Midweek Bible Study | 2 Timothy 1 | Gary Hamrick

good evening everybody let's take out our Bibles we're gonna be second Timothy we're starting a new book study now as was mentioned so we're gonna be second Timothy here here on Wednesday nights if you're new we go through a particularly the Bible verse by verse little different than on Sundays we go more thematically through chapters at a time but on Wednesday nights we go verse by verse and so we're starting a new book study together so if you need a Bible you can raise your hand and receive a Bible from one of our ushers and then make your way to second Timothy 2nd Timothy I'm gonna give a little bit of a of an introduction because we're starting a new book together and so it's always good to get a little bit of perspective get a little bit of a of a of a background to the book and then we'll pray and we'll see if we can get through chapter 1 maybe even through a little bit of chapter 2 tonight so we'll see so for those of you like to take notes a little bit of information on 2nd Timothy this is a continuation of the pastoral epistles if you were here for our study of 1st Timothy you will remember that there are three letters that Paul writes to Timothy two letters to Timothy and one letter to Titus these are both men in the first century who were pastors and so Paul as kind of this spiritual dad is giving them some wisdom and doctrine and helping them to understand how to Pastor churches and what the church should be about what it should look like so 1st timothy 2nd timothy and then the book that follows this titus are all considered pastoral epistles how how was the church supposed to be pastored how as a church supposed to function together this book was written by paul about 5 to 6 years after first timothy so when we've turned the page from last week study to today we're advancing about 5 or 6 years and it's important to note that something different from when paul wrote first timothy now paul is in prison as he writes 2nd timothy and he's writing from a prison in Rome and the years around 67 ad something also important to realize about this is that this is basically Paul's farewell letter he knows that his own death is imminent he will say at the end of this book here in chapter 4 verse 6 that he that he knows that his time is near and this will then be the final letter that Paul writes you know of the New Testament of 27 books in the New Testament Paul writes roughly 2/3 and so even though you are reading through your New Testaments and you come here to 2nd Timothy and you say well there's there's a lot more to go of course there's some other writers left to go we have James we have John we have Jude but this is Paul's last letter so again not everything in your Bible is in chronological order this is the last letter that he will write before he dies he knows that his time is short because something historically happened and is the reason why Paul is in prison here in 64 AD just a few years before Paul will be executed and I guess I should put that last point up as well emperor Nero will execute him roughly 67 68 AD the the fourth century historian Eusebius he writes in his writings chronicles that Paul is executed by Nero in Nero's 14th year of his reign so Nero is one of the Emperor's of Rome and Eusebius historian says that in the 14th year of Nero's reign he executes Paul Paul will be beheaded and the reason behind this this vitriol against not just Paul but all of Christianity this particular time is because something happened in the year 64 AD just a few years before Paul was executed and that is Rome burned now what does that have to do with Christianity and the the eventual execution of Paul because Tacitus the 1st century historian says that Emperor Nero set Rome on fire now there's a lot of dispute you read history books there's a lot of dispute de Nero really burnt and so if you remember your history in school you know that apparently Nero fiddled while Rome burned well the fiddle wasn't invented until afterwards so he didn't really fiddly he might have you know I don't know play the banjo or some other hick an instrument but yeah but anyway that that's my bias coming out there but anyhow whatever he did or didn't do Tacitus first century historian says Nero set Rome on fire because Nero had wanted to do a whole rejuvenation project in Rome this whole renovation a whole new you know fixer-upper project he wanted it to go across HGTV in the whole deal and and the Roman Senate knocked it down so that's too much money we're not going to refurbish and renovate Rome so Tacitus historian says so Nero maybe himself not but he had somebody light Rome on fire ten out of the 14 precincts of ancient Rome were destroyed so there had to be a renovation project but Christians became a scapegoat for why Rome burned Nero blamed it on the Christians and as a result they not only were blamed for Rome burning at 64 AD they were persecuted for it they were rounded up and they were imprisoned they were martyred they were tortured you read history Nero was a pretty wicked Emperor and he even would dip Christians alive in tar and then he would light them on fire as torches in his garden so this kind of persecution is happening now this is an important backdrop to what we're about to read here because 4 times Paul's going to use in four chapters he's going to use the word suffering because when we talk about suffering as I'll restate this we have no idea what suffering for Christ is not here not in America not in the comfort of Loudon County for sure we have no concept whatsoever but when this letters being written as the that pan Paul's buy-in that Paul pens by inspiration holy spirit there is tremendous persecution against Christians happening and Paul gets rounded up as part of as part of that persecution and he gets thrown in prison where he is here and