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him; 12 if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us; 13 if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself. 14 Keep reminding them of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen. 15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

There are four things that the Apostle Paul wants Timothy to do. Let's look at each of these. First Timothy is told to “be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus”. Timothy must be spiritually strong. This takes a commitment to a program of spiritual growth. To be spiritually strong, Timothy must connect with Jesus Christ every day. This means he must pray and meditate on scripture every day. That way his faith will grow and he will be able to withstand the grief he is feeling at the impending loss of his mentor and the anger he must have at the false teachers in his congregation. Daily prayer will equip Timothy to deal with any problem which may along.

Sadly today, many Christians and even some Christian leaders ignore this advise from Paul. They don't pray and meditate on scripture every day. And so they are tossed to and fro by anything the devil sends their way. The average pastor right out of seminary finds another line of work within five years. The pressures of being a pastor are just too much. And if a pastor, or any Christian leader, is not immersed in daily prayer there is no chance for a life of service in ministry. But if we connect with Christ every day in prayer then the devil cannot lay hold of us and we are empowered to serve the church. So I urge you to pray and meditate on scripture every day.

The second thing Paul wants Timothy to do is to “entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.” So Timothy is to equip people in his church as teachers of the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is crucial for the church to be sustained as leaders come and go. Timothy is about to go to Rome and may not come back. And so faithful people have to be taught the gospel of Jesus Christ so that they can teach it to others.

That's why, for every church, Christian education is important. It not only helps us to grow spiritually it also equips a whole new generation of teachers. When we have Sunday School classes for children and youth we are preparing teachers for the church when we are no longer here.

The third thing Paul wants Timothy to do is to “endure hardship with us”. Of course no one wants to endure hardships. We want life to be easy. But Paul wants us to think about the soldier who has to leave his family and go through intense physical training. The soldier endures these hardships for the goal of being a good soldier. Or consider an athlete who rises early each morning to run or hit the gym. After a workout his muscles ache. An athlete endures these hardship to be a good athlete. Or what about the farmer who plants, and harvests, and irrigates, and prepares his equipment. A farmer endure hardships to produce food to share with others. So too with Christians. We endure hardships, get up early every day for devotions, or come to Bible studies and worship every Sunday. We endure these hardships to grow spiritually. We want our faith to be strong, and so we sacrifice a little to gain a lot.

And the fourth thing Paul wants Timothy to do is to “reflect on what I am saying”. Paul wants Timothy to ponder on the gospel Paul has taught him. He is to think about the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross in payment of sin. He is to think about the resurrection of Jesus which ensures us of eternal life. And he is think about our own resurrection from the dead when Jesus returns. Pray and meditate on scripture every day. Learn as much as you can about the Bible so you can teach others. And constantly think about the good news of Jesus Christ. Do these things and you will grow spiritually. And when you are spiritually strong you will be able to withstand whatever problem comes your way.

Paul knows that all of this is true because he has experienced it. He has spent a lifetime praying every day, studying the scripture, teaching others and enduring hardships. Now he is in prison facing execution, and is sustained by his spiritual strength.

Paul concludes this section of his letter with a poem: “If we died with him, we will also live with him; 12 if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us; 13 if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself.” These might be the words of a familiar hymn sung in Timothy's church in Ephesus. We have been singing in church since the beginning. Singing helps us to remember the truths of our faith. We find ourselves singing a catchy tune we heard in church. And if we sing the song over and over again we begin to remember the words. Through singing the gospel message is imprinted on our hearts. And so singing psalms and spiritual songs in worship is also an important part of spiritual growth. That's why our choir is so important. As the choir practices music the gospel message is placed on their hearts and they proclaim the gospel to the church on Sunday.

Remember that Christ died for your sins. He rose so that you may have eternal life. If we endure the hardships in this life we will reign with Christ in the next. Christ is faithful even if we are not. Accept him as your Lord and Savior.

Lord Jesus Christ, we ask that you lead us just as you led Timothy's church in Ephesus. Help us to grow spiritually in daily prayer, Bible study and worship. Help us to remember the good news of your life, death, resurrection and coming again. This we pray in your glorious name. Amen.