where he will then he'll never get out he'll eventually then be executed by Nero and a little bit further about his conditions he is being capped in what is historically referred to as the ma'am routine or the ma'am routine prison in Rome and it was originally a cistern so it's just a huge hole in the ground had no windows it was subterranean and it had a a cover over the hole and they would lower prisoners into the hole and they would lower food for the prisoners but but that's his conditions and it's basically a dungeon and he is in Chains so you know I don't know why you have to put the guys already you know below ground in a hole I don't know why I have to also chain him but just as extra security he's in Chains and he refers to his chains in chapter 2 in verse 9 and in verse 8 actually backing up its he says remember Jesus Christ raised from the dead descended from David this is my gospel verse 9 for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal and chapter 4 verse 13 tells us at the end of his letter he makes a request to Timothy he says can can you bring my cloak because the conditions of where he is being imprisoned are damp and cold so even request can you bring me a coat so he's he is suffering for the gospel he's imprisoned he's in this cold damp windowless prison just an abandoned cistern and he's going to live out his few days left in this prison and then he's going to be pulled out and executed so that also gives weight to this letter doesn't it because I want you to think for a moment that it if you knew you were about to die and it was clear to Paul he knew it he just knew as a matter of time if you knew that you were about to die what would be some of the last things you would ever want to say what are some of the most important things that you would have want that you would want to put down on paper because second Timothy are the final counsel of a dying man that's what these chapters are the final counsel of a dying man and so it's not that we should you know consider this weightier than any other part of Scripture but only in the sense that this is coming from the heart of a man who knows that he's dying and what are some of the most important final parting words that you would want to say if you knew you were dying because that's what we have here before us and so let's pray and then we're gonna dig out Lord willing chapter 1 here together and and see how far we get maybe even two chapter two tonight but let's first just pray together father as we come before you now tonight we just want to open up second Timothy with fresh eyes to be able to see what you would want to say to us tonight and Lord we're just thankful for your grace and we appreciate our comfort Lord but yet we want to be mindful that there are many people who are suffering around the world for their faith and so we pray for them tonight and we think of the example of Paul and many of the martyrs before us that have made it possible for us to enjoy the kind of freedom that we do to just gather here freely openly publicly we don't know how much longer those rights will remain Lord so may we be strengthened in our faith if if perchance we might live in a day where our very lives could be in danger because of the gospel and may we take to heart these things that Paul writes here and may we consider the final counsel of a dying man and may we Lord open up our hearts to what you would want to say to us by your Holy Spirit I thank you for all those who were here tonight and those who were watching online we committed all to you and for your glory in Jesus name and everyone said amen in 2nd Timothy chapter 1 verse 1 Paul says Paul an apostle of Christ Jesus that word apostle is just 1 it means one sent out by the will of God and he adds that often in his letters it's similar to his other letters he wants everybody to know this is not by the will of man or his own ambition but God has called him by the will of God according to the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus now Paul will not use that phrase the promise of life in any of us other letters but again this is coming from the pen of a man who knows he's dying and yet he's holding on to the promise of life because he knows that my own life on this earth might come to an end but you know for the Christian death is just graduation for the Christian death is graduation where you are you are moving from this world into eternity and our bodies will decay again and return to the same 17 chemicals of dirt elements of dirt from which we were created but our spirit goes to be with the Lord because of what Christ has done for us and we will be with him forever that's ultimate life that's why Paul begins this letter knowing he's dying saying he had but I'm an apostle of Christ used by the will of God according to the promise of life the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus any rights to Timothy verse 2 my dear son now again Timothy's not his biological son we covered this in 1st Timothy in 1st Timothy chapter 1 verse 2 and the intro of 1st Timothy he calls Timothy my son in the faith and that's the idea here Paul is a spiritual mentor to Timothy he's not a biological dad ease of spiritual dad it's good to have a spiritual dad or a spiritual mom somebody who's older in the faith you can look up to learn from Paul was that kind of a person for Timothy and he says grace mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord he says in verse 3 I thank God whom I serve as my forefathers did with a clear conscience and remember in first Timothy Paul wrote about conscience over and over again like eight times you talking about conscience and you know it's just something that was important to him it's it's not just about how we live our lives in full view of people it is how we live our lives when no one is watching and that he would have a clear conscience is something that all of us should strive to have because we're not doing anything publicly or privately that would be inconsistent with our walk but our belief is consistent with our behavior that's why Paul says I got a clear conscience I'm one writing with the clear conscience and he says in the rest of verse three as night and day he says to Timothy I constantly remember you in my prayers you know Paul was a praying man and you know no doubt his conditions there of being in prison and having nothing else to do is is you know clearly a self motivator for prayer but he's a praying man he's praying for Timothy and he says in verse 4 recalling your tears he says I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy you know Paul like any of us get joy from being close with friends and family and Timothy was like family to him he's like you know I it would bring me great joy to see you and he recalls Timothy's tears so apparently the last time Paul left you know Timothy WEP now we don't know you know maybe Timothy's tears were I'm gonna miss you I don't know if I'll ever see you again that would be expected but Timothy you know who knows what's going on in Timothy's heart because when you put together first Timothy in second Timothy we're gonna see here in a minute where Paul addresses Timothy's fear Timothy's got some fears she's got some timidity and in first Timothy Paul talks about how you know take a little wine for your stomach so he's got some physical ailments and also here in second Timothy Paul's gonna tell Timothy don't be ashamed to testify about the Lord and so you put all these together it's like a picture of 10 you know pastor Timothy he's a little afraid you know he's got some he's sickly and sometimes he's in che ashamed and embarrassed about the Gospels oh you know maybe he's crying because he's like I don't want to do this anymore I don't know what the reason for his tears are but Paul remembers them recalling your tears I longed to sees that I may be filled with joy and verse 5 he says I have been reminded of your sincere faith which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and I am persuaded now lives in you also now I love this verse because it is a reminder to us of godly heritage and in particular the godly heritage often that comes through women Paul commends Timothy's mother Louis and his grandmother Eunice and we know from Acts chapter 16 when fault when Paul first encounters a young Timothy Timothy is about 15 years of age when they first meet in Acts chapter 16 as part of Paul's missionary journey first encounters Timothy and in acts 16 it tells us that Timothy's mother was Jewish which means Timothy's grandmother was also Jewish but that Timothy's dad was a Greek and not a believer and so Timothy came to faith because of a believing a Jewish believing mother and a Jewish believing grandmother now why do I say Jewish believing because you know Jews who believe in Jesus as Messiah are believing Jews and so and many Jews are coming to faith in Christ even as we speak and God's been doing a wonderful thing to move in the hearts of Jewish people to recognize Jesus as Messiah you know when when we go to Israel my the tour guide that I developed friends with now for 20 years is Ronnie Cohen and Ronnie's testimony as a Jew is you know I came to faith because in doing these tours I saw the love of Christians and of course he kept hearing Bible studies that every stop you know along the along the way that pastors would teach but his own testimony is as a Jew I came to faith in Jesus because I saw a tangible love that I had not seen anywhere else and so there and so as Jews come to faith in Christ - just like Gentiles come to faith in Christ and by the way you don't stop being Jewish just because you believe in in Jesus Timothy here has this heritage that is handed down to him from his mom and from his grandmother who are both Jewish and believers in Jesus and he's the beneficiary he's the recipient of their influence let me just suggest this to you first of all this goes two ways number one how many of you are thankful for either a praying mom or a praying grandmother in your life let me see your hands amen look at look at all the hands here praise God now it goes the other direction - and and not to leave the guys out but just in the context of appreciating the women in the story don't ever underestimate if you're a grandmother or a mom again grandfathering dad - don't ever underestimate the power of your prayers for your kids and for your grandkids because when you saw the hands who just went up a minute ago that is the fruit of some praying mom or praying grandmother and you by the work of God's Spirit in the hearts of your children and grandchildren can have equal influence even if you may not necessarily see the fruit immediately don't stop praying don't stop reading your Bibles with your kids and your grandkids don't stop being that godly influence because here we are 2,000 years later just about reading the story about a Apostle who writes to a pastor who got saved because of a praying godly mother and grandmother amen and he says I'm persuaded now this faith now lives in you because of your grandmother I think I learn a moment ago because of your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice I am persuaded now lives and view also and he says in verse 6 for this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands now I want to share with you just in our time remaining five directives that Paul specifically says to Timothy here in this first chapter I mean the these are these are directives exhortations instructions that Paul gives to Timothy that that I want us to take personally ourselves and the first thing that he says here in in verse six is to fan into flame the gift of God the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands now it's unknown exactly specifically what is Paul talking about here is he talking about the gift of the Holy Spirit in general because clearly in acts 1 verse 4 Jesus even said before he ascended back into heaven he said wait for the gift that my father promised and he was speaking about the gift of the Holy Spirit the baptism the Holy Spirit or is Paul speaking about a particular gift of the Holy Spirit because Paul mentions a list of gifts in 1st Corinthians chapter 12 and there are other spiritual gifts mentioned in other passages of the New Testament so is he saying the gift of God meaning the Holy Spirit in general is he saying a particular gift of the Holy Spirit we don't really know one thing we do know is that whatever he's talking about has gone dormant now it's not necessarily that you know quote he's lost it too many Christians get hung up on I think I've lost it I don't know that I have it anymore you know and and we're so worried about what we've lost okay don't don't get wigged out about what you've lost okay he who began a good work in you is faithful to carry it on to completion till the day of Christ Jesus God is a keeping God so don't don't get all wigged out I think I'd lost something if you even have the awareness of that question and wonder that then you probably have it so don't don't don't fret over it but there there is though the reality that some things that God gives us can lie dormant some things that God gives us particularly for example in the area of a particular gift we don't use it it can grow dormant the power of the Holy Spirit can just lie dormant we're not really pressing into the Lord we're not really seeking him we're not really growing and so you know there's a difference between the residents of the whole spirit and the power of the Holy Spirit in a person's life the Holy Spirit you know when you receive the Lord Jesus the the Trinity is not separated so when you come to faith in Christ you get Father Son and Holy Spirit but many of you've heard this there's a difference between you getting the Holy Spirit the Holy Spirit getting you and and there is a transforming baptizing powerful work of God's Spirit that we also see in Scripture that is that is this overflowing work of God's Spirit that is the empowering of God's people and the word power in fact he's good he's going to use the word power here in the book of Acts when you turn from the Gospels to the book of Acts the emphasis is now the Acts of the Apostles because what they do under the inspiration of power of the Holy Spirit is is amazing as a testimony of God's power and the word love doesn't appear a single time in the book of Acts the new word now is power Dunamis in the Greek and we get our English word dynamite and so there it's possible it's possible to have the Holy Spirit because you're saved but not have that power that Dunamis that overflowing work of God's Spirit in your life so if it's the Holy Spirit in general or a particularly the exhortation here is whatever's dormant Timothy and this might be true for some of us fan it into flame you know blow on those embers and get that flame roaring again Paul says because I laid hands on you and I remember how on fire you were and right now there just seems to be the glow of the embers but I'm calling you to fan into flame the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands there sometimes can be a fire that burns in our belly when we first get saved and then life takes its toll and the world starts to you know pull us in its direction weakens kind of grow lazy in our walk with Christ and all of a sudden what used to be on fire is now just glowing embers and so this exhortation might apply to some of us here tonight fan into flame the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands verse seven for God did not give us a spirit of timidity King James New King James a spirit of fear but a spirit of power there's that Dunamis word power and of love and self-discipline again King James New King James says instead of self discipline says sound mind the Greek word is sophrony somos and it can mean a calm disciplined mind and so that contrast verse six are the first part in verse seven contrasts with the last part of verse seven he says you know we're not to walk around in fear or timidity we're to have the power of the Holy Spirit and love is the evidence of that power of the Holy Spirit and self-discipline like a like it's just a calm discipline mind that's a great verse if you ever are wrestling with fear anxiety I quoted this a couple Sundays ago when we talked in Isaiah about don't be afraid this is a great verse to underline or highlight in your Bible so God has not given us a spirit of timidity or fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind or self-discipline so verse eight here's the second here's the second directive so do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord or ashamed of me his prisoner so that's the second directive that he says here do not be ashamed and again the inference is the inference is that he's that he's ashamed you know Paul's not gonna exhort him about something that doesn't apply so the indication to us is that Timothy is wrestling with being ashamed a little bit embarrassed a little bit now you know let's not point fingers at Timothy even though he's a pastor in Ephesus here all of us can wrestle with this but understand particularly why Timothy may have wrestled with this he's getting a letter from a guy who's in prison being persecuted and soon to be executed for his faith you're living in 1st century under the persecution of Emperor Nero you aren't going to be probably as bold and courageous about your faith because you know you might end up in prison - or worse executed as well this is very challenging for us because here we are first century comfort of Loudoun County in the good old United States of America and nobody really being persecuted for his or her faith and Paul says to Timothy because Timothy's living in a day when you're being killed for your faith I don't want you to be ashamed I don't want you to be ashamed don't be ashamed to testify about our Lord don't be ashamed to testify about our Lord and if Timothy is being exhorted in first century where his very life is potentially in danger what business do we have being ashamed of the gospel what business do we have and Paul Paul will write on this word ashamed five times in four chapters here five times now we would just read the word twice right here in verse eight so do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord or ashamed of me as prisoner I'll point out the other ones jump further down to verse 18 may the Lord show mercy to the household of renessa for us because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains also in verse chapter 2 verse 13 sorry Chapter two okay twice in verse eight once verse twelve also verse sixteen chapter one verse 16 and chapter one verse twelve okay I skipped verse twelve sorry in verse twelve that is why I'm suffering as I am yet I am not ashamed because I know whom I have believed and then in verse 16 and then also in chapter two and verse 15 in Chapter two where he says do your best to present yourself to God as one approved workman who does not need to be ashamed so five times I just confused you so twice in verse 8 of chapter one once in verse twelve once in verse 16 and then once in chapter two verse 15 so five times he harps on this don't be ashamed don't be ashamed don't be ashamed don't be ashamed and this is important for us to take to heart because why should we be ashamed and Paul will emphasize this also in his letter to the Romans Romans chapter one verse 16 where he says I am not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ for it is the power of God into salvation for all who believe first for the Jew and then for the Gentile is this challenging to any of us you know what's what's the worst thing that could happen in Timothy's day his head could be cut off what's the worst thing that could happen in our day your friends won't like you they'll unfriend you that's so harsh right do we need sometimes in perspective I mean what what is holding you back from being bold and courageous about your faith because your life's not in danger so when I see Paul challenging us today because of the way he's challenging Timothy I mean this this just hits me hard does it hit anyone else as hard she's like why why do we timid about this you know I was a while a while ago there's actually a few years ago I was sitting in a barber's chair getting a haircut and the guy and I'd never been to this guy before he's cutting my hair and you know you and I'm just sitting in this chair and he's just cutting away and as he sees he's cutting my hair you know he's he's he's just custody I mean he's just being who he is right he just cussing up a storm you know every other word just you know he's just like just talk and he just cut in my hair and then after he's you know dropped the f-bombs and and a whole bunch of other words just in conversation then he goes so what do you do and at the moment you know honestly I wasn't ashamed of Jesus Christ but I thought if I tell him what I do he's gonna feel embarrassed he's gonna feel embarrassed so you know I just been dropping all these words so I'm like well I'm a pastor and he goes no crap but it wasn't crap and then he goes I'm a Christian too so I thought maybe a Lutheran but you know anyway I just so but you ever gotten in those conversations who are like okay you know how's this gonna come across and and you know and so I understand because you know Jesus just the word Jesus can be a lightning rod now and you start talking about Jesus you will either have revival or you'll have a riot you know where you work you start throwing around the name Jesus and you're gonna get a memo from somebody you know this offends me you know you're not protecting my space you know I don't I really don't prefer you you know you bring religion into the workplace and so you know if you could just please be mindful that we also observe and appreciate Hari Krishna and and other forms of religious expression and can't we all get along and you know and put on the bumper stickers on our cars that show that we're all just one faith of all the symbols that are mixed together and so it's just like you know I do you even want to tread into that and just and it just becomes like painful okay and and yet and yet we read what Paul's saying here the guys in prison he's about ready to be executed he says to Timothy I know a bunch of Christians are being killed but I don't want you to be ashamed about testifying about our Lord and I don't want you to be ashamed about you know being associated with me as a prison or either yeah how quick are we to like cozy up to you know if we've run into contact with some celebrity or some superstar you know just like did you see who I just ran into at the mall just let me show you my picture here who I just saw could you believe this I took a fascia with the you know and so we're like oh I'm gonna be a selfie sorry selfie bassy that's that's really what it should be called it's a facie because that's all it is you know it's your face in this person's face and but but then but you know God forbid you should be associated with like Jesus you know I don't wanna I don't want anybody to know I'm associated with Jesus you know and that I don't want to have any picture on my cell phone but it's just this is just challenging to me like this is this is the world in which Timothy is living at Paul Sangha don't be ashamed in fact now look on to the next part of verse 8 because this is directive number 3 but join with me in suffering for the gospel by the power of God who has saved us and called us to a holy life not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace that's number three on our list join and suffering for the gospel and he's going to use the word suffering four times and I won't read each time but I'll give you the reference right here in verse eight further down in verse twelve chapter 2 verse 9 and chapter 3:11 I'll say him again for you note-takers right here chapter one verse eight chapter 112 chapter two 9 and chapter three 11 he's gonna talk about suffering through this letter and again it's kind of foreign to us cuz we just we don't really understand what sufferings all about how many of you have either heard of or have in your possession foxes Book of Martyrs I would encourage you to pick up this book I'm sure you can get it on Amazon you get everything on Amazon these days because this gives a healthy perspective of this this book now this I got this book probably 10 years ago and this this is actually was an Edition put out by voice of the martyrs that documented not all but many martyrs from 33 AD to today this whole book is just like one paragraph or two paragraphs on various people who martyred and we're not talking like you know they were you know left in a prison somewhere to starve we're talking about people are just gonna I just threw in some tabs here to give you some examples Ignatius of Antioch he was a Christian who lived ad 30 to around 80 107 he was torn to pieces by wild beasts they fed him to beasts that's how he was martyred I'm just gonna give you a couple here I mean this whole book is this is an old sketch I know you can't see it but this is an old sketch about William Tyndale who was burned at the stake why for translating the Bible into the English language William Tyndale burned at the stake for translating the Bible into English John Bradford burned at the stake John Bradford 15 10 to 15 55 this whole book just brings it all up to date Nicholas Ridley Hugh Latimer in the 1500s they were burned together in one fire at the stake Edmund Campion was hanged drawn and quartered and and this is this is when they will tie all four of your limbs to four different horses and then send the horses in different directions theophane Bernard imprisoned and beheaded in tonkin which was Vietnam all the way up to you know more current people Gore been Dorothy through Ronnie November 22nd 2005 was knifed by Muslims in Iran off all for their faith I mean this entire book is just a paragraph after paragraph to paragraph of hundreds and hundreds and hundreds now multiple tens of thousands of people who have been martyred for their faith in Jesus Christ so again it's it's perspective it's easy for us to read this version so yeah join me in suffering but when he when Paul's talking about suffering and for a century he means suffering he means like Timothy if your life is required of you like mine probably is going to be for the cause of the gospel so be it because God verse 9 again because God has saved us and called us to a holy life not because of anything we've done right none of us have done anything to deserve God's favor but because of his own purpose and his grapes God initiated it God sought us God bought us with the redeeming blood of his son and he adds in verse 9 this grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time before the beginning of time now remember God is outside the time-space continuum so the God inserted time into the universe to bring definition and arrangement to our world but God is not restricted by time he's outside of time and the Bible speaks in in these terms in other places as well back in Ephesians chapter 1 verse 4 Paul says for he the Lord chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless and aside how would we chosen before the creation of the world in Revelation chapter 13 and verse 8 it talks about John says that the lamb was slain from the creation of the world say Jesus was crucified I thought he was crucified around 32 ad what he what do you mean John in Revelation 13:8 that he was crucified from the creation of the world what does it mean in Ephesians 1 that we were chosen in him before the creation of the world what does it mean here that we have received his grace before the beginning of time because God is not restricted by time and his purposes are outside of time so God put in motion a purpose and plan to redeem us even before the beginning of our calculated time this is not also that far-fetched because in first John it tells us in first John 1:5 that God is light and in him is no darkness Einstein said that if we could travel at the speed of light 186,000 miles per second Einstein said if we could travel at the speed of light time ceases to be God is light we could travel the speed of light time ceases to be atleast he understood what that is but it's the concept that God is like God is outside of time God is not restricted this is a bit challenging to grasp in our minds those of you who are really smart with quantum physics and all this kind of stuff you you probably grasp this far better than I do but when you piece together the elements of Scripture which which talk about what I just quoted that we're chosen in him before the creation of the world Jesus will slain at the creation of the world his grace is given to us before the beginning of time that because God is outside of time and space it is believed I won't be surprised by this that when you die if you're a Christian you go to heaven even if your loved one died 50 years before you that at the time you enter Heaven it will be simultaneous with your loved one that there will be no distinction nobody in heaven is going to be wow this took a long time for you to get here it's it's as if things are happening at the rapid speed of light outside of time and space and so we transcend something I know this is getting but there seems to be this this this reality that is beyond our comprehension because we are limited with in time and space God is outside of time and space and when you read this kind of language and and you put together God is light nine Stein what do you you know all of this begins to make us aware of the fact that there's there's a greater dynamic and dimension to life than just here and now within the confines of time this Grace's was given to us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time verse 10 but it has now been revealed through the peirong of our savior jesus christ christ jesus who has destroyed death okay not not that none of us no longer die but that the stronghold of death we die we our body goes back to dust but our spirit goes to be with the Lord so he destroyed the power of death and has brought life and immortality because that's what we have in the Lord we go to be with him forever life and immortality to light through the gospel and of this gospel I was appointed a Herald one who proclaims and an apostle and a teacher that is why I am suffering as I am there uses that word again suffering yet I am not ashamed if that word again because I know whom I have believed and then convinced that he that's the whom Jesus is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day that day being the day that I stand before him now please notice he doesn't say there in verse 12 I know what I have believed he says I know whom I have believed it is important to know the who because you have to know the who in order to know the one and if you don't know the who you won't get the what right there are a lot of people who know what but they don't know who and therefore what is wrong a lot of Mormons who will say to you I know what but they don't know who because Mormons believe that Jesus is the spirit brother of Lucifer that's not who so now the what is an error because the who is an error you understand how this works when Jehovah's Witnesses knock on your door and they talk about Jesus well to them Jesus is the Archangel Michael so they don't know the who so therefore the what is an error you understand so Paul is saying the foundation of knowing what is first knowing whom I have believed I know the Lord I know who he is therefore I know the what but he adds the what in the next verse verse 13 because here comes another directive to Timothy what you heard from me that's the what part the doctrine that flows from knowing the who Jesus what you heard for me here's the fourth direct they've keep as the pattern of sound teaching with faith and love in Christ Jesus so that's the fourth thing of a list keep the pattern of sound teaching they'll go off into error make sure that you understand what is true doctrine because you know the truth of God's Word get in your Bibles read your Bibles learn them grow in your knowledge of Scripture keep that pattern of sound teaching with faith 11 Christ Jesus verse 14 here's the last directive verse 14 guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us he's talking about you know your faith just guard it protected it should be a cherished thing and and protect and guard with the help of the Holy Spirit again he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus we're not alone in this guarding God helps us to guard our faith and he says in verse 13 15 you know that everyone in the province of Asia has deserted me how sad is that including and he calls out two guys fight jealous and Hermione's this is the only time they're mentioned in all the Bible we don't know anything else about these guys but how would you like to have your name in the Bible only for the purpose of describing how unfaithful that you are so that's their lasting legacy those two guys and Paul says in verse 16 may the Lord show mercy to the household of renessa for us he'll mention him again at the end because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my change we don't know anything else about this guy either but he commends him he says on the contrary when he was in Rome he searched hard for me until he found me and may the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day and you know very well in how many ways he helped me in Ephesus a lot to meditate on we'll pause there for tonight our time has escaped us anyway and we'll pick it up there with chapter 2 so read ahead because Paul compares the Christian life to three careers a soldier an athlete and a farmer so that'll be next week but let's pray for tonight Lord we thank you for this time together and as we just go home this evening May chapter one just continue to resonate in our hearts especially the part about not being ashamed Lord wherever we go may we be bold and courageous about testifying to Jesus in our lives and we trust you with how people would receive that we just want to be faithful to never be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ forgive us Lord when we have pulled back when we've said less than we should may we never be ashamed when we think about how Timothy's life was in danger and yet Paul said to him don't be ashamed even perhaps be prepared for suffering what kind of suffering do we go through Lord we don't it's it's it's easy and comfortable for us so all the more reason why we should never be ashamed of magnifying Jesus in our lives by the way we live and by what we say may people see and hear the testimony of Jesus in our lives and we thank you Lord for your grace that was given to us before the beginning of time revealed to us in these last days through Jesus Christ our Lord in whose name we pray and everybody said amen

Channel: Cornerstone Chapel - Leesburg, VA

Views: 4,170

Rating: 4.884058 out of 5

Keywords: Gary Hamrick, Calvary Chapel, Cornerstone Chapel

Id: 3ZooMR9_r5o

Length: 48min 10sec (2890 seconds)

Published: Tue Apr 16 2019